Currently watching Auton, it’s not awful, but you can tell there’s next to no budget, and the directing really isn’t great
2 Likes
Just finished the Auton trilogy, surprisingly not bad, at least the first two
Not great either, but yeah, solid 6/10s, the 3rd one was definitely weird though (/neg) and I’d put it at a 3.5 maybe, not 100% sure
Intrigued by Cyberon and P.R.O.B.E, but can’t find anywhere to watch those online
I can find Airzone Solution though so might watch that or… well… I can find Zygon too
6 Likes
Looks like a badge may be required for me to set up soon lol.
Just need to know what to call it!
How about
9 Likes
Zygon Aubergine?
I have no idea what you are referring to 
8 Likes
So I watched Zygon with my bf
That was definitely one way to kill an hour
7 Likes
It’s certainly a choice when it comes to foreplay…
7 Likes
Just started to watch the first episode of The Stranger. I know that life was hard during the wilderness years but I did not know that all professional acting jobs in the UK were eliminated, I thought that it only was Doctor Who that was canceled. That is the only reason that I can see why Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant would choose to be part of this amateur fan fiction.
9 Likes
The first Stranger installment is definitely the weakest.
5 Likes
The second one was better. I still think that it is strange that this kind of acting talent I wasted on this bad production.
6 Likes
This is the official motto of the Bakerloonies fanclub 
.
5 Likes
I know there are issues with payment, copyright etc, but I’m still interested in what these are like. The audio productions from BBV are fairly good, so I have a smidge of hope they are enjoyable.
6 Likes
Lots of them are definitely enjoyable. Context matters and these were straight to video affairs in the 90s. Adjust your mindset to that and there’s lots you can get from them.
6 Likes
Sounds like another series I know 
9 Likes
As a fan of straight to VHS films from the 70s-90s this won’t be a problem hehe.
5 Likes
The third Stranger is kind of good 
6 Likes
The Zero Imperative - 6/10
I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed that, or, well, the second half at least. The first half of the film tends to drag a bit, and I feel it could probably have been better if they cut it down to 40 minutes and focused more on the more horror aspect of the second half rather than the 30/40 mins of setup.
When they do get to that god part though, it’s really good! I knew the cast were going to be fun to watch, being mostly former doctors, but the cinematography was great, especially some of the lighting at the end.
An 8/10 film brought down by messy plotting, a first half that drags, and a bit of a tonal shift with in jokes for the audience in the first half being a bit jarring compared to the ending.
9 Likes
The Devil of Winterbourne - 8/10
When I saw that runtime, I really didn’t expect to enjoy this at all, especially after the pacing issues in The Zero Imperative, but wow did this surprise me.
The pacing felt noticeably better here, there’s some really gruesome imagery in there too, I’m especially thinking about the skinned dog head scarecrow nearer the beginning. There’s familiar faces from classic who, but none of them take away from the driving force of the actual plot itself like they did all too much in The Zero Imperative.
Liz gets more time to actually shine here, and you’re immediately more invested with the potential of P.R.O.B.E. getting shut down. Also on thinking more, I like that P.R.O.B.E. sets itself apart from U.N.I.T. by being UK government based, rather than UN based.
Mark Gatiss’ acting in this is really bad though, with his character’s stammer. For the most part it’s alright, but there’s one scene where he’s talking to Liz, and Mark seems to almost keep forgetting that his character’s meant to have a stammer. There’s a few characters who are meant to be like 17 or so as well, and the actors clearly aren’t which takes you out of it a bit when they mention it, but isn’t too bad.
As for the villain, major spoilers ahead. At first when the villain was revealed I had an immediate ick. Great, a gay murderer, it’s not inherently bad to do that, but it’s definitely a harmful trope that’s usually not great. The more it went on though, the more I actually really liked the choice to make the character gay. The murder isn’t actually haunted by some devil, but he’s a guy who’s been convinced he’s the reincarnation of this famous occultist.
If it were a straight adult man who’d been convinced of it, it’d still work, but making that person a gay teen, someone who’s still growing up, who doesn’t yet understand his place in the world, who probably feels othered from society even more than others his age due to his sexuality. To take a person like that and tell them they have a place, that they matter.
It just works so well, and honestly made me feel a bit emotional thinking about it.
TL:DR: I highly recommend watching this, of all the wilderness years things I’ve watched so far this is by far my favourite.
4 Likes
Unnatural Selection - 6/10
The audio mixing isn’t the best on this (though might just be the version I watched). The plot’s fine but less interesting than the other two and unfortunately it felt a little predictable, I saw the twist coming a mile away. Now the effects though, there were some gruesome practical effects in this which I loved, one near the start where a yellow sludge seeps out of a person’s eyes really stood out to me, as well as the moment where someone gets their heart torn out of their body.
Overall though, this didn’t reach the atmospheric peaks that the first two films did, though it’s at least more consistent then The Zero Imperative.
Worth a watch for the effects though.
Also unrelated but it’s Criminal that Liz isn’t on the cover of more of these, because the cover for this one is just awful.
3 Likes
Ghosts of Winterbourne - 6/10
Okay so they decided to so The Devil of Winterbourne, but without the bits that were actually interesting, and retconning the main thing I liked about it.
I mean, generally this was pretty fun and I enjoyed watching, usually I’d give a 7/10, but the fact it makes The Devil of Winterbourne worse in retrospect is just really frustrating.
It also doesn’t have the moments that really make The Devil of Winterbourne work like the scarecrow there, so it just falls a bit flat.
I like coming back to the location and seeing the repurcussions of that first film, but overall it’s just fine.
5 Likes