Needless to say, I've spent hours doing plots for the entire Shaman series and managed to get 57 'Episodes' done up and a lot of new and exciting plot elements and characters introduced.
Now, the only question is what format should they be in ?
Currently, I'm just about to watch the last episode of the second season and am truly sad to see Chris Bauer's magnificent Frank Sobotka go, whose performance has riveted my attention throughout the second season.
Here's one episode from the run into the series finale.
I'm trying to decide whether or not to put it into 'Romantic stories for vampires' in some kind of adapted form.
Episode twelve)
Prelude to a closure II : Two dice walked into a bar
Duration: 1hr long .
Guest-stars :
Summary : A history of all the games playing, games master, games pawn, games rule keepers groups- set at the dawn of time and following their influence all the way up to modern day. Yolanda is on the run from alternate universe versions of W& W in a blaxploitation reality, the UGGE are all burned and only the emergence from a trashy eyeliner street culture of the God of Mischief, Loki hotpants himself can save the reality as we know it. The two female wagg& wag’s are hot on the trail of Yolanda as well and it’s only when Loki delays them with a mass street rally of his gothic followers that Yolanda has a chance to escape into another tv set where she meets an alternate version of herself (very gay pretty girl) who escapes with her to the ‘unseen realms’ of television, where ditched pilots live and concepts for brave new shows never make it past basic scripting. It is there that the Eternity Bailiffs show up and take Yolanda and her alternate counterpart into custody as material witnesses to the trial of Waggoner & Wagner. They are taken to the central court and to the specific court-room where W& W are about to be tried for crimes against fiction.
It is there that they discover the real Waggoner & Wagner who are about to be put on trial for crimes against tv realities and the breaching of fourth wall laws of entertainment. This is a court of multiple realities with several different versions of the boys from diff realities: the girls, the gay detectives, the manga version, the 1940’s guys, the mime version, the musical version, the 19th century detectives, the Disney cartoon versions, the native American duo plus wolf version. All of the W& W’s from various realities have been cut off from other realities they might ‘infect’ and their respective universes put on PAUSE whilst the trial proceeds. The show ends with the Prosecution ( also played by RJ Wagner) attorney listing the charges and reminding the court of the gravity of the charges and that if found guilty, that the principals will be wiped out of existence forever.
The first of the Star Trek movies is a really interesting mixed bag. Coming off of the heels of an aborted new late 1970's tv series, a lot of the designs had been already run up and characters such as Decker and Ilyia put in place to bolster an obviously aging original cast. The heart was definitely in the right place with the basic story and the idea of the crew getting back together to face this ominous threat but the real problems arose in the execution of the idea and the sloppy writing and design work, including uniforms and mixed interior tones.
The movie should have been cut severely, especially the scenes in the second half with the crew finally reaching V'gr.
So here's a chance to redress that balance and give these types of films their due. We all need cheering up every so often. As per usual with these lists, this is a personal set of choices and not something that any of you will agree with 100 per cent but it's always interesting to see how and why we differ on particular choices.
1) 'Imagine me & you' - Hilarious, heart-warming and ultimately ott ending a la Richard Curtis & co. all add up to a thoroughly enjoyable movie that is packed full of wonderful characters and performances.
2) 'Fried Green Tomatoes at the whistle-stop cafe' - So difficult to sum up this amazing movie without waffling on too long. This is a powerful movie concerned principally with the lives of three women and events that unfold in the past and present. You will laugh, you will cry, you will have your faith in humanity restored.
3) ' Volver' - Nothing cheers one up like watching Penelope Cruz...do anything. The movie is a testament to Almodovor's understanding to humanity, principally the strength and warmth of the women in this movie.
4) 'A good year' - Yeah yeah yeah, it's corny, it's a rehash of script-writer Peter Mayle's 'A year in Provence' and it's very slow- but it's Ridley Scott and it's Russell Crowe and it's the gorgeous sun-drenched countryside of Southern France. Just sit back and let yourself enjoy the wonderful old-fashioned story and visuals. A rare treat.
5) 'Once' - Irish busker meets Czech girl who misses her piano. Glorious triumph that skates on the edge of cynicism and spirit-lifting music therapy. An incredible achievement.
6) 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' - a movie that reminds us what true love is and where to find it in today's post-sentimentality society.
7) 'Notting Hill' - It's hard not to just shove all of Curtis & Grant's ouevre in here but instead I'll let this one stand for their particular brand of encapsulated British charm and bitter-sweet romances. NH is notable for a fascinating look at pairings between famous and non-famous people, Rhys Ifan's triumphant break-through and the hauntingly beautiful Elvis Costello cover of Aznavour's 'She'
8) 'Monsters Inc.' - Ahh Pixar. Good Lord, has anything ever looked as good as the movies these CGI Jedi Masters come up with? With this movie they hit the exact blance needed to blend technical wizardry with charming story and wonderful voice talents of Billy Crystal and John Goodman topping off an almost perfect animated experience.
9) 'Crash'- An odd choice on this list, I know, but one of those movies that rewards one paying close attention and also a very nice holistical approach to society and as the end approaches, one's time is well rewarded by some incredible scenes of closure.
10) 'Big' - One of THE ultimate feel-good movies. The only problem including it on here is that pretty much everyone on the face of the planet has seen it already- well, go see it again.
Part of his power is to make his scripts, characters (obviously with the incredible talents of the actors to bring them to life) and settings so natural, real and emotive. The pure love that Pedro has for Penelope Cruz's character (and indeed, the woman herself as both of them discuss in a round-table chat with the cast and director) shines through all the drama and humour of the film itself. The ever wonderful Carmen Maura once again shows herself to be a world-class acting talent as indeed do all the women in the cast.
The amusing and interesting thing is that whilst Pedro has always focused on strong female characters in his films, this movie pretty much just puts men in there as incidental mostly non-speaking characters who propel events or are footnotes to the women's stories, and manages to make this seem natural, so compelling and organic are the female driven narratives.
It's something that I find interesting when writing as well, and whilst I wouldn't equate myself with Pedro Almodovor (give me a few years yet to achieve Spanish Genius level ), I definitely understand the way that he writes the female characters and the underlying impulse to follow stories through from a female perspective and learn a lot writing said characters IF you write them 'truthfully' and allow them to be themselves and be real.
When writing guys, it's much easier to forget about making them as real as possible, from a guy's perspective, but when trying to bring a female character to life, I find myself spending a lot more time on details, background, perspective, attitude and how she thinks, feels, acts, etc.
With every character I write, I'll try to always, like I mentioned, write from truth and not just try to make a point, polemicize or use a person in a story to just express one of my view-points.
Almodovor is fascinating to watch in the round-table chat with the principal cast members and watch his interactions with the others, espeically Penelope Cruz and Carmen Maura who both make some very interesting points and discuss their relationships with Pedro and how that relationship affects and informs the dynamic of the final works.
Go watch it.
Grant, as much as he is excellent at any length story-telling, always excels at the longer game and given the chance to unfold a map of story over a generous number of issues, will show his skills and command of the genre and the art-form as few can.
I just got back from attending the European premiere of said movie with said folks attending. Myself and my friend Natasha got to walk the red carpet amidst the jostling and pushing of tv and radio types with their cameras and ebows.
All of us attending got a goodie bag of bits and pieces which was nice as was getting the little speech from two media women, siobhan someone and Lorraine Keane from tv3 who intro'd the director, producer, director and two stars.
The director and producer both made their little speeches about drinking guinness and Rob Schneider made a similar few lines, adding in 'You can do it' to great laughs and then doing this demented little dance around.
Adam Sandler spoke about getting to Ireland before his 'Irish' friends back home and apologised for the haircut he has in the movie.
Then we watched the movie itself which was fun, ridiculous in places but with a few very funny gags.
So a well worth trek out in the rain and a well chosen shirt and jeans ensemble for such an occasion.
In the case of Karadzic it's a particualarly shabby state of affairs as his country-men have obviously known where he's been all this time, judging by the relative ease with which they produce him, rabbit out of hat fashion, as soon as the EC Entrance board puts the squeeze on getting this dodgy git as a precursor to any furthering their wanting to join the land of cheese and Bratwurst.
Nuremberg was a farce that launched our brave new post-war world- made absolutely laughable by the notion of one side of a conflict judging the others just because they happened to win. Churchill and Truman could just as easily have been tried as 'monsters' who committed horrible crimes against humanity in Dresden and Hirsohima/Nagasaki and then be executed to send a message as the Nazis were.
From that farce came many other little 'we won so we write history' demonstrations as opposed to actual genuine war-crimes trialls. And you know why?
Yes, you guessed it. Because if there were any proper neutral authority deigned to try anyone, and remember that key word 'anyone' found sufficiently suspicious of having committed war-crimes, then ANY nation engaged in warfare would be in trouble and EVERY nation engaged in warfare would be liable to prosecution and punishment thereafter if found guilty. That would be real justice, that regardless of victory or 'loss' within the theatre of war, you would have to play by the rules and not just suddenly adopt a moral higher ground just because you can.
Does Karadzic deserve to be tried for crimes? Doubtless. But so do G W Bush, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Dick Cheney, the Taliban, Al Quaeda and many others at play in numerous conflicts raging across the world today. And in the case of Karadzic, surely those who conveniently just pulled him out of some 'mysteriously unknown' (please note sarcasm) location when it suited them should also be tried for suspected aiding and abetting his fugitive from justice status.
War- phony trials, moral posturing and fattening the pockets of already rich lawyers and judges, that's what it's good for.
The first was 'Prosperity', an incredible drama series that just started, Set in Tallaght and the city centre, it's one of the most realistic and honest drama series I've seen for a long while. The writer and the actors are all so spot on it's like watching a documentary without the annoying narration. The honesty and the power of this episode just blew away so much tv and cinema.
If you didn't see it, then you need to- and look out for next week's episode same time, same channel.
The there's this amazing European movie that is currently ending as I type this, called 'The Accused' concerning a man who is accused by his daughter of having sex with her at ages eleven and twelve. The movie avoids the usual hollywood over-simplifications and nonsensical superficialities and instead strips the issue right to the core and shows us a family torn apart by accusations and the entire process from start to horrifying finish.
1) Davros. Julian Bleach's masterfully creepy Dalek numero uno would be perfect as a new approach to the show- combining elements of love/hate will he/won't he (stab the doctor to death, at any given opportunity) and the classic 'The Odd Couple' dynamic. Make up some shit plot about Davros having to help the doc or him being on the run or being fitted with a limiter so he can't kill or some nonsense and he has to take refuge with his most hated enemy- THE DOCTOR ( or the oncoming storm, if he's feeling formal). Like Hitler in a kibbutz, this would offer the chance to show Dav as a real person and a rounded human being. Give him some kooky habits like playing jazz at four am in the TARDIS, driving the Doctor BATTY and wearing a smoking jacket. I guarantee high ratings.
2) A Drag Queen. I'm telling you, it's the way to go. 'Best of both worlds' as the sleazy porno tags say- a drag queen would be perfect for the new companion. Looks fab, great for one-liners and good with the heavy lifting. Plus, bloody confusing to aliens. Daleks would be like 'Exter....hang on...why is the female covered in glitter and foam?'
3) Tom Baker. He can even just be himself. I don't care and either will you. Any opportunity to have Lord Tom of Baker back would be worth it. He could just sit there and make snide comments about hair gel and tiny skinny guys whilst eating chips. It would so work. You know it makes sense.
4) Mel. Ah, Bonnie, we remember you fondly from the days of the BBC bravely struggling to get to grips with the new cheap CGI effects in the late 80's and failing miserably except in the marvellous Seventh doc opening sequence which had the TARDIS materialising in a giant pink bubble..uhmmmm. But here's the thing, we could bring back Mel but as a traumatized tough woman who smokes cigars and spits on the TARDIS floor whilst making comments about how she had to shoot three babies in the head or something whilst fighting a war on another planet.
5) A skanger from Finglas. Just think about it. God, the possibilities. Some teenage girl from the Dublin council estates, badly dyed hair, mobile phone permenantly attached to her hand playing shit speeded up techno and a pink track-suit with hoody top. It would be like Rose but two million times more knackery. She would ask 'Wha's tha' ?' about everything, driving the Doc to distraction but she would also be pretty under her cynical veneer and after a few ciders, she'd be off behind the TARDIS shagging Ice-men while the doc looks embarrased. PLus, the sweet strains of 'Aslan' coming out of the console room would be worth the price of admission alone.
Generally, the more liberal panel members will be up front and express their beliefs and argue their side, but the characters put on there for the sake of balance (which is fair enough) all try to disguise just how insidious their actual views are, as though the real uncloaked personas would be just too much for any rational people to swallow.
So it was with slimy David Quinn, well known Catholic propaganda writer and religious and social conservative on tonight's show, spouting the usual muted claptrap with regards to the same-sex adoption, marriage and overall agenda driven homosexual politics.
His constant recurring line tonight was 'the right to a child to have a mother and a father' which sounds great on the surface of it and got the man on the street nodding his head in agreement. Oh yes, sure that's got to be right; sure isn't that how things were meant to be? Ah, the gays and their constant demands. Shakes 'liberal' fist. Listen here, mr and ms gay, you got your civil partnerships so what more could you POSSIBLY want? Now feck off and be happy for the scraps we've thrown you off the 'normal' dinner table.
The truth is, that like the American conservative groups and their arguments towards a normative that would be damaged by granting 'non-normative' groups equal rights, respect and basic human needs and wants. their argument of 'the right to a mother and a father' is nothing more than phraseology. It actually doesn't make any real sense.
What is the right to have a mother and a father? Why should a child have such a right? And how does it relate to reality?
Presumably, the proponents of this 'right' mean it as relating to an ideal family situation, i.e. one with a father and a mother there to help the child develop and grow. But how is that a right or even desirable? If it's more desirable to have a father and a mother, does that mean that any father and mother are the ideal, even if they're less than perfect? That's certainly what the 'family values' mob would seem to be presenting as their so-called 'right' . No matter what type of people these parents are, they're still the proper or 'desirable' or even 'right' ones to be with the child?
The conservatives would have us believe that ANY heterosexual arrangement involving a father and mother is preferable to any non-hetero couple. So any father and mother is a better situation for a child than a single parent, no matter how loving he or she is or a gay couple, no matter how caring and thoughtful and dedicated they are. Because a child has the right to a father and a mother.
Bullshit.
A child has the right to the best possible start in life it can get. A child has the right to a loving, dedicated home. A child has the right to be protected, cared for, helped and raised to the best of the parent or guardian's ability. A child has the right to not be used as a tool in a pathetic fight against the erosion of prejudice.
These people who spout nonsense like a child's rights are not giving two shits about the child. All they're doing are what their pals in the fight against gay marriages in the US are doing. They're fighting against the legitimisation of non-traditional lifestyles because they can't handle not being able to look down on another group. They have been able to live off their self-righteous attitude that they are right and everyone else is wrong for so long that they think it's their God given inheritance.
And now all the barriers are crumbling away, the old fences of fear and ignorance slowly being eroded and they're running scared because all their old beliefs and foundations are wearing thin and now they have nothing left to hold over the 'others' in society. Gays can't marry because it would make a mockery of marriage. Gays can't have children because it would be 'wrong'. Single parents can't raise children because...well, because they can't, damnit! A woman can't do a man's job. Nor can she raise a child by herself. She just...can't,
The simple truth is that gay people are people and thus should be accorded the same respect, dignity and basic human rights as anyone else. Whether it's marriage or the rights to raise children as part of a family, it's their basic rights as human beings. That means the same rights and responsibilities as anyone else when it comes to children. You fuck up, you lose the child. Hetero, homo, single, couple.
The constant cloaking of the issue in ridiculous catch-phrases such as the 'right' quoted up above is tiresome and old.
We know what children need. It's the same thing that everyone else needs, which is the right to not be treated like a second class citizen and to be afforded the same respect, basic human rights and ability to live in a civilised equal society where we judge people by their actions and not their orientation.
So, best opening lines from movies:
1) 'I believe in America...' - The Godfather. Absolute blistering opening that sucks the viewer in. When I first saw this movie at age 14, it possessed me and held my attention like so few movies had or have since.
2) 'Is this the end? No, it's just the beginning' - Grease. As opening lines go, it's clever, tongue in cheek and sets the tone perfectly for the surprisingly adult version of the 1970's musical celebrating 1950's culture.
3) 'This never happened to the other fella' - ' On her Majesty's Secret Service' . The much under-rated George Lazenby smirks self-deprecatingly at the camera after a fantastic opening fight on the beach, setting the tone for his all too brief outing as James Bond.
4) 'You have to come back with me- back to the FUTURE !' - BTTF2. Ah, Christopher Lloyd, was there ever a better wacky movie scientist than Doc Brown? Pre-credits sequences got a new champ with this one.
5) 'Or, I could just be some thief here to rob the register...but that's the thing, you just never know' - Intermission. Colin Farrell displays an admirably nasty streak in the shocking opening to class Irish film chock full of fantastic writing and memorable lines.
Whether it was Russell, Nick Briggs or whoever came up with it, the Daleks in Germany was a stroke of sheer genius. I can't recall, and bear in mind, I've been watching the show since 1977 and have been a writer, reviewer and contributor to various magazines, websites and groups connected with the show for some 15 years, if we've ever heard the Daleks speak another language in any of their adventures. Whether it was brand new or not, it was fantasic and made me almost fall out of my chair laughing as the Daleks flew through the forests of Germany barking instructions and warning in German! My favourite moment had to be the 'Exterminagen!' which I thought was quite charming of the Daleks.
Also, Julian Bleach and Nick Briggs really made Davros come more alive than ever before, shot through with extra creepiness and wonderful villainous glee. His depressed eyes with the deep tissue scarring, his rotten metal covered razor sharp teeth, his tapping metallic claw and that evil open mouthed grin all combined to give us the best evil character since John Simm's uncomparable Master.
Davros's recognition of Sarah Jane was also a nice touch, and anything that gives Lis Sladen extra lines is always a good thing. As attractive as ever, her experience and older, wiser persona is perfect and welcome back to Who anytime she can do it. All the companions were on fine form with John Barrowman in usual scene-stealing form. Penny Wilton's (premature) death in 'The Stolen Earth' lost us a wonderful female character and really reminded us all of how under-written so many female characters on tv are and just how good some older female actors really are.
As for the David Tennant Double-act, I'm sure it thrilled many of his fan's hearts but for me, it was somewhat tacky and probably one gimmick too far. The genocide issue was interesting and nice to know Russell still refers back to classic Who every so often with the 'Genesis of the Daleks' footnote but it still just came across as a somewhat daft way of having Rose get her Doctor (sort of) and especially with the way Noel Clarke strolled off, the whole plot strand was a bit too forced and iffy for me.
As for DT himself, he did his usual bang-up job with some nice emotional scenes and shouty bits. Having said that, I do think it's time for him to move on to something else. I honestly don't think he has much else to contribute to the show or the character. The excuse for him deliberately staying the same in the regeneration scene was to my mind silly and arrogant ( Russell saying his boy is the best...sigh). Whilst good, DT is by no means the best Doctor ever. Chris Eccleston was a fantastic doctor and brought a lot of energy, passion, anger, intelligence and wonder to the role and to anyone who says DT is the best actor to play the role, I urge them to look at adventures from all of the previous actors, including Paul McGanns tragically cut short reign.
First, like I mentioned in an earlier post, I was mega-pissed with Russell T Davies for farting around with the regeneration schtick. This concept has been central to the show's success and longevity and never before in the history of the series, classic or new, has anyone 'faked' it like RTD just did in the finale two parter just shown. And I think it was a massive cop-out, unnecessary and bloody annoying to any of us long-time fans. You either use it to regenerate the Doctor or you leave it alone; to whip it out like a party trick does nothing but cheapen it and lessen the excitement and impact.
Okay, with that out of the way, I enjoyed the hell out of the episode (and indeed, the first part as well) even though, or perhaps because of, the fact that it had the best and the worst of Russell T Davies' work on Dr.Who since he relaunched it and put his own particular brand of writing and style on the post-classic episodes. Myself and my good friend Lian have differing takes on some of the new Who (which is healthy as we agree on a lot of other stuff and two people thinking like her or I is a kinda scary thought) but I was definitely nodding in agreement watching these last two and thinking of her criticisms of Russell's habit of deifying the Doctor (or rather, his Doctor David Tennant) and his penchant for huge and slightly lazy Deus Ex Machina type endings.
RTD with 'The Stolen Earth' and 'Journey's End' set himself an admirably difficult and tricky task, to wit, deciding to throw everything he had achieved over the last four years into the pot with a cast stuffed full of companiony goodness (even adding in a quick CGI clip of K-9) , the (re) return of the ultimate Dr.Who villain with the Daleks, a brilliantly creepy updating of Davros and the 'death' (hem, hem, cheeky) . So all of this plus Russell's farewell to his 'family' of Rose Tyler and co. and typically, at least two teary scenes (the button pushing bastard) .
Having put all of that in the pot and setting it to simmer all season, did it work?
Yes and no. Yes, it worked in terms of sheer enjoyment and I applaud the BBC for supporting the show and helping it to achieve and maintain it's current level of success with the general tv viewing public. I thoroughly enjoyed the two episodes, with my annoyance at the gimmicky usage of regeneration aside, and there was no doubt that it was very exciting and suspense filled with Russell's trademark humour thrown in and lightening the overall dark tones very well. The usage of a slate of companions, including Torchwood, Sarah-Jane Smith and Rose, Donna, Martha, Mickey, Jackie could have easily led to 'Buffet' Syndrome with a whole lot of nothing and not much of anything, but Russell managed to make it work well overall, giving everyone something to Ddo and the ensemble scenes were great to watch, with everyone having a good time.
For me, once again, Bernard Cribbons was a stand-out and obviously I'm not the only fan of the coolest man on television as Bernie got some fantastic dialogue and wonderfully heartfelt scenes at the end of the episode. The rooting of the show in the humanity of the companions and their immediate families has always been Russell's strength since he re-launched the show and this really shone through in this story. The return of Rose & co. and the closure offered by the story's events and ending worked as it allowed us to come full circle with the characters and move on to what the future of Dr.Who has to offer us.
Where the show didn't work for me was the ridiculous plot. Yes, it was entertaining; yes, it was thrilling and yes, it was fun. But. It was very sloppy and very broad in it's scope of us having to suspend disbelief. The Earth being stolen is one thing. The Earth being moved along with 26 other planets is another thing. Davros rebuilding the entire Dalek race out of his own DNA is something else. The Supreme Dalek still being in charge despite Davros building the Daleks back up to strength yet another story.
Add to this, the regenerative nonsense involving the hand of the Doctor (hanging around since 'The Christmas Invasion' like a bloody plot device waiting to happen) , the Donna-Doctor mish-mash, the ability of Donna to control all the Daleks except for the Supreme Dalek, the Daleks ability to suddenly strip the TARDIS of all defences and then the really really dodgy Deus Ex device with the Torchwood last stand and you realize just how hit and miss RTD has been playing with the plotting and writing. Yes, the overall effect is one of a great thrill ride and it rounds off a generally excellent season with an exciting, enjoyable and emotional ending, but is it really too much to ask for to have the plot-holes filled in a bit better and a slightly less nonsensical scene than having the TARDIS drag the Earth back home whilst swelling music warms our hearts and makes us all go 'Aww, bless' like the earthlings rejoicing that their planet is back in place (eh? ).
Yes, I'm being a big fan here and nit-picking, analysing (emphasis on 'anal' this time around, I know) and moaning. It was a really fun and exciting show, and one that I will definitely be watching a few more times. To Russell, I will say, if we didn't love what you've done with the show overall since you re-started it, we wouldn't be taking the time to examine it and critique it. I thank you, from the bottom of my long-time fan's heart for restoring the show to it's proper pre-eminent place as a pinnacle of modern British culture and hope you have enjoyed creating and working on the series as much as we have gotten so much joy from watching it (except for 'Midnight' which was just godawful shit and should be forgotten).
Looking forward to where we all go from here with the show.
I'm also thinking about putting out a collection of pieces from my livejournal over the last four years and from a few other places- taking various pieces and tying them together thematically.
It's always a bit odd doing this- as with the journal in the first place, it's something you approach with the assumption that at least a few other people beyond immediate family and friends will be interested in what you have to say. An arrogant assumption. But then again, arrogance is necessary as there will always be critics. I think that if someone is terrible at something they're doing in public, that it will always become quite obvious but if one has the talent, then ditto, it will shine through and pick up support. No matter how good someone is, there will always be naysayers, because not everyone is interested in the quality of the work on a neutral basis but many commentators, critics, onlookers will have their own reasons for attacking or wanting to see someone or something criticized.
But having said all that, anyone got any comments on my proposal for a new book? Especially those of you who have been with me on here for the long haul?
The one that really stands out in my mind is 'The Godfather' with the funeral director, Amerigo Bonasera who has come to see Don Corleone on his daughter's wedding day and his impassioned speech in broken English sums up the principal theme of the two movies (what do you mean it was a trilogy? Blasphemy!) when he says :
'I believe in America...'
Gary Busey or maybe commenting on how cute Rachel Bilson is in 'Jumpers' every four seconds.
After a consistently excellent season (with the glaring exception of the turd at the buffet table 'Midnight') Russell T really started the ambitious, crowded, noisy and fantastically pure Who three part finale starring everyone and then a few others. Companions galore make this episode, the penultimate and the second of the three, probably the height of suspense and thrilling climax malarky.
As a long time fan, viewer, writer and reviewer of Who related material, I had my own various 'dream' epsiodes of course with various ingredients and this definitely included lots of them. For me, one of the most effective touches was the updating of a classic foe with the return of everyone's favourite wrinkled rubber muppet master of mayhem and mechanical menace, Davros.
With his costume subtly updated and the makeup and facial features altered to be much more realistic looking and sinister gothic in a shocking way with his ruined eye-sockets and rows of rotten sharp teeth, Julian Bleach's Davros is a far cry from Terry 'Oops, my mask is about to fall off' Molloy's classic 1970's and 1980's dog and pony show. The withered yoda paws are also gone, replaced with deadly updated steel claws. Gone too is the over-done pantomime villain screeching and instead we have a beautifully underplayed enemy worthy of the Doctor and containing so much Who history that it's reminiscent of last year's wonderful Derek Jacobi and John Simm moments.
In such a crowded, complex finale, there's always a danger of over-egging the pie, but Russell seems to be on his full game here and even finds time for some well deserved humourous moments as well as managing to fit everyone in without making the atmosophere too artificial or over-done. Bernard Cribbons is his usual excellent self and all the guests strut their respective stuff with the superb Penny Wilton making a nice closure filled come-back.
The real shocked of course is the ending which I won't go into as it will spoil it for you, but I am still wondering if they're serious or if there's some all new unspoiled secet anyway> **
You're probably getting tired of these updates by now so I'll make it brief for those of you with full inboxes. My first book has gone live on Amazon.com and is now available to order at
http://www.amazon.com/Notions-collectio
For those of you who got the earlier emails about the e-store, it's still available there as well. Feel free to pass this on to anyone you think may be interested as us first time authors don't have much buzz around our books so it would be nice to reach as many people as poss.
It is a collection of short stories with something for everyone in there - so thanks in advance to anyone who buys a copy.
Rgds,
Colin
Profile
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
thecolin1- thecolin1
- thecolin1 central organization