A new Doctor. New companions. A new TARDIS interior and a new sonic. A new showrunner and a heap of new behind the scenes people. Welcome to the fresh new series of Doctor Who. Series 11 sees Jodie Whittacker step into the role of the Doctor, the first time that this regenerating Time Lord has been […]
Tom Baker’s first season as the Doctor in Doctor Who has been released as a Blu-ray box set. Season 12 comprises 5 stories made up of 20 episodes. Rather than trying to review the whole thing all at once, I’m dividing things up over a number of reviews. In this review, I’m wrapping things up. The […]
Tom Baker’s first season as the Doctor in Doctor Whohas been released as a Blu-ray box set. Season 12 comprises 5 stories made up of 20 episodes. Rather than trying to review the whole thing all at once, I’m dividing things up over a number of reviews. In this review, I’m looking at the fifth and […]
Tom Baker’s first season as the Doctor in Doctor Whohas been released as a Blu-ray box set. Season 12 comprises 5 stories made up of 20 episodes. Rather than trying to review the whole thing all at once, I’m dividing things up over a number of reviews. In this review, I’m looking at the fourth story, […]
Tom Baker’s first season as the Doctor in Doctor Who has been released as a Blu-ray box set. Season 12 comprises 5 stories made up of 20 episodes. Rather than trying to review the whole thing all at once, I’m dividing things up over a number of reviews. In this review, I’m looking at the […]
Tom Baker’s first season as the Doctor in Doctor Who has been released as a Blu-ray box set. Season 12 comprises 5 stories made up of 20 episodes. Rather than trying to review the whole thing all at once, I’m dividing things up over a number of reviews. In this review, I’m looking at the […]
Tom Baker’s first season as the Doctor in Doctor Who has been released as a Blu-ray box set. Season 12 comprises 5 stories made up of 20 episodes. Rather than trying to review the whole thing all at once, I’m dividing things up over a number of reviews. Having written an Overview, it’s now time […]
This box set is a thing of beauty! But there is SO MUCH in it (20 episodes plus HEAPS of extras) that it will take me some time to watch and review it all. Rather than wait, I’ve decided to do multiple reviews – starting with this overview, continuing with one for each story, and […]
The legendary, abandoned Doctor Who story penned by Douglas Adams, “Shada”, finally sees the light of day (yet again), this time with the missing bits recreated with animation. But is all this time and effort actually worth it? My opinions are forthcoming, but you could win a copy and make up your own mind. “Shada” […]
The 2017 Doctor Who Christmas Special, “Twice Upon a Time”, in which Capaldi hands on the baton to Jodie Whitaker, can be summed up with the thirteenth Doctor’s first words – “Aw, brilliant!” Following on directly from the Series 10 finale, Capaldi’s twelfth Doctor is refusing to regenerate. Arriving at the South Pole, he bumps […]
Class. Or… Buffy meets Torchwood via Doctor Who. Or maybe… Buckets of Blood at High School! Snappy dialogue, interesting characters and a nice dose of moral ambiguity combine in this rather stylishly violent teen sci-fi drama, that spins off from Doctor Who. There have been numerous Doctor Who spin-offs coming to our television screens over […]
The Power of the Daleks, lost for many years due to the BBC archival purge, is now available with the surviving soundtrack matched with animation, recreating the action of the original. Not only has this story been released in black and white (like the original) but also in colour. But is this a good thing? […]
Lost for so many years due to the BBC archival purge, The Power of the Daleks has achieved an almost reverent, legendary status amongst Doctor Who fans. The third story for Season 4, from 1966, it is also the first story for the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, who took over from the […]
The Deep is an Australian/Canadian co-produced animated series based on the graphic novels by Tom Taylor and James Brouwer (see my review). It’s a thrilling undersea sci-fi adventure in the vein of live action shows such as seaQuest DSV (see my review) and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (see my review), but with […]
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is the latest in a series of comic book super hero tv shows based on DC comics. The characters were setup in Arrow and The Flash (to the detriment of season 2 of The Flash – see my review), before being released into the wild with their own series. The result […]
After one season back in the 1990s, comic book super hero, the Flash, returned to television in a new series in late 2014. This first season (see review) was pretty damn good and showed great promise for the future. Sadly, season two doesn’t quite live up to that promise. It’s by no means bad, but […]
Yes… another comic book super hero adaptation. Believe me, when I first heard about it I thought, we don’t need any more. But then I watched it. And, guess what? I loved it! Supergirl is fun. Supergirl is smart. Supergirl subverts expectations. And in this current age of male-dominated superhero shows, having a powerful female […]
After two successful seasons of the television series (see review of Series 1 and Series 2), Nowhere Boys has transitioned to a feature-length film. The Book of Shadows had a limited cinematic release at the start of 2016, then screened on ABC3. And now it’s on DVD. While perhaps not as strong as the series, […]
Running for five seasons from 1989 to 1993, Quantum Leap is a science fiction, time-travel TV series with bucket-loads of heart. The whole series has been available on DVD for a number of years, but the first season has now been released on Blu-ray… a perfect time to revisit it. The premise is simple. In […]
Based on the best-selling books by Terry Brooks, The Shannara Chronicles is a lavish 10-part fantasy series. A mix of fantasy clichés and intriguing ideas, it’s good-looking and a lot of fun. Set hundreds of years after an apocalypse that has wiped out human civilisation, the Four Lands are now ruled by elves, with other […]
Capaldi’s second season as the Doctor sees the series head to new heights. In my opinion it’s the best season in years. And the DVD release matches it in quality. In fact, the complete ninth series DVD box set is actually more than that, as it also includes the preceding and following Christmas specials. So […]
“The Underwater Menace” is a four-part story from the classic series of Doctor Who. First transmitted in 1967 as part of season 4, it is Patrick Troughton’s third story as the Doctor. Three of the four episodes were lost in the BBC’s archival purge, but ep 2 was recovered in 2011. Since then, fans have […]
Things have changed in Atlantis! The second season of this British fantasy series is a huge shift of direction, both in terms of story and style. It’s not better or worse… just difference. And certainly not quite the family show it once was. Series One (see review) followed the adeventures of Jason, Hercules and Pythagoras […]
If, as I do, you like an extra helping of cheese with your retro 80s sci-fi, you simply can’t go past Automan. This 13-episode series from 1983/4 is a barrel-load of ridiculous, over-the-top FUN! Police computing expert Walter Nebicher creates a crime-fighting artificial intelligence program that manifests itself as the hologram called Automan, complete with […]
The Flash is one of the many recent super hero comic book adaptations. The question is… do we really need yet another super hero tv show? The answer is YES — YES we do. ‘Cause this one is pretty awesome! SPOILER WARNING! Yep, lots of spoilers in this review, so if that bothers you… you […]
After a delay of a year, the ABC finally renewed this wonderfully entertaining murder/mystery series for a third season. Based on the books by Melbourne author Kerry Greenwood, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries follows the adventures of Lady Detective Phryne Fisher in 1920s Melbourne. Despite the popularity of the first two seasons (read my reviews here […]
Sadly, and in my opinion, unfairly, this film as been much maligned by reviewers. I just don’t get it. Exciting and visually stunning, Jupiter Ascending does for space opera what The Matrix did for cyberpunk. It’s one hell of a ride! A matriarch dies, leaving her three heirs to fight for control of the House […]
It’s been over two years since the first season of the bizarre Aussie comedy/adventure series Danger 5 (see review). But now it’s back! Bigger, bolder and way more over-the-top, the seven eps of Series 2 need to be seen to be believed. Elite espionage team Danger 5 disbanded after defeating Adolf Hitler in a 60s […]
Nowhere Boys is a Melbourne-made teen fantasy/adventure series from ABC3. The first season was exceptionally good television viewing, and this second season is even better. Building on what was established in the first, the 13 eps of Series 2 take things to another level. “Order must be restored.” The four nowhere boys make it back […]
Mockingjay is the finale of the successful Hunger Games trilogy of books, and has been split into two films. Part 1 is now available on Blu-ray and DVD, with Part 2 set for a cinematic release later this year. As half of a third of a story, Mockingjay Part 1 is only one-sixth of a […]
The second season of the British murder/mystery series, Broadchurch, is as riveting as the first. Stunning locations, beautiful cinematography and direction, intelligent writing and a superb cast, make this outstanding television viewing. There is so much attention to detail in every aspect of this production. The first season (see review) was about the police investigation […]
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a well-produced, exciting near future (for its time), action/adventure series about the crew of an advanced submarine called Seaview. This first season of 32 episodes screened in black and white in 1964/65. Despite its age, it holds up very well. It’s tense, dramatic and, at times, quite […]
Nowhere Boys is a Melbourne-made teen fantasy/adventure series from ABC3. This first 13-ep season was released on DVD in 2014, with the second coming out this year. It’s a series I heard lots of good things about, so I thought I should catch up with it before the release of Series 2. I’m very glad […]
The 2014 Doctor Who Christmas Special takes things in a different direction from the whimsy that had become the staple of the Matt Smith specials. “Last Christmas” has all the trappings of a festive story (Santa, elves, Rudolf, etc) — but remove that festive wrapping, and underneath is an unsettling story about dreams within dreams, […]
The Wind Rises is the new animated feature from Japan’s Studio Ghibli, and the last film from legendary director Hayao Miyazaki. It is everything you would expect it to be… and yet it manages to surprise. Inspired by the life and work of aeroplane designer Jiro Horikoshi, the film is a lyrical mixture of fact […]
The eighth series of the revived Doctor Who burst onto our screens with renewed vigour earlier this year. A new Doctor and a new direction catapults this set of 12 episodes to new heights. And now it’s out on DVD and Blu-ray to enjoy all over again… and again… and again… and… Clara: Where are […]
The Great Train Robbery is a new BBC mini-series about the biggest train robbery in British history. The names most often associated with the infamous robbery are Ronnie Biggs and Buster Edwards, but this version focuses on the organiser Bruce Reynolds and the investigating officer Tommy Butler. In 1963 a bunch of mid-level thieves got […]
HAL is an amazing Japanese animated film. It’s a science fiction story about love, grief and redemption. It’s a difficult film to classify and it’s hard to review it without spoilers, but here goes… A robot is given human appearance to help a young lady deal with the death of her boyfriend. The robot is […]
Madman are releasing a string of old Irwin Allen television productions in Australia, and among them is the first season of Land of the Giants. I remember watching this series as a kid, along with Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel and Lost in Space; but I also remember it being […]
This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all those who entered. With the third season of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries just around the corner, and thanks to the generosity of Roadshow Entertainment, I have four copies of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: The Complete Series 1 & 2 to give away. To find out how […]
Made in 1982, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a four-part BBC serial, adapting the Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A ghostly hound, an old family curse and cold-blooded murder form the basis of this mystery. It’s a well-known story and one that’s been adapted many times, before and since. So, what […]
There are wizards on Earth, living secretly amongst the ordinary human beings. And there are aliens from the planet Nekross, who eat magic. These aliens have come to Earth, determined to extract the magic out of every last wizard. The wizards aren’t about to take this lying down. Result — Wizards vs Aliens. And this […]
Deep Breath. The first episode of Doctor Who: Series 8. An extra-long ep. New Doctor. New direction. Very exciting! A much-anticipated episode, it even got a cinema release, so it’s no surprise that it gets its own DVD/Blu-ray release independent of the rest of the season. The Doctor regenerated at the end of the 2013 […]
The Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition is a set of four DVDs bringing together episodes and specials of significance to the programme’s anniversary, along with a bunch of extras. It’s an odd assortment of previously released material and other stuff that should have had its own release. It’s the inclusion of extra material such […]
The Ghost & Mrs Muir is a 1960s US sitcom about a widow and her family, who move into a house that is haunted by the ghost of a sea captain. I reviewed Season 1 a couple of months ago (see review) and now it’s time to take a look at the second (and final) […]
Atlantis is the new series created to fill the gap left by The Adventures of Merlin. And fill the gap is does… by recreating the style, feel, story structure, character types and themes of the earlier series, while changing the setting and shifting around some details. Although lacking the freshness of The Adventures of Merlin, […]
The Cat Returns is a Japanese animated film from the famed Studio Ghibli. It’s not as well known as other Ghibli films, such as Princess Mononoke (see review) and My Neighbour Totoro (see review), and is only the third theatrical feature from that studio not to be directed by studio founders Hayao Miyazaki or Isao […]
Princess Mononoke is a classic Studio Ghibli animated film from legendary Japanese writer/director Hayao Miyazaki. Originally released in Japan in 1997, the English dub premiered two years later. The film won numerous awards, as well are garnering critical and popular acclaim. It’s easy to see why — it’s a stunning film that has lost none […]
Loosely based on a novel of the same name by RA Dick, The Ghost & Mrs Muir is a 1960s sitcom about a widow and her family, who move into a house that is haunted by the ghost of a sea captain. Although formulaic and sexist, it’s also quaint and rather sweet at times. The […]
Presented as a documentary, Europa Report is a science fiction film about a troubled mission to one of Jupiter’s moons in search of extra-terrestrial life. The result is a convincing and compelling drama that really does look and feel like it could have happened. Private corporation Europa Ventures launches a crewed mission to Europa. Based […]
Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide is a two-hour documentary, made last year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the long-running television series. While it doesn’t really live up to its grandiose name, it is a good introduction to the world of Doctor Who for newbies. The Ultimate Guide is not a particularly insightful or in-depth […]
The season two finale of the ABC’s Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries also doubles as the 2013 Christmas special. “Murder Under the Mistletoe” finishes things off with multiple deaths, a snowy setting and yes… kissing under the mistletoe. It’s a wonderful end to the season, but unfortunately it may also be the final ep of the […]
The Escape Artist is a three-part television series from the BBC. Part courtroom drama, part thriller, part perfect-crime setup, it is great television. Will Burton is a barrister who has never lost a case. He is a barrister who wins cases even when the accused is guilty. He is a barrister who wins a particular […]
The second film in the blockbuster series, based on the best selling dystopian YA novels by Suzanne Collins, is… well… a blockbuster. Big and spectacular, it is also intelligent and personal. Building on themes and events of the first film, Catching Fire is, in my humble opinion, the better film. Having survived the original Hunger […]
The BBC’s lavish soapy costume drama of life and love in England’s first department store returns for a second series. Perhaps not quite as good as series one, it’s still an enjoyable watch. Continuing on from Series 1, the former owner (now manager) of the Paradise, Mr Moray, and the love of his life, shop […]
Lost for many years, most of the classic Doctor Who story “The Web of Fear” was returned to the BBC archive last year, along with “The Enemy of the World” (see my review). And now, with the still-missing episode reconstructed, it has been released on DVD. But does it live up to expectations? “The Web […]
The return of the Cybermen! After their debut in “The Tenth Planet” (see review) the previous year, they were quick to return with the newly instated second Doctor in this 1967 Season Four adventure. A new look and a new plan ensured that this bunch of threatening aliens would come to achieve iconic status. Animation […]
The 2013 Doctor Who Christmas Special “The Time of the Doctor”, certainly seems to have divided opinion. While many vocal fans have proclaimed it the best thing since sliced bread, other even more vocal viewers have declared it to be the worst episode ever. The opinion of this review falls somewhere in the middle. WARNING: […]
The Best of the Doctor? I think not! The best of nuWho? Perhaps. Pity that the docos themselves are mostly pointless waffle. Doctor Who: The Best of the Doctor 2005-2011, The Documentaries is a three-disc set that collects together a series of docos made by BBC America, about various aspects (the best aspects?) of the […]
Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited is a series of discs released for the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, looking back at each of the Doctors, up to Matt Smith’s #11 (or #12 or #13 depending on how you now count them after the revelations of “The Day of the Doctor” and “Time of the Doctor”). […]
The quote on the front cover of this Blu-ray says: “Triple shot of apocalyptic weirdness from South Korea”. And it’s not wrong! Doomsday Book is an anthology film, comprising three end-of-the-world scenarios. The first story, a biological apocalypse, is the most uncomplicated; with the following two providing increasing increments of bafflement. A geeky young man […]
Produced as part of the Doctor Who 50th anniversary celebrations, An Adventure in Space and Time is a docudrama about the creation and early years of the series. Superb cast, loving script and glorious production combine to give us a truly delightful piece of television. An Adventure in Space and Time covers the fist few […]
50 years! That’s a long time in television land. But on 23 November 2013, the television series Doctor Who celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special episode — “The Day of the Doctor”. As a long-time, devoted Doctor Who fan, I’m not shy about criticising episodes that don’t live up to my expectations. With HUGE […]
“The Enemy of the World” is a six-part story from Season 5 of Doctor Who in 1967/68, featuring Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor. Lost for many years because of the BBC’s great archival purge, it was re-discovered earlier this year, cleaned up and rushed out to a DVD release. But is it a lost […]
“The Tenth Planet” is a historic story in the long-running Doctor Who series, transmitted in 1966 as part of Season 4. Apart from introducing the Cybermen, who would return again and again in both the original series and the new, this story concludes with the transition from the first Doctor, William Hartnell, to the second, […]
Series 7 of the new series of Doctor Who was a divided season, with the first half appearing on our screens in 2012, and the second half in 2013. So each batch of episodes got their own DVD/Blu-ray release. But now the whole season has been collected into a box set (along with “The Doctor, […]
Being Human is a series that mixes horror, humour and human drama (in varying amounts) in a story about a vampire, a ghost and a werewolf cohabitating and trying desperately (and usually unsuccessfully) to live ‘normal’ lives. This is the final season, and the only one to have none of the original cast. Season four […]
“Terror of the Zygons” is a very memorable four-part story from the Tom Baker years of classic Doctor Who (the first story of Season 13 in 1975). It features the Loch Ness Monster, the aliens who are about to make a comeback in the 50th anniversary special and the demise of U.N.I.T. The Doctor, along […]
Upside Down is a visually stunning, romantic fantasy film from Canada. Despite some problems, it is a captivating watch. Upside Down is a classic romantic story — boy meets girl; boy loses girl; boy gets girl back. But it’s set within a wonderfully original fantasy world (or worlds to be more accurate). There are two […]
Broachurch is a convoluted and intriguing murder mystery series set in a small English town. It’s well written and beautifully produced, and had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. In fact, I watched all eight episodes in just two nights. The lives of people in the town of Braodchurch are […]
Children Who Chase Lost Voices (aka Journey to Agartha) is a Japanese animated film with an unusual story and touching characters. It is as much a piece of art as it is a film. There is a mysterious world beneath our own — the land of Argartha. Legend has it that in that land the […]
Richard E Grant as the ninth Doctor? In a cartoon? That’s right! “Scream of the Shalka”. It was an animated webcast produced for the 40th anniversary of Doctor Who back in 2003. With the 50th anniversary happening this year, it’s the ideal time to finally release this intriguing piece of Who history on DVD. “Scream […]
With the assistance of animation to replace the two missing episodes, “The Ice Warriors” finally sees the light of day with a DVD release. This is vintage Doctor Who from the Troughton era and is noteworthy for the debut of the Ice Warriors, who would return a number of times in the classic series and […]
After the demise of The Sarah Jane Adventures, due to the sad death of actress Elisabeth Sladen, Wizards vs Aliens was created to fill the viewing void. Although still finding its feet in this first season, this fun kids’ show has the potential to grow, develop and improve, as did the Sarah Jane Adventures. It […]
“Spearhead From Space” is the first classic Doctor Who story to get a Blu-ray release. And OMG — it looks FABULOUS! Don’t bother reading my review — just go out and buy it. Right now! “Spearhead From Space” is a story of many firsts. It is the first story of Season 7, the first story […]
“The Green Death” is the final story of Season 10 from 1973, with Jon Pertwee as the third Doctor. It is an environmental tale, way ahead of its time and, despite some technical shortcomings, holds up very well today. The Doctor and U.N.I.T. head to the Welsh mining village of Llanfairfach, where dead miners glow […]
Japan’s Studio Ghibli does it again — another beautiful piece of animated brilliance. Scripted by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, From Up On Poppy Hill is directed by his son, Goro. It seems that talent runs in the Miyazaki family. From Up On Poppy Hill is a sweet, gentle romance about two teenagers in Yokohama in […]
The Invisible Man is a US television series made in 1975. Although the series claims to be based on the HG Wells novel, there really is no connection beyond the premise of a man turning invisible. It only lasted for twelve episodes (plus pilot), and is rather dated, but still manages to be an interesting […]
Prison drama meets mind-sucking sci-fi in this classic Doctor Who story. Originally broadcast in 1971, it’s the second story of Season 8. A great plot combined with strong performances and good production values results in an excellent example of Pertwee-era Who that is still just as entertaining in the 21st Century. The Doctor and Jo […]
This is 1970s Jon Pertwee era Doctor Who at its best. “Inferno” combines a strong plot with a great sci-fi concept and strings it all together with some exceptional characterisation. The Doctor and Liz Shaw have accompanied the Brigadier to an experimental drilling facility, where Professor Stahlman is attempting to drill into the Earth’s crust […]
More costume drama goodness from the BBC. Yay! The Paradise is a lavish spectacle of life, love and melodrama set against the backdrop of England’s first department store in 1875. Loosely based on Émile Zola’s novel Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies’ Paradise), this eight episode series transports the action from Paris to London. Entrepreneur […]
The Chronos Awards were set up to honour achievement in the area of speculative fiction by Victorian writers and artists. They are divided into professional awards and fan awards. Each year they are presented at the Continuum spec fic and pop culture convention. This year’s awards were presented on 7 June at Continuum 9. And, […]
Series 7.2 of the revived Doctor Who series is, like 7.1, a hodgepodge of really cool ideas in search of a narrative structure. Sometimes the ideas are enough to sustain the episode (The Bells of Saint John) and sometimes they are not (The Rings of Akhaten). The result is an entertaining half season that is […]
Adventure Time would have to be one of the weirdest shows I’ve ever watched. I’m not even sure I can adequately explain it. But weird though it is, the first season of this series is also very entertaining in a WTF kind of way. Adventure Time is an animated comedy which, I presume, is aimed […]
The fourth season of Misfits — a unique humorous, sci-fi drama about a group of young people on community service who acquire strange powers after a mysterious storm — faces somewhat of a challenge. How can a show like this survive once all the original regular cast have left? Easy! Reinvent itself and move on […]
So, what happens in “The Visitation”? Fishy looking alien reptile people attempt to wipe out humanity by augmenting the bubonic plague in 1666. Adric trips over unconvincingly, Tegan gets to be annoying and Nyssa destroys a disco-robot with her home-made giant vibrator. Meanwhile the Doctor spends his time being rather tetchy before starting the Great […]
There are some films that you never tire of watching, no matter how many times you have viewed them. For me, My Neighbor Totoro is one such film. Having watched and re-watched it on DVD, it is a pure joy to now be able to enjoy it on Blu-ray. My Neighbor Totoro is an animated […]
Here’s another BBC costume drama based on a book by Charles Dickens. While certainly lavish and well produced, as you would expect from the BBC, The Mystery of Edwin Drood doesn’t quite meet (great) expectations. The story revolves around Edwin Drood, a young man betrothed to Rosa Bud. His uncle, John Jasper is also in […]
I’m rather chuffed to announce that Viewing Clutter has been nominated for a Chronos Award. Woo Hoo! What are the Chronos Awards? Let me tell you about them. The Chronos Awards honour excellence in Victorian Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. There are a number of categories, professional and fan based. In 2010 I was lucky […]
And so the BBC continues their trend of re-issuing previously released Doctor Who DVDs as special editions. This time around they’ve given us “The Aztecs”, with a reconstructed “Galaxy 4” as an added bonus. “The Aztecs” is vintage historical Who at its best. I love it! “The Aztecs” is a four-part story from the first season […]
And the award for the most creative over-use of green bubble wrap goes to… “The Ark in Space” — Tom Baker’s second story as the fourth Doctor. First broadcast in 1975 as part of Season 12, it still makes for entertaining viewing today (despite the aforementioned bubble wrap). The Doctor, along with Sarah Jane and […]
Looper would have to be one of the best time travel films ever made. It’s slick and entertaining. It is both thoughtful and thought-provoking. And you’re never really 100% certain how it’s going to end. A ‘looper’ is a hired killer. A looper is hired by gangsters from the future, to kill people sent back […]
The BBC fantasy series The Adventures of Merlin returns for a fifth and final season of 13-episodes. Questions are resolved, characters progress, secrets are revealed, and the epic story is brought to a satisfying conclusion. This season is set three years after the last (see my review). Things have moved forward in Camelot since Uther’s […]
Based on William Shatner’s novels and made in the mid-1990s, Tekwar is a series of four tele-movies followed by an 18-episode season of a weekly series. Like many other sci-fi shows from this era, it has a reasonable premise but a patchy delivery. It is, nonetheless, an entertaining show. I’ve never read the novels (apparently […]
America in Primetime is a fascinating four-part documentary about American Primetime drama/comedy (no mention of reality TV — Hooray!), that reveals how the American television industry sees itself. Part history, part tribute, it is an interesting mix of insight, analysis and congratulatory retrospective. America in Primetime tackles things with a thematic approach. Each of the […]
At long last, the legendary never-completed Tom Baker story, “Shada”, has been released on DVD. It’s been packaged together with the documentary, “More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS”, as well as a heap of extras, in a three-disc set called Doctor Who: The Legacy Collection. And a pretty awesome collection it is. “Shada”, written […]
With animation being used to reconstruct the two missing episodes, we finally have Doctor Who’s first season finale on DVD. “The Reign of Terror” is a six-part historical adventure first broadcast in 1964 with William Hartnell in the role of the Doctor. Good production values, an interesting setting and great dialogue combine in a must-watch […]
Episodes is an unusual comedy series. Created and written by two Americans, but made in the UK by the BBC, with Matt LeBlanc playing a fictionalised version of himself. Series 2, like Series 1, is funny, engaging and intelligent. In Series 1 (see my review) husband-and-wife writing team, Beverly and Sean Lincoln, are lured to […]
Arrietty, the latest animated film from Japan’s Studio Ghibli, was released on Blu-ray earlier this year. It is a lovely film (see my review). Now it’s been re-released in a special edition. The main difference between the two editions is the inclusion of the U.S. version of the film. The first edition has the original […]
“The Claws of Axos” is a story of greed, political machinations and alien invasion. It is the middle story from 1971’s 8th Season of Doctor Who, with Jon Pertwee playing the third Doctor. It was Pertwee’s second season and the first for Katy Manning, playing the Doctor’s new assistant, Jo Grant. A spaceship lands in […]
Originally screened in 1997, Crime Traveller is a police series with a sci-fi twist, where time travel plays an integral part in the solving of crimes. It is an interesting although rather flawed series — entertaining if you’re able to ignore the bits that don’t make sense. Holly Turner is a police science officer who […]
Doctor Who, under the reign of showrunner Steven Moffat, could easily be dubbed the Era of Really Cool Ideas. Unfortunately, these really cool ideas often come at the expense of other things — like plot, character development, continuity and consistency. The five episodes of Series 7, Part 1 demonstrate this rather well. “Asylum of the […]
“The Ambassadors of Death” is a long, seven-part story from Pertwee’s first season as the third Doctor — season 7 from 1970. It is an example of Pertwee-era Doctor Who at its best. Earth loses contact with the crew of its Mars probe. A rescue mission is sent and again, contact is lost. But this […]
The Jane Austen Collection is a set of three tele-movies from the ITV Studios in the UK — Emma, Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park. They are three quite varied productions. They are well produced but if, like me, you’re a fan of the BBC productions, you are likely to find these a little disappointing. First […]
This box set contains two classic Doctor Who stories featuring Sylvester McCoy as the seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred as his companion Ace — “Dragonfire” from season 24 in 1987 and “The Happiness Patrol” from season 25 in 1988. The two stories are a great example of how both actors progressed in their respective roles […]
“Vengeance on Varos” is a rather grim but well-handled satire of television viewing, politics and big business. Featuring Colin Baker as the sixth Doctor, it is from the 22nd season in 1985. Although only two parts, it is from the era when episodes were 45 minutes instead of 25 — so is equivalent to a […]
“Planet of Giants” is quite a unique three-part story from the early days of Doctor Who. It was the season opener for the show’s second year, with the original Doctor, William Hartnell. Often criticised as being a weak story, “Planet of Giants” makes for interesting viewing because it is so different from other stories. Due […]
Despite some rather clunky aliens and poor effects, “The Krotons” is surprisingly entertaining classic-series Doctor Who. A four-part story originally transmitted in 1968/9 as part of the 6th season, it stars Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor, accompanied by future-girl Zoe (Wendy Padbury) and Jamie the highlander (Frazer Hines). “The Krotons” sees the Doctor and […]
From YA novel to big-screen blockbuster, The Hunger Games has been a sensation every step of the way. Perhaps not as brilliant as the marketing would have you believe, it is nevertheless an entertaining film that is well worth a watch. Let me start off by saying that I have not read any of the […]
“The Greatest Show in the Galaxy” is a really interesting four-part story from Sylvester McCoy’s era as the Doctor. Lots of fascinating ideas and concepts are thrown around, but the end result isn’t all that great. Originally screened in 1988/89 as part of the 25th season of Doctor Who, “The Greatest Show in the Galaxy” […]
I reviewed the Blu-ray release of Melbourne-made television series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries last month (see review), and also gave away a few copies. Now it’s time to do the same with the CD soundtrack. This CD is actually a compilation of songs rather than a proper soundtrack, which is probably why it’s not actually […]
Episodes is an unusual comedy series. Created and written by two American writers but produced and shot in the UK by the BBC, it revolves around Hollywood’s tendency to remake British TV shows for the US market by changing everything about the originals that made them successful. Episodes is a witty, odd and often scathing […]
Japan’s Studio Ghibli has a reputation for producing some of the world’s best animated films. I have adored their previous efforts and so approached their latest, Arrietty, with eagerness. A little different from their other films, it still manages to delivery excellence on all fronts. Arrietty is based on Mary Norton’s children’s book, The Borrowers. […]
I’m taking a short break as I hand over the reins of this post to fellow scribe, Mackenzie Oliphant. Take it away, Mackenzie… Clarke & Dawe Live from Canberra DVD Reviewed by Mackenzie Oliphant There is no doubt that most, if not all, of our politicians can be – and are frequently – obtuse, illogical, unreasonable and, […]
This is the fifth and final season of the Doctor Who spinoff series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and it is only half the usual length due to the death of its star, Elisabeth Sladen. It is so sad that it’s all over. This show got better and better with each season… I would have loved […]
The Sarah Jane Adventures is one of two spin-offs from the hugely popular revived Doctor Who series. With Doctor Who aimed squarely at a family audience, the spin-offs diverge with Torchwood heading for adult territory and The Sarah Jane Adventures going for the kids. This fourth season is very entertaining and continues to see the […]
“Death to the Daleks” is a four-part story from the eleventh season of the classic Doctor Who series, originally screened in 1974. Although there is an interesting concept at its core, and some good elements to the story and production, it is hampered by a lack of logic and some pretty daft moments. The Doctor […]
A werewolf, a vampire and a ghost move in together. That was the original basis of the British series Being Human. Each of the first three seasons was unique in it own way, changing tone and direction. (see review) But this latest season really mixes things up. Season three ended with the death of Mitchell, […]
Based on the string of successful novels by Australian author Kerry Greenwood, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries follows the adventures of Lady Detective Phryne Fisher in 1920s Melbourne. Although it deviates from the books in both character and story lines, the television series is very entertaining and enjoyable in its own right. I’ve only read the […]
Originally screened in 1974, “Planet of the Spiders” is Jon Pertwee’s six-part swan song. It’s an appropriate end to what is one of my favourite eras of classic Doctor Who. It’s filled with all the elements that made Pertwee’s tenure as the Doctor so watchable — action, adventure, style, chase sequences and monsters. It’s a […]
“In the closet, no one can hear you squeal” is the tag line for this ABC comedy series about a group of gay science fiction fans. Although perhaps a little too niche for its own good, this six-part series is smart, funny and rather unique. Outland is a strange mix of science fiction geek humour […]
This is the second film in director Guy Richie’s blockbuster series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. And like its predecessor, it’s actually more of an action/adventure flick than a Sherlock Holmes film. It is, however, highly entertaining. This time around Holmes and Watson come face to face with Professor Moriarty, a […]
Last weekend I attended Continuum 8, the 51st Australian National Science Fiction Convention, in Melbourne. And thanks to Roadshow Entertainment I was able to give away LOTS of DVDs. 🙂 There was one copy of The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Fourth Series, and numerous classic Doctor Who DVDs, including “The Sensorites”, “The Daemons”, “The […]
Danger 5 is a six-part Australian comedy series that originally screened on SBS. It is without a doubt one of the weirdest things I have ever viewed. It literally has to be seen to be believed. And I loved it! Danger 5 follows the adventures of an elite international team of espionage agents during WWII […]
A serious storyline about drug trafficking, some wry humour and some OTT slapstick are mixed together in “Nightmare of Eden”, the fourth story from the 17th season of Doctor Who in 1979. Perhaps not the best example of Doctor Who from the Tom Baker era, it is nevertheless an interesting watch. The Doctor and Romana […]
Noted Doctor Who scribes Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis have teamed up to create this updated version of the adventures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famed detective, Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock is a thoroughly modern series, yet it is extremely faithful to Doyle’s characters and the essence of his stories — stylish, smart and utterly addictive, […]
A new companion in a skimpy outfit, the Doctor’s past deeds catching up with him and a commentary on religion form the basis of the Doctor Who story, “The Face of Evil”. Despite a few problems, this is an entertaining and thought-provoking four-part story from the 14th season of Doctor Who, first screened in 1977. […]
Thanks to the recent Sherlock television series and the Robert Downey Jr feature films, there has been a renewed interest in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famed detective. So it’s not surprising that earlier adaptations are being released on DVD (see my review of The Sherlock Holmes Collection). A little OTT and certainly rather melodramatic, Sherlock […]
Five young people doing community service get caught in a freak storm that ends up giving them bizarre superpowers. That’s the premise of Misfits, a humorous British science fiction series. It’s odd. It’s rude. It’s crude. And it is one of the most original shows I’ve seen in a long time. I must admit that […]
I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this classic Doctor Who story. It has been many years since I last watched “The Daemons”, and I’m very pleased to say that it definitely lives up to my memories of it. Mixing black magic and pseudo-science to create a wonderfully atmospheric five-part story, this is early-70s […]
The Adventures of Merlin — this hugely successful series about Merlin and Arthur in their younger days is back for a fourth season. Building on the progression of the myth from season three, this season heads further towards the legend we are familiar with, but also substantially deviates from it. Lots of interesting things happen, […]
U.N.I.T. Files is a box set with two stories featuring the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce — “Invasion of the Dinosaurs” and “The Android Invasion”. Both these stories, despite some flaws, are very watchable and are great examples of their respective eras. “Invasion of the Dinosaurs” is a six-part story from Jon Pertwee’s final season in […]
I’ve never read the famed Tintin comics by Hergé. And I’d never seen the series prior to getting this DVD set. Coming to it with very little prior knowledge, I found myself completely engrossed in The Adventures of Tintin. This series is a French/Canadian coproduction made in 1991/92, and its remastered released is well timed, […]
I get excited whenever the BBC announce a new costume drama — they are so damn good at that genre. Although some are better than others, I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed in one. A new adaptation of Great Expectations is their latest on DVD… and it is, as you would expect, BRILLIANT! It’s […]
The Octonauts is an animated kids’ series based on a set of four picture books (see my review over at Literary Clutter). This DVD release, The Octonauts: Ready For Action, contains seven of the 52 episodes that were made in 2010/2011. The series has being quite a hit and seems to be popular with a […]
A new strain of influenza sweeps across the world and wipes out the vast majority of human beings. This BBC series follows the adventures of a small group of survivors — hence the title: Survivors. There’s nothing new about this concept, but this series, despite some problematic details, handles it all rather well. Survivors has […]
The companionless Doctor #11 (Matt Smith) has his second Christmas adventure with “The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe”, a fun tale vaguely reminiscent of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Watching this special episode at Christmas on the telly, I was rather disappointed with it. Watching it for a second time, now […]
One of the things that I love about the DVD revolution is the fact that all sorts of weird, wonderful and obscure television shows are getting a new lease on life. I’m a fan of crappy old sci-fi shows… so I was pleased to find out that M.A.N.T.I.S., a series I missed during its initial […]
Based on a series of crime novels by Michael Dibdin, Zen is a BBC series of three tele-films about Italian police detective Aurelio Zen. The series is stylish, well-written and shot in Rome — what more could you want? Aurelio Zen is a mid-level police detective working in Rome. Surrounded by corruption, he ambles along, […]
Project Manta chronicles the efforts of a group of marine biologists to track the migration routes of manta rays off the Australian coast. The movement patterns of manta rays are often unpredictable and very individual, making the scientists’ task far from easy. While the efforts of the scientists are interesting enough, it is the manta […]
“The Sensorites” is a six-part story from the very first season of Doctor Who, way back in 1964. While it has an interesting concept, and some really good moments, it suffers from being rather long and boring. The Doctor (William Hartnell), along with his granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford) and schoolteachers Ian (William Russell) and […]
“Miracle Day” is the fourth season of Torchwood, the BBC’s Doctor Who spinoff series for adults. It had quite a mixed reception when it aired, with many fans being rather disappointed. It’s quite different from the previous seasons, but is still an enthralling, dramatic, thought-provoking, heart-pounding, well-written, well-produced set of episodes. I really enjoyed “Miracle […]
A botanically obsessed millionaire, a carnivorous alien plant and a charismatic thug come together to cause trouble for the fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) in “The Seeds of Doom”. The end result is a stylish, engaging and exciting action/adventure story from the 13th season of Doctor Who in 1976. Scientists […]
Series 6 has previously been releases in two sets. But these were the vanilla sets — fine for the casual viewer, but definitely not enough for the die-hard fans. The 2010 Christmas Special has also previously had a vanilla release. Now we have the complete series six box-set, including that Christmas Special, chock-full of extras. […]
I’m not, by any stretch of the imagination, a rev-head. In fact, I find the whole rev-head mentality rather difficult to understand. And yet, here I am, about to launch into a review of a great three-part documentary series, Wide Open Road: The Story of Cars in Australia. For me, cars have always been about […]
Troll Hunter is a Norwegian dark fantasy film, shot in the style of a documentary. When I first discovered this, I immediately expected low-budget schlock. Boy, was I surprised when I actually watched it. Troll Hunter turned out to be an unanticipated little gem. A trio of Uni students set out to make a documentary […]
Something a little different to begin the New Year — I’m gonna shut up and let someone else inflict his opinions on you. 🙂 Last year I reviewed the third series of The Sarah Jane Adventures. Today, Edward McAndrew has stopped by to give the same DVD set the once over. Take it away Edward… The […]
Remember Star Blazers? It was a Saturday morning cartoon show that I watched as a kid in the 1980s. It was the American adaptation of a Japanese anime series called Space Battleship Yamato. (I use the word ‘adaptation’ because rather than just dub the series, elements were changed and much was edited out.) Now, it’s […]
Well, “Frontios” is a bit of a mess, really. There’s not much I can say in its defence. So, at this point, I think it best to refer you to my previous post about my relationship with Doctor Who and how I approach the reviewing of the DVDs (see “My Doctor Who Philosophy”). “Frontios” is […]
The third and last season of seaQuest has finally made it onto DVD in Australia. Yay! I’ve been waiting for this for quite a while, as I have never seen it before. When originally screened in the 1990s it was shuffled from one timeslot to another and I lost track of it towards the end […]
This DVD set has been waiting quite some time for me to watch and review it. I’ve been avoiding it ever since Elisabeth Sladen died earlier this year. But I couldn’t avoid it forever, and so I finally sat down and watched it. I’m very glad that I did… Because although Ms Sladen is gone, […]
“The Sun Makers” is a four-part story from the fifteenth season of Doctor Who, with Tom Baker as the Doctor and Louise Jameson as his companion Leela. Written by the script editor, Robert Holmes, it is an inventive and clever story that satirises commercialism and bureaucracy while maintaining an interesting science fiction plot. Apparently inspired […]
Vash the Stampede is back! The Humanoid Typhoon has progressed from manga to anime series and now finally to his own feature film. And it’s just been released on Blu-ray. Vash the Stampede is a gunslinger with a bounty on his head, living in a strange land that is part Wild West and part quasi-futuristic. […]
At long last, I have a Blu-ray player. [insert applause] Having watched my first Blu-ray disc, I’m now wondering why the hell it took me so long to get one. I’ve had a HD widescreen TV for a while now… I should have gotten the Blu-ray player at the same time. The picture quality is […]
The Daleks have invaded the Earth (Yes… again!), this time in the 22nd Century. Freedom fighters have gotten hold of a Dalek time travel device and are using it to travel back to the 20th Century — to the point in time that is deemed crucial to downfall of the human race. Their intention is […]
Today, 48 years ago, the first episode of Doctor Who went to air in the UK. So I thought it would be a good day to tell you a little bit about my relationship with the program, and how I approach reviewing it. I discovered the series in late primary school, back in the 1970s. […]
2011 saw a divided season for Doctor Who, with a two-month screening break. And so Series 6 Part 1 came out on DVD in August this year, with Part 2 released earlier this month. Part 1 was pretty good and it showed great promise of even better things to come. (Check out my review at […]
I’m a bit of a BBC costume drama fan. The BBC is just so good at this sort of drama. I watched the Best of Jane Austen box set earlier this year (check out my review on MC Reviews) which was pretty awesome, and then moved on to this one — the Charles Dickens Premier […]
I love DVDs. (I may have mentioned this in previous posts.) Why do I love them? Let me count the ways. (Apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning for the butchered misquote.) One. I love the fact that the advent of DVDs introduced the concept of ‘extras features’ as a standard rather than as a special treat… […]
The BBC have, for a while now, been releasing Doctor Who box sets with stories from disparate eras grouped together because of a common element. Thus the two stories featuring the Mara were released as the Mara Tales box set (see review), and a couple of the Cybermen stories were released as the Cybermen box […]
“The Fifth Doctor and Tegan must battle the evil of the Mara in these two classic 1980s adventures!” Thus proclaims the slipcase on this two-story box set. But are “Kinda” and “Snakedance” really classics of this Doctor Who era? These two stories seem to divide Doctor Who fans. Some will praise them for their intellectual […]
The most annoying thing about the BBC series Outcasts is that there won’t be any more episodes after this first season of eight. Due to low ratings and poor reviews it has been cancelled. It’s a real pity. While this first season wasn’t brilliance all the way through, it was an intriguing science fiction drama […]
For a number of years I’ve been reviewing DVDs for various websites and blogs (for a complete list check out my reviews page). Now I’ve finally taken the plunge and started my own reviews blog. Why? Why not? After all, I am just a tiny bit obsessed with DVDs — watching them, collecting them, stroking […]
