Pumping Iron + Pumping Iron II (1977-85)

Pumping Iron (1977)

Dirs. George Butler + Robert Fiore

A documentary's success is appreciable when it not only pleases its target audience but also holds the attention of a viewer who ordinarily has zero interest in the topic onto which it turns its lens.

Such it is with me and body building, a sport / discipline that I care nothing for. But the spotlight cast on the lifestyle by film-makers George Butler and Robert Fiore makes fascinating viewing.

The egos, arrogance, and rivalries are there, but they're balanced by a huge amount of competitor encouragement and friendly advice. How much of it was chosen for that specific purpose is unknown.

What comes through the most is that an unshakeable belief in oneself is just as important to success as hours spent gurning at the gym.

2000 AD: Mike Carey (1999—)

2000 AD: Mike Carey (1999—)

Author: Mike Carey | Illustrator: Various | Credits (to date): 25 Progs

I've featured quite a lot of author Mike Carey's comic work over the years. It's mostly been his output under DC's successful Vertigo imprint. I bypassed his work for 2000 AD because the quality is variable, but I'm filling that gap now.

Besides a few Future Shock-esque anthology pieces, he co-created two original series for the magazine: Carver Hale and Thirteen, both of which received a standalone collected edition.

01. Before I get to those, his first published work in the magazine was a one-shot under the Pulp Sci-Fi banner, titled Eggs is Eggs in Prog 1145 (1999), with Cliff Robinson (artist), Chris Blythe (colourist), and Annie Parkhouse (letterer), later reprinted in a Judge Dredd Megazine supplement (#296, March 2010).

King Kong: The Toho Movies (1962–67)

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Dir. Ishirō Honda

I reviewed KKvG in my Godzilla: Shōwa Era Films (1954-74) post, but it was from a 'Godzilla movie' perspective, not a King Kong one. Logic says I should re-watch it from a Kong perspective, but I vowed never to suffer its woeful story ever again, so I've simply copy/pasted from the previous post, with some minor editing. I don't think my overall opinion would've changed much, anyhow.

The most positive thing that I can muster to say about KKvG is that it's the first King Kong movie to be shot in full widescreen and on colour stock. It's pretty terrible otherwise.

Fans who only want a monster bash will have to wait an hour before the two titans even meet, and when it happens it's laughable.

Doctor Who: Classic Era Davros (1975-88)

Doctor Who: Classic Era Davros (1975-88)

NOTE: there are SPOILERS for a number of Classic Era Dr Who stories below this paragraph. It would be advisable not to read any further if you're not okay with that.

The Doctor had encountered the Daleks more than once before, as far back as his first onscreen incarnation (William Hartnell), during the second multipart story of the first series (1963-64), but he didn't come face-to-face with their tyrannical creator Davros until the fourth serial of the twelfth season (1975).

The duo met four more times over the next thirteen years, and you'll find thoughts on each of those meetings in the text below the cut. Once again, SPOILERS are present.