Come With Me, If You Want To Live

This Week's Comics...

2011-10-02T07:21:00.001-07:00

Justice League Dark #1

I have to say I'm not a big "magic" fan (odd, I know, for a former Wiccan). I'm more your science fiction/super powers sort of a comic book fan. But this was a well-done comic focussing on the weakness of the Justice League with regards to sorcery and establishing a justifiable reason for another Justice League branded team to exist. Plus the characters all stood out as interesting. I'll be sticking with this one.

The Flash #1

Well paced, well written and well drawn. It was my first ever experience of the Flash and whilst I liked it and will pick up #2, I'm not sure I'm fulling in love with the character... except for his looks. ;) I don't know if this will be a keeper.

Superman #1

I loved Action Comics #1 and Superboy #1 and liked Supergirl #1. But this final edition to the New 52 superbooks was dire. It read and felt like a 1980s comic, devoid of anything of interest beyond the new dynamic in Clark and Lois' relationship (or lack thereof!). By the numbers. I'll stick with it only because I got in the New 52 with the idea I'd do it for the superbooks. But still disappointed.

Green Lanterns: New Guardians #1

Yuck. There's a concept here that might work but nothing actually happened in this issue. Boring. But not bad like Catwoman or Legion Lost, so I'll pick it up again in the hopes something might happen next time.

Teen Titans #1

I liked this book, which set up a plot, began to introduce characters and slowly built-up things and was thus the total opposite of Green Lanterns: New Guardians. Plus Red Robin is cute. I liked this one.

Aquaman #1

My absolute fave of the final week of the New 52 launch. Aquaman is again a character I knew nothing about but I liked his stoic nature through the books. Yes, the insults were over done but the Trench look like they will make for an awesome threat for this story arc and look bloody scary!

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #2

My pick of the week. Myles' family background gets fleshed out for Myles and the reader this issue as Myles also discovers he's no mutant. He's Spider-Man! The last page was no huge reveal yet still has me yearning to read the next instalment.

Steps Reunion: A Blast From The Past

2011-09-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

I'm old. I didn't realise quite how old I had become until last when I watched Living's latest show "Steps Reunion". It's been 10 years since Steps broke up! I cannot begin to explain how much of a soundtrack to my youth Steps music was, but here are a couple of examples. Last Thing On My Mind came out as I was exploring my sexuality and falling from crush to crush at an amazing rate. Stomp was THE song that defined my relationship with my first boyfriend. I cannot listen to it without thinking of him and the fun we had. When Steps broke up I was very sad. A few days later I ran away to Europe. Coincidence? I think so. But still... I loved them deeply. I thought Living's show would be rubbish, really fake and all just a thinly disguised lead into them on stage performing a few songs. I was wrong. Of course it is somewhat "fake" but I found it gripping viewing. This first episode was basically about discussing what led to the break up (some internal jealousy, Claire and H being diva-ish and H having a rather unprofessional relationship with the band manager) and checking up on what the five members have gotten up to since. The footage of their last concert, occuring mere minutes after Lisa, Lee and Faye found out the band was no more, was really engrossing as what may have been seen as tears of joy at the time became somewhat more significant and touching. The idea that they finished the concert, left and never saw each other again was pretty mindblowing. Such a major and successful band just falling apart in the space of hours. Amazing. I'm looking forward to next week's episode when the five members begin to discuss what happened. Drama ahead I suspect!

Terra Nova: My Impressions

2011-09-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

My most anticipated media event of 2011 has finally arrived! Terra Nova hit US television last night with a "two hour" (i.e. an hour and a half) opening episode.

So what did I think?

The overarching themes are a bit tired.

1) Future humans found new colony. Earth 2, Outcasts etc have all been there before. This shows going to need to be top quality going forward to overcome the rather tired premise.
2) The same old family format. Estranged father. Check. Rebellious teen boy. Check. Relationship struggling after a long separation. Check. Teen girl going all doe-y eyed over an older guy in uniform. Check. Rebellious teen boy following hot girl into dangerous situation against father's advice then needing to be rescued by said father. Check. I could write this stuff myself!
3) Paradise having a dark side. Please God, we've done this one since Genesis! (which is the name of this opening two parter).

So yes, the show has a lot of baggage to get past long term. As an episode, this was enjoyable. Relatively well-paced, and if you ignore the clichéd themes there was some decent writing. The character of Skye seems a bit more layered than the usual rogue girl leading leading character astray stereotype. I'm interested in what the rebellious off-shoot group the Sixers are up to and just what the actual reason for Terra Nova's existence is. However, the CGI could've been done better. I've seen better in Primeval. The brachiosaurs looked good, the carnotaurs were okay, but the main dino-villians the Slashers were extremely poorly done. In the end there were dinosaurs so that's a huge plus point in my book.

If they can break free of the clichés and bring a fresh take to the story, the family relationships and the paradise lost motif it might just be an excellent show. But if the writers just play the same old tired tunes, I won't be keeping up with it. It's 2011. I want more than just by-the-numbers sci-fi drama.

And This Week In Comics....

2011-09-24T02:05:00.000-07:00

Batman #1

Awesome. I'm not a Batfan. I get my dark, stern crime-fighter fix from Judge Dredd. But I must admit that this New 52 opening issue really hit the ground running. Excellent art, and brilliant cliff-hanger. I remain pleasantly surprised by the quality and freshness of these new DC books. Definitely my pick of the week (against my better judgement...)

Supergirl #1

I plan to becoming a Superfan. I really like the ethos of the Superbooks, and I have a secret soft spot for Supergirl as I am that one person who has fond memories of the movie. Don't hate me. This was a good opening issue but not sure about bringing Superman into the story at the end. Thought it would've been better to let Kara established her own story before bringing them together. But I'll stick with this.

Ultimate Comics: X-Men #1

Wow. If Batman hadn't ended the way it had ended, this would be my pick of the week. Absolutely excellent. Last week's Ultimate Comics: Spiderman #1 was my first ever furore into the Ultimate universe, and this X-Men book makes me glad I've left it to now. Wonderful opening book, with a fantastic cliffhanger. I cannot wait for the next issue!

Catwoman #1

I wasn't going to read this book, I just didn't have the urge. But the controversy that has been spawned sort of forced me to get it. It was okay. And sure Catwoman was full on sexy throughout the issue, and yes she had sex with Batman, but I think the whole controversy has been over done. But I won't be likely to get #2.

Nightwing #1

Bizarrely Nightwing is my one Batverse guilty pleasure. I've had a crush on Nightwing since I first discovered him. And this comic was really enjoyable, a great entry point for new readers with Dick Grayson's return to the circus where his parents died and an excellent ending with both a "hero in peril" cliffhanger and a question over just what his assailant meant when he said Dick was "the fiercest killer in all of Gotham". Linked into that Batman cliffhanger perhaps?

Green Lantern Corps #1

I've always regarded Green Lantern comics as for real DC geeks. And this issue hasn't changed my opinions. I thought the characterisation was good, but the overall story? Dull, unaffecting, and considering the story is genocide I have to say that's pretty poor. This is on my "On probation" pull list.

Wonder Woman #1

I have never read anything with Wonder Woman in it. Of all of DC's characters, I know the least about her. My only experience of Wonder Woman is the classic TV series, which I guess hardly does her justice. I was pleasantly surprised with this issue which might have made pick of the week status if it wasn't for some of the godawful, pointless internal monologues. I'll stick with it though as the story is interesting, the art divine and the overall feel was fresh and new.

Birds of Prey #1

Given I'm not a Batverse fan, this is yet another Batbook. Perhaps I doth protest too much. An average book this one, but okay enough to make me buy #2.

Captain Atom #1

Given the freshness of most of DC's New 52 (well those I've read) this felt like a totally by the numbers 1980s superhero comic. A volcano. In New York. Whilst his powers are possibly failing. Oh no! The peril. Probably won't be picking this one up again...

I still have Beyond The Fringe, Star Trek #1 and Orbit (about Stephen King) to read but am pretty much all comic'd out. All I will say is DC's New 52 has been remarkable enough to get me 1) back into comics and 2) off my Marvel obsession. Well done DC!

A Marvel Boy's Look At DC's New 52

2011-09-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

My name's Jae and I'm a Marvelholic. I've been one since the age of 11 when I discovered the X-Men and I've never looked back. I've flirted with harder stuff, Dark Horse and Image, and with lighter stuff like IDW and had full-blown affairs with 2000AD but Marvel comics have always formed the centre of my comic obsession. DC, of all the big comic publishers, has rarely featured at all. Sure I own the hardcover Killing Joke, the collected 52 and some other Batman stuff. But ultimately the complexity of the DC universe and it's unfamiliar characters has kept me at arms length.

All that appears to have changed with the New 52, DC's latest reboot. I decided to give DC a fair go... and I'm liking what I'm seeing. Here's some reviews of the stuff I've read:

Justice League #1

Whilst Justice League is completely alien to me, Batman, Green Lantern and Superman are at least characters I know and thus I found myself enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. Green Lantern is young and impulsive, Batman is intelligent and experienced and Superman... well he just seems pissed off (and hot!). The art is excellent and I'm definitely going to be picking up issue #2 next month. This just felt so accessible that I thought... let's try some more!

Action Comics #1

I really enjoyed this introduction to Superman, still learning of the true extent of his powers and a little too cocky. The ending definitely has me wanting more but... the art was middling. This is meant to be a young, immature Superman but sometimes he looked like he might be in his forties. I just didn't feel the art complimented the story at all. Alas... I'll still be getting #2.

Stormwatch #1

Intriguing. This is the first book populated by characters I don't know. This did make me feel slightly disconnected from it but I want to know more... who is the Midnighter? What is the giant eye in the Moon? I'll get #2 but I think this is my first book on temporary probation whilst I try to get a proper feel for it.

Batwoman #1

I know her, she was in 52! And she was my favourite character from that collection too... The art. Well, what can you say? It was exquisite. Beautiful. Mmmm... And the story was just vague enough to make me feel like buying #2 to find out a little more.

Demon Knights #1

I have no idea of the history of any of these characters, nor of the time period it's set in. But I know one thing... I bloody loved this. Dragons that look like dinosaurs. Characters will a bit of verve. A story that took shape pretty quickly. LOVED.

Superboy #1

Excellent modern feeling art, complimented by a totally new beginning for a character even a Marvelboy has heard of. I was absolutely besotted by this one. Yet another one for the pull list. This is tiring...

Legion Lost #1

The art got better as the story went along. That's the best I can say. And the story... was alright. There were too many panels with too much text and I felt it was all a bit of a mess. I might give it the benefit of the doubt (I'm a forgiving completist when it comes to comics) but probably won't be pursuing this one.

Overall... I've been very impressed. 6 out of 7 comics were excellent and definitely grabbed me. Marvel's comic output is becoming a bit of a mess right now, and I think with this new relaunch DC stand a good chance of grabbing a good deal of my attention for the foreseeable future. Very, very good stuff indeed.

My Eurovision Top Ten

2011-05-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

Today's the day! And after a 7 hour round trip to Gatwick I'm looking forward to settling down with my favourite television show. Below you'll find my top 10 picks from the final, but in no particular order. I would be happy if any one of these won for all sorts of different reasons. Sweden because Eric Saade is HOT. Estonia and Iceland because the songs get stuck in my head. Blue because they're doing it for the UK! And of course Germany's Lena because her song is absolutely awesome.

I can't wait

Romania

Sweden

United Kingdom

Germany

Estonia

Denmark

Finland

Austria

Hungary

Iceland

Eurovision 2011: The Second Semi Final! #esc

2011-05-12T03:50:00.000-07:00

It's another semi final tonight! I love that we get semi finals now, it really gives us a chance to come to know the songs better. In my opinion, this will be a far more entertaining semi final than Tuesday's, with far better quality songs. Here are my top 5.

Denmark

Denmark's entry sounds fresh, is sung well and looks good. A Friend In London - New Tomorrow

Estonia

Rockefeller Street, sung by Getter Jaani, is pure Eurovision. It's poptastic, awesome hook and chorus. Whilst it's not my absolute favour song in the contest, I think it may well win. And it'd be a well-deserved win at that.

Sweden

Well you know Eric Saade is "Popular" around these parts. Very popular. I will state I don't think this song is even half as good as last year's Melodifestivalen entry "Manboy", but I still think it's awesome.

Romania

Hotel FM's "Change" is rather catchy, in my opinion. Love it.

Slovakia

A bit slow, but I like it. Twins are the antidote to those other doppelgangers on tonight... Jedward. Embrace them and "I'm Still Alive" instead...

Eurovision 2011: The First Semi Final! #esc

2011-05-10T04:23:00.000-07:00

So tonight is the night... Eurovision begins! I can't contain my excitement *looks over list of songs for first semi-final* Ok, excitement contained. All the middling to awful songs in one semi-final! What a terrifying prospect...

I thought I'd select my top 5 songs for tonight... a difficult task given I'm not thrilled by any on the list but here goes:

Albania

I've been scathing about Albania's entries in the past. Too many silly hats and traditional dances. But they've done alright this year, with a poor man's Sertab song. Aurela Gaçe does okay with Feel The Passion

Hungary

Hungary's entry deserves to top the winners for tonight. A modern, fast tempo'd song with good vocals. Kati Wolf rocks What about my dreams

Iceland

A touching, well sung song with a good tune. And the story behind it is, of course, heartbreaking. Sjonni's Friends and the awesome Coming Home....

Malta

Not the best song ever. Not the best vocals either. But I love it... Glen Vella and One Life

Finland

Love this song. Paradise Oskar - Da Da Dam

I expect Hungary to walk it tonight. It'll be interesting to see what actually happens...

Eurovision Countdown: Coming Home

2011-04-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

Sjonni's Friends entry for Iceland is a very touching tribute song and rather sweet. I don't think it'll stand a chance of winning but this is yet another song highlighting the rather amazing high standard for this year's competition.

Eurovision Countdown: The Secret Is Love

2011-03-27T03:49:00.000-07:00

Austria is back! Hurrah! This year's entry is by Nadine Beiler

The Secret Is Love is good, brilliant vocals but a bit too dull to be the winner I think.

Eurovision Countdown: Change

2011-03-20T00:36:00.000-07:00

Hotel FM bring us Romania's entry "Change". And it's not bad, certainly the best Romania entry I've heard. Great beat, good vocals. Could do well...

In worrying news my other half quite like's Belarus' entry... I've asked for them to be sectioned.

Eurovision Countdown: Lipstick

2011-03-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

Jedward. Why Ireland?? WHY??? After Dustin the Turkey I thought you couldn't do any thing worse... but JEDWARD???

On second listen it's not so bad but I refuse to link to the live version 1) because it's a carcrash and 2) because it features Jedward.

Eurovision Countdown: Born in Belorussia

2011-03-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

My first "OMG THEY DIDN'T DO THAT" entry is Belarus'. Enjoy...

As one says in the comments... 12 points from Stalin!!

Eurovision Countdown: Popular

2011-03-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

There's no getting around it. I have a soft spot for Sweden's Eric Saade, and the greatest disappointment of 2010's Eurovision Song Contest was the fact he wasn't in it representing Sweden with "Manboy"

But he didn't give up and last night won Sweden's annual Melodifestivalen and will thus be flying the blue and yellow flag in Dusseldorf with "Popular"

It's a good tune with an awesome hook and I've no doubt it'll do well in May. How can it not when the singer has as cute a face as this???

Eurovision Countdown: Madness of Love

2011-03-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

Italy! Yes, you heard me right. ITALY. They have returned to Eurovision and magically made their way in the "Big Five".

Raphael Gualazzi's entry is actually rather good, a bit low key for Eurovision I'll admit and probably more suited to a classy evening out but still it's a quality song with awesome music.

I'm thinking top 50% finish...

Eurovision Countdown: Ding Dong

2011-03-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

Dana International. A Eurovision legend. And she's back... Israel's entry for 2011 can hardly fail to impress, surely?

But... I don't think it's got winning potential. Compared to many of the other songs in the competition, it's just a bit run of the mill.

Not awful. Just middling... NEXT...

Eurovision Countdown: Taken By A Stranger

2011-03-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

In a change to my usual huge pre-Eurovision summary blog post, I'll be posting a daily look at a particular song from this years contest... starting with the hosts; Germany.

Lena Meyer-Landrut's Satellite was a worthy winner last year. Fun, catchy and all round awesome.

This year, having decided they were on to a good thing with Lena, Germany's entry is more grown up and subtle.

Taken By A Stranger doesn't fall very easily into Eurovision stereotypes (such as the "poptastic" or the "OMG they've gone with their country's traditional music" genres). It's a well-crafted piece of music, and it's easy to imagine it in any European pop chart. I don't want to go over the top but, from a personal taste point of view, I think this is one of the best Eurovision songs I've heard. I absolutely adore it. Saying that, I quite enjoyed Scooch...

Check it out and let me know what you think:

Primeval: S04E04

2011-01-20T03:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the late update, I've been incredibly distracted by personal issues this last week or so.

Episode 4 of the fourth series of Primeval finally had me interested again. After the previous episode I was worried that there might be no hope for this programme at all but I love being proved wrong. There was a plot. There was several story strands that worked well. There was mild peril. There was character development. And there was less poor use of CGI (except for a couple of poorly edited reused shots).

I'm intrigued by Matt now, whereas before I was just annoyed by him. What is his backstory? When asked about school he suggested he didn't remember it. Is this a lie? Is he from a different time? Is that why he is so friendly towards Emily?

I want to know. I'm interested. Finally Primeval! FINALLY!

Primeval: S04E03

2011-01-09T02:19:00.000-08:00

Talk about a mixed bag. This episode, "Tree Creepers" showed us everything that can be good about the concept of the show. But it also showed us everything that can be bad about it's implementation.

The A-plot was regarding 3 time travellers who appear through an anomaly in a theatre, followed by two rather nasty arboreal reptiles. The B-plot has Connor stuck back at base working on a security system that accidentally locks down the entire ARC.

The good points: The time travellers (up to 15 of them supposedly) are an interesting addition to the show and something that appears, hopefully, to be adding a bit more depth to the usual "monster of the week" run of the mill show. In fact the story continues into at least next episode which is excellent.

Connor had plenty of screen time.

And there were some interesting questions that'll make me come back next week:

Will Rex survive?

Why are the time travellers around? Are they lost or simply adventurers?

What are Gideon and Matt up to?

What is Burton's "New Dawn" programme?

Now for the really bad points:

The CGI-human interaction is truly appalling. The fight scenes between Matt and a Tree Creeper was truly boring as at no point would my mind allow me to believe the Tree Creeper and Matt were even in the same room. Something has to be done to avoid too much reliance on CGI if they are unable to use it in a compelling way.

Doctor Who expects us to suspend all belief of reality and accept the insane, illogical and stupid as real. That works because Doctor Who's that sort of show and it's built up our trust over many, many years. Primeval's writers have obviously watched the Doctor's mad cap solutions to things (Think nice thoughts!) and thought they could try the same on their show, and that no one would care. They are very wrong. Showing electricity moving up a pole as if it would be visible, or Rex's amazing recovery from unconscious to happy flying Rex in about 2 seconds are just too unbelievable. They take me out of the story and ruin it for me. I don't want to have to sit there, in a show about time-travel for heaven's sake, and think this is just totally unrealistic.

And it's not just in the technical, nit-picking aspects that this "unreal" feeling permeates through the show. The human reactions to situations don't ring true. Burton is dying in a room without oxygen. Connor is working on a solution. Connor seems unconcerned, slow, unhurried, and relaxed. It's jarringly awful writing. I wanted to see urgency, fear and focus. I wanted tension. The most tense I felt was as to whether or not Rex would survive and even that was ruined by his super quick recovery. When you're more concerned about whether a CGI flying lizard might survive than one of the more compelling characters (Burton), then you know something is up.

The reason I stopped watching Primeval during series 3 was because it had an excellent concept that was being handled extremely badly. This show has a really great potential but it's now series 4 and I just don't see it being realised. I'll persevere but only because I hope for better.

Primeval: S04E02

2011-01-03T01:06:00.000-08:00

The second episode of series 4 was a vast improvement over the first. Whilst both are still run of the mill monster of the week episodes, the second episode had a heart. There were jokes, Lester, Abby and Connor actually acted like themselves and there were more hints of what Gideon (the old man who keeps talking to Matt) is up to. And with Connor's friend from the dodo episode returning and our first look at Rex and his new home in the menagerie, we had a good sense of the highlights of earlier series.

Plus Kaprosuchus was this weeks monster. How anyone can not go "Whoop" at that, I don't know!

Primeval: S04E01

2011-01-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

I've been looking forward to the return of Primeval for some time. It's a bit bizarre, given the fact that I gave up on series 3 halfway through and promised myself never to watch the show again.

So I sat down to watch the first episode of the fourth season with my expectations raised extremely highly and thus I was disappointed.

The problem with the show had been that it was becoming ever more a "monster of the week" show. That was forgiveable at the start, but I'd hoped to see a thread of a story going through each episode. The Helen Cutter stuff just didn't do it for me. Thus when this first episode turned out to be little more than just another monster of the week story (it's a Spinosaurus, which sort of makes up for it!) I was crushed.

However, I'm being unfair. The acting was better than usual. If we forget the massive plot holes (good to see somethings never change), the story was alright as a set up. The end showing Matt Anderson talking to some old fellow, and the possible dynamics of Philip Burton's relationship with the ARC leave me hopeful there might be something more to come.

So yes I was disappointed. I shall lower my expectations for tonight's episode accordingly and cross my fingers for improvement.

Things I'm Looking Forward To In 2011

2010-12-28T10:24:00.000-08:00

1. Primeval

Well at least I don't have to wait long for this one; the series 4 opener is on the 1st of January and the second episode is shown the next day! Not only do we have the best characters returning (Lester being the most awesome) and the worst characters written out but we get two series in 2011. The first will premiere on ITV and the second will be shown towards the end of the year on Watch (all thanks to the unique joint funding that has brought Primeval back from cancellation).

It looks like the special effects budget has been improved, although the first few episodes seem very reptilian heavy. Despite having been rather sceptical when Primeval first arrived on our screens, it's grown on me and I think it can be excellent with the right people behind it. I'm quietly confident it finally has the right mixture of people and money to be a success.

2. Terra Nova

The pilot is due out in May, and I've been looking forward to it for a while. Steven Spielberg, Brannon Braga, time travel, dinosaurs and a family in peril?? How can I not get excited?

I don't know any of the cast and the plot is a little vague but I'm still eagerly awaiting our first look at this show!

3. Movies

Lots of movies to get excited about, but here are a few of the one's I'm looking forward to.

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn - Tintin. I mean, you have to see it don't you??
I Am Number Four - Only interested because everyone else keeps telling me about it.
Battle: Los Angeles - Really excited about this
Scream 4 - 1990s retro.
X-Men: First Class - I'm an X-Men completist. I suspect this will be shite.
Green Lantern - I don't know why but I think the trailer for this looked awesome. (Muscles I suspect ;) )
Rise of the Apes - I LOVE the Apes movies.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - I was disappointed by the last movie. Let's hope they've learnt their lessons.

4. Doctor Who Series 6

I'll admit I was extremely lukewarm towards Matt Smith but the Christmas Carol episode and a rewatching of series 5 has made me rediscover my love for Doctor Who and with the following trailer how could you not get excited??

5. Torchwood: The New World

After the amazing Children of the Earth I am very excited to see what the 10 part story they are dreaming up at Torchwood towers is about!

6. Falling Skies

Steven Spielberg. Aliens. How can you go wrong??

7. The Walking Dead

Both the second series of the TV series and the continuing monthly comic series make The Walking Dead a highlight of 2011. You simply must check both out.

A Christmas Carol: 2010 Xmas Doctor Who Special

2010-12-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

It just wouldn't be Christmas Day without a Doctor Who special! I imagine in a hundred years it'll be as much a part of the Christmas holiday as the Christmas tree and mince pies are today. Alright, a boy can dream can't he?

I was only saying to my better half today, whilst watching Scrooged, that A Christmas Carol must be the most adapted novel in all of history. So there was a big concern that Doctor Who's take on it might be dry, boring and old hat. Surely there's only so many ways to tell a story, after all. Yet I felt that this episode took the heart of the traditional Dickens story, and put a wonderful twist on it meaning it seemed fresh, and unpredictable.

I particularly liked the fact that as Kazran Sardick (this episode's Scrooge) was changed through the "Ghosts" process, there were unintended consequences blending the best of the old with the best timey-wimeyness one can expect from Doctor Who.

The acting was initially worrying but got stronger and stronger as the episode went on, the flying fish were an excellently alien but still charmingly kitsch addition and the flying shark was basically added just to please me. Surely a flying shark in a Christmas themed Doctor Who episode is as close to realising my ultimate dream as there can be?

The romantic/depressing subplot was played out with an unfamiliar subtlety. Whereas Russell T. Davies would have bashed us round the head with it, here it was allowed to just be and was all the more touching and upsetting for it.

And, as someone who hasn't particularly warmed to the Eleventh Doctor during the fifth/two hundredth and ninty first/twelth series of Doctor Who, I was mightily impressed by Matt Smith's performance and finally feel like I can accept him as our favourite Time Lord.

All in all an absolutely top notch episode of modern Doctor Who with the series 6/five million/-5 trailer looking totally epic!

Gay Pirates - Cosmo Jarvis

2010-12-15T22:36:00.000-08:00

Can't stop myself sharing this absolutely awesome Youtube music video. Gay Pirates is one of the best Youtube productions I've ever seen:

The Walking Dead's First Season

2010-12-11T01:58:00.000-08:00

So, after 6 awesome weeks we are at the end of the first season of The Walking Dead. Whilst, as a Brit, I'm used to short seasons, 6 episodes seems insulting considering just how great the show has been!

I'm usually the sort of person who finds any changes to the source material in a movie or TV adaption pretty disgusting. You should of seen my reaction, at the age of 10, to the differences between Jurassic Park the movie and the book (she's not meant to be the oldest, it's a Stegosaurus not a Triceratops! etc.). Unusually, I've been far more forgiving of this series. The changes have been fairly substantial, with totally new characters and some important characters missing. And the CDC storyline came out of nowhere. BUT it's all been handled well, scripted excellently and with enough nods to the source material to keep this fanboy happy.

If you think "Oh God, I hate gore and zombies" and refuse to watch this, I urge you to reconsider. Yes there is gore. Yes there are zombies. But it's so much more than that. This is, like the comic book, about the characters, and how they deal with their circumstances. And it will have you hooked!

I cannot believe there's nearly a year to wait for the next set of episodes! :( How will I cope??

Night Of The Living Trekkies

2010-11-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

As a zombie apocalypse fan and a (recovering) Star Trek obsessive, Night of the Living Trekkies has been on my radar for a few months. But I put off getting it as I just didn't see it being all that good. How wrong could I have been?!

Basic plot outline in one sentence: a zombie outbreak occurs during a Star Trek convention in Houston. As diehard geek, that sentence is enough to get me extremely excited indeed. But I understand it might not appeal to everyone. I say, give it a go.

The book is superbly, tightly written, with humour woven into the dialogue so well that it feels totally natural. The characters are believable and likeable. It's a short, easy read and I will say it's definitely the best book I've read this year. My only criticism would be that, for those who aren't total nerds, some of the jokes might go over the reader's head. But hey, I am a total nerd so I laughed at every one.

A must buy.

Further Reading

Night of the Living Trekkies - Kevin David Anderson (UK Book, UK Kindle, US Book, US Kindle)

Zombie Apocalypse by Stephen Jones

2010-11-14T00:34:00.001-08:00

Full disclosure: I'm a Zombie-aholic. I've seen the movies, read the books, adored the comics and just this last two weeks raved about TV series. So when, whilst wandering through my local bookstore the other day desperate for inspiration, I saw a book entitled "Zombie Apocalypse I could not walk past.

In retrospect, picking it up and taking it home was an excellent decision. The story is told via the medium of letters, emails, diary entries, blogposts and Twitter feeds which makes it quite disjointed but not unduly so, and is very reminiscent of World War Z by Max Brooks (not a bad thing at all). It helps create a picture of the world far more easily and quickly than a normal narrative story.

Mixing humour, recent political and news events, horror and an underlying bleakness, the story rolls on quickly to a humourous if despairing end. I got through it in a matter of hours, which shows just how easily it grabs your attention.

You do care about the characters, you do get taken in by the story (I stopped reading half way through and was surprised to find there were no zombies trying to break down my door!) and it will leave any horror or zombie fan very satisfied indeed.

An excellent book and one I wholeheartedly recommend.

Further Reading

Zombie Apocalypse! US Amazon UK Amazon

If you feel benevolent and particularly generous, this writer always appreciates things bought for him from his wishlist

Another Shark Movie... With A Controversial Budget

2010-08-05T02:24:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's shark post, I've found another upcoming shark movie. This time it comes from Australia and looks absolutely awesome based on the trailer.

Part of this awesome factor might be because this 3D movie is receiving state funding. And that's proving controversial given the portrayal of sharks as killing machines when they are far more at risk from us than we are from them. Read more here.

Upcoming Features: Sharks

2010-08-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus, we've got a lot of shark related movies coming up. As a fan of Jaws, and of sharks in general, this can only be a good thing. As long as they are better than Dinoshark anyway...

First up is the eagerly awaited Sharktopus and the B-movie lover in me got very excited after seeing this trailer:

Then next we have the less than inspiring Super Shark (it can fly... hmm...)

And finally, actually looking quite good, we have a Jaws tribute with a twist: Swamp Shark

I think Swamp Shark might just be my most eagerly awaited monster movie for the next few months... :)

The A-Team

2010-07-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

The A-Team is far more enjoyable than Predators was.

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I thought it looked like total crap; cheesy and generic. But actually, apart from the rather dull ending, it's a very fun and engaging movie that holds your interest for a good while.

Unfortunately it's let down by the lacklustre ending. If it hadn't been for that I'd put this movie as one of my favourites of the year... good acting, good script, good simple story and plenty of action. But alas, nothing's perfect. So I'd rate this a "Give it a look if you've nothing better to do".

Predators

2010-07-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

I'm a franchise fan. Predator was a masterpiece, Predator II was great, Aliens Vs Predator was alright and AVP:R was.... well absolutely awful but I watched it. That's how much of a fan I am.

I've had July's release of Predators set in my diary for a while and was really looking forward to it. Alas, it turns out to be yet another bitter disappointment.

The pacing was all wrong. In Predator, the slow parts were short and useful for building up the tension. In Predators, the slow parts of the bulk of the movie and were useful for story advancement but failed to build up the tension at all. I didn't feel the characters were in constant jeopardy, as they should have been, and I didn't feel excited or interested about their fates. Each death came with inevitability rather than surprise. Each death was in fact far from sudden. You knew it was coming. And you just don't care.

The acting was decent, the filming alright, the overall story had promise. But the weird, glaring errors (despite being out in the open often, none of them noticed the planets above their heads until they reached a scenic clifftop setting!!) and the total lack of pacing leads this movie to be on a par with AvP. Alright but not recommended. It's worth a watch if it comes on the telly, but don't part with any hard earned money for it!

Big Brother 11: The Final Showdown

2010-06-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

Last night was Day One for the final series of Big Brother. In a slight twist, the housemates were "chosen" on the night as sent into the house from among a group of 81 hopefuls. Our housemates, sadly, seem to be the usual sort Big Brother sends in and not the rather ordinary types (for ordinary read.. erm... porn stars, lesbian nuns and a chicken fancier) of old. I.e. FREAKS.

We have:

Josie, a loud country girl.
Steve, a former soldier who was seriously injured in Northern Ireland (just waiting to see what sort of soldier [i.e. violent pisshead or honourable defender of these isles).
Ben, POSH
Rachael, she is pretty but conceited.
Nathan, wide boy.
Dave, loony Christian (no offence to Christians, in this case the two things might be independent)
Caoimhe, erm.
Govan, camp bisexual.
Shabby, pretentious middle class muppet/alt lifestyle hero. You decide.
Ife, seems interesting
John James, Aussie randomist. Only possible totty in house.
Sunshine. Sunset
Corin, common.
Mario, the wildcard normal guy chosen at random who is to act as BB's mole in house.

So. Same old, same old. I was looking forward to this series, but it looks like it just be BB by the numbers. I hope I'm wrong.

Eurovision Song Contest 2010 - Oslo, Norway - UPDATED

2010-05-25T05:36:00.001-07:00

On my main blog it is a yearly tradition that I maintain a Eurovision post in the months leading up to the Final. It is kept updated as and when new selections are made and news comes out. Now that tradition moves here, where it truly belongs...

Check out this Aussie programme... Eurovision A-Z

Location

The Telenor Arena, Greater Oslo, Norway.

Presenters

Erik Solbakken

Haddy Jatou N'jie

Nadia Hasnaoui

What's Different

This year the 2 Semi Final shows will introduce the same voting system as used, with quite some success, in the 2009 final. This means the votes shall be split 50/50 between a phone vote and jury vote. For more see Wikipedia

Countries, Singers and Songs

Albania - Juliana Pasha "Nuk mundam pa ty"
Armenia - Eva Rivas "Apricot Stone"
Azerbaijan - Safura Alizadeh "Drip Drop"
Belarus - 3 + 2 "Butterflies"
Belgium - Tom Dice "Me And My Guitar"
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Vukašin Brajić "Munja i grom"
Bulgaria - Miro "Angel si ti"
Croatia - Feminnem "Lako je sve"
Cyprus - Jon Lilygreen and The Islanders "Life Looks Better in Spring"
Denmark - Chanée & N'evergreen "In a Moment Like This"
Estonia - Malcolm Lincoln "Siren"
Finland - Kuunkuiskaajat "Työlki ellää"
France - Jessy Matador "Allez Ola Olé"
Georgia - Sopho Nizharadze "Shine"
Germany - Lena Meyer-Landrut "Satellite"
Greece - Giorgos Alkeos and Friends "OPA"
Iceland - Hera Björk "Je ne sais quoi"
Ireland - Niamh Kavanagh "It's For You"
Israel - Harel Skaat "Milim"
Latvia - Aisha "What For?"
Lithuania - InCulto "East European Funk"
Macedonia - Gjoko Taneski "Jas ja imam silata"
Malta - Thea Garrett "My Dream"
Moldova - SunStroke Project and Olio Tira "Run Away"
Netherlands - Sieneke "Ik ben verliefd, Shalalie"
Norway - Didrik Solli-Tangen "My Heart Is Yours"
Poland - Marcin Mrozinski "Legenda"
Portugal - Filipa Azevedo "Ha dias assim"
Romania - Paula Seling and Ovi "Playing with Fire"
Russia - Peter Nalitch Band "Lost and Forgotten"
Serbia - Milan Stankovic "Ovo je Balkan"
Slovakia - Kristina "Horehronie"
Slovenia - Ansambel Roka Žlindre and Kalamari "Narodnozabavni rock"
Spain - Daniel Diges "Algo pequeñito"
Sweden - Anna Bergendahl "This Is My Life"
Switzerland - Michael von der Heide "Il pleut de l'or"
Turkey - maNga "We Could Be The Same"
Ukraine - Alyosha - "Sweet People"
United Kingdom - Josh Dubovie "That Sounds Good To Me"

Doctor Who: Amy's Choice

2010-05-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

What with resigning my job, and moving house (ongoing) I've had little time for Pop Culture I'm afraid. I'm way behind on my American shows. I have however been watching Doctor Who. Sadly I've been... well I don't know what I've been. I've not been disappointed. I've not thought it was rubbish. But I've also not been inspired and I've not thought it was "great" like I normally do (hell, I liked Paradise Towers!). Hence lack of reviews.

But last night's Amy's Choice was absolutely awesome. Very weird, beautifully shot, rather creepy but still amusing villian. And Amy Pond is certainly becoming an excellent companion. Finally feel like "I'm getting it" again. Hurrah!! Check it out!

Doctor Who: The Beast Below

2010-04-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

The Beast Below was the second episode of Matt Smith's first series of Doctor Who and, as a Whovian, I have to say I bloody loved it!

Firstly... how eighties was this episode? Dark, industrial, a little quirky with a Doctor who is a pronounces words a little funny and is a bit disparaging of the human race occasionally. As a Seventh Doctor obsessive (BRING BACK ACE!) I smiled.

Secondly... Star Wars references. We'll take the 10,000 smileys I could just put here as read.

Thirdly... the story wasn't all that bad with the Doctor hot on the trail of a nasty little secret whilst Amy is trying to forget it.

Fourthly... Amy and the Doctor work very well together.

Fifthly... the end scene (not related to main story) in which Amy picks up the phone to Winston Churchill was awesome... DALEKS!!

I'm way too excited about next week now!!

Clash Of The Titans

2010-04-10T00:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Jim and I had a nice day out in London, which we ended with a trip to the cinema to see Clash of the Titans.

I was expecting great things. A film steeped in Greek mythology (well themes thereof), with great special effects and hot men. How could it go wrong?

By being dull, derivative and plain. This is not a BAD movie. I wasn't sitting there cringing and I didn't find the act appalling. But I was sat there wondering when the movie would get going. It never did. It was one boring scene after another and no reprieve.

The ending was ridiculously simple, the Kraken being defeated so easily that any possible tension or excitement was completely lost.

Avoid this movie if you can!

A Weekend Of Sci-Fi

2010-04-04T00:06:00.000-07:00

Despite the unwelcome absence of Caprica following last week's awesome episode, us sci-fi geeks were not without our pleasures. In fact, this week saw the welcome return of several US shows that been on hiatus and one British show which has the status of most eagerly awaited new season of the year!

Fringe - Peter

An episode of awesomeness. We are treated to flashbacks into Walter and Peter's past. Excellent acting from John Noble who really captured the youthful, sane Walter and his feelings over the death of his son. Tough choices and some wonderful little pieces of information drip dropped throughout and it was one hell of a return for Fringe. Sadly it looks like it wasn't so lucky ratings wise, which is a real shame.

Stargate Universe - Space

Space battles, new aliens, political intriuge aboard the Destiny. This was a great start to the second half of the series and adds some much needed extra excitement to the formula.

V - Welcome To The War

I have been trying to give this series a chance, and episode 5 marks it's return to our screens... it's good but it just isn't holding my interest. There's enough to keep me watching right now, but I'm a sci-fi geek. I don't know if there is enough to keep the main bulk of the audience interested. However the liberal use of half naked men throughout the episode may keep certain elements glued to the action!

Doctor Who - The Eleventh Hour

OMG! That is of course, my obligatory statement. A new Doctor. A new companion. A new adventure. Let's go. And this episode was excellent, awesome and amazing. Matt Smith will be a great Doctor, Amy will be an interesting companion and a little sneaking part of the Time Lord Victorious shone through in the moment the Doctor stares in the giant Eye of the alien ship and simple state "Run". :)

And there was an epic moment when all the past Doctors were shown, and past enemies too, and I couldn't help but squeal with joy like some schoolgirl seeing her crush for the first time.

But... it's a minor thing but I always find the first episode of a new Doctor Who series to be a bit of a let down. Mainly because I've built it up so much, and it can never met my inflated expectations. As this happens every series, I know now it's me and not the episode that is the problem so I look forward to next week with my expectations firmly grounded in reality (i.e. no original series Cybermen, no half naked muscled adonis drapped over every scene nor Daleks in World War II.... ;) )

GLEE!

2010-03-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

I know. I've come late to this party. My other half watched the first episode, without me, ages ago and reported back that it was rubbish. Loyally I ignored all information and anecdotes to the contrary until I found I was unable to even talk to someone or read my Twitter feed without the word "Glee" appearing somewhere.

So I watched the first episode. Then the second. Then the third. Then the fourth. I'm totally hooked! Sure, it's absolutely and totally wish fulfilment. What self respecting human being wouldn't wish to live in a musical high school, in which gay guys can be the saviour of the football team and footballers can be the saviour of the choir???

But it's also funny, clever and entertaining. I feel so bad for not getting into this earlier... but I shall make up for it!

Dinoshark

2010-03-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

Eric Balfour - The Only Good Thing About This Movie

You see something titled "Dinoshark" and you hope for a truly awesome B-movie. You're thinking Jaws meets Jurassic Park, and you get overly excited at the prospect.

Alas. I have very low standards. I love B-movies! LOVE 'EM. I accept a certain level of bad special effects and terrible acting.

But... Dinoshark mixes the very worst special effects money can't buy and awful acting little seen since "Leeches" and comes up with diddly squat. There's no tension, no suspense, nothing. If it had simply straight copied the scenes from Jaws it would have been better. Instead we get simple attack after uneventful attack. Boring

Eric Balfour is the only good thing in this movie, but that makes it even worse... when you have someone actually acting talking to someone trying desperately to act it only shows the flaws up even more clearly.

Lesson learnt: SyFy (don't you hate their rebranding??) TV movies are just never going to get any better.

Eurovision Song Contest 2010 - Oslo, Norway

2010-03-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Location

The Telenor Arena, Greater Oslo, Norway.

Presenters

Erik Solbakken

Haddy Jatou N'jie

Nadia Hasnaoui

What's Different

Countries, Singers and Songs

Albania - Juliana Pasha "Nuk mundam pa ty"
Armenia - Eva Rivas "Apricot Stone"
Azerbaijan - Safura Alizadeh "Drip Drop"
Belarus - 3 + 2 "Butterflies"
Belgium - Tom Dice "Me And My Guitar"
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Vukašin Brajić "Munja i grom"
Bulgaria - Miro "Angel si ti"
Croatia - Feminnem "Lako je sve"
Cyprus - Jon Lilygreen and The Islanders "Life Looks Better in Spring"
Denmark - Chanée & N'evergreen "In a Moment Like This"
Estonia - Malcolm Lincoln "Siren"
Finland - Kuunkuiskaajat "Työlki ellää"
France - Jessy Matador "Allez Ola"
Georgia - Sopho Nizharadze "Shine"
Germany - Lena Meyer-Landrut "Satellite"
Greece - Giorgos Alkeos and Friends "OPA"
Iceland - Hera Björk "Je ne sais quoi"
Ireland - Niamh Kavanagh "It's For You"
Israel - Harel Skaat "Milim"
Latvia - Aisha "What For?"
Lithuania - InCulto "East European Funk"
Macedonia - Gjoko Taneski "Jas ja imam silata"
Malta - Thea Garrett "My Dream"
Moldova - SunStroke Project and Olio Tira "Run Away"
Netherlands - Sieneke "Ik ben verliefd, Shalalie"
Norway - Didrik Solli-Tangen "My Heart Is Yours"
Poland - Marcin Mrozinski "Legenda"
Portugal - Filipa Azevedo "Ha dias assim"
Romania - Paula Seling and Ovi "Playing with Fire"
Russia - Peter Nalitch Band "Lost and Forgotten"
Serbia - Milan Stankovic "Ovo je Balkan"
Slovakia - Kristina "Horehronie"
Slovenia - Ansambel Roka Žlindre and Kalamari "Narodnozabavni rock"
Spain - Daniel Diges "Algo pequeñito"
Sweden - Anna Bergendahl "This Is My Life"
Switzerland - Michael von der Heide "Il pleut de l'or"
Turkey - maNga "We Could Be The Same"
Ukraine -
United Kingdom - Josh Dubovie "That Sounds Good To Me"

Eurovision Selections: Two Very Different Shows

2010-03-14T01:21:00.000-08:00

This weekend has seen two national selection contests for Eurovision (alright there has been more but I only watched two!). One was Your Country Needs You, which selects the UK entry. The other was Melodifestivalen, which selects Sweden's entry. They were very different entities...

So this year we went back to the old "all on one day" format of Your Country Needs You. Last year's format of having 6 contestants who were gradually voted off by the public and the judge (Andrew Lloyd Webber) was great especially as Webber hadn't written the song until he saw who was in the final and who might be able to carry it off best.

This year Pete Waterman was in charge of the song, and after some truly abysmal performances of Waterman classics and then a final 3 set of performances of the "winning song", we ended up with Josh Dubovie, 19 from Essex as our performer singing "That Sounds Good To Me". I can't say I'm inspired by the song. Given Waterman's record it is actually pretty awful. Couldn't we just have sent Steps???

Anyway, if you wish to hear the winning entry a video is here. I just wish we had an open competition in which actual artists could compete with their own songs and allow the best one to win. Alas... we must leave that for:

Melodifestivalen is less a televisual event than it is a Swedish religion. Weeks of musical shenanigans in a large arena resulted in last night's final in which ten songs competed for the glory of Eurovision stardom. Not only were the songs and singers all of a higher calibre than our lacklustre one's. but the voting was done on a semi international basis with foreign juries and Swedish public votes all leading to the final result. That left them with the far better "This Is My Life" by Anna Bergendahl

Although I have to say I really enjoyed Eric Saade's Manboy:

Roll on Eurovision!

Eurovision: Your Country Needs You!

2010-03-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

We knew Pete Waterman would be taking the place of Andrew Lloyd-Webber as songwriter and producer this year. But now the acts who will be competing to take his song to Europe have been revealed as Your Country Needs You! is less than a week away.

Alexis Gerrard, aged 20.

Esma Akkilic, aged 17

Josh Dubovie, aged 19

Karen Harding, aged 18

Miss Fitz

Uni5

A very young crowd, with no one older than their mid 20s. A good looking bunch, it'll be interesting to see how well they can sing and who is ultimately chosen to fight our corner in May!

For some reason the show is on a Friday this year, so this coming Friday you'll find me crossing my fingers and hoping for gold!

Alien Prequel Vs Predators

2010-03-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

With Predators due to be released later this year and Ridley Scott's return to the Alien franchise almost a given, it's time to start getting excited!

Below are the first on set pictures from the production of Predators, a film I trust will see us put the AvP franchise to bed and return us to firmer movie ground.

And if the rumours are to be believed we might even get a brief cameo by his most sexiness himself...

And an Alien prequel would be very, very exciting. With the mess made by Alien3 and Alien Resurrection, it's probably good to return to a time when the Xenomorphs were terrifying. Most exciting stuff indeed!

Stephen K. Amos: The Feelgood Factor

2010-02-27T05:52:00.000-08:00

Last night I went out to see Stephen K. Amos at the Hammersmith Apollo. Amos has been someone I've heard of, sometimes seen but never really someone I've really paid attention to so I was pretty interested to see him live as everything would be fresh for me. Plus, sad but true, I've never been to a live comedy gig.

The warm up act was Sean Walsh from Brighton who was pretty damn hilarious in places, although the constant hitting of the microphone on his head was somewhat annoying. What followed then was possibly the longest intermission in history, during which the cameramen took to reading books and mini-protests were beginning to form...

Eventually Amos arrived, with a dance routine to Beyonce's Put A Ring On It. He was pretty funny but way too patchy for my liking with some jokes falling completely flat. There were a couple of walk-outs mainly over how insulting he was about people from Burnley (go figure!) and some obvious fake audience member gags. Overall it was entertaining and might have been worth the money if the intermission hadn't wasn't so much bloody drinking time!!

Dinoshark and Sharktopus: Seriously!

2010-02-17T12:00:00.000-08:00

Imagine a world in which movies with titles like Dinoshark and Sharktopus can exist. Imagine no more... Dread Central brings us some info on what surely must be considered the most eagerly awaiting B-Movies of the year!

And in other exciting news from Sci-Fi Wire, it looks like Steven Spielberg might be returning to sci-fi telly with a time travelling family AND DINOSAURS! If Terra Nova is greenlit I promise to bow down before Rupert Murdoch and never say mean things about Fox again (unless they then cancel it). Spielberg. Dinosaurs. Just keep saying it. *sigh*

Coming Soon - 10.1

2010-02-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

Oh... this year we have some real gems coming to a movie screen near me (and you, but I'm terribly important don't you know?! ;) ) Here's the first part of a continuing series...

Nightmare On Elm Street (2010) - a remake, a reboot, a reimagining; call it what you will, let's just hope it can live up to expectations. My first Freddy Kruger experience occurred when I was 5 or 6. My young uncle had been left to babysit me and thought it'd be amusing for us to watch the original movie. Let's just say I found it hard enough to get to sleep at all after that, let alone sleeping anywhere near my bed!

Perhaps because of this experience I've never really been a fan. I love the Friday 13th series, and I love the Halloween series, but Nightmare has never really done it for me. Maybe this reboot might change that... with new actors and perhaps a new twist, it's going to be very interesting to see!

Alice In Wonderland - Tim Burton. Tim Burton. Tim Burton. Is there any director who stirs more emotion than he? I loved Beetlejuice and Mars Attacks. I HATED Planet of the Apes and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I have grave concerns and huge hopes for what Alice In Wonderland might be like.

Having seen some trailers for it, it does look like it's going to be pretty damn awesome... mixing Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's usual craziness with an already crazy story.

If this works, it might be the best movie of 2010. If it doesn't, Tim Burton will carry on regardless...

Toy Story 3 - Hmm... for my birthday this year I'd like a movie which is fun, light hearted, exciting, charming and full of heart. With Toy Story 3 being released on 18 June, I think I might in luck!

Only the stony-hearted, mean-spirited scrooges among us could fail to have fallen in love with at least one of the first two movies... I cannot wait!

Survivors: Improvements?

2010-02-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

After last weeks post on Survivors current series and it's downsides, we were actually treated to a good episode this week.

Despite starting off as your standard Survivors "One/Two Of The Group Is Missing" story, it actually comes off as a refreshingly depressing take on human nature, in which a slave labour camp is being at a coal mine. The characters felt real, there was some gritty scenes involving harsh retribution and tough decisions, and we finally (if somewhat predictable) see a return of Abby's missing son to the storyline.

With possible foundations now laid out for future developments and the group finally seeming to accept the reality of their situation, I'm now eager to see how they round off this series. The Family is now united, the criminal and the nurse, the playboy and the schoolboy, together to face whatever the future holds for them. Maybe there is hope for the future of this series.

Talking of BBC telly, whilst we wait for more news about exactly how/when Torchwood will be returning, Watch have issued a new online Torchwood comic... featuring Ianto!! Click here for more...

More Jurassic Park IV News

2010-02-10T11:10:00.000-08:00

More Joe Johnston tidbits on the proposed new Jurassic Park movie. When asked about the "leaked" script of a proposed sequel from a couple of years back featuring gun-toting dinosaurs...

Drew: Is that still in the offing, or have you moved on now to a new idea?

Joe: We have. There is an idea now for number four that is different from the first three, and that is more or less the beginning of a new trilogy, in that it sends the whole franchise off in a new direction. It's not about the dinosaur park anymore. It's about all-new characters. So Steven's busy right now with the stuff he's doing and I've got to do "Captain America," but hopefully afterwards, we'll find time to develop it. And really... it's something different that we haven't seen before in the "Jurassic Park" world.

Drew: I'm sorry we won't see the Sayles/Monahan idea.

Joe: Well, you know, Universal and Steven will want to keep making these movies as long as they're successful, and who knows? We may see the Monahan/Sayles version come back.

All bizarrely positive considering this is a project that has been in development hell for years. Let's hope we get some serious dinosaur action... in 3D!!

Fringe And Caprica: Could Be Better?

2010-02-06T07:58:00.000-08:00

Fringe and Caprica are the only current US TV shows I watch on a regular basis. Both have interesting premises, but both have flaws.

Fringe is the X-Files for the 21st Century. It has awesome monster of the week episodes and a story arc from heaven. Plus both the monster of the week episodes and the story arc work together so the show feels far less disjointed than the X-Files sometimes did (oh we've uncovered a global conspiracy but next week we'll be in small town America dealing with a Satanic cult because we have no focus). Better yet, we actually learn things about the story arc. Where the X-Files served only to confuse whenever it tried to give you a little bit of info, Fringe slowly builds up the back story to the clash of the two universes.

But it has a few flaws. Astrid is a totally under utilised character even if she was just used for comic relief. The Olivia/Peter romance just doesn't ring true and certainly is being rushed. As we all know shows usually quickly jump the shark once any sexual tension is removed. The fact Bishop is linked to just about every case they investigate is starting to stretch belief. He may be a genius but even he only had finite time available. I think it could do with more focus on the Massive Dynamic storyline and general Fringe weirdness and less random emotional visits to places from Bishops/Olivia's pasts

Caprica is another very interesting proposition. Set in the Battlestar Galactica universe but 58 years before the Destruction Of The Twelve Colonies, it's very different to BSG. BSG was about imminent life/death situations, war and rebellion. Caprica is more a sci-fi soap opera about love, life and intrigue. Which is fitting as BSG at it's best was also sometimes pretty close to becoming a sci-fi soap opera.

The world we are presented with is a very advanced 1950s sort of place, with strange and unusual lifestyles and a new monotheistic religion rising in opposition to the mainstream Greco-Roman polytheism. It's actually pretty damn cool.

However for a soap opera to work you must like at least some of the characters. So far there seem to be very few characters I can actually say I like. And I feel like they are intentionally dragging the story out so it moves at a very, very slow pace. This last episode felt more like an extended middle with no beginning nor end and no great plot reveals or moves forward. I think the writers need to get a little sharper otherwise I know I'm going to be getting very bored soon.

However I think both series do have the potential to become very, very good pieces of television and move sci-fi telly to a new level. Fringe really does the push the boundaries of the imagination and Caprica might push the boundaries of genre's in general. Bring on the next episodes...

Survivors Series 2: We Have A Problem

2010-02-04T11:58:00.000-08:00

Thanks mainly to many early Sunday morning showings of the original series of Survivors on UK Gold when I was young, I have a lot of time for the re-imagined series. The first series was alright, nothing spectacular and some of the acting really sucking, but it got us through and it ended with a major revelation which had me eager to see the second series.

Sadly, half way through, it is not living up to expectations. Every sci-fi/fantasy show sometimes suffers from "monster of the week" syndrome. Survivors seems to be trapped by "rescue of the week" syndrome. Episode 1: Anya/Al trapped under fallen debris. Episode 2: Abby finally escapes her imprisonment. Episode 3: Tom is kidnapped by Samantha and her group. Episode 4: Tom and Greg forced to work in a coal mine by a new set of captors. Etc??

This would be bearable if they added some new twists to what is happening to the main group. Instead we have no new additions (seriously, surely there would be people eager to join up with a group??), no permanent base (Abby's group seems to be the only nomadic group in the country) and nothing NEW. Basically the interesting parts of the first season were all those taken from Terry Nation's novelisation of the original series. Now they have run out of that inspiration it would seem like the show's writers have just given up trying to be interesting.

I truly hope something changes, and soon! This is a post-apocalyptic show... we need dirty clothes, tough choices, main character deaths and new additions. Or else this new series may be even shorter than the original!!

New Judge Dredd Movie... Don't Mess This Up!!

2010-02-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

So the new Judge Dredd movie is moving towards production and I have great hopes... and great fears... for it.

I've been a fan of 2000AD and Judge Dredd in particular since forever. The vistas and people of Mega City One are so awesomely freakish and grand that they practically scream out for a movie. Yet when they finally got one, a Sylvester Stallone Americanised mediocre movie, the very character whom held it all together was turned into an All-American hero when in fact he is a conflicted but resolute officer of a fascist state.

If the movie can at least maintain some of Judge Dredd's grittiness, it's freakishness and it's vast and magnificent cityscape then it might very well be the best movie ever made.

And I think it could do it. With the effects that can be achieved now, the inhabitants and backgrounds can really be brought to life.

But something tells me that this movie will be a sanitised version of Mega City One. And it'd be all the poorer for it.

If you've never read any Judge Dredd I advise you to do so immediately!!

Dead Snow (Død snø)

2010-01-31T05:22:00.000-08:00

Dead Snow is a Norwegian horror-comedy featuring Nazi Zombies. Now there is more to it than that but if you fail to think "Wow, Nazi Zombies!" after reading that sentence then this is probably not the movie for you.

But if Third Reich zombies do it for you, this movie is actually much better than I thought. There is no toned down gore here, no pulled punches, but there are a few laughs in the Evil Dead vein. The acting is alright and despite being set up as a somewhat cliched group of young people in a cabin horror movie, it manages to break out of this with some tremendous fight back scenes. This is no "last girl standing" movie, nor a typical zombie movie (these are more Undead Nazi's than zombie ones) and it's all the better for that.

I really didn't have high hopes, but was pleasantly surprised. This is no high minded masterpiece, but it is enjoyable.

Megapiranha!

2010-01-29T11:29:00.000-08:00

From the studio that brought us Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, comes Megapiranha, a movie released just in time for the Piranha 3-D remake.

Not only that but it's got Tiffany in it! Yes... Tiffany! Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus was amusing but not quite bad enough to be "so bad it's good". Hopefully Mega Piranha can avoid mediocrity and go for gold and make a B-movie for which we can all be proud!

Stephen King's Under The Dome

2010-01-24T12:49:00.000-08:00

So... this week I have been mainly reading Under The Dome by Stephen King. Full disclosure: I am an unreformed Stephen King fan. So take my review with a pinch of salt!

This book is no quick read. It's over 800 pages long. Now some reviewers have moaned about this as if length is an indication of quality. Well it's not. You can't moan about the length of a book unless it's bad. And this is certainly not a bad book.

I'm going to put Under The Dome up there with It and The Stand, as an example of Stephen King at is best. Now, although I think what I'm about to say might be sacrilegious, I believe this book is better paced than either of those two with much tighter, neater writing and a clearer story. I don't want to diminish the other two books, whose charms are obvious, but Under The Dome involves far less "Oh get to the point" and more "What the hell is coming next???"

The characters are Stephen King archetypes... strong women, trailer trash, truly evil bastards who don't even know they are evil, and the ever present strong but loving good guy. Again there has been some complaints about that from a few reviewers but I have to say I find it... cosy. As a seasoned Stephen King reader I feel like I'm settling in with welcoming relatives of well loved friends.

The story is compelling (putting me in mind a little of a post-September 11th The Tommyknockers) and keeps you reading in order to see where it goes next. Even though that tends not to be a happy place, the book isn't totally grim with enough hope and humour to keep you going.

Pick it up, this is one of his classics.

Primeval - Should We Give It One More Chance?

2010-01-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

I gave up on Primeval mid-way through Series 3 and vowed never to watch it again given the pitiful state of acting and writing.

Well, it was cancelled at the end of the series and I was only slightly sad when I found out. This show has sooooo much potential. It could be the ITV rival to Doctor Who. But they bodged that last season so badly that they completely squandered the possibilities inherent in the show's premise.

But now new, international, funding has been found and the shows about to receive a big shake up for series 4. They will be focussing more on future based stories... with some more complicated storylines.

I'm willing to give it one more go. It better not disappoint!

Walking Dead TV Series Greenlit!

2010-01-23T00:24:00.000-08:00

There's no way of pretending otherwise: I'm a comic book geek. Sure, due to monetary constraints, I'm a repressed comic book geek but nevertheless I still get to read some awesome books from time to time. One of those is Walking Dead.

A zombie apocalypse story may have been done time and again across all forms of media but it works particularly well in Image's Walking Dead comic series and thus I was excited to hear that finally a Walking Dead was getting a pilot. Not only that but it is partly the brainchild of Frank Darabont, director of such wonderful Stephen King adaptations (did I not mention I'm also a Stephen King geek!) as The Mist and Shawshank Redemption.

Am I eager to see this? You bet your cotton socks I am!!! *jumps up and down with childlike glee*

Erm... There's A Scream IV???

2010-01-18T12:28:00.000-08:00

According to Bloody-Disgusting.com

Ok, I thought this was already reported 90 times, but maybe I'm wrong. In an interview with MTV, star David Arquette confirmed that Wes Craven will in fact be getting behind the camera for Scream IV, assuming it actually happens (I don't have a lot of faith in Dimension Films these days). "Yes, Wes [Craven] is in, Neve [Campbell] is in, everyone is in," Arquette said. The lovely Cox didn't sound as sure however. "I know they're trying to make that work," she said, referring to bringing the "Nightmare on Elm Street" creator back on to direct. "They'll make it work," she said, quickly adding "I hope." There you go, back at square one. I'd love to interview someone and talk in circles.

I don't know whether to smile... or to scream...

And in a Jurassic Park IV-esqe twist, it might be the start of another trilogy! *joy* *groan*

Conflicting emotions, much?

Jurassic Park IV News

2010-01-16T02:19:00.000-08:00

Hold on to your hats people! It's yet more drip-drip news of Jurassic Park IV...

Last year Joe Johnston stated yet again there might still be hope of a new Jurassic Park movie. Well we've heard this before (way back in 2005!) so I just dismissed it as just more hot air. But now Joe Johnston has told BoxOffice a bit more about his plans, more firmly confirmed it is happening (sure...) and given us some hope it might actually not suck (I'm not saying the others films sucked, I'm a huge JP fan!).

The internet is freaking out that there might be a Jurassic Park IV.

Wow, when did that happen?

November—you mentioned to Ain't It Cool that there might be a good script.

Did I tell him? Was it me?

You said that there was no way to get people back on the island for a fourth time and have it make sense, but that 2001 was the last installment and we're due.

Well, there is going to be a Jurassic Park IV. And it's going to be unlike anything you've seen. It breaks away from the first three—it's essentially the beginning of the second Jurassic Park trilogy. It's going to be done in a completely different way. That's pretty much all I can tell you.

A second trilogy?

If you think of the first three as a trilogy, number four would be the beginning of a second trilogy.

That's big. So not to lock you in, but there's a possibility there might be a total of six films?

Well, you never know. If they keep working—and if audiences keep going to them—there's no reason why there wouldn't be. We just want to make them justified in their own right. We don't want to make sequel after sequel just because there's a market for it. We want to tell different, interesting stories. You don't want to just sell hamburger.

I think a new trilogy, a new start, would be an excellent idea as the previous trilogy has truly screwed writers by making it nearly impossible to find a sensible way to create a plot involving dinosaurs!

No doubt news will come out in 3 or 4 months saying the plans have been shelved. Again. *sigh*

If you feel benevolent and particularly generous, this writer always appreciates things bought for him from his wishlist

Welcome To Jae Kay's Pop Culture!

2010-01-16T01:28:00.000-08:00

After nine years of blogging about myself, politics and the paranormal I thought it was time to start a blog for that other passion of mine: movies. With a little music. And books. Simples! Expect reviews, news and over excitable speculation.

Enjoy!