Friday, June 29, 2007

 
"Doctor Who". Speculation and maybe spoilers. You can skip the next bit, if you want.





Wasn't last Saturday's episode brilliant? The Doctor incapacitated. The Master in control. Martha on the run. Captain Jack dead (but not for long). The U.S. President dead. The human race facing doomsday, or at least a severe culling. John Simm just about dominated the episode, and although it was a fine line he straddled between megalomania and pantomime, I think he just about kept on the right side of that line. Great stuff.

On balance most of the current series has been outstanding. Tomorrow is the season finale and then it's the long wait until the Christmas episode that is going to feature, of all people, Kylie Minogue. Apparently Russell T. Davies wrote the part with Britney Spears in mind, but she wasn't interested. Silly Britney (but I still love her...)

The interesting question here is will David Tennant still be The Doctor after tomorrow? Well, there's the rub. I heard this week that 3 different cliffhanger endings have been filmed and they are...
  1. Martha is kidnapped by aliens and the Doctor sets out to find her.
  2. In the act of saving the Earth, the Tardis is apparently destroyed.
  3. The Doctor is mortally wounded and regenerates into...

Ah... Well, I've heard names. How about this one?

Robert Carlyle.

I don't think he is a good fit, but what do I know? I remember being outraged when Sylvester McCoy got the job in 1987, and he turned out to be brilliant. (I told him as much when I got his autograph a couple of years ago. He smiled at me benevolently and said, "You weren't the only one who thought that." Lovely man.)

Lorraine is convinced that tomorrow will be David Tennant's last hurrah. If it is, I will be sad, because he has been great.

The king is dead. Long live the king.

********

On Sunday I saw "Like Minds" at the Midlands Art Centre.



Public schoolboy Nigel Colby (Tom Sturridge) is found dead. His head has been blown off. Arrogant rich kid Alex (Eddie Redmayne) is found standing over the body with a shotgun, but he denies committing murder. As Alex is a minor, criminal psychologist Sally (Toni Collette) is asked to determine whether the boy should be charged with the murder of his schoolfriend. As Alex tells his story, flashbacks reveal the truth of what happened and the shifting relationship between the two boys. Or do they? Who is insane here? Nigel? Alex? Or maybe both?

I checked the cinema listings last Friday, and bored to tears with the thought of seeing a summer blockbuster, I opted for this, primarily on the basis that it featured Toni Collette, who is never less than interesting in every film she has appeared in.

I'd never heard of "Like Minds". It has not had a major cinema release in this country, which is a shame, because it's not a bad film, just a bit derivative. A low key mix of "Murder By Numbers" and "Primal Fear" set in an (English?) public school. It is a thriller, but it is also all about the shifting of control and domination and obsession.

Toni Collette and Richard Roxburgh are not top billed, despite what the picture above says, and that is correct, because their parts are really just extended cameos. The film belongs to Eddie Redmayne and Tom Sturridge as Alex and Nigel. Both good, otherworldly performances, especially by Eddie Redmayne.

I think that "Like Minds" is worth a look.

********

My Brother was barred from Reflex, a couple of Saturday's ago. I have pierced this story together from what my Brother told me and from what my Brother has told my Mom. The truth is somewhere in between.

My Brother has been having a long distance relationship with a girl. Most weekends he has been visiting her, but a couple of weekends ago she came up to Brum. My Brother was out with this girl. His best mate tagged along. My Brother went to the toilet. When he came back his best mate was groping the girl and the girl was trying to swallow his best mate's face. My Brother showed his displeasure at this turn of events with his fists.

Bouncers tried to intervene. My Brother showed his displeasure at the bouncers trying to intervene by kicking one of the bouncers in the balls. My Brother was ejected from the establishment and told to never return.

My Brother is a player. Has been for a while. Goes out with girls, gets his way and then disposes of them. He cares about nothing except his family and Aston Villa football club. I don't think he has any conscience. Frankly, I think he got what he deserved. It's been a long time coming.

Lorraine said it was lucky I wasn't with him that weekend. (It was the weekend I had a pain in my foot.) She said that the girl might have come on to me. No. I don't think so. I'm hardly attractive. I'm glad I wasn't there, though. Because I would have had to stand with my Brother. Right or wrong.

********

The family have been talking about me. My Mom has been thinking about the Pynchon-And-Lorraine-Do-Not-Fuck situation. She has a solution.

Last Saturday she told me that I must leave Lorraine. The sooner the better.

Not as easy as that Mom.

Why?

Because I love her.

Well, she doesn't love you, does she?

Maybe. I'll have to ask her.

And then she tutted.

That's my Mom.

********

Ginger Foghorn, I will write about on my next post. I'm in a Glam Rock kind of mood.

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Comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.
 
But I thought everyone knew David Tennant had signed up to do one more series? I love the 'Flash Gordon' style ending tonight... Bit surprised about the Martha Jones ending, but I assume she does come back too next series...?
 
Has he? (Well, I suppose now it is official that he has.) I don't think there was any official announcement, one way or another.

But will he leave midway through the next series? That is the latest rumour.

I like tonight's episode, as well and I suppose Martha will be back.
 
My son has decided David Tennant is his favourite Doctor.

We have only seen a few episodes with Christopher Eccleston which is odd as I was a huge Doctor Who fan as a child.

Perhaps it was just on at a bad time?

This season (which is ending for you) is only 2 episodes in for us. We are all hooked. I hope Tennant isn't replaced too soon.

I think I will have spend some of my holidays catching up to where I should be with the series.

Torchwood has also started here, which I also quite like.
 
javaira: I hope that I didn't spoil it, then. The second half of the series, from "Human Nature", is great drama as well as great Science Fiction.
 
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