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marianne-lindsell
Reviews
Doctor Who: The Moonbase: Episode 2 (1967)
Best Cliffhanger in All of Doctor Who
It's no secret that The Moonbase is my favourite Doctor Who adventure of all (even nudging slightly above The Tomb of the Cybermen and The Tenth Planet).
But this episode ends with the very best cliffhanger of any DW adventure.
Doctor Who: Can You Hear Me? (2020)
I Fell Asleep Twice
I don't really wish to rain on the parade of anyone who actually enjoyed this episode, - and yes it would be good if this 'story' actually helped people better understand mental wellbeing issues, - but I found this episode duller than ditchwater.
Zero drama, zero tension, zero story advancement, and zero science.
It managed to include a little magic though (which I don't think belongs in Doctor Who).
If Chibnall's writing doesn't improve, though I've been a definite Whovian since the early 1960s, - I may just give up on it altogether.
However, there was the Tesla episode and the amazing 'Revenge of the Judoon', Spyfall wasn't bad, and I do enjoy watching Jodie Whitaker, who deserves better.
Will someone wake me up please when there is another good episode, or we get a new writer?
Doctor Who: Praxeus (2020)
Not Awful, but Cheapens a Good Concept
What is the centrepiece and cause for wonder in the original movie of "The Andromeda Strain", is glossed over and cheapened here to the extent of making it impossible to suspend enough disbelief to accept. Namely an alien disease, with seemingly impossible and largely unexplained effect.
This is also another scattergun 100mph episode for much of its run, rushing pell mell hither and thither, with a magic wand waved at the eleventh hour.
Note: all the really good Doctor Who's used at least a modicum of science, and worked to explain events.
For all that, the visuals are generally good, by dint of its locations.
Acting is still good. How Whitaker copes with this script is amazing, and proves her competence yet again. The show is worth watching for her performance alone.
Not the worst episode ever, - but a bit shy of the middle ground.
When do we meet the lone cyberman, and when do we see a resolution of last week's amazing episode?
The Danish Girl (2015)
Poignant
It was certainly brave of Eddie Redmayne, and he turned in a very good performance, if slightly lacking in nuance - though that may be down to the script, and the limited time available to tell the story in a single film. For instance, we barely see anything of the lead up to the transformation, with the script concentrating far more on the aftermath. However, this is the reverse of many such biopics, and is welcome. The real star though (sorry Eddie) is Alicia Vikander, who, in Gerda, conveys a totally authentic sense of unconditional love and concern for her spouse, even up to and past the surgery. Of course the script helps, but there are very poignant moments when Alicia really makes this jump out of the screen. The ending is just too emotional to bear. The choice of the script writer to tell a fictitious love story only based on the true story, and not the true story itself, is in this case justified, as it allows a sense of poetry to emerge from the chaos of pain and beauty in this tragic tale.
The Star of Bethlehem (2007)
Conclusions can be Independently Checked
This stands out from other films of its type by declaring how its conclusions were reached, offering the viewer the chance to check them independently. This would require the use of a specific software package (identified in the film) and perhaps a little enthusiasm to learn some basic astronomy (which is probably needed to use the software anyway). I have not yet checked the results myself, because I found the case so convincing, but I have made a mental note to do so eventually.
if you find the story of the star of Bethlehem and the many wise men charming but hard to believe (astronomers, not astrologers probably, and there were most likely many more than three) then this is the film for you.
John Carter (2012)
Much Better Than I Expected
After hearing about the way the cinematic release flopped and Disney made such a loss, I assumed this was an underwhelming film, and ignored it until, a year later, I found the DVD going cheap in a supermarket.
Was I ever pleasantly surprised!
Others have done a far better job of 'critiquing' than I could (whether or not I agree with their views) so I will just tell you how much I enjoyed it and why.
I hope for originality and plausibility in sci-fi, but find them both rare. In a strange way, this film brought a little of both. I had never read any of Burroughs' sci-fi books, though with hindsight, I realise that basing the film on the works of such a classic writer was bound to give it strength, - even depth. The film came across to me as a little like Dan Dare, or Jules Verne in format, with even a few notional echoes of C.S.Lewis "Out of the Silent Planet" (the sequel to which I -long- to see in film). Whilst it is hardly the sort of tale you might actually believe, it avoided many of those annoying plot shortcuts that make such a burden out of suspending disbelief -sufficiently- to enjoy watching it. This included some recognition of gravity, body types, language and technology that are different to our own. The characters and cultures were also less than superficial on the whole, but perhaps most of all, I found them likable. Although the conclusion wasn't too hard to guess, I was quite pleased to see it work out that way.
But the one thing it didn't remind me of was Star Wars!
I for one would love to see the sequels, or at least the realisation of more classic sci-fi like this. I will now buy the Blu-ray.
Reasons of the Heart (1996)
Uplifting and Sensitive Mystery-cum-Romance
I wasn't expecting much from this movie, as it looked like just another of those made-for-TV daytime slot-fillers. However I warmed to the growing atmosphere it was creating, and I was surprised to see Terry Farrell acting with far more emotional depth than I had expected (given that I had only previously seen her in DS9). Also, despite a slowish start, the plot began to intrigue me, and it rapidly seemed to grow into a full-blown murder mystery-cum-romance. The colourful photography presented the pretty locations well. Although aspects of the plot were transparent from the start (it was all about an adopted woman's search for her real parents) the final denouement was by no means predictable, and very satisfying (you'll have to see the movie to see what I mean by satisfying). Overall an enjoyable and sensitive movie, with well-acted emotional depth, especially by Terry and some of the other cast.
The Cape (1996)
Highly enjoyable - the best "Access to Space" most of us can get
I was very surprised to see some of the negative comments expressed here. I have seen most of "The Cape" series, and I found it very entertaining.
I can easily believe that it is not entirely realistic (the confusion between KSC and JSC is so obvious I find it possible to ignore it) - but to me this series does at least give some sense of a dramatisation of the shuttle-era astronaut experience. Most of us mere mortals (and especially in the space-deprived UK) never get much closer than this. Even if you visit JSC (and I have, at least 3 times) it is fronted by the PR set-up "Space Center Houston", which, although an enjoyable experience, gives you a highly stylised view of the space programme, and leaves you with only the sketchiest idea of what manned spaceflight is all about. "The Cape" in my view does better, even if not greatly authentic. NASA seem to struggle with popularity and capturing the imagination of the ordinary person (non-space-cadet), despite needing their support. In my view, they were therefore unwise not to back this series. What does "access to space" mean for the average person? In a dramatic (and therefore fictional) sense, "The Cape" provides this.
And if you think Corbin Bernsen doesn't belong in space (perhaps his 'mature fighter jock' character play is not in keeping with the Shuttle era), then he is at least an engaging personality, and to my mind very watchable.
The age of the Shuttle cannot go on for ever, - and what better drama do we have to remember it by?
To whom it may concern - may we please have "the Cape" series on DVD - Region 2?