Topic: RossRoy's Random Viewings

[RossRoy]

It's funny. I came unto some videos for the new Doctor Who Proms 2010 and there's one in pacticular that is the introduction to the new Doctor Who theme song. It's presented by Matt Smith, and Karen Gillan and some other bloke is there.

It's funny because Karen almost looks like she'd rather be somewhere else. She keeps fidgeting and looks almost bored.

but ... 

Them legs! And that cute little face there! Very nice laugh too right before the theme starts.



I may just end up liking her more and more in the end

Even the new theme is growing on me the more I hear it. It's got a great energy to it. Especially when the choir joins halfway. 

[dfmorgan]

This is the re-imagining of the theme that I like



Dave

[Najemikon]

The guy who played the scientist in Waters of Mars is Lee Evans. They do have a habit of employing the top comedians for cameos! Peter Kay was in an earlier episode a few years back.

Evans is known for in some ways as a Norman Wisdom type, but an absolute live-wire. He's dripping with sweat minutes into any of his stand-up routines.

[RossRoy]

Doctor Who: The End of Time (Parts One & Two)

WHAT THEY SAY

Christmas Eve, and the Doctor is reunited with Wilf, to face the return of an old enemy.

MY THOUGHTS

Well, that's it. David Tennant's run as the Doctor comes to an end. But what a run it was! And what a send off! Waters of Mars explored the darker side of The Doctor - a broken, bitter, depressed Doctor. End of Time actually builds wonderfully on that, with the Doctor actually working his way out of it, with help from Wilf (Donna's gramps). Wilf has some of the best lines of the episode. (Though I haven't noticed that phrase that was supposed to take my breath away - see this post by Jon - I must've missed it). Either way, the whole episode took my breath away. Is it because I've watched it all in such a short time? Or just because it was really that good? Either way, I found the ending really hard to get through. Revisiting old friends, knowing these are the last moments of this incarnation of the Doctor. I got very emotional there. David Tennant's performance was stellar. I mean, he's been good since he took the role, but here he's simply magnificent. And when he says "I don't want to go" right before regenerating....   You know, I think Doctor Who just shot right up there as one of my favorite TV show ever. I really loved it. And I'm sure I'll still love it come Series 5 in November. That small cameo at the end of End of Time might just have sold me to Matt Smith.

RATING

[Najemikon]

Matt Smith's opening scenes are wonderful. He's trying different foods ("new mouth") and can't find one he likes...

The line from Wilf I liked was very subtle:

(click to show/hide)

When the Doctor has defeated the Master, and all seems ok. Just for a moment he believes he's escaped the 'four knocks' prophecy and then..

tap tap tap tap

"Can you let me out?"

 

[RossRoy]

(click to show/hide)

When the Doctor has defeated the Master, and all seems ok. Just for a moment he believes he's escaped the 'four knocks' prophecy and then..

tap tap tap tap

"Can you let me out?"

 

Now that you mention it - I did gasp at that moment. And a big fat, unbelieving "Nooooo!" came out...

[RossRoy]

Torchwood: Children of Earth: Day One

WHAT THEY SAY

An ordinary day becomes a world of terror, as every single child in the world stops. A message is sent to all the governments of Earth: "We are coming." But as a trap closes around Captain Jack, sins of the past are returning, as long-forgotten events from 1965 threaten to reveal the awful truth.

MY THOUGHTS

Bloody Hell! What started out as a pretty standard mystery investigation by Torchwood is turning out to be so much more! And that's only after Day 1 of 5! That cliffhanger!  Will he? Will he not? To think I was just about to start watching Lost starting at S1 ... glad I decided to give Torchwood a spin before I did!

RATING

[RossRoy]

Torchwood: Children of Earth

WHAT THEY SAY

An ordinary day becomes a world of terror, as every single child in the world stops. A message is sent to all the governments of Earth: "We are coming." But as a trap closes around Captain Jack, sins of the past are returning, as long-forgotten events from 1965 threaten to reveal the awful truth. Torchwood is forced underground, as the government takes swift and brutal action. With members of the tems being hunted down, Britain risks becoming a rogue state, with the mysterious and powerful 456 drawing ever closer. Captain Jack, Gwen and Ianto are helpless, as events escalate until mankind faces the end of civilization itself.

MY THOUGHTS

It starts out rather slow, but when it gets going it just takes off and never stops! I found it to be edge of your seat stuff. I loved it! It managed something that not too many series do - it kept my full interest for the whole duration of each episode! I never even once dozed off and felt like going online to check things out. That, right there, warrants full mark from me!

RATING

[RossRoy]

Forbidden World

WHAT THEY SAY

On the planet Xarbia, an experimental life-form known as "Subject 20" has been created by an elite group of scientists in hopes of preventing a major galactic food crisis. However, instead of prolonging life, Subject 20 is destroying it, and the man-eating organism poses a double threat because it constantly changes its genetic structure. Bounty hunter Mike Colby is called in to investigate but soon suspects that the scientists are keeping something from him, and he discovers why ... Subject 20 is half-human!

MY THOUGHTS

Decent little movie. Nothing too flashy, but effective in what it's trying to do. The creature effects and the "decomposition" effects are really well done. There's really something to be said about practical effects vs CGI. And this, while certainly not having the kind of budget big Hollywood productions get, still manages to look awesome with its effects. I must admit, the single corridor set started bothering me towards the end. Namely, as Tracy is running away from the beast at the end of the movie. She runs up and down the very same corridor 4 or 5 times. I had already noticed that it was a single corridor, reused all the time. It made sense in that it's a space station on a far awar world, so it's logical that the design wouldn't be up to Martha's standards. But the corridor is a corner one with a door at the end of it. At least have the actress run the corner! Not just straight lines all the time. Oh well. It's a minor complaint. There's also two instances where I don't understand why they interspersed sexy images almost like a subliminal message. One is about a third into the movie, where the security guy sees the alarm on a monitor and walks off to investigate. While he walks around, we get flashes of the hero having sex with one of the scientist. But the flashes are almost subliminal. No time to actually register. Why do it like that? And they do it later in the movie. But despite all that, I still liked the movie. The girls were beauties, especially the bunette (Dawn Dunlap). The action was pretty decent. The atmosphere is good. The creature design was inventive. As an Alien rip-off (which Roger Corman openly admits to in the interview) it lacks the production value, but makes up for it by the investment of everybody involved. It actually shows you don't need a big budget to make a decent movie.

RATING

[Jimmy]

Dawn Dunlap started her career in a french movie (Laura, les ombres de l'été) in 1979. She is also in Barbarian Queen who is a part of this same Cult Collection. Just wait to see Lisa Glasser in Humanoids from the Deep



Maybe I will try to watch it later today...

Looking at your banner it seems that you have seen the 2 version, are the difference big enough to warrant a watching?

[RossRoy]

Looking at your banner it seems that you have seen the 2 version, are the difference big enough to warrant a watching?

I didn't watch the director's cut all the way through. But what I've seen is not much different. But the picture quality on the DC is almost unbearable. The voice of Sam (the robot) is also very hard to understand. Way too metallic, and there's no subtitles to counter it. From what I've read and heard in the interview, what was cut is the dark humor that Holzmann had put in. Corman didn't it and cut it out. I don't think I've stayed with the DC long enough to actually notice it.

[Dragonfire]

I read somewhere that the only footage that Shout! Factory could get a hold of for the director's cut was in really, really bad shape.

[Jimmy]

It's because they weren't able to access the real theatrical master of the director cut, since it is store at UCLA and this university ask a lot of money to access whatever is in their vault. So the only material available was a tape master (wich isn't a VHS tape).

[RossRoy]

Screaming Dead

WHAT THEY SAY

An abandoned insane asylum looms dark and foreboding on the horizon. Into it pass six individuals who are about to discover its terrifying secrets and come face to face with its blackest horrors. Sleaze photographer Roger Neale and three beautiful models take up residence in the reportedly haunted old building -- an ideal location for Neale's photographic "study in terror." The hospital was financed by a depraved industrialist who built a hidden vault under the basement where he tortured and murdered hundreds of patients. Neale himself is a sadist, and he takes great pleasure in exploiting the helpless young women. But when he discovers a secret passageway, it leads to a blood-splattered dungeon...and into a supernatural world where pain and evil await mortal flesh.

MY THOUGHTS

Ah I'm so pissed! All because of the last 10 or so minutes. The movie was building so well. Threading a fine line between voyeurism, exploitation and sadism. It was actually working towards asking some legitimate questions about how far you can go "in the name of art". When does art become voyeurism? When does voyeurism become exploitation? When does exploitation become sadism? You had it all. Innocent young girls willing to do anything to get their career started, played marvelously by the three actresses. The down to earth big sister, again well played by the gorgeous Rachael Robbins. The weirdo artsy voyeur photographer, again with a great performance by the actor. There's the hero of the day ... though that guy was a bit shaky as the hero. But still, the rest of the cast made up for it. The story was interesting, pushing the limit slowly further and further. And then it all crumbled. Like I said, the whole movie was building so well towards a nice finale. And then boom! Deux Ex Machina. The hero saves the day by doing something so utterly unexpected, not explained, that doesn't even make any sense! And the gibberish "epilogue" - completely unnecessary, and actually detrimental to the whole. It's so frustrating. It had the makings of a real good movie, despite the obviously teeny tiny budget and cheesy special effects (although they do their job). I must add though that the movie looked awesome. Probably too good for its own good. They used 24p HD Cameras and the image is pristine. They probably could've used some of the grain of traditional stock film to hide the low budget effects. But for the scene where the three girls are together in a single twin bed? Gorgeous!

RATING

[Jimmy]

Funny I just watch the same one, gave it the same rating and would explain it with the same reasons if I would have wrote a review...