So, the Day of the Doctor. Stephen Moffat has been hoarding Dr Who action figures for years and this episode is his best shot at increasing their value by claiming the “10th Doctor Action Figure” with David Tennant is a misprint. That and living out a River Song fantasy date with a big red button (and that is not at all erotic). This was fun and to quote a former aussie prime minister, anyone who attacks this moffat storyline is a bum.

Yes I know it’s the 50th but while everyone was busy celebrating Odile and I caught up to talk Enders Game, the book that is. The movie isn’t out in Oz until the 5th of december so I thought I would review the book ahead of that outing. Despite my fears of disappointment Ender’s Game was awesome. The three siblings at the heart of the story while genetically engineered still fit for a family of three and the Buggers while largely absent from the story present an intriguing foe. Throw in politics, a fascinating school and the war to end all wars and this is an epic story, told on a scale we can grasp through the filter of a 10 year old boy. I am holding judgement on the movie but I don’t need to hold judgement on the book, it’s a must read just as I was told it was.

The Doctor Who 50th is meant to be fun isn’t it??? The Apocalypse joined me to have a less serious look at The Night of the Doctor, the short pre 50th story. If you haven’t seen it, make sure you do, it will only take 6 mins.

This is a beautiful movie that tries to tell a really complex story and in some ways succeeds in others fails. The smaller character driven stories in this rock as does the first of the future dystopian stories. The other half of the stories are weak and somewhat contrived, ending with an unsatisfying conclusion. I love Hugo Weaving but in this, he was way overdone. Overall I would say watch it, but do so sober, you have no chance of keeping up if your under the influence of anything stronger than a slurpee.

Mutants that can use telepathy, telekinesis and teleportation walk among us. They are sexy and they can’t kill. Dayam. I loved the 1970s version of the Tomorrow people so it was with great trepidation that I went into this one. I have been blown away by the writing on this one, it’s intense, I love the characters and the conflict. This is the sort of Sci-fi I want to watch and I have to say I am somewhat surprised it’s American. Very worth the watch and it’s rewarding on many levels. My only concern, placing humanity as the bad guy is problematic in terms of a broader audience but personally I love it. Check it out, it will surprise you.

I don’t often want a happy ending, I am not against them but to want it you have to feel like the characters have earned it. More to the point if they have earned it but don’t get it you want a good reason. Damnation because you are “a great evil” when patently you aren’t isn’t one of them. That’s why I love this movie. It challenges my views, every time I watch it I want the girl to get the boy and every time I feel anger that the gods don’t see it my way. Jet Li is awesome, the effects are wonderful and this world is rich and while “fantasy” not so overdone that you feel that the world couldn’t have existed. Somewhere in china, I would like to think it did. Watch this film, it demonstrates that chinese film makers have learned more than a few tricks of their own.

I am not a huge Thor fan and this installment didn’t make me a fan but it was fun. Kat Dennings and Tom Hiddleston are obviously having a ball and despite providing and perfect demonstration of why Gods should never have children, Anthony Hopkins is awesome as well. Thor himself? He has a big hammer? Natalie Portman looks like she is trying to remember why she signed on and Christopher Ecclestone just shouldn’t have period, this is not his sort of role but hey, it’s a paycheck. All the same there’s plenty happening and even if it’s not the greatest of stories, Loki makes it all worth while. Not one I would go see again in a hurry but there are plenty of people who will love this film all the same.

Do not believe the press that this book gets. If you have seen the movie, disregard it. In it’s heart this is a thoughtful examination of the process of taking a normal person and turning them into a soldier. This shares some similarities with Enders Game, but explores a lot more philosophy. While it can be said to be a positive portrayal of soldiers, it’s a long way from justifying war or even military aggression. This book surprised me, I couldn’t put it down and it was probably the best book I have read this year so far.

Agents of SHIELD carries the Whedon name so it’s going to be highly anticipated. Having said that it’s so far been quite un-Joss like. Not a lot of memorable dialogue, or characters that grab me is not exactly what I expected. I can’t say this one has gripped me but I am sticking with it.

This martian is officially in uncharted waters. With the theme of the show being exploring the universe of science fiction it’s nice when we divert from ground I haven’t been over and this was a big diversion. I took a little time to warm to this book but what I will say is it totally rewards second readings as once you have your bearings in this universe the story is actually high paced and action filled. Horza is kind of the luke skywalker only having to work things out on his own, no ghostly jedi here and there are questions to be asked of both the “good” and the “bad” sides. Patience and taking the time to get your bearings will open up a sprawling universe with many more stories to follow.