New Companion: Pearl Mackie

The months of speculation as to the identity of the new Doctor Who companion are finally over. The mini episode, Friend from the Future was broadcast yesterday on Match of the Day Live during half-time and revealed that Pearl Mackie will be joining Peter Capaldi's Doctor as 'Bill', in Series 10.

Introducing the new companion in the middle of a football match is certainly one of more unusual stunts that the publicity team has pulled. It's good to see Doctor Who being promoted during a mainstream sporting event although I suspect that by the time the next series is actually broadcast, most casual viewers will have forgotten who the new companion is. Still, the same could be said of the long wait until Matt Smith's introduction, and this was worth it to see all the tweets from fans who were angry at having to watch a sport they hate. Better for a wider promotion than just on the internet or Comic Con. 

The advantage of this three minute sequence meant that we catch a glimpse Pearl Mackie's acting as well as hearing the accent she will bring to the character. One could say the character is quite glib, but this is only a small fragment of a larger series. The name is also curious. Is 'Bill' short for Billie or some other unusual name? It's also the only time until possibly Class when we will see Peter Capaldi's in action. I think I preferred this to a bland interview in which the actor evades answering any questions. 

In the end, fans have no reason to think Pearl Mackie will be better or worse than her successors. While I was hoping it would be Rakhee Thakrar, as the rumours suggested, I am not disappointed at this choice. Pearl Mackie may not be a household name, it is exciting to see a young actor suddenly step into a big franchise and become a bigger name. There a lot of questions. Is she a modern companion or not? Does she have a family? Is she only staying for Steven Moffat's last series or will she carry over to the Chris Chibnall era? I look forward to finding out answers to these questions in the coming months. 

Film Watch: Metropolis (1927)

Metropolis is the story of Freder Frederson, the son of industrialist Jon Frederson, who runs Metropolis. Jon meets the mysterious young woman, Mariah, and follows her into the lower depths of the undercity. There he discovers the exploited workers who suffer in order to kee his father's city working.  Mariah appears before the people and promises a 'mediator' who will forge communication between the workers and the industrialists.

Upon discovering this, Jon Frederson approaches the scientist Rotwang, who has invented a machine man. Jon gets Rotwang to transform his machine man into a version of Mariah. This fake Mariah causes the workers to rise up and destroy Metropolis. Freder rescues the real Mariah, helps to quell the revolution and, unsurprisingly, becomes the mediator between his father and the workers.

The film carries with it a fairly obvious theme of workers exploited by big businessman. The revolution is shown to be a bad thing and at the end of the day, the businessman is allowed to live with no recriminations. It can feel a little mawkish at times, but it's still a relevant message.

This film took many months to make and the effort definitely shows int he final product. There is a great abundance of stunning studio locations, from the recreational park at the beginning, the steam ridden hellish world of the undercity to other things. Mariah's retelling of the tower of babel story is also a fairly interesting scene, The Machine Man is a striking creation and would go on to influence the design of C-3PO in 1977's Star Wars. There is also a wonderful dream like quality to the film with Rotwang's house feeling bigger on the inside with various doors that open and close of their own accord.

Given that this is a silent film, the characters are, by necessity, very broad so that their personalities are clear to the audience. Freder is the ernest and emotional young man, Jon is the cold hearted industrialist. Rotwang is a fairly typical mad scientist. Mariah could be seen as interesting in leading the people, but she is kidnapped and replaced by  he machine man, the real Mariah becomes a damsel in distress to be rescued by the male characters.

9/10

Class: Details Revealed

With the long gap until the next series films, there's been a drought of news in the world of Doctor Who. This changed today with the reveal of the cast of Class just before it went into production.

Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Vivian Oprah and Sophie Hopkins have been cast as Coal Hill sixth formers while Katherine Kelly has been cast as one of their teacher. A few of these names had already started to leak out in rumours but it was nice to have them confirmed. I can't say I've seen anything with these actors in before. The four 'sixth formers might look a little old for mid teens, but hopefully their acting talent will compensate for this.

According to the main article, one of the characters will be an alien who was hidden on Earth by a time traveler for their safety. Not only will this alien have to deal with school life but also with the aliens who have pursued them to Earth. It seems obvious that this 'time traveller' will be the Doctor, that is unless scriptwriter, Patrick Ness, decide to wrong foot us and have it be Missy instead. The Doctor would be the better choice. He is more likely to want to protect someone and it would be great to have Peter Capaldi guest star in one of the episodes.

Steven Moffat has described the show as being a 'British Buffy'. With  a cast four students and a teacher it certainly fits the model of the first three series of Buffy which had Buffy, Xander, Willow, Cordelia and Giles. How the characters will be similar or different it is hard to say. Whether the teacher will be a mentor for fighting aliens or simply a guide imparting real life lessons it's hard to say. It will certainly be interesting to see the Buffy format updated to include modern teenage issues.

While the show's connection to Doctor Who still feels tenuous, I feel strangely optimistic about it. Patrick Ness' twitter feed shows that he is strongly opinionated on certain issues, which might make for a compelling show. Hopefully this will be a successful spin that stays around for a while.

Old Boy (2003)

After getting drunk on his daughter's birthday, Oh Dae-Su is abducted off the streets and imprisoned in a small room for fifteen years with only a television set for company. The television scenes of political events passing just help to emphasize how small and insignificant Oh Dae-Su is within his cell. In this time his wife is murdered and he is set up for it. Rather than accepting defeat, Oh Dae-Su rebuilds himself and becomes a stronger man. He spends his time trying to break through the wall in his cell. After he is released, he meets a young chef, Mido and they set out to find the man responsible for the imprisonment.

The plot may sound similar to the Counte of Monte Cristo, or any other revenge story but Oldboy manages to put its own stamp on the old tropes. It helps that the protagonist, Oh Dae-Su is compelling to watch. He is a serious man who looks as though he is dead inside. He is simultaneously a tough guy and cool but also prone to depression and is not particularly in control of the revenge narrative. The scene where he eats a live octopus is obscene, but given how little gratification he has had for years, you can understand the urge to absorb life itself.

The supporting lead, Mido is also a well played character. Her interest in the older Oh Dae-Su appears to come out of nowhere. At first it seemed like the fantasy of a frustrated old male script writer, but I was surprised to find there was actually a good reason for this in the plot and one that makes you rethink their relationship.

The third major character is, of course, the target for the revenge, Lee, the man responsible for locking Oh Dae-Su up. On the outside, he appears a smarter, more sophisticated man, yet his backstory and obsession hint at something more monstrous.

The level of violence in this film is pretty high. Our protagonist undergoes plenty of pain and there's a pretty grim sequence at the end of the film. Yet at the same time there's a good sense of humour to the film. The director does a nice job. The uninterrupted fight sequence is a highlight The shot of our hero trying to save a man from suicide is neatly paralleled with the villain doing the same thing later on.

8/10

Film Watch: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Alfred Tennyson once wrote that 'it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all'. Wise words that apply to Joel Barish, the protagonist of  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, written by Charlie Kauffman and directed by Michel Gondry. Joel is upset when he finds out that his ex-girlfriend, Clementine Kruczynski has used a service, Lacuna, to erase Joel from her memories. Joel decides to undergo the treatment himself to erase Clementine. However, after the procedure starts to take effect, old memories resurface that remind Joel that he still loves Clementine after all.

The scenes inside Joel's head are the highlight of the film. Initially the memories make sense, but as the process continues, memories start to blue together and blank spots appear where the memories start to go. Director Michel Gondry does a really good job of presenting what a strange dreamlike state this would be. The acting also helps, as we see Jim Carey play Joel as an adult, and also adult Joel reexperiencing what it is like to be a child.

The Lacuna process gives the audience more insights into the relationship between Joel and Clementine. Joel is outwardly shy and nice but is often cautious to the point of being boring. Clementine's colorful hair, interesting clothing and outwardly fun personality hide her insecurities and drinking problems. As the relationship goes on they both start to get on each others nerves. Clementine finds Joel boring while Joel finds her unpredictable and careless. Neither of them are more right than the other and they both could have made better decisions within the relationship.

While Joel is experiencing the erasing procedure, events are also occurring in his apartment back in he real world. Patrick and Stan, the two Lacuna workers performing the erasal are having their own relationship dramas. Patrick is dating Clementine while Stan is dating Mary who secretly likes Howard. It is also fun watching their dialogue bleed into Joel's unconscious mind, forcing him to fight for Clementine.
Over time we discover that the Lacuna are people are just as badly affected by their relationships as Joel. Ultimately, all the characters realise that their memories are important.

The cast of this film are all excellent. It's hard to imagine anyone other than Joel Carey playing Joel. He successfully portrays  Joel as an awkward loner without making him appear too pathetic to sympathise with. Kate Winslet also shows her variety in playing a more punkish character with hidden insecurities.

Like many of the best films, Eternal Sunshine doesn't fit easily into one particular category. There are moments that could be classified as a 'rom-com' or others that feel like they come from a  science fiction film, but it never commits to either, keeping the audience on their toes. There is no happy ending at the end. Joel and Clementine get together, but they are both aware that the relationship could break apart again. It is hoped that the second time around will be better, but it is not.

10/10

Film Review: Labyrinth (1986)

With sad news of David Bowie's passing, the film itself being nearly thirty years old and the recent announcement of a reboot, it felt like the right time to look back at Jim Henson's little cult classic.

When a young girl, Sarah Williams, accidentally wishes that her baby brother, Toby, would be taken away by the goblins, the Goblin King, Jareth, offers Sarah the chance to get Toby back if she can make her way through through labyrinth to his castle. Along the way she solves various riddles and meets up with various friends, including Hoggle, Rudo and Sir Didymus, The fact that the film includes a 'Wizard of Oz' book among Sarah's belongings makes it clear the film doesn't mind you knowing the obvious influences behind the work. There are also hints of Alice in Wonderland and a showdown in an M.C Escher inspired castle.

The main theme of this film is growing up. Sarah is a well off young girl who is moody to her father and stepmother. She starts off attached to her material goods and by the end is ready to give them up to save Toby. We get the usual fantasy as therapy with toys and books from Sarah's bedroom providing the bedrock. Still, it's nice that the film stresses the importance that fantasy is necessary every once in a while.

Jennifer Connelly is decent enough int the role of Sarah. She gets the balance right by showing the spoiled side of Sarah without making the character too unlikable. She doesn't particularly outshine the other actors but is alright.

David Bowie, on the other hand, is perfect at the Goblin King. At some moments he is camp, at others sinister and attractive. Where Jennifer Connelly's Sarah might get lost among the weirdness, Bowie's Jareth owns the screen every time he is on it. The biggest challenge a reboot would face is finding an actor who can make Jareth his own and not just create a weak homage to Bowie.

Hoggle might be considered the third main character of the film as he is the only one of Sarah's fantasy friends who gets any character development. When we first meet him he is pissing in a pond and killing fairies. We also find out he's a bit of a coward. Over time he becomes more sympathetic. The combination of puppet and voice work make him feel genuine. You enjoy watching this character.

As for the other characters, Ludo is sweet but has very little personality. Sir Didymus feels like a weird homage of Basil Brush. He is an amusing comic relief character. Jim Henson's team create a whole range of amusing little characters from the tiny worm with a cockney accent to the evil Junk Lady.

Labyrinth came after The NeverEnding Story and Return to Oz and has a very similar tone to the films. The soundtrack is a nicely sinister in places and certain sets, like the junk pile and the crumbling walls of the labyrinth entrance give the thing a sombre tone. The creatures that Sarah faces are nasty and funny at the same time. From the talking hands that pull her into the abyss to the crazy red furry creatures that threaten to take Sarah's limbs from her body all while jaunty music plays in the background, there is always an element of danger in this film that is fun to watch.

Labyrinth is not exactly a life changing film but not a particularly bad one either. It is certainly worth watching at least once.

7/10

Steven Moffat to leave Doctor Who

It's been confirmed that Steven Moffat will be leaving Doctor Who after Series 10 while  Chris Chibnall will be taking over the role of showrunner for Series 11. The 'Bleeding Cool article earlier this year suggested this, and the fact that Steven kept talking about his departure in interview made it felt less of a surprise and more like a reveal of inevitable news.

I can't say I'm particularly upset at this. Steven has had a pretty good, long run at Doctor Who. In that time he has given us three great Doctors, three wonderful companions, a spectacular anniversary special, and a surprisingly wonderful female Master. All this time he has kept the show in the public eye. When he took over from Russell T Davies he reinvented the show and then when Matt left, just at the point it looked like he might dry up he changed the tone for Peter Capaldi bringing us two of his best series with a more sombre tone to them. It's better that he should go out on a high than risk getting trapped on the show, which happened to John Nathan Turner. I wish him well for whatever future projects he may go on to do after this.

As for Chris Chibnall, he's a good choice for showrunner, albeit not a particularly exciting one. Chibnall has plenty of television experience but I found his Doctor Who scripts fairly average in quality. On the other hand, I did like The Power of Three, so maybe that's promising. Chibnall won't be the cure for all the perceived 'ills' of the Steven Moffat era, but nor should he be terrible. I can imagine something far more traditional and conservative. I have a feeling I won't enjoy the Chris Chibnall era as much as the previous two, but, in a way, that's okay. Change isn't always easy but someone, somewhere, will hopefully identify this as their own era.

With Series 10 not airing until Spring 2017, and a only a Christmas special this year, it's going to be a long wait for some, but gap years have never particularly bothered me. Doctor Who should never feel like a show for people take for granted. For those who don't like the wait it's a good time to look at some other Doctor Who stuff. There's 'Class' to look forward to in the autumn.

Still, all of that is in the future. For now we've got Steven Moffat's last series. Hopefully he can make his exit every bit as exciting as brilliant as his entrance in 2010.