Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series

Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series Review

Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series Feature

• The third installment of Doctor Who is full of new thrills, new laughs, new heartbreak and some terrifying new monsters. From the moment the Doctor walks into the life of medical student Martha Jones he changes it forever. In Elizabethan London, they meet William Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre while back in present day London, 76-year-old Professor Lazarus recaptures his youth with consequences

Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series Overview

The third installment of Doctor Who is full of new thrills, new laughs, new heartbreak and some terrifying new monsters. From the moment the Doctor walks into the life of medical student Martha Jones he changes it forever. In Elizabethan London, they meet William Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre while back in present day London, 76-year-old Professor Lazarus recaptures his youth with consequences that threaten Martha's entire family. And, the Doctor's sworn enemies, the Daleks, who have been hiding in 1930's New York, return with a terrifying plan for humanity.

Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series Specifications

Doctor Who fans concerned that the departure of popular companion Rose (Billie Piper) at the end of the second season might spell an end to the venerable UK science fiction series' revival were soon reassured by the program's third series, which is compiled in its entirety in this six-disc set. Not only did Freema Agyeman (as Earth doctor Martha Jones) prove to be more than a worthwhile replacement for Rose, but the quality of the series' 14 episodes maintained--and in many cases surpassed--the blend of wit, excitement and drama brought by head writer Russell T. Jones when he revived the program in 2003. Highlights from the third series include the Christmas special "The Runaway Bride" (starring comedian Catherine Tate as a temporary companion to the Doctor as he mourns the loss of Rose), "Gridlock" (the Face of Boe summons the Doctor and Martha to a future New York City to stop an invasion by his old enemy the Macra), "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood" (a two-part serial in which the Doctor changes his biological form to escape the clutches of an alien brood who seek his immortality), and the three-part "Utopia," "The Sound of Drums" and "The Last of the Time Lords," which not only revives the Doctor's greatest adversary, The Master (played by Derek Jacobi in "Utopia" and John Simm in "Drums" and "Time Lords") but also revives Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and introduces his new position with the Torchwood team. Supplemental features are included on each of the six discs in the set; chief among them are commentary by Jones, Tennant, Agyeman, producer Phil Collinson, and members of the writing and production team (in various permutations) on each of the 14 episodes. The Doctor Who Confidential series, which aired on BBC Three and offered behind-the-scenes looks at elements from each episode, is included in its 15-minute "cut down" version (as well as an hour-long episode that covered a live performance of music from the show by the National Orchestra of Wales and hosted by Tennant), as are several video diaries shot by Tennant, who proves as engaging behind the camera as he is on the show. A smattering of deleted scenes, outtakes (mostly featuring Tennant reacting good-naturedly to his own blown lines), BBC promos for all 13 episodes (including the amusing "Vote Saxon" spot, which offers Sharon Osbourne and UK pop stars McFly throwing their support behind the Master's disguise as a human MP in the series' final two episodes), and trailers for other BBC series like Jekyll, Torchwood, and MI-5, round out this terrific set. -- Paul Gaita

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Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol [Blu-ray]

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol [Blu-ray] Review

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol [Blu-ray] Overview

Matt Smith and Karen Gillan return as the Doctor and his companion in an all-new Doctor Who Christmas special on Blu-ray and DVD. Amy and Rory are trapped on a crashing space liner, and the only way the Doctor can rescue them is to save the soul of a lonely old miser, Kazran Sardick. But is Sardick, the richest man in Sardicktown, beyond redemption? And what is lurking in the fogs of Christmas Eve? Writer/Executive Producer Stephen Moffat (The Original UK Coupling, Sherlock) describes the special, “We're going for broke with this one. It's all your favourite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters. And the Doctor. And a honeymoon. I've honestly never been so excited about writing anything. I was laughing madly as I typed along to Christmas songs in April.” Special guest stars include Michael Gambon (Harry Potter) and Welsh singing sensation Katherine Jenkins.

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Doctor Who: The King's Demons (Story 129)

Doctor Who: The King's Demons (Story 129) Review

I disagree with the two other reviews, this is a GREAT adventure for the Doctor. Much better than most of the stories of this season, and a hell of a lot better than "Black Orchid". There are only three things that I hate about this story. For one thing it's a remake of "The Time Meddler", for the second thing the Doctor picks up a new companion in this story and yet he's absent for the next five stories with no explanation and then suddenly reappears again in the sixth story with still no explanation of where he's been all this time, and last it is quite obvious that Sir Gilles Estram is in fact the Master. But on the plus side, this was better than "The Time Meddler" and made a very good and exciting story in which we also get to see in it an epic sword battle between the Doctor and the Master.

The Doctor and his companions arrive in mideval England to find that the Master is attempting to alter Earth's history by preventing the signing of the Magna Carta. But this is just one part of a much bigger plan that will allow the Master to gain control of the entire world, and to help him is a cool-looking shape-shifting robot named Chameleon.

A great plot, great acting, great production values, and a lot of mystery and excitement. Highly recommended!

Doctor Who: The King's Demons (Story 129) Overview

England, March 1215. King John is visiting the castle of Sir Ranulph Fitzwilliam. The arrival of the TARDIS disturbs a medieval joust, but the Doctor and his companions are proclaimed to be friendly demons by the King, who seems strangely interested in their “blue engine.” It soon becomes clear that neither King John or his Champion, Sir Gilles Estram, are who they pretend to be. One of the Doctor’s oldest and deadliest enemies threatens the future of democracy on Earth, and he must be stopped!

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Review

I saw this video at a friend's house and was impressed by the creativity and vivid imaginations of the actors and directors. Johnny Depp is exceptionally versatile and his portrayal of characters is outstanding. Although this particular film was not well received in the box office, I think it rates right along with "Alice in Wonderland" of recent release. The imagery was fascinating. It's so much fun to let your mind expand with the imagery presented. I purchased a copy for my film library and watch it to catch details I missed on the previous viewings.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Overview

Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is cursed with a dark secret. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), in which he won immortality. Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter reached her 16th birthday, she would become the property of Mr Nick. Valentina (Lily Cole) is now rapidly approaching this ‘coming of age’ milestone and Dr. Parnassus is desperate to protect her from her impending fate. Mr. Nick arrives to collect but, always keen to make a bet, renegotiates the wager. Now the winner of Valentina will be determined by whoever seduces the first five souls. Enlisting a series of wild, comical and compelling characters in his journey, Dr. Parnassus promises his daughter’s hand in marriage to the man that helps him win. In this captivating, explosive and wonderfully imaginative race against time, Dr. Parnassus must fight to save his daughter in a never-ending landscape of surreal obstacles – and undo the mistakes of his past once and for all! Also starring Heath Ledger, Andrew Garfield, Verne Troyer, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Specifications

Terry Gilliam has long admired Marcel Carné's beautiful and tragic Children of Paradise (he even contributes an introduction to the Criterion Collection edition). In The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, among his more phantasmagorical features, Gilliam conjures up his own unique theatrical troupe. Led by the immortal Parnassus (Christopher Plummer, whose daughter, Amanda, appeared in The Fisher King), Anton (Boy A's Andrew Garfield), Percy (Verne Troyer), and the doctor's doll-faced daughter, Valentina (model Lily Cole), travel through 21st-century London in their stagecoach set. Times are tight and the quartet is starting to unravel when they rescue Tony, a philanthropist (Heath Ledger, reuniting with Gilliam for the last time), from the Russian mob. Though Anton pines for Valentina, she falls for the new fellow, who charms female viewers into opening up their wallets. Little do the ladies realize they risk their souls when they pass through the Imaginarium, a Mylar mirror that leads to alternate realities (where Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell play Tony's doppelgängers). As it transpires, Parnassus made a Faustian bargain with Mr. Nick (Tom Waits, whom Gilliam considers "America's greatest musical poet") centuries before and must supply Satan with five souls by Valentina's 16th birthday or Nick will take her away from him--permanently. One of the movie's more haunting lines, "Nothing is forever, not even death," could serve as an epitaph for Ledger, who died from an accidental overdose during filming, but lives again in the erratic, yet imaginative Gilliam's most purely enjoyable film since Time Bandits. --Kathleen C. Fennessy


Stills from The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Click for larger image)

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