Dr. Who Love

Family Movie Night

By Karyn Bowman

With the new year comes resolutions to be better, to do better.

We all have some goal we want to accomplish. Maybe it is losing weight or gaining more muscle or learning a new skill or getting rid of clutter.

I usually set goals for how many books I will read throughout the year on Goodreads.com. I would like to do that for movies but I tend to watch quite a few without a goal. Another goal I like to set is trying to figure out better nutrition for myself and my family. That and getting rid of clutter. I am always trying to get rid of clutter.

Change is inevitable in some things.

Such as Dr. Who.

Jodie Whitaker as the latest Dr. Who

Some of you may have been watching the British show since the 60s when nit first came about. Others might have started in the 70s when Tom Baker was the enigmatic Doctor. My children have watched the show with Matt Smith and David Tennant. The current doctor is portrayed by Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to portray the Doctor.

Everyone I know seems to have a favorite doctor and not all agree on who is the best. For me, it is Tom Baker. He started the super-long scarf craze and seemed just wacky and tough enough to be a great doctor. But there is a part of me that loved the last doctor portrayed by the Scottish Peter Capaldi.

The basic story line is that the Doctor is an alien humanoid who travels through time and space, trying to help whatever group he/she may encounter. Some episodes find us in the past, some find us exploring the future. The setting might be a spaceship in distress or a countryside facing evil from other aliens. The Doctor always has an human companion, some more skillful than others, some more dear than others.

Like the Doctor, companions have changed out over the years. Sarah Jane was one of my favorites. But I also grew to love Rose and Clara. My kids loved Amy Pond. It wasn’t really that hard to like her or her husband, Rory.

How do we forget the villains? The salt and pepper shaker inspired Daliks? The weeping angel statues? The creepy cybermen? My favorite was the robot who eliminated people if they showed any signs of sadness.

There have been many enjoyable moments as some of my favorite actors have appeared on the Doctor. I loved it when Michael Gambon starred as a scrooge-like character. Not too long ago Alan Cummings portrayed King James. Alex Kingston portrayed Riversong to unpredictable perfection. To list them all would take too much time.

Doctors come and go. The back story, especially that with Riversong, is long and complicated. And yet, the Doctor draws people in to a certain level of fandom that is only equaled by Trekkies and Star Wars fans. I recently read that there is a warehouse/store/museum in Indiana filled with Doctor Who memorabilia. To me that sounds like a road trip in the making.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

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Going through a change with The Croods

Family Movie Night

 

by Karyn Bowman

 

This past weekend I put out the wind chimes out on my porch. When the winter winds are finished, I usually put them out and finally it seems the winter winds are done.

 

Image by nasir khan

While walking yesterday, I noticed a broken robin blue egg shell on the sidewalk. Such a pretty color and that is a sure sign that spring is here to stay since the Robins are starting to have babies. Finally, the husband showed me a picture he had taken this morning of goslings in the water being protected by the parents.

 

Finally, spring is here. But then news reports talk about 80 degree weather coming. We will get our one week of spring before it hits summer. So this week, I am hitting the garden and getting the mulch and weeds out as quick as possible. Wasn’t it just two weeks ago snow was flying?

 

Change is a hard thing for us humans. We like our routines, and that some people are always going to be there for us. When those routines are upset, we are off kilter until we get use to the new routine.

 

I think about this when I hear people talk about their new diet or exercise routine. I have a friend who recently quit smoking and that is one difficult habit to give up. But I know in the long run she will be happier for it.

 

I am on the change kick not just because of the season but because of some of the movies we have seen recently. Over the weekend, the family went to see The Croods at the theater. Probably its last week but we were not in the mood for death and destruction.

 

It is a tale about a stone age family whose life is about to change as their world goes through land mass upheaval. Talk about having your routine upset.

 

Image from Movies4Kids.wordpress.com

The Croods think they are the last of the humans until they meet Guy. Guy agrees to help the family find a safe place after their cave is destroyed by falling boulders.

 

It is fun, action packed, and has many interesting creatures. But what struck me was the scene in which it is explained how new ideas are frowned upon because that can get you killed. Curiosity can get you killed. Stick with the old ways that you know and hide in a cave when danger comes around.

 

It seemed to me that this theme was also central to Frankenweenie and ParaNorman. Stick with the old ideas, beat out or destroy anything that is different. New ideas or discoveries are bad.

 

All movies are about the journey a person or a group of people take during a particular episode of life. Most of the time, it is an episode that changes or transforms us or allows us to deal with life as it is right at that moment.

 

Sometimes, the journey is about accepting a new idea or being open to the wonders of the world without falling prey to the dangerous parts. That might be the hardest one of all. It will not always be successful but I can say that you will not fail to learn something.

 

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.