Happy Summertime, everyone! Well, except for my NZ friends, that is, who are now enjoying their winter. I still can't quite wrap my head around that, partially because summer is in such full swing here. Every day for a couple weeks now the sky has been cloudless and blazing, and the air so thick with heat it burns against your skin. Normally I'd be hating it. As it is, however, I'm enjoying it as much as I can because once I return to Hawaii the heat will be humid instead of dry (dry heat being much easier to bear, in my opinion) and at least here at home I have a working air conditioner which I don't have in Hawaii. So I'm trying to be philosophical about things. Same with the insect-life; sure the June bugs have started buzzing around, but if I was in Hawaii it'd be cockroaches, so I should be grateful for what I have--or, rather, do not have--right now.
Anyway, the heat also provides a fantastic excuse for both cold drinks and cold desserts and going to the local theme park to get drenched on their water rides, so I'm feeling rather kindly to it on the whole.
It will be overwhelmingly strange and sad to leave home again to return to college, but I know once I am back in Hawaii I will settle quickly and easily into my routine there again as though I had never left. In a way, this saddens me more than it reassures me. I'm scrambling in an attempt to get my driver's license before I have to go back to Hawaii, but I'm not sure if it's happening or not, we'll see. I am a much more confident driver now and can handle myself well on the busy main roads, but I have not yet ventured onto the freeway (nor do I want to) and my parallel parking is . . . not as parallel as I would like.
Movies! I'm looking forward to seeing "Captain America" so much, and am interested in "Cowboys and Aliens" but am not yet sure whether I'll pay to see it in theater or just wait until it comes out on DVD. More films I'm eagerly looking forward to: "The Artist", "War Horse", and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", the first because it just looks absolutely amazing in every way, the second because of the gorgeous music and the fact that it's a WWI story (and I also want to see the play but since I can't anytime soon this'll have to do), and the third because of the cast. Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, and BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH all in one film together?? Really??
Speaking of film, I recently watched "This Gun for Hire" for the first time, and it's really good, I'd recommend it. The very end was a little too staged for my liking, but other than that it was a very enjoyable film, and Alan Ladd is awesome.
Okay, that's all from me for now, but I'll be trying to write more regularly. Cheers!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Book Reviews for April, May, June
I'm back, with a shiny and newly repaired laptop, and piles and piles of book reviews! So here I'm putting reviews for April, May, AND June. I went to the library last week for the first time in a long time so I managed to get a lot of reading done right at the end of June. Overall it's been mostly mediocre stuff, but there's been a few definite gems. So without further ado:
Can you believe I didn't finish a single book in the month of May? I read a few books mostly to the end, but didn't quite manage to finish them, so I had to count them in the June list. I also read a lot of "Wives and Daughters", a novel I still haven't finished.
APRIL
North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell
This book I thought for sure was going to be my Book of the Month. It's an absolutely fantastic romance--comparisons to the works of Jane Austen are unavoidable--but what really made me love it is how very real all the characters are. The inner monologues of the heroine, Margaret, were extremely endearing to me and startlingly true to thoughts that I've had myself, making her easily identifiable. John Thornton, the male protagonist, is also an extremely likable character, far more so than the infamous Mr. Darcy, and the whole cast of characters are fantastic. I also liked how Gaskell uses the love story to explore her society and indeed social reform, in a way that was interesting without being preachy. The ending of this book is one of the most charmingly adorable and satisfying endings I have ever read. Definitely give this book a go. Oh, and after you read it go track down the BBC production starring Richard Armitage, because it's wonderful.
The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud
I consider Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy to be the most well-written, emotionally satisfying, and consistently excellent trilogy ever written aside from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It was with mixed feelings therefore that I picked up Solomon, Stroud's new 'prequal' to the series. How can one expand upon perfection? I both wanted to read more about Bartimaeus, and was loath to attempt it, being afraid that the experience could only be disappointing. Was it? Well . . . yes and no. It's a great stand-alone book, but also is a fun read for people who have read the trilogy (Bartimaeus' pre-Ptolemy attitude is very interesting, for instance, and Faquarl gets lots of page-time) and features some great characters and a truly scary villain, along with numerous trademark 'Bartimaeus moments'--Snarky footnotes and crazy escapades galore. But it is not as emotionally satisfying as the Trilogy, perhaps because there is no real sense of danger. We know that Bartimaeus survived to meet Nathaniel in London, so narrative tension is automatically compromised. Still, I'd recommend it both to Stroud newbies and fans of the Trilogy alike.
The Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss
I'm a big fan of Rothfuss' first book, The Name of the Wind. It wasn't perfect, but it has a lyrical quality and beauty and power to its language that not many fantasy novels manage, as well as a clever narrative structure and a very compelling protagonist. So I was looking forward to this sequel considerably. Was it worth the wait? Ultimately it was a let-down. There are many moments that I absolutely loved, but the book was so over-stuffed and over-long it distracted from those moments, so that by the end of the book I could only remember vaguely that I had liked parts, not really clearly recall what I liked about them. Their impact was smothered. There's also a lengthly section of the book which focuses mostly on Kvothe's sexual escapades, which was utterly unnecessary and irritating. Call me a prude if you like, but I hate it when authors put sex in their fantasy novels. So I'm still looking forward to reading the third book in the series, but this second installment didn't live up to my expectations.
The Mists of Everness, by John C Wright
Another sequel which did not quite live up to its predecessor. The opening half or so of this book is simply brilliant--the perfectly-pitched fairytale opening in particular is genius, especially after the madcap ending of the previous book, and conceptually and visually the book excels as usual. The ending however feels rushed, and not up to standard with the rest of the book, and all in all the first book is much better (although the return of Galen was extremely welcome and well done). Raven is a great character. If you like urban fantasy/sci fi, then check it out.
Book of the Month:
The Queen of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed Turner's first novel, The Thief, but nowhere near as surprised as I was when I read this sequel. It is simply, brilliantly nothing like you would expect a sequel to be. Most of it consists of just characters talking to each other and sometimes to themselves, action is kept to a minimum, and the main character, well, I want to keep it spoiler-free, but he gets put into situations that you absolutely would not expect. None of this is a bad thing; it could have been, easily, but instead Turner works her authorial magic and weaves out of these elements a story that is breathtaking and captivating, filled with emotion and tension and honest drama, wonderful characters, and of course a protagonist who has quickly become one of my favorite fictional characters ever, Eugenides the thief. It is worth noting that Turner does not let his character stagnate; instead she is constantly challenging him, evolving him, changing him, and yet never letting him stray from his core identity, keeping him completely--and sometimes even painfully--real. The new character of the Queen (well, she was briefly introduced in the last book but only really becomes a main character here) is just as well-defined and interesting, terrifying and cruel and pitiable and sympathetic all at once, no mean feat. There is also a surprising romance which is decidedly unlikely but which Turner again manages to make both real and perfectly fitting as well as properly beautiful. I simply can't praise this book enough. Do yourself a favor and read this series ASAP. After I finished it (in one day) I could not wait to get my hands on its sequel, The King of Attolia, which I am happy to report is equally good. More on that later, though, as it's a June read ;D
This book I thought for sure was going to be my Book of the Month. It's an absolutely fantastic romance--comparisons to the works of Jane Austen are unavoidable--but what really made me love it is how very real all the characters are. The inner monologues of the heroine, Margaret, were extremely endearing to me and startlingly true to thoughts that I've had myself, making her easily identifiable. John Thornton, the male protagonist, is also an extremely likable character, far more so than the infamous Mr. Darcy, and the whole cast of characters are fantastic. I also liked how Gaskell uses the love story to explore her society and indeed social reform, in a way that was interesting without being preachy. The ending of this book is one of the most charmingly adorable and satisfying endings I have ever read. Definitely give this book a go. Oh, and after you read it go track down the BBC production starring Richard Armitage, because it's wonderful.
The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud
I consider Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy to be the most well-written, emotionally satisfying, and consistently excellent trilogy ever written aside from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It was with mixed feelings therefore that I picked up Solomon, Stroud's new 'prequal' to the series. How can one expand upon perfection? I both wanted to read more about Bartimaeus, and was loath to attempt it, being afraid that the experience could only be disappointing. Was it? Well . . . yes and no. It's a great stand-alone book, but also is a fun read for people who have read the trilogy (Bartimaeus' pre-Ptolemy attitude is very interesting, for instance, and Faquarl gets lots of page-time) and features some great characters and a truly scary villain, along with numerous trademark 'Bartimaeus moments'--Snarky footnotes and crazy escapades galore. But it is not as emotionally satisfying as the Trilogy, perhaps because there is no real sense of danger. We know that Bartimaeus survived to meet Nathaniel in London, so narrative tension is automatically compromised. Still, I'd recommend it both to Stroud newbies and fans of the Trilogy alike.
The Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss
I'm a big fan of Rothfuss' first book, The Name of the Wind. It wasn't perfect, but it has a lyrical quality and beauty and power to its language that not many fantasy novels manage, as well as a clever narrative structure and a very compelling protagonist. So I was looking forward to this sequel considerably. Was it worth the wait? Ultimately it was a let-down. There are many moments that I absolutely loved, but the book was so over-stuffed and over-long it distracted from those moments, so that by the end of the book I could only remember vaguely that I had liked parts, not really clearly recall what I liked about them. Their impact was smothered. There's also a lengthly section of the book which focuses mostly on Kvothe's sexual escapades, which was utterly unnecessary and irritating. Call me a prude if you like, but I hate it when authors put sex in their fantasy novels. So I'm still looking forward to reading the third book in the series, but this second installment didn't live up to my expectations.
The Mists of Everness, by John C Wright
Another sequel which did not quite live up to its predecessor. The opening half or so of this book is simply brilliant--the perfectly-pitched fairytale opening in particular is genius, especially after the madcap ending of the previous book, and conceptually and visually the book excels as usual. The ending however feels rushed, and not up to standard with the rest of the book, and all in all the first book is much better (although the return of Galen was extremely welcome and well done). Raven is a great character. If you like urban fantasy/sci fi, then check it out.
Book of the Month:
The Queen of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed Turner's first novel, The Thief, but nowhere near as surprised as I was when I read this sequel. It is simply, brilliantly nothing like you would expect a sequel to be. Most of it consists of just characters talking to each other and sometimes to themselves, action is kept to a minimum, and the main character, well, I want to keep it spoiler-free, but he gets put into situations that you absolutely would not expect. None of this is a bad thing; it could have been, easily, but instead Turner works her authorial magic and weaves out of these elements a story that is breathtaking and captivating, filled with emotion and tension and honest drama, wonderful characters, and of course a protagonist who has quickly become one of my favorite fictional characters ever, Eugenides the thief. It is worth noting that Turner does not let his character stagnate; instead she is constantly challenging him, evolving him, changing him, and yet never letting him stray from his core identity, keeping him completely--and sometimes even painfully--real. The new character of the Queen (well, she was briefly introduced in the last book but only really becomes a main character here) is just as well-defined and interesting, terrifying and cruel and pitiable and sympathetic all at once, no mean feat. There is also a surprising romance which is decidedly unlikely but which Turner again manages to make both real and perfectly fitting as well as properly beautiful. I simply can't praise this book enough. Do yourself a favor and read this series ASAP. After I finished it (in one day) I could not wait to get my hands on its sequel, The King of Attolia, which I am happy to report is equally good. More on that later, though, as it's a June read ;D
MAY
Can you believe I didn't finish a single book in the month of May? I read a few books mostly to the end, but didn't quite manage to finish them, so I had to count them in the June list. I also read a lot of "Wives and Daughters", a novel I still haven't finished.
JUNE
The Wild Knight and Other Poems, by GK Chesterton
If you like Chesterton's poetic style, then you'll like this book. As I love his writing-style, I found much to like here--some really beautiful imagery as well as thought-provoking philosophizing and the welcome scatterings of that unique Chestertonian wit. I recommend "Cyclopean", "The Mariner", "Gold Leaves", "Behind", and "The Woodcutter" as the best of the poems gathered here, but of course your tastes might be different than mine. Any poem that talks about "the green wine of the sea" is great, in my opinion.
At the Mountains of Madness, by HP Lovecraft
What a disappointment this turned out to be! My brother has been badgering me to read it for months, I finally got around to it, and then was heartily disappointed when it was nowhere as gruesome or terrifying as I had hoped it to be. For such a famous story it was surprisingly dull; the characters were beyond irritating, behaving so irrationally I could not really believe in their peril or sympathize with them, and the building up to the reveal of a monster was so blatant there was no shock when it finally arrived, and so everything just felt really anti-climatic. I did get a kick out of visualizing a bunch of flying squid-y monsters fighting abominable snowmen from outer-space, though, I must admit. And Lovecraft seems to have had a phobia of penguins, or something. Basically I kept hoping for something terrifying, horrific, or shocking to happen, and . . . it never did.
The Hidden Kingdom, by Clare B Dunkle
Oh wow, where to begin? This book is so unintentionally hilarious. It should have been called "Magical Stockholm Syndrome: A Novel". The plot is extremely thin, the characters extremely bland, the main romance . . . beyond creepy. I had a good time reading it just because it's so ludicrous. There is a smattering of great dialogue, including a line about forks being insulting to food because it's like you're killing it twice, but other than that . . . it's just a really strange mess.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin
This isn't a bad book by any means. I became interested in it because it seemed to be a fairytale-ish book and won the Newbery Honor. After reading it, I recommended it to my seven-year-old sister and she loved it. But that's its problem--unlike really great children's literature (and Medal winners) like The High King and Johnny Tremain this book is not equally satisfying for an older reader. I enjoyed the narrative structure, with so many fables and stories weaving together and then having an impact on the present of the tale, but ultimately Lin kept things too simplistic, and so stunted the impact and ingenuity of that structure. It's a great kids' book, but not complex or well-written enough to be a great book.
Book of the Month:
The King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner
Aaaaand Turner wins again! I actually listened to this book in audiobook form, as my library did not have it as an actual book (silly, I know), but the reading was quite good. Costis, the main new character introduced, is excellent. Again Turner delights with the intricate plotting and wonderful character development/interactions which I have come to expect from her, and although I was doubtful she could write a sequel which could live up to the excellence of Queen, she somehow managed it. Best of all, it seems effortless. The language is as lively as ever, by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, and even legitimately chilling. Great stuff here; I'm planning on just buying this and the rest of the series already, because the quality is just that good.
If you like Chesterton's poetic style, then you'll like this book. As I love his writing-style, I found much to like here--some really beautiful imagery as well as thought-provoking philosophizing and the welcome scatterings of that unique Chestertonian wit. I recommend "Cyclopean", "The Mariner", "Gold Leaves", "Behind", and "The Woodcutter" as the best of the poems gathered here, but of course your tastes might be different than mine. Any poem that talks about "the green wine of the sea" is great, in my opinion.
At the Mountains of Madness, by HP Lovecraft
What a disappointment this turned out to be! My brother has been badgering me to read it for months, I finally got around to it, and then was heartily disappointed when it was nowhere as gruesome or terrifying as I had hoped it to be. For such a famous story it was surprisingly dull; the characters were beyond irritating, behaving so irrationally I could not really believe in their peril or sympathize with them, and the building up to the reveal of a monster was so blatant there was no shock when it finally arrived, and so everything just felt really anti-climatic. I did get a kick out of visualizing a bunch of flying squid-y monsters fighting abominable snowmen from outer-space, though, I must admit. And Lovecraft seems to have had a phobia of penguins, or something. Basically I kept hoping for something terrifying, horrific, or shocking to happen, and . . . it never did.
The Hidden Kingdom, by Clare B Dunkle
Oh wow, where to begin? This book is so unintentionally hilarious. It should have been called "Magical Stockholm Syndrome: A Novel". The plot is extremely thin, the characters extremely bland, the main romance . . . beyond creepy. I had a good time reading it just because it's so ludicrous. There is a smattering of great dialogue, including a line about forks being insulting to food because it's like you're killing it twice, but other than that . . . it's just a really strange mess.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin
This isn't a bad book by any means. I became interested in it because it seemed to be a fairytale-ish book and won the Newbery Honor. After reading it, I recommended it to my seven-year-old sister and she loved it. But that's its problem--unlike really great children's literature (and Medal winners) like The High King and Johnny Tremain this book is not equally satisfying for an older reader. I enjoyed the narrative structure, with so many fables and stories weaving together and then having an impact on the present of the tale, but ultimately Lin kept things too simplistic, and so stunted the impact and ingenuity of that structure. It's a great kids' book, but not complex or well-written enough to be a great book.
Book of the Month:
The King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner
Aaaaand Turner wins again! I actually listened to this book in audiobook form, as my library did not have it as an actual book (silly, I know), but the reading was quite good. Costis, the main new character introduced, is excellent. Again Turner delights with the intricate plotting and wonderful character development/interactions which I have come to expect from her, and although I was doubtful she could write a sequel which could live up to the excellence of Queen, she somehow managed it. Best of all, it seems effortless. The language is as lively as ever, by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, and even legitimately chilling. Great stuff here; I'm planning on just buying this and the rest of the series already, because the quality is just that good.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Book Reviews Overdue
My book reviews for April, May, and June will be combined at the end of this month. Sorry about how far behind I've fallen on things, but it's been a crazy, busy summer, what with all the preparation for returning to school this Fall. In fact, I do not think that I even read any books at all in May--Or, rather, I read plenty of books, but did not finish any of them in May. Look forward to reading my thoughts on "North and South", "The Wise Man's Fear", "At the Mountains of Madness", and more!
In the same way I have fallen woefully behind on my Doctor Who Reviews. To sum up:
- I absolutely loved everything about "The Doctor's Wife", it's definitely my favorite episode of Eleven's run so far, and provided the most uncontrived and honest emotional moment of the show (for me) since Ten had to wipe Donna Noble's memory. I love Neil Gaiman's way with words, and his fingerprints were all over this episode, in the best way possible. He made use of the characters so well, and with so many fantastic nods at classic episodes (Eye of Orion, anyone??), I wish he was a regular writer. And FINALLY an episode where the pacing was perfect.
- "The Rebel Flesh" was nowhere near as good, but I still thought it was a solid episode, very Classic-feeling with the many supporting characters and the running down long corridors, etc. It was also nice to see Rory get a chance to shine. If you've watched the film "Moon" this episode will probably remind you of it.
- "The Almost People" was generally enjoyable, although I felt that there were wayyy too many illogical consistencies. Such as, if all that is needed to destroy the Flesh is a whirr of the sonic screwdriver, why wasn't that done before the end of the episode? It felt like a bit of contrivance to create a self-sacrificial situation that was completely unnecessary. NICE twist to have Amy be a Flesh-creature all along, but I was a bit irritated by that too, because then that means that all the character development and maturity she's been getting this series . . . didn't really happen to her.
- I thought "A Good Man Goes to War" was merely okay, again due to massive logistics problems (why not shoot the Doctor the moment he reveals himself to the enormous crowd of people who want to kill him, etc). However, I did like the dangerous edge to the Doctor we got to see in this ep, and RORY. Rory was just utterly fantastic: fighting with a futuristic gun/Ancient Roman gladius combo, his adorable 'I was going to be cool!' reaction when he sees Amy with his daughter for the first time, and his super-cool pre-credits sequence. The revelation about River? Disappointing. It puts even more focus on her character, instead of less, and even steals the spotlight from Amy and Rory in a sense because now they can be known as River's parents instead of characters in their own right. I loved River Song in "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead"; now I just want her gone. I thought Amy was great in this episode too, and it was fun to see the Doctor's Gallifreyan crib (although why he decided to bring it with him on the TARDIS I have utterly no idea). The cliffhanger wasn't really interesting to me, so I have no problem waiting for the next episode, which is nice. If they had made the end of "The Pandorica Opens", for example, a mid-series cliffhanger, that would have been torture.
I'll try to post proper, full-length reviews later. I'm also planning on reviewing Series 2 of "Sherlock" when it airs; I am extremely excited for that show.
That's all for now, folks! My laptop's currently in the repair shop, but once I get it back I'll post up my book reviews; expect them sometime next week. In the meantime I'm devoting all my free time to dance, reading, writing, and attempting to sew a regency gown.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Doctor Who Review, Series 6 Episode 3: "The Curse of the Black Spot"
I wrote a super-long review of this episode and . . . . then Blogger crashed or something and though it said it saved the review, it actually lied and just pretended to have saved it, so when I came back to this today to finish it up and post it I had only a single sentence. A single measly sentence. Why, Blogger, why?
There's no way I can remember everything I had written down and all the things I had discussed, which makes me a bit frustrated. The main point I was getting at though is that I really enjoyed this episode. The opening two-parter was ultimately a big disappointment to me, as my previous reviews attest, and so the fun of this episode and the historical setting was like a breath of fresh air. I mean, sure they traveled to Sixties America in the two-parter, but I prefer more drastic time traveling which, frankly, the show hasn't done all that much since its 2005 return. In fact, I'd really like another purely historical episode like "The Highlanders" or "Black Orchid" (both Classic Who eps) where the adventure really is just time travel--not about monsters or aliens or trying to scare kids behind the sofas. The idea that DW needs a monster in every episode is in my opinion a misconception. I love a good and scary alien as much as the next gal, but it'd be nice to let time travel just be time travel for once.
On the flip side, I'd also like the show to visit Alien planets more often too. Alien planets that don't involve human colonization would be even better. But that has nothing to do with "The Curse of the Black Spot", so let me get back on topic now.
Lots of funny bits in this one . . . I thought it great that Amy, who's always mocking the Doctor's fashion sense and conspiring with River to deprive him of his hats, took the time to don a pirate hat AND coat before swashbuckling to the rescue in the beginning of the episode. I also really enjoyed Rory's bewitched-by-the-Siren moments. Usually it's him having to endure Amy being interested in or chasing after other men--I mean, she was a kissogram, and then of course there's the Doctor/Amy thing--and so it was refreshing and amusing to see the tables turned for once. And due to the fact that he was bewitched, Rory still has his moral character intact! Yay! It was also good to see Amy being responsible in this episode, fighting for both Rory and the Doctor at various points. It was in this episode that I think I saw most clearly how much she's changed since her appearance in "The Eleventh Hour", and it was very gratifying.
Another fun aspect of this episode was how the Doctor kept getting things wrong and how he dealt with continuously getting things wrong: Just plowing determinedly ahead to the next mistake. It's not often that the Doctor's massive leaps of logic go awry, and even rarer that five or so of them go awry in quick succession, so it was entertaining to watch him trying to keep acting superior despite this. He really did get a pounding to his ego this episode--not only his prided intelligence letting him down, but there's also that moment when he grandly introduces the bewildered pirate Captain to his TARDIS and then discovers she's not working.
The return of the Random Eyepatch Lady was just that--random--but whatever. It'd be hilarious if she's Amy's latest psychiatrist checking up on her and dear Miss Pond has really just been in a padded cell all this time, but I don't think that's where this randomosity is heading. Stay tuned for more on that, I guess!
Now, the Siren itself. I didn't think her that pretty, and I thought her song should have sounded a bit more . . . beautiful, it wasn't anything special. But the revelation that she was in fact a doctor on an alien spaceship reformatting itself to look human in order to cure the humans was great. I have a feeling that the multiple universe/realities idea put forward in this episode will have ramifications in later episodes, particularly to Amy's pregnant/not-pregnant situation, but time alone will tell.
And Rory! He nearly died again! Really it shouldn't affect me any more, because how many times has he 'died' now? Five times? But it still did because, well, I love this guy, and Amy and the Doctor's reactions made it work. I repeat my earlier warning though: There's only so many times you can use death to evoke an emotional response before it gets boring. And that's never a good thing to have happen.
The ending, with the pirate crew, captain, and captain's son taking the metaphorical wheel of the alien spaceship, was great. It made me think of "Enlightenment", one of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who ever ( a Fifth Doctor episode, check it out if you haven't). It also made me think a little of Firefly, though I'm not sure why, maybe the fiddle combined with the starscape? The pirate-y music sprinkled throughout the episode was very good.
All in all, I'm back on board for this series, very pleased with this episode, and eagerly looking forward to "The Doctor's Wife", the next episode and one which is written by Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite writers. Or, at least, that was where I was at when I wrote my first review for this episode. As of now I have in fact watched "The Doctor's Wife" already and I can't wait to review it. I'll spoiler a bit in saying that it is easily one of my favorite episodes of "Doctor Who" ever, and one about which fans of both Classic and New Who can find many, many things to love. So look forward to that!
I also have my Book Reviews for April coming up, I read quite a lot in April actually, so there'll be a good number of them. I'm a bit behind both due to the aforementioned crash and because I've had a bad eye infection all week that rather dampened my desire to blog. The next chapter of "The Outlaw's Hand" (Chapter 15) is almost complete too, so watch for that to be posted here soon!
There's no way I can remember everything I had written down and all the things I had discussed, which makes me a bit frustrated. The main point I was getting at though is that I really enjoyed this episode. The opening two-parter was ultimately a big disappointment to me, as my previous reviews attest, and so the fun of this episode and the historical setting was like a breath of fresh air. I mean, sure they traveled to Sixties America in the two-parter, but I prefer more drastic time traveling which, frankly, the show hasn't done all that much since its 2005 return. In fact, I'd really like another purely historical episode like "The Highlanders" or "Black Orchid" (both Classic Who eps) where the adventure really is just time travel--not about monsters or aliens or trying to scare kids behind the sofas. The idea that DW needs a monster in every episode is in my opinion a misconception. I love a good and scary alien as much as the next gal, but it'd be nice to let time travel just be time travel for once.
On the flip side, I'd also like the show to visit Alien planets more often too. Alien planets that don't involve human colonization would be even better. But that has nothing to do with "The Curse of the Black Spot", so let me get back on topic now.
Lots of funny bits in this one . . . I thought it great that Amy, who's always mocking the Doctor's fashion sense and conspiring with River to deprive him of his hats, took the time to don a pirate hat AND coat before swashbuckling to the rescue in the beginning of the episode. I also really enjoyed Rory's bewitched-by-the-Siren moments. Usually it's him having to endure Amy being interested in or chasing after other men--I mean, she was a kissogram, and then of course there's the Doctor/Amy thing--and so it was refreshing and amusing to see the tables turned for once. And due to the fact that he was bewitched, Rory still has his moral character intact! Yay! It was also good to see Amy being responsible in this episode, fighting for both Rory and the Doctor at various points. It was in this episode that I think I saw most clearly how much she's changed since her appearance in "The Eleventh Hour", and it was very gratifying.
Another fun aspect of this episode was how the Doctor kept getting things wrong and how he dealt with continuously getting things wrong: Just plowing determinedly ahead to the next mistake. It's not often that the Doctor's massive leaps of logic go awry, and even rarer that five or so of them go awry in quick succession, so it was entertaining to watch him trying to keep acting superior despite this. He really did get a pounding to his ego this episode--not only his prided intelligence letting him down, but there's also that moment when he grandly introduces the bewildered pirate Captain to his TARDIS and then discovers she's not working.
The return of the Random Eyepatch Lady was just that--random--but whatever. It'd be hilarious if she's Amy's latest psychiatrist checking up on her and dear Miss Pond has really just been in a padded cell all this time, but I don't think that's where this randomosity is heading. Stay tuned for more on that, I guess!
Now, the Siren itself. I didn't think her that pretty, and I thought her song should have sounded a bit more . . . beautiful, it wasn't anything special. But the revelation that she was in fact a doctor on an alien spaceship reformatting itself to look human in order to cure the humans was great. I have a feeling that the multiple universe/realities idea put forward in this episode will have ramifications in later episodes, particularly to Amy's pregnant/not-pregnant situation, but time alone will tell.
And Rory! He nearly died again! Really it shouldn't affect me any more, because how many times has he 'died' now? Five times? But it still did because, well, I love this guy, and Amy and the Doctor's reactions made it work. I repeat my earlier warning though: There's only so many times you can use death to evoke an emotional response before it gets boring. And that's never a good thing to have happen.
The ending, with the pirate crew, captain, and captain's son taking the metaphorical wheel of the alien spaceship, was great. It made me think of "Enlightenment", one of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who ever ( a Fifth Doctor episode, check it out if you haven't). It also made me think a little of Firefly, though I'm not sure why, maybe the fiddle combined with the starscape? The pirate-y music sprinkled throughout the episode was very good.
All in all, I'm back on board for this series, very pleased with this episode, and eagerly looking forward to "The Doctor's Wife", the next episode and one which is written by Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite writers. Or, at least, that was where I was at when I wrote my first review for this episode. As of now I have in fact watched "The Doctor's Wife" already and I can't wait to review it. I'll spoiler a bit in saying that it is easily one of my favorite episodes of "Doctor Who" ever, and one about which fans of both Classic and New Who can find many, many things to love. So look forward to that!
I also have my Book Reviews for April coming up, I read quite a lot in April actually, so there'll be a good number of them. I'm a bit behind both due to the aforementioned crash and because I've had a bad eye infection all week that rather dampened my desire to blog. The next chapter of "The Outlaw's Hand" (Chapter 15) is almost complete too, so watch for that to be posted here soon!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Doctor Who Review, Series 6 Episode 2: "The Day of the Moon"
Ooh, so this is very late. This is also a really busy week for me--in fact, this entire month is going to be a whirl of activity. Hopefully it'll be a productive one, too.
I was too busy to watch this episode the day it aired, so I caught it on Sunday instead. I only made one note on my sheet of paper as I watched: "So the best part of this ep so far is 60's Rory. He looks awesome." Unfortunately, after finishing the episode, I'd stay that still remained my favorite part of the entire thing. Overall it was a big disappointment and I ended the episode feeling distinctly underwhelmed. Now, I might be the only person on the internet to feel this way, but it's my honest opinion, and this from someone who was looking forward to Part 2 of the opening a lot. I felt that the pacing was all off in "Day of the Moon", similarly to how I felt "Victory of the Daleks" was a disappointment mainly due to its poor pacing. Twists and turns were flung at us so quickly they didn't have any dramatic impact. I felt no questions--really--were answered, and the solution to the Silence problem seemed both a little out of character for the Doctor--what, he's encouraging that folks everywhere commit murder now?--as well as rushed. Brief moments of terror, like in the orphanage, were too rushed and crammed between other stuff to make a serious impact. The mystery of the little regenerating girl just didn't interest me. The further playing upon the 'Does Amy love Rory or the Doctor' theme just irritated me, because the question has, really, been answered already. So why keep trying to get us worried about things that are already resolved?? Same with the maybe-pregnant maybe-not Amy Pond. I'm just not interested in these issues, which seem extraneous and not really belonging in "Doctor Who". I can watch any old show where love triangles happen or pregnancies or other stuff, I don't need it tacked on here. I'm not sure even why I feel so strongly about this. I just do. Give me aliens and strange planets and distant times and adventure and excitement and good character development; don't give me force-fed drama.
The Silence turned out to be, so far, a disappointing villain too. It lost its subtlety in this episode. They can get wounded by being shot? Amy, the Doctor, Rory, and River were able to chase them for 3 months, all over the continent, without getting blasted by them? Then what's the danger? Even the Daleks are bulletproof. And Moffat, there's only so many times that you can falsely kill off characters before that gimmick no longer pulls at our heartstrings. Did anyone believe for even a second that he killed off our entire cast in the opening minutes of this episode? Yeah . . . I didn't think so.
Some good parts of the episode:
1. Rory. I thought he was brilliant as always, as well as finely acted by Darvill. And did I mention his 60's look?
2. River's 'firsts and lasts' comment, which although nowhere near as effective as that fantastic scene last episode still managed to be saddening. That kiss was a bit much, though.
3. River's jab at the Doctor for waving his sonic screwdriver around during the gunfight.
4. Nixon popping up all over the place.
5. The creepy old man in the orphanage.
But remember how I said I wanted motivations cleared up in this episode to make more sense of the last episode? I don't feel like any of that happened. The Silence is still as confusing as ever, which also contributes to them being less scary than they should be.
My last note: What on earth was with the random there-and-then-gone window in the door of the room with the photos of Amy with a baby in it? And that face which looked through it? This mystery annoys me more than interests me, and I'm not quite sure why; maybe because it seems so unnecessary? If the rest of the story had been tied up and paced properly I wouldn't have minded, but as it is it just seemed like why take up time with small mysterious things that have no immediate bearing upon the story when you aren't even telling the immediate story properly?
Anyway . . . overall I'm not a fan of this episode. I'm very glad that this next episode is a standalone; hopefully we'll get back on track with it. Also, pirates! I'll try for a more detailed review for the next ep, to make up for this slipshod one. Cheers, all!
I was too busy to watch this episode the day it aired, so I caught it on Sunday instead. I only made one note on my sheet of paper as I watched: "So the best part of this ep so far is 60's Rory. He looks awesome." Unfortunately, after finishing the episode, I'd stay that still remained my favorite part of the entire thing. Overall it was a big disappointment and I ended the episode feeling distinctly underwhelmed. Now, I might be the only person on the internet to feel this way, but it's my honest opinion, and this from someone who was looking forward to Part 2 of the opening a lot. I felt that the pacing was all off in "Day of the Moon", similarly to how I felt "Victory of the Daleks" was a disappointment mainly due to its poor pacing. Twists and turns were flung at us so quickly they didn't have any dramatic impact. I felt no questions--really--were answered, and the solution to the Silence problem seemed both a little out of character for the Doctor--what, he's encouraging that folks everywhere commit murder now?--as well as rushed. Brief moments of terror, like in the orphanage, were too rushed and crammed between other stuff to make a serious impact. The mystery of the little regenerating girl just didn't interest me. The further playing upon the 'Does Amy love Rory or the Doctor' theme just irritated me, because the question has, really, been answered already. So why keep trying to get us worried about things that are already resolved?? Same with the maybe-pregnant maybe-not Amy Pond. I'm just not interested in these issues, which seem extraneous and not really belonging in "Doctor Who". I can watch any old show where love triangles happen or pregnancies or other stuff, I don't need it tacked on here. I'm not sure even why I feel so strongly about this. I just do. Give me aliens and strange planets and distant times and adventure and excitement and good character development; don't give me force-fed drama.
The Silence turned out to be, so far, a disappointing villain too. It lost its subtlety in this episode. They can get wounded by being shot? Amy, the Doctor, Rory, and River were able to chase them for 3 months, all over the continent, without getting blasted by them? Then what's the danger? Even the Daleks are bulletproof. And Moffat, there's only so many times that you can falsely kill off characters before that gimmick no longer pulls at our heartstrings. Did anyone believe for even a second that he killed off our entire cast in the opening minutes of this episode? Yeah . . . I didn't think so.
Some good parts of the episode:
1. Rory. I thought he was brilliant as always, as well as finely acted by Darvill. And did I mention his 60's look?
2. River's 'firsts and lasts' comment, which although nowhere near as effective as that fantastic scene last episode still managed to be saddening. That kiss was a bit much, though.
3. River's jab at the Doctor for waving his sonic screwdriver around during the gunfight.
4. Nixon popping up all over the place.
5. The creepy old man in the orphanage.
But remember how I said I wanted motivations cleared up in this episode to make more sense of the last episode? I don't feel like any of that happened. The Silence is still as confusing as ever, which also contributes to them being less scary than they should be.
My last note: What on earth was with the random there-and-then-gone window in the door of the room with the photos of Amy with a baby in it? And that face which looked through it? This mystery annoys me more than interests me, and I'm not quite sure why; maybe because it seems so unnecessary? If the rest of the story had been tied up and paced properly I wouldn't have minded, but as it is it just seemed like why take up time with small mysterious things that have no immediate bearing upon the story when you aren't even telling the immediate story properly?
Anyway . . . overall I'm not a fan of this episode. I'm very glad that this next episode is a standalone; hopefully we'll get back on track with it. Also, pirates! I'll try for a more detailed review for the next ep, to make up for this slipshod one. Cheers, all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)