Doctor Who (Peter Capaldi) – The Witch’s Familiar, and Under the Lake

The Doctor (Capaldi) finds himself confronting a terrible choice when the cliffhanger caused by last week’s episode comes to its resolution in The Witch’s Familiar. Written by Steven Moffat, this episode first premiered on 26 September, 2015. Davros (Julian Bleach) has apparently let the Daleks destroy Clara (Jenna Coleman), Missy (Michelle Gomez) and the TARDIS….

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1992) – The First Duty, and Cost of Living

Captain’s log: stardate 45703.9 Airing on 30 March, 1992, and written by Ronald D. Moore and Naren Shankar, The First Duty is a superior episode, and it’s just unfortunate that Robert Duncan McNeill’s character wouldn’t be the same one he played in Star Trek: Voyager. That would have made for some great continuity connecting the…

The Black Hole (1979) – Alan Dean Foster

I remember having this novel as a child. In fact, the soundtrack, the first recorded digitally, was one of the first albums I ever bought with my own money as a child. The film has been a favourite of mine for some time, flaws and all, so when I came cross the novel at a…

Doctor Who (Matt Smith) – Night Terrors, and The Girl Who Waited

After all the heavy stuff of the past few episodes it’s time for the TARDIS to encounter something that is just plain spooky and doesn’t have the weight of the universe on it. Consequently Mark Gatiss penned this episode, based on his fear of  dolls. The episode first aired 3 September, 2011. The Doctor (Smith), Amy…

Doctor Who (Matt Smith) – The Rebel Flesh, and The Almost People

This week’s journey in the TARDIS brings us a two-parter written by Matthew Graham that aired on 21 and 28 May, 2011. The Doctor (Smith), Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) find themselves on 22nd century Earth, after getting caught in a solar tsunami. There, on a remote island, a factory and its employees…

Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – Taika Waititi

Marvel and Disney unveil their latest foray into the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) with a new instalment in the Thor series. It’s loud, it’s fun, but lacking a bit of an emotional punch in its final act. This time out Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been out travelling the cosmos, leaving both Earth and Asgard behind….