Author: Martyn

Big Finish review-Torchwood Soho Parasite

Since he was first introduced in 2016’s Ghost Mission, Norton Folgate (Samuel Barnett) has popped up in several Torchwood audios. His self-serving ways fast cemented him as a fan-favourite. So much so, it’s difficult to imagine the Torchwood cast without him.

In Torchwood Soho: Parasite, we catch up with Norton, as he investigates strange happenings in post-war London. There’re Nazi packages, a man who should be dead, a time-traveling pub and, Torchwood fan-favourite Sergeant Andy Davidson (Tom Price).

Writer James Goss blows me away, with each release. This is no exception. What’s interesting about this box set, is it’s comprised of six half-hour episodes. I loved this format and I hope it stays. It enables the story to be lean and flow at an incredible pace, there’s no filler here.

The story has a non-linear format, but thanks to Scott Handock’s smooth direction, you’re never lost. You know exactly where every character is and their motivations are always clear.



What can be said about Samuel Barnett and Tom Price at this point? They have such great natural chemistry, Norton and Andy are the perfect Big Finish odd-couple. It’s always a joy to hear them interact.

Rounding off the team are Torchwood new-comers, Dervla Kirwan and Joe Shire. Kirwan instantly shines as Lizabeth Hayhoe, she makes the role her own and establishes the character as a force to be reckoned with. Shire is equally charming as Gideon Lyme, a journalist, and love-interest of Norton. There’s also Belle Epoque (Franchi Webb), the immortal landlady of ‘The Stagnant Pond’ pub. All three characters are brilliant for Torchwood, I hope we see them again.

All-in-all, Torchwood Soho: Parasite is a strong release. Highly recommended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cast:

Torchwood-Soho: Parasite is available to purchase directly from Big Finish.



Sleuth – Act I by CWT Audios

Our very own Chris has kept himself busy during lockdown, by making an audio adaptation of Sleuth, by Anthony Shaffer.

The audio stars Chris and his ‘we sound familiar’ co-host, Elliott Crossley.

Chris plays the role of Andrew Wyke, whilst Elliot plays the role of Milo Tindle.

The plot revolves around young Milo Tindle being invited to the manor of his lover’s husband and crime novelist, Andrew Wyke, to bury the hatchet, a criminal plan is hatched, but is it all part of some deadly game?

The audio is totally free and can be watched on YouTube or downloaded via band camp.

Produced for entertainment purposes only, independently of the Estate of Anthony Shaffer. No profit is being made from this production.

New Trailer! Doctor Who Time Lord Victorious #1! Tenth Doctor! Daleks!

Time Lord victorious, is a thrilling new multi-platform adventure for the Tenth Doctor (as played by fan-favorite David Tennant) that sees the shocking return of his deadliest enemies: the Daleks! But things aren’t what they seem – time is all wrong, and something is coming that terrifies even the Daleks…

The first of two oversized issues kicking off the BBC’s highly anticipated multi-platform Doctor Who epic, Time Lord Victorious!

Trailer- Miss Virginia

Based on the inspiring true story of Virginia Walden Ford’s fight to create positive educational opportunities for African-American students in Washington D.C., Miss Virginia is a gripping drama about community empowerment with a powerhouse central performance from Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black).


Virgina Walden (Uzo Aduba) an impoverished single mother who is losing her fifteen-year-old son to the rough streets of Washington D.C. Unwilling to see him drop out and deal drugs, she places him in a private school. But when she can’t afford tuition, she launches a movement to change the system that is destroying him and thousands like him. Attacked and threatened by those who don’t want change – from a corrupt politician to the local drug lord, Virginia must discover depths of strength she never knew she had.


Because of Virginia Walden Ford’s tireless campaigning, in 2002 the United States’ government enacted the first-ever Opportunity Scholarship Program for low-income children, leading to a complete overhaul of Washington D.C.’s education system.
Miss Virginia stars Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black) in the titular role, Niles Fitch (Roman J. Israel, Esq., This is Us) as her son James, as well as Matthew Modine (Stranger Things), Vanessa Williams (Shaft), Adina Porter (American Horror Story) and directed by R.J. Daniel Hanna.

Trailer-The Batman

Warner Bros. has released the first teaser trailer for Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ and it’s pretty outstanding.

The Batman will be a noir-style story, that will heavily on Batman in his detective mode. Which is something no other Batman movie has done yet. In the comics, he’s the world’s greatest detective. Director Matt Reeves has said that it’s going to tell a deep and psychological story and confirmed that the movie will not be an origin story. We’ll be seeing Batman in the second year of his

The film stars Robert Pattinson as Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Cat Woman, Andy Serkis as Alfred, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone and Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson. Gil Perez-Abraham (Orange is the New Black), Charlie Carver (Teen Wolf), and Max Carver.

The Batman is now scheduled for release on October 1, 2021.

New dates for landmark Ray Harryhausen exhibition

A thrilling and immersive exhibition on the pioneering and unparalleled work of Ray Harryhausen (1920-2012), the cinematic titan whose movies shaped the face of modern cinema, will arrive at the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS), as part of the late filmmaker’s centenary celebrations. Working in close collaboration with The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation, the National Galleries are proud to present Ray Harryhausen: Titan ofCinema, which will lead the reopening of Modern Two at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art from Saturday 24 October.

The exhibition is the largest and most comprehensive exhibition  of the art of the legendary trailblazer Harryhausen to date, who elevated stop-motion to an art-form between the 1950s-1980s, and whose exhilarating movies inspired a generation of the world’s greatest living filmmakers, among them Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Sir Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro.

The exhibition, originally scheduled for May this year and delayed due to COVID-19, will now lead the reopening of Modern Two with an extended run from October 2020 until September 2021. Visitors can secure their tickets via the new online booking system, available from www.nationalgalleries.org

Ray Harryhausen was responsible for some of twentieth century cinema’s most magical moments. The Titan of Cinema exhibition will showcase the original models at the very centre of these classic moments, such as the iconic skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts(1963), the Cyclops from his highly-influentialSinbad series of the 1950-70s and his landmark UFOs from 1956’s Earth vs the Flying Saucers. Among the models on show, are ones that would later inspire movies such as Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Pan’s Labyrinth andMars Attacks!

Also on display will be a young Harryhausen’s very first models, including his marionette inspired by the gorilla from Willis O’Brien’s film King Kong, as well as models from Mighty Joe Young, the first film Harryhausen and O’Brien worked on together and the movie which effectively launched Harryhausen’s career.

These miniature monuments to cinematic history are joined by a bounty of posters, memorabilia, never-seen-before photographs, storyboard illustrations and the drawings and art that inspired Harryhausen’s creatures and films, all taken from his remarkable collection.

The Academy Award-winning filmmaker’s life, work and boundless imagination will be told through an immersive showing of sights, sounds and shadows, which caters not only for steadfast film enthusiasts, but for visitors of all ages and interests.

The exhibition also traces Harryhausen’s unique connection to Scotland. Not only did Ray and his lifelong partner Diana have an affinity for Scotland, but Diana was also the great-great granddaughter of the Scottish explorer David Livingstone. One of Harryhausen’s final projects was designing a statue of the legendary missionary, which now resides in Blantyre.

Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema is presented in collaboration with The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation (Charity No. SC001419) to celebrate what would have been his centenary birthday year. 

As part of a series of events and initiatives under the banner #Harryhausen100, the exhibition will be accompanied by screenings, workshops, talks and more, bringing his creations to life once again and celebrating the legacy of the filmmaker who shaped cinema as we know it today.

Vanessa Harryhausen, daughter of Ray Harryhausen and a Trustee of The Ray and Dianna Harryhausen Foundation, said: “Our plans to celebrate Dad’s centenary at the National Galleries in Edinburgh are so exciting; if he was still around, he would be so enthused by all the centenary celebrations and plans! It’s wonderful that we are able to display so much of Dad’s collection: the space at the Galleries gives us great scope to display as many of his models and artworks as possible, as well as personal items which have never been exhibited before.”

“We at the Foundation are thrilled to work with the National Galleries on displaying Dad’s collection and celebrating his legacy. He established the Foundation in order to encourage future generations to enjoy stop-motion animation, and we hope the celebrations and activities in Edinburgh will encourage fans of all ages to be inspired by his creativity”.

Ray Harryhausen | Titan of Cinema runs at Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern Two) from Saturday 24 October 2020 – 5 September 2021. Tickets on-sale from 2 September via www.nationalgalleries.org

Olivia Wilde to direct a Silk movie?

Olivia Wilde has reportedly signed a deal to direct a new Marvel film for Sony Pictures.

The ’Booksmart’ director will make a movie about a female superhero, but neither Disney or Sony has officially commented.

When Marvel were in financial trouble in the 1990s, they sold off the film rights to their superheroes. Sony bought the rights to Spider-Man. Which also grants them use of any Spider-Man related characters.

Wilde posted a spider emoji on Twitter, leading most people to assume she’s making a Spider-Woman movie. But, my money is on Silk.

https://twitter.com/oliviawilde/status/1296224309896126464?s=21

Silk AKA Cindy Moon made her debut in 2014, in The Amazing Spider-Man issue 1. She’s a Korean-American, who was bitten by the same spider on the same day as Peter Parker.

Cindy gained similar abilities to Peter when she was bitten, though her spider-sense (dubbed by her as “Silk Sense”) is far stronger than Peter’s. On their first meeting, Peter observed that she was even faster than him, though not quite as strong. She also has the ability to shoot webs out of her fingertips, and she has an eidetic memory.

Ben Affleck is Batman returning

According to Vanity Fair, Ben Affleck is set to don the Batman cowl again. It’s thought to be a cameo role and it will be alongside Michael Keaton, who is also reprising his role as Batman from the 1989 Tim Burton film. Both will appear in The Flash, starring Ezra Miller.

The Flash director Andy Muscietti said:

“He’s a very substantial part of the emotional impact of the movie. The interaction and relationship between Barry and Affleck’s Wayne will bring an emotional level that we haven’t seen before. It’s Barry’s movie, it’s Barry’s story, but their characters are more related than we think. They both lost their mothers to murder, and that’s one of the emotional vessels of the movie. That’s where the Affleck Batman kicks in.”

I honestly didn’t see this coming, I thought Affleck was done with the character. It’s nice to see he’s willing to come back to give the character a proper send-off.

The Flash is scheduled for release on June 3, 2022.

Listen to our review of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.

Big Finish review-Torchwood: Red Base

Mars may be the next giant leap for mankind, but Starr Base is the first small step. This practice Mars base, located in a quarry in Neath just off the A474, is designed to test humanity’s ability to survive on the red planet. Unfortunately, the crew members are dying and the remaining survivors are terrified, paranoid, and questioning whether something alien has infiltrated Starr Base. To investigate, Sgt. Andy Davidson has been dispatched to determine what has gone wrong.

Torchwood: Red Base, a murder mystery by the talented James Goss, is difficult to review without spoilers. It is a whodunit loosely based on the reality show Eden, which followed 23 participants attempting to build a self-sufficient community in a remote part of Scotland for a year. Unknown to them, broadcasting ceased after only four episodes due to poor ratings.

The Torchwood range has become a personal favourite, and releases like Red Base cement my belief that Torchwood on Big Finish is at its best. James Goss delivers a solid mystery that pays homage to classic whodunits while also providing an original twist. Lisa Bowerman’s direction is as polished as ever, and Blair Mowat’s music is perfectly complemented by Joe Meiners’ sound design.

Tom Price delivers an outstanding performance as Sgt. Andy Davidson, brings humour, empathy, and understanding to the character. It’s been a joy to see Andy evolve over the years and continue to be a fan favourite.

Torchwood: Red Base is now available to own as a collector’s edition CD at £10.99 or on download from the Big Finish website for £8.99.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

New Promo Teaser For ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE

Director Zack Snyder has shared a new teaser promo for his highly-anticpated cut of Justice League.

The teaser shows us a bit of footage, ahead of the DC FanDome presentation this weekend where a full trailer is expected to be revealed.

DC FanDome is a first-of-its-kind, immersive global fan experience in nine languages featuring exclusive reveals with our biggest stars across the DC Multiverse—free for all fans to join for 24-hours only on August 22nd. No lines, no badges.

The event, aimed at fans of DC Comics, will feature online panels, cosplay, fan art and comics, as well as special events for kids. The devoted DC fandom will be especially excited for looks at some long-awaited DC properties, including the Snyder Cut of Justice League, Robert Pattinson as The Batman, The Rock as Black Adam, a look at James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and much, much more.