Leonard Nimoy 1931-2015

Hey folks. By now, you are aware that Leonard Nimoy has passed away. The future just got a bit dim without this man's talented eye for photography, his writing for film and TV. Oh yeah you might have seen him as Spock for the last 35 years. He and Shatner have been thick as thieves these last few years. Between the conventions, voice work on film documentary and video games, he has been plenty busy. No one I know can kick back and play Civilization IV without recognizing that narrator's voice. Hell this was Galavatron before the age of Michael Bay and Transformers were still anime.

Nimoy has starred in the typical amount of Westerns ranging from Wagon Train no less than 5 times as 5 separate characters. 4 separate characters in Gunsmoke. Usually the tall thin guys are easy to spot. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Episode Project Strigas guest starring Shatner and Nimoy is one of my favorites.

I love the fact he owned an exotic pet shop when the Star Trek series was cancelled and became the Other Dr. Spock getting degrees in Biology and Photography. Shatner tells the tale best but the landing party of Kirk, Spock and McCoy all share something together. Tinnitus thanks to an explosion on set via Star Trek: Arena. So with that ringing in his ear, Shatner still had to wrestle a guy in a rubber mask and suit? The main reason that Nimoy had the role of Spock was producers of The Lieutenant remembered this tall thin guy that easily dominated the set. The Lieutenant also being a Gene Roddenberry creation.

The funniest story Nimoy had was he was whisked up to Caltech in Silicon Valley for a seminar. The jist of which they were talking about microprocessors, the advancement of software, circuit boards and even the potential to Artificial Intelligence and they wanted Nimoy's take on it. Given Nimoy does not have a multi-cross discipline of sciences under his belt he bluffed his way through it, pausing and looking thoughtful, offering comments to the like of: "Hmm, good point." " I think you are on the right track." According to Nimoy, the scientists seem genuinely pleased. ACTING!!

With two children and one stepson he has five grandchildren that he leaves behind, he has inspired generations in photography and had received countless letters from budding scientists that they went into their perspective fields due to his portrayal of Mr. Spock. For three seasons, eight movies and three different series he has played Spock in the original series, Star Trek: The Animated Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Last year in February he announced he was suffering from chronic obstruction pulmonary disease which makes it difficult to breathe, causes wheezing, fatigue and a horrific cough. He attributed it to smoking for many years until he quit and had advocated smokers to quit before it is too late.

Rotten Reelz Reviews salute you Leonard Nimoy for encouraging this writer's love of science fiction, literature recommended to fans and an skilled eye in black and white (my favorite in photography). His love and hate relationship with Spock is proof he could go back to him at any time. He was found of saying on talk shows and interviews as, "My folks came to the US as immigrants, aliens and became citizens. I was born in Boston, a citizen that went to Hollywood and became an alien." Thank you Leonard Nimoy for all you have done for us. Live long and prosper.

Gorefest: Nightmare

A fine greetings to all that is still reading this blog. Welcome to Day 4 of Gorefest. Well after the extremely goofy, crass flick of yesterday's Blood Diner I am hoping today's flick will be creepy yet messy. Bloody but suspenseful. Looks like I might get my wish. How about a serial slasher that actually stayed in the mental institute?? Bizarre concept?? Sayeth whaaaaat?? Yeah I am teasing. He escapes shortly after his anti-psychotics aren't doing the trick and he is out on the streets or maybe a stolen car. This is Nightmare.

Teach you to get into my 65 year old scotch!

George Tatum (Baird Stafford of Nightmare and Dog Tags) underwent a experimental trial with a new drug. This drug is suppose to cease his psychotic episodes and his horrific dreams brought by some childhood trauma he either cannot or won't share about with his doctors. "On the road to recovery", he stops at a nudie booth and has horrible flashbacks of his parents... getting busy... and then a boy with an ax murders them causing George to foam at the mouth and fall into a seizure. With the nightmares worsening, George is released from the hospital prematurely and all those involved with the drug trial are patting themselves on the back. Now he is on the loose searching for his ex-wife and children housed away snugly in Florida after leaving quite the mess in Philadelphia. Trust me when I say there will be more than a few apartments available thanks to George alone.

His ex, Susan Temper (Sharon Smith of Blast-Off Girls, Tyler, Nightmare and Puss in Boots), son C.J. (C.J. Cooke of Nightmare) and his two daughters Tammy (Tammy Patterson of Nightmare) and Kimmy (Kim Patterson) are completely unaware that Daddy is on his way and he is leaving a vicious trail of dead screws as he goes.

No, these aren't your panties... they're mine.

Susan being the bread winner of the house leaves the kids with Kathy (Danny Ronan of Nightmare) in charge when she starts to receive a series of hang up calls. With Last Call Return or *69 not available for another 13 years, Kathy is growing concerned.

Will George find his family and dance in their blood soaked corpses? Will any girl ever want to be a babysitter thanks to the 80's horror films? Will there be competent cops or the typical clueless slasher ones?

A few comments on the film. There has been a dispute on Tom Savini's involvement in this movie for the FX, prostethics and blood bladders. Apparently he was only a technical advisor and not hands on with this one. Also, he is really sick of answering this question, horror buffs so move on.

With the smart editing, bizarre visuals and fairly graphic death sequences you almost have a feel of William Lustig's Maniac or even Lucio Fulchi's The New York Ripper. In many ways, the killers are similar with the completely jacked up childhoods and the disposal of the victims are alike but unlike those characters, George's back story is a teensy more jacked up than they and the nightmares are a doorway into George's psychosis showing how deranged he really is. With dreams of blood stained scenarios every night it is no wonder this man cannot get a decent rest let alone keep his oars in the water. With the POV shots on potential victims, the long crane shots and the dolly track always staying away from them, you really cannot be certain when he will really strike. It really leaves the mind spinning on how all this could happen.

So yes like Maniac and The New York Ripper this is grisly and just as sleazy with solid story telling and I did jump a few times watching. The characters aren't really anything new but overall I did enjoy the film. You need a good thriller with that serial killer slasher vibe, you like your rooms blood-splattered and gory then this is your film.  In the 1980's this fell under the Video Nasty in the UK for its graphic death scenes and no "artistic" integrity. And decades later I think I have seen bloodier flicks from across the pond.

Blarggfff!!!!

Gorefest: Blood Diner

Well hello there and welcome back for Day 3 of Gorefest. I know the last two films were sadly lacking in the gore department and the nudity was not vast but I am pretty certain this film offer both in a larger abundance. This mutilation of moving pictures is a loose sequel of the 1963 Herschell Gordon Lewis exploitation horror film Blood Feast in which a caterer of alleged Egyptian decent murdered and butchered women in Miami serving their parts to bring life to an Egyptian goddess. 24 years later a film in the vicinity of offered a similar story line. This is Blood Diner.

Dad hide the eggs good this year!

Our story opens with convenient plot device telling us on the radio to stay indoors because of a mad dog killer is on the loose with a meat cleaver in one hand and his junk in another. Boy I think I can manage to avoid that weird wang handling fellow easily. Two young lads are left unattended as mom announces she needs Tampons, the house is broken into by what sounds like Jason Vorhees but is actually the boys' uncle Anwar Namtut (Drew Godderis of Blood Diner, Evil Spawn, The Underachievers, Cannibal Hookers and Deep Space) who taught the boys of the goddess Sheetar and the dark magics to go with it. He hands off a couple of cheap looking amulets that is 5 million years of age and must be cared for at all time. Yeah I have called horse crap at this point but moving on.

20 years later, The Tutman brothers Michael (Rick Burks of Blood Diner and The Underachivers) and George (Carl Crew of Blood Diner, The Underachievers, Gross Out, The Secret Life: Jeffery Dahmer, Urban Legends and Ironhorse) have been brainwashed er um I mean nurtured by their uncle Anwar into resurrecting an ancient goddess to this plane of existence. How kooky is dear Uncle Anwar? Well... he is pretty much a brain and eyes in a jar. Yeah guess he communicates from the great beyond (or the great divide) but apparently the lads' mission is to bring about the goddess Sheetar (Tanya Papanicolas of Vamp, Vicious Lips, Blood Diner and Run If You Can). Still unclear if she is Egyptian or Sumerian. It was a tad bit hazy there.

Scientology takes another helpless victim!

Our little sociopaths are moving with cunning and guile... or the close proximity of such, hacking up jiggly girls for the coming of Sheetar.  But enough of that. Topless cheerleader aerobics!!! No seriously, these girls are shaking more than their pom poms. Kinda hope they smacked the director after the jarring jigging. Trying to solve this slew of murders is crack wacky matched team of strong, overtly independent written woman Sheba Jackson (LaNette La France of Blood Diner) and sexist piglet Brooklyn stereotype Mark Shepard (Roger Dauer of The New Mike Hammer, Blood Diner and My Lovely Monster) hashing out their differences to create a better team dynamic... and probably obligated to sleep with one another.

Will the dynamic detectives deduce the dastardly deeds? Will the cannibalistic cooks conjure their goddess? Will Uncle Antwar ever be transplanted into a new body?

I have some complaints on our movie. The continuity of shooting in the afternoon and finishing up at night yet it is clearly no transition in time. Lots of POV shots looks like a stalker is on the prowl. Most of the music while on synthesizer is uplifting and goofy during horror scenes. It sounds like Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's background theme. Originally intended to be Herschell Gordon Lewis' sequel to Blood Feast, it was decided to be able to stand on its own as an original concept.

That being said, is not meant to be taken seriously as it a dark comedy horror. The gore gags are fair and impressive for their day. The characters collectively are so damn goofy it is a wonder if you could encounter them in real life aside from at an asylum. The story is decidedly cheesy, the jokes are incredibly sexist and it is meant to be damn screwy.

With sight gags, slapstick humor and a plot so far fetched it is actually amusing. For the gore fans, limbs go all over the place. For the jiggly girl nudie fans, hey plenty of that. For those with a mildly warped mind interested is something just bizarre, graphic but humorous. Have at it! I'd skip putting the kids in front of it but that is just me.

Damn, she has a really deep purse!

Gorefest: Sorority House Massacre

Welcome back readers if I have any left to Day 2 of Gorefest. Now admittedly most of the movies I will be viewing has a few gore gags in here but quite a few of these discarded stinkers are just worth viewing to riff on and mock. With that in mind today's film also released by then Concorde Productions now New Concorde Productions, the same folks that brought us Chopping Mall so expect a slight throbbing in the temples. That's the pain of your head reeling how most of these flicks got a release to be made. So how about a serial killer that happens to escape from poorly guarded wackobasket and goes on a killing spree slaying young jiggly girls?? This is Sorority House Massacre.

Look around blandly and stop trying to stare at the camera!

EXPECT PAIN!

Off the bat, you will see a young girl lose family member by her crazy brother while she hides in the closet armed with a clothes wire hanger. Okay, I added the wire hanger but there is enough elements from Halloween minus Donald Pleasance Doctor Loomis on standby. Beth (Angela O' Neill of Vicious Lips, Alien Nation, Grandmother's House, Bush Shrink, Enemy Unseen of River of Diamonds) heads to a Sorority house that is actually the same house she grew up when it somehow sets off her brother Bobby (John C. Russell of Sorority House Massacre) psychically. As he shrills in the night or mid-afternoon the sanitarium guards show up at his room with break neck speed. Most asylums are kind of used to screaming in the night. Just odd, coupled with him on it some sort of jumpsuit and no shoes meanwhile he looks like he is an 80's high school kid snoozing on a bed.

As Beth looks over this sorority, most of the girls are leaving for the weekend and will most likely live, Beth starts regaining memory of the house with painful Casio keyboard music and slo-mo motion but decent flashback sequence as three little girls talk to Beth, little bit of room viewing and implied violence and the dream ends. Beth is woken by Sara (Pamela Ross of Sorority House Massacre and Moonstalker), a girl looking for a friend's sweater who delivers a clunky comment about a very faint scar that Beth has on her arm. Personal space means nothing to Sara I guess.

Old Man Smithers??! NOOOoOoOOOOOO!!!!

The first half of the movie is Beth roaming around the house having her flashblack/acid trips and being the creepy girl on campus who has no real living relatives so I am guessing some sort of student aid or inheritance. Bobby just jogs out away from the hospital, heads to a Hardware Hank, does the typical bust through the glass case and acquires a hunting knife. Disgruntled elder man grumbles at the lad and gets gut stabbed. Damn, now where will we get our steady diet of racist and sexist jokes? 

Stealing a Ford Bobcat, Bobby is on his mission to kill, Kill, KILL!!! The girls want to really make that sorority mixer to go off without a hitch in spite how flammable their heads are with all that Aquanet in it. We meet the goober Fraternity boys that will be joining for fun, fornication and a few drinks and.. you know what? I am not writing up all these "actors" names. Seriously, the dialogue is completely out of sync for a teenager going to college, half of these guys have male pattern baldness and the delivery of lines wouldn't make it in a fishing pond. Beth starts dreaming about Bobby but she always sees him as a grown adult rather than the boy that slaughtered everyone so I guess the director had issues using a kid as a nutter butter gutting folk.

Can Beth fend off Bobby? Will the Frat boys be any use other than plowing the girls? Dare we go to the basement or the woods alone?

A few comments on the film now.

The buxom blonde on the cover of said movie Suzee Slater isn't even in the movie but they needed to pander to their horny young men audience with an enticing VHS cover. The detective on the case, Gilbert (Fitzhough Huston of Night of the Kickfighters, A Killer Among Us, Roc and Mike Hammer, Private Eye) got really hosed due to a lot of editing. His performance made you want to be a passenger in his plain clothes car and follow him on the case.

As campy as the film feels, with the stereotypes branded from Nerd, Jock, Sweetheart girl and slight bitch it isn't a terrible film it just drags on with all the flashbacks taking up the better portion of a half hour. The guards are pretty blase that it will be their ass since Bobby is loose on the streets and the gore gags are pretty tame by Friday the 13^th standards let alone SAW. Rounding out to a whopping 74 minutes the film is mildly entertaining, shot and edited well and for a low budget film did its best with what it had.

Caro syrup in my contacts!!!

Gorefest: Chopping Mall

Howdy boys and girls and welcome to Day 1 of Gorefest, in which I can promise corny lines, partial nudity, an over the top plot device and acting more wooden than that of the mighty Scottish Pine. With mallrats, old folk and squawking brats demanding sweeties, you need to be concerned about security. Purse snatchers and shoplifters beware! This mall (kinda looks like the dully named town of Sherman Oaks California) is protected by state of art enforcement bots designed to taser offenders, but what if their programming did not adhere to the three laws of robotics? This is Chopping Mall.

Now we skin them and turn them into a series of funny hats!!

Brought to us by that cinematic waste of flesh, Jim Wynorski (The Lost Empire, Deathstalker II, Not of This Earth, The Return of Swamp Thing, Hard to Die and Vampirella) both wrote and directed our impending film so expect the sores to not fade without a topical ointment. A presentation filmed in 35mm establishes a lone gunman packing at least a .38 long barrel cannot penetrate the hide of the Securitron nor could he outrun it on foot, which seemed a tad odd given his head start, the felon was tasered and dropped. Presentation official Miss Vanders (Angela Aames of H.O.T.S., B.J. And the Bear, Cheers and The Lost Empire) smiles vapidly and turns the technical presentation over to the Securitron's creator, Dr. Stan Simon (Paul Coufos of The Lost Empire, Busted Up, City of Shadows, Superboy, 976-Evil II, Going Back and Sometimes a Hero) and his mullet describes how they will be distributed around the mall as a test site to show their effectiveness. Also he calls them Protectors so now I don't know what the hell they're supposed to be referred as. After a brief Q & A, the mall officials issued little lamented badges for ID (Because no one forgets their ID)the bots are set and ready to go on their trial basis.

Yup that is the afterglow of satisfying sex. Sure.

Meanwhile the minimum wagers are blissfully unaware of these creations, Suzie (Barbara Crampton of Re-Animator, From Beyond, Castle Freak, You're Next, Road Games and Death House) and Allison (Kelli Maroney of Ryan's Hope, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Night of the Comet, Big Bad Mama II, Not of This Earth, Jaded, Hard to Die and Midnight Witness) are prepping for a party while a freak thunderstorm hits the antenna controlling the robots service ports and scrambles their cybernetic eggs.

ALL WILL BE PROBED!!!

With our slabs of meat er um fellas working at a furniture outlet in the mall which blankets had to be draped over the windows so the store didn't get any publicity positive or negative aside, the wild party with one boom box and white folk dancing badly is under siege from the robots driven into murder/death/kill mode. Seriously thought, that dancing is so painful to watch. I am having Friday the 13^th Part 2 flashbacks. Grease 'em robots!!! Give'em the clamps!!! With all party guests of 8 whole people, we know we are in for a body count given both technicians have already been dealt with, the bots are loose and patrolling the mall in search of offenders but with no command codes on what level of aggression is to be used they go on full onslaught.

Will the fornicating kids be able to evade the murderous machines?? Can they escape the lock-down? Or will their time clocks be punched permanently?

A few bits of trivia at our moving pictures of the day.

The special effects crew had to build five remote controlled bots to serve as the Killbots. Three needed to be seen together for the better chunk of the first half of the movie. The two extras were backups in the event the originals were damaged during in of the action sequences. They were built out of wheelchair frames and conveyor belt to make them light but strong enough for the areas of the mall.

Actress Kelli Maroney did most of her own stunts in this flick but to be honest I think she might have gotten away with most of them with minor rug burn. There were talks about a sequel after the success of the film but the producers were not overly impressed with with office returns in spite of them being substantial.  

Tee hee, we're the virgins. Can you tell?

Gorefest

Hey folks back again. Okay we are getting off the sci-fi kick for a bit because well I have been on TV shows for two weeks now and it is time to head back to the roots. Mindless violence, wooden acting, jiggly girls running upstairs when they should head out the front down and unstoppable monsters. So this week is aptly named Gorefest.

Its titanium alloy can withstand a LAW rocket... but stairs are a hassle.

From anything from the hidden serial slasher, machines run amok to the hackney write ups that could only be plot devices and never real life, these films would have been passed up by most people that either went through the horror aisle or the 5 dollar bargain bin at Best Buy or Walmart.

Cliches aside, it is funny to see how serious the actors and director try to take the written content without just busting up and laughing that the sheer absurdity of it all.

In her last moments she was just thinking how much money she save on GEICO.

According to most of these writers, maximum security insane asylums have as much promise of locking away the lunatics as Arkham. They seem to have revolving doors for these wackos as they leave a few or a trail of dead bodies in their wake. Experimental technology always goes haywire and rends a bloody mess and the creatures of darkness are always summoned, disturbed or in general irked. All these scenarios have one thing in common that is the first domino. Horny, hapless and brainless teenagers. Whether they are boozing it up, tokin' up or jumping each others bones, this common denominator upsets these multiverses so often you would think fictional towns would burn teenagers at the stake as a lesson to the rest. Alas, such is never the case thus far and evil denizens swarm the lands and the good town or city folk must reap that of which they sow.

So enjoy the pain of these potentially horrific works of fiction my eyes and ears will have to endure.

No peripheral vision is a real drag.

5 of 10th Tales: The Doctor's Daughter

Greetings followers of the TARDIS. Welcome to Day 5 of 5 of the 10^th Tales. I know that you were all concerned I was not going to finish this but I got caught up in finishing two chapters in my upcoming hard boiled detective novel and was a wee bit knackered from that. So what is more fun than having a companion, seeing new worlds, writing wrongs and facing danger? How about two companions delving into that madness with our Doctor in question? We find the Doctor, Martha Jones and Donna Noble bouncing around in the TARDIS onto a mission of mercy with a distress beacon but our valiant team may find more than they bargained for. This is The Doctor's Daughter.

So dish. You snog him yet or what.

After defeating the underhanded preemptive strike on Earth by the Sontarans, the Doctor and Donna are ready to get under way. Newly added UNIT (Unified Intelligence Taskforce formerly United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) Martha Jones ends up going on what she claims is her last trip in the TARDIS as she has a life on Earth, a career in UNIT and a fella. OooOoOoO. Donna Noble (Catherine Tate of Barking, Harry Hill, Attention Scum, Wild West, The Catherine Tate Show and The Office) having previous adventures with the Doctor is his current companion and is a bit taken back how Martha (Freema Agyeman of The Bill, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Little Dorrit, Law & Order: UK and The Carrie Diaries) seems a trifle jaded but still feels the exploration bug. Personally, I think she is still irked that the Doctor didn't take her up on any of her advances to him. 900 years of age doesn't always help acknowledge a pretty girl hitting on you.

The TARDIS lands on the planet Messaline where no sooner they start poking about they come across some human soldiers demanding they come with them... at gunpoint. Yes, a familiar trend with the Doctor but for the sake of non-violence they comply. The soldiers that don't look old enough to shave or buy cigarettes cram the Doctor's hand in a machine that is called a progenator using the Doctor's DNA as a template to physically generate a female soldier.

G.I. Jane comes with all accessories show here. Vehicles sold separately.

After which a collection of aliens known as the Hath attack killing one of the soldiers and abducts Martha as a hostage. The young girl sets off an explosion that seals the corridor trapping Martha with the Hath but keeping the rest of the party from harm. At gunpoint (AGAIN) the soldiers take the Doctor and Donna to their superior officer for debrief (and pantsing) and the Doctor explains how the girl is a generated anomaly (a reproduced being through his DNA and a machine's coding) and Donna names the girl Jenny (Georgia Moffett of Bonkers, Fear, Stress and Anger, The Bill, Doctor Who: Dreamland, White Van Man and The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot).

Trapped on the other side of the corridor, Martha treats an injured Hath and gains their trust as she is whisked away to the Hath's encampment. General Cobb (Nigel Terry of The Lion in Winter, Excalibur, Feardotcom and Troy) explains to the Doctor and Donna at one point the Hath and the Humans were meant to live together but for some reason that fell apart over a dispute about something referred as " The Source" Dear God let it not be associated with Highlander 5. Oh yes, that is a real thing. Google it.

Using his macguffin... I mean sonic screwdriver, the Doctor reveals the path to the Source and Cobb rabble rouses his people into a forced march to wipe out the Hath and claim the Source for them. The Doctor and Donna try to get Cobb to see sense and he has them and Jenny locked up so they cannot interfere. Jenny and the Doctor attempt to see each others' point of view and actually bond.

Will the Doctor, Donna and Jenny be able to save Martha? Can they overt the impeding blood bath? What is the Source and what is its purpose?

A few interesting tidbits on the episode. Contrary to fanboy rumors Summer Glau was never considered for the role of Jenny. Sorry fanboys.   Georgia Moffet is the daughter of Peter Davison (the fifth Doctor) who plays the Doctor's Daughter. A year after filming with David Tennant, the two dated and had a daughter Olive in 2010, they were married a year later. Of course the wibbly wobbly timey wimey of it all that the Doctor's Daughter is the Doctor's daughter, who had the Doctor's daughter in return had the Doctor's granddaughter.   

I think we hit a pothole.

5 of the 10th Tales: The Next Doctor

Greetings fans of the Doctor and welcome back for Day 4 of 5 of the 10^th Tales. We will be skipping ahead to what is affectionately referred as the first of the 4 part finales with Tennant stepping down as the Doctor. This of course caused many emotions to flare. Loss, betrayal and sadness ranking as the highest of the lot. It is 1851, Victorian Era as The Doctor on his own lands his blue box in the heart of London on Christmas Eve. No sooner than a bit of looky loo he hears screams for help and springs into action. A young woman calling for the Doctor, Rosita (Velile Tshabalala of Streets, The Crouches, Kerching!, Euphoria and Silent Witness) as he arrives, another well-heeled gentleman also makes his way on the scene calling himself the Doctor. This is The Next Doctor.

Expelliarmus!!

Rosita and "the Doctor" (David Morrissey of Out of Control, State of Play, The Deal, Blackpool, Is Anybody There?, Line of Sight and The Walking Dead) have been following an investigation on the disappearance of people all around London attempt to capture a Cybershade (A Cyberman created servant usually made from a cat or dog) in order to have more information of the Cybermen's plans for this time line and how they will directly alter human history. The Doctor going by the old alias "John Smith" travels with this future incarnation who seems to be suffering from amnesia.

The two Doctors poke about the house of the late Reverend Fairchild, who is believed to be tied in to the disappearances when the two discover Cybermen infostamps (a data storage device) when the new Doctor recalls holding one the night he lost his memories. The two are immediately attack by Cybermen while the Doctor fends them off with a cutlass and rather deftly screaming to them that they have forgotten their own old enemy announcing who he is. The Next Doctor fries both of the Cybermen with an overloaded infostamp discharge. Handy trinket that.

Bloody snow freezing up the materialization circuits!!

One of the first of the missing men, a Jackson Lake seems to have vanished without a trace as the Doctor hypothesizes how the Cybermen could have ended up in this time, the answer being stolen tech from the Daleks during the Doomsday episode being a Dimension Vault. Rosita and the Doctor discover a vast underground complex using children yanked from workhouses as labor for this operation. The Cybermen's human ally, Miss Mercy Hartigan (Dervla Kirwan of School for Seduction, Casanova, 55 Degrees North, True Dare Kiss, Material Girl, The Silence, Injustice and Blackout) a scullery maid with a lust for power and respect gives the Cybermen slave labor to rebuild and power their downed spacecraft, a Dreadnought class cruiser.

Can the Doctors stop the Cybermen in time? Will they be able to rescue the children? Why can't the Next Doctor remember who he is?

David Morrissey was only cast 5 days before filming. No pressure there. Images of all the previous ten incarnations of the Doctor are shot on-screen leading up to David Tennant.

This was the first episdoe to be broadcast after David Tennant's announcement that he would step down from the role of the Doctor in 2010. I loved the working title of this episode as it was Court of the Cyberking. This was a pairing of both Tennant and Morrissey as they previously worked together on Blackpool.

Off for a stroll... Don't mind me!

5 of the 10th Tales: Gridlock

'Allo Whovians and welcome back to Day 3 of 5 of the 10^th Tales. I apologize for yesterday as I had a bit of a day of chores. As it is I thought we would move right into Season 3 as the Doctor has said good bye to Rose and makes his way out and about with his new friend, budding doctor Martha Jones. This is Gridlock.

Um... we're out of gas.

Given a trip into the past, The Doctor and Martha (Freema Agyeman of The Bill, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Law & Order: UK, Old Jack's Boat and The Carrie Diaries) now head into the far future back to New Earth in the year five billion and fifty three back in the city of New New York. Perusing about, the duo notices they are in a alleyway with a mild downpour when vendors are selling some form of patches to alter your moods (Better hope it is out of Beta test). Trying to find out what is going on, the Doctor talks to the vendors and Martha is abducted at gun point by a couple, Milo (Doctors, North & South, Footballers Wive$: Overtime, Vampire Killers, Don't Call Back and Cardinal Burns) and his wife Cheen (Lenora Crichlow of Sugar Rush, Kiss of Death, The Things I Haven't Told You, Collision, Material Girl, Being Human and Back in the Game). The couple explain that they need to reach their designation which is ten miles away with estimates at about six years journey.

That cat litter smell was appalling!

The Doctor panic stricken heads to the Motorway, an enclosed highway with hover vehicles had almost overcame the Doctor with carbon monoxide poisoning. Taking refuge in the van of Thomas Kincade Brannigan (Ardal O' Hanlon of Father Tedm Hooves of Fire, My Hero and Robbie the Reindeer in Legend of the Lost Tribe) a cat humanoid and his human wife Valerie (Jennifer Hennessy of The Cup, Coronation Street, Marchlands, Doctors, Wizards vs. Aliens and The Passing Bells) going nowhere it would seem. Former Sister of Plentitude Novice Hame (Anna Hope of Crime and Punishment, Doctor Who, Love Me Still, Waking the Dead and Coronation Street) assists the Face of Boe, a being of ancient line who needs to reveal a great secret to a being like himself, a nomad without a home, a lonely God.

The Doctor notices little things. Lack of government, police and rescue department as all these people seem to just move on and hopefully reach the city soon. Many have been on the Motorway for years and no end in sight, when the Doctor ponders is there actually an exit at all?

Now the Doctor has to figure out how to help these people, find Martha and deduce what happened to the city.

Writer/producer Russell T. Davies insisted this would be the last episode in the year 5 billion. The working title for the episode was Chasing Fumes. As the Doctor and Martha leave the TARDIS on New Earth, The Doctor yanks an arrow out of the TARDIS door one of Queen Elizabeth's men fired at them during the end of The Shakespeare Code.

The carpool bandits!!!

5 of the 10th Tales: School Reunion

Welcome back readers to Day 2 of 5 of the 10^th Tales. In case you have stumbled upon this write-up I will recap and state that this week pertains to episodes of the 10^th Doctor. That proper skinny fellow in the sharp suits that most of your friends will not stop doing impressions of or pining for.

This time around we head to the 3 episode of the second season of unusual happenings at an English junior high school (forgive me those across the pond, I do not recall that if it is secondary school or not) as there have been UFO sightings and people disappearing. New companions Rose and Mickey may encounter some older friends of the Doctor. This is School Reunion.

It plays DVDs, 8-Tracks and makes Cheese Toasties!

Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke of Auf Wiedereshen, Pet, Jane Hall, Doghouse, Doctor Who, Fast Girls, Storage 24 and Star Trek Into Darkness) contacts the Doctor and Rose about the efficiency of this school and the students' performances. The change of lunch menu and its special chips is one of the changes. The Doctor goes undercover as a science teacher under the guise of "John Smith" doing his own inquiries notices the uncommon intelligence of one of the physics students. Rose acts as one of the kitchen staff and notices the careful need to handle the oils for via the rest of the kitchen staff.

The headmaster of the school, Mr. Finch (Anthony Stewart Head of VR.5, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Manchild, Monarch of the Glen, Little Britain, Free Agents and Merlin) has had enough success that he is being interviewed by journalist Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen of Coronation Street, Take My Wife..., Gulliver in Lilliput, Doctor Who, Peak Practice and The Sarah Jane Adventures) and she proceeds to interview a few teachers including "John Smith" who feigns ignorance of the success all the while trying to contain his excitement reuniting with Sarah Jane. With the school day over, Team Timelord head into the school to investigate as Sarah does the same running into the TARDIS as the Doctor reveals himself to Sarah. Hooking up with the rest of the team the ladies seem to almost be rivals to the Doctor. Heading to Sarah's car is a battered almost dead K-9 the Mark 3 version and the Doctor preps to repair him, getting him up and running.

Now Buffy, you must understand I am evil these days.

The next day the Doctor confronts Mr. Finch who establishes he and his compatriots are Krillitanes, a species that can absorb abilities of race they have conquered. Finch attempts to detour the Doctor and finding that impossible. The chemicals in the chips are stimulating the kids' minds running in slaved computers all working computations in effort to solve the Skasis Paradigm or the Universal Formula of everything. Whoever holds this formula would have the power of a god and could shape time, space and matter into whatever they desire. Finch amazed how quickly the Doctor deduced what they were doing and offered to join forces to bring about the timelords and right all the wrongs that a cruel universe inflicted on him. Tempted, the Doctor was taken back until Sarah became the voice of reason to alter his mind. Can the Doctor and team be able to thwart the Krillitanes? Can the children be saved?

A few points of interest on the episode. Elisabeth Sladen warned the crew on the difficulties of the K-9 prop would be as it had a reputation for breaking down. In spite of 30 years of new tech, Sladen's warning will proved to be correct. Anthony Head had screen tested for the Doctor in the 1996 TV movie. 8.3 million viewers watched this episode when first transmitted. The K-9 prop at the end of the episode was one of the original props from the 1970s. The working title of the episode was Old Friends and while it works to some degree it does not encompass the whole show.

Fan girls commence your professor fantasy drooling...

5 of the 10th Tales: New Earth

Greetings to Day 1 of 5 of the 10^th Tales. We view the Doctor fresh from his regeneration, disappointed that he is still not ginger, he manages to move on and explore the vast unknown universe with Rose Tyler (Billie Piper of Spirit Trap, Doctor Who, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, The Shadow in the North and Penny Dreadful) on their way to New New York. This is New Earth.

It's only a model.

After thwarting the alien invasion of the Sycorax via the Christmas special, we see the Doctor prepping the TARDIS for yet another adventure with Rose at his side.

With the lost of the original Earth, humanity simply colonized another planet of similar conditions. Viewing this stupendous mega city (No Judge Dredds wanted!) the Doctor receives a message on his psychic paper to "Ward 26. Please Help." in this substantial hospital ran by cat humanoids known as the Sisters of Plentitude treating almost every known ailment found in the universe and even able to combat new potential illnesses with an amazing rate.

I'm warm.  You warm?  Bloody coat!

The Doctor and Rose get separated in the turbolifts and he does warn her of the decontamination process they will undergo. While the Doctor is roaming about Ward 26 seeing beings suffering from ailments that are ravaging their bodies, the care they are be furnished should not be helping these in most cases are terminal and yet they are recovering. The Doctor asks one of the cat nuns Sister Jatt (Adjoa Andoh of Casualty, Jet Ski Riders, Fable, The Bill, Doctor Who and Dante's Inferno) how is this possible and she lets him off with an idle platitude of working in mysterious ways.

Meanwhile Rose finds herself in a basement area with some pasty albino and Cassandra of from the year 5 billion as the Earth got roasted by the sun going supernova. But Cassandra passed on, so how can she be here? Cassandra (Zoe Wanamaker of The Blackheath Poisonings, Love Hurts, Prime Suspect: The Scent of Darkness, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and My Week with Marilyn) informs Rose that strange things are happening in this hospital and not all is what it seems... and then performs a body snatch, claiming Rose's body as her own and pushing Rose's persona back in the farther reaches of the brain.

With a mystery at his fingertips, his companion behaving strangely and the cat nuns seems to be secretive, The Doctor's itch needs to be scratched. Will the mystery be solved? Can the Doctor help Rose and all the patients of this hospital?

A few comments to be made on the episode. All of Billie Piper and David Tennant's dialogue had to be re-dubbed in the studio due to the windy conditions on the location shoot their microphones. Eight million viewer watched this episode on its original transmission.

Billie Piper's boyfriend at the time rammed his car into the prop known as the Face of Boe by accident on his way to visit her on the set. What a way to ingratiate yourself to the crew.

Cat breath is horrendous. Gave her a Greenie though. All better.

5 of 10th Tales

Hello boys and girls and welcome to the week! It took a bit of time to come up with the week in question but then after cosplaying the fellow in question more than a few times it just made sense. I speak of the 10^th Doctor played by David Tennant.

Wonder the radioactivity is a bit high? Ah, it looks cool.

You see, 9 a.k.a. Chris Eccelston restarted this franchise after 16 years not being on the air, was a bit grumpy and snarky and at the end was able to do the right thing as always. Being one of the few survivors of the Time War, the Doctor was broken and lost until interacting with Rose Tyler, a human girl that managed to get through his chitinous armor and make his hearts renew but a major plot device allowed for the Doctor to regenerate into a tall, lanky fellow that defeated an alien invasion in a dressing gown and jim jams. Donning a brown suit with white trainers or a blue suit and maroon trainers because... well he is different.

With each incarnation of the Doctor is a different personality, style and pizzaz. The ladies seem to adore him and the fellas want to be him. With a insane behavior similar to Tom Baker's 4^th Doctor then sudden dead serious when the situation calls for it, our Doctor leaps over the chasms, draws swords against great odds and wows the universe. Tennant did three seasons, two animated movies, 3 christmas specials and five TV movie sagas including the 50^th anniversary of Doctor Who, Tennant's 10 is beloved by many and deemed one of the most popular Doctors in the series. It is also one of the more easier Doctor garb to wear.

With this all in mind Rotten Reelz Reviews presents: 5 of the 10^th Tales. Enjoy!

Trust me when I say you do not want to be probed by this sonic.