The Name of The Doctor: Media Reaction

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A roundup of selected quotes from the media for the premiere of The Name of The Doctor last night – links to the full review can be found via the author’s name. You can also read our own review here.

Please note that as these are reviews, spoilers may be present within the text!

Independent

Overall, The Name of the Doctor has everything that you could possibly want from a good episode of Doctor Who. It was an utterly brilliant instalment, from the performances to the aesthetics. The archive footage was a big surprise but a welcome one. Those who say that Moffat has forgotten the classic series or suggest that the show is not what it used to be should watch this episode; it is a wonderful precursor to the 50th anniversary.
(Neela Debnath)

Telegraph

This has been a patchy series, to put it kindly, but thankfully it has finished on a high. The last two episodes – the Victorian romp, then the return of the Cybermen – have been a return to form. This climactic episode was even better. It was momentous, moving and thrilling, yet somehow still found time to be very funny in flashes (mainly thanks to the highly quotable Strax).

The only downsides? A tad too much clunking exposition, the odd spot of creaky CGI and some unconvincing metaphors about soufflés and leaves. However, the biggest catch of all is that it’s now a six-month wait for November’s 50th anniversary special. Still, that should be just enough time to digest this breathless, brilliant finale.
(Michael Hogan)

Guardian

And so the mystery of Clara is finally resolved. Your demented theories as to her true nature have been fantastic, but I always thought it would be something much more simple than her being Susan or Romana or The Rani. She chases the Great Intelligence into the grave, fracturing herself through time and space, in endless copies and versions: sometimes Clara the governess, sometimes Oswin, usually souffle girl. The Clara we meet now is the real one, with different facets of her saving the Doctor in different eras. The pre-credits sequence, with all the Doctors, actually made me fall over.

The solution is both straightforward and mindbending. But that doesn’t quite get over any of the question marks about what Clara is like as a person. I still don’t feel I know her. Now this is all over with and we know Jenna is back for the 50th, hopefully that can change.
(Dan Martin)

The Mirror

We know pretty much from the start (in fact, we’ve known since the end of last season) that The Doctor will inevitably end up on Trenzalore, so why on Jupiter’s moons does it take him so bleedin’ long to get there? The first half of the episode (if not more) is tense and occasionally effective, but boy, does it feel like padding.

Some of it is clearly there to bring the dozier viewers up to speed, but it also highlights another of the episode’s failings. The idea of the Doctor’s tomb and the vast web of timelines it contains is a good one, but it feels like everything’s written around it, a game of distractions until we get to that point.

There’s not an awful lot of story here, and the big ideas don’t get pulled off as interestingly or satisfyingly as the hyperbole surrounding them suggested. There’s also some niggling questions from the last couple of seasons that (as far as I’m aware) still don’t get resolved.
(Jon Cooper)

Radio Times

The Doctor’s name was obviously going to be a red herring. Did anyone really imagine that it would be revealed? Me neither. It is key to the story, however, as well as a key River uses to unlock the Tardis-tomb. So – phew! – the Doctor can safely remain Doctor Who into his golden anniversary. But his darkest secret tumbles out…
(Patrick Mulkern)

SFX

Arguably this story started last autumn with “The Asylum Of The Daleks” (arguably, because you could say it started in winter 1963) and it’ll (probably) end this autumn with the 50th anniversary. So, “The Name Of The Doctor” is just a lot of middle. A stepping stone. A mere cog in a massive continuity machine.

To be honest, who cares? Who cares when the cog is so gorgeously crafted it transcends mere function and dazzles in its own right? It may make no sense outside of the machine but that doesn’t make it any less striking. Viewers without a degree in Who-ology might miss out on some of the more esoteric references, and certain plot beats may not make a lot of sense to them, but they’re still going to love the broad strokes. Those of us who can spot a line from “Castrovalva” or a sound bite from the First Doctor or a reference to the Doctor’s penultimate incarnation, well… we’re simply being rewarded that little bit more.
(Dave Golder)

Den of Geek

The Name Of The Doctor was then, for our money, the most satisfying, brilliant finale in Steven Moffat’s run on Doctor Who, the kind of episode you rewatch for fun, as much as to solve mysteries (and we’ll be hunting for clues). Much better than The Wedding Of River Song and a real rival to The Big Bang, this was, for large parts, really gripping stuff, surrounded by an air of mystery, and a real sense that something big was going to be revealed. Fortunately, on this occasion, that was very much the case. And while series seven, in both parts, has been a bumpy ride (with Jenna-Louise Coleman’s Clara our highlight), Steven Moffat and his team pulled quite a rabbit out at the end. Just brilliant.
(Simon Brew)

Digital Spy

So ‘The Name of the Doctor’ has ingredients that ‘the casual viewer’ can enjoy – great monsters, some genuinely scary scenes, zippy dialogue and fantastic performances from the cast, particularly our two leads.

But despite Steven Moffat’s protestations, this finale is unashamedly a fanfest and it might run the risk of alienating any viewer who doesn’t know their Tom Baker from their Colin. Still, in this 50th anniversary year, just this once, I think it’s okay for Doctor Who to get its geek on.
(Morgan Jeffery)

Entertainment Weekly

After half a season of standalone episodes, all strung together by the question of what cosmic force kept bringing companion Clara back to life in different times and on different planets, the finale circled back to some of larger themes that Moffat has been tinkering with since season 5: The lasting impact of previous companions Amy and Rory; the lasting love between the Doctor and Professor River Song; the goodness of the Doctor’s friends; the havoc (both momentous and random) that time travel can wreak. Also: Trenzalore! We saw the Doctor and Clara forced to head to that long-talked-about place, which we learn is the Doctor’s future grave, in order to save their friends. Trenzalore is also the resting place of the Doctor’s greatest secret (and was apparently the site of a giant battle). Do we learn much more than that? Not really!
(Adam Carlson)

Other reviews

Other reviews: TV.com; TV Fanatic; Huffington Post; Slate Magazine; Seattle Post Intelligencer; The Examiner; Hollywood; What’s On TV; Buddy TV; Lez Get Real; Bleeding Cool; SeenIt; TV Equals

Doctor Who News

Jimmie Johnson wins Sprint All-Star Race !!

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CONCORD, N.C. (AP)

Jimmie Johnson became the first four-time winner of NASCAR’s annual All-Star race Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

TOP GUNS

Catch all the action from the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race weekend. PHOTOS.

Johnson got a fast final pit stop from his Hendrick Motorsports crew to restart the race in second for the 10-lap sprint to the finish.

He battled teammate Kasey Kahne for a little more than one lap before clearing Kahne and sailing away to the $1 million payday.

Johnson entered the race tied with the late Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon as the only three-time winners in event history.

Now the five-time NASCAR champion is in a class of his own.

Jimmie Johnson wins Sprint All-Star Race

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FAST AND FURIOUS 7 will Take the Franchise Back to Tokyo!

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I think I’m one of the few people that absolutely loved Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift. That movie was a lot of fun, and it looks like the seventh film in the franchise will be headed back to Tokyo Japan!

The information comes from Vin Diesel himself who said, “We’re definitely going back home, as you know from seeing Fast & Furious 6. We will have a stint in Tokyo and there is the Middle East next, that could be very interesting.”

Just to clarify the Fast and Furious franchise timeline, Tokyo Drift actually takes place after the events of parts four, five, and six. Vin Diesel has a cameo at the very end of Tokyo Drift, and that cameo brought him back into the franchise. That could very well be the kickoff point for the upcoming seventh film.

It was recently confirmed that Jason Statham will be playing the villain in the film, and make sure to stay after the credits for Fast and Furious 6!

Saw and Insidious filmmaker James Wan is set to direct Fast & Furious 7, and it’s scheduled to open in July of 2014.

MAN OF STEEL – 2 New Character Banners and Video Featurette

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Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have released two new character banners for Man of Steel. One featuring Superman the other featuring Zod. We’ve also got a new behind the scenes featurette for you to check out from Walmart. The behind-the-scenes video includes a bit of new footage from the movie along with Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon, Amy Adams, Zack Snyder and more talking about the film.

Damn, this movie looks so good, and it comes out in theaters on June 14th!

Awesome Art Picks: Magneto, Spider-Man, Death and More

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Each week we gather up all the incredibly spectacular comic art that will never appear in actual comic books. The reason they won’t is because artists often draw sketches for fun or commissions and post them on their websites, blogs and Tumblrs. We all love comic art so we need to make sure each amazing piece is seen and admired. Some artists arrange commissions or sell original art through their sites so be sure to check them out for more information.

Terry Dodson was recently at Supanova and posted another commission on his Deviant Art Page of Death.

 

Peter Nguyen posted a W.I.P. sketch of Wonder Woman he’s doing for a friend’s mom on his Tumblr.

 

Skottie Young posted some more Daily Sketches on his website. He sometimes offers these for sale in his online store.

 

Phil Noto recently posted a bunch of sketches on his Tumblr. They may not be directly comic related but they are absolutely worth checking out.

 

Todd Nauck is a drawing machine. Check out this great pieces he posted on his Tumblr and Instagram.

 

Dave Johnson posted a couple sketches from Dallas Comic Con on his Instagram.

 

Adam Kubert posted this “quick” sketch for a friend’s 9-year-old on his Tumblr. Imagine what he could do if it wasn’t a “quick” sketch!

 

Michael Walsh posted a Swamp Thing and Abby commission on his Tumblr.

 

Rafael Grampa posted a couple amazing sketches on his Instagram this week.

 

Gene Gonzales has a sketch cover up for auction on eBay. There’s not much time left. He also posted a Sailor Jupitor commission on his blog.

 

Yildiray Cinar posted a Wizard World pre-show commission on his Instagram.

 

Ryan Stegman is at Motor City Con and has posted a bunch of Spider-Man commissions already on his Tumblr.

 

Sean “Cheeks” Galloway posted this rad Magneto pic on his Deviant Art Page. He titled it “Magneto Sends His Crushing Love.”

 

Marcio Takara has been posting a lot of W.I.P. sketches on his Tumblr. I wonder if we’ll ever see the finished products.

 

Mahmud Asrar posted a digital sketch from Game of Thrones on his Tumblr.

 

Brett Booth does a lot of character designs for DC. He posted an unused Relic sketch (a new character appearing in GREEN LANTERN) and a Superman sketch on his blog.

 

Ale Garza posted some commissions from Motor City Comic Con on his Instagram.

 

Francis Manapul has been making his Instagram followers drool as he posted a step by step process of this sketch featuring Spider-Man, Batman and Hellboy.

 

That’s it for this week. With the conventions continuing this weekend, we’re bound to see a lot more great sketches pop up during the week.

Michael B. Jordan Addresses FANTASTIC FOUR Human Torch Rumor

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A couple weeks ago, a rumor started going around the Friday Night Lights and Chronicle star Michael B. Jordan would be playing the Human Torch in director Josh Trank‘s reboot of Fantastic Four. The two worked together on Chronicle, so it doesn’t seem like it would be out of the question that something like this would happen.

When the rumor first hit, it seemed like a lot of people thought he would be a good choice for the role and that a lot of fans would embrace it. In a recent interview, Jordan was asked about the rumor, and this is what he had to say:

Nothing is real. Everyone knows we (he and Trank) are good friends. It’s something that if it happened I would be ecstatic.

Jordan went on to address the racial difference of the character, which not many people seemed to have issues with in the first place.

Things change and time goes on, it’s 2013 right now. I’m all about breaking barriers and changing stuff. We’ve got a black president. Times have changed. The characteristics of the Human Torch are his name is Johnny Storm, he’s charismatic, and he’s a playboy. That’s it. You know what I’m saying? That’s all there is.

Jordan then talks about the support he’s been getting, and he’s ready to embrace the possibility.

I get a lot of support and a lot of love from comic-book geeks. I love it. If you go looking for negative things you’re going to find it. You never go through a girl’s phone. If you’re looking for trouble, you’re going to find it. But we’ll see where this all goes.

It doesn’t seem like he’s counting out the possibility. I’m sure there are talks going on. It’s just not set in stone yet.

Source: Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/17/michael-b-jordan-fruitvale_n_3292840.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment)

Best Comic Covers of the Week: 5/17/13

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Sometimes it can be hard to choose our favorite comic covers for the week’s new releases, and this week was no different. We’ve sifted through our buy pile and chosen some of our favorite covers and spotlighted them below. Let us know which of the covers you loved and if we miss any, be sure to post them below and share them with us. Now, without further ado, here are our favorite comic covers for the week of May 17th, 2013.

 

First up is the stunning J. H. Williams III cover to BATWOMAN #20. The issue cover is ink washed in red, highlighting a very eerie and creepy plot that unfolds within its pages. J. H. Williams III creates an incredibly stunning and abstract image that is sure to draw your attention.

 

Artist Chris Eliopoulos‘ variant cover to BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #1 is just adorable — so much so that we simply had to highlight it here. The image is simple but great and very humorous, and sometimes that’s refreshing from the very detailed, elaborate covers we sometimes see.

 

Artist Massimo Carnevale‘s cover to CONAN THE BARBARIAN #16 is absolutely stunning. The pencils are breathtaking and beautiful and the colors are subtle in shades of pastel that really make for a striking image.

 

Richard Corben had us doing a double take with his cover to THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER #1. The image is so bizarre and so creepy that we had to put it on our list. It’s definitely not the type of cover you see everyday and that’s one reason why we had to get it on our list.

 

Mike and Laura Allred team up to deliver a gorgeous cover to FF #7 which completely captures the hilarious and lighthearted tone of the story that we see inside. The result is a cover that is not only really pretty and well done, but also one that pays a bit of an homage to silver age comics that features dialogue on the cover. The result is a great image that is not only funny but also really well done.

 

Sometimes a cover is all about perspective: such is the case for GREEN HORNET #2‘s variant cover by artist Jonathan Lau. The cover gives the sense that we are looking down on our heroes from above, and it is very well done.

 

Last, but certainly not least is the cover to ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #23 by artist David Marquez. The image is an homage to John Romita Sr.’s iconic image of Spidey walking away from his costume. It’s a fantastic image and Marquez pays a fantastic tribute.

Whedon on AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D and its Connection to Marvel Films

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As you’ve seen in the trailer for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., there is a kind of a connection to Marvel’s cinematic universe. It’s just not clear how big that connection will be. In a recent interview with TV Fanatic, Joss Whedon talks about the TV series and how it will fit in with the films…

Everything has to push ‘character’ forward, including action. We don’t want ‘spectacle’ characters, we want some spectacle that addresses character. We always want the two to mix.

We’re absolutely on top of all the movies. We never contradict, replicate – we will be flowing in between them, maybe occasionally we’ll throw something in that foreshadows [or] echoes but we’re very much beholden to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It’ll be fun to see what kind of elements and Easter eggs from the films they end up throwing in the series. It will be another element that will keep audiences entertained and engaged with the show. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll start seeing bigger movie superheroes pop in for a cameo.

DEXTER Season 8 – New 3-Minute Extended Trailer

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Hey Dexter fans! Showtime has released a new extended trailer of Dexter season 8 that is nearly 3-minutes long and packed with new intense footage! This is the final season of the series. We will know the fate of its characters soon enough. It looks like it’s going to end on a high note, leaving us wanting more.

Season 8 “begins six months after LaGuerta’s murder – and Dexter is still managing life as a dad, brother, and serial killer. As Deb struggles to deal with the consequences of her actions, a mysterious woman comes to work with Miami Metro, offering first-hand information on Dexter’s past.”

The series stars Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Desmond Harrington, C.S. Lee, Aimee Garcia, David Zayas, Geoff Pierson, and James Remar.

Dexter is set to premiere on Sunday, June 30th at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Joss Whedon on Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Iron Man in AVENGERS 2

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Writer and director Joss Whedon confirmed in a recent interview with IGN that Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver will be included in The Avengers 2 and that Tony Stark will be back for more action. During the interview, he reveals why he’s including the brother and sister act in the story saying,

You know, they had a rough beginning. They’re interesting to me because they sort of represent the part of the world that wouldn’t necessarily agree with The Avengers. So they’re not there to make things easier. I’m not putting any characters in the movie that will make things easier.

He then is asked about the return of Tony Stark’s Iron Man. This next quote contains spoilers for Iron Man 3, so if you haven’t seen the third film yet, then you might not want to read ahead. If you have seen it, then by all means read on…

Well, I feel like in Iron Man 3, even though he said, ‘I’ve changed’ — he blew up his remote suits, but I don’t think anybody thinks he doesn’t have one anymore. The question is, if The Avengers are called, does he show up? And the answer is, ‘Yes!’

So in case you were wondering if Iron Man was going to be back for The Avengers 2 the answer is clearly yes. It’s just not clear in what capacity he’ll return, or even if it will be Robert Downey Jr. Those details have yet to be revealed.

The Avengers 2 is scheduled to hit theaters May 1st, 2015.

Source: images via: FYeahSuperheroes (http://fyeahsuperheroes.tumblr.com/post/9824392281)