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Entertainment Reviews of Various sorts..
Dec. 28th, 2009 04:33 pmLet's start with some Book Foo, since I haven't done one in a while and they year's winding down...
Finished: Swan Songs: The Complete Hooded Swan collection, by Brian Stableford (count as 6 books) (reread)
Started: Nebula Award Winners 27
Can't really comment too much on Swan Songs again because I've read it so many times, but I still enjoy it, and still kind of long for a follow-up story. One amusing change, the main character's voice I now hear as Tim Roth from "Lie To Me", instead of House, from House.
Finished: Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
Slight spoilery thoughts behind the cut (mostly back-of-the-book level), but short version: Rather liked it, I'd read the sequels eventually, felt sort of modern Heinleinian. ( Read more... )
Started and Finished: The 1978 Annual World's Best SF (short stories)
Started: The 1982 Annual Year's Best SF (short stories)
Standard short story collection reaction: Some enjoyable stories, some that aren't very memorable at all, and some I've already read. Unfortunately the best of the collection are in the 'already read' category (as they so often are - the good ones are reprinted regularly). Best of the new-to-me was probably Eyes of Amber, by Joan D. Vinge.
-
Now on to Doctor Who. I suppose I should first talk about the stinker that was The End of Time Part One. Not very much, I hope, unless I go off on a rant, but there will be spoilers.
( Read more... )
In other Doctor Who news, I also completed one of my major geek life goals. I've now watched (or read a transcript of) every Classic Who episode. Yay, me! My Doctor Who credentials are now no longer a source of secret shame! I won't go on to the audios or novels, not because I doubt there's some good stuff there, but a) I think at this point it's generally established they're non-canon, and b) the things that annoy me about Doctor Who, I think would REALLY REALLY REALLY annoy me in book form. I hold books to a higher standard than TV. And I suppose there's a c), too. I've always found audios hard to process. I'm more visual, I suppose. If my eyes aren't engaged, my mind wanders and the sound just sort of becomes a vague backdrop to something else. There've been many times that I've wanted to listen to something and got up and started reading something halfway through while it was still playing, just because my eyes needed to do something.
So, let's talk about Seven.
The Doctor: I quite liked McCoy's incarnation of the Doctor. ( Read more... )
The Stories: Here's the big problem with Seven's run. The stories just... well, stank. ( Read more... )
The Companions: Only two of them, Mel and Ace. Mel got a little annoying at times, but otherwise she fits into the mold of "generic 20th century modern companion girl" ( Read more... ) Ace, on the other hand, was a bit of a pleasant surprise, especially after such an inauspicious beginning. ( Read more... )
So, let's do my personal rankings. I'm going to leave 8 out of the rankings entirely because he only had one movie to go on (and the audios and books which, as I said, I'll not be going into). It's just too hard to place him based on that, I got very little sense of him, and it was all immediately post-regeneration. Otherwise, we go Best-to-Worst.
Best run, classic (it's a little unfair to directly compare runs from the new and old series): Davison's. Great stories and great companions make up for a somewhat bland (though still likeable) Doctor. Followed by: Two, Four, One, Six, Seven, and Three.
Best Doctor: ( Read more... )
Now that I'm finished Old School Doctor Who, I'll need something new to watch weekend mornings. I suppose I could catch up on some movies I've been missing.
Oh, Movies, I almost forgot. I've seen some recently. Saw Avatar over the weekend. It's pretty much like I've been hearing in the reviews. Looks fantastic, not just effects, but the whole design of all the creatures of the world. Story, not so much. Kind of an old story, which isn't bad, but I'd hoped for more. Supposedly Cameron has two sequels planned, but if he does, I hope (speculative spoilers ahoy) ( Read more... ) I also can't wait till this level of effects filters down into regular TV budget range, it would be a great way to make much better looking aliens.
Also finally got around to seeing Zombieland, with Woody Harrleson and... a couple other people who's names I never got. Unfortunately some of the best and most surprising bits had been pre-spoiled for me, but still, it's an awful fun comedic zombie movie. Maybe not a Shaun of the Dead level, but a lot of fun. I don't think I ever laughed out loud, but I had a smile on my face pretty well consistently, and would love to see sequels.
And, before I go, like I mentioned last post, I got a gift certificate from the comic store, and I'm planning on going down there in a few days, so I'm throwing it open... any recommendations? I'm not 100% sure if I'll go for TPB collections or some kind of merchandise, or a combination of the two, but I'm open for suggestions if there's something you think is really not to be missed. I may not take your advice, but I'll consider it, and maybe it'll remind me of something I'd always wanted to get but had forgotten about.
Finished: Swan Songs: The Complete Hooded Swan collection, by Brian Stableford (count as 6 books) (reread)
Started: Nebula Award Winners 27
Can't really comment too much on Swan Songs again because I've read it so many times, but I still enjoy it, and still kind of long for a follow-up story. One amusing change, the main character's voice I now hear as Tim Roth from "Lie To Me", instead of House, from House.
Finished: Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
Slight spoilery thoughts behind the cut (mostly back-of-the-book level), but short version: Rather liked it, I'd read the sequels eventually, felt sort of modern Heinleinian. ( Read more... )
Started and Finished: The 1978 Annual World's Best SF (short stories)
Started: The 1982 Annual Year's Best SF (short stories)
Standard short story collection reaction: Some enjoyable stories, some that aren't very memorable at all, and some I've already read. Unfortunately the best of the collection are in the 'already read' category (as they so often are - the good ones are reprinted regularly). Best of the new-to-me was probably Eyes of Amber, by Joan D. Vinge.
-
Now on to Doctor Who. I suppose I should first talk about the stinker that was The End of Time Part One. Not very much, I hope, unless I go off on a rant, but there will be spoilers.
( Read more... )
In other Doctor Who news, I also completed one of my major geek life goals. I've now watched (or read a transcript of) every Classic Who episode. Yay, me! My Doctor Who credentials are now no longer a source of secret shame! I won't go on to the audios or novels, not because I doubt there's some good stuff there, but a) I think at this point it's generally established they're non-canon, and b) the things that annoy me about Doctor Who, I think would REALLY REALLY REALLY annoy me in book form. I hold books to a higher standard than TV. And I suppose there's a c), too. I've always found audios hard to process. I'm more visual, I suppose. If my eyes aren't engaged, my mind wanders and the sound just sort of becomes a vague backdrop to something else. There've been many times that I've wanted to listen to something and got up and started reading something halfway through while it was still playing, just because my eyes needed to do something.
So, let's talk about Seven.
The Doctor: I quite liked McCoy's incarnation of the Doctor. ( Read more... )
The Stories: Here's the big problem with Seven's run. The stories just... well, stank. ( Read more... )
The Companions: Only two of them, Mel and Ace. Mel got a little annoying at times, but otherwise she fits into the mold of "generic 20th century modern companion girl" ( Read more... ) Ace, on the other hand, was a bit of a pleasant surprise, especially after such an inauspicious beginning. ( Read more... )
So, let's do my personal rankings. I'm going to leave 8 out of the rankings entirely because he only had one movie to go on (and the audios and books which, as I said, I'll not be going into). It's just too hard to place him based on that, I got very little sense of him, and it was all immediately post-regeneration. Otherwise, we go Best-to-Worst.
Best run, classic (it's a little unfair to directly compare runs from the new and old series): Davison's. Great stories and great companions make up for a somewhat bland (though still likeable) Doctor. Followed by: Two, Four, One, Six, Seven, and Three.
Best Doctor: ( Read more... )
Now that I'm finished Old School Doctor Who, I'll need something new to watch weekend mornings. I suppose I could catch up on some movies I've been missing.
Oh, Movies, I almost forgot. I've seen some recently. Saw Avatar over the weekend. It's pretty much like I've been hearing in the reviews. Looks fantastic, not just effects, but the whole design of all the creatures of the world. Story, not so much. Kind of an old story, which isn't bad, but I'd hoped for more. Supposedly Cameron has two sequels planned, but if he does, I hope (speculative spoilers ahoy) ( Read more... ) I also can't wait till this level of effects filters down into regular TV budget range, it would be a great way to make much better looking aliens.
Also finally got around to seeing Zombieland, with Woody Harrleson and... a couple other people who's names I never got. Unfortunately some of the best and most surprising bits had been pre-spoiled for me, but still, it's an awful fun comedic zombie movie. Maybe not a Shaun of the Dead level, but a lot of fun. I don't think I ever laughed out loud, but I had a smile on my face pretty well consistently, and would love to see sequels.
And, before I go, like I mentioned last post, I got a gift certificate from the comic store, and I'm planning on going down there in a few days, so I'm throwing it open... any recommendations? I'm not 100% sure if I'll go for TPB collections or some kind of merchandise, or a combination of the two, but I'm open for suggestions if there's something you think is really not to be missed. I may not take your advice, but I'll consider it, and maybe it'll remind me of something I'd always wanted to get but had forgotten about.
