I hope everyone is home with their family today and not wasting their time reading this blog or anyone else's. There's so much to be grateful for; I hope you take time to reflect on the good things in your life.
In other news, the second volume of Ultraman DVDs is out. Been out for awhile now, so I apologize that I haven't been pressuring people to buy it yet. I hope that BCI will release other Ultra Series in 2007. If you feel the same, write or email BCI and let them know.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Friday, November 17, 2006
More Doctor Who Mini-Reviews
The Idiot's Lantern:
I suppose the title of last week's episode refers to the televison, though my parents always called it the idiot box, since it's a box that sits in your room and wasn't used to light it. Yet again, the episode takes place in London, although this time in the 1950s, which, I guess, makes it a period piece. I remember liking Mark Gatiss' New Adventures novel, but this episode is lacking with another lame alien invasion story.
I also don't like the new series' British-centric attitude. The old series was much more cosmopolitan: no thick accents, no obscure British references, etc. In other words, the old series was much more accessible, while I feel like an outsider who's out of the loop when I watch the new series. C
The Impossible Planet:
This week's episode, however, is a nice breath of fresh air. It has an air of mystery lacking in many other episodes. The plot revolves around a planet impossibly orbiting around a black hole, thanks to a strange power source at the core of the planet. The whole "we've lost the TARDIS so now we're stuck here forever" thing has been done to death, but the Doctor's finally showing off some of his scientific knowledge instead of sharing a giggle with Rose. Like most episodes, this is mainly generic sci-fi at best, but it has the best cliffhanger done so far. B
I suppose the title of last week's episode refers to the televison, though my parents always called it the idiot box, since it's a box that sits in your room and wasn't used to light it. Yet again, the episode takes place in London, although this time in the 1950s, which, I guess, makes it a period piece. I remember liking Mark Gatiss' New Adventures novel, but this episode is lacking with another lame alien invasion story.
I also don't like the new series' British-centric attitude. The old series was much more cosmopolitan: no thick accents, no obscure British references, etc. In other words, the old series was much more accessible, while I feel like an outsider who's out of the loop when I watch the new series. C
The Impossible Planet:
This week's episode, however, is a nice breath of fresh air. It has an air of mystery lacking in many other episodes. The plot revolves around a planet impossibly orbiting around a black hole, thanks to a strange power source at the core of the planet. The whole "we've lost the TARDIS so now we're stuck here forever" thing has been done to death, but the Doctor's finally showing off some of his scientific knowledge instead of sharing a giggle with Rose. Like most episodes, this is mainly generic sci-fi at best, but it has the best cliffhanger done so far. B
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Doctor Who : Season 2 Continues...
The Age of Steel:
Despite a lame resolution to a typical cliffhanger (the Doctor just kills the Cybermen), this episode contains a few great moments among a lot of average ones. Tennant's Doctor is still somber compared to past episodes, as if the Doctor's finally taking an episode seriously for once. The confrontation with the Cyber Leader is Tennant at his best and he doesn't look bad in a tux either.
The rest of the episode is pretty standard horror/action film stuff. Cheap scares. Cybermen coming to life. Falling of a blimp into a huge ball of flames. That sort of thing. It's this sort of uninventive storytelling that's plagued the new series, and made me less than impressed with all of it. It's like Russell Davies, ironically a New Adventures alumni, is trying to erase the last ten years of original novels and much better ideas than what's been presented so far. B-
Despite a lame resolution to a typical cliffhanger (the Doctor just kills the Cybermen), this episode contains a few great moments among a lot of average ones. Tennant's Doctor is still somber compared to past episodes, as if the Doctor's finally taking an episode seriously for once. The confrontation with the Cyber Leader is Tennant at his best and he doesn't look bad in a tux either.
The rest of the episode is pretty standard horror/action film stuff. Cheap scares. Cybermen coming to life. Falling of a blimp into a huge ball of flames. That sort of thing. It's this sort of uninventive storytelling that's plagued the new series, and made me less than impressed with all of it. It's like Russell Davies, ironically a New Adventures alumni, is trying to erase the last ten years of original novels and much better ideas than what's been presented so far. B-
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