Author: Martyn

Steven Moffat steps down 

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I’ve been tweeting for the past few months that I expected Steven Moffat to step down after series 10 and, that Chris Chibnall would replace him. I also said there would be no full series in 2016, as the BBC where keen to move Doctor Who away from the Autumn, where Strictly come dancing forces the show to broadcast after 8:30pm, which has received many complaints and has caused viewing figures to dip slightly. This move would also allow Chibnall time to finish on Broadchurch and allow him to shadow Moffat, before taking the reigns in 2018.

Well, this evening The official Doctor Who Twitter account revealed that Steven Moffat, is indeed stepping down after the show’s tenth series, which will air in 2017 and, Chris Chibnall of Broadchurch fame, is going to be taking his place.

No, I can’t give you tonight’s lottery numbers. But, my other prediction was that series 10 won’t have a full time companion and that Capaldi would leave with Moffat, allowing the new show runner to start a fresh. 

A lot of people have been speculating that the next Doctor will be a woman. Honestly, I’d have no problem with that. But, with a new show runner, a new companion and a new Doctor it will be played as safely as possible. I guarantee you the next Doctor will be a white male, aged late twenties-early thirties. 

Hasta la vista, Terminator

Like most, I thought Terminator: Genisys was awful. It was better than Terminator: Salvation. But still awful. The two leads were miscast and Arnie was there to re-ignite his film career after a long absence. However, I was still curious to see where the filmmakers would take the story, but after a very disappointing box office return, it doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen. 

According to THR, Paramount have completely removed the Terminator sequel from the 2017 schedule. The movie was set to be released on May 19th, 2017, but has been replaced by the upcoming Baywatch movie.

Interestingly, the third movie is still slated for a 2018 release. But seeing as the rights revert back to James Cameron in 2019, it’s a safe bet this planned trilogy is now dead.  

Big Finish review-Torchwood:Uncanny valley

The tale of artificial intelligence has long been a fixture of science fiction, but in this new production, the subject matter is handled with remarkable maturity. The adventure begins with Jack unexpectedly arriving at the secluded home of Neil Redmond, a reclusive billionaire and entrepreneur-celebrity. Suspicious of Jack’s motives, Redmond initially distrusts him until the Captain drops some impossible knowledge. The two men then recount the events that brought them both to the remote Welsh castle.

Redmond had been left wheelchair-bound following a horrific car crash, but a mysterious woman persuaded him to purchase a company that specialises in “living dolls”. As a result, he was gifted an avatar of himself, which he named NJ and would often appear at press conferences in his stead.

Writer David Llewellyn’s deft touch is on full display in this thought-provoking instalment of Torchwood. The story is both mature and insightful, with adult themes that are not gratuitous. But perhaps the standout element of the production is John Barrowman’s performance as Captain Jack Harkness. He slips back into the RAF greatcoat with ease, embodying the charismatic and enigmatic character he knows so well. Barrowman’s portrayal is as captivating as ever, making this production a must-listen for any Torchwood fan.

As a longtime fan of Torchwood, I’ve enjoyed each of the audios in this range for different reasons. If you’re new to the Big Finish audios, I highly recommend giving this one a listen – it’s quintessential Torchwood at its best.

DVD Review-Legend

Tom Hardy is arguably this generations greatest actor. He’s true method and can become anyone you want him to be. Need a thug? He’s there. Need a road warrior, he’s there. Need a young Jean Luc Piccard? He’s there-although he would probably rather delete Star Trek:Nemesis from his CV.

Legend charts the rise and fall of London’s most notorious gangsters, The Krays. Hardy plays both Ronnie and Reggie.

This isn’t the first time identical-twin performances have been done, but it is the first time it’s been done this well. The visual illusion is perfect and at times, it’s all too easy to forget that both parts are being played by the same man. It’s a flawless blend of special effects, cinematography and great performances. Everyone involved in making it seamless deserves a special round of applause.

Hardy gives a mesmerising performance and at times, very nearly upstage himself. He expertly manages to convey two completely different characters with Reg and Ron, Reg is the suave and smooth talking ladies’ man.  Whist Ron is gay and psychotic.

The performance is the most impressive part of the film. At times, it seems as though too much thought has been given to how they would make Tom Hardy play twins. Instead of actually making a decent film.

The narrative is weak and predictable. Supporting characters, don’t get the attention they deserve and subplots are dropped as soon as the become inconvenient. You never quite know why Nipper (Christopher Eccleston) is so intent on bringing them down.

Legend’s biggest problem is that it isn’t the first film the Krays have been the subject of, which means it doesn’t add anything we don’t already know about the infamous twins. A 10-part TV series with this cast would have been so much better.


Legend is out on DVD and Blu Ray on January 25th. 

Leela and The War Doctor

Today saw thousands of fans flock to Slough, for Big Finish day 8.

The big finish team announced live on stage, that the fourth box set in The War Doctor saga will see Louise Jameson’s classic companion Leela reunite with the War Doctor (Sir John Hurt), as the horrors of the Time War come ever closer to home.

Producer David Richardson said:

“I’d often wondered what became of Leela during the Time War, and working on these War Doctor tales has given us a wonderful opportunity to explore that. And it’s irresistible territory – the Warrior of the Sevateem reunited with an old friend, who has become a Warrior in the Time War”.

Jameson has previously reprised her role in multiple Doctor Who releases, starring opposite Tom Baker in three series of The Fourth Doctor Adventures and with fellow companion Lalla Ward in the popular spin-off series Gallifrey.

Executive Producer Nick Briggs added:

“Over the many years of working with us, Louise has brought so much extra depth to the character of Leela, and given the nature of her backstory and involvement in the affairs of Gallifrey it was a natural choice to have her involved in the Time War. And like John Hurt, she’s a genuinely uplifting person to work with.”

Doctor Who – The War Doctor 4: Casualties of War will be released in February 2017, and is available to pre-order now. You can listen to the first exclusive teaser below.

Episode 150:Gwen Stephanie Awakens

In which two mates get drunk on rum and discuss Star Wars:The Force Awakens. They also touch upon the death of Lemmy (RIP) and the disapointing Doctor Who Christmas special, The husbands of River Song.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (also known as Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) is a 2015  epic space opera film produced, co-written and directed by J. J. Abrams.

It is the first installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the seventh installment of the main Star Wars film franchise, following Return of the Jedi (1983).

The film stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Max von Sydow.

The Husbands of River Song is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. First broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2015, it is the eleventh Christmas special since the show’s revival in 2005. It is written by Steven Moffat and directed by Douglas Mackinnon.

The podcast can be accessed via different places, including Audioboom, Tunein, Miro, Stiticher, Blubrry, Player fm and Itunes.

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Pete – @BeeblePete

Gerrod – @Nerdthro_P

Email:info@badwilf.com

Macualay Culkin reprises his role as Kevin McCallister

As a child of the 80s/90s, I loved the first two Home Alone movies. I was the exact same age as the character of Kevin McCallister when both films were released.

A conversation my generation has long had is “whatever happened to Kevin?” Well now, the man himself answers the question. In this NSFW short, Maculay Culkin reprises his role and lets us know what he’s been up to.

 

 

#drwhodaniel update video message from Christopher Eccleston and a visit from RealSFX

Well, just because it was the weekend it doesn’t mean our campaign has been resting on its laurels. Oh no.

Saturday saw Daniel receive a large Dalek, from a very kind Twitter user.

It also saw the realsfx team visit Daniel in hospital, they essentially brought the Doctor Who festival to his ward. They gave him a shed load of merchandise and even a Christmas tree. Daniel was also interviewed by the Daily Mail.


Sunday saw Daniel receive a video message from the ninth Doctor himself, Christopher Eccleston. The video is very sweet, very touching  and greatly appreciated by everyone involved in the campaign. What’s impressive is that for the most part, Eccleston did it in character.

We’ve had a great few weeks with the campaign, but we’re not yet done. We still need to get Doctor’s 4,5,6,8,10 and 11.

Keep tweeting #drwhodaniel

Update on #drwhodaniel a video message from Sylvester McCoy

As you will all be aware, along with Geeksyndicate we’ve been trying to help a very poorly Doctor Who fan have the best Christmas a fan could wish for.

Along with some other lovely fans, we’ve been spreading the word via the hashtag #DrWhoDaniel.

Over the past two weeks Daniel has been receiving gifts, cards, a visit from Frances Barber, a shed load of merch from Titan Comics, sketches by professional artists, a video message from Steven Moffat and even a visit from the twelfth Doctor himself, Peter Capaldi.

Today Daniel received a video message from the seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy.

https://www.facebook.com/ahugfordaniel/videos/469977023175252/
Thank you to everyone who has been helping to brighten Daniel’s time in hospital. Peter Capaldi visiting didn’t just help Daniel, it helped bring morale to the entire Children’s ward.