Television | the m0vie blog

Doctor Who: The Rebel Flesh (Review)

Posted on May 21, 2011 by Darren

I love Matthew Graham. After all, the writer who gave us Life on Mars is surely something of a British national treasure. however, his track record on Doctor Who seems just a little bit spottier, with his previous contribution being the somewhat… poorly received Fear Her way back at the end of the second season. So, perhaps giving Graham a two-parter, especially the two-parter directly before the cliffhanger before the break in the season might have seemed like a bit of a gambit. Fortunately, The Rebel Flesh is a much stronger entry than Fear Her, even if it’s not quite as spectacular as last week’s episode.

Flesh and bone?

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: bbc, cloning, doctor, doctor who, horror, Hungry Earth, life on mars, List of Doctor Who serials, matthew graham, neil gaiman, review, rory williams, sci-fi, tardis, Television, the rebel flesh | 14 Comments »

Doctor Who: The Doctor’s Wife (Review)

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Darren

“Are all people like this?”

“Like what?”

“So much bigger on the inside.”

– TARDIS and the Doctor

That was awesome. Neil Gaiman’s Doctor Who episode, The Doctor’s Wife, was perhaps the strongest stand-alone episode the series has had in quite some time – packed to the brim with wonderful and cheeky and clever concepts, executed in wonderful style. It had just about everything, from small fanboy-ish references (“the old control room”) through to clever explorations of the ideas the show takes for granted, managing to fit perfectly with what had come before and suggest some new takes on classic concepts at the same time.

The Smith-en young couple...

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: arts, Billie Piper, doctor, doctor who, Doctor's Wife, Douglas Adams, Fray, Gaiman Chubut, matt smith, neil gaiman, rory williams, Stephen Fry, steven moffat, tardis, Television, television review, the doctor's wife | 13 Comments »

Doctor Who: The Curse of the Black Spot (Review)

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Darren

Arriving just in time for the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie (On Stranger Tides), Doctor Who has decided to go all pirate on us – even adopting the episode title The Curse of the Black Spot, to mirror The Curse of the Black Pearl. What we get feels genuinely like “Old School” Doctor Who, with the action confined to a very tight remote location, some corny (but effective) special effects and advanced technology masquerading as superstition. I suppose it was inevitable that a “monster of the week” episode would feel like a bit of a letdown after the superb Day of the Moon, but – while fun – The Curse of the Black Spot never really feels essential.

Not quite a wash-out...

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: bbc, doctor, doctor who, Fenella Woolgar, Hugh Bonneville, matt smith, Neil Morrissey, Old School, pirates, pirates of the caribbean, review, steven moffat, tardis, Television, television review, the curse of the black spot | 7 Comments »

Doctor Who: Day of the Moon (Review)

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Darren

“No, it’s not Apollo 11. That would be silly. It’s Neil Armstrong’s foot.”

– The Doctor discusses his secret weapon

Well, that was fun. Reportedly, Steven Moffat stated that he wanted the season-opening two-parter to feel like a big season finale, with epic scale, huge stakes and genuine consequences, and – to be frank – I think he accomplished it. Perhaps Day of the Moon leaves just a little bit too much hanging for my own personal taste, but it’s still an exciting and fun conclusion to this story arc.

Spaced out...

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: amy pond, day of the moon, doctor, doctor who, matt smith, Neil Armstrong, Oval Office, richard nixon, River Song, steven moffat, tardis, Television, television review, United States | 21 Comments »

RTE’s Storyland Competition: The Last Security Man

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Darren

Just a quick one. RTE has continued their Storyland competition this year, as part of an attempt to find new young talent. The Hardy Bucks won the competition last year, and they seem to be quite popular (talking to people I know). The competition has entered its semi-final stages this year, and one of the shows still in is The Last Security Man – sort of like a crazy combination of Observe and Report and Mall Cop with a decidedly Irish twist. You can check out one of the shorts below, or read up on them here, or check out their Storyland page here. There’s a new episode out today.

Filed under: Television | Tagged: competition, Gay Byrne, Hardy Bucks, Joe Duffy, Late Late Show, Presenter, Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the last security man, United States, web series, webisode | Leave a comment »

Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut (Review)

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Darren

To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the longest-running science-fiction show in the world, I’ll be taking weekly looks at some of my own personal favourite stories and arcs, from the old and new series, with a view to encapsulating the sublime, the clever and the fiendishly odd of the BBC’s Doctor Who.

The Impossible Astronaut originally aired in 2011.

Rory, would you mind going with her?

Yeah, a bit.

Then I appreciate it all the more.

– The Doctor and Rory

While Steven Moffat’s first season as showrunner followed the same basic format as the seasons run by Russell T. Davies, his second up-ends that. Viewers had become so conditioned to that structure that The Impossible Astronaut proves quite a shock. Far from an accessible and enjoyable romp in the style of Rose or New Earth or Smith & Jones or Partners in Crime or The Eleventh Hour, The Impossible Astronaut jumps right into the middle of things.

Taking advantage of the fact that this is the first time since New Earth (and only the second time in the revival) that a season premiere hasn’t been burdened with the weight of introducing a new Doctor or companion, Moffat is able to really mess up the structure of the season. Indeed, you might go so far as to suggest that he’s reversed it. Moffat’s second season ends with a one-part adventure that introduces us to a new era and new mission statement, but opens with a bombastic two-part climax.

It’s certainly ambitious.

Cowboys and aliens…

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: Davies, doctor, doctor who, DoctorWho, Impossible Astronaut, Mark Sheppard, Moffat, review, River Song, rory williams, russell t. davies, star trek, stephen moffat, steven moffat, Television, the impossible astronaut, United States, waters of mars | 15 Comments »

Boardwalk Empire: Season I

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Darren

Well, I quite enjoyed that.

Better Nuck on wood the show stays this good...

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: Arnold Rothstein, Boardwalk Empire, hbo, martin scorsese, Michael K. Williams, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, sopranos, Television program, Tony Soprano | Leave a comment »

Holding Out For an Anti-Hero: The Rise of the Morally Ambiguous Protagonist…

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Darren

Sure, comedies have a long history of featuring genuinely unlikable characters as leads, but I think the last number of years have seen an explosion in the number of morally ambiguous (and sometimes downright villainous) protagonists, both on the big and small screens. Of course, the entire film noir movement was based upon the idea of a compromised hero, in recent times we’ve found ourselves increasingly cheering for the bad guy.

A serial charmer...

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: arts, Boardwalk Empire, Charles Bronson, Deadwood, hbo, jack bauer, Magnum P.I, miami vice, Movies, Shield, Showtime, the sopranos, villain | 4 Comments »

It’s a Wonder They Stay On: Thoughts on Wonder Woman’s Wardrobe…

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Darren

Well, the first pictures of David E. Kelley’s upcoming Wonder Woman adaptation have hit the web. Lynda Carter loves it and everyone else seems to hate it. Me, I really couldn’t care too much about the costume – I’m just worried about the very idea of a Wonder Woman television show from the creator of Ally McBeal. That’s not a putdown – well, it kinda is – but it’s a more fundamental problem than the outfit she wears (which will likely get retooled repeatedly over the course of the show – assuming the show has a course). Anyway, the outfit gives me an opportunity to wonder about Wonder Woman’s outfit. Is there something wrong with her traditional Lynda Carter look, and is this update an improvement?

Is it any wonder?

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Filed under: Comics, Television | Tagged: Adrianne Palicki, Ally McBeal, bryan singer, david e. kelley, feminism, Joe Shuster, Lasso of Truth, Lynda Carter, sexism, superhero, Television, William Moulton Marston, wonder woman | 3 Comments »

Supermarionation: Memories of the Gerry Anderson Shows…

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Darren

Pert of me wonders if I’m writing of an experience unique to those who grew up in the British Isles. I’m not sure if the fad ever really caught in the United States during the sixties when the shows were originally produced or if they enjoy the same sort of nostalgia that they do over here. Of course, the production and success of Team America: World Police would suggest that American audiences are familiar with work of Gerry Anderson, but I somehow doubt that the shows he produced (most notably Thunderbirds, Stingray and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterions) made as strong an impact to kids who weren’t exposed to them every morning before school.