Bumper8

Good review. This is another two-parter that gets a regular viewing. Scary and atmospheric.

"Dune" by Frank Herbert Have read this before but it deserves to be revisited. Plans within plans within plans within-my head hurts.

I agree that the "classic" Cybermen origin story is more interesting, but I guess the new writers had to come up with something different for this alternate reality. This is one of the stories I regularly watch again for the reasons you state. I see what you mean about swapping the titles-better to name the baddie in the second episode!

Upgrade (2018) After a man is left as a quadriplegic following a brutal mugging in which his wife was killed, an enigmatic tech tycoon offers him an "upgrade" that allows him to regain the use of his limbs and also affords him enhanced abilities. Cue some well-choreographed and brutal fight scenes as our hero exacts his revenge. The plot wasn't as straightforward as I thought it would be. Recommended.

Stan & Ollie (2018) Those of us of a certain age have Laurel & Hardy embedded in our consciousness thanks to the BBC showings of their short films all through seemingly endless summer holidays. As someone who regularly goes to the Panopticon Theatre in Glasgow (where Stan first set foot on a stage) to watch those classics projected onto the screen, I was excited about seeing this film. It was dream casting as far as I was concerned, with the excellent Steve Coogan portraying Stan Laurel. John C Reilly is great as Oliver Hardy. Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson almost steal the show as the respective wives and Rufus Jones deserves an honourable mention as the entrepreneurial Mr Delfont. The main focus of the story sees the boys in the twilight of their careers; Abbott & Costello have replaced them as the comedy stars on the silver screen, but they embark on a theatre tour of Great Britain and Ireland despite Ollie's failing health. It was fun to see some of their classic skits recreated on stage and you could feel the genuine love the boys had for each other. A heart-warming, gentle film that I enjoyed very much; I hope it raises awareness of their wonderful work for a younger audience.

Finished solo campaign on Farcry 5 yesterday-didn't get the ending I was hoping for but Farcry games are all about dark twists. Still loads to do in the vast open world-great game!

As an aside, caught part of an interview with Tom Baker on Graham Norton Radio 2 show this morning-worth a listen.

More of a 7/10 in my opinion. Simon Pegg's in it!!

I imagine it's just a pun by the writer. Can't see any other reason for it.

"Calculated Risk" Biography of Virgil (Gus) Grissom. The second American in space and would probably have been the first man on the moon if he had lived. Good read- doesn't paint him as a saint and goes some way to redressing the balance after Tom Wolfe decided to portray him as a bungling panic merchant in "The Right Stuff".

I thought Cassandra was a "fun" baddie and a very memorable character.

The Predator (2018) This was a big disappointment as I'm a huge fan of this series. The story was weak, the leading actor was as dull as ditchwater, characters made stupid decisions throughout the film. Thomas Jane & Sterling K Brown are good actors but they were wasted in this. The poorest movie in the series (I'm including the AVP movies in that).

OIL RIG Oxidation Is Loss of electrons Reduction Is Gain of electrons Thanks Mr. Hunter!

Snowpiercer (2013) After a climate disaster triggers a global ice age, the last remnants of humanity live onboard a train that never stops. The 3rd class passengers live in squalor in the rear carriages while those at front have a life of luxury. But revolution is in the air... The cast includes John Hurt, Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton. Highly recommended.

I fell out of love with Who during the McCoy era and stopped watching it so haven't seen any of these. I discovered pubs around that time so these things are probably related! Will check out some of the stories based on your ratings.

The Abominable Snowman (1957) Tense and atmospheric account of an ill-fated expedition to find the elusive creature. Filmed in "Hammerscope" (whatever that means!) but it looks great in black and white anyway. Peter Cushing's first Hammer film and he gets off to a good start here.

I know there are one or two fellow space collectors on this forum who might be interested in seeing this (if the photo upload works!) Plaque from Shuttle mission STS-118 signed by all seven crew members.

I'm half-way through "Paul McCartney-The Biography" by Philip Norman. A very good read. Fun fact-at school he sat at the very same desk that Arthur Askey used years previously.

Love these movies- I just wish Peter Jackson had resisted the urge to revisit Middle Earth.

Totally agree- I keep pestering the rest of the family to watch it.

Terrance Dicks (Doctor Who Target novel Talons of Weng-Chiang)

"Planet of the Spiders" (Terrance Dicks) Was feeling nostalgic for the old Target Doctor Who books so I picked up a couple on ebay. The prologue features Jo Grant and her hubby in the Amazon jungle which is a nice touch. I'll go back to grown-up books after this guilty pleasure

I get what you mean, but even in 1975 that was pants. Wouldn't it be great to see a story like that with up to date effects... Yeah, I can see War Games becoming a firm favourite!

The Ark in Space was great if you can see past the bubble wrap (luckily it didn't come from Kerblam!). Watched the first 2 episodes of the War Games and really enjoying it.

I've just ordered The War Games, Ark In Space and Horror of Fang Rock DVDs partly based on your reviews Mr. Dalek