When Can We Do This Again? (The Playlist Project Part 5)

The Doctor Who Playlist Project marches on and into the end!

(Part 1 is here)
(Part 2 is here)
(Part 3 is here)
(Part 4 is here)

Track 41: Viva La Vida by Coldplay



I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

I probably should have put this one in earlier, but I like the historical feel of this song. We don't get much in the way of pure historicals on Doctor Who anymore, but I sort of wish they'd do it again - maybe once or twice just to mix things up a bit. And I like Coldplay. So there's that.

Track 42: Our Velocity by Maximo Park



I've got no one to call
In the middle of the night anymore
I'm just alone
With my thoughts

Never, never try to gauge temperature
When you tend to travel at such speed
It's our velocity

Here’s another song that I was first introduced to via a fan-made video (this comes up a lot, I’ve noticed).

Track 43: Dream Catch Me by Newton Faulkner



There's a place I go when I'm alone
Do anything I want, be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see and I cannot believe I'm falling
That's where I'm going, where are you going?
Hold it close, won't let this go

Dream, catch me, yeah
Dream, catch me when I fall
Or else I won't come back at all

I’ll just post the lyrics to the chorus and call it good. I can’t put it any better than that.

Track 44: Hello, Goodbye by The Beatles



Since we've been looking back and paying tribute to the past with the 50th Anniversary, I thought it would be fitting to end on some 60s flair.  The more you listen to the lyrics of this song, the more it repeats in your head, and the more you hear the loop of saying hello and goodbye.  Yeah, it's kind of a fun little pop song - but think about the timey-wimey (for lack of a better term) loop that Doctor Who fandom has gone through.  The people who were fans of the show Way Back When are now the ones actually making the show.  There are always new people coming in - whether into the official cast and crew or into the fandom.  Doctor Who sort of creates its own creators - which is really neat. How many other shows can say that?

Track 45: Friends Never Say Goodbye by Elton John



There isn't much I haven't shared
With you along the road
And through it all there'd always be
Tomorrow's episode
Suddenly that isn't true
There's another avenue
Beckoning the great divide
Ask no questions, take no side

Who's to say who's right or wrong
Whose course is braver run
Still we are, have always been
Will ever be as one

What is done has been done for the best
Though the mist in my eyes might suggest
Just a little confusion about what I'll lose
But if I started over I know I would choose
The same joy the same sadness each step of the way
That fought me and taught me that friends never say
Never say goodbye

Enough said.

Track 46: What About Everything? by Carbon Leaf



Another song that I was introduced to via a fan-made video. This comes from the incomparable Babelcolour, who in turn was inspired by this video -



Both are excellent tributes and very much worth your time and positive feedback. Beyond that - the song is just wonderful.

Track 47: Goodnight, Travel Well by The Killers



The unknown distance to the great beyond
Stares back at my grieving frame
To cast my shadow by the holy sun
My spirit moans with a sacred pain
And it's quiet now
The universe is standing still

There's nothing I can say
There's nothing we can do now
There's nothing I can say
There's nothing we can do now

I love the space imagery and the haunting quality of the music in this song.  And it works for the ending of the playlist.

Track 48: Chances by Five for Fighting



Chances are we'll be the combination
Chances come and carry me
Chances are waiting to be taken, and I can see

Chances are the fascinations
Chances won't escape from me
Chances are only what we make them and all I need

This song was included because of a strange little mind-association game I played with myself. This song is on the end-credits of the movie The Blind Side, which is the true story of a young man who lives on the streets who is adopted by a family and given a chance to be something amazing when nobody else would have given him those opportunities. Because of that, this song represents hope and unseen potential that can be reached if the right people and the right circumstances (and a little bit of luck) comes together. Doctor Who wasn’t intended to run for 50 years in all its various incarnations. It was supposed to be this quirky little kids’ show to fill a Saturday tea time slot - nothing else. But then the combination of the right talent and visions came together and it’s possibilities are endless. It could easily run for another 50 years - maybe more - without seeming old or tired.

Track 49: Stars Align by Lindsey Stirling



Going on from the theme of the previous song - everything that I’ve heard or read about the history of Doctor Who leads me to believe that this show has had tons of luck on its side. The one that I am continually floored by is the transition from Season 6 to Season 7 - how the show was going to be cancelled because the ratings weren’t so hot and everyone was leaving, but simply because the BBC didn’t have anything else to replace it with, it was given a one-year reprieve while they came up with something new. And in many ways, Doctor Who became a totally new show. Its popularity increased and the entire franchise was rejuvenated, paving the way for what many consider to be the Golden Age of Doctor Who. There are many other similar stories, but the point is that the stars aligned for this franchise time and again. Who knows what’s coming around the next era - and how wonderful it is, even just as a fan, to be a part of it.

Track 50: When Can I See You Again? by Owl City



Switch on the sky and the stars glow for you
Go see the world 'cause it's all so brand new
Don't close your eyes 'cause your future's ready to shine
It's just a matter of time, before we learn how to fly
Welcome to the rhythm of the night
There's something in the air you can't deny

It's been fun but now I've got to go
Life is way too short to take it slow
But before I go and hit the road
I gotta know, 'til then,
when can we do this again?

I do have a story with this one. The first time I saw the movie Wreck-It Ralph and this song started playing over the end credits, my immediate thought was “This is a song for Doctor Who.” Because (more often than not) I can’t wait to have another adventure with Team TARDIS. I love this show and these stories and characters and it’s just tons of fun. I very nearly made an Eleventh Doctor tribute video to this song when it was announced that Matt Smith was leaving, but crappy video-making software prevented me from doing so (if anyone with the means and the time would like to take up that challenge, they’re welcome to it). It’s a fun, upbeat, and peppy song and a fitting song to close out this playlist. Because, no matter how many stories are told or how many eras “end” for Doctor Who, there will always be someone standing there saying “I want to do this again.” And the Doctor will be there tomorrow to hit the ground running.

So - when can we do this again?


Music of Time by ~ladyyatexel on deviantART

***
Well, that's the end of my 50th Anniversary Playlist Tribute. I hope you enjoyed the music (and maybe some of my analysis - I admit, some of it was a bit lacking. I'm just not a very good music critic). I've got one more big project planned in the run-up to November 23, so keep watching this space!

Friends, Companions I've Known - Review of "The Night Of The Doctor"

I guess we've all had a day to process and come down off our adrenaline highs and knock out the spoiler cobwebs, so here is my review and analysis of "The Night of the Doctor." Spoilers ahead! (but if you still haven't seen it and you want to avoid being spoiled - take seven minutes out of your day to watch it now and then you won't have to worry about it!)



There is so, so much to take away from this little mini-episode, even from the get-go.  First of all, it was GENIUS to have the Doctor's voice heard before you actually saw him.  The Eighth Doctor has existed in audio format for so many years now and that's how most people know him - by his voice.  If we suddenly saw Paul McGann before he started speaking, it would take a moment to realize who it was (especially since he does look a bit different from his appearance in the TV Movie).  But by hearing his voice first, that was enough to remind us who this is and get the fannish-adrenaline-rush going into overdrive.

Next - the Doctor's looking for a companion! Seeing as this is a truncated storyline, everything (of necessity) must happen so fast. But it has no less impact than if there was a whole season for this storyline to play out. The Doctor immediately recognizes Cass as a prime candidate for Team TARDIS.  Cass stayed behind to teleport people off the crashing ship because they were all panicked and frightened.  Cass was likely the only one (or one of a very few) who kept her head long enough to stay at the controls and get everyone else to safety, risking her own life.  The Doctor only takes the very best - and Cass has immediately shown herself to be the very best.

I said this on Tumblr yesterday (inbetween fits of fangirl glee) - I had a hard time imagining the Eighth Doctor as the Doctor who fought in the Time War.  I don't know why that is, because I have no problem with the Fifth Doctor threatening Davros with a gun or the Seventh Doctor cruelly breaking Ace's faith in him in "The Curse of Fenric," - but Eight?  He's just not a soldier to me. To me, he's the one who would stay as far away from the fighting as possible.  And that theory (or belief - whatever) was validated when the Doctor insists that he isn't part of the Time War that has broken out and threatens to destroy the universe.  He wants to stay as far away as possible - but he also wants to help people affected by the horrors of the War.  Problem is - he's a Time Lord.  And Time Lord reputation is severely damaged in the eyes of others in the universe.

Cass doesn't see the TARDIS as a place of safety and refuge - she sees it as just another sign of the war.  It's never really said what kind of ship Cass was on or why it was crashing - but it could be possible that it was full of war refugees escaping a battle-ravaged planet.  She is angry that a Time Lord would dare land on her ship and try to take her into the Time War - even though that's the exact opposite of what the Doctor wants to do!  So angry, in fact, that she would gladly die if it meant taking one of those horrible Time Lords with her.  And, it speaks to the kind of Doctor Eight is, that he stays behind, trying to save the one person who wants to see him die.  It's a powerful moment - full of meaning and characterization and story in just a minute or two.

So, the ship crashes.  The Doctor is dead - but he's landed in the midst of the Sisterhood of Karn.  Now, I've only seen "The Brain of Morbius" once (but it seems I'm due for a revisit), so I'm a little shaky on the details of the Sisterhood.  But everything I need to know, I'm given in this episode.  The Sisterhood knows of Time Lord technology regarding regeneration.  And they have singled out the Doctor as probably the last Time Lord who isn't up to his eyeballs in Time War carnage and battle.  For some reason, they believe that he is the only one who can stop the war before it destroys the universe.  And he's probably been asked before to join the fighting, but he refuses every single time.  But those times, he wasn't dying AND he wasn't given the chance to choose the kind of regeneration he needs to be effective in the war.  And, likely, it's being faced with Cass's dead body that really changes his mind.  He had it in his head to save her, to take her away from the war, to travel in time and space just like he has with all his other companions (which is another reason to include their names - beyond just making Big Finish part of the canon.  Remind us of all those people he's come to love in this regeneration).  But that opportunity - and Cass's life - was stolen away because of the war.  And the Doctor is faced with the fact that he cannot be the Doctor anymore.  Not in the way he has been up to this point.  He can't hide away and let the universe sort itself out because the universe is falling apart.  The universe doesn't need the Doctor anymore - it needs a Warrior.

Thus, he chooses his new regeneration.  And the episode ends with a younger John Hurt reflected in the mirror.  Meaning that this War Doctor probably fought for years upon centuries before the events of "The Day of the Doctor."

Those are the major points I got out of this short episode.  But there is so much more - like the fact that Paul McGann is the best Doctor that never got a fair shake on TV.  To people who've never heard Big Finish, this is a major shock. There are still some who don't count the TV Movie because they hate it so much (and I, being a fan of the TV Movie, still don't get that but whatever) - but I saw more than one person on Twitter and elsewhere lamenting the fact that the Eighth Doctor didn't get a full series - and there were plenty of TV-only Whovians saying these things.  I sort of hope that the response to this mini-episode leads to possibly a spin-off series with the Eighth Doctor.  It doesn't have to supplant the main TV show - maybe just a miniseries in the vein of "Torchwood: Children of Earth" or "Miracle Day" where it's part of the overarching series, but it's also it's own story told over the course of 5-10 episodes and that's it.  If anything, "The Night of the Doctor" proves that there is more we could see from Paul McGann and there are people clamoring for it! (over one million YouTube views in one day?! You don't get that kind of response from something that nobody wants or cares about!)

Another thing - and this was pointed out to me on Tumblr yesterday, but it bears repeating (oh, does it bear repeating!) There has been a lot of complaining that the 50th Anniversary isn't so much a celebration of 50 years as it is a celebration of just the past eight years of New Who.  Doctor Who fandom, sadly, has divided itself into factions of Classic Who fans, New Who fans, Big Finish fans, Torchwood fans, Tennant fans, Matt Smith fans, Eccleston fans, Moffat fans, and RTD fans and probably others that I'm not aware of.  And, personally, I kind of hate that because I love all of Doctor Who (well, okay, I'm not huge into Torchwood, but I don't actively hate on the show or its fans).  But for seven glorious minutes, the entire fandom fell in love with the show again. There was no complaining or carping or kvetching (that's become my new favorite word, by the way) or divisions or factions - there was just celebrating.  There was no "My Doctor is better" or "This writer was better" or "I miss when so-and-so was on the show."  It was all "Isn't Doctor Who awesome?!" Now, if there was any complaining - it's that we wanted more Eighth Doctor, but it wasn't so much "complaining" as it was wishing for something good to come back. But my point stands - there is no Classic Who or New Who or Big Finish Who. There is just Doctor Who.

And it was Steven Moffat that made it all happen.

Oh man, "The Day of the Doctor" is going to be so cool!

***
Librarian in the TARDIS - Reviews of the Eighth Doctor -

Review 8.01 - Mostly Dead is Slightly Alive (TV: Doctor Who the Movie)
Review 8.02 - The Not-So-Dark-Mystery of Time and Space (Audio: Invaders from Mars)
Review 8.03 - "What Are You Going To Do Now?" "I'm Going to... Somewhere That Isn't Copyright Infringement!" (Prose: EarthWorld)

***
Here's an excellent interview with Steven Moffat about "The Night of the Doctor" - from which came a quote about Big Finish, which kind of makes me think that they may get the rights to do New Who stories eventually (fingers crossed!)

As if THAT Wasn't Enough...

... here's the trailer for An Adventure in Space and Time!

BBC, if you keep doing this to me, I won't be conscious for the 50th Anniversary!

What Are You Reading The Subject Line For - CLICK THE FREAKING VIDEO!

"The Night of the Doctor" - (SPOILERS!)



IT'S PAUL MCGANN!! AS THE DOCTOR! IN THE TIME WAR! TRYING TO SAVE SOMEONE! WHO DOESN'T WANT TO BE SAVED! REFERENCING BIG FINISH COMPANIONS! AND... REGENERATING???

WHO CARES? IT'S THE EIGHTH DOCTOR ON MY SCREEN! LIKE - THERE ARE PICTURES WITH THE SOUND! THIS IS BETTER THAN RECOVERED MISSING EPISODES - THIS IS A RECOVERED MISSING DOCTOR YOU GUYS!!!! (for all intents and purposes, at least)

EVERYONE LIES! AND I LOVE THEM FOR IT!

(i will be an incoherent mess for the rest of the day).

I've Got To Doubleback (The Playlist Project - Part 4)

Part 4 - we're getting down to the end!

Fifty Years Running - The Doctor Who Playlist Project

(Part 1 is here)
(Part 2 is here)
(Part 3 is here)

Track 31: Beethoven’s 5 Secrets by The Piano Guys feat. the Lyceum Philharmonic



Another Piano Guys entry. I just like this version of OneRepublic’s song and I wanted an instrumental song to serve as a transition between the next stage of the playlist. I wonder if the Doctor has ever met Beethoven.

Track 32: Double Vision by Foreigner



A lot of weird stuff happens to the Doctor. And this song is kind of weird (but still good). Plus, I used this song in my Librarian in the TARDIS review of “The Android Invasion,” and I loved how it fit in with that story. Then, I remembered how many stories there have been, not just with the Doctor meeting past incarnations of himself but also stories where the Doctor has met some kind of doppleganger - whether that’s the Abbot of Amboise in “The Massacre” or Ramon Salamander in “The Enemy of the World” or Handy!Doctor in “Journey’s End” or the Flesh!Doctor in that one two-parter from Series 6 that I hate with the burning fury of a thousand suns, but Matt Smith is fantastic in it anyway.

Track 33: Doubleback by ZZ Top



I got shot through a space not long ago,
I thought I knew the place so well.
It wasn't the same, now it goes to show,
Sometime you never can tell.

Another entry from the Back to the Future movies. It's fitting, seeing as how that movie trilogy was what first taught me everything I know about time-travel fiction.  My parents took me to see the first movie at the drive-in theater when I was merely five months old and it was all downhill from there.

Track 34: The Captain by Biffy Clyro



This song was in this Fifth Doctor tribute video and I liked it so much that I watched it a lot, which meant I started to like the song and associate it with my dear Fivey.  It was a total personal-preference-thing, so it went on the playlist. Nothing to it more than that.

Track 35: Fire and Rain by James Taylor



Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to

I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

Sort of a much more contemplative song. I can imagine the Doctor, alone in the console room either tinkering around with some component or staring at the center column, thinking of everything he's seen and everything he's done - hoping that he can still keep up the pace and keep living his lifestyle. Because that's all he's known for hundreds of years.

Track 36: Spaceman by The Killers



And you know I might
Have just flown too far from the floor this time
Cause they're calling me by my name
And the zipping white light beams
Disregards the bombs and satellites

That was the turning point
That was one lonely night

The star maker says, "It ain't so bad"
The dream maker's gonna make you mad
The spaceman says, "Everybody look down
It's all in your mind"

Another Killers tune and another fan-video inspired addition (and another Fifth Doctor vid - I regret nothing!)  I just love this song and if you think I'm going to do anything except give preferential treatment to my dear, sweet Fivey - you go another think coming :)

(Note: This version of Spaceman is missing the bridge part that says "the Nile used to run from east to west" - which made me think of Erimem, the Egyptian girl who almost became Pharoah but instead travels with the Fifth Doctor in Big Finish. Just - listen to those stories. They're wonderful!)

Track 37: Ordinary by Train



And when the world is on its knees with me its fine
And when I come to the rescue I get nothing but left behind
Everybody seems to be getting what they need where's mine
‘Cause your what I need so very but I'm anything but ordinary

Another song to a video that I made back in the day (be gentle - this was the very first one I ever made). This one illustrated the “Human Nature” two-parter in Series 3 for me and actually made that story work for me.  It kind of bugged me that the Doctor would have chosen to have a normal human life when he could travel all over the universe and all through history and I had a hard time with that story when I first saw it (besides - how was Martha supposed to get home?)  But then I had this song come up on my iTunes shuffle and - I started to understand.  It's easy for me and my normal, everyday life to say "I want to go on an adventure!"  But for a character that has that all the time - I guess normal, everyday would be a treat.  But the Doctor (at least) would never get more than a taste of it because it's not in his nature.  He's not normal and he's not everyday.  And that's why we love him so much.

Track 38: All These Things That I’ve Done by The Killers



When there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
One more son
If you can hold on
If you can hold on, hold on
I want to stand up, I want to let go
You know, you know - no you don't, you don't
I want to shine on in the hearts of men
I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand

There are so many different lyrics I could have chosen to highlight from this song because - it's just a great song! And it's a great illustration of the Doctor, especially the post-Time War. Someone out there in Internet Land posited that this was the perfect song for the Tenth Doctor (almost the theme of "The Waters of Mars" - see the line "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier) and I think I agree (I wish I could remember who that person was and give them credit - if that was you or you know who it was, drop me a line).

Track 39: Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve



'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life
Try to make ends meet
You're a slave to money then you die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places
where all the veins meet yeah,

No change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
But I'm a million different people
from one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no

So, we've come to the point where I have no idea why I picked these songs other than a few random lyrics and that I think they sound good. I guess line like "I'm a million different people," put me in mind of regeneration and that's something I would have highlighted if I made a video with this song. I just have a lot of random ideas, but not a lot of time or resources to put them all together (but feel free to do it yourself if any of this inspires you)

Track 40: Bring Him Home by The Piano Guys

Ending out this section with another slow instrumental to transition to the final ten. The Doctor may have his moments of doubt, but his companions (and fans, let's be honest here) keep pulling him through.

You know what? We are pretty good :)

The World I Live In (The Playlist Project - Part 3)

Continuing on with Fifty Years Running - The Doctor Who Playlist Project. Here are Tracks 21-30

(Part 1 is here)
(Part 2 is here)

Track 21: No Rain by Blind Melon



And I don't understand why I sleep all day
And I start to complain that there's no rain
And all I can do is read a book to stay awake
And it rips my life away, but it's a great escape

I guess if I had to characterize myself right before I discovered Doctor Who, it would be sheer and utter boredom. I’ve told the story extensively, so I won’t go into it too much here, but I sometimes wonder if that’s where the seeds of fandom are sown - you’re looking for something remarkable in your life and it never materializes, so instead you look for something remarkable in fiction and you integrate it into your life. You obsess over it, you become a scholar of it, you annoy your family and friends with it - but it was just always there for you.  I suppose this isn't unique to Doctor Who fans, but it's where I found my outlet, so this song represents that aspect of fandom for me.

Track 22: The Sounds of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel



"This was exactly you. All this, all of it. You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name? Doctor: the word for healer and wise man throughout the universe. We get that word from you, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean?" - River Song, from "A Good Man Goes to War"

These next two songs represent some of the darker stories Doctor Who has told and, indeed, some of the darker aspects of the Doctor himself. Especially a post-Time War Doctor, but also to remember that the Doctor is not generally a nice person.  Even going back to the very beginning, he's pretty much the antagonist of the first episode of "An Unearthly Child" (though, I suppose, we can forgive his actions since he was protecting his granddaughter and his ship - more on that in a future post).  And this dark side of the Doctor isn't relegated to long before we knew him - it surfaces throughout all his lives. From contemplating genocide in "Genesis of the Daleks," to breaking Ace's faith in him in "The Curse of Fenric," to the gloomy Eighth Doctor stranded in the Divergent Universe stories of Big Finish all the way through to New Who and those terribly scary moments that lie beneath his silly, eccentric exterior. So, it's fitting that I fit in a song that has a distinct '60s sound, yet isn't the happy-pop-bubblegum type of music, but a very somber and shadowy piece that is still considered a classic.

Track 23: Mercy by OneRepublic



Before just the daylight
Come and I stand by
Waiting to catch the quickest plane
Fly me to nowhere
it's better than somewhere
That's where I've been and nothing's changed
***
Angel of Mercy
How did you find me?
How did you pick me up again?
Angel of Mercy
How did you move me?
Why am I on my feet again?
And I see you


Okay, this one gets a little schmaltzy, but I like it.  I said that this and The Sounds of Silence represent the darker aspects of Doctor Who stories.  I likened Silence to the darker parts of the Doctor himself, but this song could be for the sadness in him as well.  All the losses and failures - of which there have been many (probably as many as his successes, I would guess).  He's made many mistakes and had many regrets - yet he's still a symbol of hope for so many people.  Maybe not a symbol of hope, but a symbol of a friend - of someone who can make things be all right again. That things will get better because the Doctor's out there in the universe doing amazing things and inspiring people to be better.  And even when he does screw up, he still listens to his friends and comes back down from the edge. Because they need him and he needs them.

Track 24: Perfect Time of Day by Howie Day



I love this song because it sort of feels like you’re coming out of a bad place and into something good. Like you've turned a corner and things are going to be better. That fairly well sums up my relationship with Doctor Who. Even though there still are bad times, they are made less-bad because I have something that I enjoy in my life (hey, I don’t have a boyfriend - something's gotta be there for me in my life ^_^)

Track 25: Me and My Cello (Happy Together) by Steven Sharp Nelson of The Piano Guys



Well, we've been serious - time to have some fun! What better way than with a video that shows a guy having the time of his life - with the most important non-human object in his life? THe only this video could have been better is if the Doctor and the TARDIS were skydiving right along with Steven and his cello (man, now I want a fanart of the Doctor and Idris at the disco. Any of you artist-types feeling inspired?)

Track 26: The Remedy (I Won’t Worry) by Jason Mraz



Non-sequitur, silliness, the drunk giraffe dancing at a wedding - sometimes, you just need to relax with a big bowl of fish fingers and custard and let the universe take care of itself. In the mean time - you've got a swimming pool to find in the TARDIS library.

Track 27: Starlight by Muse




One of the first things that really piqued my interest in Doctor Who was actually a fan-made video to this song. Oh, I’d seen various mentions of Doctor Who on LiveJournal and such, but one of my LJ friends posted this video and I gave it a watch. I really don’t know why I did. I don’t have any real attachment to Muse or anything like that. And it turns out - I’m not really into the Doctor/Rose ship (though I don’t hate it and I don’t begrudge the people who do like it. It’s just not something I get overly excited about). Still, this video intrigued me enough to want to start watching Doctor Who. And it is a really good song, so it fits in the playlist.

Track 28: Back in Time by Huey Lewis and the News



Tell me, Doctor, where are we going this time?
Is this the '50s or 1999?
All I wanted to do - was play my guitar and sing

So take me away, I don't mind
But you better promise me, I'll be back in time
Gotta get back in time

An unusual example of a song that’s straight-up about time-travel. It’s from the Back to the Future soundtrack, so that’s not surprising (and *cough* it's something I made, so I have to put it up, don't it? ^_^) The lyrics almost feel tailor-made to Doctor Who (and there is many a fan-video out there with this song), which makes it a prime candidate for inclusion on this playlist

Track 29: The World We Live In by The Killers



I had a dream that I was falling down
There's no next time, alone
A storm wastes its water on me
But my heart was free

I guess it's the world that we live in
It's not too late for that
This is the world that we live in
And no, we can't go back


You know, some of these songs I've been all deep and analytic about. And for others... I just like the song and I think it fits, though I have no hard-and-fast reason for it. This is one of those times (and hey, it's The Killers! I've got to have at least... three... of their songs on any of my playlists). This song just has overtones of living in the real world, yet still allowing adventure and imagination have a prominent place.  And, I guess, that's what Doctor Who is for me. I live in the real world and do what's expected of me there, but I like to escape somewhere else through stories - which is something I've done since I was a little kid and I've never grown out of it.  It's really the best thing in the world.

Track 30: Wheel in the Sky by Journey



I've been trying to make it home
Got to make it before too long
I can't take this very much longer
I'm stranded in the sleet and rain
Don't think I'm ever gonna make it home again
The mornin' sun is risin'
It's kissing the day

Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'

Here are my '70s classic rock roots showing again! (my brother will be annoyed that I used this one because it's one of his favorites and he doesn't like Doctor Who and he takes every opportunity to give me crap about it.  But that's okay because I can turn around and give it right back. Which may explain why I enjoy this game of "Poke the Grumpy Fanboy Bear" so much).

Two thing influenced this choice: the title “The Wheel in Space” and the lyric “I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow.” If that doesn't sum up the Doctor’s inability to steer the TARDIS (or the TARDIS’s determination to get the Doctor and company into places where they never mean to go - take your pick), I don’t know what does.  And it's just a great song, so there's that.

***
And with that sort of lackluster ending, that's it for this section - I'll have the next up soon. Ten more days until the 23rd!

My Funny Friend and Me (The Playlist Project - Part 2)

Soldiering onward with Fifty Years Running - The Doctor Who Playlist Project. Here's the next section -

(Part 1 is here)

Track 11: Life in Technicolor ii by Coldplay



Time came a-creeping, oh, and time's a loaded gun
Every road is a ray of light
It goes on, time only can lead you on
Still, it's such a beautiful night

Oh love, don't let me go
Won't you take me where the street lights glow?
I can hear rain coming like a serenade of sound
Now my feet won't touch the ground

I love this song's otherworldly quality and sense of the unknown, which I think really works well for Doctor Who. Something that's really drawn me into these stories is the curious nature of the characters and how much they all (with a few exceptions) want to explore the universe and the wonder that comes with that.

Track 12: Home by Phillip Phillips



Hold on, to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you’re not alone
Cause I’m going to make this place your home

Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found
Just know you’re not alone
Cause I’m going to make this place your home

Okay, so I haven't seen "Planet of the Spiders" yet, but I do know that right before the Third Doctor regenerates, he lands at UNIT headquarters and says "The TARDIS brought me home" or something along those lines. And then, in "Journey's End," Sarah Jane tells the Doctor that he shouldn't act like such a lonely man because he's got the biggest family on Earth - indeed, it's that home and that family that he keeps coming back to.  He even seemed to create his own little family unit after he regenerated into the Eleventh Doctor with the Ponds and River Song (though it more or less happened by accident). Point to any Team TARDIS, you can certainly find a sense of family and belonging, which I think this song illustrates nicely.

Track 13: My Funny Friend and Me by Sting



You see the patterns in the big sky
Those constellations look like you and I
Just like the patterns in the big sky
We could be lost we could refuse to try
But we made it through in the dark night
Would those lucky guys turn out to be
But that unusual blend of my funny friend and me

"Have you met Miss Smith? She's my best friend." - The Fourth Doctor, from "The Seeds of Doom"

Stars, friends, unlikely relationships, learning life lessons - if that isn't Doctor Who, I don’t know what is.

Track 14: Below My Feet by Mumford and Sons



Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Oh keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Oh keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn

I like the sound of this song more than anything, but it does serve to remind us of the companions who stopped traveling because it wasn't fun anymore (hi, Tegan!) or even the companions who turned down the Doctor's invitation to travel (Rory's dad, Brian) or companions that never were, but would have been great (Dr. Todd from "Kinda").  Someone's got to stay and water the plants.

Track 15: One Engine by The Decemberists



I chose this to represent the darker, grimmer stories Doctor Who has given us that I enjoy when I'm in the right frame of mind for that kind of storytelling - whether it's the gothic horror of "Pyramids of Mars" or the bleakness of "The Caves of Androzani" or the sheer terror of "Midnight" and "The Edge of Destruction."

Track 16: Long Long Way From Home by Foreigner



I was inside looking outside
The millions of faces
But still I'm alone
Waiting, hours of waiting
Paying a penance
I was longing for home

I'm looking out for the two of us
I hope we'll be here when they're through with us

My classic rock roots are showing with this one (long drives on the farm with my Dad and his '70s rock tapes to listen to will do that - thanks Dad!)  But yeah, going over some of these titles - how could I not choose this song to go on this playlist?

Track 17: Ordinary World by Duran Duran



But I won't cry for yesterday
There's an ordinary world
Somehow I have to find
And as I try to make my way
To the ordinary world
I will learn to survive

Another one where I just love the otherworldly sound of the song and I think it fits in that vein of Doctor Who.

Track 18: Paradise by Coldplay



When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
So she ran away in her sleep
Dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Every time she closed her eyes


Speaking of otherworldly... here's another entry from Coldplay!  A little girl running away in her dreams - that's got Amy Pond written all over it! And Donna. And... well... sure - Rose, Martha, and Clara fit that description to some degree or another.

Track 19: Gravity by Alison Krauss and Union Station



And the people who love me still ask me
When are you coming back to town?
And I answer, quite frankly,
When they stop building roads
And all God needs is gravity to hold me down

"Our destiny lies in the stars. So let's go and search for it!" - The First Doctor, "The Reign of Terror"

Again - traveling, leaving home, adventure, curiosity, learning to find yourself. All great themes of Doctor Who. Plus, Alison Krauss has one of the most gorgeous voices in music anywhere.

Track 20: Just the Way You Are by Jon Schmidt



Yeah, I know the original Bruno Mars version is really lovey-dovey and crap, which is why I picked the lyric-less version from Jon Schmidt of The Piano Guys. What rang true in this choice was the line from the Eleventh Doctor “In 900 years of time and space, I never met anyone who wasn’t important.” While that isn’t exactly what this song goes for, I think it’s close enough and merits a place on the playlist.

You Got Loki'd! - Review of "Thor: The Dark World"

WARNING: There will be spoilers in this post. If you have not yet seen Thor: The Dark World, go do something else and come back to this later. I promise - it’ll still be here.

Before I went to see Thor: The Dark World, someone on Tumblr posted that the real subtitle ought to have been “Loki, You Little Shit!” (though, a case could be made for that to be the subtitle for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe).

Let’s get this part out of the way first - The Dark World is not Thor. The tone between the two is so vastly different, but I think that’s a good thing. In Thor, they were setting up Asgard as this wondrous world from mythology and putting it into the real universe. Asgardian are aliens that were worshiped as gods in one of Earth’s bygone eras, so Asgard was seen through those eyes. In The Dark World, we see Asgard through the eyes of the Asgardians themselves, which is far less majestic and awe-inspiring (though it still looks amazing - they certainly didn't skimp on that). To them, it’s their home. An everyday location that’s still important and they have a job to protect it.

It’s sort of like having a favorite celebrity and being a total fangirl/fanboy about them - and then you get the chance to meet them in real life and after you've picked yourself up off the floor from the shock, you realize that this is a real person with a real life that includes a real sense of humor, real joys, real sorrows, real mundanity, real responsibilities.

That’s not to say that Earth doesn't have a very part to play in this story. It’s just more muted. This story is about Asgard - Thor deciding what he wants to do with his life (apparently, even ancient Norse gods need guidance counseling), Loki's relationship with his family, Odin's responsibilities as Protector of the Nine Realms.

And then - there’s Loki, who is pretty much in the doghouse after the events of The Avengers. It’s evident that The Dark World is more interested in moving forward the overarching plot of Marvel: Phase 2, but it’s good that we spent some time closing out the aftermath of Phase 1. In fact, Loki’s punishment actually dovetails into that overarching plot. Marvel is in no way, shape, or form done with Loki, though he probably won’t be the Big Bad of another Marvel film. And that’s fine - Loki is a trickster. He’s mischievous, not malevolent. You never know where his loyalties truly lie or what his endgame is. That’s what makes him one of the most compelling and interesting characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a HUGE reason why he’s got such a loyal fanbase. And the fact that he’s played by Tom Hiddleston does NOT hurt in the slightest. Not. At. All (I think the Hiddleston fangirls have another convert because - damn).  Man - I just love Loki!

Other Things I Liked (in list form) -

- Darcy stole the show. Just... Darcy. I know it’s a long-shot and there’s no reason for it, but if Marvel could figure out a way for Darcy and Loki to spend a movie just snarking at each other, I would pay good money to see that - not just once, but twice!

- I knew Loki wasn't really dead. Because Tumblr would have been reduced to a pile of wailing mush the moment that was written into the script (I say this with all the respect and love in my heart - and as one of their number: Never underestimate the power of Hiddleston fangirls). But now that everyone thinks he’s dead, he’s free to do... whatever he wants. Oh, the cinematic possibilities! (perhaps a standalone Loki movie?? Oh, can I be so lucky?)

- The cameos! Not just the standard Stan Lee cameo (though that was hilarious), but Loki shapeshifts into one of Thor’s new Avenger buddies - and even gets a bit of this Avenger’s theme song in the process! Oh Marvel, how I love your continuity nods!

- Christopher Eccleston put in a great performance as the dark elf Malekith - but I couldn't help but think of him as the Doctor in heavy makeup threatening to destroy the universe. Unfortunate associations, but there you go.

- The whole time I was watching this movie, I kept thinking “This is what the Star Wars prequels should have been.” Not bogged down with the CGI crap or the horrible acting, but with fluid storytelling and all the elements of the film more integrated with each other. I hope Disney lets their new LucasFilm department talk with the Marvel people.

- It seems I’m always going to have to say this, but - WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE WHO LEAVE THE THEATER BEFORE THE CREDITS ARE OVER?? Even if you think you've seen the post-credit Easter Egg, you’re supposed to stay all the way to the end of a Marvel movie. Just plan on it - don’t miss out on the good stuff! (and there was some really good stuff at the end. Two Easter Eggs - don’t leave the theater! The bathroom will still be there when you get out, I promise).

Is Thor: The Dark World perfect? Not really. There are some pacing issues and some of the character moments don’t get the necessary breathing space. That’s something that Thor did beautifully that I felt was missing a bit from The Dark World.  But it’s a solid entry into the Marvel Cinematic canon and perfectly sets up Thor 3 (whatever that ends up being).

Turning Myth Into Truth (The Playlist Project - Part 1)

I really have to find something more productive to do with my time. Or get my brain to shut up for, like, a week (after the 23rd, dear).

Something I love doing is creating iTunes playlists/soundtracks from music that I love to go along with shows or movies or even books that I also love. I thought it fitting to create a tribute playlist for Doctor Who, choosing fifty songs that I think best illustrate the show and its characters (meaning these are songs I would love to make a fan-music-video to, if I had time and working software).  My only rule is this: I don't use any music from official soundtracks because that's just cheating :)

Now, this playlist is 100% down to my tastes and my experiences. I don’t expect everyone to totally agree with me. In fact, I would be surprised if anyone totally loved all my choices. But I will explain myself and leave it up to you, Dear Reader, to agree or disagree as appropriate (and question my tastes in music).

So, without further ado, I present -

Fifty Years Running: The Doctor Who Playlist Project

(Part 1: Tracks 1-10)

Track 1: Blue by Eiffel 65



Yo listen up here's a story
About a little guy that lives in a blue world
And all day and all night and everything he sees
Is just blue like him inside and outside
Blue is his house with a blue little window
And a blue corvette
And everything is blue for him and himself
And everybody around
'cause he ain't got nobody to listen to

I’m blaming Iron Man 3 for this one. I had a whole bunch of songs that I thought would go along with Doctor Who, but I didn’t have anything that I thought would serve as a good opening for the playlist. Then I saw Iron Man 3 in theaters and this song started the movie. And I thought “I wonder if I own that song.” And I did, so that made my mind up for me. Between the opening lines and the title and the fun atmosphere of the song (and some of the lyrics, because that’s vitally important too), I decided that I had hit gold. Didn't hurt that the Doctor basically lives in a blue house (more or less).

So, listen up - here’s the story!

Track 2: Falling For the First Time by Barenaked Ladies

Anyone perfect must be lying, anything easy has its cost
Anyone plain can be lovely, anyone loved can be lost
What if I lost my direction? What if I lost sense of time?
What if I nursed this infection? Maybe the worst is behind
It feels just like I'm falling for the first time

Shameless Self-Promotion Time!  Back when I had working video-making software, I created this video tribute to Donna Noble to this song, thinking that it illustrated perfectly the journey she took with her travels in the TARDIS. There was never any question of if I would include this song in this playlist, but now I see that it could apply to the Doctor’s attitude about the universe at large - and quite likely why he ran off from Gallifrey in the first place.  Which is why it comes in at number 2 on the countdown (like that really matters in the grand scheme of things...)

Track 3: The Trail We Blaze by Elton John



Look out new world here we come
Brave, intrepid and then some
Pioneers of maximum
Audacity whose resumes
Show that we are just the team
To live where others merely dream
Building up a head of steam
On the trail we blaze

Changing legend into fact
We shall ride into history
Turning myth into truth
We shall surely gaze
On the sweet unfolding
Of an antique mystery
All will be revealed
On the trail we blaze

I really love The Road to El Dorado soundtrack and this song I think is the most about having an adventure and discovering new things that you never thought possible and the type of person who would undertake such a journey (either wittingly or unwittingly - but everyone still becomes friends eventually).

To me, this song could be applied to any number of the pure historical stories - and not just the ones from the First Doctor’s era (though I could see a fan video made of clips from “The Aztecs” to this song). One of the audio stories I reviewed for Librarian in the TARDIS was the Big Finish Audio “The Kingmaker,” which dealt with the mystery of what King Richard III did to his young nephews - did he kill them in order to secure the throne for himself or did he hide them away for his own safety (or where there any princes to begin with?) It’s the fun of “changing legend into fact” that endears so many of these historical stories to me and I sometimes wish there were more, especially in New Who (not a whole lot, mind you - just enough to spice things up a little bit).

Track 4: Ticket to Ride by The Beatles



"The gamers say we're 'retro.' Which, I think means 'old, but cool.'” - Wreck-It Ralph

This one is a bit of a cheat, but since it was only an insert of a segment of “Top of the Pops” into “The Chase” and not actually performed specifically for the filming of the story - I’m gonna let it stand. And not because the lyrics really “fit” with Doctor Who (because they don't), but mostly as a way to get the “flavor” of the 1960s. Even in all the discussion of how the show is 50 years old, sometimes it’s easy to forget what exactly that means. I mean, my parents were toddlers in 1963 (just to put that into perspective for myself, my niece just turned two this past summer). It’s also a testament that even these earliest stories feel timeless - in spite of being filmed in black and white and early television effects and things like that. Honestly, I don’t think Doctor Who starts really becoming a product of its time until “The War Machines,” with the whole “Swingin’ Sixties” theme. And even then, that aspect didn't last very long (that may be an odd statement and some of the more snobby elite academic critics in fandom would give me a harsh side-eye on that, but when I have I ever sought their approval?)

Truly, the strength of Doctor Who - especially the Classic Series - is that it avoids becoming dated in its storytelling. If The Powers That Be chose to do so, a story like “An Unearthly Child” could easily be retold using today’s modern filmmaking techniques (that being said, I don’t want it remade. I’m just saying that it could be done).

Anyway - the point of including this song (other than to have a good-natured laugh at Ian’s embarrassing “dad-dancing” - here, have a link to a gif of the whole scene because it is GLORIOUS to behold) is just to reflect the show’s place in history. And just how cool the Beatles were involved. Because the Beatles, like Doctor Who, are still very cool.

Track 5: Come Sail Away by Styx



From the 60s into the 70s! Does this even need explaining? It was a key component of Tenth Doctor: The Musical, so that oughta say something.

Track 6: Good Life by OneRepublic



To my friends in New York, I say hello
My friends in L.A. they don't know
Where I've been for the past few years or so
Paris to China to Colorado

Sometimes there's airplanes I can't jump out
Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now
We've got our stories, but please tell me
What there is to complain about?

This one has a bit of a story behind it. This one, more than any of these (so far), I most associate with two particular characters. A few months ago, I watched “The Chase.” I stinking LOVE “The Chase.” I know it’s got a bit of goofy silliness to it, but at it’s core it’s about the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki having settled into their lives of adventure as this little cohesive family unit and you think that this is how it’s always going to be - because why wouldn’t it?

Just when you think that all is well and Team TARDIS is going to go off on their merry way - they’re left with the Daleks’ time ship. And Ian and Barbara slowly realize (and we the audience do too) that they could get back home in this time ship.

When I realized Ian and Barbara were on the way out (like, five minutes before they actually left - I had no idea that “The Chase” was their last story. Way to avoid 40+ year-old spoilers, Me!), I had two reactions. The first was: “You can’t go!!” The second was: “Aww... they’ll finally get to go home!” And I was happy for both of them. Personally, I’m really glad that the ending of “The Chase” plays out the way that it does. In my mind, Ian and Barbara got the best companion departure in all of Doctor Who (yes, even better than Jo Grant - and I’ll fight whoever on that point). Sure it’s sad that they’re leaving, but you also get to see their complete and utter joy at finally being home in their own time (more or less). It’s a fitting send-off for two characters that helped the Doctor become less of the grumpy old curmudgeon (on a good day) and planted in his heart a love of humans and the Earth. And, thanks to “those old fusspots,” the Doctor’s travels will never be the same.

That’s all fine and good, but what does that have to do with this song? Well, the last time I watched “The Chase,” I had to go to work right afterward and I was kind of feeling some bittersweet euphoria at the ending. As I am wont to do, I put my iPod on shuffle and, thanks to the wonders of serendipity, this song came on and it just fit with how I was feeling after watching this story. Thus, it went on the playlist and it will be forever associated (in my mind) with Ian and Barbara and their happy ending (that’s how my mind works).

Track 7: Galaxies by Owl City



Following on from the high note of Good Life, I had to put Galaxies in here (and this, frankly, amazing fan-made video tribute to the Tenth Doctor).

This song was chosen for it’s outer space motif (obviously) and the sentiment of someone saving the day. Of course, the original song has religious/spiritual themes to it, which I connect with on a different level. But it’s also the wild ride of time-and-space travel that makes this a great song to be included on this playlist (and I love Owl City, so there’s that).

Track 8: Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds



Time for some 80s music! With all the goodbyes the Doctor has said (whether to one-off characters or to companions who’ve also become his best friends), one thing he never does is forget about those companions. And it’s unlikely that they ever forget him (let’s just leave the endings of “The War Games” and “Journey’s End” aside for a little while). With a history and a canon as long and involved as Doctor Who has, memory has been a key theme in every era and incarnation of the show.

Track 9: Gone in the Morning by Newton Faulkner



Really, I picked this one because I love this video and now the song makes me think of the Doctor and his companions. Kind of in the same vein of memory and remembering each other.  The lyrics don't exactly fit the overall story, but the video's good.  So, there you go.

Track 10: Over the Rainbow/Simple Gifts by The Piano Guys



This will not be the last time you see The Piano Guys on this playlist, I assure you.  If nothing else, Somewhere Over the Rainbow is about dreaming and wishing to see something new and exciting.  That's a huge part of Doctor Who, making this a very fitting song for this tribute playlist.  And this video is just plain gorgeous. The Doctor needs to visit Hawaii (if he hasn't already - I'm sure he has).

Trailer Alert! Trailer Alert! This Is Not A Drill!!

Shout it high to the heavens, my friends! The endless kvetching can now finally cease. For, my dear fellow Whovians - WE HAVE A TRAILER!!

BEHOLD -



Here are my initial impressions -

- Ten and Eleven comparing everything from sonics to brainy specs to TARDIS interiors.  And, further proving that you cannot have a Doctor Who anniversary special with the line about redecorating anything. I think that's when the DayQuil finally kicked in because I started bouncing up and down and fangirl-flailing all over the place (silently, because I was in the break room at work watching on my iPhone).  I love how that is a distinctive Patrick Troughton line and pays homage to his performance, but David Tennant makes it his own moment for his Doctor. And Matt Smith's reaction - beautiful!

- It's not Handy!Doctor! Sing praises to Rassilon and Omega! (I had a... let's just say discussion with a 19-year-old girl I met a few weeks ago who was so thrilled that Rose and Handy were coming back and I had to vehemently disagree with her and she didn't like that very much. We did not leave on pleasant terms).

- I'm not sure what to make of Rose's crypticness and all-knowing whatchamawhozits.  I don't think this is Series 2 Rose, neither do I think it's Alt!Universe Rose. I wonder if it's the TARDIS doing a "Bad Wolf" projection at the last minute and that's what we got? I dunno - but it makes me excited!

- We got the Doctors being funny and lighthearted - but I love, love, love, LOVE the darkness there at the end. I don't think any multi-Doctor story has really dealt with the ramifications of meeting your future self and the bad things that could possibly happen form that.  It gave me chills and I love it!

That's just a few of my initial thoughts. I gotta go watch it on loop about fifty more times before I'm completely satisfied.

ETA: BBC America has a version that puts the trailer with the version of the theme from the cameo-licious 50th Anniversary teaser trailer. I'm sort of hoping they use that theme tune in the opening credits of the actual special (pretty please?? I've been ever-so-good).

The Way We Win Matters - Review of "Ender's Game"

If Isaac Asimov is the godfather of modern science fiction, then Orson Scott Card is the favorite uncle.  The Ender's Game series is one of the most popular and beloved science fiction series ever written - and it's a testament to Card's writing and forethought that the first book in the series took so long to be made into a movie. It's a bit like Lord of the Rings - the storytelling is just so complex and detailed that any movie would pale in comparison. And I'm not just talking about the special effects that would be necessary to make it look good.

Lots of people have read the book - and the movie assumes that you have.  Or that you at least know the basic plot. If you don't, then go find a copy because it is so worth reading! (It's on my personal List of Greatest Books Written In All Of Our Lifetimes and Beyond - someday, I'm going to have to parse out that list).  Spoilers from here on out -

Mostly, Ender's Game is about psychology and ethics. It's just set in space to make it more accessible and, frankly, more awesome. It's always been cool to me that it's a kid who teaches the moral and ethical lessons after the mass genocide he's unwittingly taken part of.  The movie does not skimp on that at all.  Just when you think it's all over and Ender's going to go home a hero - there's a little sequel hook that make you wonder if Speaker for the Dead will get a film (thought somehow, I doubt it. But stranger things have happened).  I kept thinking of The Hunger Games, where you're just never going to get a 100% faithful film adaptation of the book, but it's good enough for the story they were trying to tell and the spirit of the story was kept intact (the whole Demosthenes subplot with Valentine and Peter didn't make it into the movie, which was a shame because I really liked that in the book - but it wouldn't have served the movie).  I was a little worried that knowing the twist going into the movie would ruin it, but they kept that pretty well under-wraps until the Big Reveal.  Even knowing what was coming, I totally felt faked-out just as much as Ender had been.

I could gush on and on about the story, but you can read that in the book.  Strangely enough, for me, I've got to talk about the look of the movie.  I think my favorite "setting" is the Battle Room. That has got to be the most gorgeous piece of CGI in any movie - anywhere.  Not just the static room, but how the Battle School cadets move around and the overall look of the piece.  The majority of the movie looks fantastic, but the Battle Room is the real eye-candy.

I also like the beginning of the movie - how the shots of Ender are composed so you're looking at him head-on when the story is establishing how he's a loner and a misfit (or, as Colonel Graff calls him later, a oddball).  Those kinds of shot compositions aren't kept throughout the entire movie - just enough that you know that Ender is a bit of an outcast.  Plus, the scenes set on Earth actually look like they could be a realistic version of the future.  Things look like they do now, but just with a few futuristic details that create that kind of atmosphere.  Also - the music is simply beautiful. I need that soundtrack in my life (if it doesn't at least get nominated for some awards... well, I won't be surprised because those award things are stupid and rigged. But it ought to be recognized for being awesome).

The acting was top-notch.  Probably one difficulty in getting Ender's Game into production is the fact that, in the book, the Battle School cadets are, like six.  Try finding a six-year-old actor with enough talent and seriousness to pull that part off.  Even if you age the characters up in the screenplay - child actors aren't so great (Imma lookin' at you, The Last Airbender - among your many sins).  But the kids in this were just phenomenal. Asa Butterfield is probably the best young actor on the planet right now, and with him sharing screentime with Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin, that's saying something.  There were a few scenes where I just sat there and realized that there was this teenage boy acting against the likes of Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley and actually holding his own. You believe that Ender has moved up the ranks in Battle and Commander Schools as someone that these battle-hardened officers can respect.  Just - wow.

If you're a fan of Ender's Game and you've been waiting nearly 30 years for a good movie, you'll enjoy this.  If you read Ender's Game because it was an assignment in high school (those of you lucky enough to have gone to high school before science fiction became a hiss and a byword in the realm of academic elitism), you'll enjoy the movie.  Even if you've never read Ender's Game (in which case - Hi, Mom! Glad you're reading my blog!) - go read the book and then see the movie. You'll automatically become a better person for doing so.

Go Forward In All Your Beliefs

Librarian in the TARDIS, Epilogue

Well, kidlets. It's been seven months (near enough) since I embarked on the Librarian in the TARDIS blogging project to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who.  I feel like I've only scratched the surface of what there is to dive into with this remarkable franchise. And hopefully there will be more adventures and characters to love and talk about over the next 50 years (man, I can only hope I'm still doing this fandom thing when I'm 78. That'd make me one of the coolest grandma-types ever!)

I didn't want to just leave Librarian in the TARDIS without a proper send-off (because not even Dodo Chaplet deserved those kinds of shenanigans).  And I'm certain that I will add to the tag in the future because, honestly, it's too good to let languish in the annals of the Internet.  It's been good to have a structured formula in which to review Doctor Who stories in various media while also showing some love to some of the unsung gems of the TV show. I said at the outset that I wanted to give some neglected stories a closer look and bring in a fresh perspective from a relatively new fan because some of the Good Old Boys of fandom tend to recycle the same old reviews and opinions over and over again. I mean, in theory, everyone says “It’s okay to disagree” and everyone says they'll play well with others - but when it comes to actually expressing a dissenting opinion... people aren't as nice.

It’s also been good to explore Doctor Who “canon” (I use the term loosely) in other media. I've enjoyed Big Finish for a very long time and I would love to delve into more stories and story arcs as I am able. And reading the novels has simply been a treat. I hope this 50th Anniversary reprint range has done well-enough that BBC Books sees the value in making more of these novels available whether in hardcopy or digital formats because I would love to read more of them.

Just to close a few things out, I have a few “fictitious awards” to hand out. This is probably the most self-serving part of this blogging project, but it was the best way I could think of to really recap and close out this whole thing. So, without further ado, I present -

The Librarian in the TARDIS Awards Show!

(Super-creative naming convention, I know).

Biggest Surprise: How much I loved “Meglos.” This was an entirely new-to-me story and I had no idea if I would like it at all, let alone even “just a little bit.” But I LOVED it! Not just for the return of Jacqueline Hill to Doctor Who (though that in itself was beyond cool), but just how creative and imaginative the story was AND how they made the whole thing work. The writing was really engaging and fun and I absolutely adored the whole thing from start to finish.

Honorable Mention: Bonus Review for “The Enemy of the World.” I’m pretty sure the news of recovered missing episodes was a huge shock to a lot of people (even if you had been suckered-in by all those nutty rumors, the fact that they actually turned out to be true was still a surprise), but the mere fact that I enjoyed the story so much to want to include it in this blogging project was a very nice surprise and one that I was glad to have (and I must thank the boys at Traveling the Vortex for including my “Enemy of the World” review on their website - they’ve been great supporters and friends throughout this entire endeavor and I'm really appreciative of all they've done).

Something That Went Exactly I Way I Planned It: Reviewing the Sixth Doctor’s era. This era, more than any, was the one I had mostly worked out in my head from the start and it didn’t change much as I went along. When you’ve set out to complete something by a certain date and you’ve set a structure for yourself, sticking to a schedule is sheer gold.

The Sixth Doctor Reviewed:
Review 6.01 - Telling Conventional Fan Wisdom(tm) Where to Stick It (TV: Timelash)
Review 6.02 - Hello Doctor. It Is So Very Nice to Meet Me. (Audio: The Wrong Doctors)
Review 6.03 - A Meeting of History and Morality (Audio: Medicinal Purposes)
Review 6.04 - The War Games People Play (Prose: Players)

Review I’m Most Proud Of: “The Curse of Peladon.” Hands-down, this is the one that I think turned out the best. I really got down into the nitty-gritty of the characters and their motivations and a few things that Maybe, Sort Of, Could Have Happened (this being referred to on Tumblr as “Headcanon”). I’d never delved so much into the character of Jo Grant and that story gave me the opportunity to really dissect and take apart what makes her such a good companion for the Third Doctor. Getting into those details is something I enjoy and I think it was evident in my analysis of the review and I was very pleased with how that one turned out.

Honorable Mention: “The Last Post” - same thing with Jo in “The Curse of Peladon,” but with Liz Shaw. We got so little of Liz on TV, but Big Finish gave so much more detail with her character and background and that was a treat to get into.

Something That Changed My Mind: This wasn’t one particular review, but in the course of revisiting the Fourth Doctor’s stories, I was surprised how much my opinion of Tom Baker’s Doctor. I never actually hated his Doctor, but I just never really understood why he is considered by so many to be the bestest best Doctor in the history of EVAH! I just put it down to simple longevity and childhood nostalgia as being the reasons people liked him so much, but that didn’t mean I had to like him. But I also didn’t want to just sit here and be all “You fanboys’ tired old opinions are stupid, let me fix them for you” because that makes me no better than those who trot out Conventional Fan Wisdom(tm) as The Only True And Final Word And Anyone Who Thinks Otherwise Is An Idiot. In the spirit of revisiting and rethinking old opinions, I decided some of my own negative perceptions needed to be revisited as well. And I am glad that I gave the Fourth Doctor another chance because he is quite good. I’m starting to see the appeal. Does that mean it’s something that appeals to me personally? Not really. Four still isn’t my Doctor. But I can see how he would be someone else’s. And that’s surprising enough.

(I still think it’s stupid that everyone loses their crap over “The Talons of Weng-Chiang,” though).

The Fourth Doctor Reviewed:
Review 4.01 - Fill My Eyes With That Double Vision (TV: The Android Invasion)
Review 4.02 - Haven't I Seen You Somewhere Before? (TV: Meglos)
Review 4.03 - So Much Cooler Online (Audio: Babblesphere)
Review 4.04 - Well... That Was... a Book. Yup. Definitely a Book (Novel: Festival of Death)

Biggest Disappointment: “Ten Little Aliens.” I’m sorry - there just have to be better First Doctor novels that they could have chosen for the reprint range. I kind of feel like they expect that people don’t care for the First Doctor, so they just pulled whatever random story they could grab off the shelf and that’s what they did. It’s not representative of the First Doctor’s era and it’s just not a very good story. Not a great start to the set - but I guess they figure people would go for the Fourth Doctor or the Tenth Doctor books first and maybe work their way around (or skip the First Doctor entirely? If that’s the case - that’s a shame).

The Review I Wanted To Write For A Long Time and Finally Got To Do It: “Warriors of the Deep.” Simply because every time I heard some elitist literati fanboy goob deride and run down this story as “The beginning of the end for Classic Who,” I wanted to reach through my iPod or the computer screen and slap them silly. Because all they ever looked at was the surface problems of the effects or props or sets (which, there are many - I will not deny that), but they never gave the story any credit at all! In many ways, this review was a year or two in the making and I finally got to say my piece - and even have a link to give to people when they started in on the story. “Oh, you and everyone you know thinks ‘Warriors of the Deep’ is a steaming pile of garbage and deserves to be crapped on further? Here, read a dissenting opinion.”

Now, I don’t imagine for one second that I’ll change many minds with this (other than Vortex Glenn, who has a really nice write-up on his blog about the story: Warriors Revisited), but it’s like Jack Sparrow shooting the undead zombie monkey in “Pirates of the Caribbean.” It may not do any good for anyone else, but it does worlds of good for Jack.

Favorite Team TARDIS: Everyone in “The Light at the End.” There. Made that one easy on myself. MOVING ON!

The Review I Want to Revisit (and probably will later): “The Keys of Marinus.” I’ve watched this story a few more times since I first wrote that review and there are a lot of little details that I didn’t mention the first go-around (to be fair, that was the first one I wrote and I was still figuring out my format). I want to give this one “The Curse of Peladon” treatment and really dive deep into the story and characters and maybe fill in a few gaps with some fun little Headcanon moments.

The Doctor’s Era I Most Want to Revisit (Not Necessarily Review): I’ve already kind of been doing it on my own, but I’ve become absolutely enamored with the First Doctor’s era. I partially lay the credit/blame on Katie and Claire, two sisters who run the First Doctor-era- themed Unwilling Adventurer on Tumblr. Some of their analyses and reviews have really got me thinking more about the stories of the First Doctor’s era and how much more depth there is to be found. They don’t just talk about TV stories, but also delve into audios and novels, some of which I’ve listened to or read, but their descriptions make me want to read and listen to more (if I only had an unlimited amount of money - and if some of those novels were actually, you know, available). I just feel like there’s a wealth of interpretations to be made here, something that I think a lot of people miss when they dismiss the First Doctor as just that cranky old Doctor that wasn’t really the Doctor because they were still figuring out how the show was supposed to be (which, I think is a ridiculous statement to make, given that William Hartnell wasn’t “The First Doctor” at the time. He was the only Doctor). Anyway - yay First Doctor!

The First Doctor Reviewed:
Review 1.01 - The Call to Adventure (TV: The Keys of Marinus)
Review 1.02 - I Think It's Gonna Be A Long, Long Time (Audio: The Rocket Men)
Review 1.03 - Recycled Christie Cardboard IN SPACE! (Novel: Ten Little Aliens)

Story Arc I Most Want to Revisit: I created this category purely for the purposes of listing the Hex story arc as one I want to really delve into. I reviewed “The Harvest,” which saw Hex joining the Seventh Doctor and Ace on their travels and I have listened to a few other Big Finish audios that tie into Hex’s backstory, but I haven’t gotten to the point where everything comes together in one great big picturesque storyline. I really enjoyed Hex in “The Harvest” and I want to see more of what’s in store for him. Also, for whatever reason, the addition of Hex made me enjoy Seven and Ace that much more. I really like that combination for Team TARDIS.

Biggest Cheat: There were several, but I think this goes to "The Forever Trap," which was the audio story I reviewed for the Tenth Doctor's era. This review was planned from the beginning, even though I wanted to get in as much Big Finish as I could.  But then I got to New Who and realized... "Crap - Big Finish doesn't do New Who stories! (they don't have the license!)" But then I remembered I had this little pseudo-Companion Chronicle/audiobook and decided it would be fitting to review that (and I love it a lot. So there's that).

Favorite Song Used In a Review Post: I enjoy making use of music and videos in my reviews, but the one I thought worked the best was "Double Vision" by Foreigner in my review for "The Android Invasion." That was a meeting of serendipity, I don't mind saying (thank you, iTunes Shuffle!)

And, finally, here are my own personal "winners" for my favorite stories our of everything I reviewed -

Favorite TV Story I Reviewed: "The End of the World" by Russell T Davies. This is the story that drew me into Doctor Who and kept me coming back for more and a HUGE reason I'm sitting here writing these reviews and celebrating this anniversary year.

Favorite Audio Story I Reviewed:  "The Rocket Men" by John Dorney (he's written some other really, really good Big Finish stories too - go look them up). I'll be honest, this has been kind of a recent thing for me, but I simply adore the First Doctor's era. And I love, love, love, love Ian and Barbara to pieces! They're both fantastic characters individually, but put them together and they are just dynamite! (enough that I overuse italics and exclamation points when talking about them). I shipped them the first time I saw their stories (because, seriously - how can you not?) and I loved that there was an officially-licensed story that just had fun with that relationship. And William Russell's performance in that story is simply fantastic and I loved every minute of it.

Honorable Mention: If I'm completely honest, I very nearly gave this to "The Forbidden Time" by David Lock. I love the Companion Chronicles range and I love it when they have more than one companion in the story. Really makes me excited for the new Early Adventures range Big Finish has planned for next year. Plus, Anneke Wills and Frazer Hines are great on their own, but they are so much fun together!

Favorite Novel I Reviewed: "Fear of the Dark" by Trevor Baxendale. Simply for being a fantastic Fifth Doctor story and one that I won't forget in a hurry. I liked this one so much that, in addition to my initial eBook purchase, I also bought the paperback hardcopy to sit on my bookshelf next to "Beautiful Chaos," which is another favorite novel of mine.

[Short PS - Hey! BBC Books! If you’re reading this, could you please reprint all those Classic Doctor novels and novelizations? Or at least make them available as eBooks? There are plenty of fans who’d pay good money for that stuff! We’re waiting!! (I do have to give them credit for producing audiobook versions of the Target Novelizations, though).]

And, finally - finally!

Favorite Story I Reviewed Regardless of Media: “The Wrong Doctors.” For all my insistence that reviewing the Sixth Doctor’s era went off exactly as I planned (and it did), when I decided to review two Tom Baker TV stories, I thought it fair that I do the same for Colin Baker’s audio stories. So, I chose “The Wrong Doctors” to go along with “Medicinal Purposes” because it was a recent release and I already owned it - I just hadn’t listened to it yet. But it was so much fun and I loved it to bits and Colin Baker is so great in the audios and I could listen to his Doctor read the phonebook (I’m certain that some fun jokes would come about for that). Plus, it gave Mel some much-needed character and backstory and I will never argue with that.

And now - because this is what award shows do - for the final celebratory musical number:

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I hope some of what I've had to say has given my readers a new perspective and maybe helped you look at these stories in new and interesting ways. And maybe we had some fun along the way.

Don’t think that Librarian in the TARDIS is going away anytime soon. I’ll still write reviews of Doctor Who stories under that tag and with the same format (it makes writing reviews easier if I have the synopsis, etc. from the outset). I also have a few more surprises in the works for the next couple of weeks before the 50th Anniversary actually airs, so don’t go away!

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Previously, on Librarian in the TARDIS -
Review 11.2 - The Weather Outside is Frightful