Dr. Who continues

I am now two-timing the good Doctor. I want to continue my chronological enjoyment of the series so I watched “Ark in Space” with Tom Baker, Sarah and the GREAT Harry Sullivan. But, I also want to finish watching the latest series in time for the Christmas special. So I also watched “Rose”, “The Long Game”, and “Father’s Day” with Christopher Eccelston (sp?) Fans will know that there is a HUGE gap in the stories I listed, but I missed “Rose” the first time round and started watching with “The End of the Universe.” After watching a few more episodes to the most excellent “Dalek,” the final episodes were out, so I absolutely had to watch them, leaving the giant gap. I know its cheating, but when the Daleks attack, you have to be there.

There… now you know. Now for the reviews. “Ark in Space” really took me back. It was around this time that I first started watching Dr. Who. My first ever episode was “Revenge of the Cybermen” just a couple of episodes away. The opening credits and THAT music made me all gooey inside. The DVD as usual was fantastic. The episodes are crystal clear; you can see every bubble on the bubble-wrap monster. The commentary was by Tom Baker, Elizabeth Sladen and the producer Phillip Hinchcliffe. There are also many interesting clips and interviews included as well.

The Eccelston episodes were very Rose-centric. Never before has a companion gotten such attention. I don’t like it. It’s too weird to think of them as lovers, but everyone keeps mistaking them for boyfriend/girlfriend. Eewww! The Doctor never messed about with the stupid ape-people before, he’s really slumming it. Some of these episodes also have the curse of Peter Davidson. The “everyone dies” scenario has been played out a couple of times. This was the reason I started tuning out during the Peter Davidson era. Why did they kill Clive, or Lynda (with a y), or that beautiful tree lady? I hate that sort of drama. And yet Rose manages to live, despite her incredible stupidity. And the Doctor doesn’t kick her out when she destroys all life on Earth in “Father’s Day.” A pouty-lipped “I’m sorry” did the trick, but he got mad and kicked out Adam for turning his brain into a super-computer. Maybe his lips weren’t pouty enough.

Oh I know it sounds like I’m complaining too much. The good outweighs the Rose, however. The special effects are brilliant, the stories have the funny combined with the deadly serious, and time travel has never been so grand. It’s been a long 15 year wait for the return of Doctor Who, and well worth it.

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LIBRARIANS: the books, the fame, the fortune… What more could you want? (Maybe more books.)

No more books

There are no more books for me to peruse at work, I’ve been switched over to reading magazines. Some articles are interesting, but most are just silly. I won’t bother reviewing them. So, this just leaves what I manage to read at home between bouts of homework. I do give myself a movie or two to relax on weekends.

I finally finished the Lord of the Rings trilogy with “Return of the King.” This is a great final movie, very moving and exciting. The battle scenes are thrilling and heartbreaking at the same time because (if you read the books) you know who lives and who dies. Pip and Merry get a great deal more to do in this movie, with the battle and the raging politics between Gondor and Rohan. There were some flashback scenes with Sean Bean that I don’t remember (were they part of the extended scenes?) that made me wonder once again why HE wasn’t playing Aragon. But, no matter, there is always the “Sharpe’s” series.

I watched the first of fourteen movies starring Sean Bean as Lt. Richard Sharpe. In his own words, he’s “the son of a whore, born in a brothel, raised in an orphanage, who hopes to die in the army.” What a guy! “Sharpe’s Rifles” is great, not only because of Sean Bean, but because it has it all, a little history, a little romance, and a lot of fighting.

I recently discovered that Netflix has a bunch of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 movies on DVD. I’m there. I just watched “Attack of the Giant Leeches” with Joel. I haven’t seen Joel in ages; it was all just plain old great fun.

<*<*<*<>*>*>* >LIBRARIANS: the books, the fame, the fortune… What more could you want? (Maybe more books.)