Doctor Who: "Crisis"

It is 14 November 1964, and time for the final episode of the Doctor Who serial "Planet of Giants".

If Forrester is not stopped, his insecticide DN6 may wind up killing all life on Earth. The Doctor (William Hartnell) and his companions are fighting to stop him, but at one inch in height what can they possibly achieve? Barbara remains poisoned after touching DN6-coated grain, and her only hope of survival is to get back inside the TARDIS in time for the Doctor to restore everyone to their true height.

There's a great pace to "Crisis". I suspect that mostly comes down to the fact that the broadcast episode is actually an edit of two separate episodes crammed together: "Crisis" and "The Urge to Live". After the episodes were completed, the production team was ordered to combine them because the BBC Head of Drama found them drawn-out and boring. Sadly, as was the BBC's wont at the time, the original edits were not kept. We will never get to see "Planet of Giants" as its writer Louis Marks intended. Thankfully the combined version is an acceptable substitute.

Bill (2014)

Bill Shakespeare (Matthew Boynton) is an unsuccessful musician in 16th century England who decides to travel to London and try his hand at playwriting. His arrival coincides with a secret operation by King Philip II of Spain (Ben Willbond) to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I (Helen McCrory) during a special peace summit. Will Bill uncover the plot in time to save the Queen and his career?

Pretty much the best sketch comedy series of the past 15 to 20 years has been, somewhat surprisingly, the BBC's children's series Horrible Histories. Based on the hugely popular non-fiction books by Terry Deary, the series featured a stunning ensemble cast of actors: Boynton, Willbond, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard. The cast remained with the series for five seasons before quitting together to develop other comedy projects, including the fantasy comedy Yonderland and this Shakespeare-centric period satire.

Doctor Who: "Dangerous Journey"

It is 7 November 1964, and time for the second part of the Doctor Who serial "Planet of Giants".

After being shrunk to less than one inch in height, Ian (William Russell) and Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) take shelter inside a discarded briefcase. When that briefcase is picked up and taken inside a nearby building, Ian and Barbara find themselves in a laboratory where a deadly new insecticide has been developed. Barbara touched an affected sample of grain, and is poisoned as a result - but will she tell the others?

The second episode of "Planet of Giants" ups the ante with a more detailed explanation of the dangers of the insecticide DN6, and the revelation that Barbara has been poisoned by contact with it. She does not tell Ian what has happened, which creates a nice bit of suspense. When will she admit her mistake, and when will he notice she is growing sicker as the hours go on?

The Majestic (2001)

Screenwriter Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey) is a up-and-coming Hollywood screenwriter in 1951. His first film is in cinemas and his second is on the cusp of going into production. When he is named in an anti-communist Congressional investigation, he is immediately disgraced and blacklisted. Drunkenly driving into a storm on night he crashes his car and wakes up on a beach with near-total amnesia. In the small town of Lawson he is immediately adopted by cinema owner Harry Trimble (Martin Landau) - who mistakenly believes Peter to be his son Luke, last seen missing in action during World War II.

The Majestic is director Frank Darabont's heartfelt ode to old-time Hollywood cinema. Channeling his best Frank Capra, he presents an uplifting and deliberately sentimental slice of Americana: the patriotism of World War II, the paranoia of the Red Scares, and the unifying, healing power of Hollywood movies to cure all ills and bring all people together. I suspect how one responds to the film depends on their threshold for that sentimentality. If you like to wallow in these kinds of cloyingly sweet romantic and family-based dramas, then The Majestic is a pretty entertaining movie. If the merest hint of sweetness turns your nose up, then this movie is going to stink like a garbage heap. As for me, I think my feelings are somewhere in the middle: The Majestic has a lot of good material in it, but it's a hell of a mess.

The Pull List: 4 January 2017, Part 1

I would not be able to really tell you why, specifically, but I have always been a big fan of the Atom, aka scientist Ray Palmer. I think part of it is that the character is a scientist first and superhero second, and his adventures most often edge more towards science fiction than crime fighting. Despite the appeal that the character holds for me, he has never really been more than a second-stringer. One-shots and specials aside, he has not even anchored his own solo series since 1989. A replacement version of the Atom - because let's face it, almost every DC character got one in the 1990s and 2000s - named Ryan Choi got a monthly series in 2006 that lasted 25 issues. Since then it's simply been guest appearances and team books for either version of the character.

Both of them get a re-introduction in Justice League of America: The Atom Rebirth #1, the first of four one-shots coming out this month in the lead-up to a relaunched Justice League of America. The relaunch's writer, Steve Orlando, is writing each one-shot with a different artist on each book. The Atom Rebirth gets Andy McDonald, who infuses the book with clean, slightly exaggerated look and bold inks. It's a look I really like, so if Ray and Ryan make an impact in the Justice League I have hopes McDonald might be tempted to do art on an Atom ongoing series full-time.

The plot is essentially all prologue and set-up, introducing both characters, having them meet as university lecturer and freshman student, and into them working together as the Atom - Ray in the suit and Ryan running support. It also dovetails perfectly into scenes of Ray Palmer going missing back in DC Universe Rebirth #1: another thread from that book appears to be slowly pulling together.

If you have waiting for the Atom to return, then this - and Justice League of America - is your chance. I wasn't planning on picking up the League book, but based on this I am sorely tempted. I might pop back over the next few weeks and see how the other three one-shots go. (4/5)

Justice League of America: The Atom Rebirth #1. DC Comics. Written by Steve Orlando. Art by Andy McDonald. Colours by John Rauch.

Under the cut: reviews of A&A: The Adventures of Archer and Armstrong, Faith, Ragnarok, and Star Trek: Boldly Go.

Doctor Who: "Planet of Giants"

It is 31 October 1964, and time for the second series premiere of Doctor Who.

At last the Doctor (William Hartnell) returns to 1960s London - with one major hitch. A fault causes the TARDIS doors to open during its landing procedure, causing the ship and its inhabitants to shrink down to less than one inch in height. When Ian (William Russell) is separated from the others, he discovered a murdered body - the result of a callous businessman killing a government inspector.

When Doctor Who was originally conceived, one of the potential storylines that continually got cited in proposal documents was "The Giants", in which the Doctor and his companions would be shrunk down to minuscule proportions, so that everyday household objects would suddenly become terrifying threats. It took a year for the concept to finally reach the screen, but it was honestly worth the wait. This is a wonderfully entertaining episode, presenting a wholesome kind of child-friendly entertainment.

Lockout (2012)

In 2079 the United States government has successfully launched MS One, a massive top security prison built inside an orbiting space station. When the President's daughter Emilie (Maggie Grace) arrives on a humanitarian mission, a catastrophic failure sees the prisoners released and Emilie and her co-workers taken hostage. In a last-ditch attempt to save her life, disgraced CIA agent Snow (Guy Pearce) is dispatched as a one-man army to rescue her before she is killed.

Or, in other words, Escape from New York in Space. That is not simply me claiming there's a similarity: Escape writer/director John Carpenter successfully sued Lockout's writer/producer Luc Besson for plagiarism in a French court. It should be noted that not only does Lockout steal Escape's premise, it does a vastly inferior job of it. This is a ridiculously stupid movie, featuring bad science, a bucket-load of cliches, and a protagonist who communicates not via dialogue so much as random catty lines and witty quips. It is by most sensible standards a fairly terrible film. It is also, if I am to be completely honest, a fairly hilarious one. Sometimes a bad B-movie is just the ticket, and in this case the ticket is pretty entertaining.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: "True Q"

It is 26 October 1992, and time for another episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

An intern named Amanda Rogers (Olivia D'Abo) arrives on the Enterprise. In private she exhibits an unusual gift to generate objects and creatures with her mind. The inter-dimensional entity Q (John De Lancie) soon arrives, explaining that Amanda is the child of two members of the Q Continuum and that her growing powers could one day destroy the entire galaxy.

It has been a long time between drinks for Q, having skipped The Next Generation's fifth season entirely. The production team arguably over-compensates in the 1992-93 TV year, showcasing him in two episode of The Next Generation and a third over on Deep Space Nine. John De Lancie is an entertaining presence in any episode, but there can be too much of a good thing. This particular encounter is probably the weakest since "Hide and Q" all the way back in Season 1. It's not an awful episode, but there is a lot in here that could have been handled much better.