Welcome to the thirty-first instalment of Who Review, my ongoing quest to review all available episodes of TV’s longest running SF series, Doctor Who. This week, seemingly benevolent aliens offer the Earth a gift too good to be true in The Claws of Axos.
EPISODES
The Claws of Axos (4 Episodes)
BROADCAST DATES
13 March – 3 April 1971
THE DOCTOR
Jon Pertwee
THE COMPANIONS
Jo Grant
It’s the holidays so I have a bit of time to catch up on my film list. Oh and someone pointed out that I should call Spoiler Alert on some of these reviews. Sorry if I annoyed anyone! 🙂
Chernobyl Diaries
Released: 2012
Directed by: Bradley Parker
Written by: Oren Peli (screenplay) & Carey Van Dyke (screenplay)
Starring: Jesse McCartney, Jonathan Sadowski & Olivia Dudley
Plot: Six tourists hire an extreme tour guide who takes them to the abandoned city Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. During their exploration, they soon discover they are not alone.
For: Cool poster / Uri character is fun / The abandoned city is well done
Against: Uses a documentary type film style, but never explains why, or who is holding the camera / Very boring, it takes 55 mins for anything interesting to happen / Why do they find Natalie alive? The eviscerated Uri, but she doesn’t have a scratch! / The ending is ridiculously stupid! / A good idea wasted.
Favourite Scene: The group gets back to find the van gutted and the video of what happened / Natalie gets taken again (and the creepy kid)
Rating: 1.5 Lukes
Since I hadn’t done one of these posts in awhile, my last Spotlight On (#7) was actually films that I’d seen some time ago. This batch are ones that I’ve watched more recently 🙂
Argo
Released: 2012
Directed by: Ben Affleck
Written by: Chris Terrio (screenplay), Joshuah Bearman (article)
Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston & John Goodman
Plot: A dramatization of the 1979-1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran.
For: Very well directed. Affleck is a far better director than he is an actor / The Argo read through is awesome, I would love to see this actually get made (but of course it wont) / Mark steps up to the plate at the airport / Alan Arkin is awesome (as always)
Against: Not as gripping as I expected. It is entertaining but could have been so much more. For example, instead of chasing the plane down at the airport (which apparently never happened) why not just radio the plane from the tower and demand that they not take off?
Favourite Scene: The Argo read through, and every scene with Arkin.
Rating: 4 Lukes
Silent House
Released: 2011
Directed by: Chris Kentis & Laura Lau
Written by: Gustavo Hernández (original film story), Laura Lau (remake screenplay)
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Adam Trese and Eric Sheffer
Plot: Sarah, her father and her uncle are getting their lakeside retreat ready for sale. But things take an ominous turn and Sarah finds she is unable to contact the outside world as events become increasingly freaky in and around the house.
For: A couple of scenes are well done / Elizabeth is great as always
Against: Very predictable, her father is practically drooling everytime he looks at her / 2 Directors, never a good sign! / Not even slightly scary
Favourite Scene: Sarah uses the flash to see.
Rating: 1 Luke
So, Amazing Spider-Man #700 is now out and it is time for geekdom to explode. As followers of our podcast and site will know, Spider-Man is my favourite hero (not just super-hero) and Peter Parker an inspiration for me. Obviously I’m not alone, it is the same for millions around the world, and I know I won’t be the only one outraged by the end of ASM #700.
Please Note – Spoilers Ahead – You have been Warned! (more…)
