Last year (2018) was personally and professionally challenging in a variety of un-fun ways. The things I expected to be doing I didn't get to do, while other things happened that I never imagined would. Then again, in terms of creative writing, I believe I produced some of my best flash fiction so far, however, … Continue reading Review relief
Reviews
Doctor Who: End Times
Hey there. These are my considered thoughts for the New Year's episode of Doctor Who, Resolution and some comments on the entire series. The emotional arc featuring the resolution between father and son was satisfying in an unexpectedly welcome way. I almost wish there was more to it than Graeme's clever and sensitive chats. In … Continue reading Doctor Who: End Times
Doctor Who: So that was that
Soon after watching The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos I found out that apart from the New Year's Day episode this is it until 2020. I've been think about what I could say about this episode and I've arrived at: emotional arcs are well and good, and so contention between Ryan and Graham has to … Continue reading Doctor Who: So that was that
Doctor Who: Familiar Universes
I drew three conclusions about the Doctor Who episode It Takes You Away. To me the themes were obvious, but satisfying amid the classic Who scares, Doctory-mythos talk, a fairy tale turned reality, and a Scandi-noir story that turned into something else. But to the conclusions, first:) Mother Rite The very first thing I thought … Continue reading Doctor Who: Familiar Universes
Review: Bohemian like Freddie
Radio waves are being saturated. Everywhere I go, Queen anthems are thumping out. This is not a negative. The first CDs I bought were by Queen. I think. It was awhile ago. But there is commerce at play. Bohemian Rhapsody is in the cinemas and the music is the tie in. I wasn't going to … Continue reading Review: Bohemian like Freddie
Doctor Who: going organic
Doctor Who's Kerblam, or it's title for writers: how to do contemporary issues in an SF setting, while throwing off your audience before they reach obvious conclusions. Others have written fairly comprehensively on how the plot reflects contemporary labour and employment practices and noted the call backs to earlier iterations of The Doctor, of course … Continue reading Doctor Who: going organic
Doctor Who: Borderlines
Familiarity breeds If you learn nothing else from 55 years of Doctor Who it is that people are people, no matter if they are blue, or encased in metal, or are sentient mollusc planets escaping their own universe, or humans living in India in 1947. Thus, I don't understand the outcry about the focus on … Continue reading Doctor Who: Borderlines
Doctor Who: Sympathy for the Devil
Motivations We knew this would happen. New companions of The Doctor would return to Sheffield and from there, make a decision to keep going. In terms of Joseph Campbell Hero's Journey schema, heroes are called, get help (The Doctor), and then may resist the call (go home) but then decides to cross the threshold. The … Continue reading Doctor Who: Sympathy for the Devil
Review: A Star Explodes
I saw Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born. I have many feelings. My friend thought we were seeing a 2018 version of Almost Famous. I imagined something about a musical. We were wrong. There are spoilers. So stop here. Firstly, the singing performances are everything. They soar. Obviously Lady Gaga can sing, but she is … Continue reading Review: A Star Explodes
Doctor Who: Balancing Act
In Rosa Doctor Who achieved the balance between education, personalisation, new stories, and call backs. The Doctor Calls It's a new era but the comforting sense of continuity um, continues, with call backs to the Storm Cage, Perception Filters and a Vortex Manipulator. New viewers won't care these have a provenance, while everyone else will … Continue reading Doctor Who: Balancing Act
