Sunday 16 November 2008

Randomosity

I felt like writing a blog, so here it is. I have no idea what I'm going to actually write.. but ho hum. Such is life.

I finished the first draft of a short story today :) Unfortunatly I don't like most of it now, but I reckon with a good re-write it'll start to get closer to what I want.

But mostly I'm writing this, cos I feel kinda lonely. I always do on weekends like this, where I'm sitting in my flat, alone and bored.

And I know I shouldn't be bored, I know I should have loads to do - tidying, writing, playing games, playing guitar, watching DVD, but I am. Cos I miss people. If I'd chosen to have a quiet weekend, that'd be one thing, but I have no choice. It's a case of no money, no friends, time to sit around on my ass as usual.

I miss you.

All of you :)

(Unless there are any strangers reading this, in which case I don't miss you, but that's because I don't know you. If I met you, and you were nice, I'd probably end up missing you)

I don't know what the point of this blog entry was, other than making me sound miserable and slightly emo. But oh, well.

I'm counting down the days till I'm back in Poole and get to see all of my friends again. But it's over a month, and there are just some days when that seems too much.

I'm 28, what should I do? Should I scrap my career, get a rubbish job and live in Poole? Or just carry on as I do....

Tuesday 14 October 2008

Maverick's Musical Madness

This is linked because Hazel asked me to :)

Also, I'm doing sound... (so much for a holiday :P)

http://events.bournemouthecho.co.uk/m6/disp.asp?i=181561

Maybe I'll write a proper blog entry sometime soon...

Hey, I said maybe....

Monday 13 October 2008

Monday

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all

:(

Sunday 28 September 2008

Danger: Penguins in Sunglasses

Well, it's done!! And hopefully, it will be embedded right here....

And if you want a real CD Copy, ask me!

Danger - Penguins in Sunglasses Update

Hey all

Well, I have pretty much finished the EP! :)

Just taking a break before I check the mixes again after lunch :)

So currently watching Bill Bailey...

It's all good :D

Friday 26 September 2008

Is anyone interested in hearing some music?

Hey all

I have been writing a recording an EP the last couple of weeks, and I hope to have it finished by the end of the weekend :)

So, if you're interested in hearing the first Brawny solo release ever, let me know :) I may get to host it somewhere as MP3s possibly, I will definitely have it on CDs and physical copies...

What's it called I hear you ask?

The title of the EP is "Danger - Penguins in Sunglasses" and includes (probably) the following songs (all subject to change, and running order is not confirmed yet)

- Equilibrium
- Can't Stop Smiling
- Music Sucks
- London
- Loud Guitars and Backing Vocals (The Ballad of Norwich and Saggers)

I have cheated slightly, in that one of those songs was on the soundtrack for Norwich and Saggers (can you guess which one?) and one of them has been performed live before, but the other three are all new :)

So if anyones interested.....

I shall keep this up to date over the weekend and let you all know how it goes :)

Saturday 20 September 2008

Give me a HELL YEAH!

OK, Yesterday was a good day for exciting news!

Firstly - RED DWARF is returning! Officially!!

I've been a huge Red Dwarf fan since I was about 13, and this news is excellent. Various people have been saying "Oh, it'll be rubbish cos they're all too old" but I don't care. I don't think it will :)

We get 2 proper new Dwarf episodes, one clip show type thing, and one Behind the Scenes type thing.

SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!!!

Also, I'M GOING TO SEE BILL BAILEY WITH AN ORCHESTRA IN THE ALBERT HALL!!!!

Life is Good :D

Friday 15 August 2008

The Stupidity of Facebook and the Nosiness of People

Hey all, I know I haven't written much in a while, but that's because I've been on holiday! :D

Granted, only in Poole, but still, it's kind of a holiday :)

So why are you writing an entry now? I hear you all ask...

Well, something quite amusing happened to me and I thought I would share the information. A few days ago now, I made the decision to remove my "Relationship Status" from Facebook. For those of you who don't know about such things, there is a section on facebook where you can list "important" information about yourself including your relationship status. When i set my account up a year ago or whenever it was, i filled in all the information, because I felt like it.

However, in the"News Feed" section of Facebook, which lists alterations that your friends have made to their accounts etc., it didnt say "Michael Braunton has removed his relationship status" it just said "Michael is no longer listed as single".

And didn't that open a can of worms! I recieved lots of questions via Facebook, text and phone, basically asking me if I had a new girlfriend.

So let me underline the reason for my decision.

Firstly, I am single. FACT.

Secondly, if I were to get into a new relationship, I'm not entirely sure I would want to tell everyone on Facebook that I was in one, certainly not all at the same time, as I have been part of many conversations that people have as soon as someone changes their relationship status, discussing who it is, whether its a good idea, etc. etc. and I don't really want to put myself and any possible new person through that.

Thirdly, unless I choose to tell someone, then they won't know :P

So I decided, that since I am not in a relationship at the moment, I'd use this time to remove the status, so that as and when things do happen, I don't have to tell anyone or justify myself.

Is that clear?

Should write another blog soon

Monday 14 July 2008

Haha, I just discovered I can log into here at work...

I can log in from work, so there might be more updates coming your way now ... :P

Although interestingly, I can't get to Fox and Az's blog, as it is "blocked in accordance with school policy". Probably down to the rude words I'm guessing!!

So, why am I blogging? No real reason...

I'm hungry. And the only thing I have to eat are warm cheese sandwiches :S and nothing to drink. Oh well. That's the problem with having no money!!

Also, I'm trying to work out what I should make my next writing project...

In the works, in various stages, I have My First Alien Invasion Movie (which does exactly what it says on the tin), 37, My As-Yet-Untitled Novel, First Night (A Musical), and various other ideas.

Which should I do next?

Answers on a postcard... or failing that, in the comments section below :P

Saturday 12 July 2008

My Musings on the Future of Dr Who

After Reading the Review of Journey's End published by Mr Az on foxkadmon.blogspot.com, I started to formulate a comment, which became so long and involved i decided i'd post it as an entry instead.

Regarding the Future of Dr Who:

I want to see Tennant go mid-series (when he goes, I am not making predictions on when that will be mark you!). Just for the novelty value, and also to shake up the somewhat predictable nature of the series's so far.

To see What I mean regarding Predictable nature of the series, have a look at these lists:

Series 1:

ROSE - Present Day, Introduction of New Companion, Earth Based
THE END OF THE WORLD - Future Story, Non-Earth Based (Well, sort of. Space Station Orbiting Earth Based)
THE UNQUIET DEAD - Past Story, Famous Historical Person, Earth Based
ALIENS OF LONDON / WORLD WAR THREE - Present Day Two Parter (Aliens Invading Earth), Earth Based (Fairly Obviously, considering what I wrote in the preceeding brackets)
DALEK - Near Future, Reintroduction of Old Enemy, Earth Based
THE LONG GAME - Future, Non-Earth Based
FATHERS DAY - Near Past, Earth Based
THE EMPTY CHILD / THE DOCTOR DANCES - Past, Famous Historical Event, Earth Based
BOOMTOWN - Present Day, Earth Based, Budget Saving Episode!
BAD WOLF / PARTING OF THE WAYS - Present Day AND Future, Earth and Non-Earth Based, Reappearance of the Old Enemy Re-introduced earlier in the series

Series 2: (And yes, for the sake of argument, I am putting Christmas Invasion in as part of the Series.. you will see why)
THE CHRISTMAS INVASION - Present Day, Introduction of New Doctor, Earth Based
NEW EARTH - Future, Non Earth Based
TOOTH AND CLAW - Past, Famous Historical Person, Earth Based
SCHOOL REUNION - Present Day, Earth Based
THE GIRL IN THE FIREPLACE - Future/Past, Famous Historical Person, Non Earth Based/Earth Based
RISE OF THE CYBERMEN/THE AGE OF STEEL - Present Day Two Parter, Earth Based (Yes I know it's a parallel Earth!), Return of Old Enemy
THE IDIOTS LANTERN - Near Past, Earth Based
THE IMPOSSIBLE PLANET / THE SATAN PIT - Future Two Parter, Non Earth Based
LOVE AND MONSTERS - Present Day, Earth Based, Doctor Light Episode (I.e. Doctor does not appear much!)
FEAR HER - Near Future, Earth Based
ARMY OF GHOSTS/DOOMSDAY - Present Day, Earth Based, Reappearance of the Old Enemy re-introduced earlier in the series

THE RUNAWAY BRIDE - Present Day, Earth Based


Series 3:

SMITH AND JONES - Present Day, Earth Based, Introduction of a New Companion
THE SHAKESPEARE CODE - Past, Famous Historical Person, Earth Based
GRIDLOCK - Future, Non Earth Based
DALEKS IN MANHATTEN/EVOLUTION OF THE DALEKS - Past, Earth Based, Reappearance of an Old Enemy
THE LAZARUS EXPERIMENT - Present Day, Earth Based
42 - Future, Non Earth Based
HUMAN NATURE/FAMILY OF BLOOD - Past, Earth Based
BLINK - Present Day, Earth Based, Doctor Light Episode
UTOPIA - Future, Non-Earth Based, Re-introduction of a Companion, Introduction of a New Old Enemy (Can you have a New Old Enemy? Never Mind...)
THE SOUND OF DRUMS/LAST OF THE TIME LORDS - Present Day, Earth Based

VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED - Present Day, Non-Earth Based / Earth Based

Series 4:

PARTNERS IN CRIME - Present Day, Earth Based, Introduction of a New Companion
FIRES OF POMPEII - Past, Famous Historical Event, Earth Based
PLANET OF THE OOD - Future, Non Earth Based
THE SONTARAN STRATAGEM / THE POISON SKY - Present Day, Earth Based, Re-introduction of a Companion, Return of an Old Enemy
THE DOCTORS DAUGHTER - Future, Non Earth Based
THE UNICORN AND THE WASP - Past, Famous Historical Person, Earth Based
SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY/FOREST OF THE DEAD - Future, Non Earth Based
MIDNIGHT - Future, Non Earth Based
TURN LEFT - Present Day, Earth Based, Doctor Light Episode
THE STOLEN EARTH / JOURNEY'S END - Present Day, Earth Based (Yes, I know the Earth moves in Space, but still...), Return of an Old Enemy

Having made this somewhat HUGE list, there are some obvious patterns that it would be nice to break when Steven Moffat takes over for Series 5. Firstly, the initial 5 episodes are almost always the same selection, Present Day-Future-Past-Present Day 2 Parter. (Future and Past are easily swoppable). I understand why, because we have had companions where we are expected to care what their families are up to, we need to re-interact with them by episode 4. However, I would like to see everything move around a bit. I always look forward to the second half of the series's more, cos you don't quite know whats coming next, and you get some wonderful standout episodes (Blink, Fathers Day, Boomtown, Midnight). On the flipside however, you also get some rubbish episodes (The Idiots Lantern, Fear Her), which were two of the worst episodes and, even now I don't re-watch them if I'm watching the DVDs.

You'd think i'd have a conclusion to this random series of Dr Who thoughts, but I dont.

Just listen, Steven Moffat, take what worked, and dump what doesn't.

And make it even better.

I'll be waiting :)

(Oh and I know we still have the RTD specials to come, I'm just thinking ahead)

Monday 7 July 2008

Doctor Who 4.12 & 4.13 - The Stolen Earth and Journey's End

So, what did I think?

I f***ing loved it.

Much much better than last years finale, and, I would say, possibly better than season two's.

What did I like?

Everyone came back!!! Including the one and only K9!!!

On the flipside of that, they managed to give everyone something to do, AND wrap everyones story up nicely. :D

I don't really know what to say. I liked it. Loved Davros, loved the Daleks, loved everything. And since the resolution didnt conclusivly involve the complete destruction of Davros or the Daleks, then we can get them back without hassle :)

And hopefully, now that Rose has a clone Doctor, we wont see her again.

Ah yes, the clone Doctor, how did I feel about that? Well, i thought it was a bit of a rubbish idea,
but as i wrote above, if it writes out Rose for eternity, I'm happy with it. I did think that the Rose "happy ending" was the only reason that the clone Doctor was really created, cos everything else would have been resolveable with TimeLord-Donna without a Clone version of the Dr running around.

Donnas ending. Wasn't that the saddest thing ever. And i mean EVER.

And Bernard Cribbins. That last speech to the Doctor. That was magic. Hope we see him again :)

All in all, was great.

Might watch the repeat on Sunday... Stolen Earth and Journey's End one after the other

Friday 4 July 2008

Where's the Dr Who Review?

I know what you are all thinking, where is the review for episode 12?

Well, I decided that since The Stolen Earth is so much of a half story that I am going to write a review of both episodes combined after I get to watch Journey's End on Sunday.

Yes, I said Sunday. Due to work issues (i.e. having to be there) I don't get to watch it until Sunday.

So don't anyone dare tell me what happens!

Sunday 22 June 2008

Doctor Who 4.11 - Turn Left

Well, I enjoyed that a lot :)

The concept was good, and the degeneration of earth due to the death of the Doctor was well done, although the concentration camps bit at the end seemed a little shoehorned in.

Catherine Tate was Outstanding, and the conclusion with the Death of Donna from what appears to be being called the "TurnLeftVerse" (The Universe which exists because she turns right) was pardoxically brilliant.

Things that I didn't like? The horrible plastic beetle mostly! And, I hate to say, Rose Tyler, you were rubbish. The "Mysterious Woman" act didn't really hold much water, since she doesn't have the doctors layers of charisma to pull it off. Add that to the fact that the audience (and by the audience, I mean me) knew exactly who she is, and therefore her constant refusal to give her name bugged the crap out of me.

But... Two Words.... BAD WOLF!!

And the Next Time Trailer was awesome...

Saturday 21 June 2008

Doctor Who Update

OMFG!!!

Too Excited to write a review now, but I will write one later, promise.

But I have just seen the two most exciting things i have seen for ages!

Firstly, the trailer for next weeks Dr Who....

OMFG!!!!!!
Doctor
Donna
Rose
Martha
Jack
Gwen
Ianto
Sylvia
Wilf
Sarah Jane
The Kiddy from Sarah Jane Adventures
Judoon
RED DALEK!!!
And was that Dalek-esque laugh connected to someone who is not really a Dalek? like maybe... Davros?

Oh and the other thing was the Live and Let Die Montage in Dr Who Confidential.

Classic

Thursday 19 June 2008

Drinking Alone...

Dangerous thing, isn't it....

Tuesday 17 June 2008

Should I be afraid??

Hey all

I'm having an interesting dilemma. As some of you may know, and some of you don't, I am currently writing some comedy sketches with the intention of working alongside the wonderful Kyleman to make a sketch show this summer.

I am currently on a deadline to have 30 sketches finished by next Tuesday... and I have 17 written. The idea I just had for an 18th, however, has brought up this dilemma.

The idea I had would be considered by some to be not funny, but sick, twisted and disturbed.

But should I write it? :)

Sunday 15 June 2008

UPDATED - Doctor Who 4.10 - Midnight

Well, I let myself think about it for about 18 hours, and I still don't know whether I liked that episode or not!

It was different, and in places very effective and scary, although it did suffer from a slightly rushed end I felt. Especially as the resulting conclusion was just "throw the monster out".

I liked that the monster had no prosthetics and no CG, and the repeating things and stealing a voice was quite freaky, but on the other hand, it just.... didn't feel like it went anywhere, you know?

I think it was a brave attempt to do a Solo Doctor Bottle Show (for those who don't know, a bottle show is one set pretty much all in one set) the first true Companion-less story since The Deadly Assasin in Tom Baker's time.

What excited me more than the majority of this episode however, was the next week trailer. And this is coming from someone who was dreading the return of Rose. However, any trailer that starts with the Doctor Dead and moves on from there is incredibly interesting......

EDIT - I have just had an argument with Az, from foxkadmon.blogspot.com about the statement I made regarding this being the first true Companion-less story since The Deadly Assassin, as he reckons that Time Crash should count. However, through Time Crash (Which was only a mini episode anyway), I consider each Doctor fulfils the companion role for the other doctor.

So what do I mean by a companion? The "Companion" is, in my eyes, a recognised Story element, which includes any charatcer who is on that particular adventure who instantly trusts and works with the Doctor, i.e. Astrid in Voyage of the Damnned. Midnight and The Deadly Assassin are the only stories in which there are no "Companion figure"

Hope that's clear.

Saturday 14 June 2008

Doctor Who 4.9 - Forest of the Dead

Once again, I am posting this review just before episode 10 airs, but I shall attempt to do better this week!

So, Forest of the Dead, I liked a lot. It felt like a nice compliment and conclusion to the previous episode, and I was pleased to see that we did not get any firm answers regarding what River Song's relationship was with the Doctor.

Other than that it was atmospheric, wonderfully well written, and generally well-paced, as opposed to the somewhat slow nature of the previous episode.

Negative points, the Vashta Nerada seemed to get relegated to the background as of about the middle of the episode, and the point where the Doctor fell down through the trapdoor felt remarkably pointless, although amusing. And that ending? Is the implication that it is better for a data ghost of someone to live inside a computer than for them to die? Was all a bit bizarre from my perspective.. but anyway.

Loved the way that the second part started in a completely different place and time to the end of the first part.

Don't really know what else to write about it, but I did enjoy it a lot.


Oh, and if you didnt hear the podcast commentary and you are a fan, you should have done! It was hilarious!!

Saturday 7 June 2008

Doctor Who 4.8 - Silence in the Library

Well, what a wierd episode.

Don't get me wrong, I liked lots of it. Was atmospheric and different, and the sharp contrast between the library stuff and the little girl was good.

River Song? I'm not convinced about her, I get the impression she is supposed to be the Doctors future companion / gf / wife, and unless we get rid of her next week with some paradox timey-wimey issues, then the problem is that she is comitted to turn up again, and frankly I didn't warm to the character at all!

I loved Evangelistas death scene, with the electronic ghosting. That was creepy :)

And what's in River's diary? What information does it hold about the Doctors Future?

And will Donna survive?

My prediction? The Little Girl is the "CAL" computer core, and she has somehow saved all of the people who were in the library (including Donna)

But we shall see, in about 20 minutes :)

Maybe this week I'll write the review before next Saturday!! LOL

Saturday 31 May 2008

What's the point?

OK, at the moment I have several projects on the go, and none of them I can get motivated about at the moment, because they feel pointless. This is the trouble with writing scripts and screenplays, they don't feel complete until they have been made.

The projects are as follows:

Music to watch the world go by (Previously known as RSF) - This screenplay is written up to second draft standard, and now I can't do anything with it as I cannot afford to make it! Oh well, maybe next year

First Night - This musical is plotted with 3 or 4 songs completed, along with several pages of dialogue, but at the moment I can't seem to get on with it cos I don't forsee any time when it will get performed!

My First Alien Invasion Movie - Again, this screenplay has been plotted, and about 6 pages of script have actually been written, but what was designed to be my cheap B-Movie has got infinitely more complicated, and therefore I can't afford to shoot this either!

37 - This screenplay doesn't exist beyond vague plot ideas in my head, and one day I might write it!

Untitled Novel - This is exactly what it sounds like, and while this may turn out to be the best idea, as unlike a film or show the written product I create would be the final product, the trouble is I find it hard to write prose!

So, my question to you guys is this.

Is it worth me writing anything?

Thursday 29 May 2008

The World in my Hands

This is a piece that I have literally just written. I don't know why, I don't know what it is for, I don't know how to classify it, I don't know if i shall hate it in ten minutes time.

But I felt it should go somewhere. (Don't worry, it's short)

THE WORLD IN MY HANDS

I sit here upon my alleged throne, surveying the wonder of all that is beneath me, and I am forced to consider, is their life better than mine? All of those souls there, beavering away below me, are they happy? Do they feel that true happiness? In some way, I hope that they do, because I like to believe, in my more philosophical moments, that the pain, and the sorrow, and the guilt, and all of the other burdens that I bear, are borne for a reason.

For freedom. For pleasure. For the happiness of others.

These are the reasons I am here, alone. Too frightened to change, too scared to move, too petrified of the slightest alteration. Balanced here, like the proverbial father who has just got the television aerial to pick up a clear signal, but who is now precariously balanced on the window ledge, torn between providing for his family, and his own comfort and desires. This is the manner in which I exist.

I sometimes consider it. Throwing off the shackles, trusting the world to keep turning without my say-so and allowing myself to experience the pleasure. I dream of abandoning this sensible method of living and embracing my wants fully.

But I fear that my existence can not be altered. I chose my path and the bell has been rung. To please those below me I must continue my futile struggle against the incoming darkness, aware that eventually it will triumph and I shall become engulfed. Hoping, against all hope, that when I am destroyed another shall take my place. Not daring to imagine how it will be if there is no replacement, no alternative, no other me.

Just the darkness.

I stare down at the world, safe in my hands. And I weep.

Doctor Who 4.7 - The Unicorn and The Wasp

Hello all, many apologies for not posting in 2 weeks, but I have been very busy.

And drinking :P

So, this is my review of The Unicorn and The Wasp, which I enjoyed (unsurprisingly, as it was Dr Who!) But i didn't feel it was as exciting or as interesting as The Doctors Daughter last week.

As this review is so late, I'm simply going to write Pros and Cons for this episode.

Pros:

The woman playing Agatha Christie was great
The murder mystery was very well planned
Liked the cheesy flashbacks
Liked the attempting to shoehorn as many Agatha Christie Book titles in as humanly possible!
GIANT WASPS! :)

Cons:

The Unicorn was kind of pointless, simply there to cause suspicion
Donna was much more loud and annoying this episode
The glowing amulet/jewel was slightly pointless!!

But yeah, I enjoyed it.

Better review of this weeks, I promise.

Thursday 15 May 2008

A Writing Collective....

Greetings to all!

I have been thinking. Those of you who know me will be aware that I have been umming and aahing over whether I am going to shoot anything this summer - filmwise...

I can't shoot RSF, as it would cost me too much and needs a lot of organising, and I can't shoot My First Alien Invasion Movie, because the script is nowhere near ready. But I want to practice directing and filming.

Which brings me back to an idea I had a few months ago... a sketch show.

But a sketch show requires ideas.

So I thought of something.... anyone up for being a staff writer for a sketch show? If I like the idea I shall have us all meet up (probably in the pub) in a couple of weeks where we can discuss ideas and see what happens :)

As far as being a writer goes, if you just want to come and suggest ideas, thats fine, if you want to write a draft of the sketch, thats fine, the only proviso is that as Director/Head Writer, I get to choose and re-write any bits I think could be better/funnier/easier to shoot!

Anyone up for it?


Oh... and happy birthday Rai!

Tuesday 13 May 2008

Dr Who 4.6 - The Doctor's Daughter

Oh. My. Gosh.

What a good episode!!

By the way, this is my second attempt at writing this entry, as I wrote a huge blog about this on Sunday, and then my computer crashed! So I shall attempt to re-create it, as best as I can.

So, why did I like this episode so much? Cos it was great. That's why :D

Georgia Moffett was outstanding (and hot, which helps admittedly) at a role that, by rights should have felt rushed and forced, but instead easily segued into being a natural fit with David Tennant's Doctor and Catherine Tate's Donna.

I was surprised when I surfed the net after watching, to discover that many reviews considered it one of the worst episodes of this season, and said that it felt like "Old Who".

Yes, the whole episode felt rushed, and it did feel as if it could have been a classic Who serial (in a good way) rather than being compressed into the 45 minutes, which did cause some of the incidental characters to be rather more two-dimensional, but with the primary story being the interaction between The Doctor and Jenny, that was always likely to be the case.

Oh and also, I loved the old-school Quicksand that Martha and the Hath encountered. Loved the Hath on the whole really, I thought they were different looking (well, at least for new who, where every alien (bar the Daleks (I've just realised I'm into the third set of brackets inside each other, which gramatically is not allowed I am sure) whos design is obviously from classic who) is a humanoid in some way, shape or form, usually being an animal-type who walks upright) and generally a nice contrast to the others.

I'm sure I had more I wanted to write here, but I have forgotten it.

Oh well, maybe later.

All in all, a great episode.

Next week, Agatha Christie, period costumes and a giant wasp. Am I looking forward to it? I don't know. I never really look forward to the past ones.... we shall see


EDIT: - I discovered that Blogger saved most of the entry i thought was lost! So here's the chunk of it I didn't cover above


DON'T READ ON IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT.

SERIOUSLY

THIS IS A SPOILER



So, Jenny's death was a little cliche (and could help reminding me of Owen's (first) death in Torchwood earlier this year) but it was worth it for the wonderful Doctor acting and the moment of leaving her behind. But her ressurection. I don't understand what that was about. We saw her breath out gasses that looked, to me, like the regeneration energy that the Doctor breathed out in Xmas Invasion, but it also looked like the terraforming gas that had been released. In my logical mind I can see a few different reasons for why she is alive:

1) She regenerated, but because she was unaware of how to do it, she didn't change her physical appearance - To me, this could be the case, but doesn't make huge amounts of sense.
2) The terraforming gasses brought her back to life - I don't even begin to understand how that would work, but should we ever get an explanation I could see this being the one RTD chose to use, because it's simple.
3) Because she had only recently been created, the regenerative abilities which allowed the Dr to grow back his hand, allowed her to grow back whatever was broken.

Anyway, I think we will see her again, although I don't thinkit's likely this season (unless the finale ends up at some point in the same timeframe as her, since she has no time machine) and I don't think we will be seeing a spinoff as some people seem to think, cos apart from anything else, she is now one of the leads in the Spooks spinoff - Spooks: Code 9

Friday 9 May 2008

Life in London

So, I haven't written on here in ages (apart from the Dr Who review I just posted) and I'm sitting at my computer now feeling a little downhearted because I have no exciting plans or anything to do tomorrow, and I wish I was in Poole, so that I could go to the beach in tomorrows boiling hot weather.

But I can't. So that's that.

So what should I do tomorrow? Ideally it won't cost me very much money and will entertain me a lot.

Ideas anyone?

Doctor Who 4.5 - The Poison Sky

I know that this is really late, and I apologise for that. There is no real excuse other than... well I don't really know. Was hungover on Sunday and then I just havent got round to it!

So... What did I think of the episode?

I liked it. It was a good continuation of the previous part, and all in all it was an entertaining episode.

Not amazing, but entertaining nonetheless.

We got a reference to the Brig (YAYYY!!!), We got to see Donna hit a Sontaran with a mallet, and we got a resolution to the issue that, whilst it was scientific nonsense (burning the top layer of the atmosphere? Please....) felt like a good proper solution rather than pointing a sonic screwdriver at a problem!!

Martha was underused, even as her evil clone twin, and I was sad to see the demise of Ross, but all in all I enjoyed it.

Oh, but what was the point of that cliffhanger? The one with Wilf in the car seemed to be there just to create unneeded tension, and whilst it did not feel as weak as some classic Who cliffhangers (the ACTUAL cliffhanger in Dragonfire springs to mind), did feel rather pointless.

Next week? The Doctors Daughter.

I can't begin to express how ambivalent I am about this idea. And I know that I have no details about this episode... but I am hoping it blows me away....

Monday 28 April 2008

Review: Doctor Who 4.4 - The Sontaran Stratagem

So, another week, another bout of Who :D

What did I think of the Sontaran Stratagem, I hear you ask

Well, i liked it. But then I do like most Dr Who episodes :)

Let's talk about it some more....

We got to see the return of Martha, which I thought was very well handled, especially since there was no risk of the "fighting companions" syndrome that we saw in School Reunion between Rose and Sarah-Jane, and I enjoyed the Doctor questioning Martha's morality regarding UNIT, while at the same time bringing up ethical questions about his own involvement with them.

Donna getting to go and see her family was good too, and the re-introduction of the Doctor to Wilf and Sylvia was brilliant, especially as everyone realised they had all met him before!!

The evil boy genius and his academy were good fun, and the Sontarans were silly AND threatening, which is what I always thought they should have been in old Who, although they usually came off as silly in that case!

But by far the most outstanding guest star for the episode was the dude who played Ross, the UNIT officer who is assigned to the Doctor. He had such a Benton-ish quality about him, and yet was so in tune with David Tennant's performance that I just felt he would be a great companion, or possibly just a great UNIT contact for the Doctor (alongside Martha of course, unless these Martha/Torchwood rumours turn out to be true)

But still, no Brigadier Cameo :(

Maybe in the next ep, but i doubt it.

What didn't I like about the episode? It was rather formulaic, which I know is an accusation that can be levelled at Dr Who old and new, but if I hold it up against Planet of the Ood last week, even though the base elements of that story are all staples of Dr Who, atmospherically it felt new, whereas this week felt like a bit of a retread of various new and old Who elements.

But, i liked it anyway

Here's to next week :D

Sunday 27 April 2008

I Hate Hangovers

... and yes, I know it's my own fault!!

I'm too tired to do a Dr Who review now, might do it later

That is all

Friday 25 April 2008

My New Film!

Hey there loyal readers

I just plotted my new film :)

By my new film, I don't mean RSF, which exists, but I cannot afford to shoot atm, but this is my new, new film, tentativly entitled "My First Alien Invasion Movie".

That title will probably change!

So anyway, I started writing an alien invasion movie so that I could shoot something cheaply and easily this summer, but it might have got a bit out of control....

This was designed to be cheap, and has ended up with....

A Dystopian Future

(Lots of) Split Screens

A giant monster that grows to bigger-than-Godzilla sized proportions...

Hmmmmm....

It's fun though :D

Will let you know how it continues.....

Monday 21 April 2008

Time Travel, God and the Whoniverse

Whilst I was washing up earlier, and then defrosting my freezer (a neccessary evil caused by a combination of a crap freezer door and my own laziness, which in turn has denied me the planned curry for tonights dinner) I started to muse on concepts of God and time travel.

Surely, I postured, if Time Travel is possible in the universe, shouldn't God therefore be able to time travel. Which, in turn, could make him a less imposing proposition, and simply a time travelling person. But what sort of person would be able to get the knowledge and elements of creation and then spend enough time to create the universe from knowledge they had acquired from time travel?

The answer, my Dr Who loving friends is obvious.

God must be.....

Captain Jack Harkness!!

The man cannot die, lives in a universe where time travel exists and is perfectly feasable, and (if you believe that he is the Face of Boe) is "older than the universe itself."

I think that it therefore fits perfectly.

Captain Jack is God.

That is all.

Sunday 20 April 2008

Pointless Error Messages

OK... I understand the concept of error messages on computers (and other electronic equipment as well). If there is a problem, then they tell you what the issue is.

I ALSO understand that sometimes what they show you can appear to be complete gibberish, but would make sense to someone technically minded, or someone who has access to the code of the program.

HOWEVER, (and this is a trend that I attribute to starting with Microsoft), there is a worrying number of applications that simply have messages that are pointless. The one I experienced this morning was BBC iPlayer, which told me "There is a problem with the delivery system. We cannot specify the problem. If this continues, please contact support." (Or words to that effect) That was all the information given. Not even an error message number, to quote if you chose to contact support.

Since the problem eventually went away by the tried and true method of clicking on the same thing repeatedly until it did what I wanted it to do, I have got over it, but the uselessness of the message has stuck with me.

And why do I blame Microsoft? I blame it for this reason... "Windows has been forced to terminate [Application Name]. We apologise for the inconvenience"

That I blame.

And, I know it offers you a "Send information to Microsoft" button, but seriously, do they ever look at it?

And would you want Microsoft to know what was going on with your computer anyway?

And what if your computer is not attached to the internet?

Rant over, for now....

Saturday 19 April 2008

Dr Who 4.3 - Planet of the Ood

For those who are not aware of this, I am a giant Who nerd, loving old school Who, new Who and all whoniverse paraphenalia (would that be abbreviated to whophenalia?) so I thought I'd review this while it's fresh in my mind.

It was a good episode I felt, I can see how it might be decisive for some people, and it wasn't an episode I was particularly excited about, but it felt different for new Who, and that seemed good enough for me.

(EDIT: I wrote Decisive, i think i meant Divisive... is that a word? I mean it might divide peoples opinion.. hold on let me check dictionary.com...yup, I mean Divisive. Back to the previously published blog)

I understand that if you list the ingredients of the episode then you would end up with what would appear to be a bog standard episode:

Nasty Humans + Aliens that are bad, oh wait they're not really + happy ending + hint about what is going to happen towards the end of the series...

But to me it was a nice, well made, entertaining and fun story, and in the Ood I think New Who has finally created it's first long lasting monsters, ones that could continue throughout the Whoniverse.

Oh, and Tim McInnery was great. But that was no surprise. In fact I thought all the supporting cast were very good this week.

On a technical note (people who are not technical ignore this paragraph) this was such a well made episode. Beautiful CG and compositing, some of the best compositing we have seen in the series so far, the battles were very well shot and looked big and busy, even the cheesy claw grabbing chase scene was good :) Hats off to Graeme Harper, a brilliant Who director.

All in all, I think it gets 4 out of 5. :) Shame about the shoehorned in reference to the end of the series "Your song must end soon". I'm normally a big fan of storyarc references, but this just... I dunno, seems different, which is a good thing rather than the single word references of the last three series's, but, it just felt so similar to last weeks "Psychic" references.

Maybe I'm just being fussy, I don't know.

Oh, and Dr Who Confidential... don't get me wrong, I like watching behind the scenes bits, but why did they bother to extend each one to being 45 minutes long if all they're gonna do is pad them with three minute montages of clips from the last 3 and a bit series?

Meh. Who knows.

So .. next week?

Martha :D

UNIT :D

Sontarans :D

Big Spaceships :D

A Brigadier Cameo? (We can only hope, but I doubt it)

All in all, looking forward to it, although I won't be watching it as it airs, so don't tell me anything about it until I've seen it on Sunday!

Friday 18 April 2008

Mario Kart Wii!

OK, having played this fairly consistently for the last five or six days, I thought I'd write a review of it.

Firstly, if you are a fan of Mario Kart games, then this will keep you happy. All the usual elements are there, loads of tracks, loads of characters, so many combinations of kart and character that your brain will bleed trying to keep track of them all!

So, single player first... it's hard. Much harder than Mario Kart: Double Dash on Gamecube, and also harder than Mario Kart DS. Part of that is getting used to the Wii Wheel....

Speaking of which, I love it. I haven't even tried the game with any of the alternate controls (of which there are plenty) cos there is something so satsifying about using the wheel :)

The wifi is as great as you would imagine, 12 player races with no discernable lag, and it's great :)

This was gonna be longer than this, but I wanna play it some more.

Talk to ya soon

Thursday 17 April 2008

The first update in months....and a request for assistance....

Heylo all of my dedicated readers

Do I have any dedicated readers? I don't know, probably not since I haven't updated this since October!

So where do I start with updates...

RSF - Screenplay 2nd Draft is finished, and now I have no plans to make it yet, as I can't afford it!

Not much else going on in the life of Brawny, just still living and working and not doing much else...

Oooh.. playing Mario Kart Wii a lot :D It's FRICKIN GREAT!!!

Anyone wants to race me, my code is 5284-1595-4190 :)

Oh, and slowly starting to pull together an idea that I may possibly be filming this summer, which is an alien invasion B-Movie :) Which leads me to my request for assistance.... I need a list of cliches that have to happen in B-Movies, so that I can write them in :D

Ideas?

Might post again later, if I feel like it.