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Show OPINIONS A6 SEPTEMBER 2, 2013 To become a 'Whovian' or not, that is the question PHOTO COURTESY OF DARTHVADERl@DEVIANTART With the coming of the 12th Doctor, many wonder what is coming for the popular show. Doctor Who has become a popular show and many people don't understand the hype By Amanda Holtman Assistant Opinions Editor @HallmanAmanda For the past few years, and especially the past few months, Doctor Who's popularity has been resurrected. "Whovians" are having a blast flooding the Internet with memes and merchandise while those who are not yet fans are wondering what television show could bring so much excitement. It's time to introduce you to the world of Daleks and Weeping Angels in order to change your life forever. Doctor Who is a British Broadcasting Corporation, or BBC, show about the last Timelord, an alien race from the planet Gallifrey. He travels in a spaceship called the TARDIS, an abbreviation for time and relative dimensions in space, which looks like an old police box on the outside but is much bigger on the inside. He can travel anywhere at any time in existence, but the earth is his favorite place to visit. It is on those trips that he finds a companion, typically a woman, who travels around the universe, saving it from destruction. Ok, so the Doctor is an alien saving the universe in a blue box. What's the big deal? The Doctor first made his appearance in 1963 as William Hartnell. The show ended with the seventh Doctor in 1989, with the exception of a TV movie in 1996. The concept of regeneration is what keeps this show going. Instead of dying, the Doctor's body undergoes a transformation where he gets a new appearance, which typically comes with a difference in personality. In 2005, the show kicked off again with Christopher Eccleston HOLLYWOOD from A5 on the safe, easy superhero. As much as I loved Man of Steel, I have to admit it was custom-built to rake in piles of cash. And I'm afraid I'll go see Avengers 2 for the same reason I saw Star Wars 3: obligation. Yes, movies are supposed to make money, but not at the expense of quality. Hollywood, you can't just throw CGI and a superpower together and expect to make $200 million. Superheroes are fine, sequels are fine, but give us Gambit, Wonder Woman, Brainiac, not tried-and-true heroes, and take risks. Don't make the mistake of Spiderman 3 as the ninth Doctor. Since then, there have been two other Doctors, David Tennant and Matt Smith, and seven seasons. This cycle of bringing in new actors with regeneration has placed Doctor Who on the Guinness World Records as the longest running science fiction TV series, with 769 episodes as of June 2010. Ok, the show has almost 800 episodes therefore it must be somewhat good to keep it going for so long. What else? Well, do you like humor? How about romance? Suspense? Mix all that with science fiction, add some awesomeness and what's the result? It's epic. That's what it is. Plus, it appeals to kids and adults alike. On June 1, 2013, BBC announced that Matt Smith would be leaving Doctor Who, leaving fans to wonder who would take his place. They didn't have to wait long. On Aug. 4, 2013, Peter Capaldi was announced as the and take over because you're afraid of losing money. Let the writers and producers freedom. 3. Paranormal, steampunk, young-adult fiction Yup, this one started with Harry Potter and Twilight. Here's the formula: angsty teen, preferably female; some sort of magic or monster; ridiculously sexy might-be British boy with inner demons; and conflicted best friend. Oh, don't forget the harbinger of doom related to the protagonist. And it must be based on a best-selling book. Twilight made more than a billion dollars, but why have "The Host," Beautiful Creatures," and now "City of Bones" all been colossal failures? Because we're sick of it. People will point to "Hunger Games" and successful teen book adap- 12th Doctor, causing an abundance of speculation and debate as to whether or not the right choice was made. The bulk of the comments have been that Capaldi, 55, is too old. Compared to Smith, 31, Capaldi does seem old. In retrospect, however, most of the past actors have been older. Besides, the Doctor is 1,000 years old. He can't always be young and spunky like the past two incarnations have been. None of us like change, but it's a continual thing that we all have to deal with. When Smith started, many didn't like him Gradually though, people came to love him. Capaldi is a great actor and will bring new life to the show. In time, I'm sure he'll be just as great as the others have been. BBC hasn't done us wrong yet! Why yes, I am a Whovian, and I'm proud of it. I didn't start watching the show until the 11th Doctor came around, but I started with the ninth and instantly fell tations, but "Hunger Games" wasn't paranormal and angsty; it was commentary on social issues and whatnot. There is excellent teen fiction out there. I love reading, and movies adapted from books are a great idea. The studios seem too scared to stray away from the Twilight formula, and it's showing. 2. Sequels and Reboots This one is self-explanatory. Does anyone really want to see Transformers 4, Fast and Furious 7, Die Hard 6, another Pixar sequel, or a Top Gun reboot? No, but each of those movies are considered safe bets, once again. I am dying to see something original that doesn't involve a $150 million budget riding the coattails of a great movie. I'm putting "The Lone Ranger," which performed almost humorously bad, in this category. In that case, they decided to rely on Jack Sparrow and Bellatrix Lestrange to carry that film. Previous success and big names shouldn't be what you base your movie on. "Pirates of the Caribbean" was and is a great movie, but by the third installment we were all sick of Johnny Depp's character. "Die Hard" is a classic, but "A Good Day to Die Hard?" Just end the series while you're ahead. 1. Cool renegades with guns I don't even remember the names of these to be completely honest; they all just blend together. Rebel cops or gangsters with guns seek to right a wrong or something similar. It's every reincarnation of Bad Boys in the past decade: "Two Guns", "Bad Boys 2", "Pain and Gain", "Rush Hour", "Miami Vice", "Blue Streak". Movies are an amazing medium, and I think they are our society's most powerful way of telling stories. I want to be told a good story, not treated as a source of easy money for lazy filmmakers. That being said, the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival happened last weekend. All the tellers have recordings and books, and there are thousands more in the library. Go find a story that moves you, that seeks to be more than just a blockbuster. Find the stories that want to be told for their own sakes, then re-tell them. PHOTO COURESY OF WWWHOLLYWOODSIGN.ORG As mega-budget movies continue to wash out, filmmakers have to change course to make money again. IGNORANCE from A5 Truth isn't subjective, or political. MELISSA HENRIE/UVU REVIEW in love with the show. I watched almost the entirety of what was out in just a couple weeks. I have yet to see the classic episodes but I plan to fill my spare time with catching myself up. Give it a shot at least. If you don't get into it at the beginning, hold on a little longer. I have many friends who weren't sure about the show until they finally listened to me and started watching. Now they are hooked. The show is that good. If you give the show a chance and still don't like it, that's fine— to each his or her own. While you enjoy other fandoms, we Whovians will mind our own business and slowly turn our homes into a TARDIS with all of the merchandise on the Internet and Pinterest do-it-yourself projects. Just remember: "Don't blink Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink. Good luck."- The 10th Doctor. These are extreme examples but the point is people are willing to deny objective fact in favor of some notion without merit. I think the reason for this selfimposed ignorance stems from our belief that everyone is created equal and has the right to be heard. We have extended this beautiful truth to the extreme: that every idea has merit, truth is personal and we can't judge someone based on their beliefs or thoughts. This pernicious idea is tearing us apart. Yes, you have the right to your opinion, but you do not have the right to have that opinion be regarded as truth, or even respected. If an idea is wrong or harmful, it shouldn't be allowed to hold sway. We need to take these falsehoods as opportunities to teach. Your racist uncle who complains loudly about a specific group at every family dinner should be taught that's wrong and ill-informed. Vaccinations do not cause autism, gun-free zones do not eliminate shootings and homosexuals do not cause natural disasters. Obama is not the anti-Christ, Macintosh is not perfect, racism is wrong and Twilight still sucks. These are as negotiable as arithmetic or spelling; that is to say, not at all. Perhaps the saddest truth is while we all demand our views be respected, we might be living in one of the most scientificallyignorant society in decades. Oregon educators are revisiting school policies because so many parents refuse to vaccinate their children. Here in Utah, parents are up in arms when creationism isn't taught as an "alternative" to cosmic development and evolution. Statistics, fact and truth are being rejected. Thankfully, I see a little more mental flexibility here at UVU. Maybe it's because we're younger, or are more accepting that we might be wrong. Maybe we're used to accepting something new as fact because we're in school. Whatever the reason, I see a lot more open and honest debate and discussion among students than I do outside of our school of 30,000. Opinions haven't hardened into personal identity, we have a wider view of the world and information, and we can look for truth and decide on our own. I urge you to be malleable. Don't decide now that what you know is the ultimate end-all. We have a responsibility to remain open-minded and determined to find the best option and the greatest truth. TWERK from A5 need to be more self aware and less self-righteous. Maybe we just need to turn off the noise. These are things we can all do. Until then, to quote Jay-Z "Twerk Miley, Miley, Miley, Twerk." I think these are common positions and liberal instincts that I'm relating. But, on the other hand, are things so bad? The book "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined" talks about how the world is improving by being much less violent and more civilized. It begs the question: "How bad was the world?" and answers that it was pretty bad. We're living in a relatively peaceful time, probably because we depend on each other on a global scale. The wars we wage now are economically based. We have less violence in our daily lives. You're probably protesting these ideas with flashes of the incredible show you just watched or game you just played. Are we transferring our need for physical entertainment to our computers? Yes, we're transferring everything human to computers. Porn, games, social networks, blogs, tweets, instagrams, etc., but it didn't start with this Internet and small computers we have today. This started when the first humans started drawing on caves. In that moment, a person was trying to convey something about life, about themselves; transferring it on the wall using the only technology they had. This transferring of human experience using technology is called Art. Art always reflects our identities. We like things to be entertaining or honest. The art becomes transcendent when it mends and heals. Dylan said listening to his songs was like looking out a window, saying this is entertaining but also a view into the world. An "Inconvenient Truth" could also be called the "Ugly Truth." How much truth that movie may have is debatable, but Al Gore did not make that film to entertain our senses like the latest Michael Bay disaster of a movie. There are prophets and pageants in the world. We need moderation because too much ugly is depressing, and too much fluff is unsatisfying. Back to technology. Which road are we on? Will there be a reckoning, or will technology give us the grace to answer for our sins? Will we be able to save the world before we destroy it? Can we invent something that erases the injustices and inequality that changes the climate of our world? Perhaps, Miley isn't the answer but not really the problem either. She is just like us. The Internet is just a reflection of us. Technology is just the art that sums up what we can do based on who we are. Haven't these advanced computers really just shown us that we're all human? The uprising in the Middle East sparked organization of like people to challenge. People organize, share common interests, meet their soul mates, and give the world their part in the giant talent show that is now our world, thanks to these advancements in human achievement. We're still human and coming together. Sure, there are drawbacks, but could a few drawbacks be worth the accomplishments? Permanence is inspiring. Mankind. That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. As the POTUS said in Independence Day, "We recently celebrated the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution, but from annihilation." He should have said, "We celebrate our Dependence Day!" Even though Randy Quaid did the "Up Yours!" thing with the jet, one man didn't save the world; the collective will of mankind did. I think that same coalition of the willing will be the saving grace of our species. What is going to work? Teamwork. How can anything get done if only a few do while the others are all busy twerking? What isn't going to work? Twerk. Well, it works for me, but you know what I mean. What do you think? Send an email to uvureviewopinionseditor@ gmail.com , and we'll publish your opinion in the next issue |