|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on May 27, 2013 13:50:26 GMT -5
I'm watching the Fifth Doctor Special. Peter Davison is one of my favorite doctors and , before Tennant, he was the youngest man to ever take the role. The episode they run is Earthshock. It's a great cybermen episode. Even though I rented it from Netflix about a month ago I'm still watching it. My only complaint with these specials is they have too many commercials and removing the serial part segments ruins the pacing of the show. |
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on May 27, 2013 13:52:39 GMT -5
I figure one or two of you might find this of interest, particularly Basil, so here you go -- this is an old Documentary though, so it doesn't focus on any of the newer Doctors, from the Ninth on.
Doctor Who: "The Story of Doctor Who" - Classic Documentary[/b][/size]
|
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on May 29, 2013 1:58:07 GMT -5
So I watched the Fifth Doctor. Did it run a full three hours? Oddly enough, when I selected it Free On Demand it showed a running time of 3 hours, which I expected, but the end credits were rolling after roughly two hours and twenty minutes. My guess is that they cut a lot of commercials out for 'streaming' because the commercial breaks seemed shorter than I would have expected.
At any rate, a noticeable jump in the production values here. They were also capable of doing a lot more with the special effects by then, so it made for interesting viewing in that sense. The video quality is also superior, so they made several notable strides within just a few years. It looked and felt like an 80s production, although I don't say that as a criticism. In some ways the era allowed them to do more, and it showed. The sets were sophisticated, some more than others, so there's a real leap in technical quality. There were moments wherein I felt as though I could have been looking at a Saturday morning serial, though given the audience they were appealing to, that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. I also found this entry to be a bit creepier and more claustrophobic in comparison to other earlier entries to this series. "The Tomb if the Cybermen" was shooting for that same kind of eerie atmospherics, but it worked better here.
I also prefer the command center of the TARDIS to the more recent designs since the show came back in 2005, but the current set being used by Matt Smith's Doctor isn't so bad compared to the earlier versions going back to David Tennant's reign on the show.
Their cavalier and repetitive use of the term "Warp" as a reference to speed was rather amusing. Did Roddenberry and Paramount get any royalties for that I wonder? Nah, I seriously doubt it, but I wonder if they would have had a case for Copyright infringement over that dialogue. There was even a reference to antimatter, so clearly "Star Trek" had left its mark by then, even over in Britain.
Peter Davison wasn't bad in the role, but that piece of celery on his lapel had to go. I didn't like the look of the attire at all during this period in the "Doctor Who" saga, and so it had the unintentional affect of causing me to want to avoid the show. It just struck me as hokey and so I just didn't feel like being bothered with it. Plus it aired on PBS here, and in no consistent respect in terms of scheduling, so that was another major disincentive.
|
|
|
|
Post by CRAMBAM on May 29, 2013 13:40:16 GMT -5
Did you ever see the time the 5th Doctor met the 10th Doctor?
|
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on May 29, 2013 14:22:23 GMT -5
Did you ever see the time the 5th Doctor met the 10th Doctor? |
|
|
|
Post by captainbasil on May 29, 2013 17:42:49 GMT -5
Sure did. It's called Timecrash. It should be on YouTube.
Don't forget, Tennant and Davison are Father and Son-in-law.
|
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on May 29, 2013 19:06:12 GMT -5
That's strange --I don't recall that scene even though I remember the Christmas Special it was a prelude to, "Voyage of the Damned".
|
|
|
|
Post by CRAMBAM on May 30, 2013 13:40:25 GMT -5
It's likely too late now--unless there's some sort of flashback scene involving McGann's regeneration.
Logically, McGann regenerated into John Hurt, who regenerated into Ecclesston.
Let's make the 5th meets the 10th easy.
|
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on May 30, 2013 15:30:21 GMT -5
I saw that clip last night. I think I do remember it actually --it came back to me, vaguely, as I was falling asleep last night.
|
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 1, 2013 19:45:44 GMT -5
Ah, well ...we knew this was coming.
Over at io9:Farewell, Eleven: Matt Smith is leaving Doctor Who It looks like the Doctor is gearing up for a new regeneration. Matt Smith has officially announced that he's bowing out of Doctor Who at the end of the year. Raise your fish fingers and custard and toast to the good Doctor times Smith has given us.
|
|
|
|
Post by CRAMBAM on Jun 1, 2013 23:07:30 GMT -5
It's insane.
Things like this make me really appreciate Larry Hagman, who is one of the only actors that I can think of to simply say, "I embrace my legendary role, and as long as it's out there, I'll do it."
The best thing you can say about Smith, and this is a huge compliment, was that he was able to replace David Tennant and be as good.
Tennant was brilliant in the role.
Tennant was arguably MORE popular than Smith.
Tennant hasn't done anything close to Doctor Who since. I think he tried something in the US, and is back doing some series in the UK that I don't watch.
Tennant is such a good actor, and I'm a big fan of the guy, but how can Smith not LEARN from this?
I don't think Smith will EVER get a role like The Doctor again.
If I were Smith, I'd stay with the role until I'm fired. I'd at LEAST try to break Tom Baker's record.
|
|
|
|
Post by captainbasil on Jun 2, 2013 7:49:09 GMT -5
While I liked Tennant, I never understood why everyone thought he was all that and a bag of chips. He's a good actor and he brought a lot to the role but a lot of his stories just plain sucked, especially later. He whined a lot. I'm glad Smith is leaving and I love the guy , but it's time for a change. I agree with Cram , that I would stick with the role until they kicked me off the TARDIS, but, pun intended, Smith is thinking of the future. I think Tennant regrets leaving when he did. I also read that the BBC wanted Moffat to leave because the second half of this season performed poorly. Tom Baker was one of the best Doctors but 7 years was too long and his last season or so bears this out. It's almost impossible for me to positively list my favorite Doctors, what I can do is put them in a rough order and an explanation.
Jon Pertwee- Maybe not # 1 , but he was my first Doctor. It's a Dr. Who thing. ;D
Peter Davison- He was an established actor and I did not expect to like him. He gets extra points for winning me over.
Tom Baker- Yes, he deserves to be a legend. Plus his stories are top notch.
Christopher Eccleston- Tennant gets all the credit, but this guy brought Who back from the dead with a gleam in his eye and a love of adventure.
Paul McGann- He's so good on radio he should have been offered the role in 2005. His sense of wonder and humor is contagious. If you don't believe me download Horror of Glam Rock. It's silly in a Matt Smith Lodger kind of way but it's fun and you get to hear a 70's glam rock version of the Dr. Who theme.
Matt Smith- I think they were afraid to make him too unlike Tennant. But he ran with what they gave him and became a great Doctor.
David Tennant- I'm not picking on him. I like him a lot. My biggest complaint was he seems to whine about having left. It was his choice.
Colin Baker- I hated him on TV, but it was mostly the stories and thanks to Big Finish Productions, his audio stories have given me a great appreciation of his version of the Doctor. I would like to shake his hand.
Patrick Troughton- What little I've seen, I've liked. He brought much needed humor to the role.
Sylvester McCoy- I admit I have trouble warming to the guy. I don't blame him for the cancellation of the original show. The budget was terrible ( I will post about the 25th Anniversary episode later) and his version of the Doctor was very creepy somehow.
William Hartnell- I have only seen a few episodes and I found him likable but I don't think the writers knew what to do yet.
Stay tuned , I will probably tweak the list. I could never number my choices.
|
|
|
|
Post by CRAMBAM on Jun 2, 2013 9:47:10 GMT -5
Here's a thought I had, even though it would never happen.
Tennant is in the 50th.
So why not do something that causes a regeneration to be REVERSED? That would bring Tennant back.
|
|
|
|
Post by captainbasil on Jun 2, 2013 10:53:08 GMT -5
Hold that thought. I would not be surprised at all. Tennant was that popular.
BTW, thanks Starfury for posting that older Dr. Who Documentary. I stopped watching it so my wife could watch it with me but it's much appreciated. I don't think I ever saw it before.
|
|
|
|
Post by captainbasil on Jun 2, 2013 11:26:57 GMT -5
www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22628484The above article ties in with my review of Silver Nemesis, the 25th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who telecast in 1988. The later Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy Who episodes were not shown much where I lived and I missed them so I just rented this from Netflix and saw it for the first time. By sheer coincidence, I read this article a few days before I watched it. Silver Nemesis is a mess ! We have Neo-Nazis meeting the Cyhermen, which is a fantastic idea but it's muddled with some weird Gallifrey Ultimate Weapon and time traveling people from medieval England. To say the special effects were abysmal would be an understatement. It looks like it was filmed in 1968 not 1988. McCoy mentions this in the article. At the time the BBC just would not spend a thing on Doctor Who. Trust me, it wasn't their little secret. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred work well with what little they were given and have great chemistry. There are some great lines but it's muddled by alluding that The Doctor is actually God and the whole thing just falls flat. Conversely, the making of documentary extra is rather enlightening. It's sad when the DVD extras are better than the feature.
|
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 2, 2013 18:03:39 GMT -5
BTW, thanks Starfury for posting that older Dr. Who Documentary. I stopped watching it so my wife could watch it with me but it's much appreciated. I don't think I ever saw it before.
I'll comment about Smith leaving "Doctor Who" at some point, just not of a mind to get into it right now. |
|
|
|
Post by CRAMBAM on Jun 2, 2013 19:00:21 GMT -5
Doing a reverse regeneration is unprecedented. It would shock the world. I consider it very unlikely, despite how popular Tennant is.
|
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 7, 2013 11:15:40 GMT -5
Good Lord, please No . . .
I'd say, it'll never happen, but stranger things have occurred.
Over at Digital Spy:
|
|
|
|
Post by TrekBeatTK on Jun 7, 2013 13:00:56 GMT -5
I agree that it's unlikely to happen. I could actually see him doing it, but it would necessitate getting into a goofier kind of Doctor Who which I don't think the BBC quite wants right now. Also, as Brand has gotten himself in trouble in the past, I think they'd prefer someone a little more reliable in such a high-profile role.
In other news, did you hear that karen Gillan is cast in Marvel's upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie? I'm still unsure how well this property will work as a movie, but the added eye candy at least makes me happy.
TK
|
|
|
|
Post by captainbasil on Jun 7, 2013 17:21:32 GMT -5
Good Lord, please No . . .
I'd say, it'll never happen, but stranger things have occurred.
Over at Digital Spy: No ! I can't stand this guy. His sense of humor is juvenile and he has already ruined Arthur. He also played a cruel prank on veteran actor Andrew Sachs ( Manuel-Fawlty Towers/Second Dr. Watson BBC radio's Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes). He's not fit to empty The Doctor's bedpan, let alone play the iconic character. I will try not to hold back on how I feel. I know it's not good for my blood pressure. ;D |
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 9, 2013 13:57:39 GMT -5
Over at io9:Is this the face of our new Doctor? This Sunday morning, Brits opened up their papers to a surprise: a report that actor Rory Kinnear has been offered the starring role on Doctor Who. So is this our new Doctor? Read…io9.com/is-this-the-face-of-our-new-doctor-512167016
|
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 9, 2013 14:04:16 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 13, 2013 12:31:30 GMT -5
Earth to Captain Basil (and your wife):
Over at Blastr:
|
|
|
|
Post by captainbasil on Jun 13, 2013 14:52:53 GMT -5
Earth to Captain Basil (and your wife):
Over at Blastr: That's awesome. I hope they found a lot of Patrick Troughton's episodes. Almost all of them were presumed lost. Thanks for the transmission. ;D |
|
|
|
Post by TrekBeatTK on Jun 13, 2013 15:46:08 GMT -5
I'm not hopeful, as it's been a long time since any more missing episodes were found. But if this is true, that's AWESOME.
-TK
|
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 18, 2013 11:33:11 GMT -5
Blastr had an article yesterday shooting down that rumor of last week about all those old "Doctor Who" episodes that were supposedly found. They declared it a hoax, and no, I'm not going through the trouble of posting the article summary and link.
|
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 19, 2013 1:32:04 GMT -5
When I read about this rumor being debunked over at Blastr the other day, I had a sneaking suspicion that we hadn't heard the last of this story, and that those 90 episodes just might show up after all. Now who knows, maybe they won't --maybe the vibe I was getting was only about this here, but something tells me that we're about to hear news that this is indeed true.
Over at io9:Maybe those Doctor Who missing episodes rumors are true after all? Holy crap. The rumor that a startling 90 episodes of lost Doctor Who material had been recovered seemed too good to be true. So we weren't entirely surprised when it was shot down. But now, the world's biggest expert on missing episodes is saying it's true after all. Could our dreams be real?
|
|
|
|
Post by CRAMBAM on Jun 19, 2013 6:53:46 GMT -5
The problem for me is my difficulty and lack of patience watching classic Who. So those episodes mean little to me.
I would get far more excited if more was going on connecting the other living Doctors to the current show--especially Paul McGann.
|
|
|
|
Post by StarFuryG7 on Jun 19, 2013 16:11:36 GMT -5
The problem for me is my difficulty and lack of patience watching classic Who. So those episodes mean little to me. I would get far more excited if more was going on connecting the other living Doctors to the current show--especially Paul McGann.
What about "Doctor Strangelove"?
As I said, you've got me wondering about that kind of material now where you're concerned. |
|
|
|
Post by captainbasil on Jun 19, 2013 17:15:02 GMT -5
I've said this before. The biggest problem with older Who episodes for new fans really lies in the format. The only way to enjoy them the way they were intended to be seen is to watch them on DVD or Netflix complete with their serialized chapters. Moffat really screwed the pooch when he did Doctors Revisited because he strung the chapters together with no cliffhanger breaks. Plus the BBC America endless commercials dampen even my enthusiasm. Because of Doctors Revisited, I have been renting some older episodes that I saw years ago. They still hold up. I spent the Friday evening of Tropical Storm Andrea watching Horror of Fang Rock with Tom Baker and Louse Jameson. I am looking forward to these lost episodes as I have only seen a few Troughton stories.
|
|
