13: Prisoner of the Judoon

PRISONER OF THE JUDOON (2009, Sarah Jane w/ Luke, Clyde, Rani, Sarah Jane Adventures TV)

This is a comedic Sarah Jane Adventures tale, reducing the Judoon – pretty silly monsters anyway, but great fun for younger viewers – to simply something to laugh at. The central ideas of Nanogenes and Androvax are good, but some of the acting is bad and it's not massively enjoyable. 7/10. 50 words.

 

tomorrow: the sssseedsssss of death...
buy this at http://www.bbcshop.com/sarah-jane/sarah-jane-adventures-series-3-dvd/invt/bbcdvd3137

12: Family Ties

FAMILY TIES (2012, Wolfblood TV)

There's a fair amount of suspense and accusation in this intriguing story. The story is nicely paced, but there's some clunky dialogue and a predictable resolution. The regular cast's performances are brilliant, and it's worth noting how well the series was cast, but this is the weakest episode so far. 7/10. 50 words.

TOMORROW - Prisoner of the Judoon

11: The Marian Conspiracy

THE MARIAN CONSPIRACY (2000, Sixth Doctor and Evelyn, Doctor Who Audio)

Jac Rayner's script incorporates some absolutely astounding dialogue and ideas, performed by the fantastic cast, who each make every single word count. The relationship between the Doctor and new companion Evelyn – emerging quickly as one of my favourite companions – is great and this spectacular story is completely faultless. 10/10. 50 words.

BUY IT HERE: http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-marian-conspiracy-624
TOMORROW: Wolfblood Episode 3 - Family Ties

10: The Brain of Morbius

My second Tom Baker review...

THE BRAIN OF MORBIUS (1976, Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane, Doctor Who TV)

Quite disturbing and dark. Tom Baker's great, but it's Elisabeth Sladen and guest Philip Madoc who really shine. The Morbius Monster is a great creation and there's memorable moments in this enjoyable story. Condo, however, is a stereotype, adding little, and the Sisterhood of Karn scenes seem to last forever. 7/10. 50 words.

BUY IT HERE: http://www.bbcshop.com/science-fiction/doctor-who-the-brain-of-morbius-dvd/invt/bbcdvd1816
TOMORROW: Early Sixth Doctor audio story The Marian Conspiracy...

9: Mysterious Developments

My second Wolfblood review in a row is the second episode of the first series...

MYSTERIOUS DEVELOPMENTS (2012, Wolfblood TV)
Perhaps the werewolf idea is waning a bit thin, and perhaps some of the cast aren't brilliant, but the compelling supernatural drama of the Young Dracula ilk continues with an episode that really explores my favourite character Shannon (played by super-amazing Louisa Connolly-Burnham) and aims straight at the heart. Brilliant. 8/10. 50 words.

Series 2 premieres on September 9 2013 on CBBC.

TOMORROW: The Brain of Morbius

8: Lone Wolf

My first Wolfblood review...

LONE WOLF (2012, Wolfblood TV)

Praise goes to the writer, director, editor and cinematographer of this atmospheric and spectacularly articulated opening tale. Establishing the convincing characters and including interesting moments accompanied by great direction, this is a brilliant set-up story. Debbie Moon has delivered an enjoyable opener to what promises to be an exciting drama. 9/10. 50 words.

TOMORROW: Wolfblood Episode 2: Mysterious Developments...

7: The Happiness Patrol

To end the week, it's a fun little story from 1988...

THE HAPPINESS PATROL (1988, Seventh Doctor and Ace, Doctor Who TV)

Sadness is illegal in this intriguing story. An interesting concept is dimmed by substandard acting from the guest cast, and the awful monster, the Kandyman, made of sweets for little reason. Nonetheless, Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and Sheila Hancock are brilliant, and the story has many great ideas. Very enjoyable. 9/10. 50 words.

 

BUY IT AT http://www.bbcshop.com/sylvester-mccoy/doctor-who-ace-adventures-box-set-dvd/invt/bbcdvd3387

TOMORROW: My first Wolfblood review is Episode 1 - Lone Wolf.

6: The Curse of Clyde Langer

My first Sarah Jane Adventures review...

THE CURSE OF CLYDE LANGER (2011, Sarah Jane w/ Clyde & Rani, Sarah Jane Adventures TV)
All the elements of a great story – an emotional real plot, convincing characters, and great direction and dialogue – are present in this Sarah Jane Adventures story showcasing fabulous acting from all the regulars. These great elements coalesce into a compelling story which really makes you think. Brilliant story. 9/10. 50 words.

 

BUY IT HERE: http://www.bbcshop.com/science-fiction/the-sarah-jane-adventures-series-5-dvd/invt/bbcdvd3580

TOMORROW: To conclude the first week of 50-word reviews, it's unusual Seventh Doctor story The Happiness Patrol...

5: Phantoms of the Deep

For my first ever 50-word Tom Baker story review, I've decided to pick one of his most recent audios, one of the most atmospheric stories he ever appeared in.

PHANTOMS OF THE DEEP (2013, Fourth Doctor and Romana I, Doctor Who Audio)

There's an original setting here, as well as great actors brilliantly performing convincing dialogue, and amazing sound design and authentic music. Jonathan Morris' script becomes a little bit mangled at the end, and the resolution is difficult to understand on first listen, but there's a multitude of memorable moments. Fantastic. 9/10. 50 words.

BUY IT HERE: http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/phantoms-of-the-deep-690
TOMORROW ON THE BLOG: It's my first The Sarah Jane Adventures review and I've picked one of the most emotional stories of the run... The Curse of Clyde Langer is reviewed in 50 words tomorrow.

4: The Scorchies

Today it's my first 50-word excursion into the world of Doctor Who on Big Finish Productions audio... So here's one of this year's wacky two-hander 'Companion Chronicles', reviewed in 50 words...

THE SCORCHIES (2013, Third Doctor and Jo, Doctor Who Audio)

Unusually for Big Finish, music is heavily incorporated into James Goss' unusual but highly enjoyable tale. Lauren Yason and Richard Fox provide very catchy songs and enjoyable incidental music and sound design. Katy Manning is on stunning form, showing off her vocal talents alongside Melvyn Hayes. Marvellously comedic and enjoyable. 10/10. 50 words.

BUY IT HERE: http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-scorchies-748

TOMORROW: Another Doctor Who audio story, tomorrow it's my first Tom Baker review, of the atmospheric audio story Phantoms of the Deep.

3: Silver Nemesis

The 25th anniversary story reviewed in 50 words... (I should just note that I've only seen the extended version, which has about 10 minutes of extended footage.)

SILVER NEMESIS (1988, Seventh Doctor and Ace, Doctor Who TV)

It feels like a remake of the last but one story's plot, with Cybermen replacing Daleks. Some of the events feel pointless and used only as padding. While there's some nice elements here and there, the Cybermen's inclusion is pointless and I was expecting more from the silver anniversary story. 4/10. 50 words.

WATCH IT HERE: http://www.dailymotion.com/playlist/x12su4_tardismedia_silver-nemesis/1#video=xahbi8
BUY IT HERE: http://www.bbcshop.com/science-fiction/doctor-who-cyberman-box-set-dvd/invt/bbcdvd2854

TOMORROW: Delving into the world of Doctor Who at Big Finish Productions, The Scorchies, one of the most bizarre stories ever, is reviewed... in 50 words.

2: The Curse of the Black Spot

Yesterday I reviewed one of my favourite Doctor Who stories, so let's slide down to the other end of the spectrum today...

THE CURSE OF THE BLACK SPOT (2011, 11th Doctor with Amy & Rory, Doctor Who TV)
This tale features pirates and sirens, and therefore should be quite enjoyable, but the plot becomes convoluted near the end, and all the elements - which are good individually - just don't work together as a whole. There's some clunky dialogue and bad acting from the pirates, too. Disappointing story. 4/10. 50 words.

BUY IT HERE: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Part-Matt-Smith/dp/B004ULEX7Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1376987916&sr=1-1&keywords=doctor+who+series+6+part+1

TOMORROW: Back to the Seventh Doctor with 25th anniversary story Silver Nemesis reviewed in 50 words.

1: Remembrance of the Daleks

Okay, so to start off it's one of my favourite stories from the classic series...

REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS (1988, Seventh Doctor & Ace, Doctor Who TV)
This fan favourite has everything imaginable - a strong, original plot, great action scenes and dialogue, and lots of Dalek action. Writer Ben Aaronovitch plays with suspense and delivers a very enjoyable tale with great ideas and strong characters, plus excellent use of the Daleks. All the acting is brilliant. 10/10. 50 words.

TOMORROW: From good to bad... The Curse of the Black Spot reviewed tomorrow in under 50 words.

Watch it here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x114ymg_remembrance-of-the-daleks-1_shortfilms?search_algo=2
Buy it here: http://www.bbcshop.com/science-fiction/doctor-who-remembrance-of-the-daleks-special-edition-dvd/invt/bbcdvd2451