In which Mark and Bob look at stories from the 6th and 7th Doctor era of Doctor Who.
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There’s a rumour doing the rounds that an email was “accidentally” sent from BBC worldwide to employees confirming that series 8 will consist of 12 episodes (including the 2014 Christmas special) and feature a new Doctor.
The series is said to air in August 2014. Which, if true would mean Matt Smith is going at Christmas and a 15 month gap between series 7 and series 8.
A reduced episode run would make sense. The split was budgetary and hasn’t proved popular. Luther, Merlin and Being Human all had their episodes reduced in their hight of popularity.
An official announcement is being made by the BBC, at midnight.
In which Martyn, Gerrod and Rix give you a quick review of The MCM expo and, when we say quick-we mean quick.
It was recorded in the car, after being on our feet for 9 hours. A longer episode is coming soon where we’ll talk about the expo in more detail, as well as Doctor Who and Star Trek:Into Darkness.
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Futurama has been cancelled (again). Comedy Central have announced that the 13 episode series airing in June, will be the last.
The show returned with great success after it’s initial cancellation, by fox in 2003, but it seems that the momentum could to be maintained.
The shows co-creator and executive producer David X. Cohen added
“If this is indeed the end of Futurama, it’s a fantastic finish to a good, long run,”.
There are a few things people don’t know about me. One of those things being that I am a huge fan of th
e movie Psycho. A paper I wrote about the movie, achieved me my A, in a GNVQ English exam.
In 2000, I went on a tour of California and, the only thing I really wanted to do, was go on the Universal studios back lot tour, to see The Bates Motel. I still have an unused Bates Motel flannel, that I bought 13-years ago. I’ve owned Psycho on VHS, DVD and blu ray. So, when I heard A&E were working on a prequel series to my favourite film, I was apprehensive to say the least.
Now, it isn’t really truthful to call Bates Motel a prequel. It really isn’t, it’s mostly inspired by the Robert Bloch novel ‘Psycho’. It’s set in the modern-day and in a different town to the novel and the movie.
We’re first introduced to Norman (Freddie Highmoore) just after he discovers the body of his father in the garage. A cause of death is never given and from Norma’s (Vera Farmiga) reaction it hardly seems accidental. Six months later, Norma and Norman have bought a motel and moved to a new town, White Pine Bay.
Norma’s brutal rape, at the hands of the motel’s former owner kicks off the main story line. Coming home after sneaking out to a party, Norman smashes the rapist on the head, with a blunt object. Whilst Norman gets a first aid kit to attend to his mother’s wounds, the rapist taunts Norma until she stabs him multiple times. Norman wants to call the police, but his mother convinces him to help her cover it up by stating “who would want to stay at the rape/murder hotel. We came here to start our lives over and I Am Starting Over”.
Parallels have been drawn between this and American Horror Story, but Bates Motel has more in common with David Lynch’s twin peaks, than anything else. Everybody in this seemingly idyllic town is connected and they all have secrets.
Everything about this works, the pacing is great, the script is sharp and the musical score is tone setting and completely un-intrusive.
The performances are great, as Norma was a mostly an off-screen character, Farmiga as a lot more to work with than Highmoore. But, he doesn’t let the confines of playing a well-established character hold him back, there are elements of Anthony Perkins in his performance but he manages to make the role his own.
This is a true homage to a classic that leaves you wanting for more and, we’re going to get it. After this episode aired in the US, A&E announced that they’re commissioning another series.
The Bates Motel gets it’s UK premiere on Universal Channel on Thursday September 12th at 9pm.
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.
In which Martyn and Pete are joined by Nick and Andy from Podcastique.
In usual Bad Wilf fashion, they go massively off topic. The Podcastique guys have released this as a video podcast, so you can check that Check out this episode
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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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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
