TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0802: Into the Dalek

Another Saturday, and another episode of Doctor Who Series 8. To appease those who might be put off by the rather unconventional series premier, the second episode featured the most popular, prolific, and dangerous of the Doctor's enemies, the Daleks. One who is unfamiliar with the Whoniverse likely finds the Daleks a bit silly, seeing as how they are basically tall kitchen garbage cans with a plunger sticking out of them, and I have my own opinion on the Daleks that I will get into later, but it cannot be argued that a majority of Whovians love these guys, and Dalek stories being pretty conventional Who, it was a pretty good move on Moffat's part to put this episode where he did to keep younger fans hooked. But did this succeed or not?



 

TV Reviews - Doctor Who 0801: Deep Breath

First of all, two quick notes. One: yes, I'm reviewing individual episodes in this new series of reviews, particularly individual episodes of Series 8 of Doctor Who. This is something that I've never done before, so I'm a little nervous. Two: Regardless of what I think of these episodes, I will not be making these reviews into Something Awesome reviews. I'm trying to actually reduce the number of Something Awesomes that are reviews of movies or TV, as its starting to feel like I'm cheating.

That out of the way, let's move on.

Being out of town during the premier of a new Doctor Who episode that you intend to review is frustrating enough, but then the episode is a series premier, an introduction to a new actor playing the Doctor, and written by Steven Moffat, the show runner since Series 5, and a man who seems to write complicated scripts like the rest of us breathe. In the end, I not only got a late start on the episode, but it was also an episode that required more than one viewing before I could really form an opinion.

Now, having watched the episode twice, I think I can speak (or rather write) about it with relative certainty.



Something Awesome #34 - Movie Reviews - Iron Man and Captain America: Heroes United

Not to long ago, Marvel Animation Studios released an animated movie that promised to introduce a new, high tech form of animation that combined CG and cell shading, unite two popular heroes in an original story, and tie into the then-recent Avengers film. That movie was called Iron Man and Hulk: Heroes United. I panned it, saying that it was advertised as a tie in to The Avengers only as a cash grab, that it was poorly written with lame humor, and that the animation still seemed unfinished. I don't really remember how I rated it, but I remember that I rated it low. For these reasons, I avoided the second movie in this series like the plague, and after finally getting up the courage to view it, I wish I'd done so sooner, because I actually really enjoyed it.

A Little Something Awesome - Chris Pratt...Just Chris Pratt

This guy is hilarious. Ever since Guardians of the Galaxy became a hit, he's been exploding all over media circles, mostly the internet, and I think that's great. Below, Mr. Pratt accepts the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. He's not really doing much of anything in the video, but it's still hysterical. Check it out and see what I mean.

Also, in case you missed it when it originally popped up a couple weeks back, here is a great video where, when Mr. Pratt is asked what his favorite song lyrics are, he responds by rapping Eminem (NSFW). Put to music, as it is below, it's even more amazing. Give it a look, and come back later for another Something Awesome.



A Little Something Awesome - I Have Two Blogs Now!

I just started another blog. I mentioned in an earlier post that I wanted to start doing more creative writing, beginning with moving my Yu-Gi-Oh! story from yugiohcardmaker.net to here. So I began a second blog, AwesomeJohn Writes, where I will do just that. Something Awesome and my various media reviews will stay here, while The Last Dragonborn - The Journal of Johan Abbot, as well as any future creative writing endeavors, will be there from now on. So check out the new site, and come back later for another Something Awesome!

A Little Something Awesome - Star Trek Stars Take The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge!

I love the Star Trek franchise. Even the crappy stuff, I love it all, some of it for radically different reasons. I love it (well, except for Threshold, and A Night in Sickbay), and I love the actors involved with it. So many of them are really nice, really cool people, and this article about several of them becoming involved in the recently-exploded ALS Ice Bucket Challenge just proves this true. Give it a read, and come back a little later for another Something Awesome.

A Little Something Awesome - Hero Dog

In a story that punches you right in the feels and then hugs you and makes it better, a three-year-old girl was able to survive eleven days lost in the Siberian wilderness thanks to some quick thinking, and the heroic efforts of her puppy. Check out the full story as recounted by my pals over at youtube.com/sourcefed in the video below, and come back later for another Something Awesome.



New Toy Reviews!

I keep saying that I will post here what it is that I've been up to during the long lulls between updates here. Well, long story short, I've been making video reviews of toys...mostly! To watch them, check out my YouTube page, youtube.com/awesomejohn22, go to the playlists, to the Awesome Reviews, and watch all of them. Then watch everything else on the channel too.

...

What, did you think I wasn't going to plug myself on my own blog? Please.

;)

A Small Update

Just a quick update for anyone who might read this blog. I write fanfiction, or something akin to it, set in the world of the anime/manga/game property Yu-Gi-Oh!. I'm not going to justify myself (I know fanfiction is often frowned upon and avoided), I just like that world and wanted to contribute my own characters and stories to it. Typically I post this fanfiction in the relevant section of the forum on yugiohcardmaker.net. However, and not for the first time, my login to that site has stopped working, making it impossible to update my threads on the forum. It has been like this for a few months, so I have decided to resume updating my facfiction here. First, however, I must decide if I should open up a second blog just for creative writing, and I want to post what I already have finished here on this site, which I want to do gradually, which will take a loooong time.

Strap in people, because it's coming in just the next few days. You have been warned.

Remembering Robin Williams

It was reported just recently (and I mean, like, within the last couple of hours) that comedian and actor Robin Williams was found dead today at the age of 63, likely of a suicide. Details on his death are cloudy at best, with many sites simply spouting rampant speculation, so I will not talk about his death, but his life, or more specifically him impact on mine.

Despite what some people might say, Robin Williams has always been entertaining, at least as far as I can tell. I enjoyed even his worst movies because he was there to lift the films' spirits, and his ability to light up a room with just that exuberant, fun-loving, kinda cheeky smile of his is legendary. He was a young soul trapped within the body of an aging man, and yet he never seemed old in any of his recent appearances, including his recently cancelled sitcom The Crazy Ones. His performance as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin, despite the problems that Williams himself took away from the role, is one of my favorite things ever, and I have been sad for years that he hasn't been doing more with his phenomenal talent. I can only hope to bring even a fraction of the joy to others which Mr. Williams has over the years.

All of this is sad enough, but it seems that Williams' death may have been related to depression, something that I find hard to imagine. It hurts me just to think that someone who seemed to fun-loving and happy could be in that kind of pain. I have suffered depression before. It guts you. Hearing that Mr. Williams may have been suffering depression for years tears me up inside. We must all strive to prevent this loss from overshadowing the happiness and joy which Mr. Williams stood for all of his life.

Robin Williams will be sorely missed, by myself and millions of others. Rest in peace, Mr. Williams. You will never be forgotten.

A Little Something Awesome - This Video

Just...just watch it. It's pretty great.

See, I told you.

Something Awesome #33 - Movie Reviews - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a franchise very near and dear to my heart. The old '87 cartoon is one of the first shows that I ever remember watching and re-watching as a kid, and my desire to own a version of each of the four turtles characters in action figure form is a big part of why I collect toys now. I have enjoyed all of the animated series of TMNT, though I like some better than others, and I enjoyed the movie titled TMNT from '07, and both of the live action movies from the '90's (what third movie?). When it was announced that my arch enemy, Michael Bay, would be responsible for bringing TMNT back to the silver screen, I was apprehensive, and when the movie finally came out this evening, I naturally went to see it and witness how completely it had failed so that I might laugh derisively. Too bad for me, though, I didn't hate this movie.