“The First Sontarans” is a Doctor Who audio play from Big Finish Productions and is part of the Lost Stories range.  This particular piece is written by Andrew Smith and stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant.  Dan Starkey, John Banks, Lizzie Roper, and Anthony Howell are included in the guest cast.

The Doctor and Peri begin this adventure on the moon in 1872 where a misplaced signaling device sends them to Earth to investigate.  It doesn’t take too long before the Doctor learns that there is quite of collection of aliens gathered on Earth at this time.  The Sontarans and the Rutans are finally together in the same story, which rarely occurs in the series.  The Sontarans and Rutans have been engaged in ferocious war for an absurdly long time.  The listeners are then introduced to the Caveetch, another race with a more profound connection to the Sontarans.

I am not a fan who necessarily needs origin stories, but I enjoyed hearing how the overly militaristic potato heads were brought into the universe.  It’s a somewhat familiar story in that they turned on those who created them had an unstoppable force on their doorstop.  It was fun to realize that fans never really saw the Rutans and the Sontarans fight each other  before this release.  They appeared separately in the television series and spoke trash about each other.

In spite of how the plot may sound, or maybe how I describe it, this is actually a very enjoyable episode.  There are some action sequences that are sometimes hard to follow, but it still holds up quite well in spite of that.

The chemistry between Bryant and Baker is quite good here.  They almost always do well together, but the banter between them was especially entertaining. It was banter without the typical bickering that went on between the two of them in the television series.

Starkey and Banks usually serve as the voices of the Sontarans, and they did well in this episode as expected.

The guest cast also performed well.  There was quite a bit of personal and emotional levels touched on here among the characters that were performed quite well.

This is one of those stories that demonstrates how much better the Sixth Doctor is showcased than on the original television series.

“The Gate Keeper” is the twentieth novel from Charles Todd in the Inspector Ian Rutledge series.  This has a bit of a different kick to it since Rutledge happens across a murder scene within minutes of the act. He is driving late at night after attending his sister’s wedding and encounters a young woman with a gunshot victim at her feet. Luckily, Rutledge has been with Scotland Yard for a while and is able to get himself assigned to the case.

The setting is 1920 England.  Rutledge returned from his service in World War I suffering from shell shock, which in his case manifested itself as a voice belonging to a comrade and friend he executed for disobeying orders.  Now, Hamish MacLeod is always with him. alternating between taunting and guidance at times.  Due the stigma of shell shock, Rutledge keeps his condition a secret as he investigates one perplexing murder after another.

Although this installment relies on a very unlikely coincidence at the beginning, it’s still quite compelling.  It seems a fair depiction of what the national mood in the United Kingdom must have been like when the Great War concluded.

The explanation for the title comes pretty late in the story, but it works.  Rutledge also learns that sometimes mothers don’t give the expected loving attention to their children as he probes the victim’s background.  Then a second murder happens that tells Rutledge that his investigation is going to get even more complex.

I have enjoyed this series quite a bit over the years since I started following it.  Even though Rutledge is a fictional character, there is a certain tenacity in him I can respect.  I imagine there are loads of  real people who persevere through tough duties while struggling with the demons of mental illness.  This is also taking place in a setting in which there were probably not many people in serene mental places in their lives.

“The Gate Keeper” is pretty engaging and satisfying even if it doesn’t quite lift the spirits. Rutledge is a fictional character who represents real people still out there seeking justice and answers in spite of their own pain.

I think it’s time to step back into the TARDIS with various incarnations of a certain Time Lord who left his home to seek justice and answers in his own way.  Next up on the reading block is a Doctor Who anthology from Big Finish Productions that was first published in 2004 entitled “Short Trip: Life Science”.

“Escape Room” is a horror/thriller/suspense/whatever category one can throw this one film directed by Adam Robitel.  Bragi F. Schut and Maria Melnik co-wrote this somewhat familiar scenario about strangers being thrown together to figure out some complex puzzle before they are killed in some devilishly creative and complicated manner.  This time, the practice of escape rooms was utilized.  The film stars Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Jay Ellis, and all kinds of other people I couldn’t quite place.  Nik Dodani was a cast member I somewhat recognized as the supposed expert on escape rooms.

In spite of the nonsense involved here, I was actually drawn into this film quite effectively. There was great set design and fairly interesting traps thought up for this latest collection of hapless and eclectic group of people.  The performances were pretty convincing even if the premise of the story was well beyond the realm of far-fetched.

There were few twists and surprise that I did not really see coming.  Like most films of this genre, it sort of stumbles a bit at the climax and end.

This isn’t quite the crème de la crème of movie making, but there were elements that impressed me.  It’s not a bad escape to the movies.

“Warlock’s Cross” is a Doctor Who audio play from Big Finish Productions starring Sylvester McCoy, settling quite nicely yet again in his role as the Seventh Doctor.  Steve Lyons, a long-time contributor to Doctor Who lore, provides the final entry into what has apparently dubbed as the UNIT trilogy featuring the damaged Lieutenant Daniel Hopkins, played by Blake Harrison.  Hopkins has encountered two previous versions of the Doctor in “The Helliax Rift” and “Hour of the Cybermen”.  Tracey Childs also returns as Dr. Elizabeth Klein, everyone’s favorite temporally misplaced former Nazi from an alternative timeline.  Yeah…this is why I love the series. It can get so insane trying to explain these things.

Anyway, the Doctor comes across a group of malcontents protesting the apparent mistreatment of visitors from the stars, trying to take down UNIT, or United Nations Intelligence Taskforce for the uninitiated.  After being imprisoned yet again, the Doctor has a bit of an uneasy alliance with Hopkins and UNIT when they investigate the presence of a long-buried spacecraft with troubling psychic influences that feed on doubts and hidden fears.

I am not sure I would call this Lyons’ greatest contribution to the series, but it gets the job done.  McCoy is still quite energetic and intriguing with his take on the Doctor, certainly one of the more manipulative and dangerous incarnations of the Time Lord. Of course, this Doctor can often seem more innocuous at times, but we fans know better. I know some Big Finish fans are huge Klein fans, but I sort of thought her story was done. I am not sure her inclusion in this added that much to it.  Hopkins is a rather intriguing character, however there could also be a danger of him being a bit overused as well. To be fair, it has been a few years since Klein’s last appearance in the range.  I just am not someone who wistfully hopes some other reason could be concocted for her to make another return.

This is a reasonably enjoyable episode in which the chemistry of the cast led by McCoy’s energy helps considerably.

“Beware, My Lovely” is a 1952 thriller that stars Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, and Taylor Holmes in a film directed by Harry Horner.  Mel Dinelli wrote the script which was apparently based on his own play entitled “The Man”.

Ida Lupino plays a widow who impulsively hires a handyman who has wandered into town.  Robert Ryan is cast in the role as the handyman known as Howard Wilton who has some serious mental health issues.  The widow finds herself trapped in the house with him and his schizophrenic delusions.

This is a pretty good one with strong performances from Lupino and Ryan.  The ending is a little peculiar but it works.  Ryan gives a pretty chilling performance and be quire disturbing.

The story has an interesting history of being adapted several times in different media, including as a radio play.  I would say this one not be one to miss for those of us interested in classic cinema.

“Doctor Who” has been a huge part of my life for over thirty years.  I have now finished watching the latest episodes that have Jodie Whittaker in the lead.  After the part of the Doctor had been played by men for over half a century, a woman was cast as the wandering, trouble prone Time Lord.  I was one of the skeptics of this decision when it was first announced in 2017.  Now, there seems to be some discussion about changing the gender of James Bond although Barbara Broccoli, the head producer of that film franchise, has been clearer lately about that not being considered.  “Doctor Who” has a bit more of a possibility of working a change of gender into the narrative since the Doctor is not human and is able to regenerate into other people.  “Doctor Who” lands it self to some flexibility in many ways, however the whole thing can still come apart.

There is this thought that “Doctor Who” is about change and freedom or something along this lines.  The show is about a traveler in time and space who happens to be good at fighting off alien menaces and other such crises.  The concept of regeneration started out of necessity and a desire to keep a promising show on the air when the first lead actor, William Hartnell, got too ill to continue in the role.  In spite of the changes the show has endured over the years, some simple concepts should remain in place.  If the show was all about change, why not ditch the police box disguise for the TARDIS?

As far as I feel about the show now, I am at a bit of an emotional quandary.  I am not yet ready to stomp off and swear off new “Doctor Who” although my enthusiasm for this era has waned considerably.  I am still an avid collector the novels and Big Finish audio plays.  I think the problems with this past series that introduced Whittaker into the role are pretty deep and numerous.  I think the notion of the Doctor regenerating into a woman could have worked with a better head producer.  Then, we get into the ideas of one Chris Chibnall.  He was the head writer for a show called “Broadchurch” which had David Tennant, aka the Tenth Doctor, with Jodie Whittaker also in that cast.  I am doubtful that any real serious audition took place for the current Doctor before the announcement of Whittaker being in the role.

One of the ideas I had was it may have been a good idea to get rid of long story arcs, which Chibnall actually did, however his episodes are not all that interesting.  Other fans complain of the PC and social justice elements being so prominent.  “Doctor Who” has addressed issues such as prejudice and pollution in the classic era, however it was handled a bit more subtly and with better scripting.  “Doctor Who” is primarily a science fiction adventure series.  People tune in to escape the trappings of reality for a brief time.
Chibnall’s hiring for the role of head producer is somewhat baffling since the previous episodes he wrote in the series since it was revived in 2005 are not that widely acclaimed by the fans.  I think Nicholas Briggs would have been a much more exciting selection since the direction he has helped guide the Big Finish series in is much more to my liking.

Now the encouraging thing about “Doctor Who” is that it could get better.  It may not be all that necessary to boot Whittaker out of the role if the writing and the direction could be better implemented.  I think the TARDIS is a little crowded, however the Doctor having three companion has been done before.  I hope I can rediscover some enthusiasm for new television episodes one day soon. Fortunately, the Big Finish audios will help me through such troubling times as they have before.’

I would also like to say that some of the viciousness from other fans is a bit troubling. I think those who expressed some concern about casting a female in the lead role should not automatically be dismissed as sexist dinosaurs or whatever.  Some other commentators expressed outright hatred for the show’s current trajectory. I am not there yet, but I do think some of the harsher criticisms have some merit.

My enjoyment of the series as a whole is too deep and long for me to give up on it just yet. When the show comes back in 2020, I will be watching and commenting.  I am not satisfied with the current direction, but I remain hopeful that I will regain enthusiasm and excitement for new episodes once it returns.

“Resolution” is the only new Doctor Who episode to be aired by BBC in 2019.  Jodie Whittaker returns to the role as the Doctor alongside Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill.  Head writer, Chris Chibnall, penned this episode and still has not gotten  much better.  This episode irritated me a little less than his previous installments in the painfully mediocre eleventh series of the revived version that started in 2005.

The Thirteenth Doctor faces a Dalek. That’s right…one bloody Dalek that has apparently been trapped on our fair planet since the ninth century.  The Dalek managed to escape a destroyed casing after being revived and took over a poor woman forcing her to gather materials to build a new casing.  I was pleased to see that Nicholas Briggs returned to voice the Dalek.  I guess he still has a gig whenever the Daleks return.

There’s a couple of personal storylines in that the audience meets Ryan Sinclair’s estranged father, so some issues there get some resolution.

I have thought over recent years that Daleks could be overused, however their inclusion this time has become a necessity since the Doctor’s reaction to their presence should be familiar each time.  Whittaker still hasn’t gotten me on board with any sort of enthusiasm with her version of the Doctor, however her having to face the Dalek helped a little.  Chris Chibnall spent so much time trying to come up with new adversaries this past series and failing to come up with anything too engaging or memorable, it was a relief to see that he kept some familiarity with the Doctor’s most enduring enemies.

There were two other characters in this episode served as temporary companions making the TARDOS even more crowded.  Walsh still services as the heart of the new crew as Graham O’Brien.  He is surprisingly the best addition to this cast.

Chibnall still fails to impress me with his direction for the series, however this episode was a bit better than recent episodes.  Whittaker had a couple of amusing moments, but she just needs better scripts for her Doctor.

I do enjoy the visual effects of the TARDIS traveling through the space/time vortex.  The special effects overall were fine.

It appears that the next series is not due to be aired until early 2020.  Hopefully, Chibnall starts to respect the long-time fans such as yours truly and look into putting some more elements that are more familiar to that segment of fandom.

“Resolution” isn’t great but not as obnoxious as some of the recent preceding episodes.

“Bumblebee” is a new prequel to the “Transformers” franchise that was helmed by Michael Bay.  Travis Knight directed this film which was scripted by Christina Hodson. Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena star in this film.

The film starts off with a battle on the home planet of the Transformers in which B-127 is sent to Earth to prepare the way for his fellow Autobots can arrive to regroup in their ongoing war with the Decepticons. Once B-127 arrives on Earth, he has a violent encounter with two Decepticons that leaves him mute and with amnesia.  Disguised as a dilapidated Volkswagen Beetle, he is found by a young girl grieving the loss of her father. Steinfeld plays the mechanically inclined Charlie Watson and is pretty good.  Two other Decepticons manage to find the hapless and damaged Autobot, tricking the US military into assisting them in their search.  John Cena is actually pretty entertaining as the headstrong colonel with a bit of unusual wit for this kind of role.

I had a trouble getting engaged in the first half of the film, but it does get better.  I admit that I never really watched the “Transformers” film series directed by Michael Bay.  I did end up enjoying this movie more than I expected though.  There were some great action sequences and visual effects. John Cena, who is probably not known to for his range of acting ability, was actually pretty good in this one. Steinfeld carried the movie well herself.

It has been noted that this film is likely the best installment in the “Transformers” franchise, and I suspect the consensus is likely correct there.

“Bird Box” is the latest film starring Sandra Bullock, which is directed by Susanne Bier.  Eric Heisserer wrote the screen play which is based on the novel by Josh Malerman. Sarah Paulson, John Malkovich, and Trevante Rhodes are also included in the cast.

This is one of those films that keeps shifting between the past and the present events. The planet has been invaded by some entities that cause insanity and overwhelming suicidal impulses when looked upon.  Birds seem able to detect their presence, fluttering and chirping insanely whenever these creatures are nearby.  Sandra Bullock plays a woman named Malorie who, then the film starts off, has care of two children. They are compelled to take a two day river trip in a canoe blindfolded to seek refuge from the malevolent entities that has been unleashed upon them.  During the perilous journey is where the flashbacks occur, depicting the previous five years that has led Malorie and the two young charges to their predicament.

The film has many familiar elements in somewhat post-apocalyptic scenarios.  There is a diverse group of people trapped in a confined area having to keep the windows covered.  Desperate people show up at times.  Supplies are dwindling. The usual challenges and obstacles for these types of situations.

Anyway, there is quite a bit of reliance of some extraordinary luck for the main characters to survive.  It is pretty hard to buy into at times, however I thought the performances were solid enough for the most part.  With actors such as Bullock and Malkovich, that sort of helps keep the interest engaged.

I admit I got intrigued by the trailers and was interested to see it.  Although I would not describe my reaction as disappointment, I doubt that I will go out of my way to see it again.  It was interesting for the most part but could get a bit too absurd at times, even for a film of this genre.

It’s a Netflix film exclusively, so either get a subscription or mooch off a friend’s like I did.

“The Green Train” is a thriller by Herbert Lieberman first published by Avon Books in 1986.  Just before crossing the border into Finland, the passengers aboard what is dubbed “The Green Train” are delayed when Russian soldiers surround them and keep them just a few miles from freedom as they search for some classified documents that were stolen.

This is a novel that drags a little at times, although I did find that Lieberman has an engaging prose style.  Some of the slowness is likely a consequence of having a pretty isolated setting.  There are some interesting encounters between some of the passengers and a Russian colonel determined to root out the suspected spies.

I picked this novel up in a used bookstore in Colorado.  I had never heard of Herbert Lieberman before, but I may be on the lookout for some of his other works.  I don’t think he was really all that known, but he seems to have had a steady career.  This just turned out to be a random discovery in the bookstore that was actually a bit more enjoyable than I anticipated.

I will next be reading another installment in the series featuring the shell-shocked yet persistent Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge in Charles Todd’s “The Gate Keeper”.