Tuesday 15 December 2009

TV

Have I Got News For You
38x08 (11/12/09 edition; uncut repeat)
I thought Dominic West was an odd choice to host, but he surprised me by being rather good. Super.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
1x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Top Gear
14x04 Episode 4
Yes, last week's. Well, actually, last week-and-a-half's.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Michael Clayton (2007)
[#87 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
Time is getting severely low to reach my target before the year's out. Still, I was also only at 87 about this time last year and I made it to 100 (just), so there's plenty of hope yet.

Articles

A Christmas Carol returns to UK BO summit by Simon Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
To return to the top spot in the 6th week of release is pretty incredible. On the other hand, who thought it was a bright idea to release such a Christmassy film a full two months before the big day?! Of course it's doing better business now, especially with it about to be kicked out of many 3D screens in favour of Avatar.

SFX Soapbox by Richard Edwards
(from SFX #191, p.35)
"The bit of the mag where angry SFX writers go to spout off. This month: Richard Edwards rants about people who refuse to call science fiction science fiction."
A brilliant -- and very truthful -- rant. (I believe this issue is out from tomorrow, despite being dated February 2010. Magazines are barmy.)

Articles: Avatar reviews

FILM REVIEW: Avatar by Richard Edwards
(from SFX)
Despite the four-and-a-half stars, it seems SFX have hit upon a fundamental flaw: great effects, weak story. The most telling sentence, I feel, is halfway through: "Avatar’s problem is that it’ll automatically get a star docked as soon as it arrives on the small screen".

Review of Avatar by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire)
At the end of a five-star review: "a flawed but fantastic tour de force that, taken on its merits as a film, especially in two dimensions, warrants four stars."
Just to emphasise this point.

Review of Avatar by Roger Ebert
(from rogerebert.com)
A thoroughly sycophantic (unfortunately) offering from Ebert.