The Sole Of Sci-Fi goees 2D today* as I don the final pair of on-loans trainers from Will Guyatt: a pair of Gorillaz Cons. A whole range of these came out a couple of years back, and these were the least oviously Gorillaz-themed, but they’re hiding their best side – the inside.
The interiors are plastered with cool Jamie Hewlett art! The geometric camo design on the outside is cool too, whether you get the Gorillaz link or not. Thanks, Will, for all the trainers you’ve loaned me over the Christmas period. Even if some were on the large size. Clown feet ahoy.
(That’s the name of the cartoon character in Cons in the picture… don’t you just love a gag that needs explaining.)
Off on the train home soon. Blu-ray heaven here I come. Although I have spent this morning watching Doctor Who “The Ambassadors Of Death” on DVD – the last surviving Doctor Who story I’ve never seen before. It’s a bit dull. Seven episodes is clearly way too long for a Doctor Who story. Still interesting to watch, though.
Brief blog today as I’m travelling back to the parents’ imminently. With many bags.* On the train. This’ll be fun. Some comfy camo Cons for the journey.
(* They’re not just full of presents, but trainers as well… See what I have to sacrifice for this challenge!)
It’s amazing how many variations of black Cons you can get…
Once again, even though it’s now and truly well into winter, the bare legs come out. I do apologise, but we’re getting some decent winter weather, and while that continues – and I’m not doing in-office freelance – I might as well take advantage of it and cycle somewhere to find a decent backdrop for the Sole Of Sci-Fi photos other than my back garden again. And I hate cycling in jeans (and I own no Lycra leggings or longjohns I hasten to add) so you have suffer the naked calves of doom.
Having said all that, the weather took a turn for the grey by the time I reached this old railway bridge, so I ditched the sci-fi theme I did have and swapped it for the more sympathetically-coloured Frank from Donnie Darko. In the process I’ve accidentally created one of my favourite shots of the year.
Yes, another pair of black Converse high-tops, but these one have a red trim and red lining. They were originally in aid of another charity – a percentage of what you paid for them went to AIDS charities, but now they can help with Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Which reminds me – have you donated yet?
I have been working as well today. Three reviews for SFX. All my shows – SHIELD, Gotham and The Flash – have had some great episodes recently. SHIELD, especially, has finally kicked into gear big time. Tonight’s Gotham is a bit weak, but next week’s is simply stunning.
However, a show I don’t review, and is a bit crap really (but I love the characters), had my favourite line of the year in its mid season finale. That show is Haven, and the scene has Duke trying to get information out of Dave and Vince, when he says, “And you are going to tell me right now, or I’m going to beat you to death… [he looks at Vince] with him [he nods towards Dave].” Classic!
I’m glad I don’t have to review Haven these days, because I would have to mean about it (especially some of the embarrassingly bad CGI effects and it’s cheesier fantasy moments) but at the same time I really enjoy it. It’s the best example of dumb fun I can think of on TV at the moment.
• If you have any trainers you could donate (either on loan or old pairs you’re getting rid of) which are size 9 (ish – I can do anything from 8 to 10) contact me at davegolderSFX@gmail.com so I can arrange collection.
Another quick botch job today as I’m without broadband again…
A pattern is developing. It seems that as soon as there’s rain any harder than a slight drizzle, my internet goes down. I’ve been on the helpline, and nothing can be done until Monday, so I’m tethering my laptop to iPhone again. It works, but it makes searching for images slower and more expensive, so I’ve botched together today’s pic using a screen shot from Moon that’s been hanging around on my hard drive for a while. It’s not so bad, considering…
Yesterday’s “business lunch” was a extended session on the pub with SFX and Rebellion. I think we covered everything from Judge Dredd to the evil of UKIP via Malta, horse riding and how SEO is killing journalism. Not much work was done.
The day before, though (I would have mentioned this yesterday if plans hadn’t gone awry), I was very productive and managed to write an entire 2,000 word short story in two-and-a-half hours. It was about ghosts and cycling, and it went down really well at the writers’ group on Thursday evening. It’s also the second “episode” in a new project I’m developing. I haven’t written episode one yet, and I may even get someone else to write it. Y’see, the project is almost like a “TV series in short story” form with me as showrunner, so other people can write other “episodes” to my guidelines.
Thing is, my episode is typically me – kinda Alan Bennett with ghosts, full of meandering whimsical observations about the minutiae of every day life. I need the first episode to be dark, and I don’t do dark very well. To me, dark is grazed knee or a cutting remark. But episode one needs to be a real punch in the gut. And I know one or two writers who make that their speciality.
I’ll then provide more spooky whimsy later in the collection.
God knows when any of this might see the light of day, but at least I’ve leapt the first hurdle.
• If you have any trainers you could donate (either on loan or old pairs you’re getting rid of) which are size 9 (ish – I can do anything from 8 to 10) contact me at davegolderSFX@gmail.com so I can arrange collection.
Atlantis returns… And they’ve finally remembered Jason is form the future (I wish)
As I mentioned yesterday, I’m actually pleased to see Atlantis back on the BBC tonight. Sure, there are Doctor Who fans who will explode in apoplexy at that (Gallifrey Base will go into meltdown if it gets better viewing figures) but I like the fact that the Beeb has a variety of these adventure drama airing across the year. I’m quite fond of Musketeers too.
All these shows have their problems, but they’re generally good-natured fun. You only have to red my Atlantis reviews from last series on the SFX website to see that I’m not blind to the show’s shortcomings. But I’d prefer to watch a flawed Atlantis on a Saturday night than some reality show or – even worse – a light entertainment variety show fronted by Michael Mcintyre.
(Admittedly, I’d love to see a comedy show of the quality of The Two Ronnies or The Morecambe And Wise Show, but with today’s paucity of decent comedy writers and performers in the UK at the moment – and what the main channels think count as quality sitcoms at the moment , that’s unlikely to happen – I’ll continue to get my sitcom fix from BBC Three, BBC Four and any cable channel showing US imports, with the exception of The Irritating Bang Theory.)
Anyway, for all its faults, Atlantis has an entertaining trio in its three leads, some amazing CG and a good few battles. On the other hand, based on my reviews from last year, here are five things that would help improve the show this series:
1) Please, writers, remember that Jason is from the future (or an alternate universe). After about three episodes last year this was completely ignored, and it made nonsense of some of the plots. This doesn’t have to take the form of Jason having foreknowledge of Atlantis’s fate (though that’s be okay) but it would be good to see him using 21st century knowledge to help him out of certain tricky situation. Even using a couple of modern colloquialisms or references would help.
2) Atlantis itself needs to be more of a character in the show, rather than a just dusty backdrop. It was a fairly humdrum city in series one.
3) More monsters! Fewer bulls!
4) Can the women please be in on the action and humour a bit (a lot) more? Last series they were largely just plotting rather humourlessly behind the scenes.
5) A lot more water. This is supposed to be Atlantis!
Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, I’m not cheating on the challenge – today’s Cons aren’t another pair of bog standard black high-tops. They’re a weird pair with a double row of eye-holes. Not sure what that’s all about but they’re a pain to lace up.
• If you have any trainers you could donate (either on loan or old pairs you’re getting rid of) which are size 9 (ish – I can do anything from 8 to 10) contact me at davegolderSFX@gmail.com so I can arrange collection.
Oh look, I’ve discovered my anti-gravity Converse so I can join Spock and Kirk for a bit of mountain… erm… well, not exactly climbing. Looking at Kirk’s face, he’s either pissed I’m cheating, or wishing I’d washed my socks.
Not much to report today, as life is pretty much “cycling to ProCycling, working on ProCycling, cycling home, eat, review a TV episode for SFX, try to fit in when to do Sole Of Sci-Fi” at the moment.
I did notice the it’s all kicked off over on Doctor Who forum Gallifrey Base, though, with the revelation that the “Death In Heaven” received a less-than-average AI (Appreciation Index) figure.
It’s amusing seeing all the reasons/excuses they’re giving, but the most bizarre was that the season finale was too depressing and downbeat. Really? What, more than “Dark Water” which was much darker and received a considerably higher AI result? I’d argue that going on that evidence along, “Death In Heaven” needed to be darker… by which I mean no “love conquers all” ending, silly Cyber Brigadiers, and no Mary Poppins moments. But that’s just me*. There’s probably somebody else out there who thought they were the three best bits.
(*The thing is, I did really enjoy the episode, but when I think back on it, these are the three things that I think of first, unfortunately.)
• If you have any trainers you could donate (either on loan or old pairs you’re getting rid of) which are size 9 (ish – I can do anything from 8 to 10) contact me at davegolderSFX@gmail.com so I can arrange collection.
Why watching Doctor Who early isn’t the perk you’d think it is
This is me watching tonight’s Doctor Who, but I’ve blurred it for obvious reasons.
Another really late blog today – sorry. Various reasons. One was that I had to go a collect my bike from Bristol. Remember I said I had a puncture on Thursday? Well, my attempts at fixing the puncture were futile, so I had to leave my bike in Bristol, go home on the train in the evening with the wheel, then buy an inner tube yesterday, which I put in position and pumped up last night. Then this morning I got the bus back to Bristol with the wheel, then put the wheel back on, before cycling home in the kind of rain that makes you feel like you’re cycling along the bottom of the ocean. I really need to get some puncture repair training.
And once home I couldn’t get on with the blog as I was doing an emergency review that I was only offered yesterday – the Doctor Who series finale. Which, of course, is on tonight which meant, of course, I had to get the review done really quickly.
Now, it may sound like one of the perks of the job, getting to see Doctor Who early, but really, under circumstances like this, it isn’t. Anything but.
For a start, I like watching the show in HD. The BBC preview site isn’t in HD. It’s not even the quality of SD on iPlayer. It’s blocky, slow and muddy; occasionally it’s tricky to see what’s going on, and judging the quality of the FX and lighting is impossible. Worst still – especially when you’re trying to make notes and you need to pause and rewind all the time – the controls are rubbish.
Secondly, the BBC always put warnings about not revealing plot details next to the viewing window… listing all the major plot points in MASSIVE TYPE. You can switch to full screen, but usually by then, the damage is done.
Thirdly, it just doesn’t feel right watching it in isolation. I like the feeling of learning all the revelations – and going “ooh!” and “ahh!” at the same time as other devoted fans. I know I can’t actually hear them, but I know they’re doing it.
And finally, I’m not just watching it; I’m reviewing it. Maybe some reviewers can just watch something in the same frame of mind, but for me it’s a different discipline, and one that takes some of the fun out of watching a film or TV episode.
Anyway, enough moaning. I still enjoyed it, a lot, with one major reservation. And one thing: keep an eye on the opening credits – something unusual occurs.
And I will be watching again tonight. There’s lots of spectacle I want to see in its full glory.
• If you have any trainers you could donate (either on loan or old pairs you’re getting rid of) which are size 9 (ish – I can do anything from 8 to 10) contact me at davegolderSFX@gmail.com so I can arrange collection.
Being chased by Rorschach down a back alley is not a great way to start the week…
Can you believe I’ve got to November without wearing a pair of classic Converse white high tops? I’ve worn a couple of variations of white low tops, but I’ve never actually owned a pair of the high tops in white. And as you can see, I haven’t bought these ones especially. They’re borrowed from another old mate called Dave (I’ve known a lot of Daves in my life; in fact, two of my three bast mates as school were called Dave), who hasn’t really been following Sole Of Sci-Fi and seemed a bit bemused I wanted to nick his shoes for a day. I’ve seen that look a lot this year.
Spent most of yesterday reviewing this week’s batch of TV episode reviews for SFX, so it’s not going to be a very exciting blog today. It may not be tomorrow, either, as I have three more deadlines today. Then another one for a massive feature on Wednesday. Then I have seven days working on a bicycle magazine in Bristol. Suddenly life is very busy, so Sole Of Sci-Fi may, by necessity, go back to being a little basic for a while.
But hey, less than 60 days to go! And I’ve got something special planned for early December to push for a last few donations.
• If you have any trainers you could donate (either on loan or old pairs you’re getting rid of) which are size 9 (ish – I can do anything from 8 to 10) contact me at davegolderSFX@gmail.com so I can arrange collection.
Why are so many critics calling Christopher Nolan’s latest film sole-less?
I suddenly realised that Christopher Nolan’s new film, Interstellar, is released in the UK in a fortnight… and I know hardly anything about it. Honestly, about everything I know about this film is a result of doing picture research last night for today’s image, and reading on teletext that most critics think it’s an amazing spectacle, but slight on story and emotion.
A bit like Inception, then, a film that was intellectually interesting and undeniably clever, but seemed to lack any real heart. I liked it – a lot – but I found it hard to love. A bit like MC Escher paintings.
It does make me wonder about all those people on the internet who constantly moan about spoilers. I’m on the internet constantly for my job, yet it was effortless to avoid Interstellar spoilers. I admit that some heinous spoilers do make their way into articles where you might not expect to find them, but some posters seem to moan that features about, say, season three of Arrow give away plot details for season three of Arrow. Well, d’uh. And if you’re really spoilerphobic, you really ought to know to stay away from comments sections. They’re pretty much a lawless virtual wild west, because few companies pay employees enough to 24-hour monitoring of the post, and you just know someone’s going to blurt out, “But when Harold dies in the next episode…”
All of which reminds me of this little piece I wrote for SFX a while back:
How spoilerphobic are you?
Take out scientifically-untested personality test to find out…
.
1 If someone tells you that a film is fantastic do you:
a) Tell them you’ll make up your own mind?
b) Get all excited?
c) Moan that they’ve ruined the experience of finding out yourself whether the film is fantastic or not?
. 2 Which of these do you prefer to avoid reading?
a) TV listings?
b) Film reviews?
c) Eragon?
.
3 You’re reading a Stephen King novel and he ends a chapter with the line, “In two hours, she would be dead.” Do you…
a) Begin reading the next chapter with a sense of impending dread impressed at the Master Of Horror’s ability to manipulate your emotions?
b) Throw the book down in disgust at an author who spoils his own bloody plots?
c) Think, “Oh God, how many times is he going to use the same literary trick?”
. 4 You’re watching an American TV show, and it gets to the end of the opening credits. Do you:
a) Cover up the bottom half of the TV screen with a piece you cardboard (which you keep by the TV especially for the purpose), so that you can’t see the list of guest stars just in case an old character is due to make an unexpected reappearance?
b) Read each and every credit with interest, wondering when Alan Dale’s name will show up?
c) Get slightly distracted because you think you recognise that name from somewhere?
. 5 You’re having a Star Wars watching marathon with your kids. Do you:
a) Watch them in the order IV, V, VI, I, II, III because that’s how they were made?
b) Watch them in the order I, II, III, IV, V, VI, because it would be cruel to the kids shouldn’t know that Anakin will become Darth Vader?
c) Watch IV, V, bits of VI, and then leave the kids to it?
. 6 You’re watching the opening title sequence to the new Battlestar Galactica and it gets to the end of the wailing music and the ethnic drumming starts up. Do you:
a) Appreciate that the montage of clips from the upcoming episode are a nod and a wink to the original show?
b) Cover your eyes until the drumming stops and pray to the Gods of TV to make it stop?
c) Do a Zulu war dance around the living room?
. 7 If someone tells you that a film has a twist, do you:
a) Become intrigued?
b) Want to rip their tongue out because now you’ll spend the whole film trying to guess the twist?
c) Reply, “Well, d’uh, it’s directed by M Night Shyamalan.”
. 8 An episode of Doctor Who is finishing. Do you:
a) Immediately switch off the TV because you don’t want to see the “Next Week” trailer?
b) Get excited about the “Next Week” trailer?
c) Record the “Next Week” trailer, watch it about a 20 times, then discuss ever single shot in minute detail on Gallifrey Base?
. 9 Is the internet:
a) A minefield of scummy spoilers?
b) An Aladdin’s cave of tantalising spoilers?
c) So bloody slow in Nether Wallop you’re more likely to be spoilt by carrier pigeon or smoke signals?
. 10 Warning: do not play the video below if you haven’t read/seen Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince. Just award yourself three points anyway for managing to keep in the dark this long anyway.
Watch the following video:
Do you think the guy who made this video is:
a) A genius of Jackass proportions?
b) The biggest loser ever?
c) Dead by now, killed by an Avada Kedavra curse?
. 11 Are “Previously On” sections before TV episodes:
a) A useful memory jogger
b) An insidious spoiler, because even though it’s all footage you’ve seen before, they still give a clue about what plot elements are going to important in the following episode?
c) Confusing to the point of pointlessness?
. 12 When you go to the cinema do you:
a) Arrive early to watch all the trailers?
b) Arrive late so that you can avoid all the trailers?
c) Not give a toss about the trailers because you’ve seen them all on the internet?
. 13 What is the greatest invention ever?
a) The wheel?
b) The television?
c) The ignore button on internet forums?
. 14 Gandalf apparently dies in Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship Of The Ring. And yet the prepublicity for The Two Towers included clips and images of Gandalf The White? Is this:
a) Slightly annoying – I haven’t read the book?
b) Completely fine, the book’s been around for decades? How can that be a spoiler?
c) A heinous display of utter contempt for the audience, and Ian McKellen should have filmed all his Gandalf the White scenes inside a locked studio so nobody knew he was still working on the film, to keep the surprise absolute. And all the cast should have signed non-disclosure agreements not to mention that he was still in the film in interviews. And every copy of The Lord Of The Rings should have been burnt in a huge pyre. Just in case.
. 15 What was the most despicable spoiler ever?
a) Learning that Spike was joining the cast of Angel before the final episode of Buffy, thus totally ruining his “death” scene?
b) History – I mean, how can you enjoy Apollo 13 when you know the know the outcome?
c) That dickhead who wrote on the poster of The Usual Suspects, “This guy’s Keyser Soze”.
d) The opening narration to Dark City – what’s the point of watching the film now?
e) This quiz – because I didn’t know any of a, b, c and d above?
.
Tot up your scores:
1 a – 2 points; b – 1 point; c – 3 points
2 a – 3 points; b – 2 points; c – 1 point
3 a – 2 points; b – 3 points; c – 1 point
4 a – 3 points; b – 1 point; c – 2 points
5 a – 2 points; b – 3 points; c – 1 point
6 a – 2 points; b – 3 points; c – 1 point
7 a – 2 points; b – 3 points; c – 1 point
8 a – 3 points; b – 1 point; c – 1 point
9 a – 3 points; b – 1 point; c – 2 points
10 a – 1 point; b – 2 point; c – 3 points
11 a – 1 point; b – 3 points; c – 2 points
12 a – 2 points; b – 3 point; c – 1 points
13 a – 1 point; b – 2 points; c – 3 points
14 a – 2 points; b – 1 point; c – 3 points
15 a – 2 point; b – 4 points; c – 1 point; d – 3 points; e – 5 points
41-47 points:
Avoid the internet! Avoid magazines! Avoid newspapers! Avoid other people! In fact, avoid watching films and TV – there are spoilers everywhere. Your simple three-point action plan to a stress-free existence is as follows:
1) Never learn to read
2) Have a friend record all TV shows for you, then edit out any credits, “Previously On” sections and “Next Week” sections.
3) Find a friend to do that who is preferably mute, and make NO OTHER FRIENDS. Ever
31-40 points:
Spoilers are a pain, but what can you do? You can’t let it affect your life – beyond spending hours and hours on the internet naming and shaming spoiler-mongers, listing all the things that have been spoiled for you this week, and using emoticons like the currency of self-pity.
21-30 points:
You don’t usually mind mild spoilers – like knowing that so-and-so is returning to a show, or that someone’s going to die this week. You probably watch “Previously On” sections and “Next Week” sections without needing to check your blood pressure. But you hated it when someone told you there was a twist in The Sixth Sense because then you guessed what it was in the first five minutes.
16-20 points:
Spoilers? What spoilers?
15 points:
You were that git who made that Harry Potter video above, aren’t you?
Off to Wales again for a set visit. Let’s see if you can guess the show – I’ll let you know what it is tomorrow. Here’s a clue, though: I will be meeting an actor who was in Doctor Who this year, and one of the sets is for a “pleasure palace”.
Bet that’s got you intrigued. I certainly am.
And one of these days I will get to see the Wolf Blood finale.
• If you have any trainers you could donate (either on loan or old pairs you’re getting rid of) which are size 9 (ish – I can do anything from 8 to 10) contact me at davegolderSFX@gmail.com so I can arrange collection.
• Please, please, please leave comments below! I’m after ideas for mini-challenges, future photoshoots and how I can find enough pairs of trainers!
I spent almost an whole day going through the extras…
I spent over nine hours yesterday watching all the extras on the new Extended Edition of The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug on Blu-ray, which I’m reviewing for SFX. When you factor in that I had already watched the film itself the day before (to see what had been extended) then watched it again yesterday with the commentary on, and offset that against how much I’m actually getting paid (which I won’t reveal because I’m not sure Future Publishing would like it known how little it pays writers) then I’m clearly earning way less than minimum wage per hour! Then again, I don’t have to buy the Blu-ray now, and I would have watched all the extras anyway out of choice if I had.
Because, yeah, I have some major gripes about The Hobbit trilogy (so far). There are things that irritate me (usually poor CGI, excessive action sequences and a lack of real emotional clout in far too many scenes). But as an overall phenomenon, I still have a lot of love for what Jackson is trying to do with these six Middle-earth films.
I’ve also enjoyed both Hobbit films more with the release of the Extended Editions. I think it has less to do with the extra footage adding more depth (I’m not sure the Goblin King song and dance routine from An Unexpected Journey added anything other than a reason to press the fast forward button) and more to do with noticing so much more that I’d missed the first time, when gurning dwarves and naff-looking liquid gold were distracting me.
Rewatching Smaug, I gained more of an appreciation Elven King Thranduil (he’s creepy), fell in love with Tauriel and suddenly realised what a rich and characterful setting Lake-Town is; The Master and Alfrid, especially, are a great double act, but the production design is awesome as well. Martin Freeman continues to impress and Bilblo and I’m beginning to be able to tell more of the Dwarves apart.
There’s also a great fight scene that’s been added to the Extended Edition, which I won’t spoil, but it significantly alters one section of the film, in a way the new scenes rarely have before.
My main problem with Smaug, though, is Smaug. Not his look. Not Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance. Not the animation. But the fact he’s so bloody ineffectual. He’s a massive fire-breathing dragon and yet he can’t fry one little dwarf! The whole final action scene was, we learn from the Blu-Ray, one of the things that was added to the script when the The Hobbit was expanded from two films to three, so there’s a practical reason why none of the Dwarves could be reduced to cinders; certainly remaining faithful to the book wasn’t issue but the ending of Smaug had to retain continuity with footage already shot for Five Armies, so sudden, shocking deaths were impossible. But there’s a real lack of threat to the climactic scenes, which undermines Smaug’s declaration, “I am death!” Are you? Are you really?
Presumably there’ll be lots of Lake-Town extras eating flame in the final film, but at the moment I’m left with the feeling that Smaug’s bark is worse than his bite. It doesn’t help, either, that Desolation (even if you haven’t read the book) pretty much tells you how Smaug is going to be dispatched.
But overall I had a great day yesterday watching all the behind-the-scenes footage. Whether you like these films or not, you have to admit that the Extended Editions are bursting with goodness.
Oh and, Ryan Gage (who plays Alfrid, and I suddenly realised I knew him from the BBC’s Musketeers, where he plays King Louis) is absolutely hilarious.
And if you know the film well, you’ll realise that all the fuzzy on-screen images in today’s pics are sneaky peeks at extended moments. And the near new Cons (black low tops, with lovely light blue trimmings) I got off eBay for 99p – no one else was bidding for them because they came without laces. Luckily, I have a drawer full of laces, which may not surprise you.
• If you have any trainers you could donate (either on loan or old pairs you’re getting rid of) which are size 9 (ish – I can do anything from 8 to 10) contact me at davegolderSFX@gmail.com so I can arrange collection.
• Please, please, please leave comments below! I’m after ideas for mini-challenges, future photoshoots and how I can find enough pairs of trainers!
Usual Begging Sign-Off
The Sole Of Sci-Fi 