craigoxbrow

The Dark Knight Rises. I'll just say if you liked Batman Begins you might well like it more than I did, as it's very much a sequel to that with some housecleaning from The Dark Knight in a few scenes, but if like me you were lukewarm to it and only really liked The Dark Knight you may be disappointed, as it shares a number of the things I didn't like first time out.

(Doing my best not to be influenced by the context it has been given, but I'll note that two jokes were met with uncomfortable silences in the packed screening room.)

Being ahead of a plot twist (unusually) didn't help. I wonder how obvious it was to not-comic-y people? A scene apparently getting shifted in continuity doesn't help either.

And Catwoman doesn't feel like she belongs in the same Batman story as Bane. Although I loved the bit where she stabbed Owen from Torchwood in the leg after he lampshaded how insane her shoes are.

And strange how plot points recur across different interpretations - consider how Tw-Face gets taken out in both Schumacher and Nolan's films, or now... there's this.

(He's just one distracting "hey it's that guy!" appearance in a minor role, by the by.)

On the whole, above The Amazing Spider-Man, not as disappointing as Prometheus, had things I liked, but they're mostly tricks and surprises so I'm unlikely to go see it again.

Trailers:

Well, Man Of Steel uses music from Lord Of The Rings instead of the John Williams Superman score, so that's different. The segmented metal snakes S logo is sort of horrific. Still amused that we're getting a Captain Rugged movie.

Skyfall looks like a big international espionage action movie with the same plot as the first Mission Impossible. Um.

And Total Recall and Judge Dredd Versus The Raid.

And apparently a Keith Lemon movie. Not a visage I wanted to see on an IMAX screen when I'm three rows from the front.

And a video game that David Goyer apparently wrote - it seems he really likes the "villain posing as freedom fighter" plot strand.

This time I'm sure people had fun. Or were so sugared up and caffeinated we couldn't tell.

Despite me and another GM in my category putting the representative from Stirling at the top (which was totally not motivated by location, for reals!) they were beaten to second due to a third place in the final category, by Cardiff.

"Cardiff, huh? You could totally do a Torchwood tour while you're down there..."
"AAAAAAAAAAAGHH"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"... Win."

Writing team announced is good news.

Torchwood will return.

RTD actually plans to write some of it, which judging by the previous series helps immensely.

Odd that the arrangement with a US channel and BBC Worldwide was what got the Eighth Doctor his one TV appearance. (Been listening to the audioplays on BBC7. The one we're getting free are more kid-friendly than I was expecting, I was thinking they'd be more New Adventures style.)

Amy's Choice was rather Doctor Who versus How Do You Want Me? but that's no bad thing. Very funny, rather touching... also incredibly violent at an unexpected target...

Next up, Hootcrowd's Chris Chibnall not being allowed to swear for two whole episodes. Can he survive?

TORCHWOOOOOOD!

Although this time out RTD actually wrote two of the episodes, which is twice as many as both the previous series put together.

One world-endangering result that CERN has lead to is a new Hootcrowd story.

Dollhouse

Dr. Horrible

Snagged from angusabranson, Doctor Who with Steven Moffat and Julie Gardner dodging questions in funny and charming ways

Torchwood featuring Gardner, John Barrowman, Gareth David-Lloyd and Naoko Mori.

And while we're here, The Music Of The Spheres, the Proms scenelet showing the Doctor at his most He'sBehindYou!

Torchwood series 3, on BBC1, only 5 episodes

I look forward to series 4 being broadcast on BBC Zero and lasting eleven seconds.