TV

Cranford
2x01 Part One: August 1844
Hilariously funny, heartbreakingly sad, and altogether excellent.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Merlin
2x10 Sweet Dreams
"It is destiny, my love. ... Destiny and chicken." Brilliantly funny episode, this one.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Misfits
1x06 Episode Six [season finale]
I nearly didn't bother watching Misfits, but I'm glad I did because it turned out to be a cracking little series. Looking forward to season two already.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Russell Howard's Good News
1x09 Xmas Special (extended repeat)
The closing stand-ups featured in this series have all been fairly weak, but this one really took the biscuit. So bad I actually gave in and fastforwarded him. I think the audience wished they could've done the same.
[You can (still) only see the shorter version on iPlayer.]

Spooks
8x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Top Gear
14x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

new review at 100 Films

Avatar (2009)

It’s hard to resist flaw-spotting with Avatar after reading so many praise-filled reviews... But for all the derivative plot, blunt message, cheesy dialogue, thrilling action, spectacular imagery, pretty good CGI and debatable 3D, it may have a greater problem in gaining anything like widespread acceptance... For every SF/F-loving sycophant there’ll be a member of the general public who thinks it’s a load of old tosh.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently a whole pile of feature films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

Collection Count

Collection Count, now in its ninth week, tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics.

For the first time, there are no changes whatsoever to report this week. How dull. But that's Christmas -- one shouldn't go buying stuff before it! Next time we'll be the other side of The Big Day, so I'm sure there'll be much to report.

Fortunately, it's time for the monthly running time update, so at least there's something to cover in this post. And do please stay 'til the end for a mini announcement.

Number of titles in collection: 1,102 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,053 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 49 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 2,706 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,148 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 3,780 [no change]

Statistic of the week:

Total running time of collection (approx.):
186 days, 20 hours, and 39 minutes.
(Up 3 days, 17 hours, and 49 minutes from last month.)

What with next Friday being Doctor Who Day Christmas Day, Collection Count will be having a week off. (Probably.) Perhaps two. Look for a post-Christmas, no-doubt-sizable, tenth update sometime early in the New Year. (Or on December 27th, if I feel like it.)

See you anon, faithful reader.