Archive for January, 2011

Tim Dorsey at the Vero Beach Book Center…

1
2 years ago
by Tom in

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This is a short blog post to brag about seeing Tim speak again in my zany little beach town. He swings by about once a year and I score another great book for my home library.

Win/Win

If you’ve never read one his books (featuring Serge A. Storms) AND you live in Florida – do yourself a favor. Do so.

(Yes, I am writing this from my cell while listening to him speak… but there’s a crowd. He won’t notice.)

:)

Working Out with DOCTOR WHO: The Time Monster (3rd Doctor)

0
2 years ago
by Tom in

Tom Croom’s Doctor Who Adventures Thus Far:

Which brings me to my final iTunes viewing of the Third Doctor: The Time Monster.

England, the near future. Professor Thascales’ TOMTIT project is nearing completion… but why is a simple matter transmitter causing disruption to the flow of time? And what exactly is Kronos, the time monster itself?

Yes, the twelve year old me giggled every time someone mentioned the TOMTIT project.  Actually, I chuckled a bit right now when I typed it, too.  Tom.  Tit.  [chuckle.]

THE GOOD: Duh… The Master! I can’t get enough of Roger Delgado’s version of the ultimate baddie in the Doctor Who universe.  The man oozed evil with personality.  My man Mr. Master pretends to be a professor, travels in time to Atlantis, and (AND!) convinces that hot queen to help him out.  HELLO BOOBS

Is she, too, a part of the TOMTIT project? [more chuckling.]

The Master = pure awesome.

THE BAD: The name “TOMTIT”. [snort. giggle.]

THE CHEESE: Kronos, The allegedly epically powerful super bird like being that is (obviously) a man in white costume flapping his wings in a very silly fashion.  Check it out:

It should also be pointed out that this episode, like The Time Warrior, features some Star Wars co-mingling goodness: David Prowse aka “Darth Vader” is the Minotaur in Atlantis in this series.  The Force, though, was not strong with him since he gets killed in the maze.

Flickr Friday: It’s not easy being green.

0
2 years ago
by Tom in

IMG_0087

This little guy lives in the Miami Zoo.

I occasionally update new photos (and old ones that I scan) on my Flickr account.  Each Friday I post one on my blog from my collection that I think is kind of snazzy.

You can see the complete set this photo is from here.

Working Out with DOCTOR WHO: Carnival of Monsters (3rd Doctor)

3
2 years ago
by Tom in

The list keep growing!

Which somehow brings us to “Carnival of Monsters”. This series of Doctor Who is a great example of why sci-fi fans loved (and love) this show.  It’s tongue in cheek science fiction with some brains in its storytelling.  The concept of a contained world in miniature isn’t new, but it’s cleverly conveyed in this story.  (A more recent example would be the last scene in the first Men in Black movie.)

THE GOOD: Science fiction is well presented… for the 1970s.  The story isn’t dumbed down for the audience and we’re presented with the concept of a number of characters from different planets interacting with each other.  While the story isn’t very deep, it is a lot of fun.

THE BAD: Every once an a while, silly style of an era can really sneak into a timeless story and date it.  The characters of Vorg and Shirna are constant reminders that you are watching early 1970s sci-fi with their dialogue and mannerisms.

THE CHEESE: The same “The Bad” – Vorg and Shirna.  Why don’t we see more of these cosplays at conventions like Dragon*Con?!

Working Out with DOCTOR WHO: The Three Doctors (3rd Doctor)

5
2 years ago
by Tom in

The List of Who what where I’ve seen:

Booyah.

So, do you remember how cool it was when Spock showed up in that two part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation? It was like a geeky party with your favorite classic science fiction buddy handing out with your new ones. I can only guess that the fans of Doctor Who in 1970 who saw “The Three Doctors” felt exactly the same way.

A gel-like plasma creature arrives on Earth and hunts down the Doctor, who calls on the Time Lords for help. Unfortunately, the Time Lords themselves are in crisis as their energy is being drawn off into a black hole.  So, they send the Doctors’ earlier selves to help out.

This episode is very much a breaking of the Time Lord rules which forbids the Doctor from ever meeting his former selves.  Before you get TOO upset that fact, ask yourself this question: Did Captain Kirk ever break the Prime Directive?

The answer is yes – and it made for damn good television when it happened.  ”The Three Doctors” uses a loosely written story to feed fans the excitement that comes with recognizable guest stars.  This series isn’t great science fiction, but it is (without a doubt) fun Doctor Who.

THE GOOD: I haven’t watched very much of the Second Doctor, but having him around serves as a great reminder of how different the role can be interpreted from actor to actor.  Also, Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart’s confusion regarding the two Doctors makes for comedy gold.

THE BAD: The First Doctor was is such poor health that they had to cheat him into the story by explaining that he couldn’t completely cross time to meet the other two and was only available via television monitor.  This was because his scenes were filmed at his home.  It would have been awesome if he were around interacting with the other two, but they did the best they could.

THE CHEESE: This is the level of cheese equivalent to Batman and Robin appearing on Scooby Doo.  (In case you aren’t clear, that in NOT a bad thing.)

Review: I Am America

1
2 years ago
by Tom in

I Am America (And So Can You!)I Am America by Stephen Colbert

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read some of this book and then I got smart and enjoyed it via audio book. Some written works become much more lively when the author (who is also a performer) shares his or her own words in their own voice. In enjoying it that way, you leave the road of interpretation and drive on the highway of intent as the author conveys meaning with his/her inflection and tone.

Now that the deep thought is out of the way, let’s just cut to the chase: this book is damn funny.

As a fan of The Colbert Report, this parody of ultra conservative values in America is as scary as it is humorous. Living in South Florida, I know people who act and speak and believe just like Stephen Colbert… only, they’re not acting.

The outrageousness of Colbert’s storytelling makes for some great dark humor for American’s who (in my opinion) “get it.” He’s out to save America with his focused and decisive ideas. This is quality sarcasm with a purpose and I’ll probably revisit the audio book again on a future road trip or maybe (shocker) crack it open and enjoy it with the voices in MY head.

(That came out wrong, but you get the idea.)

View all my reviews

Working Out with DOCTOR WHO: The Mutants (3rd Doctor)

2
2 years ago
by Tom in

Wow… I’ve watched more of these that I thought (so far.) Here’s the list:

At this rate, I should be to the current Doctor (Matt Smith) somewhere around the year 2014.  At which point, I will look like this:

That’s a photo of one of the mutants from “The Mutants”.  Here’s the iTunes verbage…

The planet Solos in the 30th century. As Earth slowly moves towards granting Solos its independence, the Doctor and Jo arrive on a mission for the Time Lords.

[In a great 300-esque voice] THIS. IS. SCIENCE. FICTION.

“The Mutants” is classically woven science fiction that comes close to the heart that made Star Trek such a beloved classic.  The episodes are a veiled commentary about racism and apartheid (which was still rampant in Africa at the time.)  It’s a great storyline about how society will always repeat certain issues through history… especially regarding politics and the corruption of power.

THE GOOD: The writing.  I can’t say enough about how strong this series is in that respect.  Great story.  Great dialogue.  Great message.

THE BAD: I’ve got nothing.  This might be my favorite Doctor Who storyline (so far.)

THE CHEESE: The super being at the end.  A bit predictable and, by today’s standards, cheesy.  In 1970, though, I’m sure it was innovative genius.

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