Has Doctor Who made time travel unimportant?

Posted by loonyliterature on 17/05/2013
Posted in: Doctor Who Articles. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 3 comments

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By Will Barber- Taylor

Time travel. It is amazing, dangerous and for the moment definitely in the realms of science fiction. It is the subject that caused most of the comedy in Back To The Future, the vehicle that helped Captain Kirk save the Whales in the bizarre Star Trek: The Voyage Home. It is also the idea that is meant to be the heart of the television show Doctor Who. Or it was. In recent years, the executive producers have decided that it isn’t. Once upon a time, travelling with The Doctor was a once in a lifetime experience which may never happen again. Quiet often companions didn’t intend to go travelling with the Time Lord. In fact, the first two companions, Ian and Barbara spent most of their time in the TARDIS trying to get back to 60s London.

Now however, it isn’t. Slowly the specialness of the magic box has decreased. It appears to have become a bit un special. Take for example, Rory’s first step into the TARDIS in The Vampires of Venice. Not even a wow. Since he has read a few magazines about psychics, he now is completely unimpressed by a time space machine bigger on the inside than the outside. If that is not bad enough the situation with current companion, Clara Oswald seems to be that time travel is just something ordinary she does every Wednesday.

 Even her irritating wards aren’t that impressed with the Time Machine when they enter it, as seen in Nightmare in Silver. Moffat’s era undermines the charm and excitement of going off on an adventure and not knowing when you will get back. Clara doesn’t want time travel to interrupt her social life and her time “Facebooking” or whatever she does.  It makes the experience less unique and more factory made which must surely impact on the way we watch and enjoy the show.

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Doctor Who: Nightmare in Silver Review

Posted by loonyliterature on 17/05/2013
Posted in: Doctor Who Articles, Doctor Who Series Seven Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

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By Will Barber – Taylor

Hedgewick’s World of Wonders was once the greatest theme park in the galaxy, but it’s now the dilapidated home to a shabby showman, a chess-playing dwarf and a dysfunctional army platoon. When the Doctor, Clara, Artie and Angie arrive, the last thing they expect is the re-emergence of one of the Doctor’s oldest foes. The Cybermen are back.

The story begins with The Doctor taking Clara and her two wards to Hedgewick’s World of Wonders.  Unfortunately, the Time Lord gets the date a bit wrong and they end up seeing the wonderful world in a state of disrepair. The gang soon meet Webley (James Watkins), the owner of the establishment, who is hiding from a group of soldiers. After some showing round, Webley presents his main attraction; a chess playing Cyberman operated by Porridge (Warwick Davis). After some more walking about and talking, the Cybermen start appearing. With new polished faces, they zoom at the humans. The whole things look kind of like a road runner sketch. I’m amazed that the Cyberman doesn’t say “Beep, Beep”. The Doctor goes after the Cybermen while Clara takes charge of the soldiers (Since when did Clara have more experience that the Captain? Surely it would be more logical to let the better trained person deal with the whole affair instead of letting someone who has never been in a battle situation take over.) and orders them up the castle complex.

The Doctor arrives in The Cybermen’s lair. After meeting the now Cybernized Webley, the Time lord is infected with The Cyber Planner bug. Weird banter begins between the two concisenesses. After some more explosions and fighting The Doctor manages to get to the castle bringing Webley and the two kids. The Doctor battles The Cyber Planner using a game of chess and eventually wins. After that, Porridge reveals he is the missing Emperor mentioned earlier on in the story. They teleport to his spaceship and the planet is destroyed with all the Cybermen on it.

Matt Smith realistically brings to life both the incumbent Time Lord and the dastardly Cyber Planner. It is great to see Smith show his versatility and brings across a certain menace to the role.   His use of accents is great as well, going from a funny impression of Eccleston’s gruff northern voice to Tennant’s cockney accent. 

The story has a slow first part, but then manages to pick up before the end. Sure the story has its loose ends and weird moments but it is still enjoyable enough. The chess games and CGI Cybermen are excellently shown and as I have said before Smith’s acting is good. However, as the series has progressed, I get the feeling that this has been an on and off series. Bad episodes, okay episodes and one very good episode (ie Hide). Hopefully the next story should prove me wrong.

NEXT TIME:

THE NAME OF THE DOCTOR- SERIES SEVEN FINALE

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Sherlock Repeat Season On BBC 3

Posted by loonyliterature on 16/05/2013
Posted in: Sherlock Holmes. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

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Tomorrow on BBC Three, the first episode of series One of Sherlock is being repeated starting with, rather obviously “A Study In Pink“. If you have yet to see the show then check it out before the Third Series airs later this year (or early next year.)

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Strax Field Report – The Name of the Doctor – Doctor Who Series 7 Part 2

Posted by loonyliterature on 16/05/2013
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Strax reports on the adventure and danger that lie ahead in The Name of the Doctor.

(Taken from the BBC website)

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Doctor Who Series 8 Confirmed

Posted by loonyliterature on 15/05/2013
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Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat has announced that Series 8 has “definitely, honestly” been commissioned and is already in the planning stages.

Speaking at the BAFTA Television Awards in London this week, Moffat commented: “This is a thing that just seems to have slipped by… so can I say it very firmly – Series 8 is absolutely, definitely confirmed. It is real and it’s happening – it’s [taking up] most of my time at the moment.”

He added: “I get people telling me [that Series 8 is] not really happening. It really, definitely, honestly is!”

Jenna-Louise Coleman has confirmed that she will return as Clara in Series 8, but Matt Smith‘s involvement beyond the upcoming 50th anniversary special is uncertain.

Series 7 concludes this weekend with ‘The Name of the Doctor‘ at 7pm on Saturday on BBC One.

Information taken from The Cult Box.

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BAFTA Tribute to Doctor Who

Posted by loonyliterature on 12/05/2013
Posted in: Doctor Who Articles, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

Tonight BAFTA honoured Doctor Who by inserting a tribute into the latest award ceremony. It included a short sketch featuring Matt Smith and Jenna Louise Coleman

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Marvel’s Agents of SHEILD promo pictures

Posted by loonyliterature on 11/05/2013
Posted in: Marvel Movies, Marvel Live Action Movies. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

 

Joss Whedon shows us not all heroes are super with “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Fresh from his role in the summer’s box office smash, Marvel’s The Avengers, Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) returns to the worldwide law enforcement organization S.H.I.E.L.D. He puts together a small, highly trained, team of Agents to tackle the cases that haven’t been classified yet, the new, the strange and the unknown. That team consists of straight arrow Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), an expert in combat and espionage; pilot and martial artist Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen); and brilliant if socially awkward scientists Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). They’ll be joined by civilian new recruit and computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet).

Prepare for an epic adventure that showcases the hope and wonder of the human spirit. This is a world of Super Heroes, aliens and the unusual – of action, spectacle and world spanning stories. The show will speak to the human condition through the lens of our very human, non-powered S.H.I.E.L.D agents – that together we are greater than we are apart, and that we can make a difference in the world.

Executive Produced and co-written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen (“Dollhouse,” “Dr.Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog“), Jeffrey Bell (“Angel,” “Alias”) and Jeph Loeb (“Smallville,” “Lost,” “Heroes”) comes Marvel’s first live-action TV series, “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

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