Social and political commentary sidelined by action thrills in “Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil”
Timothy Combe, “Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil” (1971) An enjoyable story, even if it is two separate stories mashed together and the seams joining them…
Television Series
Political philosophy / science fiction action thriller in “Doctor Who: Inferno”
Douglas Camfield, “Doctor Who: Inferno” (1970) “Inferno” represents “Doctor Who” at its best as a science fiction / action thriller television series dealing with some very…
Advocating for tolerance and empathy against xenophobia in “Doctor Who: The Ambassadors of Death”
Michael Ferguson, “Doctor Who: The Ambassadors of Death” (Season 7, 1970) After six seasons, and the departure of two actors playing the eponymous Doctor, perhaps the…
The ethics of colonisation, enslavement, resistance and intervention in “Doctor Who: The War Games”
David Maloney, “Doctor Who: The War Games” (Season 6, 1969) One of the longest stories in the “Doctor Who” television series, totalling ten episodes, “The War…
A convoluted action / military thriller with a Bond-style villain in “Doctor Who: The Invasion”
Douglas Camfield, “Doctor Who: The Invasion” (Season 6, 1968) This eight-part serial featuring Patrick Troughton as the second incarnation of the beloved British sci-fi hero Doctor…
The News-Benders: a troubling view of news media as propaganda outlets carrying out an agenda
Rudolph Cartier, “The News-Benders” (1968) Entertaining yet troubling and provocative, “The News-Benders” was one of nearly 300 episodes of a BBC television series “Thirty-Minute Theatre” that…
A plot to take down Russian political activist in “Navalny: Fake Poisoning (Part 1: The Patient)” is unravelled
“Navalny: Fake Poisoning (Part 1: The Patient)” (Soloviev LIVE / Vesti News, 24 August 2021) Presented by Alexander Sosnovsky and Sergei Karnaukhov, this very smooth and…
Karolyi: a slick example of sports propaganda whitewash
Jack Felling “Karolyi” (NBC Sports, 2016) Here is a very slickly produced documentary made for the NBC television network as part of a series of sports…
Australian and New Zealand Films
No Justice, No Peace: no justice done to Black Lives Matter and George Floyd by shallow news program
“No Justice, No Peace” (Foreign Correspondent, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 16 June 2020) Remarkable for what it fails to say and do, this episode purports to investigate…
Redacted Tonight (Season 4, Episode #271): covering the most under-reported news stories of 2018 – 2019
“Redacted Tonight (Season 4, Episode #271)” (RT America, 14 December 2019) In this episode, Redacted Tonight host Lee Camp runs through several stories picked up by…