Category: Reviews

Episode 200: Doctor Who TV Movie

Martyn is joined by stand-up comedian, Sam Michael. The pair discuss the 1996 Paul McGann Doctor Who TV movie.

The Doctor Who TV movie, also known as “The enemy within”-is a 1996 continuation of the long-running British science fiction series, Doctor Who. It was developed as a co-production between BBC Worldwide, Universal Studios, 20th Century Fox and the American TV network Fox.

The film was the first attempt to revive Doctor Who following its suspension in 1989. It was intended as a backdoor pilot for a new American-produced Doctor Who TV series. It introduced Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor in his only televised appearance as the character until “The Night of the Doctor” in 2013 (though McGann has portrayed the Doctor also in various audio productions). It also marks the final appearance of Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, the only appearance of Daphne Ashbrook as companion Grace Holloway, and the only appearance of Eric Roberts‘s version of The Master.

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Interview with Steven Moffat.

 

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Episode 198: Avengers Endgame

As nobody else on the internet is talking about it, Martyn and Gerrod decided to take 19mins and 39 seconds out of their busy schedules. To bring you the only review for Avengers: Endgame, that you’ll be able to find.

Check out our previous Avengers reviews;

Avengers Assemble

Avengers: Age of Ultron

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Audioboom, Player fm and Itunes.

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Review-This Time With Alan Partridge

Aha! Smell my cheese. Alan Partridge returns to the BBC after his exile and two decades on digital and satellite radio. He’s temporarily co-hosting a The One Show-esque programme called ‘This time’. The result is, as you might expect, comedy gold. This is easily some of the best Partridge to date.

‘This time’ is the perfect setting for Partridge, much like ‘The Day Today’ and ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’. This Time’s 30-minute episodes plays out in real time. But unlike those shows, we don’t see much of the full broadcast. Instead, we see Alan’s pre-recorded VT’s and off-air conversations between the shows Co-hosts.

This time Co-host Jennie Gresham (Susannah Fielding) is a perfect foil for Alan, she’s as ambitious as he is and often steals his jokes. The frustration boils in Alan, but he internalises it as he knows this could be his last chance at mainstream broadcasting.

If you’ve never seen Alan Partridge before, then this is a great jumping on point. It has references long-term fans will get, but it isn’t bogged down with 25 years worth of continuity.

This is a six episode series, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is quickly commissioned for a second series.

This Time with Alan Partridge begins on Monday 25th February at 9.30pm, BBC ONE.

Film review-Fighting with my family

The inspiration for Fighting With My Family came from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who stumbled upon the documentary ‘The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family’ during a sleepless night. He immediately pitched the idea to his friend, The Office co-creator Stephen Merchant, who loved it and began writing the script the next day.

The film tells the story of siblings Paige and Zak, played brilliantly by Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden, who were born into a wrestling family and dream of joining the WWE. After both being called for tryouts, only Paige makes the cut, leaving Zak behind in their hometown of Norwich.

Merchant, who has been writing and directing for nearly two decades, shines in his directorial debut. His signature razor-sharp dialogue is present throughout the film, but it’s much deeper than a feel-good comedy. The story is grounded in reality, and the characters feel authentic without falling prey to any sports biopic tropes.

One of the film’s strengths is its realistic portrayal of sibling relationships. Pugh and Lowden are instantly believable as brother and sister, with a balance of mutual respect and jealousy.

Fighting With My Family teaches us that chasing our dreams comes with both highs and lows, and that not achieving our goals doesn’t mean we’ve failed. The film has something for both wrestling fans and those who have never seen a match before.

Overall, Merchant has crafted a wonderful film that is both funny and poignant, reflecting the struggles and triumphs of pursuing one’s dreams. It’s a must-watch for anyone who loves a good story about overcoming adversity.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Venom-Blu Ray review

Venom is a bold project for Sony, they’re attempting to launch a Spider-Man universe, without Spider-Man. They want this universe to stand alone, but they don’t want to rule out the chance of a future crossover.

Whilst it’s never stated this is in the MCU (Marvel cinematic universe) they don’t say anything to contradict that it isn’t. Instead of New York, the action takes place in San Francisco.

Tom Hardy plays Eddie Brock, an investigative journalist. Eddie lives with his fiancé Anne (Michelle Williams), a successful lawyer, working for a firm that represents the controversial billionaire Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed).

One night, Eddie makes a bad decision and ends up losing his job, his relationship and his apartment.

Cut to six months later. Eddie has given up on himself — but when Dr Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate), a scientist who works for Drake, tells Eddie that Drake is sacrificing homeless people in mad experiments, Eddie decides to leap back into action to expose him. Whilst exploring the lab, Eddie gets bonded with an alien, that calls itself Venom.

All of a sudden we’re in a slapstick/buddy comedy. Invoking the obligatory talking alien mechanical baritone, Venom at first barks out primal commands such as “HUNGRY!” and “FOOD!”, but soon he’s commenting on Eddie’s romantic life and opening up about how he was considered a “loser” on his home planet.



The movie is a strange beast, it never truly settles on an identity. It’s unevenly dumb, part superhero movie, part horror/comedy and it doesn’t really do either well. It is funny? Yes, at times. I’ll admit I laughed. But, not always at the times the film wanted me to.

According to Hardy his favourite bits of the film, are the 40 minutes that ended up on the cutting room floor. He’s also said in interviews, that he mostly improvised his scenes. This could explain some of the choppy editing, or inconsistencies in the characters’ motivations.

The film wants us to want Eddie and Anne back together, but they’ve put her in a relationship with Dr Dan, probably the nicest/most understanding man in the universe. Venom feels like it fell through a time vortex, this is like a pre-MCU superhero movie. Something akin to 2003’s Daredevil.

The special effects are underwhelming. The CGI is terrible and the fight scenes are predictable and murky at best. The villains — human and extraterrestrial — are forgettable. And neither the ordinary guy nor his alter ego is particularly compelling to watch.

This film cements Tom Hardy, as the British Nicholas Cage.

⭐⭐

Blu-ray Disc Exclusives

  • Extended Post Credit Scene and Deleted Scenes
  • PLUS over an hour of extras including
  • Venom Mode: Trivia Track
  • The Lethal Protector in Action
  • The Anti-Hero
  • Venom Vision
  • Designing Venom
  • Symbiote Secrets

*AND MORE

Also includes

  • Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Sneak Peek
  • Eminem Music Video

Blu Ray review-Reign of the supermen

Six months after Superman (Jerry O’Connell) sacrificed himself to defeat Doomsday, the world has been introduced to four new versions of the man of steel; Superboy, Steel, Cyborg-Superman, and the Eradicator. Each one of them is very different in their personalities and crime-fighting style compared to the original Man of Steel; leaving the world questioning which one, if any, is the true Superman.

At 87 minutes, this is one of the longer DC Universe Animated films. But the extra length enables it to achieve a number of things, such as continuing threads that were set up in ‘The Death of Superman’. We also get a great amount of character development, not only do we see some really touching moments between the Kents and Lois Lane (Rebecca Romijn). We also see Lois develop a friendship with Wonder Woman (Rosario Dawson). Lex Luthor also plays a very active role in this story-excellently voiced by Rainn Wilson. It also allows for the film to set up the wider DC animated universe.

DC’s animation department has once again proven their prowess with “Reign of the Supermen,” a triumph of a film. Despite its source material being a comic book from 1993, writers Tim Sheridan and Jim Krieg, along with director Sam Liu, manage to infuse the movie with a fresh and engaging feel. They fully comprehend the importance of the original comics to fans and flawlessly adapt them for the screen.

The film’s tone, darker and edgier, is something that DC’s live-action department should be striving for. The heroes’ actions have consequences, adding depth and weight to the story. However, it’s not without its lighter moments, making it an enjoyable experience for all. “Reign of the Supermen” is a prime example of the type of movie that DC’s live-action department should be emulating.

REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN is available now on Digital Download, Blu-ray™ and DVD

The Blu Ray special features include;

Lex Luthor:The greatest nemesis

Sneak peak at Justice League vs The Fatal Five

From the vault-two bonus cartoons.

Review-Buffy #1

It’s sometimes strange to think that Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been off the air, longer than it was ever on. Yet it continues to capture the imagination of the original audience, as well as picking up a new generation of fans a long the way.

Buffy began life as film, then became TV series-launching a successful spin-off, Angel. There have been variations of Buffy comics over the years, but they mostly carried on the adventures seen on TV. Boom! Studios have bravely decided to reboot the entire story, it’s still the Scooby gang. But with subtle differences, they’re teenagers in 2019-Willow is more confident than she ever was in the show and she’s gay from the get go, Robin Wood is a teenager and not the school principal, Joyce has a boyfriend, Cordillera is nice, Drusilla isn’t crazy, Xander is a tad geekier and to an extent, so is Buffy.

There’s no big introduction to Giles, he’s just there. Willow and Xander meet Buffy in a very different way, all of which allows for less exposition.

Jordie Bellaire has successfully captured the uniqueness of Sunnydale, the personalities of the characters, the shorthand in which Buffy, Willow, and Xander speak to each other. All whilst crafting a new story. That’s no easy task.

If you’re a fan of the Buffy TV show, you’re sure to find this entertaining. It can however, take a while to forget everything you know about the series. I’ve read this twice, because my first read had me stopping every page saying “Well, that’s different”. But, Boom! Studios has hit the ground running, with this reboot. This first issue is exhilarating.

Book review-Doctor Who:Scratchman

Roughly 40 years ago, one Thomas Stewart Baker sat in the pub with his Doctor Who co-star, Ian Marter and started writing a Doctor Who movie, Doctor Who meets the Scratchman.

Ultimately, it never secured the required funding and the un-produced film became the stuff of legend. Tom Baker later had to apologise, after kids started sending their pocket money to the BBC. After he joked that fans could fund it.

Over the years, you’d hear a rumour here and there at fan gatherings and meet ups. Some people even claimed they’d read it. It sounded bonkers, the fourth Doctor going up against the devil and at some point, pinball would be involved..

Now, after years of speculation and “what ifs” Tom Baker- with the help of James Goss, has adapted the screenplay into a novel.

The Doctor, Harry and Sarah Jane Smith arrive at a remote Scottish island, when their holiday is cut short by the appearance of strange creatures – hideous scarecrows, who are preying on the local population. The islanders are living in fear, and the Doctor vows to save them all. But it doesn’t go to plan – the time travellers have fallen into a trap, and Scratchman is coming for them.

With the fate of the universe hanging in the balance, the Doctor must battle an ancient force from another dimension, one who claims to be the Devil. Scratchman wants to know what the Doctor is most afraid of. And the Doctor’s worst nightmares are coming out to play…

Baker and Goss have taken full advantage of the novel medium. There’s a sense of freedom here, that a film probably wouldn’t allow. The story takes its time and feels like the fourth Doctor era, but it’s also clearly influenced by the big sci-fi/horror films from the 70’s. Mostly John Carpenter’s work, but I also got hints of Wicker man and the Omen. This blend makes for an intriguing read.

The first half reads very much like a standard Doctor Who story, it’s the second half that gets whacky, outlandish and high-concept. I don’t want to spoil it. It’s a bit far-out and some may feel it makes the book a bit disjointed. But it worked for me.

This is the most fun I’ve had with a book for years. Tom Baker claims this will be his last time writing a Doctor Who book, if that’s true then he’s left us with an entertaining read. However, I’m hoping he can be talked into another.

Review-Stan & Ollie

I adore Laurel and Hardy, I remember the first time I discovered them-age 10, in 1992. I was captivated, I would memorise scenes and try to get my friends to act them out with me. It’s clear that the team behind “Stan & Ollie” love them even more.

The film opens in 1937 with Stan Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (John C. Reilly) making the classic ‘Way our west’. The duo are at the height of their careers. They’re popular, happy and enjoying a good-natured chat about alimony, filming schedules and attending a party with Clark Gable.

We then flash forward 15 years with the pair reuniting after a creative break-up, hoping to use a series of live performances to generate interest in a film they want to make.

The tour doesn’t get off to a good start, they’re staying in a second-rate hotel, whilst the youngster on reception tells them how much her mum loves them, highlighting their fall from grace. The audiences is sparse and their tour manager is more interested in promoting Norman Wisdom.

Steve Coogan and John C Reilly both put in tremendous performances in this ambitious film.

Coogan has Laurel’s mannerisms down to a T, he even sounds like him. Switching between an American accent when filming and a transatlantic accent when not (Stan Laurel was originally from Yorkshire). Reilly brings a light touch to Oliver Hardy and captivates in every scene. Watching the two of them re-enact classic sketches is an absolute joy to see.

Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson star as Laurel’s and Hardy’s wives-respectively. They hold their own throughout and are portrayed as equal partners, as well as the most important people in either man’s life.

Stan & Ollie is a wonderfully sweet film, a proper love letter to true Hollywood icons. See it on the big screen.

Stan & Ollie will be in cinemas, 11 January 2019.

DVD review-The Festival

After his girlfriend Caitlin (Tointon) dumps him at graduation, Nick (Thomas) is convinced by his best friend Shane (Animashaun) to attend a music festival, they’d previously booked tickets for-even though it means running into her.

On the train, they meet the annoying Amy (O’Doherty).

Sure enough, they run into Caitlin and after a number of humiliating situations, Nick ends up getting himself and Shane arrested, which leads to Shane’s mum’s boyfriend(Clement) bailing them out.

Whilst the cast provide enough energy to make it watchable, the film feels like it’s made from rejected jokes from The Inbetweeners. Which makes sense considering it’s written by the shows co-creator and stars Joe Thomas.

The script is packed with gags-none of which land. In fact, some of the humour is so grotesque and tasteless that it’s jarring, alienating and cringe-worthy. The filmmakers abruptly cut scenes to distract from the thin plot and random set-pieces.

Jermaine Clement gives a great performance and steals every scene he’s in. Nick Frost and Noel Fielding manage to raise a few smiles, with their cameos. But there’s little substance here. Ultimately, the film feels like that random drunk guy on a train. Chattering endlessly, but never getting to a point.