Call Jonathan Pie. Series Two. Radio Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Tom Walker, Lucy Pearman, Aqib Khan, Nick Revell, Adam Byron, Laura Shavin, Daniel Abelson, Srah Gabriel, Ed Kerr, Dermot O’Leary, Ed Kerr, Willow Bennison, Izzy Hollewand, Emily Houghton.

The audience and the listener alike could be forgiven for thinking that the second series of Call Jonathan Pie would be toned down, it might spare the rod of absolute indignation from the words and attitude of the former news correspondent…and yet why would Tom Walker as the eponymous Jonathan Pie do such a thing, why would he be instructed to give way on opinions that his comic creation holds, for in no short measure does the second series deviate from the brilliance to which he has given the now late night radio host on the B.B.C. his voice.

Call Jonathan Pie. Series Two. Radio Review. full post

(429 words, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)

Doctor Who: The Story And The Machine. Television Drama Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

Cast: Ncuti Gatwa, Varada Sethu, Ariyon Bakare, Sule Rimi, Michelle Asante, Stefan Adegbola, Jordan Adene, Micael Balogun, Simon Bailey, Adrian Pang, Tessa Bell-Briggs, Anita Dobson, Inua Ellams, Funmi James, Jo Martin.

Some people strive for riches beyond the point of avarice, others for power, control, influence, or even to impress; and yet the greatest authority on human existence is the abundance of tales, the intensity of stories that come flowing out of the imagination from one mind; a million pounds may buy your dreams, but it is the power and inspiration that colour life and give it meaning that wields the privilege of being human.

Doctor Who: The Story And The Machine. Television Drama Review. full post

(503 words, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

Smile 2. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, Raúl Castillo, Kyle Gallner, Drew Barrymore, Trevor Newlin, Zebedee Row, Robert Jekabsons, Sean Stolzen, Jon Rua, Vladimir Duthiers, Kristine Johnson, Margot Weintraub, Christopher Bailey.

To undergo the transformation from being considered a family friendly actor to being someone who can hold their own in the melee of a decently told horror stories to which cinema has constantly probed takes an aptitude of unrelenting talent to which the actor is unafraid of exploring.

Smile 2. Film Review. full post

(337 words, estimated 1:21 mins reading time)

April Moon: Forgiveness Juice. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

April Moon’s roots continue to grow and flourish, and in the duo’s latest recording, Forgiveness Juice, the scale of their imagination and undaunted vibe is once more to be seen by the listener as overwhelming and persistent gracious spirit.

Following on from the impressive The Other One Was You, Jaime April and Jason Moon took advantage of the aligned stars and the drama free experience of inhabiting two Liverpool studios to bring to the public another sense of guitar-driven irresistibility, influences of ear-catching pleasure fill the air, and as the Forgiveness Juice E.P. washes over the listener, the sound of a soul being refreshed can be heard raising merriment and pushing the pair further into a realm that has just as big a wide open appreciation for beauty as much as the Saskatchewan skies.

April Moon: Forgiveness Juice. Album Review. full post

(368 words, estimated 1:28 mins reading time)

Sue Harding: The World. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

The mystery and the cryptic unknown that flirts with furtive secrecy as the tarot cards are laid to determine, or at least pinpoint your fate across time, have beguiled many, and lured many more to a place where The World itself seems to stop in time as it breathes in contentment and delivered understanding that there is more to our time than just being numbers and clocking in to another’s tune.

Sue Harding: The World. Album Review. full post

(348 words, estimated 1:24 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, Energy Of The Daleks. Big Finish Audio Play 1.04. Audio Drama Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. April 22nd 2012

L.S. Media Rating * * * *

Cast: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Alex Lowe, Mark Benton, Caroline Keiff, Dan Starkey, John Dorney, Nicholas Briggs.

Tom Baker’s incarnation and time as the fourth Doctor was never better than when he faced off against the scourge of Skaro, The Daleks. In Nicholas Briggs’ latest story for Big Finish, Energy Of The Daleks, Tom Baker is once more pitted against one of his greatest enemies and even though it was the first story that was recorded for the return of Tom Baker, there is much to admire in the delivery and the script.

Doctor Who, Energy Of The Daleks. Big Finish Audio Play 1.04. Audio Drama Review. full post

(448 words, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, Wirrn Isle. Big Finish 158. Audio Drama Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. March 28th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating * * * *

Cast: Colin Baker, Lisa Greenwood, Tim Bentinck, Jenny Funnell, Tessa Nicholson, Rikki Lawton, Dan Starkey, Helen Goldwyn, Glynn Sweet.

There must be something about the Wirrn that can give dedicated listeners of Doctor Who delicious and nerve wracking nightmares. Add in the almost lonely, desolate feel that you get in William Gallagher’s script for Wirrn Isle and the creeping music that overlays the action and the play becomes a near pinnacle of Colin Baker’s time as the Doctor.

Doctor Who, Wirrn Isle. Big Finish 158. Audio Drama Review. full post

(583 words, estimated 2:20 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, The Wrath of the Iceni. Big Finish Audio Play. 1. 03. Audio Drama Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. March 27th 2012.

L. S. Media Rating * * * *

Cast: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Ella Kenion, Nia Roberts, Michael Rouse, Daniel Hawksford.

The latest Tom Baker/Big Finish story, The Wrath of the Iceni, finally sees the savage Leela meet her match in the form of Boudica, the legendary warrior Queen of the Iceni.  If this story is anything to go by, both the Doctor and Leela may have met their physical equal in the form of a woman who has gone down in history as a mixture of a heroine and a woman driven mad by revenge.

Doctor Who, The Wrath of the Iceni. Big Finish Audio Play. 1. 03. Audio Drama Review. full post

(544 words, estimated 2:11 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, The Renaissance Man. Big Finish Audio Play. 1.02. Audio Drama Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. February 25th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Ian McNeice, Gareth Armstrong, Anthony Howell, Daisy Ashford, Laura Molyneux, John Dorney.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. In the world of Doctor Who it can lead to downright murder! The second of Big Finish’s new Tom Baker stories, The Renaissance Man, shows with a certain delightful irony that just because you may think you know everything, doesn’t mean you have experienced it and of course there is always just that little bit more to know, even if it’s on the relative value of cow parsley.

Doctor Who, The Renaissance Man. Big Finish Audio Play. 1.02. Audio Drama Review. full post

(632 words, estimated 2:32 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, Destination: Nerva. Big Finish Audio Play 1.01. Audio Drama Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 24th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating * * *

Cast: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Raquel Cassidy, Tim Bentinck, Sam Graham, Tilly Gaunt, Kim Wall, Tim Treloar.

Destination: Nerva is the brand new Doctor Who audio from Big Finish that requires a fanfare so loud and devastatingly proud as it finally brings the much loved and much missed Tom Baker back into the realm of original adventures. However, it also requires a discretion, the will to give this new series a chance to grow and for Mr. Baker to find his feet at Big Finish whilst immersing himself back as one of the premier Doctor incarnations.

Doctor Who, Destination: Nerva. Big Finish Audio Play 1.01. Audio Drama Review. full post

(677 words, estimated 2:42 mins reading time)