Doctor Who: The Bells Of Saint John ( review with spoilers )

The ringing of the Bells Of Saint John is a wake-up call for the Doctor and the programme itself: yes, the Ponds have gone, but now it's time to stop moping, move on and have some fun...
It is the 50th anniversary year after all...

Series 7 continues after an extended break as the Doctor "luckily" runs into Clara Oswald again. This modern version of Clara is a child-minder in contemporary London who has no computer skills and rings a help-line when her Wi-fi goes down... which somehow connects with the Doctor, who's gloomily exiled himself to a 13th century monastery. ( Do we sense the hand of River Song in this? ) The Doc springs into action to again try and solve the mystery of The Woman Twice Dead. As another Steven Moffat character might say "The game is on..."

"Suppose there was something in the Wi-fi harvesting human minds...?"
There's your high concept for this episode. We're all tapping away at keyboards on laptops, netbooks, tablets... all at the mercy of a hungry alien intelligence. Well, OK, it's the Great Intelligence again  -  gifting us with a short, but very welcome, appearance from the great Richard E Grant. ( Quite poignantly, actually, for us Withnail fanatics after the recent sad passing of Richard Griffiths. ) He, or it, is pulling the strings of glacial businesswoman / villainess Miss Kizlet, wonderfully portrayed by the excellent Celia Imrie. From her eyrie atop The Shard she controls the world's Wi-fi, switching people on and off like puppets, and even managing to drop planes out of the sky onto London...

The Bells Of Saint John is a fast-paced, glossy episode with definite hints of recently-demised BBC programmes like Spooks or Hustle in its high-tech, high-rise view of London. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Partners In Crime, the opening episode of Series 4  -  reintroducing a previous character as a permanent companion, lots of scenes in offices, a power-suited woman as antagonist and so on. Unfortunately, the "minds being uploaded" concept and the head-spinning Spoonheads themselves ( robotic Wi-fi base stations ) are very derivative of that series' "Library" two-parter, which is this episode's main failing.
However, there is plenty to love here: the Doctor's "anti-grav" ride up the side of The Shard, the concept of a "snogging booth", the mystery of Clara ( what's with that leaf? ), the gorgeous location footage, Miss Kizlet's tragic fate, the witty digs at modern day life, the Doc looking cool with fez, bow tie and Pertwee-esque new purple clobber...

And, of course, the radiant Jenna-Louise Coleman, making her third "first appearance" as the contemporary version of Clara. Subtly different to her "Souffle Girl" or "Victorian Governess" iterations, this is a confident, modern character with plenty of charm, a real twinkle in her eye and that mystery at her core...
Coleman and Smith are a delight together, a fizzing chemistry between them already apparent, promising great things.

I'm torn between giving this episode a 4 rating or a 3 1/2 ( mostly due to some recycled ideas ) but, sucker that I am, looking at JLC's smile above has warmed my frosty heart, so I'll go for...

4 Out Of 5 Bow Ties ( or mediaeval bells )

PS I've been doing this Bow Tie Rating system for a long time now and I'd just like to remind everyone that it was the lovely Michelle / Mickey Glitter who first gave me the idea. Cheers!

"Whaat?" indeed...

One of the big events in the art world at the moment is the Roy Lichtenstein retrospective currently showing at London's Tate Modern. I'm personally ambivalent about Lichtenstein's Pop-Art: while I can appreciate the eye-popping effect of his appropriation of comic art on large canvases, I dislike the art "elite"'s snobbery towards the original source material... and mostly, the late Mr. L's refusal to name and respect the original artists. It all strikes me as very cynical and dishonest. The above painting by the wonderful Dave Gibbons is an ironic take on Lichtenstein's abilities and intentions.


If you're interested in this subject you should check out this fascinating article called The Principality Of Lichtenstein: From "WHAAM!" To "WHAAT?" by renowned comics archivist Paul Gravett.

Personally, I find there's more heart, soul and talent in the original works by artists such as John Romita, Irv Novick and Tony Abruzzo than there is in Lichtenstein's "recontextualisations".
Check out this site for some revealing comparisons...


Soundtrack: Here Comes The Sun / In My Life by the Fab Four

Richard Griffiths

 "It is the most shattering experience of a young man's life when one morning he awakes and quite reasonably says to himself 'I will never play the Dane.' When that moment comes, one's ambition ceases."

Very sad to hear today of the untimely death of the great character actor, Richard Griffiths. Known to millions as Harry Potter's Uncle Vernon Dudley, Griffiths also appeared in many films as well as being the star of the ITV crime series, Pie In The Sky. A consummate actor and a much-loved man, he will be well missed.

And, of course, he is extraordinary as the eccentric, if lascivious, Uncle Monty alongside Paul McGann and Richard E Grant in the wonderful Withnail And I...

Captain America by Steranko

Number two in an unintended series :-)

Following yesterday's Nick Fury sketch by Jim Steranko, here's another dynamic B&W image from the Jaunty One, this time of the star-spangled Avenger, Captain America. The combination of Steranko's pencils and the great Joe Sinnott's inks make for a slick pic...

Nick Fury sketch by Steranko

I discovered this fab, gear and groovy Nick Fury sketch by Jaunty Jim Steranko over at the Facebook page for Sean Howe's Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. As any long-term friend of The Glass Walking-Stick would know, I'm a sucker for Mr. Steranko's take on Marvel's super-spy, so couldn't resist posting it here. For further Fury action check out this post from the late, lamented Steranko Saturdays. ( Remember them? )

Soundtrack: Don't Stop / Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac

Above all, don't lose hope

 Just finished my radiotherapy treatment today! Phew!

Time now to rest, recover and look ahead...

Reasons to be cheerful...

Part One:

The Ice Warriors are back! Yay! It was confirmed a little while ago that everyone's favourite Martian marauders would appear in Season 7b of Doctor Who and now, courtesy of the ever-wonderful SFX magazine, we've had our first glimpse of their updated look. As with the Daleks and the Cybermen, the production team have realised what an iconic design the original monster had, and have only slightly tweaked it, making it more modern and convincingly real. Well, as real as Martian lizard-warriors get, anyway. Please click on the picture to see larger-scale scales :-)
I wonder what Madam Vastra would think of them...?

Part Two:

I know I keep dribbling on about Bowie's return, but I am getting pretty excited about his forthcoming new album. New single The Stars ( Are Out Tonight ) is a cracking rocker, of the sort I never would have thought The Dame would produce again. OK, it may be a whinge about celebrity stalkers and paparazzi but who's more qualified to sing about such things than Bowie? A man whose every move is scrutinised and obsessed over? Just like I'm doing now? Oh, and the video stars Tilda Swinton, which is cool.



Part Three:

Spring has sprung! It's been a beautiful day here in the Shire and has certainly been a tonic for this ol' blogger who has been feeling a bit down just lately. Being the stereotypical suburbanite that I am, at the first hint of sunshine I sprinted outside to mow the lawn. ( Well, maybe not "sprinted " ) That was about as much as I could manage in my present "delicate" condition ( I sound like a Jane Austen heroine... ) so, the next thing I knew, I was falling asleep in the sunshine, listening to a robin singing. Perfect :-)

I'm cheating slightly here  -  this pic of Hero ( with Sarah gardening in the background and Jasper looking on from the sidelines ) is from last Spring. But you get the general idea...

Soundtrack: Dance Yrself Clean by LCD Soundsystem
                   The Stars ( Are Out Tonight ) by that Bowie bloke

The man in the ( iron ) mask

Masks seem to be everywhere at the moment... for me, anyway. I'm currently half way through my four-week radiotherapy treatment, which goes some way to explaining the serious lack of blogging here in the last couple of weeks.

During these last two weeks I've been driving over to Cheltenham Oncology every weekday for my treatment. This involves lying on a not-all-that-comfortable table, underneath a Linac ( linear particle accelerator ) machine, with a mask strapped to my head.

The mask has been fitted exactly to the contours of my face and has markers placed on it which, with the aid of lasers, ensure that my head is in the exact same position every time I receive a dose of radiation, and only the specific area is targeted. It's a very strange and claustrophobic experience, not painful, but certainly stressful. Another patient I've been talking to has said he gets so claustrophobic he has to be sedated for every session. Luckily, I don't feel that bad... but trying to juggle this schedule and trying to work as well has proved to be too much for me. I've given up work for the next three weeks at least, so fortunately that added stress has gone. For now.

Yesterday morning, after my treatment, I called in to a nearby Asda to get some breakfast, only to be confronted by the latest installment in David Bowie's Lazarus-like comeback... namely, the above NME cover. It did make me chuckle. ( I actually just typed the word "maske" then, instead of "make"  -  this is getting a bit obsessive now... )

I've been very lucky all through this process that I've had wonderful support from my friends and family, without whom etc. etc. Sarah and the kids have naturally been worried by all of this, and things have been quite stressful on occasion, but their love and support is what keeps me going. And a big shout out for my very good mates, Glenn and Kevin ( neither of whom will probably read this... ) who have been, and continue to be, the most loyal and understanding friends anyone could possibly have. Cheers, guys!

Hopefully, with all this free time I'm going to have now, I might even get back to regular blogging. I've still got all those movies from 2012 that I never got round to reviewing, and the second part of my
Death Planet Commandos origin story to post here. But then, dear reader, you've heard all this before :-)

Ria Parfitt artwork

One of the many things I love about my favourite venue, Gloucester's Guildhall Arts Centre, is the fact that there is always something new going on, whether it's a band playing, a movie showing, art classes, dance classes, or an exhibition of amazing artwork... like this selection from Ria Parfitt's recent show, "Cherry Red Hearts"...

After coming out of the Film Focus Group meeting last week I stood talking with a group of friends in the art gallery... but got distracted by the artwork. Sorry guys. The beautiful collage of cats' eyes above ( "Feline Frenzy") first caught my attention and then I found myself captivated by the rest of the exhibition...

Ria has a very distinctive and personal take on surrealism and her sometimes scary, sometimes humorous images remind me variously of Dali or Munch or even old school SF illustrator Virgil Finlay.

Accompanying the artwork were Ria's poems and small autobiographical pieces which spoke frankly and eloquently about her struggles with depression and feelings of not fitting in, with many instances of questioning what is "normal" life? The answer, of course, is that "normality" is different for everyone and we all have to find our own definition of the word. The next couple of paintings, "Head Full Of Horrors" and "The Abnormal", tackle these issues with startling directness.

But there's also a lighter, sunnier side to Ria's work, like in "The Ego Has Landed" below. She spotted this colourful character out roller-skating and had to paint him in all his peacock-like confidence.

While the painting below is, I believe, one she did while still a student and showing huge potential.

I was so impressed by this exhibition that I took Sarah to see it too, and she was equally moved by Ria's haunting, strangely beautiful vision. Below is the talented lady herself. You can check out her work on her Facebook page here ( you'll probably need a F/Book account to log in )  -  I think you'll be glad you did.

The Gene Genie and Bolly

Happy Birthday to both Philip Glenister ( 49 ) and Keeley Hawes ( 37 )  -  two of my favourite actors who were fantastic together in the late, lamented Ashes To Ashes as DCI Gene Hunt and DI Alex Drake...

Fire up the Quattro...

       

Post number 666

                                                         Sympathy for the Devil...