Hello, Colin.

Hello, Colin.  Let's see….if memory serves, this would be a non-visitation weekend, so hopefully you're booking some Campbell time, getting in a little rest and relaxation on your own.

I mentioned to you that my new job came with a pay raise, but for whatever reason it's a lot more dramatic than I thought it would be in terms of surplus cash.  As a result, I went out yesterday and cautiously wasted a little money downtown, bought some DVDs and a couple of books. (I know, that doesn't sound too extravagant, but I did say "cautiously", after all.)

I'm pleased by the new movie repackaging system that's started showing up on the shelves at HMV - pairs or trios of movies that share a theme of some sort, combined in a single package.  I picked up a combination pack containing the critically acclaimed Pan's Labyrinth, which I just didn't get to while it was in commercial release, and The Cell, a Jennifer Lopez science fiction/fantasy vehicle from 2000 that I did see in commercial release, such are the vagaries of life.  The Cell wasn't as critically acclaimed, unfortunately - perhaps not a stellar movie in terms of plot, but very rich visually. Cost me a whopping eight dollars for the set - see above re:  caution. 

I also bought the special edition of GATTACA, nice little concept SF piece, and finally laid my hands on a used wide-screen copy of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.  (I have seen so many full screen copies of that movie for sale, I was starting to wonder if a wide screen version existed…)  I did a blog posting some time ago which discussed steampunk and its lack of real penetration into the mainstream, but you know, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen came pretty close to creating a niche for steampunk mashup.  I wonder if they'll ever adapt the less approachable comic book sequel, which pits the League against H. G. Wells' Martians?

But all of that is just preamble.  What I really wanted to mention was that I picked up a trade paperback of China Miéville short stories, Looking for Jake - $17.00 at Chapters, so much for caution - and if you haven't already gotten it through The Science Fiction Book of the Month Club, I recommend that you keep an eye out for it in regular paperback format.  Which I suppose I could have done as well, but I've been coveting this particular book for some time - as witnessed by the fact that I basically read the whole thing in one sitting.

If memory serves, I introduced you to China Mieville when I was reading his Perdido Street Station, which coincidentally also came out in Y2K.  There's actually a good little piece in the collection I bought that's set in the same milieu, which discusses the fate of Jack Half-A-Prayer, the fReemade renegade whose arm has been replaced with a gigantic mantis claw. 

In fact, the whole book is full of impressive bits and pieces.  Some of them are a bit oblique, as with the tale of the feral streets, or viae ferae, to be technical, but as always Mieville's baroque writing style pulls the reader in and engulfs them totally.  In short form, he reminds me a bit of Clive Barker - come to think of it, there's a certain resemblance in their longer works too, a sort of poetic fascination with the grotesque.  But I think that Mieville has more of an urban fixation than Barker. In Mieville's stories, the sprawl of buildings and streets, alleys and walkways, is as much a character as it is a setting. 

You know, I like to think that I've done well by our friendship in terms of recommending authors. Not only can I take credit for China Miéville, as far as I know I aimed you at Terry Pratchett and Iain M. Banks.  But that's not intended to suggest that you're in any way behind, after all, you got me started on Little Feat and John Hartford - looks like a tie to me.

Talk to you soon,

- Sid

Actually, resistance is the ratio of voltage to current.

To my mild surprise, I had today off as well as Good Friday.  It was explained to me that this was because of the collective agreement.  I'll admit to being a bit confused by this - I'm pretty sure that I didn't join the union when I started my new job, and I'm absolutely positive that I didn't join the Collective.

- Sid

P.S.  Just so you know, Laurie, it's a slightly funny Star Trek: Next Generation joke.

"The Doctor will see you now!!"

Atraxi:  YOU ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD.
The Doctor:  No, but I've put a lot of work into it.

Doctor Who, The Eleventh Hour.

Easter Sunday, and I honestly have to wonder how many people are spending any time at church today? When I was younger, Easter Sunday was a significant religious holiday which more or less closed down the country, but I see that a lot of stores and restaurants are open, and the Easter Bunny seems to be as much of an object of worship as Christ.

I can't be too critical, though, since you might say that I have also chosen to worship at a different altar - I've just finished watching The Eleventh Hour, the first episode of the new season of Doctor Who.

It's very tempting to make unfair comparisons between the previous incumbents and Matt Smith, the new Doctor.  (I briefly considered titling this post: David Tennant Light.)  However, I think that it's worth taking a moment to consider the unique nature of the Doctor Who series.

Unlike any other ongoing series, Doctor Who has an institutionalized method whereby the actor playing the main character can be replaced.  The process of regeneration allows the program to be virtually immortal (rather like the Doctor himself).  Actors can grow bored or grow old, move on, get fired, and the character simply regenerates - presto!  A new Doctor takes the place of the old one.

However, this process presents an odd challenge for both actors and writers. For the actor, it's a bit like doing Hamlet or Macbeth - the part has been played by many other actors, each of whom has left his mark, and it's now up to the new performer to offer what will hopefully be a new and different interpretation of the role while still remaining true to the essential nature of the character.

For the writer, it's almost the opposite.  The writer starts by wanting to be faithful to the character of the Doctor, as they have to be - the Doctor is the center around which the show revolves, after all. But there's always been a tacit understanding that after a regeneration, the Doctor is a new person, which allows for some innovation, and of course each new actor has strengths and weaknesses that need to be written to.

So, all that being said, how does Matt Smith fit into the Doctor template?

Short answer:  he's a pretty damn good fit.  In fact, he's such a good fit that I completely forgot about the fact that he was the new guy while watching the episode.  He's less dramatic than David Tennant was in his first appearance, but again, different actors, and I'd be willing to say that it might just be that he's making a deliberate effort to bring some steadiness to the role. As the youngest actor to portray the Doctor, it may be that the 27-year old Smith is trying to balance his perceived youth with some gravity, and we'll see how that develops over the long run.

Second-guessing aside, I'd give Mr. Smith a strong A, possibly even an A+ for his debut, but I'll certainly be watching that mark as the season develops.  Oh, and there's none of this David Tennant four-specials-a-year coyness, they're going right into a standard 13-episode run, with a fresh program next week.  The trailer at the end of the debut episode showed an intriguing mix for the upcoming shows:  olive drab Daleks with Union Jack flag decals, Stonehenge, vampires, Spitfires in space, lizard men, and (I think) van Gogh.

As always, I'll be downloading the episodes as they come, but those of you with more patience, less computer savvy, or just a stronger sensitivity to the international copyright laws will be able to watch the new season starting April 17th on the Space Channel.

- Sid

P.S.  The dissipated looking Easter Bunny is my niece, Jody.  There's a matching shot of a little fuzzy tail, but I'm trying to keep a Family rating for this blog, or at least PG.

P.P.S.  At the start of every week we have a staff meeting which starts out with everyone saying what they did on the weekend.  I was the only person who downloaded a Doctor Who episode...sigh...sometimes it's lonely.