Doctor Who news

Thanks to the wonder that is twitter, it's now confirmed that, despite earlier reports, Skins actress Hannah Murray definitely isn't the next Doctor Who companion. I leave it to Lizo Mzimba's tweets to report in full:

News hot off the press. Just spoke to the lovely Hannah Murray who says she definitely isn't going to be Matt Smith's assitant in Dr Who.

Hannah Murray said: It was something I could never consider cos I'm doing a degree at the moment so I could never commit to a show that big.

Hannah Murray continued re rumours: "That was never founded in fact." And re-asserted that companion was "definitely not" going to be her.

She's a decent enough actress and wouldn't've been bad casting, especially as it'll be a challenge to find anyone who actually looks young than Matt Smith.

TV

HD on BBC iPlayer is rubbish. Keep reading to find out why...

Have I Got News For You
37x01 (24/4/09 edition; uncut repeat)
Hurrah! It's great to have HIGNFY back -- why can't it be on all year round?
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Primeval
3x05 Episode 5
Probably Primeval's most ludicrous episode yet -- and that's saying something. Riddled with plot and logic holes, which is a shame because the basic ideas here have such potential.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Robin Hood
3x04 Sins of the Father
I was quite excited by the prospect of using BBC iPlayer to watch content in HD legally. This was my trial run... and it was appalling. Playback frequently dropped as low as one frame-per-second and the compression was blocky -- not what you expect from HD! Ran out of time to finish it before HIGNFY was on so will have to catch the rest on regular TV iPlayer another time. So much for iPlayer, back to less-than-legal downloads it.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Poetry

Hoping It Might Be So: Poems 1974-2000 by Kit Wright
Hoping It Might Be So (2000)
Short Afternoons (1989) (pages 45-55)
Collecting all of Kit Wright's books for adult readers published between (can you guess?) 1974 and 2000. Some very funny, satirical stuff. Some of it a bit densely poetic for me.

Music

Chinese Democracy by Guns N' Roses
I got this album as a free legal digital download around Christmastime, when Amazon UK briefly (as in, for one day) offered a free MP3 album to anyone who wanted it. But this is why I usually avoid paid-for downloads: if it were a CD I'd've listened to it more-or-less immediately; as a download, I forgot about it for four months.

Despite years (literally) of anticipation, it managed to receive fairly good reviews on release (at least, that was my impression -- I don't really follow music reviews/journalism) and I can see why. Whereas some good albums require a listen or two to get into, much of Chinese Democracy is instantly likable. It's not a revolutionary step in GnR's output, but if this is your kind of music then it's enjoyable.

Stand-out tracks (after a listen and a half) were:

Shackler's Revenge

Better

There Was a Time

Scraped

I.R.S.

Madagascar

I don't think the last one has anything to do with the films.

As a Queen fan, I'd also like to point out that one track, Catcher in the Rye, may or may not feature guitarist Brian May -- a leaked 1999 version did, but apparently the CD doesn't credit him.

Articles

Harry Potter Deathly Hallows by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire)
That title tells you nothing, doesn't it? The subtitle is better: "How they're splitting the final film". No one reveals where they're doing it, of course, though it's intriguing that they settled on a point and then moved it to a different one. Very intriguing. Also discussed is how they might handle the "19 Years Later" epilogue, in more detail than where that breakpoint is.

Talking with John “DJ” Des Jardin
(from WatchmenComicMovie.com)
A solid interview about the special visual effects on Watchmen, including some of what we can expect from the Director's Cut.

new review at 100 Films

Runaway Train (1985)

The focus on a high concept, emphasis on exciting action sequences, the way the plot is structured, the faintly pantomime villains, comical supporting characters, and occasional slips into fantasy — none of these elements suggest your typical Oscar nominee.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 15 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films, not to mention two shorts, a film I've previously seen, and an alternate cut. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

Cracker
2x04 The Big Crunch Part 1
Ah, Evil Christians -- a brilliant episode! Can't wait 'til Fitz gets his hands on them, it should be priceless.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Articles

The Finished/Theatrical Version Of Wolverine Has Been Seen!! Just How Different Is It From That Workprint?? by Merrick
(from Ain't It Cool News)
Answer: it's exactly the same (apart from effects and sound fixes), apparently. Oops.

For him by Andrew Collins
(from Never Knowingly Underwhelmed)
A hilarious perspective on Crank 2. One of my favourite reviews ever.

Robert Rodriguez's Predators officially confirmed today! by Quint
(from Ain't It Cool News)
And just after I watched them all too!

Poem of the Week: Gateway to the Atlantic

by Roger McGough

While I was generally quite down on Slapstick when I covered it yesterday, it still has a decent number of worthwhile poems. Here's one of my early favourites because of its nice rhyme and rhythm, as well as a fairly clear topic and theme.

I am the warm hello and the sad farewell

I am the path to glory and the road to hell

I am the gull on the wing and the salt in the air

I am the night patrol and the morning prayer

I am the port register, read the names with pride

I am the thickening fog and the quickening tide

I am the ferryboat, the slaver, the man-o'-war

I am the keeper of the quays, welcome ashore

I am the starstruck, eternal romantic

I am the gateway to the Atlantic.

As mentioned above, Gateway to the Atlantic is taken from Slapstick (aka Slapstick Poems), McGough's 2008 collection published by Puffin.

TV

The Mentalist
1x04 Ladies in Red
1x05 Redwood
[Watch Ladies in Red and Redwood again on Demand Five.]

The Wire
1x13 Sentencing [season finale]
Look here for my thoughts on this episode, and the season as a whole.

Poetry

Slapstick (aka Slapstick Poems) by Roger McGough
McGough is a well-respected poet for good reason, though that's not always evident in this collection. That's not because it's aimed at kids -- I love poetry for kids -- but because some of it falls down on issues of rhythm, pace, or the be-all-and-end-all of poetry, sounding good.
Others are great (and destined for Poem of the Week) and others still depend -- not just "benefit from", but depend -- on the illustrations of Adam Stower... yet he doesn't get a credit on the cover. In fact, he's only mentioned once, on page three. Poor Adam Stower. His excellent illustrations are to be found accompanying every poem and he deserves more mention, I feel -- I frequently enjoyed his art more than the piece it was attached to.

Articles

Quite a lot of articles today (10, in fact), so here they are split into three groups. First, the most articley of articles...

Outlander Vs State Of Play or, The Premise Vs Plot Dilemma by Helen O'Hara
(from the Empire Blog)
A very thoughtful and thought-provoking article on the amount of hype drummed up by some movies, and their consequent box office success, and the lack of chatter on others, and their consequent box office failure -- essentially, "woah, cool" movies for the former and more intelligent movies for the latter. Recommended reading for all, I say.

The Play’s The Thing - An Easy Guide To Liking Shakespeare Onscreen by Helen O'Hara
(from the Empire Blog)
Does more or less what it says on the tin, and does it well I think.

Articles: Lists

10 Greatest Movie Posters Ever Made by Sam Ashurst
and
10 Worst Movie Posters Ever Made by Andy Lowe
(from Total Film)
Some odd choices on both sides, but worth pondering. Personally, I love the "Some Thing Has Found Us" tagline -- that's a very cleverly placed space.

10 Incredibly Strange Movie Trailers by Andy Lowe
(from Total Film)
I do love a good trailer, and some of these are just that. And some are unmitigated drivel. Follow the advice on #2, the clips it points you toward are utterly hilarious.

If Movie Posters Were Honest
(from Holy Taco)
As with all of these Photoshop-based comedy poster/advert efforts, there's a mix of very funny and "oh how I wish I were funny" efforts here. The Indy 4 spoof is unoriginal and, to be honest, a tired and fairly untrue complaint, but the too truthful The Happening spoof singlehandedly makes up for all the bad ones.

If TV Shows Had Truthful Titles
(from Holy Taco)
Yup, it's the exact same thing, only with TV show titles. Intriguingly, this article came first -- I'd've thought the ease and familiarity of movie posters (as opposed to having to find posters/DVD covers/cast photos with some words on for TV shows) made them a more obvious choice. Anyway, it's again a mixed bag, but the Heroes one makes it all worth it.

Articles: News

Sony Wants You To Pay More Money To See Spider-Man 4 by Devin Faraci
(from CHUD.com)
The headline sounds sensationalist, but is fairly accurate. It also supports some of my previously-expressed thoughts on this new love for 3D.

Tom Hanks On Toy Story 3 by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire)
And also The Pacific, a "spiritual sequel" to Band of Brothers. BoB is amazing, one of the greatest miniseries ever, so hopefully The Pacific can live up to it.

Turtles Origins Set For Live Action by Emily Phillips
(from Empire)
So, essentially, a remake.

The Wire 1x13: Sentencing

An excellent concluding episode to The Wire's first season. One suspects they weren't banking on having any more, considering how this wraps things up.

It's all handled in a believable, real-world style, in-keeping with the rest of the series -- which final episodes aren't necessarily, often finding some semi-plausible final piece of evidence that sees all the bad guys locked up and all the good guys exalted with amazing levels of praise. Not so here -- there are consequences for all involved, to one degree or another, and thankfully no magic final revelation that allows all the bad guys to be locked up for a respectable amount of time.

It also succeeds in rewarding the viewer in a way only The Wire does. They're tiny moments played to perfection, such as my personal favourite, the juxtaposition of freshly-promoted mole Carver and Pryzbylewski in the wake of a speech about what kind of police officer you should be -- subtly, and referencing earlier events, it shows the complete difference between the two officers, and how they've subverted our early expectations of them. Similarly, the episode pays off apparently minor scenes -- and even just lines -- from all the way back to episode one. But, importantly, it does this without battering you round the head with flashbacks or "remember when..." dialogue. That's why this is a "novel for TV", and has become so beloved.

And, like most of the very best stories, its full quality can't be appreciated until you've seen it through to the end. This perhaps explains the minor critical (and audience, in some cases) backlash, where some 'don't get it' after only one or two sample episodes. (I'm happy to admit that I shared this view, to an extent, and expressed it here, but I think I remained aware that The Wire was the sort of programme you couldn't adequately judge without seeing it all).

The announcer confirmed that the second season would begin in a few weeks. Considering each tells such a different story (or so I've heard) this seems a wise decision... but I'm looking forward to it already. The Wire hasn't become my Favourite TV Series Ever, but I can now see why it's so praised. Consider me a fan -- and a convert.

TV

The Omid Djalili Show
2x01 Episode 1
Not certain it lived up to claims of being massively funnier than the first series, but it kept me amused. Favourite bit was possibly the Tudors-spoofing Henry VIII credits.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Speaker
1x06 Episode 6
How in God's name did they vote for Duncan?! Poor Haroon.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Force is strong for Jedi police
(from BBC News)
"Eight police officers serving with Scotland's largest force listed their official religion as Jedi in voluntary diversity forms... Strathclyde Police said the officers [plus] two of its civilian staff claimed to follow the faith, which features in the Star Wars movies."
I suppose as they're meant to be the 'Police Service' these days a headline of "May the (Police) Force Be With You" would've been considered politically incorrect.

Internet-Age Writing Syllabus and Course Overview by Robert Lanham
(from Timothy McSweeney)
"As print takes its place alongside smoke signals, cuneiform, and hollering, there has emerged a new literary age, one in which writers no longer need to feel encumbered by the paper cuts, reading, and excessive use of words traditionally associated with the writing trade. Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era focuses on the creation of short-form prose that is not intended to be reproduced on pulp fibers. Instant messaging. Twittering. Facebook updates... 21st-century literary genres"
Mmm, satire. (Long satire.)

TV

Argumental
2x04 (20/4/09 edition)
Blues was robbed.

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
1x01 The Big Bonanza
Perfect Sunday night viewing -- gentle, funny, but mercifully not dull (as some examples of "perfect Sunday night viewing" are). Shame I didn't get round to this sooner; on the other hand, it means I'll watch the last two episodes in HD thanks to BBC HD being added to iPlayer. (Sadly only the last two are available there though.)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Speaker
1x05 Episode 5
My God, get rid of Duncan! Please!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Music

War Child: Heroes
War Child is an admirable enterprise (producing compilation albums of original music by well-known artists for charity) and their much-publicised latest effort, Heroes, sounds right up my street -- I love covers and this is billed as "The Ultimate Covers Album". It's certainly a fantastic concept: renowned artists choose their favourite track and a modern act they'd like to cover it.

Sadly, its execution is lacking. There are some combinations that come out as the concept would imply -- Paul McCartney's Live and Let Die covered by Duffy, Blondie's Call Me covered by Franz Ferdinand, Stevie Wonder's Superstition covered by Estelle -- and all the "original legends", as the booklet bills them, are suitably well-known. But their song choices often aren't, and neither are some of "today's biggest acts" -- again, the booklet's words -- who are covering them. So we have the likes of Lily Allen, Scissor Sisters and the Kooks rubbing shoulders with Peaches, the Hold Steady and the Like -- acts that just provoke a collective, "who?"

Maybe some of the covered songs are more recognisable when heard than from their titles, and I suppose no one said they had to be famous songs chosen... but, to me, the very idea of an "Ultimate Covers Album" with such a setup implies songs and artists you know.

On the other hand, most of it does sound good -- I mean, you can't complain at that. The recognisable songs are largely among the best bits, though Duffy's Live and Let Die is risibly dull, choosing to abandon the original's defining hard-soft juxtaposition in favour of just the soft. Fortunately it's a rare misstep on this otherwise entertaining CD.

Articles

A message from our Guest Editor-In-Chief... by Steven Spielberg
(from Empire: 20 at Empire)
Steven Spielberg introduces Empire's 20th anniversary issue, which he's guest edited. It's a lovely piece and the magazine sounds great too. Can't wait to get my hands on it.

Ashes drama draws in 7m audience
(from BBC News)
Last night's season premiere of Ashes to Ashes managed to get exactly the same viewing figures as season one's opener. What're the chances, eh?

Fox Source Responds to Claim of Wolverine Lie by Kyle Buchanan
(from Movie|Line)
"Remember when Tom Rothman swore up and down that the final version of the film would be ten minutes longer? Apparently that was a lie. The bootleg apparently ran 107 minutes with credits. The official running time listed in the AMC and Arclight websites lists the film as running… drum roll… 107 minutes."
Of course, Fox had the common sense to suggest that "cuts had been made to the leaked workprint before the additional footage was added, which resulted in a similar running time". Obviously.
And so, the saga continues...

Spanish Life On Mars

Some people are very down on the idea of the brilliant British series Life On Mars being remade. Personally, I think it's ripe for remakes -- while it's unlikely they can top the original in terms of overall quality, the thematic idea of comparing '00s policing to '70s policing will differ in every country and so warrants differing explorations.

This Spanish version is especially intriguing, as it aims to contrast modern-day Spain with a post-Franco 1978. Courtesy of Jack Yan on Vox, here's a trailer and a few photos (even more content at this link). Obviously it's in Spanish so relatively undecipherable if you don't speak the language, but it doesn't look too bad. Fingers crossed that BBC Four will show it (subtitled, of course) at some point.

It's been retitled La chica de ayer in Spain, incidentally, the title of a 2002 song which translates as The Girl From Yesterday. You can also see some behind-the-scenes videos here. Again in Spanish, I'm afraid.

first image of Russell Crowe as Robin Hood

As he'll be seen in Ridley Scott's forthcoming variably-titled Robin Hood-based film (though they may've settled on plain Robin Hood now).

Based on the script changes implied in the Wikipedia article, I feel quite sorry for the guys who wrote the original Nottingham screenplay -- it was widely praised and provoked a bit of a bidding war, as I recall. Scott's thrown it all out, it would seem, and I bet he's not handed it back to them to actually get it made. Sounded far more interesting than just another straightforward version of the story.

But I digress. Here's the new photo. Though, it looks like it could quite conceivably have been taken 9 years ago...

"My name is Robin Hood, son of Locksley, Early of Huntingdon, loyal servant to the true King Richard. Father to my band of merry men, lover of Maid Marian. And I will have my vengeance."

Again.

TV

Ashes to Ashes
2x01 Episode One
Hurrah for the return of Ashes, the underrated Life On Mars sequel. Always a joy to have Gene Hunt on our screens and lots of intriguing mysteries to mull over for the next 8 weeks -- and, hopefully, an intended third (and final) season beyond that.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Graham Norton Show
5x06 (16/4/09 edition, uncut repeat)
Robot Graham = Best. Thing. Ever. Gillian Anderson's accent = tad odd, it must be said, but surprisingly British-sounding.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Primeval
3x04 Episode 4
Oft-predictable tosh, again, but rather spectacular tosh this week with a Great Big Dinosaur and chases around an airport and a helicopter and Nigel Marven getting eaten -- it's exactly what Primeval should be like.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Articles

Ashes To Ashes returns! by Nick Setchfield
(from SFX)
"SFX is celebrating the return of Ashes To Ashes to BBC One with a week of thug-slapping, Quattro-spinning exclusives." Hurrah! Today, it's a very good interview with co-creator Matthew Graham that covers all sorts of topics related to the series.

BBC iPlayer goes HD, adds higher quality streams, releases iPlayer Desktop out of Labs by Anthony Rose
(from BBC Internet Blog)
Yes, yes, yes yes yes! Seriously considering giving up watching programmes that are also shown on BBC HD on my TV (which is small and non-HD) and just watching them on my Mac via iPlayer Desktop (which is HD!) Lots more info in the article, naturally, including that they've improved the SD stream to bring it closer to TV quality. Yummy.

Simon Pegg talks Trek by Nick Setchfield
(from SFX)
The second part of SFX's interview with the Geekdom God (I mentioned the first half here). Worth a look just for the amusingly subtle dig at Heroes if nothing else.

new review at 100 Films

State of Play (2009)

the real focus of this screen-to-bigger-screen translation is the complex six-hour story of the original series, condensed from 340 minutes to just 127. This three-fold reduction has been well handled, and perhaps their most noteworthy achievement is crafting a film that feels entirely like its own entity without sacrificing anything significant from the primary conspiracy plot.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 16 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films, not to mention two shorts, a film I've previously seen, and an alternate cut. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

Damages
2x09 You Got Your Prom Date Pregnant
Are the FBI investigating Patty, or not? Why is the apparently-primary UNR plot so often sidelined? Will William Hurt's name forever be in the credits even though he doesn't appear to be in it any more? These are the burning questions.

Louis Theroux: A Place for Paedophiles
I never used to bother with Louis Theroux's programmes, but after finding his San Quentin prison doc very interesting (way back in January 2008, as it turns out -- you can read my thoughts on it at my old blog) this semi-sequel (as it were) looked like an equally intriguing prospect.
And it was -- a difficult issue handled intelligently and thoughtfully, devoid of any inappropriate humour. There are many questions raised -- not just about paedophiles and how we should treat them, but about the legality and morality of the institution that was his subject -- but no easy answers handed down.
This is quality documentary making and we should be thankful that there's someone prepared to make such work and that we have a network prepared to fund and broadcast it.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Wire
1x12 Cleaning Up
If you'd told me this was the final episode I wouldn't've been surprised, which means I'm rather intrigued to see what cards they have left to play. Should be an interesting final episode...

Films

State of Play (2009)
[#20 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
Not that I'm boasting (maybe a little), but I got to see this at a preview screening ahead of its UK release this Wednesday. The real question is, is it as good as the TV series? The answer: of course it bloody isn't. But, fortunately, it's a very good film nonetheless.
My full review is up at 100 Films now.

Articles

Matthew McConaughey’s Next 10 Movie Posters by Daniel O'Brien
(from Cracked.com)
These spoof posters may be a long way from the standard of other similar Photoshop-based gags you see around the web, but, crucially, most of them are funny. Can't always guarantee that.

new review at 100 Films

The Birds (1963)

The titular demented avians attack, and attack again, a near relentless series of assaults and set pieces that allow Hitchcock to show off his apparently endless array of shooting and editing tricks. And it’s all achieved without a single note of music — yet some sections are almost unbearably tense, built entirely with camera angles and masterful editing.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 16 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films, not to mention two shorts, a film I've previously seen, and an alternate cut. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

Another weak TV day...

I've Never Seen Star Wars
1x05 Hugh Dennis
In which Dennis tries a paltry three things. One of them was eating roadkill though, so that almost makes up for it.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

AVPR - Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (2007)
[#19 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
And that's it for my trawl through all eight Alien and Predator films! Reviews soon.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Trailer 4a
Among the list of reasons the MPAA have classified this a PG (a surprisingly low decision given the last few films and some of the events in this book) is the comment "mild sensuality". The MPAA must be the only ratings organisation outside of the Middle East who consider this something parents might want to guard their children against.
As for the trailer itself, it looks incredibly action-packed seeing as I remember this book as being particularly wordy and staid, moving things into place for the finale. That's a good thing in my opinion. It also closes with the possibly the best rendition of the films' main theme yet, suitably epic and dramatic. Still, Half-Blood Prince remains the weakest of the Potter titles. It might sound quite good, but it only refers to a relatively minor plot element (as far as I remember anyway) -- there's certainly no mention of it in the trailer!

Music

Milestones by Ben & Alfie
Ben and Alfie Weedon are a pair of Westcountry teens who produce classical folk-tinged music, to some acclaim in certain musical circles (so I'm told). 2008's Milestones features new material alongside pieces collected from previous albums.
As well as the music, there's some joy to be had from the track titles: while some are wholly expected for the genre (Quarrender's Reel, From the Duck Pond), others show a nice degree of wit or create an interesting disjunct -- Track 8 (track two on the CD), Thing-A-Me Jig, and Ultrasound, for example. The CD's brief liner notes for each track also help focus the listener's attention on the boys' intention, which is especially nice for a classical novice like myself.
You can buy/preview their music from CD Baby, iTunes, or their MySpace page.

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #407
Unsurprisingly focused on Planet of the Dead... as is next issue... Hopefully they'll give it up then, otherwise they'll be going on about one special all the way to November.

Being so close to one special naturally means there's little news on the future, with only some minor casting for the excellent-sounding Waters of Mars and some reheated quotes about the end of Tennant's tenure to tide us over new-series-wise. In past-terms, Big Finish's forthcoming 'Lost Stories'/'Season 23' strand sound promising, and the hint at possibly doing something similar with Season 27 is very tantalising for a McCoy fan like myself. A preview of the just-released novel Prisoner of the Daleks also makes it sound brilliant -- I may have to begin buying the books again, and perhaps even read them.

Commentary on this issue can't avoid the already infamous Christopher H Bidmead interview. Except I haven't read it yet. But one particular pull-quote is probably rather telling: "This is a good interview. You're asking all the right questions, and I'm offering some brilliant answers!" Oh my.

Finally, for the first time in 11 years DWM is conducting a Best Story Ever poll of its readership, nicely timed for the 200th story. (It is it is it is, whatever else you want to argue.) The deadline isn't 'til June so Lord knows when the results will be published (to coincide with story #201, maybe? Or Tennant's departure?) With 40 adventures now in consideration that weren't last time, it'll be interesting to see if Tennant and/or Eccleston storm the Top 50, or if there'll be enough classic series fans to help combat the over-enthusiastic new-series-only newcomers.

Articles

100 Movies To See Before You Die by The Yahoo! Movies Editorial Staff
(from Yahoo! Movies)
These lists come along all the time, often featuring most of the same films. I'm an absolute sucker for them nonetheless, and on this one I've seen exactly 50 of the 100 listed. Many good choices, of course, but some oddities that could really do with a note of explanation.

David Heyman talks Dumbledore's funeral, Hogwarts battle & more by Emma Riddle
(from SnitchSeeker.com)
Harry Potter producer Heyman discusses some of the cuts and changes to the adaptations of both Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows, including how they've made a rod for their own backs with some of the stuff they cut in earlier films. If you're at all interested in Potter than this is worth a read.

Poem of the Week: Anchor Baby

by Tim Burton

Apologies for being 24 hours late. Maybe I should just move this to Saturdays...

Anyway, this piece is my favourite tale from Burton's volume The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories. A little more about it following the poem itself:

There was a beautiful girl
who came from the sea.
And there was just one place
that she wanted to be.

With a man named Walker
who played in a band.
She would leave the ocean
and come onto the land.

He was the one that she wanted the most.
And she tried everything
to capture this ghost.

But throughout all their lives
they never connected.
She wandered the earth
alone and rejected

She tried looking happy
she tried looking tragic,
she tried astral projecting,
sex, and black magic.

Nothing could join them,
except maybe one thing,
just maybe...
something to anchor their spirits...
They had a baby.

But to give birth to a baby
they needed a crane.
the umbilical cord
was in the form of a chain.

I t was ugly and gloomy,
and as hard as a kettle.
It had no pink skin,
just heavy gray metal.

The baby that was meant
to bring them together,
just shrouded them both
in a cloud of foul weather.

So Walker took off
to play with the band.
And from that day on,
he stayed mainly on land.

And she was alone
with her gray baby anchor,
who got so oppressive
that eventually sank her.

As she went to the bottom,
not fulfilling her wish,
it was her, and her baby...
and a few scattered fish.

Better known as a film director (you've heard of him, right), Burton started out in animation, crafting a lot of his own characters and stories. In 1996 he published The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, a volume of poetic stories with his own illustrations. Whether they were all written around that time or some date back to his earlier pre-directing career, I don't know. The style of the pieces is typical of what you might expect from Burton -- fairytale-like, but also very dark and macabre. "Twisted", some would surely say.

For my thoughts on the whole book you can look back to when I read it about a month ago (it feels considerably longer, I must say). You can also read the full text online here, complete with illustrations, though I don't know if this is legal. The book itself is published by Faber & Faber, and their page for it is here.

TV

A particularly busy TV day, which makes for a nice change.

Argumental
2x01 (23/3/09 edition)
After what seems like no time away, Argumental's back! Hurrah! (Look, forget I've already watched the next two, alright?) A particularly strong start to a new series too, packed with utter hilarity until the very last -- well, if we're honest, until the penultimate -- round.

I've Never Seen Star Wars
1x06 Nigel Havers
Havers made for a consistently surprising guest -- I'd never have expected him to give such high scores to McDonalds or getting a tattoo. How little he enjoyed the Smiths (which I can completely relate to) didn't seem to warrant a score as high as 7 though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mad Men
2x09 Six Month Leave
Mad Men's quality has been slightly variable in this second season -- never bad, but you get the sense proceedings aren't quite as focused as they were in the first year, especially when it comes to arc plots -- but this episode sees the show on blazingly good form. One of the best.

The Mentalist
1x03 Red Tide
Some dodgy dialogue (and delivery) aside, this continues to be an entertaining procedural that makes good use of the lead character's Derren Brown-style skills -- they're all believably grounded in truth and treated with suitable skepticism by his colleagues, rather than being some magic semi-mystical solution.
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

The Wire
1x11 The Hunt
Following the shooting of a cop in the previous episode, the police -- as usual -- seriously mobilise their forces. One of the series' best episodes yet, for all kinds of reasons -- there's plenty of room for character, plot, subplots, themes, tropes, and more. Plus, a brief silent scene centered on a pen stain on a sofa exemplifies all that is so clever and so praised about this series.

Films

AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)
[#18 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
Nearly done...

Articles

First Look At Tintin by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire)
It's Empire's 20th birthday soon, and the celebratory issue is guest-edited by Steven Spielberg. Fancy-pants, ain't it. And from that forthcoming issue, here's a couple of world exclusives. Firstly, a brief look behind the scenes of Tintin...

Jackson/Del Toro Talk Hobbit by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire)
...and secondly, news that the Guillermo del Toro-directed Hobbit films will now both adapt the titular book, and not in fact tell two different stories. Shame.

Review: State of Play by Mick LaSalle
(from the San Francisco Chronicle at SFGate)
As a huge fan of the original TV series, I'll be very interested to see if this much-lambasted ending is the same one that had, or some new mistake grafted on the end.

new review at 100 Films

The Kite Runner (2007)

the story seems to be more about its themes than its characters: bravery, cowardice, and the difference between the two; friendship, and the lengths (or not) it will go to; truth and lies, and what underhand things people — especially children — will do to cover up their own shortcomings and failings.

There are currently 15 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films, not to mention two shorts, two films I've previously seen, and an alternate cut review. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

The Speaker
1x04 Episode 4
The sooner Duncan goes the better, if you ask me.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Magazines

SFX #182
So packed with interesting things that I actually read most of it! Shocking, I know. Amongst the goodness in this Star Trek-bedecked issue there's...

a good interview with Alan Moore, as the new League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is out in the next week or two;

a retrospective on Babylon 5 (I wonder if Straczynski still hates SFX?);

a decent feature on Ashes to Ashes series two, complete with hints at series three and an exclusive, amusing comic;

a look back at the acclaimed 1981 BBC radio adaptation of Lord of the Rings, which I keep meaning to listen to;

a fairly large feature on sci-fi-related computer games, which includes The Secret of Monkey Island at a very respectable #6 in a Top 20 count-up, plus a look at worthwhile forthcomers;

a reviews section that means I now have a whole lot more stuff I want toread/watch/hear;

plus a very good news section. I'm not going to go summarising it here, but it took ages to get through so it must've been interesting.

Oh, and some big exclusive feature on that Star Trek thing, if you're interested.

Nursing Council don't care about patients' wellbeing

Shocking and slightly untruthful title got your attention? Good. Now read this:

A nurse who secretly filmed for the BBC to reveal the neglect of elderly patients at a hospital has been struck off for misconduct...

She was struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council which said she failed to "follow her obligations as a nurse". Ms Haywood, a nurse for over 20 years, said she thought she had been treated harshly and had put patients first... The chair of the panel, Linda Read, said Ms Haywood had prioritised the filming, which in the view of the panel "was a major breach of the code of conduct"...

Elizabeth Bloor, the BBC programme's producer, told the hearing there had been "an over-arching public interest" to produce the Undercover Nurse documentary because Panorama had received up to 5,000 complaints about conditions. She also said that questions had been asked in the House of Commons about the issues investigated, and the Royal College of Nursing conducted research into patient dignity on hospital wards in the wake of its broadcast...

The decision was criticised by Joyce Robins, co-director of Patient Concern. She said: "This just demonstrates the priorities of the regulators - rules come before patients every time. The message that goes out to nurses is: however badly you see patients treated, keep your face shut. This makes total nonsense of all the talk about openness and transparency in the NHS. Cover-up is the order of the game."

Ms Haywood's actions were also defended by Gary Fitzgerald, chief executive of Action on Elder Abuse. He said: "We know that we're seeing older people suffering the most appalling care and neglect too often in our care environments. In that context I believe what Margaret Haywood did and what Panorama did was right and proper. She said the public needs to be aware of what exactly's going on in these places, in these wards, we didn't have any other way of telling them and I think that's the point".

Read the full story here.

TV

The Wire
1x10 The Cost

Yesterday's TV post was accidentally left unposted, but can now be found here.

Articles

Russell T Davies: interview by Gabriel Tate
(from Time Out London)
Who-related interviews are everywhere at the minute thanks to the recent special, which inevitably means lots of repetition. As interviews go this is a good one though, with a few interesting bits you might not have seen elsewhere.

TV

Red Dwarf
The Making of Back to Earth
A nice little making-of, though it's only about the filming and so sadly lacks detail in how the project came about, what it was really like to be back after 10 years, and various bits of production too (such as the new camera system being used and anything that happened post-wrap -- i.e. CGI).
For my thoughts on the three-part season itself, look here, here and here.

The Speaker
1x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Nature's Great Events
Part 4 The Great Tide
Despite some heavy similarities with the final episode, this is still a spectacular edition. And when it's those movie-action-sequence-esque bait-ball bits that are being repeated, I don't mind in the slightest.

Orangutan Diary
2x05 Episode 5
Despite this penultimate episode of the wildlife series airing almost three weeks ago, complete with a "next time" trail promising a resolution to the series, the BBC have only just scheduled a first airing for episode six. (Next Sunday, if you're interested.) Oddly, they still list the series as having 10 episodes. No explanation for that one.

Primeval
3x03 Episode 3
An episode of two halves, the first a light, fluffy, infinitely silly romp, the second dark and arc-plot heavy. It's a very odd disjunct, and feels a bit like the makers have tried to combine those two opposites in the way that Doctor Who does, but instead of blending them have just stuck them next to each other. It also featured a Very Significant Event... which, thanks to appalling ratings, will surely come as a shock to casual viewers who skip this one.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Films

Predator 2 (1990)
[#17 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Articles

Huge audiences for Talent, Who by Neil Wilkes
(from Digital Spy)
"The first of this year's Doctor Who specials, Planet Of The Dead, was seen by a respectable 8.41m (39.6%) on BBC One. [It] was the first episode of Who to be simulcast in HD on BBC HD, where it was seen by 184k (1%).
Primeval, meanwhile, shed over 1.5m in its head-to-head battle with Who. This week's episode, which saw one of the major characters killed off, averaged a disappointing 2.71m (14.3%)."
Chances for a fourth year of Primeval aren't look too rosy then.

Games: Wii

Had my first-ever proper go on a Wii today.

It's easy to see why it's proved so popular, as it's a great deal of fun, especially when you have other people to play with. A quick go on Wii Fit (dull and preachy) was followed by some multiplayer Wii Sports. I started the Bowling abysmally, scoring just 7 in the first round against proper scores from my Wii-versed family members, but soon got the hang of it and stormed to a 40-point-lead victory. I like Bowling.

Conclusion: I want a Wii. Can't say much better than that.

TV

Orangutan Diary
2x04 Episode 4

Red Dwarf
9x03 Back to Earth Part 3 [season finale]
See here for my thoughts on this episode.

Films

Predator (1987)
[#16a in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
Seen this twice before, but will be reviewing it as part of a series on the Alien and Predator films.

Red Dwarf: Back to Earth (Part 3)

Not the strongest part of the three, thought it confirmed to me that this would be much better viewed as a single 90-minute piece -- the sheer volume of ongoing plot elements, running jokes, quite in depth references back to events of previous parts, and really awkward cliffhangers all suggest this that's how it was meant to be seen. I suppose only the DVD release can reveal that for certain.

In all, it's not the best Red Dwarf has to offer, but it was mostly very cleverly done (too cleverly for some, it seems) and entertained plentifully. There were also a nice number of references to previous episodes -- many of them years and years old -- that only fans were likely to get, but which didn't impede too much on the enjoyment for newbies. It did rather rely on you having seen Blade Runner to fully appreciate it though.

Ratings for Part 1 were strong but dipped for Part 2, though were still great by Dave's standard and was against much stronger competition. Hopefully Part 3's were alright and, factoring everything in (including various repeats and a bumper-bonus single-sitting repeat tomorrow), here's hoping we'll be treated to more RD in the future.

Poem of the Week: Peter Cottontail

by Beatrix Potter

A slightly delayed poem this week -- because it's Easter! Mmm, chocolate. And in that sort of spirt, here's a lovely bit of Beatrix Potter.

Before we begin, I should point out that the titular rabbit is, of course, Peter Rabbit. Apparently; because, as I'm sure you know, Peter and Cottontail are two different bunnies in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. I'm afraid I have no clarification on this point.

Here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity, hoppity,
Easter's on its way.

Bringin' every girl and boy Baskets full of Easter joy,
Things to make your Easter bright and gay.
He's got jelly beans for Tommy,
Colored eggs for sister Sue,
There's an orchid for your Mommy
And an Easter bonnet, too.

Oh, here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity, hoppity,
Happy Easter day.

Here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Look at him stop,
And listen to him say:
"Try to do the things you should."
Maybe if you're extra good,
He'll roll lots of Easter eggs your way.

You'll wake up on Easter morning
And you'll know that he was there
When you find those choc'late bunnies
That he's hiding ev'rywhere.

Oh, here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity, hoppity,
Happy Easter day.

Happy Easter Day indeed.

TV

Doctor Who [new]
4x15 Planet of the Dead [Easter special]
See here for my thoughts on this story.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Primeval
3x02 Episode 2
Oh dear, what a load of tosh.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Red Dwarf
9x02 Back to Earth Part 2
The real point of this new series kicks in here, I feel; Part 1 was all preamble to this. Funnier and cleverer -- too clever for some, it seems, based on comments to be found online.

Robin Hood
3x03 Lost in Translation
As action-packed as the rest of this new series, but suffered from coming right after a brilliant new episode of Doctor Who. Scheduling fail there.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Alien Resurrection (1997)
[#16 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
Found this surprisingly enjoyable -- underrated, I think.

Articles

Dollhouse Robbery? The Truth Behind the "Missing" Episode by Matt Mitovich
(from TV Guide)
I'm not even watching Dollhouse (awaiting a UK broadcast like a good boy), but this has been an interesting story that -- unsurprisingly -- has a far less sinister truth behind it than most were assuming.
Random Wikipedia trivia: "Episodes of Dollhouse are about six minutes longer than standard one-hour dramas on US network television, as the show airs with half as many commercial advertising slots."

New Red Dwarf pulls in over 2 million by Neil Wilkes
(from Digital Spy)
"The return of Red Dwarf for its first new episode in ten years was a huge hit for Dave... The first episode of a three-part reunion special, Red Dwarf: Back To Earth, pulled in 2.06m (10%) [and] a further 341k (1.9%) watched at 10pm." Apparently Dave's usual ratings are around the 250k mark, so this is clearly a great success. The total will go up later too, as this doesn't include those who recorded it to watch later.
"The success of Red Dwarf helped Dave to a primetime share of 3.2%, making it the most popular multichannel station of the night by a margin of almost one share point." It also beat BBC Two and Five in the ratings, and came relatively close to BBC One and Channel 4 too.
Let's hope this success continues tonight and tomorrow -- it's ratings and DVD sales that will dictate if we get more.

TV REVIEW Doctor Who "Planet Of The Dead" by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
I thought it was slightly better than this review does, though lots of comments are fair enough.

Your Questions for Jordan Fields of Shout! Factory
(from Satellite News)
About the current DVD releases of Mystery Science Theater 3000, which are put out by Shout! Factory. Very interesting if you're into the show or intrigued by how much work goes into small-label DVD releases (a helluva lot).

And see a pair of TV-related interviews here.

Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead

Doctor Who's never-ending fourth series continues throughout this year -- they're consistently dubbed The 2009 Specials, and I'm sure will be on DVD, but as Series 5 begins in early 2010 and these are referred to by the production as 4.14 to 4.18, I suppose they do remain part of Series 4 -- and this Easter special is supposedly the last chance for a romp before the run up to Tennant's departure at Christmas/New Year. It's also the first Who shot in HD -- oo-ooh.

Anyway, what of the episode itself? Very entertaining, with a good mix of styles and a suitably epic feel. The concept of creating something with enough meat to tide you over 'til there's more at Christmas was a good one as this hour pulls it off as well as it was likely to. Trapping a bunch of Ordinary People in a vehicle seems to be a favourite trope of Davies', but that's because it works; it's just a shame there wasn't an extra ten or fifteen minutes to flesh them all out more.

The final moments, hinting at the darkness to come, were very well handled, whetting the appetite but not overdoing it and ruining this episode. And the trailer for the next special looks fantastic -- The Waters of Mars has to be the best title since The Empty Child! I'm counting down to November already.

Russell T Davies and Doug Naylor interviews

With Britain's two biggest sci-fi series both having new episodes tonight after a long break (though Red Dwarf's is considerably longer!), here are interviews with the men in charge...

Doug Naylor on the red carpet
(from Dave)
A video interview with the co-creator, writer and current director of Red Dwarf, Doug Naylor, discussing (amongst other things) the miniscule budget the new specials were produced on and what the future potential for RD is. Considering the excellent ratings achieved by part one, if it can maintain that momentum I think we may well see more.

Russell T Davies Doctor Who interview: full transcript by Robert Colvile
(from Robert Colvile's blog at Telegraph.co.uk)
A nice long interview with Davies, discussing a little of what's to come in his remaining three episodes (spoiler warning on that, then), how the transition to Steven Moffat has been (and will be) handled, and various reflective thoughts on his era of Who.

TV

Argumental
2x03 (6/4/09 edition)

Red Dwarf
9x01 Back to Earth Part 1
Hurray, they're back! Looking rather swish and filmic in RED-shot HD (how appropriate that it's the first UK TV programme to do this) with some rather wonderful CGI (and some poor bits too, of course). Most importantly, was it funny?
Yes, in places. In reality it's about as good as could be expected, I think, and while some bits were a tad garbled -- and it felt like watching the first half-hour of a 90-minute feature film -- it was entertaining enough for me. I suspect (hope?) that the real goodies will be in the next two parts, showing tomorrow and Sunday.

The Wire
1x09 Game Day
Perhaps the best episode yet, as the police get one step closer to Avon Barksdale and Omar continues to be unflappably cool.

Films

Alien³ (1992)
[#15 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
And tomorrow, I'll finish things off with Alien Resurrection... and then start on the Predator films. Can you see where this is headed?

Articles

Turkish Rambo Coming to DVD in April by Kevin Gilvear
(from DVD Times)
"Get RambOWNED."
Including an interview with the distributor's marketing assistant and a trailer for the film. It sounds crazily brilliant to me.

TV

Damages
2x08 They Had to Tweeze That Out of My Kidney
Again, Damages almost seems to tread water; and again, I'd blame this on the sheer volume of plot threads, where some have to be left untouched in order to devote enough time to others. I'm beginning to wonder if this season is a lost cause, one which we should stick with to its end in the hope they can more successfully emulate season one in the already-commissioned third.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Graham Norton Show
5x05 (2/4/09 edition, uncut repeat)
It can be quite interesting -- or quite odd, depending how you see it -- watching this a week after recording, because all of the topical jokes are a week out. Guest-wise, this one was a bizarre affair, as Oscar-winning Italian actor/director Roberto Benigni manfully struggled to understand and speak English while being irrepressibly enthusiastic, and Patsy Kensit was... just bizarre.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Wire
1x08 Lessons
It seems like every episode someone is trying to shut the team down, only to be defeated by some technicality near the end. Perhaps it is realistic that such a large operation would be an annoyance to so many, but it begins to feel like a disappointingly stock TV trick when it almost-happens-but-is-thankfully-stopped so neatly within every episode -- so much for grand overlapping plot arcs, eh?
That said, it's a relatively minor irritant in what is by and large a brilliant show. Lots of memorable bits in this episode -- McNulty getting his kids to follow Stringer, for example, or rescuing Bunk from a drunken one night stand -- but the best of all has to be Omar's efficient, violent revenge.

Films

Aliens (1986)
[#14 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Articles

6 Crazy Film Ratings Decision Battles by James White
(from Total Film)
I'm bizarrely fascinated by the classifications/censorship system here and in the US, so this was a good read for me. Don't worry, it's also layman friendly.

12 Cool New Posters Get a Critical Look by James White
(from Total Film)
Can't say I agree with all the opinions, but it's always cool to look at some nice posters.

Eight 3D Movies We're Looking Forward To
(from Empire)
Some of these you can't fail to have heard of (Avatar, Tintin, several more), but perhaps most exciting of all is Master Mind -- not because of the 3D, just because it sounds good.

Happy Easter. Here Are Some Eggs by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
A seasonal feature about eggs in sci-fi films. No, really. It's just absurd... and therefore quietly brilliant.

Review of Star Trek by Colin Kennedy
(from Empire)
It's pretty good, it would seem. Read a couple of reviews that all express the same basic opinion as this one.

Why David Tennant and Russell T Davies are leaving Doctor Who by Johnny Davis
(from Times Online)
An interview with the titular pair, displaying all their usual wit and camaraderie. Who fans might not learn much new, but it still makes for a fun read.

TV

Cracker
2x03 To Be a Somebody Part 3
A suitably explosive conclusion to Cracker's defining story. Incidentally, Jimmy McGovern's one-off drama about Hillsborough is on ITV3 next Wednesday (15th April), the first time it's been shown since the original broadcast in 1996.
[For some reason this episode isn't available on ITV Player, even though all preceding and following episodes are.]

Horne & Corden
1x03 Episode 3
When this is on form it's absolutely hilarious -- the Christian youth group song, for example, or the opening sketch of this episode (even if it spent too long on the build-up), or indeed several other bits -- but other bits drag on far too long, and others simply aren't any good.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Speaker
1x02 Episode 2
As this has now settled down it's improved slightly, showing much potential. I like that the judges and mentors are different sets of experts -- drivel like The X Factor could learn something from that. However, Jane Horrocks is a dreadful choice for narrator -- for a programme all about speaking, why choose someone with such an irritating voice?
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Wire
1x06 The Wire
1x07 One Arrest
A look ahead at the schedules suggest the BBC aren't showing all of The Wire in one huge twelve-week chunk after all, which saddens me. It's also very odd scheduling -- why rush through the first season in just three weeks if you're going to leave a gap before more?

Films

Alien: The Director's Cut (1979/2003)
[#13a in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
There are many differences between this and the original cut (they're catalogued in full on IMDb) but none that make it significantly different, hence the 'a' numbering.

TV

The Mentalist
1x02 Red Hair and Silver Tape
Every episode of The Mentalist's first season features "red" or a similar colour in the title. I hope that they only intend to do this for one season. And, secondarily, that they do the same thing with a different colour every year, otherwise it'll just be a bizarre first-year quirk (rather than a bizarre whole-series quirk, which is much better).

The Speaker
1x01 Episode 1
The BBC's latest reality show... but it's on BBC Two, so it's a cut above all the rest. In this one, teenagers are trained to be public speakers. It has some potential.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Aw, no The Wire to complete a triumvirate of "The"s.

Films

Solaris (2002)
[#13 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Magazines: Radio Times redesign

Radio Times 11-17 April 2009
Really speaking, under the 'rules' of this blog, I ought to mention RT every week as I do read it every week. As it is, of course, I only mention it occasionally, when there's a special reason (or when I remember).

This is a special RT for a couple of reasons. One is their redesign, which I approve of. They haven't lost any major sections/columns (always a redesign fear), and they've even managed to extend some. Importantly, their main channel listings are fundamentally unchanged, but the few cosmetic tweaks (such as making episode numbers and titles clearer) are very much for the best. They've also improved their main digital listings -- the larger format, especially the larger Choices box, takes a little getting used to, but it is better.

The magazine-wide change, however, is a general one stylistic one -- most of the features are the same and in the same place, but it now uses a different font. As was clear to me, and is thankfully flat-out admitted in the editorial, this "classy new design... reinforces RT's position at the top of the TV magazines premier league." Meaning to say, "this isn't just any TV listings magazine, this is a special TV listings magazine". And so it should be.

In the magazine itself, there are features on this Easter's Doctor Who special and Sky1's adaptation of Skellig, amongst other things. And yet another lovely Who cover -- with only four episodes this year, and two of those over the Christmas period, Who will surely see its greatest dearth of RT covers since it returned in 2005!