Tag Archives: Canada

Doctor Who: 701 “Asylum of the Daleks” Review

 

The Doctor returns and straight away he is in a spot of bother. Following a distress call from Skaro he is set up and kidnapped by the Daleks as well as Rory and Amy who are now having severe relationship woes. In fact they were just about to get divorced! They are summoned to the parliament of the Daleks which they expect to be the end of their lives. Instead the Daleks say two words. Save us.

The Daleks have a problem. They have a planet; a planet that’s a prison full of insane and imperfect Daleks. The Daleks find it offensive to actually kill any form of hatred (which these Daleks have in spades) so they leave them on this planet.  The planet however also has a problem (it’s not a good day to be a Dalek hey?); a ship has crashed landed there and there is now a small hole in the force field which means Daleks can now get out. The force field can only be turned off from the inside!

Another problem is that the Daleks are to bloody scared to send anyone to sort it! They have no trouble sending the doctor and co down there mind which they do by shooting them at the planet! So, their mission is two fold. They need to survive long enough to turn off the force field letting the Daleks blow up the planet and they need to rescue the trapped and quite brilliant Oswin who is stuck on the planet too (hers being one of the ships that crashed landed there). To make matters worse there is a nano bots in the air that turns anyone who encounters it into a Dalek hybrid, which sucks for Amy as she loses the wristband she was given to keep the nanobots out. Will Amy turn Dalek, will they rescue Oswin and will they manage to escape the planet of Daleks before the Daleks blow it up?!

Right from the start this episode grabs you and does not let go. The Doctor is made to look a dark and brooding character mostly seen in shadow on the walls. This Doctor is all business but bitter, a man who does not want to be the adventurer he once was. This adds an amazing amount of tension to this first opening scene. This follows through most of the episode with the Doctor near the end becoming more like the Doctor we know from series past. So a lot of this episode involves the Doctor finding the joy of actually been the Doctor again. It’s also about rekindling relationships with Rory and Amy needing a disaster like this to get them to open up about their feelings and actually tell one another they love each other. This first episode is also a historic one been the first episode shown in the UK, Canada and the U.S. at the same time!

The last series lost some of its magic near the end. The Doctor got very moody and the fun seemed to go from it. The series lost its way with a mix of topsy-turvy time travel stories, romantic sub plots and a general lack of fun! Writer Stephen Moffet is still finding his feet with the doctor I think. Some episodes were spot on, some not so much. For this episode he has streamlined it down to the basics. Daleks the old favorite are the bad guys, Doctor and co run about trying to stop a disaster. And it works. Basic approach really gets you gripped into the story again.

An episode called the Asylum of the Daleks is always going to conjure up scenes of grandeur. This is a more low key affair. Aside from the numerous Daleks at the start from all different time frames there are only a handful of Daleks at a time. In fact this episode plays a little like a zombie flick, enclosed spaces, Daleks popping out around corridors, etc. Again this thinned back approach works so much better than the special effects heavy last series.

There are some incredible scenes here to (SPOLIER ALERT). Rory getting trapped in a hall full of insane sleeping Daleks who wake up very slowly (very much like a scene from The Birds), the doctor and may finding a crew member who does not know he is a Dalek, zombie Daleks, an amazing scene in intensive care with Daleks surrounding the Doctor and a great end scene which is very much like Jacobs ladder. The shock to this episode is the reveal of Oswind been an actual Dalek with a human mind who still thinks she’s human and one of her final acts being to wipe the Daleks memories of any knowledge of the Doctor.

This reveal caught me off guard but the signs are all there if you look for them! It’s actually a touching scene which tugs at your heart strings quite a lot. Jenna-Louise Coleman is a very engaging character in this episode, very witty and funny as well as been very smart. This is her first appearance but she will return in the Christmas special. Her sacrifice leads to the final scene with the Daleks completely confused about who is on their ship shouting “Doctor Who” while they make there get away! It’s a great little ending to a nicely laid out episode.

Sure there are some ropy bits especially Rory and Amy talking about the nanobots sucking out love (don’t ask!); the big hole in the plot of why build a planet you can only get access to from the inside and then dump Daleks on it if you are going to blow it up in the end anyway! But overall these are minor problems. The main thing is it’s a lot of fun which the last series lacked. Overall a great start to the new series and I cannot wait for episode two. Here’s a sneak peek of it.

3.5/5

Captain Canuck Coming to the Big Screen?

It’s no secret that comic book movies are taking over the movie industry. With the majority of movies coming out per year being comic book or superhero related, its only a matter of time until we get to see a movie for every character you can possibly imagine. There was a time when nobody thought the Avengers would ever be able to have a movie, but now its one of the most successful movies ever made. So get ready for the next hero that is planning to grace the theaters and captivate audiences. Get ready for Captain Canuck.

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‘Todd & The Book of Pure Evil’ Has Been Canceled…

I am upset.

That’s almost what this entire article was going to be. No lie. Three words and then a picture of a sad hamster or something.

I was distraught with the news that my favorite show had been cancelled. I’m not even saying favorite show right now, or favorite Canadian show. No, it has swiftly evolved into my FAVORITE show. And it has been cancelled by SPACE, the Canadian network who brought Todd to the small screen. Now if you’ve been a fan of Grizzly Bomb since the beginning, then you would know the site started when our Editor-in-Chief Dr. Kronner tried to save one of his favorite shows, Terriers. So I feel I am obligated to do the same for Todd & The Book of Pure Evil.

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ITGS: Todd & the Book of Pure Evil’s Chris Leavins

 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW!

Todd & The Book of Pure Evil has been making waves lately. And for good reason. The reviews on the Season 1 DVD have been outrageously positive, and I expect more of the same as the Season 2 DVD is set to drop soon (in Canada, at least). We previously spoke with Todd himself, Alex House, and I think a good time was had by all. Or just me. Whatever. We’re here today with another member of the cast who we all know and love as Atticus Murphy Jr., Crowley High’s Guidance Counselor, which is what he is. Please join me in welcoming Chris Leavins as he steps Inside the Grizzly Studio.

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Watch 3 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts Right Now

The Oscars are fast approaching, which means it’s time to check the list of nominees and watch as many of the nominated films as humanly possible. Of course, for a regular movie-goer like myself, not only would watching 61 movies in two months be a questionable management of priorities, it’s also nearly impossible to get access to some of the smaller, less mainstream films on the list. However three Oscar-worthy animated shorts you’d likely not have the opportunity to see are now streaming online for free for your viewing pleasure. Here they are:

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Batman Live: World Arena Tour Revealed…

Now it seems like ages ago when I first reported on Batman Live, the arena event that brings Batman and friends to your neighborhood. Most people were definitely put off by this announcement, especially during all the problems the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark was experiencing.

Of course the major difference is that Batman Live: World Arena Tour is NOT a musical. It’s more of a stage show to be enjoyed by the whole family. Still, it’s hard to see Batman on stage in a family friendly experience. Regardless, let’s take a look at the characters being featured, and the costumes.

It’s like the love child of ‘Batman Forever’ and ‘Batman and Robin’

Okay, so they could all be worse. Keep in mind that they are amped up in order to stand out in the large dark arenas, and to appeal to the kiddies. I’m not going to spend the time here critiquing every costume, because they already did that over at ComicsAlliance. Let’s see if a video is any better. Check out the trailer:

Wow…um, okay. Check out this sneak preview of the show:

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Charlie Sheen’s “Torpedo of Truth” Tour… More Like “Torpedo of Turd” Tour

How dare you sully that jersey good sir...

Yes, ‘Charlie Sheen’s Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour’ has landed. Well, crash landed anyways.

Of all the places to start off, why do it in Detroit Charlie? I don’t live directly in Detroit, but I’ve lived in the greater metro area my whole life, and know just as well as anyone else how unforgiving the people there can be. And unforgiving they were according to Yahoo!:

The former “Two and a Half Men” star showed that comedic success on the screen doesn’t necessarily translate to the stage, and the capacity crowd at the 5,100-seat Fox Theatre rebelled before he left the stage, chanting “refund!” and walking out in droves.

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