Victory of the Daleks review and other bits
Three weeks in, and I've finally gotten around to getting down some thoughts on the Moffat era of Doctor Who (although not doing so sooner is less through laziness, and more because other people took on Unlimited Rice Pudding!'s reviewing duties for the first two eps). So here's what I had to say about Mark Gatiss' "Victory of the Daleks" - an episode that I seemed to like more than most of the internet did. And as it was my first opportunity to write about the current series, I also used the piece to start to pull together what I'm making of Matt Smith so far:
The man is a miracle, frankly. It’s far too early to start talking about his place in the pantheon, especially with his distinct character still in the process of being established, but he just gets it. He is the Doctor - it’s telling that he seems to echo so many of his predecessors at different times, but it’s as if he’s studied them all, and adheres to Moffat’s notion that “there aren’t eleven Doctors - there’s one Doctor with eleven faces” resolutely, in a way that Tennant (who had echoes of one or two, particularly (of course) Davison, but generally felt specifically Tennantish) never really did. He’s got a brilliantly nuanced awkwardness to his poise that makes him feel like the old man in a young and unfamiliar skin. He’s got the comedy fingers. He’s got the mixture of genuine authority and perpetual-verge-of-getting-called-out bluff that the Doctor should carry into any environment. He’s absolutely at home in the role, and to have been so from his first moments onscreen is an astounding feat. My only hope for him is that he can keep it up.
Quite good, then.
I've also been pounding out a few bits and bobs in Comics Daily's new non-review format recently - a quick think-piece on DC's current problem of having two characters with identical names, powers and costumes running around entitled How Do You Solve A Problem Like Wally West? ended up getting picked up and discussed by a couple of forums, which means it's probably the most-read thing I've written since I was last in a magazine. And we've been having a bit of fun this week by taking advantage of the volcano-induced lack of new US comics to do something we've called "Ash vs Britain" week - so I've reviewed the latest 2000AD (featuring two strips by Friend of Some Of You LiveJournal Lot Al Ewing), and recommended a few excellent back issues.
Oh, and hey, did I ever link to my Kick-Ass review? A bit late now, I suppose, since the film's been out here a few weeks, but it's good to have the link up for posterity. As hinted at a while back, I really rather liked it (and a second viewing did nothing to change this) :
Against the odds, this is going to take some beating as the most purely entertaining action film of 2010 - and the best superhero flick since The Dark Knight. Your move, Iron Man.
I should be writing on this thing a bit more, anyway. And not just linking to stuff, either, but actually using it to post halfway worthwhile original content. I've a few ideas kicking around, so expect something soon. Bet you can't wait.
Originally posted at seblog.co.uk. You can comment here or there.