ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,063
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Post by ljwilson on Aug 14, 2020 20:40:47 GMT
Today on my holiday listen-thru:
The Stones of Venice. A masterpiece for some, but not for me. It does however have a particular style and I enjoyed it more on this listen than ever before. 7 out of 10.
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Post by Hieronymus on Aug 14, 2020 20:42:56 GMT
Halfway through the second series of BF's Sarah Jane. Just reached the second big reveal.
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Post by masterdoctor on Aug 15, 2020 2:29:45 GMT
A Slight Case of Reincarnation by Guy Adams
Damn it feels good to have Adam Adamant back. In just the first set did the creative team establish themselves as one of the strongest at Big Finish, with each story being cream of the crop BF. And Episode 4 is no exception. All three leads are extraordinary, with it hard to choose a clear star. Ritson takes what is probably the most archetypal character and brings so much care and craft to Adam. Thomas possess charisma and brings the listener in with intrigue aplomb. But after much consideration, Guy Adams should be given the most accolades. Not only is he the brilliant writer behind everything, finding a great balance between the modern and the classic, but he is a magnificent actor. Simms is the comedic backbone of the team for sure, but the heart, wisdom and charm Adams brings to the role elevates past what other actors might have done.
The narrative itself compliments this, with following up on the previous sets cliffhanger with confidence. Nicholas Briggs gives a clear direction that comes across well, and both the music and sound design is out of this world.
I do apologize for my verbose dissertation on this high quality tale, so I’ll close it off with a thought. There is a severe lack of Adams writing for the Sixth Doctor. And if it might one day happen, wouldn’t the Sixth Doctor and Simms get along famously!
File on a Deadly Deadshot by James Mitchell and adapted by Peter Mitchell
Very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I purchased the bundle finally now that the 2nd volume is coming out next month, and so I’ll be working my way through volume 1 before it comes out. And so I opened the file on a deadly deadshot, and accquanted myself with the Section for the first time. Ben Miles oozes charm and charisma as Callan, and brings a certain weariness to the role as well. Frank Skinner plays the comedic relief in Lonely, but is hearty and fun to listen to. Jane Slavin and Nick Briggs round off the rest of the main cast and both give solid, if nothing too extraordinary, however there is definitely time to expand the roles further. I think my favourite part of the whole thing is the pacing. It’s much more deliberate than other BF ranges, and as much was there is espionage, there is much more time given to developing our main characters as well as the world-building and mood. With dry wit and glorious sound design I am very excited to see where this goes. If the rest of the stories and volume 2 are as good, I’ll definitely want more past the eight stories so far.
The Screaming Ceiling by Guy Adams
Another great entry into the exploits and adventures of The Paternoster Gang. The Screaming Ceiling is framed through narration from Carnacki which works wonderfully, combining some great dialogue and imagery, mixed together with the almost true to life events happening concurrently. The villain/alien of the story is probably the best realized in the range, with great descriptions that never felt clunky. Imagining a face in a ceiling with a mouth made of bricks is brilliant and very unsettling. Tone wise, this reminds me of both Gareth Merenghi’s Dark Place and Evil Dead 2 for their mix of comedy and horror. Another story that cements Adams as my favourite BF writer around.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,063
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Post by ljwilson on Aug 15, 2020 18:21:28 GMT
Holiday listening day 3, next up.
MR: Unregenerate! Edit: this has plenty of promise but descends in to a bit of a mess and McCoy's babbling could have been done so much better. Kudos to certain parts and the excellent sound design though, 6 out of 10.
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 15, 2020 19:16:45 GMT
I settled in with Jago and Litefood Volume 6. Trying to space out the Sixie set over the coming week.
I also took the plunge and got the Warhammer kids audiobooks read by David Tennant. Curious how they turned out, at least they got good reviews. I myself am not sure how Warhammer and kids books will go together and how the heroes, who are Imperial (human) kids, are portrayed. And of course how the Imperium is handled- which is a xenophobic fascist nightmare state bent on killing everything that is different. Not exactly kids book material.
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Post by grinch on Aug 15, 2020 19:37:41 GMT
Afternoons with Roger (Robert Shearman)
A rather interesting radio piece written by the famous ‘Dalek’ writer circa 2003.
Reminded me a lot of Edward Albee’s most famous work ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’
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Post by velvetrevolv3r6 on Aug 16, 2020 9:15:38 GMT
My plan is to finally get around to listening to Tartarus and Warzone/Conversion today!
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shutupbanks
Castellan
There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
Likes: 5,677
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Post by shutupbanks on Aug 16, 2020 10:26:50 GMT
Started on Live 34 this afternoon. Um, that’s aged well... can’t really believe that it’s 15 years old. Seems pretty current frankly.
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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Aug 16, 2020 11:37:06 GMT
Dark Shadows "Carriage Of The Damned". about to go to bed and start listening to this, it's definitely been a few years.
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Post by number13 on Aug 16, 2020 12:20:22 GMT
Second half of Time Apart
'What Lurks Down Under' was excellent, 'The Dancing Plague' was going well enough until the ending which didn't convince me at all. A pity that such a strong volume ended on its weak spot imo, but overall it's still a really good anthology release and very well worth hearing, the first three stories are all 5* for me.
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Post by barnabaslives on Aug 16, 2020 12:45:34 GMT
Lately the first and last stories from The Sixth Doctor and Peri (both excellent) and the first half of Dark Shadows: The Darkest Shadow (two Nev Fountain stories in a row, I wonder what's up with that? lol) which I hope to finish later today or tomorrow.
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Post by mark687 on Aug 16, 2020 19:07:08 GMT
4DA Series 1 listen thru
Regards
mark687
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Post by Hieronymus on Aug 17, 2020 2:50:52 GMT
Missy, volume 1. I've listened to three of the four stories and am loving it all.
The third story seemed to start on shaky ground, basing a story in New York with less than authentic American accents that sound more like 1940s Hollywood. But the script takes interesting directions and turns that salvage it which I will not spoil. Never mind that having Michelle Gomez in the mix gives it a stamp of genius.
The writers clearly loved writing this collection and Michelle Gomez has played Missy to the nines.
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Post by barnabaslives on Aug 17, 2020 6:36:35 GMT
Reduced my Torchwood backlog by one with Expectant. Seems a shame to have a half dozen backlogged, but one can clear up a backlog so quickly that pacing myself with things probably isn't a bad idea. I much enjoyed the story, serious but funny and the acting was great.
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Post by theillusiveman on Aug 17, 2020 8:26:07 GMT
The Quantum Possibility Engine kinda funny in this story Ace has a boyfriend named Alex in this while the 30th Anniversary special The Dark Dimension in that story she has a boyfriend called Alex
a neat coincidence or a really good Easter egg
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,063
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Post by ljwilson on Aug 17, 2020 8:57:17 GMT
Holiday listen day 4 (yesterday): Something Inside (again I switched this one off and have never made it past part 1, not that it was bad but just a bit grim...and I couldn't be bothered with grim)
Day 5: The Time of the Daleks (again, I do like this story) and now on The Contingency Club.
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Post by grinch on Aug 17, 2020 12:02:08 GMT
The Red Moon Mystery (James Swallow)
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Post by masterdoctor on Aug 17, 2020 14:34:19 GMT
The Passenger by Steve Lyons
Disclaimer: This is my first encounter with Sapphire and Steel, still not having seen the tv show, so these thoughts come as from someone just getting to know the characters in this first story.
Right off the bat, The Passenger is atmospheric and the sound design is extraordinary, bringing together a sense of unease as well as the rhythmic noises of the train to create something truly unsettling. As this is the introduction to the range itself, but not the series as a whole, Steve Lyons establishes a rapport and history between the leads while introducing them to new listeners at the same time. David Warner and Susannah Harker are wonderful, both mixing ethereal qualities with more human characteristics. And Mark Gatiss is a great foil to the two of them as Gold.
Plot wise, The Passenger is very abstract, in the best way possible. Time is but a construct to Sapphire and Steel, and so playing with that idea both thematically and realizing it in the plot is really smart in Lyons part. The mixture and blend of fiction and in universe reality lends itself well to the character and allows for some great moments. Pacing is solid, with very few moments that might have been better left out. The allusions to what must be Murder on the Orient Express is done well, and put a smile on my face, at least a bigger one as the whole production is just a joyous listen, even if it deals heavily with death, fate and guilt.
I loved this. It’s creepy, atmospheric, abstract and ethereal. Both Warner and Harker put forward wonderful performances and the plot is well developed and plotting is tight. I cannot wait for the next story, Daisy Chain, and I might be convinced to get the tv series itself very soon too.
Judge Dredd: Wanted: Dredd or Alive by David Bishop
This started off very strong, with great sound design as well as an excellent opening set piece. Toby Longworth is pretty good as Dredd, but there seems to be a flip flop between the serious and cheesy personality traits of the character, to the point where it becomes almost tonal whiplash. The real problem I have with Wanted: Dredd or Alive is the story itself, and the problem is two-fold. The first is that I found it to be so similar to Dredd(2013) in having a mind-altering drug/state as well as having a rookie judge act as a surrogate character for the audience. This isn’t the story’s fault, as it came much before the film, but with my first experience and my first love of 2000 AD being Dredd(2013), It’s hard to not compare the two. The bigger issue, and one I do think the problem lies with the script, is that it jumps way too often between scenes. In an hour long story, there are four different plot strands, then becoming five strands, and most scenes last around 30 seconds to 1 minute.
The latter third of the story does do something different than I expected however, and it was quite enjoyable in of itself. The dark comedy was well done and enjoyable, and I did love the world-building, especially the ads in between news casts. Mixed bag, but a lot of potential, so I am more than happy to listen to the next one at the very least.
Expectant by Xanna Eve Chown
Oh my god, the first 15 minutes are horrendous. Jack is insufferable, the actual plot goes nowhere, and everything is hectic and over the top in sound design and music. Thankfully, once Jack and Jonty get to the spa, everything calms down and begins to be enjoyable. The pregnant shtick never really goes anywhere other than mediocre, but what is there is an okay way to spend a half hour. Jonty is a fun “companion” and acts as the straight man in the comedy situations, which keeps the story from going back to the lows of the beginning. And how they wasted Ianto’s appearance. I didn’t think that I would find an average/below average Torchwood release, but unfortunately Expectant is just that. If I’m honest, this is one for the completionists only, at least in my opinion.
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Post by mark687 on Aug 17, 2020 14:34:34 GMT
4DA Series 3 Listen through
(All very good apart from The Abandoned)
Regards
mark687
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shutupbanks
Castellan
There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
Likes: 5,677
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Post by shutupbanks on Aug 17, 2020 14:50:32 GMT
Finished Live 34. Superb and incredibly timely. Chunks of it could’ve been ripped from today’s headlines.
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