Doctor Who — The Savages — Episode 2 — A Review

2nd April, 2025: Doctor Who — The Savages.

Right then.

It’s officially Wednesday.

In case you didn’t know!

Which means … I am as bored as wosname.

And waiting for a blu-ray to turn up.

It struck me, the other day, that I haven’t seen Aliens — the sequel to Ridley Scott’s Alien — in many years.

So I felt it’s something I should correct.

There may be a review: you never know … 

~≈👨🏼‍⚕️≈~

Ah … the things just got here … 

And … ?

I bought the 4k version of Alien, recently.

And … ?

It has to be said for roughly the same price as the 4k Aliens box, Alien just had 2k and 4k versions of the film: with very little in the way of extras, beyond some audio commentaries.

The 4k box set of Aliens?   Includes a whole extra disc-full of extras.

At £19.99 for either?   Aliens seems far better value than Aliens.

~≈👨🏼‍⚕️≈~

At any rate … ?

It is — as I’ve already said! — Wednesday!

So, tonight … ?

I’ll be doing what I promised I’d do.

I’m going to be watching episode two of classic Dr Who story, The Savages.

Then — hopefully — tell you about it, by tomorrow night.

By the time you finish reading this … ?

You’ll know what I think.

~≈👨🏼‍⚕️≈~

Memory: The Origins of Alien — A Review

8th September, 2019.

Yes: it’s a Sunday night off.



A night off at the ned of a day where … 

Where … 



Well, I’ve not actually done much: bar had dinner at my family’s.

Apparently?

My nephew, Jude, wants to bring his friend Archie, over to mine.

Making videos seem to have caught someone’s attention.

I’m not sure how I feel about that, though.



Babysitting my nephew’s one thing.

Looking after someone else kid, as well … ?

Well … 

That’s another matter … 

~≈§≈~



At any rate … ?

At any rate?



A night off … ?



Means watching something on telly.

Or, at least, catching something on the AppleTV.

And, although I’ve plenty of choice, at the moment … ?

I felt that a documentary could be the thing.

Given this week saw the fortieth anniversary of the UK release of Alien?

I felt watching the documentary about it — Memory: The Origins of Alien — would be an idea … 

~≈§≈~

Alien: A Review

28th December, 2018.

Yes … 

You have just seen the intro video, there, haven’t you?

Just in case you’re wondering … ?

Just in case you’re wondering about the Japan reference, there, I’ve got Japan’s Tin Drum album on in the background.

It’s both a personal favourite, gorgeous to listen to … 

And possibly something I’ve listened to a lot, at this time of night.

Good knows what the neighbours must be thinking.

Either way, it’s a LP I like listening too, while I write … 

~≈§≈~

Which is possibly something you may or may not have worked out.

As I think I’ve mentioned the blessed thing a few times … 

Funnily … it’s also not a CD I’ve ever owned … 

Nor, unfortunately, am I ever likely to.

Who buys CDs, or DVDs, these days, with things like Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Prime and Netflix?



That sad fact, there, is that record retailers, HMV, have gone into administration: and their owners make no bones about the fact that the move to streaming and downloading has played its part.

It’s sad: and believe me, I’m sympathetic to what the staff are going through, having been working at Threshers, when it collapsed.

But … ?

I can’t help but think a better online offering from the company could’ve been helpful.

Let’s face it, we all of us finding the streaming option so much easier than walking into a shop.

~≈§≈~

That’s not necessarily always the case.

Sometimes?

Sometimes we can happily watch a movie on DVD or blu-ray.

Although, personally?

I’ve not actually owned a DVD player for 3 or four years: if you see me mention my movie collection, that collection consists of digital files I’ve either bought on iTunes, and streamed across the internet.

Or digital files I’ve ripped, and have stored on an external hard drive.

That later, I can watch on my AppleTV.

That later option, raiding that external drive?

Is something I’ve done, tonight.

Yes: I’ve not seen fan favourite, Alien, for some time … 

~≈§≈~

Alien: In Space, No-one Can Hear You Eat Popcorn … A Review

Ok, I know what the actual tag-line was, but …

Never mind.

Quite frankly, things are quiet for me, as you know: a lack of money, little to do and nothing on the horizon, dictate staying in at the mo.

Mind you, I’ve a nice — if not extensive — film collection to have on in the background, while I plan for my future, browse how eBay works and send out job emails.   (The local off-license where I work has had its opening hours shortened by head office – while I can understand why and still have my contracted ones available, it is a touch … not alarming, per se, but certainly worrying.   And makes trying to find another gig rather more important.)

So as I browse jobsites, send emails, and write this, I’ve had the 2003 directors cut of Ridley Scott’s Alien playing in the background.

And with or without extra scenes, a good one to watch.

It’s been a while since I’ve watched the original 1979 theatrical release.   I think I’ve concentrated on the director’s cut, since I got my copy: about the only differences I can spot are a scene, towards the end, where Sigourney Weaver, as Ellen Ripley, finds Dallas — the ships captain, played by Tom Skerritt — glued to a wall by the alien and begging for death, along with an earlier one where the crew are arguing outside the Nostromo’s medical bay.

Like I say, it is definitely a film worth watching*.

I was too young to see Alien at the cinema when it was originally released, but I can remember seeing it on video, when the time came.

Don’t forget, this was only two years after the UK release of Star Wars Episode Four: A New Hope±; something that seriously altered cinema. It meant studios had to at least look at starting to compete with the TV set’s in everyones home.

By making and screening Big Cinema Events.

And that suddenly, science fiction stopped being geeky and laughable and started being respectable money earners.

Granted, there were a few stinkers.

But Ridley Scott’s Alien isn’t one of them.

It made things perfectly clear to movie goers that science fiction wasn’t all about gallant rebels having light-saber fights with panting, evil space lords.

To put it not to bluntly, Alien made people jump out of their skins, as often as Ridley Scott felt he could get away with.

Star Wars was the Light side of the Force.

But Alienª, with its H. R. Gigerº designed creature, a cast being killed at a rate of knots, and the greasy feel of an articulated lorry with blood on every wheel, came howling out of the darkest corners of the universe.

And left a mark on the genre that’ll be a long time in fading …

Actor	Character
Tom Skerrit	Dallas
Sigourney Weaver	Ripley
Veronica Cartwright	Lambert
Harry Dean Stanton	Brett
John Hurt	Kane
Ian Holm	Ash
Yaphet Kotto	Parker
Bolaji Badejo	Alien
Helen Horton	Mother (Voice)
Eddie Powell	Alien (Uncredited)

Director	Ridley Scott
Writers	Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett (Story)
	Dan O’Bannon (Screenplay)

*        It also means I almost missed ITV4’ showing of the 1973 original “The Wicker Man”. Which is a whole other post; one that’ll probably mention Britt Ecklund’s stunt bum … and folk songs.

        Oh dear, the folk songs …

º        It also had concept art from noted artists Ron Cobb, who did most of the art for the Nostromo, and from Jean ‘Moebius’ Giraud – but I’m not too sure if any of that made it to the screen.

ª        You can read about Alien, here, by the way.

±        I’ll have to confess, I can’t think of Star Wars, as Star Wars Episode Four: A New Hope. I grew up when it was still just Star Wars …