Saturday, April 30, 2011

Retro: Kimmer

Retro: Kimmer

Link to Retro: Kimmer

ROXY MUSIC: DANCE AWAY

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 05:17 PM PDT


Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music

I had a giant giant crush on Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music. Heard lots of rumors of why Jeri Hall left Bryan for Mick Jagger but for my money... Bryan would win....

Check out Bryan Ferry's Tour for 2011.... HERE

Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945, Washington, County Durham, UK) is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in the United Kingdom. Ferry began his solo career in 1973, while still a member of Roxy Music, which continues to the present day. Ferry is known for his unique vocal style and stage presence.


[New post] Doctor Who - Day of the Moon

Doctor Who - Day of the Moon

Day of the Moon

Series 06
Story 02
30 April 2011

After encountering the Doctor who died in front of them, killed by an astronaut from the dawn of the space age, them another from the recent past unaware of the event, the TARDIS crew are faced with an alien menace called the Silence. Given a mandate from President Nixon, the Doctor is determined to uncover the mystery of the alien menace that no one can remember. Rather than posing a threat to the planet, the Silence have secretly been in control of the human race since the discovery of fire. With an empire to destroy, the Doctor designs a clever method to unravel the grip that the Silence holds over the planet Earth, but will it be enough?

I had commented that the Impossible Astronaut was like watching half of a story. If that is true, then Day of the Moon is a third of a total story, raising far more questions than providing answers. It's a gimmick of Moffat's writing style that either works for you or it doesn't, but again in my opinion he has been good on his word to wrap up dangling plots in the past. Even so, it makes me nervous when we are not given an entire story.

But that's just me.

Much like part one, the second installment opens three months after the closing moments of the last episode when Amy shot the astronaut in the warehouse containing the lost little girl. In that time, Amy, Rory and River have been on the run from Canton Delaware and a crew of FBI officers gunning and bagging them as they are found. The trio of companions are seen wearing sharpie markers (or the 1969 equivalent) and are marking themselves every time they see a Silent in order to keep track, but it hasn't helped. The situation seems dire. Meanwhile the Doctor is being held in a government facility inside Area 51 where he is bricked into an inescapable prison.

Much like last week, this is very exciting but just as confusing. It raises the stakes by implying that Canton is working for the bad guys and that the Doctor and his friends have been beaten only to reveal that it was all a ruse to get them all back together after three months of data gathering. In that time, Amy, Rory and River have gained no ground but the Doctor has come up with a clever solution to an enemy that removes its existence from your memory, a kinds of answering service/personal data drive. The idea is that after seeing a Silent, you touch your palm activating a built-in recorder and state your experience. When you turn away, the device blinks, telling you that you have a message. It's very inspired, involves clever narrative ideas and is dead spooky all at once. You never know that the monster is right behind you until you have already forgotten and it is presumably too late.

Amy and Canton hunt down the one lead they have, the little girl. Their search leads them to the spookiest orphanage this side of a Universal picture with a single occupant, a shaky Doctor busy cleaning scrawled messages from the walls telling him to get out of there. Clearly influenced by the Silence, his mind is shattered, but he is also the key to many mysteries surrounding the alien plot.

Amy wanders along alone, very Agent Scully-like, and finds herself in a terrifying room full of empty beds. On her way out of the room, she notices that her built-in recorder is blinking and freaks out. Attempting to break down the door is no good and when she attempts to smash open the window she realizes that her face and hands are covered in tally marks. There is a nest of Silence above her, resting like massive vampire bats. I know that Moffat is very proud of his new creation and he has good reason to be. The dead eye sockets, pale ribbed faces, black-hole-like mouths and now bat-like resting habits is just nightmare smoothie material.

On her way down the hall to investigate a call for help from a child, Amy sees something completely bizarre. A woman wearing a high-tech eye patch peers out of a peep hole that is not there, looks at Amy and says "she appears to be dreaming" before closing the door.

WHAT WAS THAT???

Frustrating, sure, but it opens up possibilities that I am sure Moffat will reach... one day. Not tonight, certainly... but one day... sigh.

Inside another barren room, Amy finds a dresser full of knick-knacks and a photo of herself as a young mother cradling a baby. Stunned, she turns to the still alive young girl, still trapped in the astronaut uniform. Refusing to answer any of her questions, Amy is taken away.

Abducted by the Silence, Amy's implant is left behind as a kid of transmitter so that the Doctor and Rory can agonize over their friend's suffering. Moffat does something very interesting here as he leads Rory (and us) to believe that Amy has always been in love with the Doctor through her desperate dialog via the implant. This crushes Rory and reminded him of the centuries he stood by her side as a Centurion, guarding her night and day. It's poignant and painful and comes around roses when Amy reminds 'stupid face' that of course she prefers him to the Doctor. Well played, Moff.

The Doctor does some fiddling with Apollo 11 and tracks the Silence to their base of operations just as they are about to operate on Amy using their primitive time machine (last seen in the Lodger and Impossible astronaut for anyone keeping track). They state that she will 'deliver the Silence' and given her pregnancy, I am not sure if they are speaking of her child or her actions in the time stream. It seems to involve Amy's child, given the photograph and the time machine but... what's it all for?

It's like the Silence have woven an elaborate web to get Amy to this point in time, but before they do, the cavalry arrive.

After rigging a device in the nose cone of Apollo 11, the Doctor is confident that he can deal with the Silence. Using their very weapons of post-hypnotic suggestion and television, he beams a message all over the world order the human race to kill every Silent they see on sight, then of course forgetting all about it. Sure, it'a a bit ropy, but it utilizes the Doctor's brilliance and shows that he is indeed a genius. I'm all for that kind of resolution.

River Song once again reminds viewers that she is a female Han Solo and guns down every alien in blaster range, the Doctor waves his sonic screwdriver about (why? no idea) and the battle is won. I disliked this 'kill 'em all' solution as it terribly ham-fisted but moreso I was annoyed by River Song being a crack shot. I mean, when did she become such an amazing markswoman? Is she just a never-ending wealth of plot conveniences? Safe cracker, linguist, engineer... what's next, card shark and HVAC specialist? It's a bit silly and obviously the only reason that the scene occurs is to get fans of her character pumping their firsts yelling "YAY, RIVER!!" I can live with it, but it's unnecessary.

The series 6 two-parter was full of weird statements that grounded it in America along with a few 'Doctor... WHO' jokes that I found odd. Again, not a big problem, but they stood out to me. Moffat uses this well in the Doctor's parting shot to President Nixon to record everything and trust no one, reassuring him that no one will ever forger 'Tricky Dicky.' Maybe it's crass to some, but I found it worth a chuckle.

The coda of the episode involves Amy's child (or not child) as she discusses the subject with the Doctor and her reasons for not revealing the pregnancy to Rory. The plot thread of 'it's the Doctor's baby' hung in the air like the ripe smell of a Magic: The Gathering basement competition but was just as quickly dispelled. Amy knows that the baby is Rory's, but is paranoid that traveling in the TARDIS may have caused some mutations or problems in the womb.

Cut to: a homeless and sickly young girl on the streets of some bad part of town. On the verge of death, she throws out her arms and begins to regenerate.

the improbable plot thread

What the....? Ooooookay... so that too will be addressed at some point... presumably. Anyone keeping track of the many dangling plot threads?

In a similar vein to last week, I'm torn on this one. It was entertaining, clever and impressive both in terms of effects, story structure and character (and had the Doctor using his mental capacity to solve a problem), but it was also full of holes that are not likely to be tied up for quite some time. Will it be worth it? I can't say. I don't subscribe to the theory that the child is young River Song as it makes no sense whatsoever. But then again, the Face of Boe and Captain Jack had nothing to do with each other either, and look how that shook down.

This is a tough one, but it did showcase a deadly new alien, an ambitious slant of the alien invasion idea and plenty of tense moments. Unfortunately, much of its success hinges on the answers to the what the Silence were doing with a time machine, who was in the Astronaut uniform and what is up with the child.

Next week... nothing to do with any of this.

ARGHHHH! It's Curse of the Black Spot, so it is!
watch?v=XeNqZ97xrN8

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[New post] Doctor Who Big Finish- The Apocalypse Element (Dalek Empire II)

Doctor Who Big Finish- The Apocalypse Element (Dalek Empire II)

The Apocalypse Element

"You are the DOCTOR!"
"How terribly observant of you. No wonder you only need one eye."

Story 11
Written by Stephen Cole

Released August 2000

A disturbance in the temporal vortex draws the Doctor and Evelyn to a gathering of time travel experts on the planet Archetryx. Many years ago, the planet Etra Prime disappeared completely without any explanation, taking with it the then Lady President of Gallifrey (and former traveling companion to the Doctor, Romana, along with it). This alerted the Time Lords that there was a dangerous rival in temporal engineering as it appeared that Etra Prime was removed from the time stream entirely. However, the Time Lords aren't just trying to find the rogue planet, they are also eager to steal the advancements from other cultures in time travel as their complacence has finally caught up with their once great society, making them ripe for attack from any number of enemies.

This story makes for a turning point in regards to Gallifrey and the path that the Time Lords will take, in some ways leading to the vastly different race seen in the 2009 Doctor Who adventure, The End of Time... if you squint... really hard. From their first appearance in the War Games through to their last appearance on screen in the classic series in Trial of a Timelord: The Ultimate Foe, the Time Lords are shown as decadent and regressive, a people that are outside of time but have grown flaccid in mind and body from lack of activity.

The Doctor is aghast at the desperate measures that his people have been driven to in gaining new knowledge. Unable to find Etra Prime and the missing Romana, the High Council is obviously paranoid that anyone could understand time travel more than the Time Lords and are anxious to regain their stature as the all-powerful beings they once were. When Etra Prime finally does re-appear, it is driven back into existence by an army of Daleks who have arranged the entire affair to gain access to Gallifrey. Through the use of a deadly new weapon called the Apocalypse Element, the Daleks seek to hold the universe ransom to assault Gallifrey and gain access to the secrets of the Time Lords, finally defeating the once mighty civilization.

The second of the four Dalek Empire cross-over stories, The Apocalypse Element embodies the spirit of other overly violent Dalek tales such as Resurrection of the Daleks. There's a lot of techno-jargon and parts of the narrative are quite difficult to grasp over the screaming and explosions as the Daleks fire their death rays throughout this four parter. Colin Baker once more proves his prowess as the proud and mighty Doctor in all of his resplendent glory. It's difficult to put my finger on what is so different about his portrayal of the character in the Big Finish audios compared to the TV adventures, but it is like the Sixth Doctor was created for the audio format. It is also clear that the Big Finish material is far superior to the 1984/6 programs. The dialog is intensely smart and sharp, offering up plenty of bon mots for Mr. Baker and the wonderful Maggie Stables.

Her third outing as Evelyn and Maggie Stables has me loving her portrayal of the forthright and gutsy academic. On the screen an older companion would never have made it, but it's the loss of the TV audiences to be honest. Her character is just so much fun and she matches the intelligence and determination of the Sixth Doctor perfectly. Colin Baker displays such range of emotion and a new depth to his performance that he practically carries the whole story on his own.

Back for the first time since 1980, Lalla Ward as Romana II is an unexpected surprise. Her character has gone through some big changes, held captive by the Daleks on a secluded planet and dehumanized into slavery. Back in her own dimension, Romana makes a defiant stand against the Daleks with such ferocity that the Doctor is understandably worried about his friend. As Romana appears in later adventures, I am sure that I'll see her character undergo still more changes. To be honest, I prefer the first incarnation of Romana played by Mary Tamm, but Ward gives some new facets to her incarnation of the brilliant Time Lady, no doubt making fans of her on screen portrayal jump for joy.

As always, the music (including the outstanding Dalek Empire signature tune) and voice acting is exemplary with Nicholas Briggs embodying the Daleks with such gusto that it is difficult to remember he is quite a pleasant chap.  The more that I listen to Dalek Empire, the more I respect and enjoy his enormous skill at modernizing the Dalek voice while paying homage to what has come before (via the late Peter Hawkins, Roy Skelton and Michael Wisher to name just three of that long legacy of modulated screamers).

I have discovered that I quite enjoy Apocalypse Element and have listened to it several times... perhaps to understand just what is going on. The sequences on Archetryx are clear enough, but when Romana notices the Daleks using crystals to communicate, it all gets a bit hazy. It took me ages to understand that the Daleks hijacked Etra Prime in order to harvest the crystals native to that planet (the basis of the Monan Host's temporal engineering) allowing them to build a weapon so powerful that it can reshape reality. Against an army of Daleks, the Time Lords are woefully unprepared.

Not so much a war, the conflict with the Daleks on Gallifrey is a blood bath. In the end, most of the Chancillary Guard are dead in the halls, at least one gutted of his eyeball in order to gain access to the main citadel through the retina scan-based security. Perhaps this is why the Time Lords resurrected their Warrior King Rassilon during the Time War? I'll stop because I'm in danger of thinking back to the 2005-2009 era of Doctor Who which will only make my head hurt.

The activation of the Apocalypse Element in the Seiphia Galaxy puts the Doctor into an emotional fit as he attempts to stem the tide of destruction. By attacking Gallifrey, the Daleks force the Time Lords to collaborate and create a method of controlling the forces, thus giving the Daleks exactly what they wanted all along, the creation of a new universe. In the annals of all the Dalek's schemes, this could be their boldest and most staggering.

With so much action conveyed in sound only, at times I found myself thinking that I was listening to the audio track of a 'missing episode' of the classic Doctor Who series and I needed some visual basis to understand what was going on. For a four part story full of explosions and Dalek screams as well as the return of Romana, The Apocalypse Element is a lot to digest in a short period of time.  But if you can keep up with it, this can be an exciting and nail-biting adventure.

Fan-made animation based on Doctor Who- The Apocalypse Element
watch?v=VcF5VhOtp18

Doctor Who - The Apocalypse Element can be purchased at local retailers and online from Big Finish.

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Friday, April 29, 2011

[New post] Doctor Who - Curse of the Black Spot (prequel)

Doctor Who - Curse of the Black Spot (prequel)

Via http://tardisnewsroom.blogspot.com/:

The first teaser for the third episode of Doctor Who's Sixth Series takes to the high seas. Utilizing a literary reference to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island, the story will involve pirates, sirens and cutlass swinging courtesy of Amy Pond.

Official synopsis: The TARDIS is marooned onboard a 17th-century pirate ship whose crew is being attacked by a mysterious and beautiful sea creature, as the time-travelling drama continues.

Becalmed and beset by cabin fever, the pirates have numerous superstitious explanations for the Siren's appearance. The Doctor has other ideas but, as his theories are disproved and every plan of escape is thwarted, he must work to win the trust of the implacable Captain Avery and uncover the truth behind the pirates' supernatural fears – and he must work quickly, for some of his friends have already fallen under the Siren's spell…

The Doctor is played by Matt Smith, Captain Avery by Hugh Bonneville, Amy by Karen Gillan and Rory by Arthur Darvill.

Guest-starring Hugh Bonneville as Captain Avery, the adventure looks to be a rollicking tale combining traditional pirate motifs and fantastical elements, true to the look and feel of the revamped Who series.

watch?v=Bf-6Orape4M

Reminder: the conclusion to the opening two-parter Day of the Moon will air tomorrow night (Saturday) on BBC America here in the 'colonies.'

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[New post] Captain America - killed by a giant gorilla

Captain America - killed by a giant gorilla

Quick review: Captain America #135-136 (1971)

By Stan Lee, Gene Colan and Bill Everett
Captain America is currently regarded as the backbone and soul of the Marvel Universe. A stalwart symbol of a nobler time, he stands as a reminder of the greatness and courage that a single person possesses. As we approach the opening of the shield slinger's second big attempt at big movie stardom, I decided to dig into my stash of goofy comics and dug out this gem.

Back in the day when Cap shared his spotlight with the Falcon (before he got his wings), the patriotic Avenger's monthly series was amongst the most bizarre and unpredictable comics out there. Each month readers were given some outrageous threat that Cap and Falc must defeat only for it to be topped the following month. These days it may be natural to see MODOK, but at the time, he was another in a long line of weird baddies, a giant head stuck in a flying chair drawn by the Dean himself, Gene Colan. So where does a roller coaster of madness get you?

This is where... an opening splash featuring our hero and a massive ape tangled together in combat as they plummet to their deaths.

Featuring the mind-staggeringly wonderful artwork of Gene Colan, the inks of Bill Everett (creator of the Sub Mariner) lend a certain gravity to the otherwise lofty and fluid lines of the Dean. This is one of my favorite 'looks' for the Cap monthly book, along with the brief but powerful Steranko material. Colan is a magnificent artist whose linework brings with it an ethereal beauty that seems otherworldly at times. It definitely helps to lift an otherwise absurd or thrown together comic (Captain Marvel, for instance), but in this case it's just magical. There are moments of poignant emotion from the supporting cast over Steve's death and of crazed imagery in the world below. Who else could pull that off?

... Beautiful.

I know that comic book character deaths are regarded as yawn worthy as they are usually just cheap spectacles to draw in readers and are inevitably undone by a rebirth, but just look at this. THIS is how you kill off a character. What makes it even better is the silent magnitude that the supporting cast members give the event, glumly shuffling their feet, trying to accept that the is indeed dead.

Imagine for a moment if THIS was how Steve Rogers had died... killed in combat with a giant gorilla.

That would just kill conversation at the comic shop as fans lowered their heads in grief.

The remainder of the awkward two-issue arc deals with the Falcon's solo mission to save his pal thanks to a hastily designed jetpack courtesy of Tony Stark. Of course Nick Fury gruffly covers for the Falcon, both characters putting on their best tough guy routines to hide their inner tears. In fact, there's a lot of strange moments in these issues where Steve and Sam (the Falcon) are short with each other, breaking up their usual banter as they become incapable of dealing with their welling emotions.

But back to the monkey (gorilla).

Falcon from Cap # 117

Falcon descends to find that both Cap and the Gorilla are captives of the Mole Man (what a cameo!). Mole Man begins his appearance by stating that he has no intention of destroying the surface world, but after he discovers that Project Earth Dig (resulting in the non OSHA-approved giant hole in the ground) is intended as a solution to the nuclear waste problem he changes his patter and decides that he does want to destroy the surface world after all. It must be tough to be the Mole Man.

In a quickly summarized backstory, both the giant gorilla (named Monster Ape) thinks back to his rejection from a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative named Julia leading to his mad scheme to increase his power... resulting in his transformation into a massive monstrous ape. Thus fueled with unrequited love, frustration and angst he went on a rampage leading to his current predicament. While at first he is determined to trick the Mole Man into attacking the surface world, when he realizes that the weapon pointed upward will also kill his beloved spurned lady Julia he loses all sense and hurls his body into its path, thus sacrificing himself for a woman that never knew he loved her, let alone turned himself into a freak to gain her attention.

Returned to the lip of the massive hole in the ground, Steve and Sam are greeted by an adoring public, but not before Cap's secret love Sharon Carter faints from the excitement. Not realizing the impact his return has had on Sharon. Cap mistakenly thinks that she doesn't care about him and didn't even bother to show up, leading to another awkward and spiky exchange with Falcon by the side of Cap's Harley.

I'm not sure where the weirdness of these comics begins and ends, but it all seems to be tied to women... or gorillas... or both.

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