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.