The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who is coming up in November, and they are making a ton of wonderful specials for it, on top of the actual new episodes in both audio and video format. One of those specials is An Adventure in Space and Time, about how Doctor Who came to exist. David Bradley gets to play actor William Hartnell for this one, while Jessica Raine is the show’s producer Verity Lambert. Check out the exclusive Radio Times photo of Dave as Hartnell, and enjoy this video snippet of the recreation of the pivotal scene from the very first Daleks episode.
BBC America got off to a fine start when they created their very first original series with Copper, and it looks like they are upping the ante with Orphan Black. A chance encounter of an apparent pair of twins separated at birth begins to look more like a cloning experiment run amok in fairly short order. This one will be rolling out in March, I have no intention of missing it.
This is not a good weekend for films. The comedy called Pictures of Superheroes looked promising, but except for the title is isn’t genre. Dark Skies is another boring horror flic, and 11 Flowers is likewise at a single film festival. Time to catch up on something recently released you might have missed.
In movies, Atlas Shrugged: Part II is the concluding part of the epic Ayn Rand story. I missed this one in the theaters, so I am looking forward to watch both parts back to back. With The Complete Adventures of Flash Gordon the three original Flash Gordon serials are being released in a single package. Originally released in 1936, 1938, and 1940, they starred Buster Crabbe as Flash. I already have all 3 serials bought separately, but I am tempted to pick up this package for the included original comic strips and cartoons from the 1930s.
Game of Thrones: The Complete Second Season is out this week, and it is every bit as adventurous, sexy, and violent as the first season. It also grew the characters well, which I didn’t realize was happening until I noticed who I was rooting for kept changing. Also this week, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome takes place in the middle of the First Cylon War, with a young Adama piloting a fighter and coming to the Galactica for the first time.
Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee comes out with the second half of season one. This series has heavily armed letter carriers combating giant insects and rival organizations, as well as the occasional mad scientist. It takes place in a land of perpetual twilight, with a unique and beautiful art style that reminds me of certain tarot decks. The manga it comes from is also beautifully drawn. Also new, Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts is an OVA special collection of only two episodes. Finally, Tiger & Bunny Set 1 brings the first 12 episodes of the first story, which totals 25 episodes in all. Giant Robot pilot/heroes with sponsors logos painted on their metal hides, it brings an interesting view of how the future might be.
I loved the first film, and I am definitely looking forward to the new one. Pixar is one of my favorite animation houses, and Monster University promises to be a fun continuation of the franchise.
This trailer looks pretty good for the new movie The Host. Yes, this is from the same author who inflicted Twilight on the world, but this one could be worth watching. It will be on the big screen on the 29th of March.