Big Finish review-Eldrad must die!

The drama is a follow-up to every Doctor Who story aired between 1974 and 1977 that featured an original antagonist, except for three. The story resurrects Eldrad, played by Stephen Thorne, and is the opener for the latest trilogy of audio dramas featuring the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough, and Nyssa.

While I’m not a big fan of Big Finish’s tendency to exhaust Doctor Who’s past, particularly the Hinchecliffe/Holmes era, I keep an open mind. The Five Companions was enjoyable, The First Sontarans was surprisingly effective, and The Curse of Davros provided a fresh perspective on its titular character. Unfortunately, Eldrad Must Die! falls short of expectations.

Marc Platt, who has delivered some inventive stuff in the past, presents a generic storyline with thin characters that fail to engage. The characters run back and forth, talking about crystals, but nothing seems to go anywhere. While there are some intriguing crystalline images, they are communicated clumsily.

Although the story follows up on some elements of Mawdryn Undead and Turlough’s exile from Trion, they don’t add much to the character. The characters lack the spark that makes the best stories of this companion team work. Most of the drama appears to bide its time until Eldrad shows up, which results in Stephen Thorne shouting a lot. The story then comes to an abrupt end.

Eldrad Must Die! is another audio drama that brings back an old foe and assumes it will be sufficient to pique our interest. Unlike The First Sontarans, this is yet another story that fails to deliver.

Wilfredo Acosta’s incidental music is generic orchestral warbling, but he does a great job with the Kastrian crystals. The sound designer is highlighted on the CD Extras, which is unusual.

However, it is worth noting that while Eldrad Must Die! may have its shortcomings, Mark Strickson’s performance as Turlough is outstanding. He brings depth and nuance to the character, elevating the material and making it more engaging. Strickson is one of the best actors to have portrayed a companion in Doctor Who, and his work on audio is no exception. His performance is a highlight of the drama and a testament to his talent as an actor.

In addition to Mark Strickson’s standout performance, the rest of the cast also do a commendable job with their roles. Peter Davison delivers a solid performance as the Fifth Doctor, balancing the character’s intelligence, wit, and compassion in a way that fans have come to expect. Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, and Mark Strickson also slip back into their roles as Tegan and Nyssa effortlessly, capturing the essence of their characters from the television series.

The supporting cast, including Julie Graham as Dr. Carter and Matthew Cottle as Rossiter, also contribute strong performances, bringing energy and personality to their roles.

Overall, the cast of Eldrad Must Die! brings a sense of familiarity and comfort to Doctor Who fans, making the audio drama a worthwhile listen for those who want to spend more time with these beloved characters.

Episode 89: Doctor Who-The Bells Of Saint John

In which we actually discuss Doctor Who, yes, actual Doctor Who. Martyn and new host Mark look at The Bells Of Saint John. It’s also our longest episode to date.

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INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR MARCUS HEARN

This is a very exciting release for horror fans isn’t it?

It’s an exciting release for Hammer fans and, as you say, anybody interested in classic horror films. And if you’re a beginner this is a great place to start.

Dracula is one of the most portrayed characters in film. Why is Christopher Lee’s the one that is perhaps best remembered?

I think his interpretation is definitive. Lee transformed our perceptions of the character, suggesting the character’s danger and cruelty in a far more subtle way than had ever been suggested before. He quite rightly interprets Hammer’s Dracula as an urbane sexual predator, and I think every subsequent portrayal owes something to his performance here. He dominates this film with remarkably little screen time.

Why is this such an important version of the classic story?

This was the film where the formula for classic Hammer horror was perfected. Everything came together with Dracula, both on screen and behind the scenes. Its creative and commercial impact inspired almost 20 years of Gothic horror films from Hammer. It’s possibly even more important for the way it influenced cinematic interpretations of Bram Stoker’s novel. Here is Dracula presented as a story about sex. The influence of that decision is still felt today in modern films and TV series about vampirism.

What is your favourite thing about this film?

Its production values are modest but flawless. The lighting is beautiful; the performances – especially from Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee – are detailed and sincere. It’s eerie, erotic and surprisingly savage in the final act. This is not an explicit film by modern standards, but it’s a horror film for grown-ups.

You have to take into account the film’s age, or rather the conservative era in which was made. But I think that’s pretty much the only concession you have to make. Anyone expecting torture porn, explicit sex or a bloodbath is going to be disappointed. It’s carefully paced, erotic, unsettling, occasionally shocking and even thought-provoking. The restorations on these discs – especially the Blu-ray – really enable us to fully appreciate the craftsmanship that went into the making of Dracula.

It’s pretty incredible that the additional footage was found in Japan. What can you say about the footage that has been reinstated into the film?

It’s nothing short of a miracle that it survived and that it’s been so brilliantly restored and integrated. The classic formula for Hammer horror basically comprises sex and death, and the reinstated footage provides more of both. The original version of the sequence where Dracula seduces Mina can now be seen for the first time outside Japan. The unspoken interaction between Christopher Lee and Melissa Stribling carries a powerful erotic charge which alarmed British censors in 1958.

The extra death comes in a now complete version of Dracula’s disintegration at the end of the film. This is a remarkable special effect by the standards of the day (no CGI in 1958!) and is not only startling but also restores the original rhythm of the editing in that sequence. This is surely one of the most iconic moments in post-war cinema and now we can finally see it as director Terence Fisher intended.

The film is notable for its beautiful colours, presented here for the first time in accurate, High Definition. What is your favourite thing about the restoration?

It’s not been discussed much, but this is the first time the film has been released in any home entertainment format in its correct aspect ratio of 1:66.1. I think that’s a cause for celebration. The picture is incredibly sharp for a film of this age, and the colour palette is just as lush as you would expect from a Hammer horror. These films weren’t supposed to look realistic – they were nightmarish fairy tales.

You have provided a commentary for the film with Jonathan Rigby. What was this experience like for you and why would you urge fans to listen to it?

The commentary was great fun. Jonathan Rigby (writer and film critic) and I were principally there to provide behind the scenes information, but quite often we lapsed into ‘fan mode’ and simply discussed our favourite scenes as they appeared! This was the first time Jonathan had seen the 2012 restoration and you can hear how surprised and impressed he is on the commentary. Or rather commentaries, because at the appropriate moments you’ll hear us say different things about the 2007 and 2012 restorations.

With Twilight, TV’s True Blood and Hammer’s own Let Me In, Vampires have had a boom in pop-culture in recent years. What do you think it is about the mythology of the vampire which is continually attractive to audiences?

Vampirism is a metaphorical vehicle to portray so many of the ideas that we find disturbing, such as the loss of humanity and sexual violation. The films and series you mentioned present this in a seductive way, and I think that continues the reinvention that began with Hammer’s Dracula. This seductive quality is partly what the censors objected to in 1958, and this is what has been reinstated to the film now. Dracula may be 55 years old, but in that respect it’s now more relevant than ever.

DRACULA

RELEASED ON 3-DISC DOUBLE PLAY ON 18TH MARCH 2013

Episode 87:Jack The Giant Slayer

In which Martyn and Gerrod take a look at the new movie, Jack The Giant Slayer, which is released in the UK on 22/03/13.

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Episode 86: In the Flesh episode 1.

In which Martyn and Gerrod get drunk and turn to ask.fm for the answers. They also take a look at the brilliant new zombie show on BBC3, in the flesh.
Without the calming influence of Pete and/or Ash and the sexual nature of ask.fm, the episode quickly turns filthy, fast.

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Episode 85: An episode about nothing

Martyn didn’t have time to watch Kill Bill, so instead we’re talking about nothing. The Gremlins are back in Bad Wilf towers and the last 15mins didn’t record. Also, Martyn’s microphone that he just spent £30 on attachments for, decided to stop working two minutes in.

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Episode 84: From Dusk Till Dawn

In which Martyn, Gerrod, Pete and Ash review the 1996 film ‘From Dusk till dawn’.

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FILM REVIEW-HITCHCOCK

Hitchcock has been promoted as a behind the scenes look at the production of Psycho, but20130207-145740.jpg it’s nothing more than a movie based on speculation and guess work. What follows is a complete mess of a movie that comes across as a GCSE drama group, trying their best.

Anthony Hopkins plays the famous master of suspense and is stuck in a fat suit and the least convincing facial prosthetics, since a 1960’s episode of Doctor Who.

It opens with Hitchcock’s relationship with the public, it then quickly turns into a look at Hitchcock’s private life, which has seemingly just been fabricated by the makers of the film.There’s a scene where Hitch watches Vera Miles (Jessica Beil) undress, through the Norman hole. He also leers at women through a window and has a “special” collection of 8×10 photos. We’re told that Alma (Hellen Mirren) made invaluable contributions to her husband’s work and that they saw each other as collaborators and had equal respect for each other. They then show her to be an attention-starved woman, who is considering an affair with studio hack, Whit (Danny Huston).

Those looking for an interesting biopic into the man’s life, will be bitterly disappointed. It’s interesting that the film makers weren’t allowed to use a frame from Psycho, I believe they weren’t even allowed to use the soundtrack, the famous shower score is the Danny Elfman remix, from the 1998 Psycho remake. It’s also interesting that Hitchcock’s daughter doesn’t feature, she isn’t even mentioned. Wait for this to come on TV.

Hitchcock is released in the UK on February 8th

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