Music

Day & Age by the Killers
My first listen of the Killers' new album, officially released tomorrow. More thoughts after another listen or two.

Articles: James Bond titles

Michael G. Wilson On Bond Titles: 'If we can get away with Quantum of Solace...' by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
"...we can get away with anything." And that sums up the whole article, really.

For those who are unaware, there are precisely four Ian Fleming-created James Bond titles that haven't been used as film titles...

All of the novels' names have been used -- Casino Royale was the last

Several film titles were taken from Bond-related paraphernalia -- GoldenEye being Fleming's Jamaican home, The World is Not Enough being the Bond family motto, and Licence to Kill being the character's famous, er, licence

And there have even been a couple of entirely original ones -- namely, Tomorrow Never Dies and Die Another Day.

The four that remain -- before they get into pilfering chapter titles or something -- are all short stories, and, for the most part, are perfectly reasonable titles for a series that includes such entires as Thunderball and The Spy Who Loved Me.

"But what are they?" I hear you clamour. Well, there's...

Risico -- everyone who's read this seems to think it's a silly suggestion, so I presume the title must have a silly meaning within the story. In an of itself, there's nothing amiss about it, so why not?

The Hildebrand Rarity -- doesn't sound much like a Bond film, but then I'm sure some of the old titles didn't until they were. Makes the plot quite specific, unless they can come up with a very original meaning for that title.

The Property of a Lady -- very soppy, to be sure, but then so's The Spy Who Loved Me, and Bond's been a bit love-lorn of late anyhow.

007 in New York -- no.

Bets begin here...

Doctor Who: An Introduction

As regular readers will be aware, a little while ago I introduced a friend to the many delights of classic Doctor Who. Luckily I was gifted to be introducing an open-minded friend, meaning I didn't have to choose stories that skirted around the show's (at times) obviously cheap production values, and instead could focus on adventures I either knew to be good or had heard good things about. As we went I posted my comments on these eight tales, and now, in celebration of the programme's 45th anniversary, I've compiled them here, along with very brief comments on why I chose each story.

I tried to produce a variety of choices, the only rule being that there would be just one four-part story for each Doctor... a rule I broke for three of the eight! Not without reason, mind: for the 6th Doctor, his two-parters have the same running time as everyone else's four-parters; for the 7th Doctor, I have no excuse beyond I decided that was the most appropriate story; and for the 8th Doctor, there's literally only one choice.

So here's my "Beginners Guide to Classic Who" (if you will), though it's obviously missing the contextualising comments I gave my friend before and after each viewing.

The 1st Doctor: An Unearthly Child
As the first-ever story it seemed a natural place to start, even though I'd never seen it before. We both enjoyed it immensely.

The 2nd Doctor: The Tomb of the Cybermen
A bona fide classic, with the series' best-ever monsters. Simple.

The 3rd Doctor: Spearhead from Space
The relative shortage of 3rd Doctor stories on DVD forced my hand a little, but this is another classic tale. The number of firsts seemed to make it an obvious choice.

The 4th Doctor: City of Death
Though I've never seen it, this is oft cited as an absolute classic. That, plus Tom and Lala, Paris, and a script co-written by Douglas Adams, made it seem a good choice.

The 5th Doctor: Earthshock
More Cybermen -- so much for variety. But I still think they're a great villain, even in the '80s, and Earthshock is unquestionably one of the 5th Doctor's finest.

The 6th Doctor: Revelation of the Daleks
A limited choice for the 6th Doctor in my DVD collection allows this to be the only Dalek story.

The 7th Doctor: Survival
One of the earliest classic Whos I saw, and an appropriate connection into the new series. Also ironically titled as it's the last 'classic series' story.

The 8th Doctor: The TV Movie
The only choice. Besides which, I actually think it's quite a fun romp.

Celebratory Finale: The Five Doctors
It may not be the best story ever, but it's bizarrely fun and seemed an appropriately celebratory way to conclude.

Feel free to discuss whether these are good or bad choices for introducing a newbie, or post any ideas of your own, in the comments section.

There's no 9th and 10th Doctors in the list because, quite simply, we've both seen all of those, so no introduction required. However, if one were to be introducing a friend to new Who too, here are my thoughts...

The 9th Doctor: The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
It has to be a two-parter to fit the same length as the other Doctors, and both of the other 9th Doctor two-parters are tied fairly heavily to the season's ongoing story. Well, the second one is; the first one's just a bit rubbish. More importantly, this is just one of the best stories ever. It's also worth considering Rose/The End of the World -- not a two-parter strictly, but they're a pairing specifically designed to introduce complete newbies. Of course, if you've already made your way through 13 hours of Classic Who, that's not quite as necessary.

The 10th Doctor: The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit
In my opinion you're spoilt for choice with the 10th Doctor, as almost any pairing of two individual episodes would work too. This one was an instant favourite for me though, and is a better example of standard new Who fare than his other great two-parter, Human Nature/The Family of Blood. Other major considerations should be The Christmas Invasion (best first story ever, to my mind); School Reunion (if you watched a Sarah Jane story during Classic Who); Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel (not necessarily that great, but big bonus points for having Cybermen, and when my Classic Who line-up included two Cybermen tales it's nice to continue their evolution); Smith and Jones/The Shakespeare Code (a great opening pair); and Voyage of the Damned (personally, I think it's big and fun). (While I liked most of season four, I think it might be a bit too involved to recommend as a starting point.) Oh, and Time Crash should definitely be watched.

Anyway.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know my friend wants to see more classic Who. Of course, from here on out, it's no longer an introduction -- now they're just great stories.

Doctor Who: The Five Doctors

Long ago, I promised a review of The Five Doctors, Doctor Who's grand 20th anniversary celebration, but never got round to it. Now, the day before the programme's 45th anniversary, I've jotted a couple of very quick notes. The problem is, it's been a while since I last watched it, so this will be decidedly brief.

The Five Doctors, I think it's fair to say, is a mess. Not as much of a mess as Dimensions in Time would turn out to be for the show's 30th anniversary, but a comparison of the two isn't unwarranted. The Five Doctors struggles to squeeze five Doctors, something like six companions (plus cameos from others), the Time Lords, and as many villains as possible -- including Daleks, Cybermen, the Master, and various new ones -- into 90 minutes. A tall order. Dimensions in Time, on the other hand, attempts to fill about 12 minutes with seven Doctors, at least as many companions, the Rani, a host of other villains... and the cast of EastEnders. No wonder it's a God-awful load of rubbish. (I always used to get annoyed with those fans who said "thank God it can't be released on DVD!" (for contractual reasons, as it was for charity), because I thought, "surely it would be best if the whole series could be released, somehow, even if it is rubbish, at least for the curious to see". But having seen it on YouTube a while ago, I can safely say that it really is best left unseen.)

By comparison, The Five Doctors looks like a masterpiece. It isn't, but what it is a lot of fun. The Doctors may not come together until the end, but when they do it's a riot. The final reveal of what immortality means is a wonderful conceit -- it's not a new idea, probably not even in 1983, but it's not what you'd expect from a "children's programme" and I'd wager most sci-fi of the era wouldn't have been so bold. These moments of cleverness are countered by some extreme silliness (Sarah Jane rolls down a hill and has to be rescued by the Doctor and Bessie -- and that's a cliffhanger if you watch the four-part version) and padded running around, but at the same time there's the Raston Warrior Robot, one of the series' finest ever creations, in its only appearance. Why oh why has that yet to be revived? Please Mr Moffat? Or even RTD -- he's got four specials left to do and has already mentioned his love for it.

If you enter into it in the intended spirit -- a jolly romp celebrating the show's startling age, bringing together as many things that are great about the programme as possible -- then it's quite hard not to enjoy it as a nice bit of fluff. Plus it has the Cybermen as a major villain and basically ignores the Daleks, which is something I'll always approve of.

Cornwall

I'm off to Cornwall for the weekend, as of this afternoon. The reason I mention this perhaps unnoteworthy fact (though I know some who would dispute that) is that I'm not sure what the status of my Internet connection will be down there.

But don't worry, the moment has been prepared for! I may not be able to keep you up-to-date with my latest cultural experiences, but there are a couple of items that will appear over the weekend regardless (I recommend checking just after 1pm for those). "Updated every day", remember. Connection or not, I'll be back Sunday night at the latest, so I can fill in the missing time then if necessary.

Cheerio!

Poem of the Day: Haiku Achoo

by Richard Nelson

It's another Funny Friday entry for Poem of the Day this week, with this seasonally-appropriate haiku penned by none other than your faithful cultural guide (i.e. me). This was composed for no reason other than I wanted to, and is a completely original premiere just for this blog. Aren't you lucky?

In cold winter months,
breeze biting inside one's nose
means swift expulsion.

I'm sure that excellent (if I say so myself) title must've been thought of and used before, but what's truly original these days, hm?

TV

Big Cat Week
2x04 (6/1/05 edition)

Little Dorrit
Part 8 (of 14)
The story finally gets going! Hurrah! Now there are actually characters to genuinely care about and others to genuinely dislike -- I already can't wait for the Dorrit family to get their comeuppance (they bloody better...)

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
22x08 (20/11/08 edition)

Films

The Cable Guy (1996)
[#79 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Articles

Chuck Klosterman reviews Chinese Democracy by Chuck Klosterman
(from A.V. Club)
Don't worry: despite the title, I don't think you're actually expected to know who Chuck Klosterman is; certainly, the article begins by explaining who he is. Sort of. And then the article is primarily worthy of note for pushing your B.S. monitor to the max. "Chinese Democracy is (pretty much) the last Old Media album we'll ever contemplate in this context—it's the last album that will be marketed as a collection of autonomous-but-connected songs, the last album that will be absorbed as a static manifestation of who the band supposedly is, and the last album that will matter more as a physical object than as an Internet sound file. This is the end of that." What a load of self-important claptrap.

Poem of the Day: The Avenging Angel

by William Wilfred Campbell

Another World War I poem, but I came across this one quite by chance. It's dedicated "To Flight- Lieutenant Robinson and all the heroic aviators of the Royal Flying Corps", which might lead you to assume Campbell was a British airman, just as his death in 1918 might lead you to assume he was killed in the War. Neither is the case, however: Campbell was a Canadian poet, an ex-priest (he had a crisis of faith and resigned in 1891), and died of pneumonia on New Years Day 1918.

Don't let the length put you off, it's a surprisingly quick and rewarding read. More at the other end...

When the last faint red of the day is dead,
     And the dim, far heaven is lit
With the silvern cars
Of the orient stars,
     And the winged winds whimper and flit;

Then I rise through the dome of my aerodrome,
     Like a giant eagle in flight;
And I take my place
In the vengeful race
     With the sinister fleets of night.

As I rise and rise in the cloudy skies,
     No sound in the silence is heard,
Save the lonesome whirr
Of my engine's purr,
     Like the wings of a monster bird.

And naught is seen save the vault, serene,
     Of the vasty realms of night,
That vanish, aloof,
To eternity's roof,
     As I mount in my ominous flight.

And I float and pause in the fleecy gauze,
     Like a bird in a nest of down;
While 'neath me in deeps
Of blackness, sleeps
     The far, vast London town.

But I am not here, like a silvern sphere,
     To glory the deeps of space,
But a sentinel, I,
In this tower of the sky,
     Scanning the dim deep's face.

For, sudden, afar, like a luminous star,
     Or a golden horn of the moon,
Or a yellow leaf
Of the forest's grief,
     When the autumn winds are atune;

There is borne on my sight, down the spaces of night,
     By the engines of evilment sped,
That wonderful, rare,
Vast ship of the air,
     Beautiful, ominous, dread.

One instant she floats, most magic of boats,
     Illusive, implacable, there;
Throned angel of ill,
On her crystal-built hill,
     O'er a people's defenceless despair.

Then sudden, I rise, like a bolt through the skies,
     To the very dim roofs of the world;
Till down in the grey,
I see my grim prey,
     Like a pallid gold leaf, uncurled.

And I hover and swing, until swiftly I spring,
     And drop like a falling star;
And again and again,
My death-dealing rain,
     Hurl to the deeps afar.

Then I hover and listen, till I see the far glisten
     Of a flame-flash blanching the night;
And I know that my hate,
That has lain in wait,
     Has won in the grim air-fight.

Then I curve and slant, while my engines pant,
     And the wings of my great bird tame;
While the sinister Hun,
In his ill, undone,
     Goes out in a blinding flame.

(Other sources have pointed this out, so, in case you're unaware, "the Hun" was a slang name for the Germans in World War I.)

The Avenging Angel was written and first published in 1917. I've chosen it for the clear, easy-to-follow language, considerably aided by an equally clear and consistent use of rhyme. The rhythm makes it very readable also. For all these reasons, as well as the interesting subject matter (for one, it seems rather pro-war (or, at least, pro-RAF), making it a distinct counterpoint to the Owen I posted), it makes a worthy addition to the list.

TV

The Devil's Whore
Part 1 (of 4)
Andrea Riseborough leads a relatively starry/recognisable cast (including the likes of John Simm, Dominic West, Peter Capaldi, Maxine Peake, Michael Fassbender, Tom Goodman-Hill, and, next week, Tim McInnery) in this drama about the English Civil War. It may sound a tad staid as a setting, but the title is more of a clue: there's buckles being swashed -- and, indeed, buckles being undone -- left, right and centre. Hurrah! And some weird fantasy elements too. It doesn't feel like History, which is a good thing, and is all rather exciting executed, even if some of the direction is a little odd. Worth watching if you missed it; I'm very much looking forward to the rest.

Little Dorrit
Part 7 (of 14)

Films

The Green Mile (1999)
[#78 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
It's like the anti-Shawshank. Not in terms of quality though.

Fiction

Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert & Richard Isanove
Parts Three - Five
I know it doesn't affect the quality of the story, but it's annoying how thin the pages are here. Clearly wanting to use glossy paper stock but wanting to keep costs down, it's all glossy but thin, making it too easy to turn two pages at once, especially as the glossiness helps them stick to each other.
As for the text itself, I'm still not certain. It occasionally falls into the usual traps of big team-ups/crossovers, especially regarding "assumed knowledge" -- for a book that looks very accessible to newcomers, due to its "fresh start"/no continuity approach, you'd think it would be free of this, but too often you feel you should know who someone is or will be.
On the bright side, a magic-based character like Dr Strange feels much more at home in a weird Elizabethan world than he would in the modern 'almost real' superhero world that the numerous film adaptations have given us. Plus, things are beginning to come together (I'd hope so too, as I'm over halfway now), and there's a very well-built cliffhanger on Part Three.

Articles

Doctor Who (before the Tardis) by Tom Geoghegan
(from BBC News Magazine)
A really very weak article about the newly-released documents I mentioned earlier today -- it's full of slightly-off facts and ill-informed opinion. The comments are also largely hilarious, especially the woman who thinks the article is suggesting the TARDIS should/will be removed from the show. Bless. Other people demonstrate why they're not in charge, wittering on about new series episodes being "so fan fiction" or "blatant nostalgia" and therefore not appealing to kids. Yeah, cos they show still being the most-watched by kids on the whole of TV clearly means it's too nostalgic or too simplistic for them, doesn't it.

Fox Lines Up X-Men: First Class by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
"If a movie studio can develop mutant powers, then we’ve discovered Twentieth Century Fox’s: the ability to create X-Men spin-offs." This one is, essentially, "teen X-Men". Yay, angst!

Introducing... Premakes! by Chris Hewitt
(from the Empire Blog)
Well, now, here's something that will never catch on.

Sergeant to pull out of Strictly
(from BBC News)
Mark my words, the BBC'll have 3,000 complaints before the week's out -- that's what the British public do these days.

World War Z, And Why You Should Care by Helen O'Hara
(from the Empire Blog)
"for my money it's the best horror novel in decades, and one that absolutely deserves the wider audience that cinema would bring."

Poem of the Day: Kubla Khan

or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

So, I forgot Poem of the Day yesterday. Easily done, but I'll try to avoid doing so again.

Today's poem is another fairly famous one, based on an opium dream the author had. I'd wager this is several hundred times better than any drug-induced poetry you might get today.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
     Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

     But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
     Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
     A savage place! as holy and enchanted
     As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted
     By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
     And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
     As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
     A mighty fountain momently was forced:
     Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
     Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
     Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail:
     And 'mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
     It flung up momently the sacred river.
     Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
     Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
     Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
     And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:
     And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
     Ancestral voices prophesying war!

     The shadow of the dome of pleasure
     Floated midway on the waves;
     Where was heard the mingled measure
     From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!
     A damsel with a dulcimer
     In a vision once I saw:
     It was an Abyssinian maid,
     And on her dulcimer she played,
     Singing of Mount Abora.
     Could I revive within me
     Her symphony and song,
     To such a deep delight 'twould win me,
That with music loud and long,
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise.

"There is widespread speculation on the poem's meaning, some suggesting the author is merely portraying his vision while others insist on a theme or purpose. Others believe it is a poem stressing the beauty of creation, and some read sexual allusions throughout." (Source: as ever, Wikipedia. It's much better than some people say.)

The Genesis of Doctor Who: The Creation of a Television Hero

Heard of the BBC Archive? Unless you're very into TV history (or sci-fi -- this kinda geeky thing always gets reported by sci-fi mags) then probably not.

Essentially, the BBC are now releasing online selected documents from their history, for the first time allowing public viewers the chance to "explore who we are and see how attitudes have changed over the years through selections from an archive which began over 70 years ago... go behind the scenes to find out how the BBC archives are maintained, uncover forgotten stories from the Written Archives and see how broadcasting has changed through the decades." These are the sort of documents previously only available to Proper Researcher People and the like.

To tie in with the programme's 45th anniversary, the Archive have released a selection of documents from the birth of Doctor Who in 1962/3 -- that's the programme, not the character.

The collection, which can be read here, contains six documents and a photo gallery. The latter is a selection of 17 colour and black & white photos of the show's first cast and crew, mostly taken in the early '60s when the show was beginning, but with some from the '50s (on other productions) and '80s (when some of those cast members returned to the programme). It's not an especially comprehensive gallery, and most of the images will be very familiar to long-term or attentive Who fans, but for those unaccustomed to how the relevant people looked it's probably a nice primer.

The former includes the following documents:

Titled simply Science Fiction, the first document is a four-page 1962 report looking into whether the BBC should make science fiction drama for TV.

Equally simply titled, Report: Science Fiction is a three-page follow-up document, also from 1962, on the kind of stories BBC science fiction dramas might handle.

The third document contains two pages of general concept notes for a science fiction drama, though what's suggested doesn't necessarily resemble the final product...

The first series-specific document is titled "Dr. Who": General Notes on Background and Approach, a four-page outline of both production style ("a series of stories linked to form a continuing serial") and content (list of characters, etc).

Skipping ahead quite a lot, the penultimate piece is a Radio Times article previewing the very first episode, An Unearthly Child, as well as that episode's listing in the schedule.

Finally, a two-page Audience Research Report reveals both reaction and ratings. It's intriguing to learn that, in those days of just two channels (versus the hundreds we have today), Who's initial viewing figures were about half what they are today.

As well as these scanned images, each document is available in a plain-text version (very handy if you needed to quote it for any reason), though these unfortunately have to be viewed page by page and miss out some accompanying notes.

But that's an incredibly minor criticism of a fascinating and valuable project. It won't be of interest to everyone, or even every Who fan, but it's an incredible opportunity for those who are interested. One of the things that most intrigues me is that the BBC were so specifically looking for a sci-fi show, as I'd always assumed Who was born out of the desire to create something educational.

TV

Bill Bailey: Part Troll
As screened by Channel 4 a week or two ago. I didn't think I'd seen this before, but then much of it seemed very familiar -- though still hilariously funny. Perhaps C4 aired it previously, no doubt cut down (as they almost always seem to do with their stand-up) to fit an hour-with-ads slot, while this version filled an hour-and-a-half slot and so may have been uncut (there will still some jumps however). Anyway, it's very funny, I recommend it.

The Graham Norton Show
4x07 (13/11/08 edition, uncut repeat)
Robin Williams was the only guest this week... but that's OK, cos he's hilarious (even if he did most of the same stuff at Prince Charles' 60th birthday gig).

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #402
Including some nice articles on Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart -- even down to an edition of That Annoying Column that is actually (shock! horror!) likable. Though it does include an editor's footnote saying the writer should be fired -- ironic that my usual feeling should appear on the only one I've actually liked. Elsewhere this issue, there's other interesting stuff. Oh yes. (Only other bit I really remember: a good review of the Sarah Jane Adventures series on DVD.)

Articles

The Enterprise Through The Ages
(from Empire Online)
And there I was thinking all of Star Trek's spaceships looked basically the same...

JJ Abrams On The New Star Trek Trailer
(from Empire Online)
In 32 hi-res stills, director J.J. Abrams talks Empire through the just-released Star Trek trailer. "Part of [Kirk's] story in this movie," says Abrams, "is becoming the man that we all expect to see" -- so it's Star Trek Begins by way of Batman Begins and Casino Royale then. J.J. Abrams: never knowingly involved in something original.
[Watch the trailer here.]

New Coraline Poster by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire Online)
"It's the new film from author Neil "godlike genius" Gaiman and stop-motion director Henry "godlike genius" Selick."

Quantum of Solace Debut US Weekend Total Updated: $67.5 Million by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
Turns out, the new Bond didn't do quite as well as everyone thought. Still recording-breaking by a considerable margin though.

Trailer Breakdown: Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
(from Empire Online)
Entirely worth reading for one throwaway comment: "Dumbledore has, in other words, got mad skills."
[Watch the trailer here.]

Zack Snyder Talks Watchmen by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire Online)
A different report about the same screening I mentioned yesterday -- so here be spoilers -- but with some more detail from Zack Snyder's interview, including this amusing/interesting/complex (and spoiler-free) bit of info: "Snyder also talked a little about Under The Hood, a DVD extra chronicling 1940s costumed adventurers The Minutemen. "Eric Matthews did that; it's a mock documentary. The complicated thing is that it's done as a 1985 [when the film is set] TV retrospective looking back at the publication of a book that's supposed to have come out in 1972. That's very cool.""

TV

Clone
1x01 Alive
Oh dear, what's with all that poorly-dubbed laughter? Especially as it isn't even put on all the gags. Most of which were distinctly over-written, it must be said; and most of those that weren't were underwritten. It's almost good, at times, though never as good as it could be. Fingers crossed for improvement.

Heroes
3x07 Eris Quod Sum

Lead Balloon
3x01 Gas

Spooks
7x05 On the Brink
This week's plot is partially borrowed from the news, partially borrowed from Casino Royale. Also, I watched it when it was on! Hurrah! Though, it was on BBC Three last week, so...