Past, Present and Future

Don't get cocky, kid!

Stop reading further if you want to avoid Dr. Who spoilers. I've just finished watching the epic and long-promised two-part finale for David Tennant's doctor and here is my 'take'.

Firstly, I hope that George Lucas wasn't watching or he would probably be contacting his lawyers. Secondly, what an amazing end to a heck of a ride with Mr. Tennant and friends. Russell T. Davies certainly pulled out all the stops (and then some) for this climatic end to arguably the most loved Doctor of all. The acting of the four main characters played by Tennant himself, the manic John Simm, the ever entertaining and so professional Bernard Cribbins (ex PC Tom Campbell) and the great Timothy Dalton was marvelous despite the shaky places in the script. As Dalton said in the 'confidential', it seemed like there were several scripts thrown together. I think that Davies wanted to get everything in that he could - a bit like clearing out the basement really. There were some truly great scenes interspersed with really silly nonsense parts that just seemed like self-indulgence. This is where Mr. Lucas may have issues - the escape of the Millennium Falcon from the Deathstar is obvious as is the cantina scene with a lonely Captain Jack.

Despite all the dross and strange side journeys, this was a truly fun and emotional way to say goodbye to this Doctor and to welcome the new incarnation. It was nice to see his silent goodbyes to friends and companions past - the journey back to see Rose was very touching indeed and I defy anyone who didn't have a tear hovering around by then. As for the new 'man', let's give him a chance shall we? He seems to be channeling the Patrick Troughton doctor that is my personal favorite; he has my vote of confidence.

Terrific Triffids?

Before you read further; if you haven't seen the new 'Day of the Triffids' from the BBC and want to avoid spoilers - STOP READING. OK, are they gone?

Over the past two days, the BBC aired it's two-part reboot of the venerable 'Day of the Triffids'. The big question would have to be, 'was it worth it?' Well, yes it was if you had never read the 1951 book, watched the earlier series from 1981 or the awful feature film from 1962. It was pretty good TV and much better that the rather insipid 'Survivors' and kept the main characters fairly intact and the basics of the book were still discernable. The acting was fair, the script was decent and the effects were as expected. So, why you ask, does my tone seem rather muted. Well, some of the ideas from the book were turned completely around and there seem to be no real connect with the main characters. I believe the issue was with just three hours to tell a rather detailed story and the lack of depth caused by that. The other issue I had was that we never really got a good idea of the time that was passing and everything seemed crammed into just a few days. I wasn't too excited about the look of the Triffids either. I'm not sure if the writers or effects designers actually read the descriptions in the book properly. The Triffids were shown as relatively slow moving three legged (TRIffids) plants with what appeared to be rudimentary intelligence. In this outing, we are presented with a fast moving collection of roots and creepers topped by a vicious sting and the intimation of an intelligent and organized group mind. The biology of the plants just seemed wrong somehow and the idea that they would move towards the cities rather than away (as the book) was rather silly. I DID enjoy watching though and, as I mentioned, for anyone new to the story, quite well done and decent TV. Incidentally, it's this damn story that gave me my phobia about watching meteor showers.

The Timelord Victorious?

Finally! The latest Doctor Who episode 'The Waters of Mars' aired and about bloomin' time too. With only two more full episodes to go for the current Doctor, all the stops were let go for this one. We get to see a Doctor that we haven't seen before. We've suspected that there are deep and dark places in his soul, but now they are revealed. I won't give anything away; but you are in for a fast and scary ride into the depths of the Doctors psyche. The acting and the script were terrific as always and the special effects are as awesome as expected. Was it worth the wait? You bet it was.

I have always been bemused by the very wide range in quality of US TV science fiction offerings. Either they are absolutely wondrous or complete dreck.' Life on Mars' (US) - watchable, but crap. 'Firefly' - killed by a nitwit network but amazing. 'Star Trek' - classic but overdone by the end. 'BSG' - clever but (to me) silly and the end - aaaargh! Now we have 'Flashforward', which is growing on me and not quite as bad as I initially thought. 'V' is now officially off my viewing schedule. I'm sorry, but the script and acting are turning out to be sub-par, the story line is so obvious and the premise is very over-exposed. There is more to menace that an aloof stance and a half-smile. Now, here is a winner. Just watched the first episode of 'The Prisoner' and wow! Even if you have never seen the original, don't miss this. Great actors and acting, clever script and a real sense of dislocation. At this point, I have no idea of where this story will be going and thus no sense of 'been there, done that'. If you HAVE seen the original series, you will appreciate the little scenes that play homage to the classic 1967 original. Be seeing you.

Playing the waiting game

I came across this little teaser for the upcoming new version of 'V' that will grace our screens this month. It made me break out my copy of the original miniseries from my collection. I do remember seeing the original and wonder how the memories will hold up - badly, I suspect. I will give the remake some time, however, it does look very derivative and probably very dumbed down for modern American viewers. Looking forward to the next Dr. Who episode due November 15th and also the last two for this Doctor at the end of the year. Also waiting for 'The Prisoner' and the return of 'Survivors'. Hopefully, season two of Survivors will be better written and more watchable.

At least the return of 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' for its third season gives me a bit of a Dr. Who fix.In fact, even better, the intrepid Doctor made his appearance in episodes five and six - yay! This third outing for the alien hunting team is not as good as before and it all seems a little forced now. I really don't think that the return of K9 to prime-time is a good idea either. I must remind myself, however, that this is a programme for kids and not for the adult viewer - it's starting to show that now - pity. Still working through the six assignments of Sapphire and Steel via YouTube - four more to go.

Who do you trust?

Wow! Just wow! The third season of Torchwood came and went in a blaze of lightning. Due to various reasons, the BBC decided to make this year a short one for both Dr. Who (4 episodes) and Torchwood (5 episodes). Torchwood was shown last week with a one hour episode each day - what a week it was. I have always been rather unsure of the series in the past due to the rampant sexuality displayed at the expense of story, but this third series made up for it - and how! I won't give anything away, but there were major surprises and revelations along with jaw-dropping moments of absolute amazement. The ending was one of the most difficult to watch moments of television that I have come across. The question that you are left with is, 'how much trust do you place in what our elected officials tell you'? The acting (for once) was very good indeed and really showed why British TV drama is the best in the world.

I'm now looking forward to season two of Survivors and the re-vamped Day of the Triffids. I have also heard whispers of Doomwatch and Blake's 7 being remade - what a great time to see TV. It appears that sci-fi is back in a big way on TV both here and in the US. There is the upcoming 'V' and this new one from NBC called 'Day One'. It appears that even reality TV is being invaded by the sci-fi 'bug' - Discovery will be airing 'The Colony' soon - I'm not too sure if it will 'fly' though - my expectations are rather low.

On another note, my new game is coming along very nicely. If anyone out there would like to help me play-test the game, please contact me. The more the merrier. You don't need any wargame background for this - just a willingness to have fun.

Getting square eyes

My reading has taken a bit of a back seat at the moment as I seem to be glued to the screen. The second season of Ashes to Ashes has begun and even just the first episode by itself blew away the entire series of the US Life on Mars. I am really excited to see where Alex is heading. The first of the last four Doctor Who episodes flashed by during Easter and that was just a lot of fun with a rather chilling glimpse of what's to come - if I'm not mistaken, The Master may be back. There are a few films I need to get through and I started with 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' which was based on a short story published in 1921. I will be honest, I wasn't that interested in the film considering that it was a nearly 3 hour movie based on that story. However, I was quite surprised how easy the film was to watch and the time didn't seem to be an issue. It's not the best scripted or acted movie and it's lack of Oscar success is not surprising given Slumdog Millionaire's amazing cinematography and overall brilliance. It is, however, very well worth watching. I'm going to watch (2nd time around) the rather odd film 'Man From Earth', released in 2007. This is certainly a film that needs to to watched - turn away and you may miss something important. It's a very clever and thought-provoking take on immortality and an interesting departure from the Highlander school of long life. I also need to just chill out and let my mind go blank; so I am going to re-watch Deathrace 2000 and the wonderful mixture of horror and post-apocalyptic nonsense of Doomsday. These are two movies that don't require any deep thought or contemplation - like a roller-coaster ride - just hang on and have fun. Just don't throw up in the middle.

Thank goodness thats over

If you haven't started seeing the US Life on Mars or still have to see the last episode - STOP READING. Now, for the rest of you poor people that stayed with the series till the bitter end, here are my views. Started bad - got better near the end - finished bad. It must have been hard for the writers to follow the original UK series without copying it exactly, but they dumbed it down so far that it became a parody of itself and near comedy. The acting was actually rather good considering the material but I never felt that sense of dislocation that Sam should have felt and made the UK version so compelling. It became difficult to relate to the character and care about his eventual fate. Mind you, when we got to the last third of the series, the writing seemed to firm up and the episodes became much more watchable and memorable and there were the 'wow' moments that should have been there in the beginning. I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I was with the ending. It was so contrived and silly that it just ruined all the preceding episodes. I don't think that the US writers actually 'got it' and took a very easy way out - it was Bobby in the shower again. One comment from a viewer shows the trouble - they said, 'well, it WAS called Life on Mars'. You turniphead! According to the original UK writers the title came from the 1973 hit (duh!) and was chosen because of the time relevance and the line about the police picking on the wrong guy. In my opinion, Life on Mars US was a wasted opportunity to make a real splash in the US - ended up just a smelly puddle.

We're doomed!

Some dates in history are always remembered for what we were doing at that exact time. The 22nd of May in 1962 is just one of those dates - or not. Not a date that springs to mind? I'm not too surprised. Back in 'the day' British TV was a leader in the field of April Fools jokes. From spaghetti trees in Northern Italy to volcanism in Scotland, we were treated to very sophisticated stories that were indeed too good to be true. However, there is one story that has entered the rarefied heights of cult and conspiracy stardom. In 1977, Anglia TV showed an episode of the programe Science Report called Alternative 3. Although the show was dated April 1st, it was actually shown in June of that year due to strikes and other issues. Alternative 3 was purported to be a plan for the remnants of the population of the Earth after the inevitable global warning renders our planet uninhabitable for Homo Sapiens Sapiens. The show was initially looking into the 'brain drain' from the UK and then dived into the murky pool of disappearing scientists and specialists. According the bits of evidence discovered, there had been much more collaboration between NASA and the Soviets resulting in a base on the Moon and a landing on Mars to create a community of survivors. A piece of film supposed to be a record of a landing in May of 1962 was shown that was also showing evidence of life on the red planet. Since being shown just once, conspiracy theorists have maintained that the program was real and that the government tried to cover it up by pretending it was a joke. Some of the more radical Christian groups also latched on to the story as 'proof' of the end times. I must admit, I caught the last part of this show when I was coming home from work that day and it almost convinced me - until I saw the end credits. See what you think.

New kid on the block

Just a very short post today. Happy New Year, by the way. I am waiting with bated breath for an announcement tomorrow that may change our lives. No, not peace on Earth - that would be nice, but news from Auntie Beeb. Tomorrow is the day that they announce who will replace David Tennant as Doctor Who #11. So far there has been enormous speculation as to who will be gracing our screens come 2010. Everything from female stars to black actors and even some people who have already appeared on screen in prior Dr. Who episodes. Do I have a favorite? Nope! Not at all. I'm really looking forward to being (pleasantly) surprised. Roll on Saturday.

Everything old is new again

Sorry to say, I STILL haven't finished my new books - so the review will have to wait. However, as promised, here are my thoughts on the US version of Life on Mars as promised. We are now 7 episodes in and I am actually not sure if I will bother watching the rest. The main trouble is that the US traits of prudishness and political correctness are dooming the series to continual blandness. The main things that I liked about the original was the realism that it projected. The speech patterns, slang and general conscious and unconscious racism projected by the characters firmly planted things in the '70's. Although the 'blood and gut's' portion of the series was muted, it was still there and the writers did not shy away from issues such as drugs or homosexuality, but were able to keep away from overt sex and violence that would have been easy to add. The US Version? Many of the stories have been dumbed down and, in some cases, made unintelligible. The growing love story within the series has been allowed to be a more major portion  and, in my opinion, it lowers the quality of things. I suppose, if you hadn't seen the original, it would have been better, but I don't think so. Overall then, a poor copy and a critical failure - like so many US copies of British programmes. Mind you, the BBC doesn't always get things right. Survivors 2008 is a case in point. This may get rather interesting though. It seems that a new production of  The Day of the Triffids is on it's way. Man, I really hope this is done properly. This is a story that has never really dated and becomes more relevant with time. Considering that Triffids are shown as a source of biomass and oil substitute, the comparisons with our current obsession with GM crops and dependence of foreign oil is amazing. Don't watch the skies!