tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76259116348766610512024-03-24T05:20:38.246-06:00Hybrid ParticlesMedia Driven Eclectic Bliss.tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-59549681452137776052021-07-18T05:46:00.001-05:002021-07-18T05:53:34.655-05:00Five Insane Pieces of Star Trek Merchendise. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigivyb79XLW9g7_FI0PEivEjd4xrfkconuZbnCdPqRKeFVplVp1HnIhtv9u7FbqwqGrhLKhx9iV4gmFmxieOfiHg_U-yjHnf_qPXSXuQggnllOWGUAqz8psh8cvNb1ci1YBYYLqRLZc4K/s600/star-trek-toy-controlled-space-flight-uss-enterprise-remco.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="600" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigivyb79XLW9g7_FI0PEivEjd4xrfkconuZbnCdPqRKeFVplVp1HnIhtv9u7FbqwqGrhLKhx9iV4gmFmxieOfiHg_U-yjHnf_qPXSXuQggnllOWGUAqz8psh8cvNb1ci1YBYYLqRLZc4K/w440-h91/star-trek-toy-controlled-space-flight-uss-enterprise-remco.jpg" width="440" /></a></div> <br /><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">The world of <a href="https://hybridparticles.blogspot.com/search/label/Star%20Trek" target="_blank">Star Trek</a></span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </em><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">merchandise can be a strange one. If you’re like me – a fan of all science fiction, from</span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> Andromedia</em><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">to</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Quantum Leap</em><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">,</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> <i><a href="https://hybridparticles.blogspot.com/search/label/Doctor%20Who" target="_blank">Doctor Who</a></i></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">to</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Red Dwarf</em><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">,</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Star Wars</em><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">to</span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><a class="rank-math-link" href="https://www.lovarzi.co.uk/collections/star-trek" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #008285; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank"> </a>Star Trek</em><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">– then you might recall Yogurt from Mel Brooks’ uproariously funny</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Star Wars</em><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">spoof <a href="https://hybridparticles.blogspot.com/search/label/Films" target="_blank">film</a></span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> Spaceballs</em><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">when he said: <i>“Merchandising! Merchandising! Where the real money… is made.”</i></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Yogurt might have been a spoof version of Yoda, and hawking <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Spaceballs</em> branded flamethrowers to children, but he has a point. When a television series or film gets popular, the merchandising deals are sure to follow.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">This trend got out of control in the post-Star<em style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Wars</em> days of the early eighties, and although some branded items have excellent real-world uses some merchandise for our beloved franchises – including <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek</em> – should have been left in the cargo bay. Or better yet, blown out the nearest airlock…<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Here are five examples of strange, hilarious, and totally collectible goodies from the last 40 plus years of <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek</em> merchandise…<br /><br /><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Star Trek The Next Generation photon candies:<br /></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUDOUCFb9coCPNsetoCANnFrxJwtRFS3Dxo54oMdQMz8MiCLZoe9FbmdZAOIg-F7e2kLdAs07jl98XQqSGHllJcoPd2SrQhw6h8KxY9F3j5_zjUYOwtcPoU3vL2H_mxwbtyde7XiE1pqa/s600/Star-Trek-Next-Generation-Photon-Candies-candy-package-1992.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUDOUCFb9coCPNsetoCANnFrxJwtRFS3Dxo54oMdQMz8MiCLZoe9FbmdZAOIg-F7e2kLdAs07jl98XQqSGHllJcoPd2SrQhw6h8KxY9F3j5_zjUYOwtcPoU3vL2H_mxwbtyde7XiE1pqa/w515-h180/Star-Trek-Next-Generation-Photon-Candies-candy-package-1992.jpg" width="515" /></a></div><br /><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Now, this item is a literal treat…<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Made in 1992 by New Age Services, this extra long jelly bean-like candy was sold as a tie-in product during <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek The Next Generation</em>‘s height of popularity, and by the picture on the front showing the U.S.S. Enterprise D firing the candies from its torpedo tubes, these were supposed to represent photon torpedos. Although placing real photon torpedos in your mouth (or even these 30-year-old candies) is inadvisable.</p><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Mr. Spock’s Music from Outer Space:<br /></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia545MdN0se5GfqT_4Rze7Umx5ccNH4WBtsHkt_ZJuGe4OeBSMXdcjr0I-aNqi7ghHi1YhrvCnvHFxwzes41RysdIzoZY5wJ98vxosawtgt8KI__gZQ7YyNOfYhZA0-EyzBBjusnFhDkU_/s600/star-trek-mr-spocks-music-from-outer-space-lp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia545MdN0se5GfqT_4Rze7Umx5ccNH4WBtsHkt_ZJuGe4OeBSMXdcjr0I-aNqi7ghHi1YhrvCnvHFxwzes41RysdIzoZY5wJ98vxosawtgt8KI__gZQ7YyNOfYhZA0-EyzBBjusnFhDkU_/s320/star-trek-mr-spocks-music-from-outer-space-lp.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Ever since someone had the idea of live music accompanying early silent films, it seemed pre-ordained to have a long-lasting marriage with all forms of moving pictures. Today, that usually means a recording of the full score or incidental music of our favorite films and television series, or a compilation of licensed music from various artists featured in said property. Back in the sixties and seventies, they took a more liberal approach to branded music – particularly when it came to <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek </em>merchandise.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Enter <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Mr. Spock’s Music From Outer Space</em>, which featured actor Leonard Nimoy performing – in character – as Spock over the course of 11 blistering tracks of Vulcan musical delights. Highlights include ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Earth,’ ‘Beyond Antares,’ and ‘Music to Watch Space Girls By.’<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />The album was released by Dot Records in 1967 which, at the time, was owned by Paramount Pictures, who also happened to own the producers of the original Star Trek series – Desilu Productions. The album spawned only one single – ‘A Visit to a Sad Planet’ – which actually made it to number 121 on the American Billboard music charts, probably as it contained the ‘Theme From Star Trek’ as a B-side.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />It should be noted that this album was later released in the UK on the Rediffusion label as <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Mr. Spock Presents Music From Space</em>, but the only difference between that and the 1967 Dot Records release is the album’s cover, and some new liner notes.</p><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Remco Toys’ branded mayhem:<br /></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksxPmpcs52SyFJ_5TX3WrtIvh2wEGIXzLYh0EBTZwGMlSKpWzggN4fMlUCgU_3xjtoZU26rLe4dMFF3i6ttC1b0X2nW48qwNC1vpG4ftLup392WAfuNTuYVCFrOjpFVA6eMfFNLgf13NL/s601/star-trek-remco-toys-astro-train-copter-crusier.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksxPmpcs52SyFJ_5TX3WrtIvh2wEGIXzLYh0EBTZwGMlSKpWzggN4fMlUCgU_3xjtoZU26rLe4dMFF3i6ttC1b0X2nW48qwNC1vpG4ftLup392WAfuNTuYVCFrOjpFVA6eMfFNLgf13NL/s320/star-trek-remco-toys-astro-train-copter-crusier.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Another business practice of the sixties and seventies was to either make toys that had virtually nothing to do with the licensed property or to repurpose already existing toys into the license itself. This practice continues today, as action figures routinely reuse old sculpts and body parts on new figures, as well as the accessories that accompany them.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Remco Toys – in its heyday – was another matter entirely, as they just slapped the name of the licensed property onto any old toy they already produced, and from 1967-1971 they got busy slapping the <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek</em> logo – along with ‘astro’ – onto a helicopter, an airplane, a tank, and even a train.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Although Remco did put out more <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek</em>-orientated fare such as a toy phaser, a <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek</em> utility belt, an Astro-buzz-ray-gun, and a Controlled Space Flight U.S.S. Enterprise – which was a fair-looking Enterprise model that went round like a carousel, operated by an air pump – most of the other toys in Remco’s<em style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Star Trek</em> line were just rebranded toys that furthermore had nothing to do with <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek</em>!</p><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Star Trek The Voyage Home inflatable Enterprise:<br /></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BOjsFj2HR3yr_SdjZ5YzUhKcrOxHLUjwUZE_ZG1T8vQBKKrkXK93ktJOndjFnBGyIb0-9_4dyUnnLhnKAi8FIE4_SvWykmn__hfoBXiUKdh7uTs7ErkoirbN7Ni3ZYmD60M-fA-9Bigk/s600/Star-Trek-4-four-IV-voyage-home-VHS-promo-uss-enterprise-blow-up.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BOjsFj2HR3yr_SdjZ5YzUhKcrOxHLUjwUZE_ZG1T8vQBKKrkXK93ktJOndjFnBGyIb0-9_4dyUnnLhnKAi8FIE4_SvWykmn__hfoBXiUKdh7uTs7ErkoirbN7Ni3ZYmD60M-fA-9Bigk/s320/Star-Trek-4-four-IV-voyage-home-VHS-promo-uss-enterprise-blow-up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">This piece of <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek </em>merchandise has a nostalgic and personal connection, as I had one of these as a kid. So when I saw this picture in a social media post, I was thrilled. There seemed to be some debate from that source whether this was a commercially sold item or a special promotion for the movie.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Although I, admittedly, did not scour the internet trying to find out what everyone else thought on this issue, I can personally confirm it was indeed a promo item to coincide with ‘The Voyage Home' video release in 1987.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Having owned it, it is easy to see why I found it odd; it just hung there from strings attached to the nacelles, and the bridge dome in the middle of the saucer section – which is where it drooped, as it developed a leak and lost air – made it look more like a sad dog with its head down, rather than a Federation Starship.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Still, I kept it for a while after it went flat. I would blow it up again and imagine it crashing, and the deflation was due to really strong gravity on the planet they were crashing on. I know, I had way too much indoor time as a kid…</p><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Official Star Trek Space Fun Helmet:<br /></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLwrVIlJDZBFMCjUPbjZOGmY-RNBe7NqRj-dmn3LwxaBgfvJjXETzT9qCYNwcanOHIWcSfwQLdM7qxLcv_Rfdkzii5Iadv5nBwkmL84YFFeh8Xv4ucIOUi7japkSdl-VpECOveP23nAo6/s693/star-trek-spock-helmet-light-toy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLwrVIlJDZBFMCjUPbjZOGmY-RNBe7NqRj-dmn3LwxaBgfvJjXETzT9qCYNwcanOHIWcSfwQLdM7qxLcv_Rfdkzii5Iadv5nBwkmL84YFFeh8Xv4ucIOUi7japkSdl-VpECOveP23nAo6/s320/star-trek-spock-helmet-light-toy.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">We must have the good folks at Remco Toys back for our final piece of <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek </em>merchandise because as their story unfolded, they started to wonder if kids really wanted creativity, honesty, and perhaps even brand integrity in a product that bore the name <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek</em>…</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Remco found out the hard way, as the company went bankrupt in 1971. Its name, and the rights to produce <i>Star Trek</i> based toys, were sold to Azrak-Hamway International (or AHI) who, instead of learning from Remco’s failures, created possibly one of the worst <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek</em> products ever – the official <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek </em>Space Fun Helmet, or the Spock Helmet.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />It is something that you hoped your parents would never photograph you wearing, otherwise, you might suffer embarrassment as an adult – a toy that had no purpose but to look cool (or at least cool to a five-year-old, who did not mind strapping his head into a helmet with an antenna and light on top…)<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />I also cannot stress that, like most of the Remco line, it had nothing to do with <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek</em>!</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 26px; padding: 0px;">Unless you really were into exploring strange new worlds… of fashion sense!<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Do you know of any other weird or even amazing pieces of <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Star Trek</em> merchandise? <br /><br />Do you still listen to your Mr. Spock record? <br /><br />And did your parents snap you in the famous Fun Helmet? <br />Tell us in the comments below!<br /><br />-<i>Thomas Spychalski</i></p>tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-63043970077007013412017-08-31T18:04:00.002-05:002021-07-18T05:53:04.776-05:00Audio Review: Doctor Who- Legend of the Cybermen <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is often said that truth is stranger than fiction and perhaps it is, but if we were weighing the weirdness factor of settings in <b>Doctor Who</b>, none would be stranger than the Land of Fiction, first introduced in the classic Patrick Troughton episode <i>The Mind Robber</i> in the television series sixth season. The Big Finish audio <i>Legend of the Cybermen </i>returns the Sixth Doctor and Jamie to the strange realm where they not only get reunited with an old friend in Zoe Harriet but also an old enemy in the Cybermen, who ended up in the Land of Fiction and are converting fictional characters to further the Cyber race.</div>
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There is nothing like a <b>Doctor Who </b>story idea that can really get your fanboy juices flowing and this one does do that in abundance, with two of the most beloved companions back in action, the already mentioned great setting from a classic serial and the most iconic monsters ever to scare children witless next to the Daleks. This can also lead to failure if not done in the proper way and in this aspect <i>Legend of the Cybermen</i> has a tendency to fall short of its back cover blurb.</div>
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Cybermen are in the title of the play itself and yet at times they seem to almost be in the background compared to the related matters that play out between the Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe and this is a good thing as the interaction between the three is the strongest part of the plot, but it makes the metal giants a mere afterthought and in turn makes them a weak link in a decent audio play. I don't feel there was a need to spice this one up with another selling point, this TARDIS crew and its return to the Land of Fiction should have been enough for any good <b>Doctor Who</b> fan to lay down his money and give this one a listen.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBgsBU4ISSI7dGMU4xjTbqQZPooaqYXrxb5WkU_wDIRCSj-K3yvOOAttdjqHX9oPTUAe1vG4xIgkp58A3qD9I0h-f-505v1Gs4alC2mNzjjkQrN-JM3zTsr2heso8iKOVo6khPPGJnclf/s1600/Legend-of-the-Cybermen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="legend of the cybermen" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBgsBU4ISSI7dGMU4xjTbqQZPooaqYXrxb5WkU_wDIRCSj-K3yvOOAttdjqHX9oPTUAe1vG4xIgkp58A3qD9I0h-f-505v1Gs4alC2mNzjjkQrN-JM3zTsr2heso8iKOVo6khPPGJnclf/s320/Legend-of-the-Cybermen.jpg" title="doctor who sixth 6th jamie zoe" width="320" /></a></div>
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Supporting casts can make or break a story and here it certainly beats on the glass although thankfully it never manages to fully smash through it, as the play has some really odd ones such as Count Dracula from Bram Stoker's novel of the same name. The performance is hammy and awful and made me imagine some fool in a cheap Halloween costume complete with plastic fangs and cape. He is the worst of the bunch to be sure, but I feel that more viable extras could have been found with all of the fiction to pull from. This point does not ruin the audio experience to be sure but does take it down a notch from where it could have gone.</div>
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Awash in this white void there is a very good tale about the Doctor's relationship with Jamie and Zoe and about how it felt to be left behind and never looked for again after the experiences the trio had at the end of the televised adventure <i>The War Games. </i>This is only strengthened by the excellent performance Wendy Padbury gives as Zoe Harriot, her voice still fitting the companion she played on TV so long ago so well that you wonder if she really had been stored away in someplace outside space and time, only to be released to record this play. All three actors act out these interactions so nicely that the rest of the play's flaws are swept under the rug every time they have a big scene together.</div>
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With all it has going for it in terms of potential and fan approved wet dreams, you wish the play had a little more time spent on thinking of the adventure itself and making the Cybermen more of a threat, but this is not enough to make it not enjoyable, in fact, it is a must-listen for a die-hard Who fan, it's just a shame it's flaws will mean it is not as much as a classic as some of the material its elements were culled from.</div>
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-66336579846058046972017-07-31T01:35:00.002-05:002017-07-31T01:35:52.386-05:00Film Review: Thunderball<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbVgx9n0KhT41ssDoH45WKiVNVpFKTplHVv5kS76PqxSH3oDfwGi1MOZmYJc9Fm94JAKBTFQzlUqrOJHzRhfpi6KX2y0cy7SDrLm8GmTMi4uAQsSh03jJKKtQuvaP7fe7MWpgWoVDAkJe/s1600/james+bond+thunderball+girl+woman+bikini.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="007 woman bikini beach girl sean connery " border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="480" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbVgx9n0KhT41ssDoH45WKiVNVpFKTplHVv5kS76PqxSH3oDfwGi1MOZmYJc9Fm94JAKBTFQzlUqrOJHzRhfpi6KX2y0cy7SDrLm8GmTMi4uAQsSh03jJKKtQuvaP7fe7MWpgWoVDAkJe/s320/james+bond+thunderball+girl+woman+bikini.JPG" title="james bond thunderball" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059800/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Thunderball (film)">Thunderball</a></b> is everything one would expect from classic<b> James Bond</b> as there are enough beautiful women, gadgets, and action for everyone. However, the film as it stands today is a bit drawn out and lacks the intensity of some other Bond films, such as <b><a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058150/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Goldfinger (film)">Goldfinger</a></b><i> </i>or <b><a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055928/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Dr. No (film)">Dr. No</a></b>.</div>
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While these points are certainly the heart and soul of any classic <b>James Bond</b> adventure there are holes in this particular boat which sometimes make it feel a but dead in the water.</div>
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The film was one of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000125/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Sean Connery">Sean Connery</a>'s favorite Bond films to work on as well as being a critical success, with <b>Thunderball</b> easily overtaking the worldwide cinema totals of the first two <b>James Bond</b> films.</div>
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While the film is a decent entry in the <b>James Bond</b> film library in terms of ideas and set pieces, it is hurt by the dragging nature of some of the dialogue scenes and the revelation of some major plot points. A big distraction was how long it took for the film to really get going, a more important aspect of a great feature film today than it would have been in 1965. Now the film has to compete with the breakneck pace and speed of the modern action movie, as well as the short attention spans of the internet and cable TV era.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3EcVnV3xZBr9TSzNeIxXj3tEtj9SK5Plf_vG7DTcrnLbt0LdZ5be-5wtEkG7Uejn4vcTUa9JHesSvFnnIWfZ1r47ncJ5fcNdwqQ53kGwvYS_8pMnPPMCwOshKR8RMGJlBhjwuTE8zPrV/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3EcVnV3xZBr9TSzNeIxXj3tEtj9SK5Plf_vG7DTcrnLbt0LdZ5be-5wtEkG7Uejn4vcTUa9JHesSvFnnIWfZ1r47ncJ5fcNdwqQ53kGwvYS_8pMnPPMCwOshKR8RMGJlBhjwuTE8zPrV/s1600/th.jpg" title="james bond thunderball poster 007" /></a></div>
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Usually, this would be a boon rather than a minor flaw, as today's action films seem to rattle the cinema goers senses with huge and random explosions, improbable action sequences and over dramatic slow motion shots when a bit more back building of the characters might seem in order through actual dialogue. It helps us understand the motivations and psyche of our heroes and our villains better and makes for a deeper film.</div>
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<b>Thunderball</b> did feature some excellent underwater filming, with shots that were breathtaking and well done, especially for their time. These sequences are both a blessing and a curse as they are wonderful in execution but like some of the dialogue sequences, go on for far too long. Surely this is partially due to the expense put into the shots as well as the fact that the production team knew they had something special on their hands. However, in this case, less would have truly been more.</div>
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Another scene of interest for Bond and film buffs alike is the sequence when <b>James Bond</b> is thrown into Largo's pool along with a bunch of hungry sharks. Connery was not too pleased with the scene, to begin with, and insisted that a plexiglass barrier is installed into the pool for the scenes. Ultimately, despite the safety precautions, one of the sharks got around the barrier and Connery had to get out of the water fast before he was attacked.</div>
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To be sure, this film shines when it comes to locations, design and cinematographic work, but fall s a bit short when trying to keep a viewer engaged over the two plus hours it is on screen.</div>
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This is not the worst <b>James Bond</b> film in the last fifty years by far, but neither is it the best of the titles either. All in all, this is an enjoyable film with some great cinematography, great locations, and some great acting. It is just a shame it goes on for about forty-five minutes too long.</div>
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-<i>Thomas Spychalski </i></div>
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-60592463554202252072017-07-30T22:27:00.000-05:002017-07-30T22:27:19.338-05:00Film Review: Casino Royale (2006) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1L_LtCQps-6zfMxefvVmBF6vP9KoVmh2cZ5BxhSjkFX5hXHSnzGx9SNilrDoBdVlB3scOMY2QI6tWdha-lcn3e0mW0dAh1fWZ4mDx8wW1hfkZ11IwQRgiIcTYWkTSfK_ZUz-FUYvpskLL/s1600/james+bond+daniel+craig+casino+royale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="daniel craig casino royale 2006" border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1L_LtCQps-6zfMxefvVmBF6vP9KoVmh2cZ5BxhSjkFX5hXHSnzGx9SNilrDoBdVlB3scOMY2QI6tWdha-lcn3e0mW0dAh1fWZ4mDx8wW1hfkZ11IwQRgiIcTYWkTSfK_ZUz-FUYvpskLL/s1600/james+bond+daniel+craig+casino+royale.JPG" title="James Bond " /></a></div>
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“Is <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.8833333333,-77.0166666667&spn=0.1,0.1&q=38.8833333333,-77.0166666667%20(United%20States)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="United States">America</a> ready for a British James Bond?”</div>
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So spoke the wise and learned critic, Homer Simpson, at about the time that <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0185819/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Daniel Craig">Daniel Craig</a> was announced as the actor to replace <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000112/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Pierce Brosnan">Pierce Brosnan</a> as Bond. Ironic post modern humor aside, this quote demonstrates the impact that Craig had on Bond fans when he donned the iconic tuxedo. Brosnan had been a popular choice for the role* and so the newcomer, then a relative unknown with naught but a few Guy Ritchie films under his belt, had a lot to live up to.</div>
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So, as with any film where an established role is played by an alternate actor, the crux of any review of Casino Royale must rest with whether or not Daniel Craig is better than Pierce Brosnan at being a charming, sociopathic thug in a Tux. On the whole, he succeeds by not trying to emulate Brosnan’s performance and instead of making the role his own. This is assisted by the director and the writers who together create a more modern interpretation of Bond. This version compares to previous versions in the same way that Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins compares to Tim Burton’s version or even the 1960’s Burt Ward series. </div>
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Not every Bond fan will appreciate this. In the remodeling, some of the charms are lost and replaced with gritty realism. Fight scenes, for example, are choreographed to be clumsy and bloody rather than smooth and stylish and the consequences, both physical and mental, are clear to see in the scenes that follow. For example, a scene where Bond has just killed two men and is cleaning himself up is filled with little hints at the turmoil behind his usually stony facade. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92rRlClnuTY_V8yTY5QY12r0G668uXHn2QLOSdamTcXB6WVaFvKO0F8JsboIT0E7Ft0WH6imk83idm-nJk1_6-FcNX2CfMK_UUvNAyRKZ3ezNB-bM-q8ONDku_4fF9lDedQDM1qLkm_JB/s1600/Casino+Royale+Poster+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="daniel craig 2006" border="0" data-original-height="1487" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92rRlClnuTY_V8yTY5QY12r0G668uXHn2QLOSdamTcXB6WVaFvKO0F8JsboIT0E7Ft0WH6imk83idm-nJk1_6-FcNX2CfMK_UUvNAyRKZ3ezNB-bM-q8ONDku_4fF9lDedQDM1qLkm_JB/s320/Casino+Royale+Poster+3.jpg" title="james bond casino royale poster 007 " width="215" /></a></div>
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This is a Bond who is dour and moody with the classic quips always tainted with an underlying darkness which is in sharp contrast to Roger Moore’s efforts. The film also lacks a number of key Bond features. There is no Q, for example, and while there are gadgets aplenty I feel the film suffers somewhat from his lack. This is a minor issue, however, and many other essential Bond features are present such as the cars, the guns, the girls and the wonderful <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001132/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Judi Dench">Judi Dench</a> as M.</div>
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The plot of Casino Royale revolves around <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Chiffre" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Le Chiffre">Le Chiffre</a>, a gambler, and stockbroker who runs an illegal bank for terrorist organizations and using terrorist actions to play the stock market. When Bond foils one such terrorist action, Le Chiffre is forced to organize a high stakes poker game to recoup his losses before the terrorists come after him for their money. </div>
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The government places Bond into the game and things progress from there to a resolution with double crosses and a shock that compares favorably with the brutal ending of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The viewer gets all the stunts and action they expect from a Bond film along with an actually rather clever plot with lots of interesting characters.</div>
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In all, this is not a bad effort for a Bond film and, like Batman Begins, does bring the world’s most famous superspy up to date. Whether you appreciate Craig as Bond or not largely depends on how loyal you are to the previous incarnations. Bond fandom is always going to be divided on this issue and I don’t think this appointment will do anything to change that.</div>
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*The universally accepted standard for measuring any portrayal of Bond is their comparison with <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000125/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Sean Connery">Sean Connery</a>. Brosnan scored remarkably well on this, better than any other actor. In fact, in a poll of one father in law conducted by myself, 100% of those questioned stated that he was better than Connery. You cannot argue with statistics like that.</div>
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-<i>Areteus</i></div>
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areteushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872519306233427396noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-61340395427460664462017-07-27T17:22:00.001-05:002017-07-27T17:23:46.746-05:00Book Review: Baker Street Beat <div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CcpX4BdSoRXB3ndTKftSbOT9UrpPzAPBK7PvoYNYLcR4Q4Pm3WleMZTjVFUVE0sJ2PRwIBB8I5WJKoYO2YeoVc0iulRAlefpiPXUqhUCrc6V-AkSYzZR54aeU9NkMbnziZrk8ACF6pDZ/s1600/baker-street-beat-an-eclectic-collection-of-sherlockian-original-imae8a6dd6rqs87n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="sherlock holmes books baker street " border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1032" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CcpX4BdSoRXB3ndTKftSbOT9UrpPzAPBK7PvoYNYLcR4Q4Pm3WleMZTjVFUVE0sJ2PRwIBB8I5WJKoYO2YeoVc0iulRAlefpiPXUqhUCrc6V-AkSYzZR54aeU9NkMbnziZrk8ACF6pDZ/s200/baker-street-beat-an-eclectic-collection-of-sherlockian-original-imae8a6dd6rqs87n.jpeg" title="baker street beat book cover dan andriacco" width="128" /></a></div>
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Baker Street Beat is an entertaining
collection of short essays, stories and screenplays by Dan Andriacco,
a self confessed Sherlock Holmes aficionado (he admits as much in his
introduction so it hardly takes a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_fandom" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sherlock fandom">Sherlockian</a> level of genius to work
this out) and covering the author’s own experiences and knowledge
of the world of Holmes.
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When faced with the term ‘essay’
one is put instantly in dread of dry, academic tracts with no
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However, in this case the fear is unfounded. </div>
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The essays are more like articles, light and easy to read with an
engaging and friendly style that draws you in and keeps you reading.
The topics of the articles are interesting too. </div>
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Everything from
reminiscences of the author’s trip to the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=46.7136111111,8.18305555556&spn=0.1,0.1&q=46.7136111111,8.18305555556%20(Reichenbach%20Falls)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Reichenbach Falls">Reichenbach Falls</a>
(Reichenbach Pilgrimage, p 14) to how to write the perfect Holmes
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastiche" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Pastiche">pastiche</a> (Writing the Holmes Pastiche, p29) is covered and there is
likely to be something here to pique the interest of everyone. I
particularly enjoyed ‘Writing the Holmes Pastiche’, an article
which I suspect many writers who seek to emulate the style of Conan
Doyle should look at to see what tropes and concepts need to be in
play before a tale can truly be said to be a ‘Holmes pastiche’. </div>
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I
did note in my reading of this article that the authors of the other
two MX Publishing books I have reviewed did miss some of these
required elements. </div>
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Whether you consider this to make them less worthy
of the franchise or not is probably a matter of personal preference
and whether you consider yourself are purist or not. In my personal
opinion, it did not spoil my enjoyment and some of the features in
this article are things I would never have considered being needed in
a Holmes tale.</div>
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Andriacco’s fiction writing certainly
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Though actually only one
of them is listed as a pastiche (The Peculiar Persecution of John
Vincent Harden, p37). Of the others, one (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventure_of_the_Speckled_Band" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Adventure of the Speckled Band">The Adventure of the
Speckled Band</a> p102) is actually a screenplay adaptation of an
original Conan Doyle tale for radio, another (The Adventure of the
Amateur Players p59) is a story about modern day child detectives
using Holmes’s methods and the other screenplay (The Wrong Cab, p64)
is a strange metaphysical tale about a modern day detective being
transported into the past where he takes on the role of Watson in one
of Holmes’ cases. All are fun stories with a lot to recommend them.</div>
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In all, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who has a
love of Holmes and wants to learn more about him.</div>
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-<i>Areteus </i><br />
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areteushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872519306233427396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-86421255562269193142017-07-27T16:18:00.000-05:002017-07-27T17:16:23.224-05:00Book Review: Watson's Afghan Adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19AtWZzqRTstGpRXngBXPYOwqLBVCQixmZJ6SKNGPcRnfpjdq1c492P2y-A4vUyuDMK2OFMFV7gILa67uizXD1ByXIptzPZhz7wMoRYnPIVqA5_9tdmjBx6tYaod_ptIMap65ZKXgrOYb/s1600/9781907685941_p0_v1_s1200x630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="386" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19AtWZzqRTstGpRXngBXPYOwqLBVCQixmZJ6SKNGPcRnfpjdq1c492P2y-A4vUyuDMK2OFMFV7gILa67uizXD1ByXIptzPZhz7wMoRYnPIVqA5_9tdmjBx6tYaod_ptIMap65ZKXgrOYb/s200/9781907685941_p0_v1_s1200x630.jpg" title="watsons afghan adventure book kieran mcmullen " width="128" /></a></div>
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One of the enduring mysteries of the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_of_Sherlock_Holmes" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Canon of Sherlock Holmes">Sherlock Holmes canon</a> is how <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Watson" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Dr. Watson">Dr. Watson</a> came to become injured. Anyone who reads the original tales is aware that he was an army Doctor, that he served in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=34.5333333333,69.1333333333&spn=0.1,0.1&q=34.5333333333,69.1333333333%20(Afghanistan)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Afghanistan">Afghanistan</a>* and that he took bullets from a jezail to the leg and shoulder. </div>
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The specifics of his service are not covered in any more detail than that, mainly because Watson’s narrative is focussed on the current exploits of Holmes rather than his own past.</div>
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The concept behind this book was therefore intriguing to me as, in whatever medium Holmes is seen, I have always had a soft spot for good old Doctor Watson and always wondered about the story behind his wounds. This book delivers that tale as Watson, following a mysterious visit from an old army buddy, is called upon to relate it to Holmes in order to explain some discrepancies noted in the previous telling. </div>
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The bulk of the book covers Watson’s telling as he describes a treasure hunt in the wilds of Afghanistan against the backdrop of a war with the dissident tribes of that region.</div>
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The ‘war journal’ style may be the greatest weakness of this work. The information within is very well researched and many details of the war are presented - troop movements, names of regiments and commanders, results of battles and so on. </div>
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All well and good if one is looking to write an essay on the military of the period but much of it is portrayed in a very bland style. Of course, this helps to maintain the periodicity (it certainly fits the style of contemporary war journals) and the fiction that this is Watson’s account of the events as he is likely to have told them to his friend, but when reading this there is a tendency to gloss over these largely irrelevant details in search of the next piece of the plot to find the treasure. </div>
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There is also the fact that this is a story set in the Holmes universe in which Holmes does not make a significant appearance. He is there at the start, in order to persuade Watson to tell his tale, and he closes the book with some observations but that is all he contributes. The publishers, no doubt aware of this fact, are therefore careful to not label this as a ‘Sherlock Holmes adventure’ to avoid any confusion.</div>
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If you accept that this is a story without Holmes, then there is a rather good adventure story here. There is no great mystery to solve (and one suspects that had Holmes been there the location of the treasure would have been deduced in a matter of moments and therefore reduced the tale to a mere footnote...) but there is intrigue, tension and a travelogue of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=28.6133333333,77.2083333333&spn=0.1,0.1&q=28.6133333333,77.2083333333%20(India)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="India">India</a> and Afghanistan to enjoy. </div>
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When starting this book, I had entertained the expectation that maybe there would be a situation established where <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sherlock Holmes">Holmes and Watson</a> were faced with a mystery in their present day which linked back to Watson’s military service and the telling of the tale would give Holmes a clue as to the current dilemma. This is not the case, Watson’s tale is all we get. Perhaps a missed opportunity or maybe McMullen was keen to focus on his central concept rather than digress.</div>
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In all, an interesting if risky premise – telling a Sherlock Holmes tale with no Sherlock Holmes in it and potentially dabbling in the canon in a way which might annoy purists</div>
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*. Enjoyable and interesting if you are curious about the background of one of the heroes but still leaves you wanting more of the eponymous detective.</div>
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*A neat little correspondence that <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0595590/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Steven Moffat">Stephen Moffat</a> uses in the modern remake, the fact that Watson has a modern war in Afghanistan to come home from...</div>
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** For example, Holmes quickly ascertains on examining the bullets that were taken from Watson’s wounds that they were not from a Jezail at all...</div>
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-<i>Areteus</i></div>
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areteushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872519306233427396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-59637201561180812712017-04-09T21:40:00.001-05:002017-04-09T22:12:55.238-05:00Mike and Tom jam session<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hN2KJvi3ZzE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hN2KJvi3ZzE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<u>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN2KJvi3ZzE</u>tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-49257954076154385352017-04-08T01:03:00.000-05:002017-04-08T01:03:00.912-05:00Renegades: Reqium Review A while back there was a crowdfund call for money to create a new <b>Star Trek</b> series. Called <b><a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.startrekrenegades.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Star Trek: Renegades">Star Trek: Renegades</a> </b>it had a number of big, familiar names associated with it and plans to make a darker, grittier version of Trek than previously seen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEHeKqDcQj_qtb6ykLagDiX3M1w4_kMiJbkiFHmy8pf3uoZ0Luu6sVDzVSK7b-9HyvIDl7_r4nwF8H8K99a_VuQLxVUyICI8H63i5Cj4fl59yYHpfKpjVF3jRsjIa_UsO-VOO82L-NZk/s1600/Walter500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEHeKqDcQj_qtb6ykLagDiX3M1w4_kMiJbkiFHmy8pf3uoZ0Luu6sVDzVSK7b-9HyvIDl7_r4nwF8H8K99a_VuQLxVUyICI8H63i5Cj4fl59yYHpfKpjVF3jRsjIa_UsO-VOO82L-NZk/s320/Walter500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately, there were issues with IP. Paramount were not keen on allowing the producers to use the name Star Trek. This was probably because they were already developing <b><a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/star-trek-discovery/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Star Trek: Discovery">Star Trek: Discovery</a></b> which looks set to involve its own gritty reinvention. The project, therefore, mutated, removing many of the familiar concepts and dropping the Star Trek from the title. Renamed <a href="http://renegades.show/home/" target="_blank">Renegades</a> the first two episodes, which combine to form the pilot 'Reqium', have now been completed and the first part released to backers.<br />
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As a backer of this project, I got access to the first episode on February 2nd, though did not have a chance to watch it until recently due to issues with building work in the house. What follows is my review.<br />
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The plot revolves around a crew of 'deniable assets' working for an interplanetary organization called the Confederation. They report to an elderly Admiral (played by <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000479/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Walter Koenig">Walter Koenig</a>) who is working against a hidden cabal within the Confederation and realizes he cannot trust anyone within his own command structure. So, he calls on a mercenary crew of criminals led by Lexxa Singh to perform missions.<br />
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The main issues with this first episode revolve around the dissonance between this and Trek. This is Trek but not as we know it. There are a number of well-known faces in the mix - Walter Keonig, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0629675/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Nichelle Nichols">Nichelle Nichols</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000395/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Terry Farrell (actress)">Terry Farrell</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0750913/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Tim Russ">Tim Russ</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000296/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Robert Beltran">Robert Beltran</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0517467/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Cirroc Lofton">Cirroc Lofton</a>. Some of them are playing characters who are almost but not quite entirely unlike those they have played in Trek. For example, Cirroc Lofton is playing a journalist called Mr Sisko who could easily have been the son of a certain station commander and Keonig and Nichols are the older Chekov and Uhuhru in all but name (in fact neither gets name-checked in the dialogue, Keonig is referred to in the titles as 'the Admiral' and Nichols is called Admiral Grace Jemison on the cast page). The exception is Robert Beltran whose character seems to be completely unrelated to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakotay" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Chakotay">Chakotay</a> - he appears as a bar owner. This almost but not quite a thing might be an issue for some, especially for any who are here only for the Trek, but I found it was quite easy to instead think of this as being a very distant alternative universe where things are completely different to the Trek we know and love - further removed then the infamous <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_Universe" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Mirror Universe">Mirror universe</a> and the current Kelvin timeline.<br />
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The other negatives I noticed was production value based. This is understandable given the limited budget involved and actually, I think overall the final product is well done given the circumstances and we can excuse some slightly ropey acting and shaky editing. If this series develops further I am sure things will get a lot smoother and professional looking.<br />
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Overall, however, I enjoyed this a lot. The plot and characters were engaging, especially the crew of the Icarus (the name of Lexxa's ship) and in any ongoing series based around the crew of a starship, the characters you need to connect with are those on board not the peripheral ones like the Admiral. The crew comes across as a typical ragtag bunch of criminals and misfits and there are hints of backstory and relationships between them that looks promising for future development.<br />
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The end of the episode is a bit sudden. I guess this is because the intention is to eventually combine parts one and two into a single episode. It did, however, leave me wanting more.<br />
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-<i>D.L. </i><br />
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areteushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872519306233427396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-54674486534769050692017-01-30T17:25:00.005-06:002017-01-30T17:25:53.121-06:00Doctor Who- Peter Capaldi to Leave Series Xmas 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0RsPwGCATWdaVWbHwcIzGv_cjGp9yozAUvxlNYuyEzbsGXlwaeg3kBASyhxavIgT3z9Pl96EscDo3myIA1q11viXEtQ_ukJU1ctqUyQ3ldrrqt109OQvxJrKNxl4qTiykGMM1jHVW8R0/s1600/Doctor-Who-Peter-Capaldi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0RsPwGCATWdaVWbHwcIzGv_cjGp9yozAUvxlNYuyEzbsGXlwaeg3kBASyhxavIgT3z9Pl96EscDo3myIA1q11viXEtQ_ukJU1ctqUyQ3ldrrqt109OQvxJrKNxl4qTiykGMM1jHVW8R0/s320/Doctor-Who-Peter-Capaldi.jpg" title="doctor who peter capaldi 12th tardis roundels " width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04rcps0" target="_blank">Today on BBC Radio 2 actor Peter Capaldi revealed</a> that the start date for the eleventh series of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a> would begin on April 15th of this year.<br />
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Sadly, he also revealed that this series will be his last full run and he will leave the Tardis in the 2017 Christmas Special, alongside writer/showrunner <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0595590/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Steven Moffat">Steven Moffat</a>.<br />
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Beyond the two huge pieces of news above, Capaldi went on to say the eleventh series will have some classic monsters but most are new creations and also we can expect something: "...dark, that moves along throughout the series."<br />
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As for Capaldi leaving the role of the Doctor at Xmas:<br />
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<i>"I feel sad. I love Doctor Who, it's a fantastic program to work on, it's been a huge pleasure to work with [the Doctor Who] family, I can't praise the people I work with too highly. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>But I've always been somebody who's done a lot of different things, I've never done one job for three years. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I feel it's sort of time for me to move on to different challenges. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>What a privilege, to have done this, it's an extraordinary position to be in, but like everything you have to be aware of when it is time to move on.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I don't know how long I can do this and give it my best and if I can't give it my best I don't want to do it.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I wanted to move on to other challenges but there will never be anything that was more special to me."</i><br />
<br />
Capaldi says he was asked to stay on for the twelfth series of Doctor Who, which would have been for the first series under new writer and showrunner <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Chibnall" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Chris Chibnall">Chris Chibnall</a> in 2018 as his contract was running out but he chose to leave.<br />
<br />
However, as Capaldi points out, he is '<i>still Doctor Who</i>' and we still have one full series of thirteen episodes starting on April 15th of this year and the 2017 Christmas special before he passes on the keys to the Tardis to another actor.<br />
<br />
So now the speculation can begin on who will be cast as the thirteenth Doctor...who do you think it should be?<br />
<br />
Let us know in the comments below.<br />
<br />
(Via <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04rcps0" target="_blank">BBC Radio Two</a>)<br />
<br />
-<i>Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
<br />
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-38869888355523712042017-01-22T04:37:00.001-06:002017-01-22T04:37:45.974-06:00TV Review: Doctor Who: Time-Flight <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNBLDW06hCdkmpRlY2pbNrYfKVxyoFJXLXShVBtKL0uFbUHdQqxZyucJUgIMTOEwRdzcKS4NhUCWgI-onkK9RHC8YwwBAOEGKHLOl0xusmQK4cWe7LVW9BpGP15zq8RinPX2huYRCzau1/s1600/timeflight.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNBLDW06hCdkmpRlY2pbNrYfKVxyoFJXLXShVBtKL0uFbUHdQqxZyucJUgIMTOEwRdzcKS4NhUCWgI-onkK9RHC8YwwBAOEGKHLOl0xusmQK4cWe7LVW9BpGP15zq8RinPX2huYRCzau1/s320/timeflight.gif" title="doctor who time flight master tardis peter davison" width="320" /></a></div>
It is often said that the road less traveled in any journey might be the hardest, the most diverse and at times perhaps a bit more fun as well.<br />
<br />
Sometimes this can prove to be true in our entertainment choices as too, as a band in the music biz who take a risk on a new musical direction may be loved or hated for such a choice or an actor might be a hit in a drama after years of doing comedy.<br />
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It is a fact then of sorts that the art of daring to be different makes an impact, be it positive or negative...<br />
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<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a> is no stranger to the road less traveled, at it's very core the concept of the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="TARDIS">Tardis</a> and the nature of the Doctor's biological attributes sets it apart from most other shows in the genre of science fiction.<br />
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It's main plot device of travel anywhere in time and space also gives the opportunity to explore other less traveled paths in storytelling, sometimes with mixed results.<br />
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Most would say that <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Flight-Peter-Grimwade/dp/0426192974%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzem-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0426192974" rel="amazon" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who: Time Flight">Time-Flight</a> was one such direction of the negative variety, a story many call disjointed, full of plot holes and some very awful special effects and sets. They will tell you that at the end of the brilliant season nineteen was one of the worst Doctor Who episodes of the Peter Davison era if not the eighties. <br />
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If you can discuss it with a fellow Doctor Who fan without someone mentioning how crap the Plasmatons look or someone asking why <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_%28Doctor_Who%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Master (Doctor Who)">the Master</a> was disguised as an Arabian wizard with bad skin then your conversation was an aberration, not the norm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2GKC9OtkMPs7qs8DBFxNC3NUIkMU_5DcL6m5DkmXcB_3H84z1jXBSfJz3UmU1FiMI8zdmesLUtgU0lpPK08-w0DwtdssPW1TMd_3mxLmr_lB1MtvtGcnbai8d59At2bdD0fyGUxNC8Kl/s1600/doctor-who-time-flight-bubble-creatures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2GKC9OtkMPs7qs8DBFxNC3NUIkMU_5DcL6m5DkmXcB_3H84z1jXBSfJz3UmU1FiMI8zdmesLUtgU0lpPK08-w0DwtdssPW1TMd_3mxLmr_lB1MtvtGcnbai8d59At2bdD0fyGUxNC8Kl/s320/doctor-who-time-flight-bubble-creatures.jpg" title="doctor who time flight plasmatons" width="320" /></a></div>
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But in between all the turbulence Time-Flight was not the fiery crash some would make it out to be.<br />
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It did indeed have it's bad moments and head scratching plot elements, but it also made excellent use of location shooting and management with securing permission to film at Heathrow and on board <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Concorde">Concorde</a>, a fun, enjoyable end to a season that had delighted and shocked us with a tale about a plane hijacking slightly outside the kind we are used to.<br />
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I suppose it also rates a bit more highly with me then with others due to a healthy dose of nostalgia. I first saw this when I was probably about five years old or so, and back then Doctor Who was fun and entertaining no matter what plot hole or wobbly set turned up.<br />
<br />
This means that I am admittedly still looking at Time-Flight through young eyes, but I don't think the Doctor himself would have any problem with that, kids always see a bit clearer than adults anyway, and I would also have the imagination and mind set of the demographic this series has always held so dear.<br />
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Openings are of course always an important aspect to consider and what could be better then a he luxury jet just vanishing from the blue skies it occupied just a moment ago.<br />
<br />
You are drawn in, wanting to know how in the world that could have happened. It was a simple effect, the same one the Tardis had been using since 1963, but it looked so odd and extraordinary to see a plane just vanish into thin air.<br />
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The concept of a plane or other mode of transport such as a train taken over is certainly not unique but it was relevant at the time, when real flights were hijacked with real people on board, giving an added sense of weight to the proceedings.<br />
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Another positive that soon becomes apparent is that this is a direct continuation from the previous story, Earthshock, where former Tardis crew member <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adric" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Adric">Adric</a> had died trying to battle the Cybermen.<br />
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This was handled tremendously with a great little scene about how the Tardis' time travel ability could never be used to change events such as Adric's death, an idea that had relevance to series continuity that was modernly relevant as recently as Waters of Mars in 2009.<br />
<br />
Continuity was big to the first couple seasons of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0622264/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="John Nathan-Turner">John Nathan Turner</a>'s run as producer of Doctor Who and at times it worked to perfection like the humorous irony of the Tardis ending up at <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.heathrowairport.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Heathrow Airport">Heathrow Airport</a> while trying to reach the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Exhibition" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Great Exhibition">Great Exhibition</a>, as Heathrow was a destination the Tardis had been trying to reach almost the entire season without any success.<br />
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Supporting characters were well done this time around too, with the skepticism of the Concorde crew about the Doctor's sanity and credibility and Professor Hayter being the ultimate non believer and stubborn Human.<br />
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The roles are cliché to be sure and done more than a few times in Doctor Who's long run, but it also is cliché in that special way the programme has of doing what it does best. It just is because it's Doctor Who and that is what happens. People doubt the Doctor until it is proven to them that he is being completely serious and it is in their best interest to put trust in him.<br />
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Much like the Daleks never just shooting the Doctor a few hundred times and just kill him dead, the Doctor facing dumb founded and negative locals has always been a part of the show that was both silly and serious at the same time.<br />
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What is nonsensical is why in the universe the Master would feel the need to play dress up as Kalid but let's be honest here, the Master has a habit of pretty strange behavior and I think we could all dream up a numerous amount of possibilities as to why he is in disguise, other then to serve as a decent cliffhanger to episode two.<br />
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But the good bit about this is the confrontation between the pair while the Master is still in disguise. This is actually in my mind one of Davison's better confrontations, it should not be ignored due to the story it happens to be in is not very popular, and certainly Time-flight is a stronger adventure for having the scene.<br />
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Turning back to the nostalgia angle reminds me that I also loved this story for the amount of scenes filmed in the Tardis and all the various take offs and landings form both the Doctor's and the Master's machines. The Master even put his chameleon circuit to use as well, adding to the Tardis fest we are served up in this story.<br />
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At the time I loved any glimpse of Tardis I could get from the William Hartnell era to Davison and I even made cassette tapes of the various Tardis sounds to use when I built my own 'Tardis Console' on our kitchen table out of old Atari keyboards and various things with buttons, switches and levers.<br />
Time-Flight was a great source for these sound effects and for big long glimpses of the console room, which at the time used to be my favorite part of the show not involving Daleks or Cybermen or the Doctor arguing with Tegan.<br />
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It is this kind of warm fuzzy feeling that Time-Flight brings to me, despite not being a flawless script or concept.<br />
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Fitting a whole race of people into a tiny sarcophagus was of course pretty interesting at the time too, as was the fact that such a race would war within itself between the good and the evil, it's odd look at the never ending battle between the whit and the black, the dark and the light making it a strong point for the episode that was not explored as much as it should have been, the Doctor and the Master being perfect mirrors for the black and white Xeraphin.<br />
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The themes in this episode were actually pretty solid and in your face, but something fell apart along the way that made Time-Flight shine a bit less then it could have.<br />
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It is however no reason to call this one the worst of all time, especially today after Delta and The Bannermen and Fear Her were broadcast in the many years that followed and are better examples of horrid ideas and fodder for cheap shots and jokes.<br />
<br />
It would seem in the end that not everybody was happy with the flight when they disembarked along with Tegan at Heathrow, but I thought that although there were some bumps and even some nasty weather to fly through, the journey as a whole was actually quite smooth and enjoyable. I would definitely not say Time-Flight is as rich as the champagne and caviar you might get up in first class, but it also certainly was not as bad as the peanuts and warm cola that you might find find back in coach.<br />
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-<i>Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-89095499494284418812017-01-22T00:02:00.004-06:002017-01-22T00:03:33.466-06:00Star Trek: Discovery- James Frain Cast as Sarek <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCItUNmy1SWbJGjKKTq4FC0JooCBvifi-B3K2yek1ZQj17UIaPLD85P0mgcspYzwyEkYNWt_haEysm-2o8dKjDBIYTLCrqv0NtQugrvnDqO9hAaJOdQYPgjqtzqHYBJ9Wx3W6r7MVgfRq/s1600/Star+trek+discovery+logo.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCItUNmy1SWbJGjKKTq4FC0JooCBvifi-B3K2yek1ZQj17UIaPLD85P0mgcspYzwyEkYNWt_haEysm-2o8dKjDBIYTLCrqv0NtQugrvnDqO9hAaJOdQYPgjqtzqHYBJ9Wx3W6r7MVgfRq/s320/Star+trek+discovery+logo.JPG" title="Star trek discovery logo series one 1 2017" width="320" /></a></div>
This week it was announced that British actor <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0289656/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="James Frain">James Frain</a> was cast to play the role of the Vulcan <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarek" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sarek">Sarek</a> in the upcoming <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/star-trek-discovery/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Star Trek: Discovery">Star Trek: Discovery</a> series, due out sometime in May of 2017.<br />
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Frain has starred in such films and TV series such as Gotham, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1104001/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Tron: Legacy">Tron Legacy</a>, True Blood and Agent Carter.<br />
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Sarek is of course, the father of the infamous Vulcan Spock, a beloved character of the franchise that has been connected to almost every variation or generation of the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069637/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Star Trek">Star Trek universe</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKCxYiAgC0k3HAk-UgwMd-MLVsLl54bU1WoIx-4Z9IN5gfliBjF7qvwHK1hin-NkkMk1bxP3bG-12Ddncf3TZQav-Tw1eHyPMcCXmvEY8SbeQmwVTjzUBp9itZP9NbR02OphmFHnB3c9u/s1600/james+frain+star+trek+discovery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKCxYiAgC0k3HAk-UgwMd-MLVsLl54bU1WoIx-4Z9IN5gfliBjF7qvwHK1hin-NkkMk1bxP3bG-12Ddncf3TZQav-Tw1eHyPMcCXmvEY8SbeQmwVTjzUBp9itZP9NbR02OphmFHnB3c9u/s200/james+frain+star+trek+discovery.JPG" width="173" /></a></div>
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Meanwhile the character of Sarek himself has also made various appearances in 'on-screen' Star Trek. Sarek has been in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://startrek.com/page/star-trek-the-original-series" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Star Trek: The Original Series">The Original Series</a>, The Animated Series, The Next Generation and four of the original series of Star Trek films. </div>
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That version of Sarek was played by <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0501697/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Mark Lenard">Mark Lenard</a>.<br />
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Star Trek: Discovery will premiere in May of this year on The CBS Television Network and then the remaining episodes will be available on <a class="zem_slink" href="http://cbs.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="CBS.com">CBS All Access</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com/Netflix" rel="twitter" target="_blank" title="Netflix">Netflix</a>.<br />
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- <i>Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
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(Via <a href="http://www.startrek.com/article/james-frain-joins-discovery-as-sarek" target="_blank">Star Trek</a>)<br />
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-59064637660123617102017-01-21T07:28:00.000-06:002017-01-21T07:28:00.034-06:00TV Review: Sarah Jane Adventures- Sky <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The start of any new series of a television program you enjoy is usually a joyous occasion, but in the case of the fifth series of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862620/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="The Sarah Jane Adventures">The Sarah Jane Adventures</a> it is mixed feelings that accompany the return of the series as the star of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Jane_Smith" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sarah Jane Smith">Sarah Jane</a> and former <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a> actress Elisabeth Sladen passed away in April of 2011.<br />
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This of course stopped production of the fifth series of the popular CBBC show and only six episodes consisting of three completed stories would ever be broadcast.<br />
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But better to bask in the final rays of sunlight from such a bright star and enjoy a final round of performances from an actress whose character touched so many fans of the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whoniverse" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Whoniverse">Doctor Who universe</a> both young and old.<br />
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Certainly though despite the emotional charge of this shortened series there is a lot of positive things to say for Sarah Jane's swan song as both installments of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_%28The_Sarah_Jane_Adventures%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sky (The Sarah Jane Adventures)">Sky</a> are strong, exceptional pieces of children's television that are a testament of the quality the series had in it's five years on the small screen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MiSURJG0JyjQESA3IycerGyZL1QbE4EwPf5COqCFyiYRd8NTZ3u9HGId-VJ2_Yp_5yfbjo3u9IqHW-trNDF9x1Ov14cuuBLVktMhFsqyVarnPormZIaSVTg3WNlKe2zBDpWjexyFTO0r/s1600/sarah-jane-adventures-season-5-2-sky-part-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MiSURJG0JyjQESA3IycerGyZL1QbE4EwPf5COqCFyiYRd8NTZ3u9HGId-VJ2_Yp_5yfbjo3u9IqHW-trNDF9x1Ov14cuuBLVktMhFsqyVarnPormZIaSVTg3WNlKe2zBDpWjexyFTO0r/s320/sarah-jane-adventures-season-5-2-sky-part-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A baby is left on Sarah's doorstep and one that also has strange powers that seem to be alien in origin.<br />
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Not only do the team of Bannerman Road have to deal with becoming instant parents to a baby that they dub Sky (Sinead Micheal) but also with an invisible metal man and a blond female humanoid claiming to be the alien's mother named Ms. Myers (Chrisitne Stephen-Daly).<br />
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Later on we find out that the baby is a weapon in the war between the Metal Kind and the Flesh Kind and created by Ms. Myers to wipe the Metal Kind from the face of the universe. The child grows instantly into a young teenage girl as she confronts the lone Metal Kind on Earth as part of her programming.<br />
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Of course this horrible crime is not fine with Sarah and the gang as they attempt to rescue both Sky and the Earth from Sky herself.<br />
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This is all classic Sarah Jane Adventures type stuff here; good enough to keep the kiddies glued to their seats but entertaining enough for the adults to be able to stomach it as well.<br />
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The regulars in Clyde (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1693105/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Daniel Anthony (actor)">Daniel Anthony</a>) and Rani (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2165929/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Anjli Mohindra">Anjli Mohindra</a>) are also back in the fold right out of the saddle as is Sarah Jane's adopted son Luke (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1740366/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Tommy Knight">Tommy Knight</a>) who like last series is seen from university via the internet and not able to fully participate in the adventures himself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ezYhV1qgGux_rGOhyphenhyphenRaoqzljfK6QPrOHyV4swdFipwej2Xa5dWGZkSuSo6RNbGoCMMKRz5UPKeJ_JrSreu2ZqcLPVJ5hQZl-Xix3ffnWESlUxLv4gZZO9W7uPLdzPqONhX0EeBnezUYb/s1600/sja7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ezYhV1qgGux_rGOhyphenhyphenRaoqzljfK6QPrOHyV4swdFipwej2Xa5dWGZkSuSo6RNbGoCMMKRz5UPKeJ_JrSreu2ZqcLPVJ5hQZl-Xix3ffnWESlUxLv4gZZO9W7uPLdzPqONhX0EeBnezUYb/s320/sja7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When all's said and done this is obviously a script driven solely to integrate the character of Sky as a regular on the Sarah Jane Adventures and it is very reminiscent of the first ever Sarah Jane story <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_the_Bane" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Invasion of the Bane">Invasion of the Bane</a>.<br />
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It is not hard to imagine that the show's production staff were eager to make the show youthful again as most of it's regular cast continues to grow past the teen years and into adulthood.<br />
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But as far as scripts with a purpose go this one was not bad at all, and the cast still shines enough to carry us through the bits that seem to be repeated from the past.<br />
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Sky would have also been an excellent addition if the series were to continue beyond it's fifth year as she was everything that was missing since Luke grew up, a fish out of water that was funny and a joy to watch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbP92CyISj6FiD-QWROi_-hixas5fL9mDvfnTUs2XMMilQ-l-_Bt0ioV5DEZgGIv_RLUOT7u2fWfaylq8LhEVDJllRLZZQ3aHOufITeul9_1QN0GvWAg2lzY8mWq202OmNRlxY8_l-ybW/s1600/s5_Sky_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbP92CyISj6FiD-QWROi_-hixas5fL9mDvfnTUs2XMMilQ-l-_Bt0ioV5DEZgGIv_RLUOT7u2fWfaylq8LhEVDJllRLZZQ3aHOufITeul9_1QN0GvWAg2lzY8mWq202OmNRlxY8_l-ybW/s320/s5_Sky_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As said the plot was a bit paint by numbers and the concept of the Flesh Kind and Metal Kind at war with each other was not exactly going to win any award for originality but it did the job as well as expected to open up a new series and it is a shame that they will not be continued past the sixth episode when it is broadcast later this year...still, we should always remember the amazing talent, beauty and charm of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0805207/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Elisabeth Sladen">Elizabeth Sladen</a>.<br />
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As Sarah Jane herself muses at the end of this episode:<br />
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<i>“The Most wonderful thing about the universe is that there is that there is always something more amazing to come.”</i><br />
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<i>- Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-56011682928115051562017-01-21T03:44:00.001-06:002017-01-21T03:44:59.195-06:00TV Review: Doctor Who- Planet of the Spiders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhGHrO5tEbXWQYfcHlYpJ-UYmp4BFVjBZsGe0o4tOId1CzhIcbOCGedzn1RDtG907TX7aane9CYo3jYZx24aJHhORaE_SYxgZT8IPiXQwnkMmARcg214FkPx41PlGKwDsai7P9D6_jOjF/s1600/spider3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhGHrO5tEbXWQYfcHlYpJ-UYmp4BFVjBZsGe0o4tOId1CzhIcbOCGedzn1RDtG907TX7aane9CYo3jYZx24aJHhORaE_SYxgZT8IPiXQwnkMmARcg214FkPx41PlGKwDsai7P9D6_jOjF/s320/spider3.jpg" title="doctor who sarah jane planet of the spiders" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a> has been many things after being around for forty six years in various forms of mass media, adventure tale and mystery, comedy and tragedy. But it also had been a fable of sorts, a legend whose tales have a moral base of right vs wrong, good vs evil.<br />
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<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Planet-Spiders-Terrance-Dicks/dp/0426106555%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzem-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0426106555" rel="amazon" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders">Planet of the Spiders</a> takes this concept to the extreme, with major characters in the narrative searching for peace of mind and clarity to past mistakes in their lives. It also deals a lot with fear, to the point of using a monster that has a large association with a common Human phobias, namely spiders, a fact rammed home by the story that the first design for the spiders was abandoned as being too scary for the audience.<br />
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This serial also marked the end of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0675727/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Jon Pertwee">Jon Pertwee</a>'s nearly five year run as the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Doctor" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Third Doctor">Doctor</a>, as well as the departure of both <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504818/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Barry Letts">Barry Letts</a> as producer and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0225605/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Terrance Dicks">Terrance Dicks</a> as script editor, both men becoming figures that would loom large in the annals of Doctor Who history, making the story a milestone on two levels, both in front of and behind the cameras.<br />
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The story is also a homage to the years Pertwee had the role of the Doctor, with his love of cars and modes of transport indulged in an episode long chase scene, and his Venusian karate skills coming into play as well, icons that are as much a part of Pertwee's tenure as the Doctor as Troughton's recorder before him or later Tom Baker's long multicolored scarf. <br />
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It is a shame the episode seems sub par in places, perhaps due to the fact that it was a replacement script for what was supposed to be Pertwee's final story, which would have culminated in a standoff between the Doctor and his arch enemy the Master, who was played by actor <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0217069/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Roger Delgado">Roger Delgado</a>, who had tragically died in a car crash the year before, making the original script unusable.<br />
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It would seem that the replacement villains would delve into arachnophobia.<br />
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The planet Metebelis Three had been name dropped in the previous season, being an allusive destination for the Doctor and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Grant" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Jo Grant">Jo Grant</a> and a crystal from the planet became part of the solution in the Green Death, the final story of the tenth season.<br />
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This planet would be revived and populated with a crashed Earth colony mission, and the spiders they brought with them. But, of course in a mix of Who tradition and fifties sci-fi shtick, these spiders were made into giants by the same kind of crystal mentioned previously.<br />
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The effect of these monsters is undeniable, they are the bearers of wide spread panic and terror in some, they are simply the stuff of nightmares, no matter how dated the realization of them may be to our critical modern cgi eyes. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFBdsFDDLU5KAvuHlBd0B0ts2eTPCrlnSNBrWjFGDmEqhdogFdEGo5x_SgqtFN_0MZyYHarjVbBRAF-gzP83R8urXRcVsUjnhLr5oqNhbfagrU2lwnasjLlddGmFDs_Zmom272aWE0ESS/s1600/planet-of-the-spiders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFBdsFDDLU5KAvuHlBd0B0ts2eTPCrlnSNBrWjFGDmEqhdogFdEGo5x_SgqtFN_0MZyYHarjVbBRAF-gzP83R8urXRcVsUjnhLr5oqNhbfagrU2lwnasjLlddGmFDs_Zmom272aWE0ESS/s320/planet-of-the-spiders.jpg" title="doctor who planet of the spiders giant spider blue crystal cave regeneration " width="320" /></a></div>
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They are terror on the level of the toy troll that comes alive and the plastic squirting daffodils in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Terror-Autons-Terrance-Dicks/dp/0426106393%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzem-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0426106393" rel="amazon" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons">Terror of the Autons</a> earlier in Pertwee's reign, they're scare factor is tripled because they are real right here and now in our everyday lives, which was another link to the overall feel of the Pertwee era as well, making monsters that were closer to home rather than some far flung world.<br />
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The effect of all this hard to gauge honestly, there are good aspects like the Doctor having to face something he actually fears after all his travels and battles with various races throughout the first ten years of the classic series,and the bad, a link to Eastern philosophy that in my opinion is a bit forced and non essential to the plot, to the same old tired colony story that plagued Doctor Who in both the past and the future.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BRqE2W2H9lF29dpNdQYWXkRUtDk4eU0niJsZbpQnSMZEWsUIUmUeZ-AU_89-REeYxyPb6ZifrfmL7IMszza-f68OXHdv3wmGAmwfAKRIAfGh6fuwvSKZroRg96ZWhl-_Lzik98SVSQB4/s1600/fourth-doctor-Tom-Baker-death.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BRqE2W2H9lF29dpNdQYWXkRUtDk4eU0niJsZbpQnSMZEWsUIUmUeZ-AU_89-REeYxyPb6ZifrfmL7IMszza-f68OXHdv3wmGAmwfAKRIAfGh6fuwvSKZroRg96ZWhl-_Lzik98SVSQB4/s320/fourth-doctor-Tom-Baker-death.png" title="doctor who tom baker fourth regeneration planet of the spiders " width="320" /></a></div>
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It is hardly a fitting end to one of the longer reigning Doctors, but the ending makes up for it, the Doctor bathed in blue light from the cave of the Great One, facing fear as well as death as his cells are ravaged by the power of the crystals, making his way to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doctor_%28Doctor_Who%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Doctor (Doctor Who)">the Doctor's</a> 'home' UNIT HQ, and leading into one of the saddest deaths of an incarnation of the Doctor, one that shows that even our everyday fears can be defeated and championed, although sometimes not without a cost.<br />
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Especially when your fear comes a crawling on eight legs, all the better to hold you down in terror...<br />
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-<i>Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-74045866966030154312017-01-21T03:24:00.001-06:002017-01-21T03:26:14.946-06:00TV Review: Sarah Jane Adventures- The Curse of Clyde Langer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUpKxyPEJE8CDTC_fbJkdhOCb-UQHFFUx769J6lGya7t0RGAxpoTV13y7mgjrSDbfUS19Z-x4FoMHQmRs8Bpp6F7ihvdDUtBOY0DOd0Xco42mzJuEp-7SqMIPXxLZp6rSGqDulh-bBUW7/s1600/the-sarah-jane-adventures-curse-of-clyde-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUpKxyPEJE8CDTC_fbJkdhOCb-UQHFFUx769J6lGya7t0RGAxpoTV13y7mgjrSDbfUS19Z-x4FoMHQmRs8Bpp6F7ihvdDUtBOY0DOd0Xco42mzJuEp-7SqMIPXxLZp6rSGqDulh-bBUW7/s320/the-sarah-jane-adventures-curse-of-clyde-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Friendship has been an important factor in the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/shows/the-sarah-jane-adventures" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="The Sarah Jane Adventures">Sarah Jane Adventures</a> since it hit our screens in 2007 and while most of the focus has been on the happier side of things when it comes to friends, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curse_of_Clyde_Langer" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Curse of Clyde Langer">The Curse of Clyde Langer</a> dips into what it would be like if all of your most trusted friends, even your own family, suddenly hated you and were forced by choice out of your daily life.<br />
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Besides the overall dramatic aspect brought about by this plot point the rest of the episode is really a mixed bag, we go from the interesting in fish raining from the sky to the ho-hum boring device of ancient Indian curses.<br />
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To be fair this is of course a children's programme and the plots will be simple and things that a child can easily grasp and comprehend.<br />
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I was not expecting a dictation on the modern evolution of politics here, but this was one aspect of the episode that might be lacking for the adults in the audience. But which might still delight the kiddie set.<br />
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What it lacks in maturity though it does make up for in good old fashion Human drama, with the curse making everyone who speaks Clyde's name instantly hate him and his presence.<br />
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It is an oldie but a goodie as they say and considering this is the Sarah Jane Adventure's fifth series (Although sadly it's also the last after the passing of the series lead <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0805207/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Elisabeth Sladen">Elizabeth Sladen</a>), the show has gotten neither stale nor has it become a victim of itself and it's own success, like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a> at the end of Russell T Davies reign or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m8ln" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Torchwood">Torchwood</a>'s <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485301/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Torchwood: Miracle Day">Miracle Day</a> after the resounding positive reaction to Torchwood's <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchwood%3A_Children_of_Earth" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Torchwood: Children of Earth">Children of Earth</a>.<br />
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The supporting cast is also a strong point as Ellie makes a nice one off character for this adventure although with the name dropping about people disappearing due to the Night Dragon and Clyde not being able to find her due to her going into a truck with 'Night Dragon Haulage' on it's side, it is hard to tell if this would have been a future plot point had the fifth series continued on.<br />
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Acting was also a big selling point as every regular cast member seems to do a good job of acting 'angry' and manipulated by the curse, and the reverse is true of Clyde Langer as well, who does an excellent job of looking confused and dumbfounded by the events that are occurring.<br />
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Laziness does seem to be apparent in the resolution of the curse, as it seems that an ancient alien that had a very clever motive and was far and away from the standard 'monster of the week' fare.<br />
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While not the best of the entire catalog of The Sarah Jane Adventures, The Curse of Clyde Langer was a decent episode and we have to be grateful that so much work on at least some of the fifth series was completed before Elizabeth Sladen passed because despite being sad to be saying goodbye to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Jane_Smith" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sarah Jane Smith">Sarah Jane Smith</a>, at least we got to see our old friend a few more times before she left.<br />
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-<i>Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-16214497236305146222017-01-19T01:25:00.001-06:002017-01-19T01:29:07.022-06:00TV Reviews: Doctor Who- Turn Left<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_MMfxIB7iEs4gLD0sEYrEz2ij39g6H8z0LYy4rKr_Wt_fDefwSm-PYZyfgbWlSl7uY97s6OToBPRkIV6uqLtGZH7nXza2qgJOHCdliDO7cnc1GRj_kznETtl6DI7wxfUrheUuP_s_xmL/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_MMfxIB7iEs4gLD0sEYrEz2ij39g6H8z0LYy4rKr_Wt_fDefwSm-PYZyfgbWlSl7uY97s6OToBPRkIV6uqLtGZH7nXza2qgJOHCdliDO7cnc1GRj_kznETtl6DI7wxfUrheUuP_s_xmL/s320/12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Day
to day we are faced with choices that might </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">affect</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> our near and in
some cases distant future.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Whether</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> we talk to that member of the
opposite sex we have seen a few times on the commute to work or if we
take the risk to send out that book proposal we have had stashed deep
in the desk drawer, the littlest decisions </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">affect</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> us in ways untold,
to do or not to do, turn right or turn left...</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 11pt;">The
big story here is of course the return of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Tyler" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Rose Tyler">Rose Tyler</a> from a parallel
universe, it has been the teaser of the story arc of the current
series sine Partners In Crime. While undecided till the two part
finale plays out if bringing back Rose was a good idea, </span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Russell</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;"> </span>T
Davies script was strong enough to not even give it a second thought,
even if you do not like her return she is mostly a character that
could have been any stand in actor or actress, the real meat of the
story is out of the almost Twilight Zone like story, a terrible,
misplaced and incorrect world where history was changed by the
simplest of means and the Doctor is dead.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
universe Donna creates is one that is directly </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">affected</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> by some of
the events we have seen in Doctor Who since the start of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Runaway_Bride_%28Doctor_Who%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Runaway Bride (Doctor Who)">the Runaway
Bride</a>, with the Doctor killing himself along with the Racnoss by
mistake without Donna there to tell him to stop, </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKXmVFS100upCZ6iY3-ya8mcSbKpZbZGysVHCgBrkMa8iQ0neBUYSjIGRcPopHOuyXrMJBf_MXFxqSXK_S0JAdZ-a44Hnt36SAmTJgKcxmjFir9pjHvY_hLqN4pmiWMGUlHmx17a7prRg/s1600/854134ea5403c64a005902a642b8360f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKXmVFS100upCZ6iY3-ya8mcSbKpZbZGysVHCgBrkMa8iQ0neBUYSjIGRcPopHOuyXrMJBf_MXFxqSXK_S0JAdZ-a44Hnt36SAmTJgKcxmjFir9pjHvY_hLqN4pmiWMGUlHmx17a7prRg/s320/854134ea5403c64a005902a642b8360f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 11pt;"><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Jane_Smith" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sarah Jane Smith">Sarah Jane Smith</a>
dying saving the hospital in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_and_Jones_%28Doctor_Who%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Smith and Jones (Doctor Who)">Smith and Jones</a> that was sent to the
moon along with <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Jones" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Martha Jones">Martha Jones</a> and destroying London when the Titanic
crashes into <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.5008333333,-0.141944444444&spn=0.01,0.01&q=51.5008333333,-0.141944444444%20(Buckingham%20Palace)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Buckingham Palace">Buckingham palace</a>, something just barely averted in
Voyage of the Damned.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ideas
like this are the the hooks of the episode and are for the most part
entertaining, especially if you are a sucker for a “what if” kind
of tale. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 11pt;">Conclusions
are usually the biggest nitpick I have had with Davies scriptwriting,
either the ending is brilliant and original as anything I've ever
seen or it is a real let down, almost as if he paints himself in a
corner at times and then bashes his way out of it, each time with a
good or bad result. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 11pt;">This one is a mixture, with me not quite
convinced by the all knowing Rose Tyler who was forced to play the
Doctor role in this one, but loving the weight of Donna’s mission
to set things right and the sacrifice she accepts to get the job done
so the universe can be repaired. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aLH_YHpTXIdz1D2X9r24lUGVgR0YmPT7L6SCR4e9HKvqrcxeY5C6fNg6BeegVPseFrjoBA4OXvdADD9Vdxar15VE9MUMEt2iUXiBBtRHfAvSuABptPuSRM63yDyL3YZVnv3PbF0BWL3Y/s1600/10025e0fd3edfb23742eb4e39dcd9fb3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aLH_YHpTXIdz1D2X9r24lUGVgR0YmPT7L6SCR4e9HKvqrcxeY5C6fNg6BeegVPseFrjoBA4OXvdADD9Vdxar15VE9MUMEt2iUXiBBtRHfAvSuABptPuSRM63yDyL3YZVnv3PbF0BWL3Y/s320/10025e0fd3edfb23742eb4e39dcd9fb3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
cliffhanger is sheer genius in how exciting it becomes very very
quickly and this combined with a trailer that shows you just about
every Doctor Who guest star you ever want to see in one place makes
sure you are glued to the screen next week guaranteed. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
</span><span style="color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_Left_%28Doctor_Who%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Turn Left (Doctor Who)">Turn
Left</a> was a adventure that although it did not live up to half the
hype about Rose Tyler’s return, it was still a solid tale that had
more positives </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">than</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> negatives and made for a nice companion driven
story to lead us into the end of the current series. </span></span>
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;">-<i>Thomas Spychalski</i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-62798034008966194692017-01-18T10:24:00.001-06:002017-01-18T10:24:38.257-06:00TV Review: Doctor Who- Silence in the Library <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2MyG8lphk3es5p7ri4xS9KgkF7P_OpE36p_G79mcXXYMXjCyYQpkckBdFrCFF1odedOqD9S7PYT-MV7x9SP-1KeGoD77BmjDwEsNm77MxQvb2TkcUNj7egcQFd_HlGPnOO_Gx0yDRuiW/s1600/silence-skullhelmet-377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2MyG8lphk3es5p7ri4xS9KgkF7P_OpE36p_G79mcXXYMXjCyYQpkckBdFrCFF1odedOqD9S7PYT-MV7x9SP-1KeGoD77BmjDwEsNm77MxQvb2TkcUNj7egcQFd_HlGPnOO_Gx0yDRuiW/s320/silence-skullhelmet-377.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I have always been quite partial to library's, having grown up right across the road from one for most of my youth and having always thought of them as warm friendly places full of knowledge and loved browsing the long aisles of books for a hidden treasure to take home with me. But after this week's episode of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a>, I may find the library's a little more dark and sinister than before.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0595590/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Steven Moffat">Steven Moffat</a> has proved himself to be an excellent Doctor Who writer so far, writing episodes that have become instant classics in some eyes and being by far one of the people that really seems to enjoy and just get Doctor Who as a whole franchise, something evident by his recent posting to succeed Russel T Davies as executive producer of the show after the 2009 specials.<br />
<br />
Moffat has also won three <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Hugo Award">Hugo awards</a> writing Doctor Who, so when his episodes turn up, you almost expect to be in for something good.<br />
<br />
Moffat creates something “good” from taking the little creepy things from our lives and using them, from creepy statues in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink_%28Doctor_Who%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Blink (Doctor Who)">Blink</a> to the classic horror movie feel of The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, it is all fear that has always been lurking around the corner, hiding in the back of our heads.<br />
<br />
This makes a shadow creature who hunts in swarms and can strip flesh from the bone like a school of piranha a worthy creation to add to his others, one that could be anywhere in our own world right now waiting for us to make a mistake.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSr4V4c7V7rw9R6fe-AJKLhkaj0RdY2lh-GhjqZacp3PuUGs1krtMg5JUOKjnH1q8bahlVTK8UiPsYYfJPFImml2xiyPcVbrJBurokEguY4ep03DUTWwx6pVUQezRpsHWhyphenhypheno0E7BcqciSH/s1600/4x08-Silence-in-the-Library-doctor-who-21245138-1600-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSr4V4c7V7rw9R6fe-AJKLhkaj0RdY2lh-GhjqZacp3PuUGs1krtMg5JUOKjnH1q8bahlVTK8UiPsYYfJPFImml2xiyPcVbrJBurokEguY4ep03DUTWwx6pVUQezRpsHWhyphenhypheno0E7BcqciSH/s320/4x08-Silence-in-the-Library-doctor-who-21245138-1600-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The interesting character of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Song_%28Doctor_Who%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="River Song (Doctor Who)">Professor River Song</a> is another matter entirely. It seems that she knows the Doctor in his future and her own past and also has never met <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Noble" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Donna Noble">Donna</a>, something that really does get the juices flowing as we ponder what this all means.<br />
<br />
River Song also holds a mysterious diary that seems to be important to her relationship with the Doctor and also has the Doctor’s <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_screwdriver" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sonic screwdriver">sonic screwdriver</a> in a future form. Hopefully all we be revealed next week but I doubt it, this seems to be the kind of suspense they may want to torture us with for longer than a week.<br />
<br />
Other matters are scattered into the first part of this adventure as well, such as the little girl who seems to have the library living in her mind and some link to it, as well as the fate of Donna as she was lost somewhere between teleporting from the library to the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="TARDIS">Tardis</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPL6SX27-nfiHehrl3EzxZ27wvX3zKmvKU5jTtX9Hpy285GSyorVHmyw3O-XYEhwZykaLf50pC1pvmMvdXxwx7WDUPN_vqcYj5xhBOxDqetlVC1OHTYA4rpPwr6IA4Q4EgSUywFL2AJUP/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPL6SX27-nfiHehrl3EzxZ27wvX3zKmvKU5jTtX9Hpy285GSyorVHmyw3O-XYEhwZykaLf50pC1pvmMvdXxwx7WDUPN_vqcYj5xhBOxDqetlVC1OHTYA4rpPwr6IA4Q4EgSUywFL2AJUP/s1600/th.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
These events are by no means minor in consequence or standing but it does show that this is very much a two part tale with much more to come in the second half. It does do a cliffhanger’s good job though by providing you with much to come back for if only to see how it all plays out.<br />
<br />
Instant classics have always seemed a little hasty of a title to me at times but it would seem that the newly appointed future head guru for Doctor Who has everything laid out for a grand conclusion to another top caliber story. He definitely seems to have his own formula and he’s doing this one by the book.<br />
<br />
- <i>Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-13242939907288502622017-01-17T11:40:00.000-06:002017-01-17T12:30:58.076-06:00A Rough Guide to Retro Video Game Collecting<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BfQG57bgLnbz1SmjxiFVVX5jWjNkSm5blofowfJ0uenOtOQ1IpobooWy4CELa7alaBu9XgPXKHe8G4AKsMoJeCXBx1usr_dWBsXMu55Ys5nVHfm2g-od62aSnpQvjchy_kwj-6lSXc0w/s1600/best-classic-video-games.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BfQG57bgLnbz1SmjxiFVVX5jWjNkSm5blofowfJ0uenOtOQ1IpobooWy4CELa7alaBu9XgPXKHe8G4AKsMoJeCXBx1usr_dWBsXMu55Ys5nVHfm2g-od62aSnpQvjchy_kwj-6lSXc0w/s200/best-classic-video-games.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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One of the biggest questions you hear across <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrogaming" rel="wikipedia" title="Retrogaming">retro gaming</a> communities is where to find retro video games and where to find them cheap. This is not as hard as it sounds but you have to be lucky enough to live an area where decent stuff can be found and also put a little time into it.</div>
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I have been playing video games since the days of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColecoVision" rel="wikipedia" title="ColecoVision">Coleco-Vision</a> and Atari 2600 and have owned (and sold/lost) many consoles and games over the years, including many I wish I still had.</div>
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Recently real life has come and bitten me on the backside so having a gaming 'budget' is out of the question. Even with a large amount of financial strain though I think I have come out pretty well with semi-limited effort and very limited funds.</div>
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So I decided to write it out as a rough guide to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrogaming" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Retrogaming">retro video game</a> collecting for those who may not have a lot of extra income to spend on the hobby.</div>
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Keep in mind though that primarily I will buy a game or console for two reasons: I want to play it myself or I know it is something someone else will want and buy or perhaps trade. I would always love to buy games complete in the box but if I see a game loose that I want at cheaper then resale or retail value I will go for it.</div>
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<b>Location, Location, Location:</b></h3>
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The first part is where to find these retro and new gems to add to your collection.</div>
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The most obvious would, of course, be a game store and if there is a retro game store near you they might price fairly for items or they may want the higher end of its value usually determined by E-Bay auctions and price charting websites.</div>
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Thrift stores, charity shops, yard/garage sales, Goodwill and flea markets are the standard places to go out looking for retro gaming items in the 'wild' as it is called.</div>
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Some collectors may have an abundance of choices in this regard while others might find slim pickings depending on their location across the world. Some people also say they have charity retail shops but the stores they go to never have any gaming items or at least anything worthwhile.</div>
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Of course in modern times we have the wonders of the internet and sites like E-Bay where you can virtually shop for all kinds of goods from both stores and individual re-sellers. There are also various groups and forums all across the internet that have an area where people can buy or trade games with other gamers.</div>
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Where ever you're looking for games, first you should probably read up on the subject matter at hand.</div>
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<b>Kinda Like A Power-up:</b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PPT84vh7WER6ZOQCAYY7OA4Hxfv_c_xoLlBLJl1JTtWhPR6aF7VDMvimqOsR-GQ8aRwGHY2keX6RjTiKEoiK9-NuNLEjLjWiPMBDz28Q1mjB0ThA32TJYugZrIfeOindFcGaUaELfnEJ/s1600/RuleOfRose_PS2BOX-US_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PPT84vh7WER6ZOQCAYY7OA4Hxfv_c_xoLlBLJl1JTtWhPR6aF7VDMvimqOsR-GQ8aRwGHY2keX6RjTiKEoiK9-NuNLEjLjWiPMBDz28Q1mjB0ThA32TJYugZrIfeOindFcGaUaELfnEJ/s320/RuleOfRose_PS2BOX-US_f.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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It is, of course, a good idea to get yourself some knowledge of what may be out there. If you go to your local charity shop and what you mostly see is PS1 and PS2 games, you might want to know what the rarest titles are, that way a Misadventures of Tron Bone or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_Rose" rel="wikipedia" title="Rule of Rose">Rule of Rose</a> doesn't slip through your fingers.</div>
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In my searches as said I am looking for games for specific consoles, but on past trips to a local Salvation army, there was no way I was letting a copy of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://wii.nintendo.com/" rel="homepage" title="Wii">Wii</a> Sport Resort complete in the box near mint for four dollars and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatsunoko_vs._Capcom%3A_Ultimate_All-Stars" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars">Tatsunoko VS. Capcom</a> for the Wii for two dollars with a flawless disc go any longer without a home.</div>
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At worst I could trade for a game I want or resell it myself or as my Gamecube seems to inch towards death I could search for a cheap early generation Wii and have two decent games ready to play when I get it.</div>
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A lot of you guys probably know a lot of this stuff but if I did not know that the Wii Resort titles still had a decent value and that a lot of the Capcom “VS” games are either worth a decent amount and are usually decent games as well, I might have passed them up. </div>
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A lot of this can be achieved by just putting phrases into a search engine like Google, such as: “Rarest Nintendo <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nintendo_Entertainment_System_games" rel="wikipedia" title="List of Nintendo Entertainment System games">NES games</a>, top ten rarest video games of all time etc etc etc...”</div>
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Again, I purchase stuff to play it but I'd feel stupid if I passed up on a game that would let me buy a new retro console and a few games if I decided to sell it to another collector. </div>
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<br /><b>No Strain, No Games:</b></h3>
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If you search YouTube for videos where people film their game hunting expeditions, you might be shocked by the extremely rare items people sometimes find. I watched a YouTuber who has a show called LGR Thrifts find a copy of Intelligent Cube for the PS1 for under a dollar, a game I have always wanted since my friend had it in my youth and we played the hell out of it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5uftJtsLbsH-wG-LQaZibwT3NV5ziB-EuWPhgucv7_piR-ZtZ6RGU_WH4pFgvLN3NyaCOagpt7zdiozomWB3h6TsaoF1TB13_QuK5UpmFc54AQJtMxDvRTTG77SrIHJGHWgiqgmkiBMi/s1600/Intelligent-Cube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5uftJtsLbsH-wG-LQaZibwT3NV5ziB-EuWPhgucv7_piR-ZtZ6RGU_WH4pFgvLN3NyaCOagpt7zdiozomWB3h6TsaoF1TB13_QuK5UpmFc54AQJtMxDvRTTG77SrIHJGHWgiqgmkiBMi/s320/Intelligent-Cube.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The game is (for my non-existent budget anyway) a little too highly priced and I kind of wished I could find stuff like that.</div>
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The thing is if you watch a lot of these you notice they are driving all over the place and some of these guys have game hunting videos numbering in the hundreds already. They are out there doing this several times a week and across a large geographical area.</div>
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Same thing with E-Bay, as even using my method (which I will explain briefly below) I have not gotten anything mind blowing, I do get good deals. Like a complete Soul Calibur Two for the PS2 complete with the Namco demo disk bundled with a more useless 'Tiger Woods' golf title for one dollar and thirty-one cents with free shipping.</div>
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Not exactly Stadium Events for a dollar or anything, but still a great copy of a game I wanted at a cheap price and complete as well.</div>
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A lot of time was spent losing auctions and seeing things go above what I was willing to pay before I got some really good prices. Patience and time were needed to get good results.</div>
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So to have a shot at getting some cool stuff you are going to have to go early, go often and be diligent...like some kind of kooky game hunting ninja I suppose.</div>
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<b>Tips & Tricks:</b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bUvyw8ePMRCtdGZmpUnsYKOecTapnMjZQZ6y1M-iNfSFlFFdnpOgefajDYbae12bWtW6IqWLJsKKhMks9aaKMS2-twYeW5W5LpswijUawtU259UwW6hmD3DiS3jpswxx7thK8Vj4NMVO/s1600/checklist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bUvyw8ePMRCtdGZmpUnsYKOecTapnMjZQZ6y1M-iNfSFlFFdnpOgefajDYbae12bWtW6IqWLJsKKhMks9aaKMS2-twYeW5W5LpswijUawtU259UwW6hmD3DiS3jpswxx7thK8Vj4NMVO/s320/checklist.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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I am not by any means an expert on this subject nor will I ever claim to be. I just have a passion for video games and wanted to be able to still have them in my life without having to have a lot of money.</div>
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That does not mean that through watching others do this online and through research and experience I have not gotten the hang of how some of the basic work:</div>
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When going to yard/garage/boot sales, ask the people selling if they have any video game items. I usually just say electronics and then also say games because some people might not have any idea what they have and no clue what in the world a 'Nintendo 64' or 'Genesis' is.</div>
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Search charity stores thoroughly and carefully, even where you might not think there will be games. Games can be stocked with the books, VHS tapes, DVDs, and CDs. Consoles are usually in electronics but depending on the store something video game related could be anywhere. Plus if you see a game console, even if you are not interested in buying it, look to see if there is a game in cartridge slot or disc tray or if a valuable or uncommon accessory is attached to it.</div>
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If you have a smartphone, use it to check prices with your online method of choice.</div>
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If dealing with a seller at a flea market or garage sale, don't be afraid to talk to them to ask for a better deal or to haggle a bit. Most people just want cash fast for the item unless they are a dedicated reseller going by E-Bay prices.</div>
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Having a set number in mind for what you will pay for a game or console can keep you from overspending. I when going to thrift store will not pay over five dollars for a game (not that I'm not going to pay more than that if I found Earthbound for ten bucks or some game I really want to play for six dollars of course, but five is my general price point of ) and twenty dollars for a console.</div>
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Good deals can be found on retail game sites like JJ Games and Lukie Games. Search for the systems that have cosmetic damage like my perfectly in working order DSI with a small deep scratch on the cover I bought for thirty plus got a free game with the points they give you.</div>
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<b><i>A</i></b> Brief look at what this kind of hard work can do if you have patience and time, as earlier this year I decided I wanted a slim PS2 and some games.</div>
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Hitting E-bay for about two weeks, looking at a ton of posts and losing quite a few good auctions, I finally won on a decent one. A slim PS2 with the composite A/V cables, one controller, one power cord and a few games. The games were GTA: San Andreas, Simpson's Hit N' Run, Narnia, Flushed Away and a random baseball game. I messaged the seller and asked if he could switch the baseball title for another one, and he switched it to Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5mhPq6y9xu4R-Vhf34r2AOxX2pKb86EBTaRYJ-wJiX2OCjJ4QUX6BBoBR6S9RP96vZdEtKcJ7j31QTx_vjZLukIZQyrB5tRpOZ10HnGghJYp3RE45mUNxZYyQzEPUDn3erg2EHudVLa7/s1600/PS2-Slim-Console-Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5mhPq6y9xu4R-Vhf34r2AOxX2pKb86EBTaRYJ-wJiX2OCjJ4QUX6BBoBR6S9RP96vZdEtKcJ7j31QTx_vjZLukIZQyrB5tRpOZ10HnGghJYp3RE45mUNxZYyQzEPUDn3erg2EHudVLa7/s320/PS2-Slim-Console-Set.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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That package was fifty-nine dollars and free shipping. However, when the PS2 arrived it had problems playing due to an issue with the hinge on the disk drive cover. So the wonderful reseller sent me another working PS2 and told me to keep the other one for my inconvenience.</div>
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The 'broken' PS2 works if it has a small weight on the drive's hinge so that is two PS2s and games and a composite cable for under sixty dollars.</div>
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I now have about thirty plus games and my cost added up to about one hundred and fifty dollars total over almost seven months for items that added up to about three hundred dollars on the website Video Game Price Charting.</div>
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Anyone can get at least some of the games they want for not a lot of money if they just take to time to learn about gaming history and lore and take the time to thoroughly scour in each dark corner looking for what they want.</div>
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Hope you enjoyed this incomplete guide to cheap game collecting and happy hunting!</div>
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- <i>Thomas Spychalski</i></div>
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-10674087772753383582017-01-15T03:13:00.001-06:002017-01-15T03:23:42.504-06:00TV Review: Doctor Who- The Doctor's Daughter (S4E6)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkPGkEIW4fNflK-0DCARYvl5h9AI3Y0TAU320jzP27zcfWSzhtSFzxrUp4QxlNaO3zsG4mbdy2C1RhOqBi-UD0yv9tEhLqM65sAWrp0YdjgPYaqBQHM-0U2Hur2znSKSmH6bPY4KSUpRa/s1600/doctors+daughter+jenny+doctor+who.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkPGkEIW4fNflK-0DCARYvl5h9AI3Y0TAU320jzP27zcfWSzhtSFzxrUp4QxlNaO3zsG4mbdy2C1RhOqBi-UD0yv9tEhLqM65sAWrp0YdjgPYaqBQHM-0U2Hur2znSKSmH6bPY4KSUpRa/s200/doctors+daughter+jenny+doctor+who.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Conflicts are very much a part of our daily lives and also can come from a variety of sources, from a full scale war to the more private and at times more devastating turmoil that can exist inside a person.<br />
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It is both coming to terms with and fighting these moments that who we are as people are laid out before us as we live every day, with the internal skirmishes shaping who we will become and allowing us at times to leave who we were before in the past, for better or for worse.<br />
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<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doctor%27s_Daughter" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Doctor's Daughter">The Doctor's Daughter</a> is full of different variants of this theme from a war that has spanned "generations" to examples of how unwilling soldiers such as the Doctor himself deal with the wars within and the ones in the outside world.<br />
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It also features the Doctor's actual daughter, a clone made from the Doctor's <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="DNA">DNA</a> that struggles mildly between the Doctor's peaceful ways and the soldier culture she was created to fight for.<br />
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Meanwhile, most of the cloned residents of the colony planet are also waging a battle between never ending war and the peace they believe will come with gaining the source, a mystical object that divides the planet between Human and Haith.<br />
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Moral directions and themes can either lift up or virtually scar a plot or story, but in this case it works as it should, buried in the goings on in a way that is both subtle and strong enough to get it's point across without losing any of it's bite and realism along the way.<br />
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As far as plots go, this is <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a>'s Doctor Who, and you could quite easily replace the Doctor and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Noble" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Donna Noble">Donna Noble</a> with any Doctor/companion combination, but this is more of a strong point then a let down, a testament to the strength of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1114104/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Stephen Greenhorn">Stephen Greenhorn</a>'s script and to the fact that even in the midst of Doctor Who's fourth series since it's return to television, certain things remain the same.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfkqjsnJfDelmEeD1SLYBGAONf8sOYTKhzBLdnaceKHFCn231JQbnNMHssHPbb_wVzrLxomCk-kscGUPnkDA5msawe675pZeU-iOilopvpgxuA46JpYTe9H5wCeBOiGrYuE3Xs8MOxHGJ/s1600/4x06-The-Doctor-s-Daughter-doctor-who-21141033-1600-900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfkqjsnJfDelmEeD1SLYBGAONf8sOYTKhzBLdnaceKHFCn231JQbnNMHssHPbb_wVzrLxomCk-kscGUPnkDA5msawe675pZeU-iOilopvpgxuA46JpYTe9H5wCeBOiGrYuE3Xs8MOxHGJ/s320/4x06-The-Doctor-s-Daughter-doctor-who-21141033-1600-900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is evident as we are thrown straight into a hostile alien planet's affairs, split from at least one of the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="TARDIS">Tardis</a> crew and lots and lots of running down corridors getting chased by the enemy.<br />
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Donna Noble keeps showing that she was indeed the right choice for a full time companion, she uses what talents she has to her advantage, surprising even the Doctor in the process.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgrXFNX1uGd4cm-cyhguPI6u7lyolvx-7lj4RsRE7aCM42dpbDWfisrhg4Yx-3wkNkC_3qDLiaIYAI2FHCb4ahr5zXNkw9G8-s1rKwwLl2GvLzy_3nTr7VqZi4WVRroAcaL-vcHJsIMrQ/s1600/the_doctors_daughter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgrXFNX1uGd4cm-cyhguPI6u7lyolvx-7lj4RsRE7aCM42dpbDWfisrhg4Yx-3wkNkC_3qDLiaIYAI2FHCb4ahr5zXNkw9G8-s1rKwwLl2GvLzy_3nTr7VqZi4WVRroAcaL-vcHJsIMrQ/s320/the_doctors_daughter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Jenny, the Doctor's previously mentioned cloned daughter, also has many talents and virtues that make you wish she could have stayed on as a third for the regular time traveling cast, but her departure for adventures unknown makes me think we have not seen the last of her, although I'm praying not in a spin off of her own.<br />
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At the end of the day I think this story will gain more respect as time passes and be considered one of the better episodes of the fourth series, if not the new run all together.<br />
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It is a mix of classic Doctor Who themes and the modern era's emotional nature, proving that both can co-exist with the right script and the right kind of pacing. <br />
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Now, speaking of pacing, if you'll excuse me, I have lots of running to do.<br />
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-<i>Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-79334696073878158742017-01-14T08:42:00.001-06:002017-01-14T11:14:34.524-06:00Book Review: The Snake Den (The Shadow & Ink Series #2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgweMq0q3K_yBX_C4WutJ0fWrDF_6324OU72yKgrOfOb8PjWAiNNSWpiyDpV76gyXb47yKcEYtdvkemefxfxmcCXctXl35WfY03Udt23HDQUxbX7bjvnW-2-dGzcac2He9C9QbCeewWgn/s1600/13592665_674077296073096_6533280072569474353_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgweMq0q3K_yBX_C4WutJ0fWrDF_6324OU72yKgrOfOb8PjWAiNNSWpiyDpV76gyXb47yKcEYtdvkemefxfxmcCXctXl35WfY03Udt23HDQUxbX7bjvnW-2-dGzcac2He9C9QbCeewWgn/s320/13592665_674077296073096_6533280072569474353_n.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Is she crazy? </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Perhaps she is, but maybe Corbin is finally seeing things as they truly are for the very first time and has begun to realize what the voice she hears has in store for her in this second book of The Shadow and Ink series by Nikki Rae. </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">We delve right back into the complicated life of Corbin as well as getting to learn a little more about Six, the mysterious creature that has integrated himself firmly into Corbin's very existence after being nothing more than a voice in her own head. </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">This plays out as a struggle for the characters to grasp exactly what is happening and ultimately what it means for her if Six is as real as he claims to be.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">From this is spun the atmosphere of mystery and tension Nikki Rae has become known for, as she never fails to suck me in with her intense ideas and cleverly developed characters.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Once again I am completely in love with Nikki Rae and the worlds she creates! </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">This book really stuck with me because with Corbin she touches on the fear and anxiety that not only myself but I'm sure many others deal with on a regular basis and how such fears can manifest from out of nowhere in our everyday lives.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Rae also does a spectacular job with Six himself, dropping little crumbs of information about him so that we are still not really sure who or what he is but it's sure to be just enough to keep most readers (and myself) completely infatuated with him.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />Delving deeper into the story of Six alone is enough to keep me wanting more and more of this series. The world Nikki Rae has built has definitely wormed its way into my brain.</span></span></span>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">The ending was almost like a form of torture because I did not want my time with Corbin and Six to end!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br />Nikki Rae is absolutely one of my favorite authors and I am very much looking forward to book three in The Shadow and Ink series.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"> <span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">The Snake Den is definitely recommended in my opinion for readers who want a gripping tale of mystery and shadows brought to life with compelling characters and well-designed worlds. </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">-<i>Melanie Rovak</i></span></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07322690503701536204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-61329738573381989472017-01-11T08:36:00.000-06:002017-01-11T08:36:37.939-06:00Doctor Who: Grounded Silurians <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The most powerful creations in fiction often mirror us in some way or another, even more so our monsters in our fiction and fairy tales that can show us truths not just on a person to person basis, but on the level of a society as well.<br />
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The <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silurian_%28Doctor_Who%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Silurian (Doctor Who)">Silurians</a> are a perfect example of this, as we have come into conflict with them for mastery of the Earth, but they are a creature that comes from the depths of our own past, not the space beyond our reach.<br />
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They are a perfect foil for arrogant Humans as they are arrogant themselves, both believing that they are the better of the two races due to the level of technology they each possess or the threats of destruction it can carry out, it is a situation that has echoes that come from our own real life battles of prejudice and pride, making it as easy source for quality drama in the terrorist age.<br />
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The effect is seen in both <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silurian" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Silurian">Silurian</a> appearances in the classic series of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a>, as in both, they draw comparisons to the old enemy agents of the past or our modern terror cell.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs70MBULv3uOMMbIvPIhj4cmP_-rru-bAIj6bF0zZvMEA5Yv8HKRCPDLhj77aUY43TcQfVKuOpJLtsTJuhLDoPrfTQa1LJPCHjxo6qgJmIUnJcKHtGzu_pg08E1e_Ew4JYOMDZvQxq_Znv/s1600/the+silurians.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs70MBULv3uOMMbIvPIhj4cmP_-rru-bAIj6bF0zZvMEA5Yv8HKRCPDLhj77aUY43TcQfVKuOpJLtsTJuhLDoPrfTQa1LJPCHjxo6qgJmIUnJcKHtGzu_pg08E1e_Ew4JYOMDZvQxq_Znv/s1600/the+silurians.jpg" /></a></div>
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In <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Cave-Monsters/dp/0426102924%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzem-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0426102924" rel="amazon" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters (Doctor Who)">Doctor Who and the Silurians</a>, they are awoken by Human experimentation and use the Human's nuclear reactor to revive more of their kind, and eventually after a coup by a more hostile faction of Silurians, resort to using a biological weapon ti wipe out the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="World population">Human population</a> which the Doctor foils before the military moves in and blows up the caves.<br />
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When they return in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Aztecs-Vol-88/dp/0426195884%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzem-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0426195884" rel="amazon" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who: The Aztecs (Doctor Who, Vol 88)">Warriors of the Deep</a> they are shown more in the light of diplomats who were tired of the peaceful path and who's goals were to launch a missile from an underwater base they were holding hostage. At least on <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Television">TV</a>, Silurians were the perfect model for the kind of real fears that we faced on the from page of the daily papers no matter what the era.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrR2aksWa_w8fN8PPXzdvBEyiahMDTv6ma7aUN-c742DBzxll6YKq2zXqA0HHN6CZcUnbikxTmxw_N9VoX3mFtzHpSkPvM5RvA2dmoVDD0WPpJQGisHi2GJpjLociz7SScSur1duQCVLAm/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrR2aksWa_w8fN8PPXzdvBEyiahMDTv6ma7aUN-c742DBzxll6YKq2zXqA0HHN6CZcUnbikxTmxw_N9VoX3mFtzHpSkPvM5RvA2dmoVDD0WPpJQGisHi2GJpjLociz7SScSur1duQCVLAm/s1600/th.jpg" /></a></div>
When Doctor Who left our screens in the late eighties, it eventually gave way to getting our fix for thew show in other forms of media, like audio plays and books, and like many other creatures we had seen in the past, the Silurians got a makeover.<br />
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In the New Adventure <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Heat-New-Doctor-Adventures/dp/0426203992%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzem-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0426203992" rel="amazon" target="_blank" title="Blood Heat (The New Doctor Who Adventures)">Blood Heat</a>, we got see an alternate reality where the events of Doctor Who and the Silurians took a different direction, one where the third Doctor was killed as was most of the Human population by plague leaving a small UNIT group and other stragglers the only survivors on a world returned to a prehistoric environment.<br />
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While <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Scales-Injustice-Doctor-Who/dp/0426204778%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzem-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0426204778" rel="amazon" target="_blank" title="The Scales of Injustice (Doctor Who)">the Scales of Injustice</a> is a missing adventure that can be seen as a direct sequel to the same third Doctor serial as well as explaining away a ton of questions from the television story Warriors of the Deep, and ultimately shows a more peaceful Silurian approach with only a few extremists in the ranks, but ultimately it ends in bloodshed and the Big Finish audio Bloodtide, in which our whole creation as a race is explained as a forbidden experiment carried out by a Silurian scientist.<br />
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On both sides of the conflict both Silurian and Human camps have those that wish for peace and those that would rather annihilate or segregate anything not like them, making them a race perfect for the darker more intricately plotted tones of the new series of Doctor Who, allowing for a good deep plot that should have real-world implications.<br />
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Something that was shown not only in films like Alien Nation and District 9, which have similar themes of an alien culture merging with ours, but also to some of the best of the past Doctor Who episodes like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Sunmakers-Terrance-Dicks/dp/0426200594%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzem-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0426200594" rel="amazon" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who and the Sunmakers">the Sunmakers</a> or more recently Bad wolf, story's that pull just enough material from the real life problems and woes of mankind that it makes them more powerful and relevant, even though they are taking place in a fantasy world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LSZjE7IhGt0B37WqrUDDr7DpEeydUvMaRmWIyNMmEVU8t5PNLv8Ez5EfeAGaTG08DzE0-lSNkhzWFJeEPyxUY-r0DvwoqFXfDJ-uPKogzM9Q9POJHOBnnPF5GvaDy-pKDj2Zkqi8I_jK/s1600/silurian.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LSZjE7IhGt0B37WqrUDDr7DpEeydUvMaRmWIyNMmEVU8t5PNLv8Ez5EfeAGaTG08DzE0-lSNkhzWFJeEPyxUY-r0DvwoqFXfDJ-uPKogzM9Q9POJHOBnnPF5GvaDy-pKDj2Zkqi8I_jK/s320/silurian.png" width="220" /></a></div>
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The alien creatures in question might have feelings and a society, but deep down inside we are scared and prejudiced as a culture.<br />
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But we are also afraid because the Silurians are also the monster lurking below the ground in the fairy tale, the thing waiting in the depths of some dark cave, watching you from the shadows.<br />
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It is this too that make Silurians a better than an average monster, they are in the simple description the same old monster that has dwelt beneath our feet and our bridges for centuries, only they are more us than them, which makes them even more terrifying.<br />
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Connected to our own real life home world of Earth, the Silurians are surely one of the greatest and most thought-provoking species ever to be created on Doctor Who.<br />
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-<i>Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-43232029742756002902017-01-10T20:54:00.000-06:002017-01-10T20:54:30.449-06:00Audio Review: Jago and Litefoot- The Spirit Trap <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMvNF3elhKV7ZF0k2h-Qe183mLIQHSOSB4otHU2ysCwNYBUgHd0b7rUQQavkn8WlaJB9sLOPkcxezLC0jU76qC4YfGiEGjjdE5suPo8KinQMR2SXl-ZOeQQ50ZQiMtDUm6tCnXhqDQNHf/s1600/jago+litefootspirit+trap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMvNF3elhKV7ZF0k2h-Qe183mLIQHSOSB4otHU2ysCwNYBUgHd0b7rUQQavkn8WlaJB9sLOPkcxezLC0jU76qC4YfGiEGjjdE5suPo8KinQMR2SXl-ZOeQQ50ZQiMtDUm6tCnXhqDQNHf/s1600/jago+litefootspirit+trap.jpg" /></a></div>
Victorian ghost tales have been a staple of our fictional diet since <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Charles Dickens">Charles Dickens</a> released <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Carol-Karen-Louise-Hebden/dp/1854599879%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzem-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1854599879" rel="amazon" target="_blank" title="A Christmas Carol">A Christmas Carol</a> and the era of spirit mediums and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_photography" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Spirit photography">spirit photography</a> does provide a perfect setting to be used for such tales, making the era a prime setting when a tale needs to have a certain air of mystery and shadow.<br />
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The third installment in the Jago and Litefoot audio series, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jago_%26_Litefoot" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Jago & Litefoot">The Spirit Trap</a> delves into the unknown region of the afterlife and communicating with the dead as people seem to disappear after a session with Mrs. Vanguard, a spirit medium.<br />
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Soon Jago and Litefoot are once again on the case and they appear now to have great confidence doing so, as if as the series goes on they are investigating these strange occurrences more by choice than circumstance.<br />
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Once again the main cast is superb in execution and it's also nice to see things such as Jago's theater background being used again, this time to expose fraudulent psychics and Litefoot's logical deduction reasoning out the truth of a violent mysterious fire, testament's also that the writers of all of the scripts so far knew the tendencies of the main characters well and this play is no exception.<br />
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Although it is a decent story and it moves along quite well, we have seen this kind of invasion of the dead and duplicates before, from <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Invasion-Body-Snatchers-Kevin-McCarthy/dp/0782009980%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzem-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0782009980" rel="amazon" target="_blank" title="Invasion of the Body Snatchers">Invasion of the Body Snatchers</a> type films and all it's forms, down to an episode of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a> itself in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unquiet_Dead" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Unquiet Dead">The Unquiet Dead</a>.<br />
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Sometimes this play does not make the best use of its elements and it shows, but it is still an excellent concept with a few truly great scenes like Jago being stuck in a 'limbo' and the final confrontation.<br />
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I suspect that if you enjoyed the last two installments of this series you will enjoy this one as well, as a part of the series it is great although it does have problems standing up on it's own slightly in my opinion.<br />
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However it's shortcomings are far outweighed by the stellar performances given and the exciting continuation of a wider story to be concluded in the next and final play of the story arc.<br />
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-<i>Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-6366413410006078632017-01-10T20:45:00.001-06:002017-01-10T20:47:48.929-06:00Audio Review: Jago & Litefoot- The Bellova Devil <br />
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Out of all the words most commonly used in reviews and opinion on any form of entertainment, cliché is the most horrid and foul of all the words.<br />
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Cliche means that something has failed in the end product that makes it's concept seem petty rather than larger than life, that something was broken and never fixed and as such the media did not draw the consumer out into its world far enough for them to believe in what they created.<br />
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But there are also times when the word cliché can be used like a badge of honor.<br />
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Jago and Lightfoot: <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jago_%26_Litefoot" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Jago & Litefoot">The Bellova Devil</a> is one such example of getting it right, it blends elements that in other less well-written scripts would have seemed overused and stale, such as a detective story set in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th-century_London" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="19th-century London">Victorian London</a> or the dead rising from out the grave in the middle of the night. This play blends them all in a script by Alan Barnes, one that really has twists and turns in it worthy of any murder-mystery tale.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJUqlIWcT36tNH0T8w80e8ISwXtSGLqOApBO_htOrQeI4MJMX5Sv1gqIACLRTqHbtwnigabhegNyT5wGkMuLNd9etwgm1tuufWP1gStSIS_sgItu5gzoq1AbTJfvpKGJdRk75UfCAZ7oI/s1600/main-jagoandlitefoot4.jpg_image_large.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJUqlIWcT36tNH0T8w80e8ISwXtSGLqOApBO_htOrQeI4MJMX5Sv1gqIACLRTqHbtwnigabhegNyT5wGkMuLNd9etwgm1tuufWP1gStSIS_sgItu5gzoq1AbTJfvpKGJdRk75UfCAZ7oI/s320/main-jagoandlitefoot4.jpg_image_large.png" width="320" /></a></div>
The script is not the only aspect of this audio worthy of praise, as both the voice acting and the score provide a good sense of the mood and setting.<br />
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<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0071290/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Christopher Benjamin">Christopher Benjamin</a> (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Gordon_Jago" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Henry Gordon Jago">Henry Gordon Jago</a>) and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0062827/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Trevor Baxter">Trevor Baxter</a> (Professor Litefoot) do another remarkable job here, being both entertaining and capturing the essence of the characters they played so well in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a> almost thirty-three years ago.<br />
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The rest of the cast is pretty good as well, so you are really able to lose yourself for a bit in the world of this Victorian odd couple.<br />
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Running throughout the story is a sense of both practical detective work and the strangeness of the world beyond Human understanding, one that makes some of the reveals at the end all the more shocking, as you are led to believe the antagonist could be either from our world or the world beyond and they keep you guessing.<br />
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Overall series plot points are kept to a minimum in the play, meaning you can pick up this play without ever having listened to the first story, The Bloodless Soldier, but also means that if you did the mystery deepened a bit as well, keeping you waiting for the next installment of the series.<br />
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-<i>Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-15551584416052683492017-01-08T02:41:00.000-06:002017-01-08T02:41:30.538-06:00TV Review: Doctor Who- The Doctor's Wife <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsTWtoN77LPqa-6jst1CExu4MJO2gq68O-u3s-j3sUNs_ZJTpqOKDUsF3G3YzsqaVu64KKb7YCoROR7CpPdZ7mbL8bZswJ_1zhcfXph1Y_VBjBB9vpMQOXO1As2vD-DlQrGdxXqcWuZLl/s1600/doctorswife3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsTWtoN77LPqa-6jst1CExu4MJO2gq68O-u3s-j3sUNs_ZJTpqOKDUsF3G3YzsqaVu64KKb7YCoROR7CpPdZ7mbL8bZswJ_1zhcfXph1Y_VBjBB9vpMQOXO1As2vD-DlQrGdxXqcWuZLl/s320/doctorswife3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I feel so justified.<br />
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Sometimes I talk to my electronics, an eccentric little quirk I picked up from some television show or another, forget which one, and I am always getting eye rolls from my fiance, as it is not normal behavior apparently. Yet although we have the same model smartphone mine always seems to work better, something I attribute to the affection I give my machinery.<br />
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This of course is all ridiculous in the extreme, machinery does not talk back and does not perform better based upon the fact of it's user and that user's encouragement...or does it?<br />
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<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.neilgaiman.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Neil Gaiman">Neil Gaiman</a> would like us to think about such possibilities as we step into the fourth episode of this series, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doctor%27s_Wife" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="The Doctor's Wife">The Doctor's Wife</a> and it has to be one of the better episodes so far this year If not of the whole of the new era of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a>.<br />
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It was indeed a fan boy's dream wrapped in a simple yet deep plot, one that saw many moments of joy, sadness and fear, and a very special old friend that we have known since the series began. This one goes all the way back to the very beginning and gives more insight into the mystery of the Doctor's origins.<br />
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Admittedly I was pretty thrown off about the meaning of the title, never guessed that the Doctor's real wife would be the Tardis herself, but it makes perfect sense, the Tardis is the one constant companion in an ever changing universe. Of course once this fact was realized early on I knew we were in for a ride and I was not wrong.<br />
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If I told you we would have an episode in which the Tardis gets put into the mind of a woman and can actually speak, we get to see see more of the Tardis interior, the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ood" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Ood">Ood</a> appear and the Doctor builds a Tardis console from old cast off Tardis bits left by Time Lords who were killed after being drawn into a trap devised by an evil Artron eating force, would that get you excited?<br />
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Well it should do as this one was pure genius and once again shows how a complicated plot that has elements that appeal to both fans and casual viewers alike can also be a viable and emotional story that has impact and depth without losing the non Doctor Who fanatic along the way.<br />
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It does not even seem to matter that most of the adventure is set in the Tardis and really the Tardis is the focus here in all her forms and desktop themes.<br />
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She is the reason and the drive to the plot. Make no mistake, this is the Tardis' adventure, the Doctor and company are just along for the ride, and she says it has always been that way anyway.<br />
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Russell T Davies was most likely in tears by the end of this one as The Doctor's Wife flirts with so much of what he did right (And sadly at times did too much) with Doctor Who in his era, building up a relationship between two of the main players so that when a big event happens it really does throw your heart into the grinder.<br />
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Of course in this case the relationship between the Doctor and his ship has been building for almost fifty years, but really the Doctor's outburst of emotion at the end was so real and inspired that it almost drove me to tears. This is not your grandfather's Doctor Who but it does show that they were all part of a greater whole and it works to perfection.<br />
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Much excitement was built up going into this episode about Gaiman being in the driver's seat and really much like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0595590/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Steven Moffat">Steven Moffat</a>'s scripts you can defiantly see the quality shining through. Supporting characters are well drawn even in brief moments on screen and every detail is well thought out both in relation to the history of the show through objects like the psychic distress boxes last seen in the 1969 serial The War Games and even the back wall panel in the Doctor's makeshift console room could have been removed off the set of a Peter Davison or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048982/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Tom Baker">Tom Baker</a> era serial.<br />
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As concepts go and how to rate those concepts this has to be a ten of ten, it has something for everyone and the good bits just keep coming almost through the entire episode. I wish I could make Neil Gaiman write a couple Doctor Who scripts each season, but hopefully from the love of the show he seemed to have in the Doctor Who Confidential this will not be the last opening sequence that bears his name as author.<br />
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Rough spots were few and far between in this one but easily the part that was lacking was Rory and Amy running from the House entity through the corridors of the Tardis.<br />
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Although I am overjoyed that we finally after six series get to see more of the Tardis interior (Though to be honest I'm not quite sure if I like the new look), the scenes themselves were odd and disjointed and never really seemed to be as good as what was happening between the Doctor and the Tardis in Human form.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNS2QCLknKXOzchyRT47mCnMYdiLf5rBG5nMGJ0tanyoevXrVPDUQ33oWOtYoOFbhGoUFWNp6ZD3BA5biDoGBVCSi05ZbWB5rdQyL48qBJB9XEbanyNNAvkvOJ3wk5W3v4Bf3hdxLBzVD3/s1600/doctorwho604_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNS2QCLknKXOzchyRT47mCnMYdiLf5rBG5nMGJ0tanyoevXrVPDUQ33oWOtYoOFbhGoUFWNp6ZD3BA5biDoGBVCSi05ZbWB5rdQyL48qBJB9XEbanyNNAvkvOJ3wk5W3v4Bf3hdxLBzVD3/s320/doctorwho604_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It did not really seem to be particularly interesting either and the odd way the House played with the married couple did not interest me at all. They also killed Rory again, even though it was only an illusion.<br />
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I also have a little issue with a throwaway line that states Time Lords can regenerate into either sex, male or female.<br />
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The little joke Tom Baker and former producer <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0622264/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="John Nathan-Turner">John Nathan Turner</a> decided to play at Tom's press conference as he was leaving as the fourth Doctor has really gone too far. I can only think of what poor Leela would think if Andred turned into someone named Adriana one fine morning or what David Campbell might think when the Doctor's granddaughter Susan turns into a man named Steven.<br />
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The Ood also seemed like a throw in at times, but honestly considering this was described as a “sinkhole” outside the universe it is possible that an Ood got there somehow just as much as any other creature, and they do have a history of possession by outside forces.<br />
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Ultimately though despite small flaws this was an excellent adventure and a great story, one that should fall into the category of an instant classic as both a stand alone event and also as a episode that gave us more clues to the Doctor's past and added more knowledge into the Doctor Who mythos and the mystery of the Doctor's origins.<br />
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Doctor who?<br />
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Indeed.<br />
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-<i>Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-26307871359772367002017-01-08T00:45:00.001-06:002017-01-08T02:26:10.147-06:00TV Review: The Science of Doctor Who <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a>'s most unique qualities come from the shows initial groundbreaking concepts.<br />
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A spacecraft that is bigger inside then out, moves in such a manner that allows it to travel to almost any location in space and time. Much like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069637/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Star Trek">Star Trek</a> three years after Doctor Who's debut in 1963, early Doctor Who inspired a whole generation of geeks and science nerds.<br />
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However in terms of tone and characterization, Doctor Who more closely resembled the ideals, morals and true motivations of a scientific mind. Where Star Trek did champion concepts such as racial diversity it was still slightly tied into an overall military concept.<br />
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The idea of a hero who used his mind rather than his fists or a weapon seems an ideal choice of a hero for those masters of the chess club but not sports, those viewers perhaps more invested in the Doctors mastery of any situation without resorting to the usual macho trend.<br />
In many instances, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accreditation_Commission_for_Health_Care" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Accreditation Commission for Health Care">the Doctor</a> champions science or diplomacy over violence, something almost unique in televised speculative fiction.<br />
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How many of Doctor Who's fictional scientific concepts can be translated to the real world is up for debate, especially as the show's core is made up of such forward thinking ideas.<br />
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<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3345330/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="The Science of Doctor Who">The Science of Doctor Who</a> is both a nice tribute to the series and its inspiration to science as well as a very interesting lecture by <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004051/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Brian Cox (actor)">Brian Cox</a> that does a good example f explaining the real world validity of such concepts as <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_travel" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Time travel">time travel</a> and intelligent alien life on other planets.<br />
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It accomplishes this with a mix of standard yet interesting lecture fare combined with small experiments conducted with audience members from the crowd. The result is a great television special that might be great for those of us who might watch this sort of program anyway, but slightly less so for the Doctor Who fan who wants to see exploding Daleks, not hear about light cones and event horizons.<br />
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Those that stick around for the remainder of the hour long special may learn something interesting to make them think. Without giving away the 'meat' of the lecture of the scientific methods used in explaining the ideas, let's just say the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Harmony" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Eye of Harmony">Eye of Harmony</a> buried in the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="TARDIS">Tardis</a> gets some slight validity, we explore how we are all really time travelers on a daily basis and how time travel into the future is already a proven scientific fact.<br />
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Of course fans will enjoy the little sequences during the program featuring Brian Cox and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1741002/" rel="imdb" target="_blank" title="Matt Smith (actor)">Matt Smith</a> in character as the Doctor on the current Tardis set.<br />
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The specially recorded scenes are great fun and Matt Smith gives a fine performance worthy of his Doctor.<br />
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Science fiction has always and will always have an obvious connection with proper science, Doctor Who included. The fantastical inventions and settings that spring from speculative fiction could very well end up being daily reality in the future.<br />
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Which means if I wait long enough I might actually get to see a real working <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_screwdriver" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sonic screwdriver">Sonic Screwdriver</a> or Tardis.<br />
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I'm not holding my breath however. The Doctor may be over a thousand years old and have thirteen lives but I only have one.<br />
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Time will tell.<br />
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-<i>Thomas Spychalski </i><br />
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tomspy77http://www.blogger.com/profile/00156405518824327724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625911634876661051.post-3225906929772388462017-01-07T23:49:00.001-06:002017-01-08T00:46:09.141-06:00TV Review: Doctor Who- Waters of Mars <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEYNSPIsjyO8DYHY0lA74ff7TajpCiQYnuwsF6gY2qTgRpHsj0C2riWDCXHFYhtp81G0M7oru0xZJxkV7A9nKWw1fze6IC4AmkoR6Rr9_qNSkTN4LqApwKuvpjgbVuRxJ00uyA95F3g_0/s1600/waters-main.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEYNSPIsjyO8DYHY0lA74ff7TajpCiQYnuwsF6gY2qTgRpHsj0C2riWDCXHFYhtp81G0M7oru0xZJxkV7A9nKWw1fze6IC4AmkoR6Rr9_qNSkTN4LqApwKuvpjgbVuRxJ00uyA95F3g_0/s320/waters-main.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Sometime in 2008, it was decided that <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/" rel="homepage" title="Doctor Who">Doctor Who</a> would take a small “rest” the following year for a couple of reasons. Not only would it give the audience a little time away from the show to appreciate it a little better, but it also gave star <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0855039/" rel="imdb" title="David Tennant">David Tennant</a> time to work on other projects besides Doctor Who.<br />
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However, there would still be Who on television over the next year. It would consist of five specials, to begin with, the now annual Doctor Who Christmas episode on Christmas Day in 2008. Each special would feature a one-off companion and would climax with the end of Tennant's reign as the Doctor as well as final episode made under <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0203961/" rel="imdb" title="Russell T Davies">Russel T. Davies</a> watch as executive producer.<br />
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Ideas for the various specials were moved around and changed as time went on, with the number of specials finally settled at four in April of 2008. Waters of Mars was originally intended to be the Christmas episode, previously going by the titles“Christmas on Mars” and “Red Christmas.”<br />
However, budget issues plagued the special and the episode was almost abandoned, with Davies rallying to include the Mars adventure.<br />
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Eventually, it was said to be the long rumored Halloween special, which suited the overall tone of the scripts. Sadly, it was broadcast almost two weeks past Halloween, crushing my dreams of seeing the Doctor acknowledge my favorite holiday.<br />
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Thankfully, this made little difference to the end product, which was everything a fan waiting for good old fashioned scary Doctor Who could wish for.<br />
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Doing things right is always a tricky thing, especially when you are talking about the tastes of the Doctor Who fan, an eclectic bunch to be sure, with people loving episodes others despise.<br />
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Waters of Mars hits all of my personal buttons as far as quality Who goes; it is epic, dark, poignant and best of all, scary.<br />
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Horror stories only work if there is a significant and realistic story behind the monster to make it scary in your mind as well as in your soul. The stakes in this one are high. If the Flood reaches Earth, with all of its water, it will mean the end of the Human race. It will also mean that Captain <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Waters_of_Mars" rel="wikipedia" title="The Waters of Mars">Adelaide Brooke</a> will inspire her grandchild to be one of the first pioneers in deep space travel when she dies preventing The Flood's plan.<br />
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Add this to the fact that Captain Brooke's death is a fixed point in time that the Doctor is forbidden to interfere with and this episode has gravitas in spades.<br />
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The special also really delves into Doctor Who's history as well.<br />
Not only in name dropping the Ice Warriors a couple of times but also in the fact that at the end, when Captain Brooke tells the Doctor to leave Bowie Base One, you can see the torment on the face of the man who never could stand just to watch and observe when lives were at stake. It makes the episode all the more powerful and it is done admirably well by David Tennant, who despite a little too much yelling does a hell of a job as the “Time Lord Victorious.”<br />
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I think that as far as endings of Doctor Who adventures go, only the false regeneration at the end of The Stolen Earth and Adric's death at the end of Earthshock actually made me as speechless as the Doctor's actions at the end of Waters of Mars.<br />
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The Doctor showed both the strain of knowing about his own death and the virtues that made him the hero and god-like figure he had become by this time. You can almost hear the Doctor's thoughts that if he can save an “important” historical figure like Captain Brooke then surely he could also find a way to possibly save himself from his own fate.<br />
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Waters of Mars is also a script that besides the modern continuity could have been made in 1975 just as easily as 2008. The running through corridors, the base under siege, the monster of the week and the fate of the Earth in the balance. All classic elements that although touched on since the series returned in 2005, never felt as similar as they did throughout most of Waters of Mars.<br />
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Doctor Who works best when it makes you think a bit about going in the Underground to catch a train or makes passing shop window dummies at night a little more uneasy. Waters of Mars is saturated with this factor and is dripping with the little moments that I loved as a kid and I let my imagination get the best of me.<br />
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Excuse all the bad water puns, it's just that it's started to rain and after I finished writing this review I was going to get a coffee...was.<br />
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Water always wins.<br />
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-<i>Thomas Spychalski</i><br />
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