Posted on July 14, 2009 by Darren
… I’m a Joker, I’m a Smoker, I’m a Midnight Toker
What is it about the Joker that makes him such a great villain. He’s appeared in just about every media form where Batman has appeared since Batman #1 way back in 1940. He is one of only two villains to appear in both of the more recent Batman film franchises and he seems to be the only character in the history of the Batman family who has survived every era of the character unblemished. Be it the light comic relief of the Dick Sprang era reflected in the Adam West show (where Ceasar Romero is clearly wearing a mustache under his makeup), the darker sense of humour of the animated Joker voiced by Mark Hamill in The Animated Series through to the anarchist/nihilist terrorist portrayed by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight – none of these incarnations are any less in character than any of the others. What is it about the Joker that makes him one of the great villains of our time?
The world's leading cause of coulrophobia...
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Filed under: Movies, Opinion, Television | Tagged: batman, Christopher Nolan, Comics, grant morrison, heath ledger, jack nicholson, joker, The Dark Knight | 5 Comments »
Posted on July 11, 2009 by Darren
That was… intense, in a word.
I really didn’t come to the miniseries expecting too much. The first two seasons of Torchwood had been entertaining – for the most part – but nothing special, and seemingly lacking the va va voom of its older sister series. The promise of a more mature and considered Doctor Who was more-or-less unfulfilled – unless you consider nudity and sex jokes to be mature. Then Children of Earth aired.
Frobisher initially thought the alien ambassador was full of hot-air...
Note: This review contains spoilers. Really. Lots and lots of spoilers. If you want a recommendation: go watch it. It’s the best sci-fi you’ll see on TV this year. Then come back and talk about it.
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Filed under: Television | Tagged: 456, aliens, bbc, captain jack, children of earth, doctor who, drama, john barrowman, miniseries, peter capaldi, review, russell t. davies, science fiction, Television, torchwood, torchwood: children of earth, whoniverse | 3 Comments »
Posted on July 10, 2009 by Darren
I’m so used to watching American television and movies that I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like not to know what happens next. The era of the internet means that anything that has aired anywhere is up for discussion anywhere. Sure, you’ll have the odd spoiler notice, but most American web sites take that down once the episode has aired. If you want to participate in the discussion about the shows, you have to jump into the pool of information already circulating out there. So, when Torchwood did the unthinkable during its five-episode run this week (I won’t elaborate here, for any readers in countries still to receive the show), I was shocked.
I promise I won't reveal whose body this is...
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Filed under: Television | Tagged: american, american television, bbc, britain, children of the earth, internet, Ireland, irish television, spoil, spoilers, Television, torchwood | Leave a comment »
Posted on July 9, 2009 by Darren
I have to admit, my family’s hooked to Torchwood: Children of the Earth playing on the BBC at the moment. For those unfamiliar with the concept and execution, it’s a five-part epic that is playing at 9pm every night this week. It’s the type of television event that shows why the BBC might just be the best broadcasters in the world – the show is perfect for the format. The tension is elevated by the fact we know the run will end on Friday, the budget is clearly there for all the spectacle and all the talent involved is top notch. It’s the kind of thing that I wish that RTE might pick up on, even once. The really beautiful thing about this run is that manages to demonstrate that not only are the Beeb doing something very well, but they’ve been doing it well all along. From what we’ve seen so far, Children of the Earth can hold its head high with all the other great science fiction events the channel has pulled off over the years.
Back in black...
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Filed under: Television | Tagged: a for andromeda, bbc, children of earth, children of the earth, david tennant, doctor who, miniseries, quatermass, rte, sci-fi, science fiction, survivors, Television, torchwood, torchwood: children of earth, torchwood: children of the earth, whoniverse | Leave a comment »
Posted on July 6, 2009 by Darren
I have to confess I was not overly impressed with Public Enemies. In fairness, it was mostly down to the choices Mann made in filming the work – the high definition cameras and the insistence on shakey hand held movement. You might argue that it was a choice designed to place us in the real world of the Great Depression – to put us on the streets with Dillinger and immerse us in his world rather than the sanitised grandiose version of the 1930’s that typically finds its way on to our screens. This ignores one fundamental fact about Mann’s film making: it is no less grandiose or fantastic than those myths of times past. Mann is a film maker who works best exploring the dynamics of a masculine ideal that never existed. His male characters are drawn in the mold of a classic image that never actually existed.
I'll bet Pacino ordered the Large Ham. Overdone. VERY LOUDLY!
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Filed under: Movies, Television | Tagged: action movies, ali, collateral, director, film, guns, heat, john dillinger, male, masculine, masculinity, men, michael mann, modern man, Movies, public enemies, themes, violence | Leave a comment »
Posted on July 6, 2009 by Darren
The War Games, the final Doctor Who serial featuring Patrick Troughton, materialises on DVD today. I haven’t seen it (I’ll probably pick it up from HMV today if the price is right), but reviews seem to state it’s one of the show’s few ten-parters that doesn’t feel padded… well as padded. Anyway, I’m a big fan of Troughton’s Doctor (whose one-adjective-summation would be “loveable” – in the same way that Tom Baker’s would be “dramatic” or Eccleston’s would be “human” or Hartnell’s would be “bratty” and so on), but we’re nearing the end of Troughton serials available for release. Which is a damned shame. Is animation the next step forward?
The "Reanimated" Cybermen...
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Filed under: Television | Tagged: animated dotor who, animation, bbc, black and white, british television, classic, cosgrove hall, david tennant, doctor who, dvds, patrick troughton, second doctor, serials, Television, the invasion, the war games, troughton | Leave a comment »
Posted on June 26, 2009 by Darren
The trailer for The Box hit the internet yesterday and I’m… not really impressed. From what looks like an attempt to turn a moral quandary (would you take an action that would kill a stranger for a huge sum of money?) into a brainless action movie to the use of the Saw theme (“Hello Zepp”) as an overture at the end of the movie, it’s striking all the wrong notes. On the other hand, I’m quite taken with what looks to be a sixties-style design, so who knows? Director Richard Kelly can be really good (Donnie Darko) or really terrible (Southland Tales). Pending reviews, this is probably one to rent. Since the fad of remaking has spread to remaking episodes of old television shows, I’m wondering if there are any other anthology episodes that warrant a remake?
"So, if I push the button, I get $1 million... and an Oscar nomination?"
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Filed under: Movies, Television | Tagged: and when the sky opened, anthology shows, Movies, night call, nightmare at 20000 feet, nothing in the dark, outer limits, richard kelly, richard matheson, Television, the box, the monsters are due on maple street, twilight zone | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 24, 2009 by Darren
I’m kinda excited about The Time Traveler’s Wife. Soppy romantic movies generally don’t reel me in particularly well, but there’s something… romantic about a couple where one of two is shifting back and forth in time (what made Lost‘s The Constant possibly the sweetest hour of television last year). Lest sci-fi-phobes be worried by the notion of a time traveling romance (and why should they – what is the problem people have with science fiction as a genre?), the time traveler in question suffers from a genetic disorder which causes his brain to leap backwards and forwards in time. Because apparently if it doesn’t involve futuristic technology, it isn’t science fiction. Anyway, the story (adapted from a book) reminds me of a similar concept executed on the BBC a few years back.
Clare Abshire wonders how it's possible for her husband to be late...
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Filed under: Movies, Television | Tagged: doctor who, film, madame du pompadour, stephen moffat, The Girl in The Fireplace, The Time Traveler's Wife | Leave a comment »
Posted on June 17, 2009 by Darren
We have the news story of the week (if not the month) right here, at least for ourselves, anyway. That loveable Kyle “I’ve seen him in something before but don’t know what” MacLachlan has suggested resurrecting Twin Peaks in the form of “webisodes” and exclusive on-line content. I’m really of two minds about the idea. Part of me thinks that this boldly innovative show is the right choice to lead the charge into web-exclusive content for classic television. The other part of me thinks that Twin Peaks is so 1992 and that it should be allowed rest in peace.
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Filed under: Television | Tagged: david lynch, kyle maclachlan, Television, twin peaks, web television, webisodes | 3 Comments »
Posted on June 10, 2009 by Darren
Wow, things are really heating up, remake-wise. In the past week we’ve had confirmation that Robert Rodriguez will be doing The Jetsons and that Liam Neeson will be Hannibal in the A-Team remake. Couple that with the upcoming remake of V that will soon be hitting our screens (giving Elizabeth Mitchell a welcome home after the Lost finale), and it got us thinking: are there any television shows that actually warrant a remake?
I hate it when the neighbours come looking for sugar...
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Filed under: Television | Tagged: a-team, elizabeth mitchell, land of the lost, liam neeson, miami vice, Movies, reboot, remake, starsky and hutch, television shows, the jetsons, the wire, v | 2 Comments »
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