For my first Doctor Who blog review, I'm starting with episode three, The curse of the black spot. A brief description of this episode is that the TARDIS is marooned onboard a 17th-century pirate ship where the Doctor is soon being forced to walk the plank at gunpoint, until the Doctor discovers that the ship has been plagued by a mysterious Siren, who is quickly putting the crew under her spell.
To start with I'lll give this episode a 3 out of 5, not because it was a bad episode, just because from the series trailer I'm expecting even more amazing episodes. The storyline itself in this episode i thought wasnt as indepth as they usually are, there were a variety of plot twists involved, however i thought the Doctor seemed to be able to find solutions to problems a bit to easily....like it a bit more complicated and more mystery.
Every episode Matt, Karen and Arthur, give a great performance, so for future blogs if I dont mention how they've performed, then take it as a given it that they were awesome! One thing I loved in this episode was how they brought up the fact that Amy and Rory are married and that they are actually using it within the episodes. Especially how at the end Rory and Amy were heading off to bed, a thing I dont think has ever happened in the TARDIS, the assistants sleeping, made it feel very down to earth. Having the marriage talk included was brilliant, as I was slightly worried that them being married was not really going to be brought up and would take a back seat, looking forward to seeing how that develops throughout the series.
I'm still not quite sure yet whats happening with 'Amys hullucinations', and also whats happening about Amy being pregnant, is she, isn't she?? Am sure they'll get to that in a few more episodes though, so many unanwsered questions! Overall I thought this was a great episode, not going to make too many more conclusions yet this early on will have to wach on a bit more.
Eagerly awaiting next weeks episode, which is 'The Doctor's Wife', until then though, keep being nerdy!
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Film Review - The Fast and The Furious Series
Since seeing the trailers for the new Fast and Furious - Fast Five a few months ago, I decided to watch all the previous films in the series, as up to that point I'd only seen bits and pieces of them. Before watching them I decide to quickly check them out on the internet and discovered that chronologically some of the films were out of order, compared to when they were released. The info on wikipedia showed that to watch them in chronological order, the films should go, Fast and Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Fast and The Furious, Fast Five, and then finish off with Tokyo Drift. To help me better understand the films I also decided to follow this order and watch them chronoligically.
Due to the number of films in the series I wont describe them in much detail, however I will talk a bit more about Tokyo Drift later on. Each of the, Vin Diesel films i'll call them, (1, 2, 4, 5) had excellent stories incorporated into them, and a brilliant set of actors to compliment them. I was a bit worried about the stories of these films when first watching them, as I thought there would just be cars, racing and nothing else for 2 hours, although I was pleasently surprised that not only were there these very well written story lines, but they also incorporated reasons for the cars, why they raced, and why this car based world was there. I definately have to hand it to them when it comes to the talent of the drivers and how all the stunts were performed, they definately took these films to a new level.
The only problem I found with the series as a whole, was the timeline of the films. Sometimes it wasn't that clear as to how much time had passed in between certain films, and sometimes felt like I'd missed out on things that had happened. This didnt ruin the films for me in anyway as I was watching them, it was just one aspect I thought that could have been made a bit clearer to help the audience understand better.
Leading on from that last comment, I come to Fast and Furious Tokyo drift. Again I quickly want to say, this film definately threw me off, as to when these events were meant to have happened. Throughout the majority of the film, I thought that it was like a flash back, showing you Hans life right at the beginning of the series, until, ** Spoilers ** you see Hans car blow up and him supposedly die, and at the very end when Dom appears saying that he has been friends with Han for many years.
Moving on though.... This film certainly stood out for me, against the rest of the series, as it didnt follow the same set of characters, and storyline as the rest tended to do, making it a bit more refreshing, especially having seen all five films, in such a short time within the last week.
The best feature about this series of films, I think is the way it got the audience interested in cars, the way they work, how they drive, what it takes to drive them, and made you want to be part of it. Every film, I feel delivered on this and was a great way to draw the audience in and keep them wanting more. Personally I did have favourite characters within the series, however each member acted out there parts brilliantly, especially with the added pressure of performing some of the awesome car stunts.
To anyone looking for a set of action packed, thrilling, mind boggling films, even if your not really interested in cars, Id say give these films ago, you'll come out loving them. Also having looked up these films, I discovered that there are already plans to make a Fast and Furious 6, so will be waiting anxiouly for the next installment.
Due to the number of films in the series I wont describe them in much detail, however I will talk a bit more about Tokyo Drift later on. Each of the, Vin Diesel films i'll call them, (1, 2, 4, 5) had excellent stories incorporated into them, and a brilliant set of actors to compliment them. I was a bit worried about the stories of these films when first watching them, as I thought there would just be cars, racing and nothing else for 2 hours, although I was pleasently surprised that not only were there these very well written story lines, but they also incorporated reasons for the cars, why they raced, and why this car based world was there. I definately have to hand it to them when it comes to the talent of the drivers and how all the stunts were performed, they definately took these films to a new level.
The only problem I found with the series as a whole, was the timeline of the films. Sometimes it wasn't that clear as to how much time had passed in between certain films, and sometimes felt like I'd missed out on things that had happened. This didnt ruin the films for me in anyway as I was watching them, it was just one aspect I thought that could have been made a bit clearer to help the audience understand better.
Leading on from that last comment, I come to Fast and Furious Tokyo drift. Again I quickly want to say, this film definately threw me off, as to when these events were meant to have happened. Throughout the majority of the film, I thought that it was like a flash back, showing you Hans life right at the beginning of the series, until, ** Spoilers ** you see Hans car blow up and him supposedly die, and at the very end when Dom appears saying that he has been friends with Han for many years.
Moving on though.... This film certainly stood out for me, against the rest of the series, as it didnt follow the same set of characters, and storyline as the rest tended to do, making it a bit more refreshing, especially having seen all five films, in such a short time within the last week.
The best feature about this series of films, I think is the way it got the audience interested in cars, the way they work, how they drive, what it takes to drive them, and made you want to be part of it. Every film, I feel delivered on this and was a great way to draw the audience in and keep them wanting more. Personally I did have favourite characters within the series, however each member acted out there parts brilliantly, especially with the added pressure of performing some of the awesome car stunts.
To anyone looking for a set of action packed, thrilling, mind boggling films, even if your not really interested in cars, Id say give these films ago, you'll come out loving them. Also having looked up these films, I discovered that there are already plans to make a Fast and Furious 6, so will be waiting anxiouly for the next installment.
AV or not AV???
** Spoiler ** If your not into politics or don't want to be bored by me, please turn away now :)
Today's the 5th of the 5th, meaning the british people are going out today to vote, for if they want the new 'alternate voting system' or the system we use at the moment.
Having looked into both of these systems and asked numerous people their opinions on them, I still honestly feel as confused to which one I want, as I was when I began. From what I understand we either have, our current system, where u vote for one person, and whoever gets most votes wins, but may need to form coalitions, or the new AV. AV being 'alternate vote, where you rank every party best to worst, and if u get over 50% of rank 1, you win, if not, u then have to and ur percentage of rank 2, then rank 3 and so on until a party gets 50% or more, showing they have the majority. I think I've explained AV correct, and quite simply, however does anyone actually know a way of explaining what AV is, without having to repeat yourself several times to help people understand???
I do think that each system has aspects that are both good and bad, but ideally, neither seem to be just right for how I feel the vote should be held. Now I know this is just my opinion, but I have heard the idea of proportional representation thrown around in the talks of voting systems, and actually, I think that may be slightly better and more fairer then the options we've been given. However as that isn't an option I'll have to go back and rethink.
Due to being at work today, I intend to go and vote later on, however at this moment I still am unsure what's best. Is it that the question is solely 'AV or not AV' or is part of it down to change, keeping our old system we've used for years, or changing to the new. Perhaps change isn't so bad, even if it doesn't work, then at least we'd have given it ago.
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Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Bank holiday weekend
Well its certainly been quite a week to remember. With the Royal Wedding taking place on bank holiday friday, followed by the death of Osama Bin Laden, late on sunday evening, people around the world have been flooded with information about both events.
I won't go into much detail about the wedding, as I summed it all up just the other day, but it seems that going from this obviously happy, enjoyable, and spirit lifting day, people have greeted the news of Bin Ladens death with 'mixed emotions'. I feel that's the best term to describe it, as everyone is certainly happy that this symbol of terrorism has now gone, but then when people realise that they are celebrating because someone has deliberately been killed, that's where things begin to get confusing. I'm not saying that this outcome was not a good thing, its just, having not been as closely linked to the 9/11 bombings, I need more time to process this news, especially after having gone through the hype of the royal wedding a couple of days before hand.
Would like to add quickly though, to all the american people and others around the world, that I know this outcome has been a long time coming, and even though it has taken this long, it does seem to be a hugh relief. I'm also glad, especially for the familys of people involved that you now have some sense of justice and closure. Hopefully we will be able to see what this weekend results, in the coming weeks
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Monday, 2 May 2011
Film Reviews - The Kings Speech
Since writing my last blog earlier on, I've had the chance to sit and watch the amazingly brilliant film 'The Kings Speech'. When this film first came out in cinemas, I wasnt that enthusiastic to go and see it, and so skipped past it and moved on to other films coming out around that time, however after seeing the number of awards that it had been nominated for, i decided to revisit it, and find out what the film was about.
To give you a quick short summary of the film, it is about the relationship between Prince albert and a speech therapist by the name of Lionel Logue, who work together to rid the Prince of his stammer and prepare him for a radio broadcast to the British people, on the day that Britain go to war with Germany
Having now seen this film, it is very clear to see why it was nominated and won so many awards. The performances, from each of the main characters in this film (Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, and Geoffrey Rush) were outstanding, especially Colin Firth's portrayal of Prince Albert. Although this film included scenes of King George the fifth, Hitler, the two world wars, and Alberts brother King Edward the eighth, it seemed clear that the focus was to be kept primarily on the journey of the Prince overcoming his stammer. I felt this was done fantasticly and successfully due to the intense friendship that developed between Bertie and Lionel, which kept me continually connected to their characters throughout each step of the film.
I would certainly recommend this film as a must see, aside from the excellent performances within it, and its intriguing storyline, it was nice to see a film that stood apart from the usual film suspects, and that didn't have to include any random story twists, or throw in anymore famous names to boost its success. This film kept to basic's, and came out showing an amazing story and the friendship that occured as a result.
Having written this review, I think i'll now make these film reviews more of a permanent feature in my blogs, what film should I watch next??
To give you a quick short summary of the film, it is about the relationship between Prince albert and a speech therapist by the name of Lionel Logue, who work together to rid the Prince of his stammer and prepare him for a radio broadcast to the British people, on the day that Britain go to war with Germany
Having now seen this film, it is very clear to see why it was nominated and won so many awards. The performances, from each of the main characters in this film (Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, and Geoffrey Rush) were outstanding, especially Colin Firth's portrayal of Prince Albert. Although this film included scenes of King George the fifth, Hitler, the two world wars, and Alberts brother King Edward the eighth, it seemed clear that the focus was to be kept primarily on the journey of the Prince overcoming his stammer. I felt this was done fantasticly and successfully due to the intense friendship that developed between Bertie and Lionel, which kept me continually connected to their characters throughout each step of the film.
I would certainly recommend this film as a must see, aside from the excellent performances within it, and its intriguing storyline, it was nice to see a film that stood apart from the usual film suspects, and that didn't have to include any random story twists, or throw in anymore famous names to boost its success. This film kept to basic's, and came out showing an amazing story and the friendship that occured as a result.
Having written this review, I think i'll now make these film reviews more of a permanent feature in my blogs, what film should I watch next??
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Being a Nerd
You won't know this yet, but I am actually a very big nerd, especially when it comes to t.v programmes and films. At the moment this has become apparent quite a lot, due to the new series of Doctor Who starting last week.
Since the remake of Doctor Who came back onto the BBC a couple of years ago, and after seeing a variety of the old Dr Who films, I have been eagerly watching all of the new episodes, from the 7th doctor, to the last doctor played by Matt Smith. Another nerdy interest of mine, is also the books and film versions of the Harry Potter series. However I'm afraid to say that I had not read the books before having seen the first film, although once I did, I was hooked and couldn't wait to keep reading each new book as it was published. Also as a quick side note, my nerdiness did extend to waiting outside waterstones at night for new books to come on sale, and am proud of it :).
Bit side tracked there.....so back to why I was writing this blog. I've now decided to write a quick reactions blog on each of the new Doctor Who episodes, as they're shown every week, and also possibly some of my feelings on the last Harry Potter film coming out in a few months. Until then though, will hopefully be enjoying a sunny bank holiday monday tomorrow.
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The Royal Wedding - Reaction
Its now been a few days since the day of the Royal Wedding, and what a day it was. Even after the wedding had finished, it was all people could talk about, from the trees in westminster abbey, to what everyone looked like, to who was and was not invited. People all over the globe tuned into watch the event live, one example of this i found, was a group of New Yorkers, who set up a screen under one or the arches of the Brooklyn bridge, and held their own party during the wedding. Due to the amount of people wanting to watch the wedding its now been shown, that the event was the most viewed streamed programme on the internet, to date.
Unfortunately on friday I had to be at work, however as i said in my last blog, I was luckily able to catch some of the wedding on the radio in between serving customers, and then caught up with the rest later after finishing work. Throughout the whole day on friday, you could see an obvious change in peoples attitudes, like everyone was able to take a break from normal life, and have a day to rest and relax. Also during this day of R & R, you could sense an increasing amout of patriotism, more then I'd anticipated, which was a brilliant surprise. Not having much experiance of weddings, I thought that the Royal Wedding was brilliantly done, everyone looked very smart and well dressed, especially our new princess, and there didnt seem to be that many things go wrong, which is always good. One of the things i will say I really liked, that I wasnt expecting was how modern it was, compared to how you'd think it should have been, for example, Kates dress, the way William and Kate drove away from the palace in an Aston Martin (very nice touch), and the amount of actual friends and family, rather then political guests.
All in all everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the whole day, the wedding went off very smoothly without too many probles, and we now have a new princess within our Royal family. However there was just one thing that didnt make sense to me during this day, and that was the hats that all of the women wore. All the different styles, and colours, and sizes, why?? I never really understood why do they decided to wear those hats?
Anyways would just like to say congradulations to William and Kate, and I hope that you will be very happy together, am sure you will, and looking forward to the next chapter.
Unfortunately on friday I had to be at work, however as i said in my last blog, I was luckily able to catch some of the wedding on the radio in between serving customers, and then caught up with the rest later after finishing work. Throughout the whole day on friday, you could see an obvious change in peoples attitudes, like everyone was able to take a break from normal life, and have a day to rest and relax. Also during this day of R & R, you could sense an increasing amout of patriotism, more then I'd anticipated, which was a brilliant surprise. Not having much experiance of weddings, I thought that the Royal Wedding was brilliantly done, everyone looked very smart and well dressed, especially our new princess, and there didnt seem to be that many things go wrong, which is always good. One of the things i will say I really liked, that I wasnt expecting was how modern it was, compared to how you'd think it should have been, for example, Kates dress, the way William and Kate drove away from the palace in an Aston Martin (very nice touch), and the amount of actual friends and family, rather then political guests.
All in all everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the whole day, the wedding went off very smoothly without too many probles, and we now have a new princess within our Royal family. However there was just one thing that didnt make sense to me during this day, and that was the hats that all of the women wore. All the different styles, and colours, and sizes, why?? I never really understood why do they decided to wear those hats?
Anyways would just like to say congradulations to William and Kate, and I hope that you will be very happy together, am sure you will, and looking forward to the next chapter.
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