Doctor Who: "Planet of Evil" & "Destiny of the Daleks"

Two DVD reviews for your pleasure...

It’s been said that your first Doctor is your favorite, and that’s certainly true in my case. No matter how much I bask in the conviction of David Tennant, admire the intensity of Christopher Eccleston, or enjoy the straightforwardness of Peter Davison, Tom Baker will always be my Doctor. For American fans, similar feelings are often associated with their first Doctor Who story. Classic Who is so hit-or-miss that if the first show you tuned in was a weak offering, you may have never tuned in again. Late one summer evening back in 1984, “Planet of Evil” was on my local PBS station and after spending 90 minutes with Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen on Zeta Minor, I was hooked.

Read the rest of this DVD review by clicking here and visiting Bullz-Eye.

You’d think that a season of Doctor Who script-edited by Douglas Adams would be a high mark in the show’s long history, but you’d be wrong. Season 17, kicked off by “Destiny of the Daleks,” was Who at its campiest and most goofy. Sometimes the formula worked, sometimes not -- “Destiny” is somewhere in between. It’s a noteworthy story, however, in that it was not only the last Dalek-penned tale from Dalek creator Terry Nation, but also the last story he ever wrote for Doctor Who. It also featured Lalla Ward taking over the role of the Time Lady Romana, and it begins with a jokey Adams-scripted scene in which she regenerates into her new figure by literally trying on new bodies until settling on one that fits. If the sequence weren’t so damn witty it’d be embarrassing, and it’s emblematic of the type of high wire act Adams had a hand in playing the entire season.

Read the rest of this DVD review by clicking here and visiting Bullz-Eye.

A Real (Non)American Anti-Hero

IS

Can it be true? Read more here.

Terry Pratchett's Hogfather

The Hogfather is Santa Claus. He dresses the same and serves the same function, only he looks like a wild boar on two legs. This makes perfect sense given that Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather takes place on Discworld – a universe that’s alternate, but similar to our own. The Auditors – creepy, cloaked figures devoted to logic and reason – have put a hit out on the Hogfather. The Auditors are reminiscent of the Vogons from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. They’re slaves to bureaucracy, and the Hogfather (again, “Santa Claus”) represents the purest form of belief, which undermines the Auditors’ objective of keeping the world running in as uncomplicated a manner as possible. If it all sounds too far-fetched, give it a few minutes and you’ll embrace it as quickly as you accepted that Hogwarts was a school for young magicians in the Harry Potter series. In fantasy, some things just are.

Read the rest of this review by clicking here and visiting Bullz-Eye.

Versatility

Dallas - The Complete Eighth Season

One of the great pleasures of a TV on DVD addiction is basking in the ongoing releases of a series that lasted for a really long time. For me, one such series is Dallas, and I’ve been following it season by season since the sets started coming out several years ago. Season Eight is noteworthy for two major reasons: Donna Reed took over the role of Miss Ellie, and at the time, its finale was to be Patrick Duffy’s swan song as Bobby Ewing (literally - the episode is actually titled “Swan Song!”).

Dallas is one of those rare shows that remain entertaining no matter how ridiculous it gets. Season Eight (which aired in ’84 and ’85 and packs a whopping 30 episodes) should logically be the last to deliver solid goods, as it’s the one before the over-the-top theatrics of the infamous dream season; at least that’s what I was expecting.

Find out if Season Eight delivered "what I was expecting" by clicking here and reading the rest of the review at Bullz-Eye.

Cheeseburger in a Can

If you're anything like me - and surely you must be, or else you wouldn't frequent a Morgue - the idea of a Cheeseburger in a Can is both revolting and intriguing. The fine, brave folks at The A.V. Club got their hands on one and gave it a taste test. Their conclusions are amusing to say the least. I'm still trying to figure out how there could be so many reactions to one tiny burger. They must have cut it up into some awfully tiny pieces. Perhaps that's all one can stomach anyway? I gotta admit, they've not turned me off entirely, and if a Cheeseburger in a Can ever rolls my way, I'll probably give it a shot.

Tell Me You Love Me - The Complete First Season

HBO’s Tell Me You Love Me is a difficult show to recommend, but that’s not an indictment of its quality. The series debuted last September, alongside the sixth season of Curb Your Enthusiasm – a programming move that likely hurt both series; it’d be similar to pairing CSI with Three’s Company. (Maybe that’s not the best analogy, but you get the idea.) Months before its premiere, the show earned a notorious reputation for its explicit sex scenes. So pervasive was the stigma that many probably tuned in expecting a Red Shoe Diaries type of affair. Those “many” were probably disappointed by its raw approach to – let’s call a spade a spade – fucking, as well as shaken by the complexity of emotions on display.

I admired Tell Me You Love Me immensely, but it's hard to explain why. Read the rest of this piece by clicking here and visiting Bullz-Eye.

Fucking Damon & Affleck

I have not seen Sarah Silverman's "I'm Fucking Matt Damon" video, which seems to have been jokingly aimed at her beau Jimmy Kimmel. I've also not partaken in Jimmy's follow up retort to Sarah entitled "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck." It would be far easier and less time consuming than writing this post to just go find and watch them. But this might be more fun.

All four of the people involved in this joke are talented to some degree or other. Damon's a pretty damn good actor who most always manages to work within his limits, and in doing so more often than not comes away looking good, even if the movie he's in is shit. Affleck, on the other hand, got sucked into the machine in an ugly way, and ended up doing all manner of crap to keep people happy and himself on the radar. When reports of him drunk and hanging all over strippers in Vegas surfaced, I understood the guy; if anything I'd say he was well behaved. And after seeing "Gone Baby Gone" this weekend, he's got a gold star in my book. But as much as I liked it, he's acted in so much nonsense it's only starting to even out. Ben and I would probably get along fine, so long as he didn't expect me to play poker ('cuz he'd whoop my ass). His overall career is one thing he wouldn't have to worry about me bringing up. I get it. I'm sure he does. End of story.

Sarah Silverman's hot, but I don't find her all that entertaining. I get why other people find her funny, but I know that I don't. By the time Kimmel's show comes on, I'm either away from the TV, watching something on cable or DVD, writing, hounding the 'net, etc. I've got almost no opinion of the guy other than he seems jovial enough. He's good on the roasts.

So there it is. I can't be bothered to check out these gags which have seemingly entertained millions, because none of the four people involved move me enough to make the simplest of efforts. Yet clearly I'm so aware of these bits that I've been driven to write a meaningless entry on the subject.

I feel like I might be missing out. I wonder if I am. I suspect I am not.

You tell me.

Blade: The Complete Series

Blade writer/director David S. Goyer was inspired by shows like The Sopranos and Wiseguy when he imagined Blade: The Series. His idea was to create a world with 12 separate vampire houses, in which various characters were continually at odds with each other in their diverse attempts at taking or maintaining control over the vampire underworld. He throws in an engaging spy, a sympathetic villain, corrupts cops & politicians, and drug abuse (in the form of snorting vampire ash) as a means of giving weight to what might otherwise be a silly world.

Find out if Blade: The Series sucks or if it's worth sinking your teeth into by clicking here and visiting Bullz-Eye.

The Mod Squad: Season One, Vol. One

You know the infamous Dragnet episode entitled “The LSD Story”? There are episodes of The Mod Squad that are alarmingly similar to it, only instead of two stodgy cops, there are three hip young kids on the case. The Mod Squad first hit TV screens in 1968, and it was an attempt to grab the youth audience while addressing issues that the youth culture was being exposed to, like recreational drug use, the peace and love hippie movement, and racial unrest. Indeed, as it appeared a year after “The LSD Story,” one wonders if it was something of an answer to Jack Webb’s square brand of policing.

Are Pete, Linc and Julie's adventures still solid? Will you groove with this DVD set? Find out by clicking here to visit Bullz-Eye.

Tae Kwon Don't

A bit that I hadn't heard in years is called "Tae Kwon Leap." My friend Jim played it for me when we were young and carefree (now we're just old and carefree). It's an incredibly funny piece in which this goofball interrupts a martial arts class with his stupid nonsense. All I really know is that it's by a Canadian comedy troupe called The Frantics and that it's some hee-larious shit.

Here's a text excerpt:

Ed: No disrespect or nothing, but like how long is this going to take?

Master: Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

Ed: So like, what, an hour or so?

Master: No, no. We have not even begun upon the path. Ed Gruberman, you must learn patience.

Ed: Yeah, yeah, yeah -- patience. How long will that take?

Click here to download the entire audio bit. The file is only 2.71 MB and runs about 6 minutes.

(Thanks to the guy who's hosting this MP3.)

Torchwood: The Complete First Season

Torchwood harkens back to a type of sci-fi TV that’s been absent from screens for some time now – fare like The X-Files and Dark Skies. The title of the show refers to the name of a covert organization that seemingly operates above and outside the law in Cardiff, Wales. See, there’s a time and space rift in Cardiff through which alien debris enters our world, and it’s Torchwood’s mission to scavenge and protect. Their fearless leader is the charismatic Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a character introduced in the first season of the new Doctor Who series. Jack’s actually from the 51st century, but is stranded on present-day Earth. He’s appropriately omnisexual: a futuristic hero who’s slept around with men, women, aliens – a real “anything with a pulse” sort of fellow. He’s also got a few secrets, and a major one is revealed in the final moments of the first episode, “Everything Changes.”

Read the rest of this DVD review by clicking here to visit Bullz-Eye.

And make sure to visit The House Next Door after Torchwood's Season Two BBC America premiere this Saturday for Joan Hedman's ongoing weekly dissection of the series. BBC America will also be premiering Season Three of Doctor Who on the same night. Click here for times and schedules.

Weird Science: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2

Weird Science, a series based on the John Hughes movie of the same name, looks dreadful. Even Hughes’ original was one of his weakest outings from the good ol’ glory days of Shermer, Illinois. (Admittedly, that’s akin to saying Return of the Jedi was a weak Star Wars entry.) Could this one-gag movie translate into a series? Regardless, I gave it a chance for one big reason: Vanessa Angel.

Find out exactly why Vanessa Angel rates and whether or not Weird Science is worth your time by clicking here and visiting Bullz-Eye.

Come and get your love...

IMDB reports:

Lindsay Lohan is set to spend time in a morgue as part of her community service - in a bid to show the consequences of driving under the influence. The Mean Girls star, 21, was arrested twice last year on charges of DUI, and was sentenced to serve four days behind bars in August. She served just over 80 minutes in Lynwood jail in California in November, after a judge reduced the sentence and ordered her to carry out 10 days of community service - which she began in late last year with the American Red Cross. Her attorney, Blair Berk, told a judge on Thursday at a progress hearing Lohan will spend two four-hour days at a morgue, and will spend a further two days in a hospital emergency room. Lohan was not present at the hearing.

I would like to extend the invite to Miss Lohan to spend her time doing her community service here at The Rued Morgue. She'll be made quite comfortable and no doubt she and I will find plenty of ways in which can work off her debt to society.

Beverly Hills, 90210: Season Three

A while back Piper gave me some good-natured shit for writing about Desperate Housewives on a blog that typically showcases fare like Doctor Who and James Bond (as if either of those franchises can be considered edgy at this point).

If he sees it, this entry will likely cause him to spontaneously combust...

Having spent most of the ‘90s watching movies and very little broadcast TV, Beverly Hills, 90210 was a slice of pop culture I missed out on entirely. (It’s always mildly baffling to realize any series was on the air for 10 seasons and you never saw a single episode of it.) Something as iconic as 90210 carries loads of preconceived baggage, and for education’s sake, I was eager to find out what so transfixed audiences back in ‘92. This box set was my intro to the world of Brenda and Brandon Walsh & Co., and going in I was sure I was gonna hate it...

Find out if my instincts failed me yet again by clicking here and reading the rest of the review at Bullz-Eye.

Stern on Letterman (01/10/08)

One TV event that can always be counted on to deliver is a Howard Stern appearance on David Letterman. A huge part of why it works is because of Stern's ability to corner Dave on issues that he'd rather not discuss, and the ensuing discomfort Letterman ends up wallowing in. It's a sight to behold and the duo have never failed to leave me in stitches. There's a reason why Stern on Letterman appearances almost always last for three segments: because once Howard leaves, the show is all but over. Last night did not disappoint, however the strongest segment was the second (which you can see by clicking here). Stern riffs on Dr. Phil, Don Imus and Jay Leno with increasing comical prowess. It's clear Stern's got an agenda when he comes on the show and he knows what he's gonna say, but the guy's so good that it doesn't matter that it isn't entirely off the cuff. Often times one wonders who's interviewing who. It's must-see TV, even if you're not a fan of either guy. Even Paul Shaffer rises to the Stern occasion and whips out several zingers.

If you are a fan, then by all means check out Part One (where Stern pimps a genital cream and bitches about Oprah) and Part Three (where Stern speaks of his fear of vacations and gives Dave a hard time for not marrying his long-term girlfriend, Regina).

Watch these clips now because they may be gone tomorrow.

Sunshine

Every once in a great while a sci-fi flick comes along that just seems to hit a bunch of the right notes. Such is the case with Sunshine, which hit DVD earlier this week. The flick got mostly an art house sort of release here in the States, which, despite it being distributed by Fox Searchlight, seemed really odd after finally seeing it. It is, after all, a motion picture with a $50,000,000 budget. (By comparison, back in ’79, Alien was a paltry $11,000,000.)

When exactly did $50 mill suddenly become chump change in the sci-fi arena? I guess it happened somewhere around the point that $100 mill became the minimum going rate (see T2 back in ’91 for more info…). But maybe art houses are where Sunshine belonged, because as sci-fi fare goes, its abstract, philosophical messages probably required far too much thought for the average summer moviegoer. Had it been a tentpole release alongside Spidey 12 and Pirates 86, it would’ve tanked. Which is a shame, because if Sunshine had rocked the box office, it likely would’ve made way for far more intelligent fare featuring exploding spaceships and astronauts in peril.

The story seems simple, if not a tad clichéd - in the year 2057, the sun is dying and a ship called the Icarus II must travel to the sun to detonate a nuclear device to reactivate it. The Icarus I tried to do the same seven years prior, but the mission went awry and nobody really knows what happened to its missing ship and crew. Right away you’re saying, “But our sun’s got a good 4 billion years to go, right?” Right! That’s where the film's science advisor, Dr. Brian Cox (a real life Buckaroo Banzai if ever there was one), stepped in and aided the production in creating a plausible reason for the death of the sun 50 years from now. Cox even has his own commentary track on the DVD, which may be even more engaging than director Danny Boyle’s separate track. Cox admits straight up that not every facet of the film is scientifically sound, but he worked hard with the production to make as much sense out of the concept as possible, whilst still delivering a solid actioner.

But since I’m pretty much an idiot on all things scientific, most of it probably wouldn’t have made a big difference to me anyway. Hell, I just wanna be riveted by a good space movie, and with Sunshine I was in ways that I haven’t been for years with this type of fare. For at least the first 30 minutes I was reminded heavily of Alien; for the last 30 minutes, I felt like I was watching 2001 for a new generation. There’s no doubt these classics influenced Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland, and there’s nothing wrong with stealing from the best and making something of your own. Is it as good as either of those films? Well, yes and no. It’s actually not either of those films. Sunshine is its own dog, and now that it’s out on DVD, I’ve no doubt it’s going to find a place on fans’ shelves right next to the works of Kubrick and Scott.

Mention must be made of the film’s terrific score, which is done by the electronic band Underworld as well as composer John Murphy. The music is, dare I say, at least a third of the film’s success. I’m a sucker for sci-fi music, and John Williams has his place, but it’s not in a movie of this ilk. The aural textures presented here are an ideal accompaniment for this strange, compelling journey.

Much criticism of the film revolves around events in the finale, and their plausibility. They may not be plausible, but I’ll be damned if they weren’t dramatically riveting and in keeping with the setup. Your mileage may vary.

For another take on Sunshine, check out Peet Gelderblom's words at The House Next Door.

Love American Style - Season One, Vol. 1

To anyone paying attention, the Morgue has been woefully mismanaged in the past month and there's really no excuse for that. I've been busy doing various tasks for Bullz-Eye and Premium Hollywood, much of which involves viewing seasons of TV on DVD...which takes a lot of my time. Hopefully in the New Year I'll get back on top of things, including 007 in '007, which despite the change of year will retain its name. In the meantime, I've posted several reviews today, including this one:

Confession: I watched a lot of Love American Style as a kid. Although those memories are a distant blur, for many, the show’s most well-known aspect remains its catchy theme tune, the lyrics of which now bewilder me:

Loooooove, American Style,
Truer than the Red, White and Blue
Loooooove, American Style,
That's me and you

And on a star spangled night, my love (my love, come to me)
You can rest your head on my shoulder
Out by the dawn's early light, my love
I will defend your right to try

Wait a minute, pal: “I will defend your right to try?” To try what? To try resting my head on your shoulder, which you’ve already seduced me into doing? I don’t get it. If any reader does, please e-mail me and explain what the hell is going on there.

Find out if Love American Style is still truer than the Red, White and Blue by clicking here to visit Bullz-Eye.

Doctor Who: "Time-Flight" & "Arc of Infinity"

Two Who DVD reviews for your perusal...

"Time-Flight" is a Doctor Who story I hadn’t seen since I was a teen, so I looked forward to checking it out all these years later. Unfortunately, it turns out that it actually has one of the worst reputations of the entire Peter Davison era.

Surely it couldn’t be that bad, right?

Find out exactly how bad "Time-Flight" may or may not be by clicking here and visiting Bull-Eye.

"Arc of Infinity" occurs right after “Time-Flight” in the Who timeline, and any story following that one would have to look good by comparison. “Arc,” the first tale in the show’s 20th season, [has] so many intriguing elements banging into each other that it always manages to rise up above its pedestrian script.

Read the rest of the piece by clicking here to visit the universe of anti-matter known as Bullz-Eye.

October Road - The Complete First & Second Seasons

It’s easy to want to dislike October Road right off the bat. Its central character Nick Garrett (Bryan Greenberg, Prime) is the writer of a hugely successful debut novel with the annoying title Turtle on a Snare Drum. Nick has writer’s block, but avoids dealing with it via an invitation to speak at the college in his hometown. He hasn’t been there in 10 years, and in the interim has hardly spoken with his father (Tom Berenger), brother or his rag-tag band of high school buds.

Read the rest of the Season One review by clicking here and visiting Bullz-Eye.

And click here to read the Season Two review at Premium Hollywood.