BFA: Various
Jan. 26th, 2007 10:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fangrrl_squeesI've been cheerfully listening to a fair whack of BFA lately, bless their hearts.
Blood of the Daleks and Horror of Glam Rock. I preferred Blood of the Daleks, although I liked Lucie more in the latter piece, as they've filed a couple of the more abrasive edges off her. Thing is, HoGR didn't quite gel for me. When I heard the trailer, I thought Oh yeah! Brilliant! A parody and a historical all in one. However, on listening, it felt to me like the story wasn't quite willing to take the plunge into full-blown satire, but it was a bit too silly to play it straight. Great cast - all those celebs scrambling for roles they can share with the wee grandkids, and such - and the story had some great moments. But, overall? Nothing all that special, really.
UNIT - The Coup and Time Heals. I've got a soft spot for the Brigadier, so I was inclined to enjoy The Coup by default. I like the premise of UNIT "going public" - and then having their declaration dismissed as a bloody great hoax. I like the core characters, Chaudry, Dodds and Dalton - although I'm bummed about the future in store for Colonel Dalton. That's what I get for visiting Wikipedia for information... My major crit of the stories so far is that they state and overstate the sciencing. Viz:
"Increase the energy"
"But if we increase the energy, then XYZ will happen!"
"Dammit man, I don't care! Increase the energy!"
“My god, he’s increased the energy!”
Lots of re-explaining what has already been well established. It got a bit tiring by the end of Time Heals. And I think the notion of ICIS is a) obvious b) a bit boring c) did I mention obvious? Oh well, nothing’s perfect. As I said, I like the characters, the cast are doing a good job and the stories are no sillier than usual. I’ll give the rest of the run a go, for sure.
On a related note, I'm looking for a copy of the Doctor Who Unbound (not nearly as exciting a series as you might hope) Sympathy for the Devil, as it features David Tennant playing a much-referred-to (and conveniently disappeared) character from the UNIT stories: Colonel Brimmicombe-Wood. And it’s got David Werner as the Doctor, so what’s not to like?
Iris Wildthyme - Wildthyme At Large. I first encountered Iris in the Eighth Doctor story The Scarlett Empress and thought she was the best thing in it. So I cheerfully DL’d a couple of Wildthyme stories. I’ve listened to the first and... I’m torn. When it’s on, it’s fucking hilarious. The character of Panda, in particular, gets me for a variety of reasons I won’t get into - they’re all drearily personal and rooted in my childhood, suffice it to say. However, there’s a lack of consistency. Again, there are moments where they’re going for broad comedy, with a bit of heavy-handed innuendo, or sheer absurdity, and then there are moments where they seem to be trying to play it straight. Maybe it’s all tongue-in-cheek and I’m just missing it... Hearing the major fandom stereotypes lampooned - and then harpooned - in the first 15 minutes was worth the listen, though. I think Katy Manning played it a bit too broadly on occasion but as the overall intent was clearly comedic, what the hell, right? I’ve got another one on the hard drive, The Devil in Ms. Wildthyme, so I might as well give it a chance. If I can listen to three Kaldor City audios, I can listen to anything.
As mentioned before, I fuckin’ loved The Gathering. I’ve got The Reaping ready to go, and my fingers are crossed. I’ve also got Loup Garou, which seems to invoke some sharp divisions amongst the listeners. I wasn’t really at all enamored of the previous Five/Turlough bit that I listened to, so I hope this one won’t be disappointing. Also stacked up are Arrangements for War, Thicker Than Water, Medicinal Purposes and another one of the Tennant-read audiobooks although, honestly, The Stone Rose so failed to engage me that I quit listening to it. When David Tennant’s accent fails to grab my interest, there’s something far, far wrong...
Blood of the Daleks and Horror of Glam Rock. I preferred Blood of the Daleks, although I liked Lucie more in the latter piece, as they've filed a couple of the more abrasive edges off her. Thing is, HoGR didn't quite gel for me. When I heard the trailer, I thought Oh yeah! Brilliant! A parody and a historical all in one. However, on listening, it felt to me like the story wasn't quite willing to take the plunge into full-blown satire, but it was a bit too silly to play it straight. Great cast - all those celebs scrambling for roles they can share with the wee grandkids, and such - and the story had some great moments. But, overall? Nothing all that special, really.
UNIT - The Coup and Time Heals. I've got a soft spot for the Brigadier, so I was inclined to enjoy The Coup by default. I like the premise of UNIT "going public" - and then having their declaration dismissed as a bloody great hoax. I like the core characters, Chaudry, Dodds and Dalton - although I'm bummed about the future in store for Colonel Dalton. That's what I get for visiting Wikipedia for information... My major crit of the stories so far is that they state and overstate the sciencing. Viz:
"Increase the energy"
"But if we increase the energy, then XYZ will happen!"
"Dammit man, I don't care! Increase the energy!"
“My god, he’s increased the energy!”
Lots of re-explaining what has already been well established. It got a bit tiring by the end of Time Heals. And I think the notion of ICIS is a) obvious b) a bit boring c) did I mention obvious? Oh well, nothing’s perfect. As I said, I like the characters, the cast are doing a good job and the stories are no sillier than usual. I’ll give the rest of the run a go, for sure.
On a related note, I'm looking for a copy of the Doctor Who Unbound (not nearly as exciting a series as you might hope) Sympathy for the Devil, as it features David Tennant playing a much-referred-to (and conveniently disappeared) character from the UNIT stories: Colonel Brimmicombe-Wood. And it’s got David Werner as the Doctor, so what’s not to like?
Iris Wildthyme - Wildthyme At Large. I first encountered Iris in the Eighth Doctor story The Scarlett Empress and thought she was the best thing in it. So I cheerfully DL’d a couple of Wildthyme stories. I’ve listened to the first and... I’m torn. When it’s on, it’s fucking hilarious. The character of Panda, in particular, gets me for a variety of reasons I won’t get into - they’re all drearily personal and rooted in my childhood, suffice it to say. However, there’s a lack of consistency. Again, there are moments where they’re going for broad comedy, with a bit of heavy-handed innuendo, or sheer absurdity, and then there are moments where they seem to be trying to play it straight. Maybe it’s all tongue-in-cheek and I’m just missing it... Hearing the major fandom stereotypes lampooned - and then harpooned - in the first 15 minutes was worth the listen, though. I think Katy Manning played it a bit too broadly on occasion but as the overall intent was clearly comedic, what the hell, right? I’ve got another one on the hard drive, The Devil in Ms. Wildthyme, so I might as well give it a chance. If I can listen to three Kaldor City audios, I can listen to anything.
As mentioned before, I fuckin’ loved The Gathering. I’ve got The Reaping ready to go, and my fingers are crossed. I’ve also got Loup Garou, which seems to invoke some sharp divisions amongst the listeners. I wasn’t really at all enamored of the previous Five/Turlough bit that I listened to, so I hope this one won’t be disappointing. Also stacked up are Arrangements for War, Thicker Than Water, Medicinal Purposes and another one of the Tennant-read audiobooks although, honestly, The Stone Rose so failed to engage me that I quit listening to it. When David Tennant’s accent fails to grab my interest, there’s something far, far wrong...
