Doctor Who (2005) - Voyage of the Damned

Title: Doctor Who

Year: 2005

Broadcasting Station: BBC One

Synopsis: A spacecraft set on an apocalyptic collision course with Earth, a host of killer robot angels and an evil severed-headed mastermind - it's just another Christmas for the Doctor... 

ELL SAID

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I didn't really like this episode as much as I should. More angels, though nothing as cool and scary as the Weeping Angels, appeared in this episode. The Doctor is, in my opinion, strange throughout the whole episode and the final events made me think the story was too loose, leaving me with a bazillion theories to how the Doctor could have saved the girl. I really loved 'Alonso, Alon-sy,' and when the Doctor presents himself. I also was laughing out loud when they were talking about the people of Earth ("And then they go to war with the people of Turkey!") It was a weak episode, and only one or two moments actually made me feel anything besides slightly amused; like, when the red little being turned out to be a Cyborg with an E.M.P. in his chest. Apart from four or five tiny, not-very-important moments, the episode wasn't good. Definitely not what I've come to expect of Doctor Who. Then again, David Tennant continues to make an excellent Doctor.

STEPH SAID

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I don't know what to say about this episode; it wasn't good, it wasn't bad, it was just there. It definitely has a moment or two that are quite funny, and a moment or two that are daring and inspiring. However, in an episode that lasts more than an hour, four two-minutes moments don't amount to much. Also, the companion's ending left an awful aftertaste because it was completely preventable.

This episode is just unmemorable, and not important to the actual story of The Doctor. However, one of its characters has a brief, unessential appearance later on in the show. If not for this tiny detail I would tell everyone to skip this episode.

Doctor Who (2005) - Series 3

Title: Doctor Who (2005)

Season: Series 3

Broadcasting Station: BBC One

Official Website

Synopsis: A third season of sci-fi adventures for the venerable British Doctor with his brand new assistant, Martha.

Official Trailer


ELL SAID

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This season is one I love to hate. See, most of the episodes in this one were great, such as ‘Blink’, ‘Human Nature’ and even ‘The Lazarus Experiment.’ The reason I say I love to hate it, though, isn’t the episodes. It’s Martha Jones. She’s whiny and dependent and her family is almost as annoying as Rose’s. She does, however, help The Doctor out with some stuff, but she still has an odd feeling to her. David Tennant, once again, made an amazing performance. The Doctor was, almost literally, the jewel of the Season. But, of course, he had a big contender once Captain Jack Harkness made his return! Season three definitely has some of the best episodes ever, and I can honestly say I don’t dislike any of them. Though, somehow, I wish I had seen more of the Jack/Doctor banter like it was with the Ninth Doctor.

STEPH SAID

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I'm beginning to see some improvement in this show. This series is way better than the ones that came before it; it was not perfect, but it was better. 

The first half of the series is a bit dull, and getting to know Martha Jones was a difficult task. She is a nice girl, yet, I don't know why, but I don't like her. I guess is the fact that she wasn't just a companion and friend. As she confirmed in the end, she was mostly traveling with The Doctor in the hopes that he would fall in love with her. And that just annoyed me; always with sad puppy eyes, always sighing and getting jealous of every woman. I understand The Doctor is an exceptional man and that any girl could fall in love with him. However, with Martha, I felt like she wasn't enjoying her journey because she was too inmerse in her feelings towards The Doctor.

The second half of this series was the total opposite: it was intense, intriguing and extremely entertaining. Every episode had me on the edge of my seat. Also, every episode featured a problem The Doctor couldn't solve, either because he was trapped, possessed or not himself. It was really nice to see him trusting and relying on other people to save him. This also led to Martha taking the reigns of some situations and actually doing something. In the end she proved herself useful and my opinion of her changed a bit.

The best of episode of this series is, once again, Steven Moffat's. "Blink" is such a great episode that it has become one of Doctor Who's best episodes overall, is one of the fan's favorites and its villain The Weeping Angels were chosen as the Scariest Doctor Who Villain in a BBC poll. This episode was amazing; Moffat is a genius.

The ending of the series was really good, though it was a bit anticlimactic because it didn't include a final showdown. The series story arc was better than previous ones and was, also, better constructed. The Master was brilliant; John Simm's performance was impeccable. He was a great match for David Tennant.

From now on Doctor Who will only get better. If you have liked the show so far, brace yourself for what's coming.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Special Extended Edition)

Title: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Special Extended Edition)

Year: 2001


Director: Peter Jackson

Synopsis: A meek hobbit of The Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring and the dark lord Sauron.

Official Trailer

STEPH SAID

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I'm glad the director of this movie, Peter Jackson, is a fan of Tolkien. His work is impresive, detailed and magnificent, enough to make any other fan proud. The Lord of the Rings is an original, visually majestic, perfectly constructed story and Jackson made it justice.

The Fellowship of the Ring was an amazing introduction to the story. It clearly explained the origins of The Ring, and started the journey to destroy it. The story overall was epic and thrilling. Some say it is too long and slow, thus making it boring. Since this is the first part and introduction of a trilogy, is not action packed from beginning to end; characters and background stories have to be presented.  However, Jackson did a great work presenting these in an interesting and exiting way. I enjoyed every second of it.

The movie was visualy impresive; the landscapes and cities were glorious, dinamic and very vivid. The hobbit's hometown, The Shire, Rivendell and The Woods of Lothlorien were beautiful and impressive. Mordor and Isengard, on the other hard, were monstrous, yet, no less impresive. The characters who live in these cities or regions are varied and different from one another, each with a different and established lifestyle, history and viewpoint. Which leads me to the actors portraying said characters.

The casting for this movie couldn't have been better. I've been trying to decide who is my favorite character based on the actor's perfomance alone and have not succeded. Every actor excelled at their job, each of them put their heart and soul on their enactments. 

Two things I did not like of this movie; however, they are so small, they don't affect my feelings towards the movie and thus, it still received five stars. First, in the two battles Frodo was involved, Weathertop and Moria, he just fell and laid there while Aragorn saved him. He didn't fight or try to defend himself. He was just lying there. And, second, when Legolas said that going through Moria was "needlessly". It was explained that there was no other way to cross the mountains and Gandalf said he wouldn't go through Moria unless there was no other way. I don't understand why he thought it was needless. 

When it comes to the book, this movie is an amazing adaptation. Jackson managed to maintain the feeling, essence and the important moments of the book, while quickening its pace so it could be more thrilling. Jackson also include many small moments that are not important to the story's development and, yet, are important to maintaing the essence of what Middle Earth is: the stone trolls, the songs, Gandalf's magnificent fireworks, among others. Nevertheless, what I loved the most was the ability to actually see the impressive landsacape portrats Tolkien painted in his book. In addition, the movie makes it easier to understand the background story of The Lord of the Rings. The book gives you bits and pieces from time to time, yet in the movie, it is all summarized at the beginning.

I know I have written a lot, still, I'm falling short. There are no words to fully describe, and make justice to, the story, the landscapes, the characters, the actor's natural endowment, everything. You will have to watch the movie or read the book to fully undrestand why so many people love Tolkien's stories.