Battlestar Galactica [2004]
2x17 The Captain's Hand
2x18 Downloaded
2x19 Lay Down Your Burdens Part 1
2x20 Lay Down Your Burdens Part 2 [season finale]
Nearly a fortnight off and then a four-episode binge to end the season? Yup, that's my way. Still, I'll take a break before commencing season three (or rather, before that, The Resistance webisodes), just to try to separate them a bit in my mind.
Helluva conclusion though: after spending a miniseries and two whole seasons following the fleet for nine months, the series jumps forward twelve in a single cut. And then, after setting up a radically different status quo, it immediately wipes it out with a nice big twist/cliffhanger. Splendid stuff.
Saturday, 31 July 2010
Friday, 30 July 2010
Films
No TV today, but a significant boost to my film viewing...
Ministry of Fear (1944)
[#70 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Panic in the Streets (1950)
[#71 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Terminator Salvation: Director's Cut (2009)
[#72 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Ministry of Fear (1944)
[#70 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Panic in the Streets (1950)
[#71 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Terminator Salvation: Director's Cut (2009)
[#72 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Articles
Steven Moffat interview: Sherlock, writing modern TV, and Doctor Who series 6 by Simon Brew
(from Den of Geek!)
Think that title has it covered! Though do note it's not as long as that lengthy list likely implies.
The UK Film Council is dead. Let's give the British Film Institute a chance by Dave Calhoun
(from Time Out London)
Or, why the closure of the UKFC isn't necessarily a bad thing. Well argued and a good counterpoint to all the clamour that shutting down the UKFC means the end of British cinema.
(from Den of Geek!)
Think that title has it covered! Though do note it's not as long as that lengthy list likely implies.
The UK Film Council is dead. Let's give the British Film Institute a chance by Dave Calhoun
(from Time Out London)
Or, why the closure of the UKFC isn't necessarily a bad thing. Well argued and a good counterpoint to all the clamour that shutting down the UKFC means the end of British cinema.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Not that you'd know it from the final numbers, but this week the total of films went down a little (since levelled out by new purchases) and TV went up instead. Not because of new purchases, but while going through my collection to compile next week's Statistic of the Week, I discovered some miniseries I'd somehow mislabelled as being 1 film instead of 6 episodes of TV. But then, like I say, some new films levelled it out, so it just looks like I bought some new TV series. Thrilling, eh...
Number of titles in collection: 1,194 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,096 [up 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 98 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 2,932 [up 6]
Number of films in collection: 1,253 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,160 [up 38]
Statistic of the week:
Total running time of collection (approx.):
206 days, 5 hours, and 22 minutes.
(Up 1 day and 50 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Not that you'd know it from the final numbers, but this week the total of films went down a little (since levelled out by new purchases) and TV went up instead. Not because of new purchases, but while going through my collection to compile next week's Statistic of the Week, I discovered some miniseries I'd somehow mislabelled as being 1 film instead of 6 episodes of TV. But then, like I say, some new films levelled it out, so it just looks like I bought some new TV series. Thrilling, eh...
Number of titles in collection: 1,194 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,096 [up 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 98 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 2,932 [up 6]
Number of films in collection: 1,253 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,160 [up 38]
Statistic of the week:
Total running time of collection (approx.):
206 days, 5 hours, and 22 minutes.
(Up 1 day and 50 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Thursday, 29 July 2010
DVD Extras
Sam & Max: Freelance Police - The Complete Animated Series Extras
Because I'm too lazy to type them out in full, I found myself semi-accidentally watching all the extras on the Sam & Max DVDs. Not that there are many, but in fairness to producers Shout! Factory, I don't imagine they had a huge budget to churn out a super-deluxe set considering the size of interest this was likely to generate.
And, actually, they didn't do badly at all: as well as all the episodes (obviously), there's a half-half-dozen animated shorts that were also made for TV, an interview with creator Steve Purcell, a featurette on the birth of Telltale Games (who now make the episodic Sam & Max PC games), a surprisingly-interesting 24-page series bible, and concept art.
Seems I could be bothered to type it out after all.
Because I'm too lazy to type them out in full, I found myself semi-accidentally watching all the extras on the Sam & Max DVDs. Not that there are many, but in fairness to producers Shout! Factory, I don't imagine they had a huge budget to churn out a super-deluxe set considering the size of interest this was likely to generate.
And, actually, they didn't do badly at all: as well as all the episodes (obviously), there's a half-half-dozen animated shorts that were also made for TV, an interview with creator Steve Purcell, a featurette on the birth of Telltale Games (who now make the episodic Sam & Max PC games), a surprisingly-interesting 24-page series bible, and concept art.
Seems I could be bothered to type it out after all.
Articles
Running on empty: culture in the silly season by Mark Lawson
(from guardian.co.uk)
Interesting article that uses the summer broadcast of the well-received Sherlock to consider why Art is seen to exist in seasons. Just, for the sake of your sanity and blood pressure, don't go near the comments.
(from guardian.co.uk)
Interesting article that uses the summer broadcast of the well-received Sherlock to consider why Art is seen to exist in seasons. Just, for the sake of your sanity and blood pressure, don't go near the comments.
surely this means a crossover is imminent...
From @steven_moffat...
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes; Steven Moffat as Sherlock co-creator and Doctor Who exec producer Steven Moffat; and Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes; Steven Moffat as Sherlock co-creator and Doctor Who exec producer Steven Moffat; and Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor.
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Articles
Inception Infographic by dehahs
(from ~dehahs on deviantART)
Thought the final act of Inception was actually quite easy to follow? Well it wasn't, apparently -- look at this and become even more confused.
(from ~dehahs on deviantART)
Thought the final act of Inception was actually quite easy to follow? Well it wasn't, apparently -- look at this and become even more confused.
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
TV
How I Met Your Mother
5x09 Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Mock the Week
9x05 (22/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Stand Up for the Week
1x05 (23/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
5x09 Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Mock the Week
9x05 (22/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Stand Up for the Week
1x05 (23/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Monday, 26 July 2010
TV
Sherlock
1x01 A Study in Pink
Excellent, in every respect. So many respects I can't even be bothered to list them all. If you didn't watch it for any reason, you really should.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
1x01 A Study in Pink
Excellent, in every respect. So many respects I can't even be bothered to list them all. If you didn't watch it for any reason, you really should.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Sunday, 25 July 2010
Articles
Comic-Con, Day 3: Where the fans are by Todd VanDerWerff
(from The AV Club)
Sick of the rabid love of Comic-Con? Here's a wonderful, realist's antidote. And it's a must-read even if you are a fan of the uber-con. (Hm, Uber-Con... good name...)
(from The AV Club)
Sick of the rabid love of Comic-Con? Here's a wonderful, realist's antidote. And it's a must-read even if you are a fan of the uber-con. (Hm, Uber-Con... good name...)
this week on 100 Films
3 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
1945-1998 (2003)
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Sherlock Holmes (2010)
More next Sunday.
1945-1998 (2003)
Is 1945-1998 actually a film? Or is it a piece of video Art? Or just another online video? Its setup is quite simple: it charts every nuclear explosion between the titular years; the total, by-the-way, is 2,053. These explosions play out as flashing dots on a world map; different colours indicate which country was responsible for the explosion, accompanied by running totals.
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Ritchie brings something special to the director’s chair, believe it or not — you may think he’s sold out into blockbusterdom to revive his flagging and repetitive career, but the touches he brings suggest the mind of someone who has control of his material, his camera and his edit, and wants to use them all to try something a bit different, not just another hack-for-hire
Sherlock Holmes (2010)
in The Asylum’s favour, their Sherlock Holmes doesn’t hide what it is. Yes, it’s called simply Sherlock Holmes rather than Sherlock Holmes and the Implausible CGI Monsters, but at least said monsters are plastered all over the DVD cover. If you see that and still expect something faithful to Conan Doyle, more fool you. That said, at times it’s surprisingly faithful to Doyle’s spirit.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 24 July 2010
TV
The Mentalist
2x23 Red Sky in the Morning [season finale]
Another season over, another smidgen closer to Red John. But only a smidgen, of course.
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]
Would I Lie To You?
4x01 (23/7/10 edition)
When last series' opener aired, I suggested Would I Lie To You? was buried on a Monday and should be moved to Friday nights. Well, lookee where it is now! Job well done.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
2x23 Red Sky in the Morning [season finale]
Another season over, another smidgen closer to Red John. But only a smidgen, of course.
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]
Would I Lie To You?
4x01 (23/7/10 edition)
When last series' opener aired, I suggested Would I Lie To You? was buried on a Monday and should be moved to Friday nights. Well, lookee where it is now! Job well done.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Articles
Why Sherlock is still sleuthing by Tim Masters
(from BBC News)
Quote-packed piece on why a 123-year-old literary detective is still so popular today -- and it is particularly relevant, what with two new stage productions, a new TV series, a new Nintendo DS game, and the Guy Ritchie film all turning up in less than a year (plus more to come).
(from BBC News)
Quote-packed piece on why a 123-year-old literary detective is still so popular today -- and it is particularly relevant, what with two new stage productions, a new TV series, a new Nintendo DS game, and the Guy Ritchie film all turning up in less than a year (plus more to come).
Friday, 23 July 2010
TV
Friday Night With Jonathan Ross
18x25 (16/7/10 edition) [series finale]
Wossy's last-ever show... on TV... for the BBC. See you next year on ITV, Wossy!
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
18x25 (16/7/10 edition) [series finale]
Wossy's last-ever show... on TV... for the BBC. See you next year on ITV, Wossy!
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Articles
Blu-ray Producers: Extras Are for the Fans, By Fans by John Latchem
(from Agent DVD)
A report on the DVD/Blu-ray producers panel at Comic-Con 2010, mainly focused on the importance of special features and if studios are beginning to ignore DVD. A decent read for those interested.
Is A Game of Thrones the most eagerly anticipated TV show ever? by Mathilda Gregory
(from guardian.co.uk)
I reckon it's safe to say "no" on that one, to be honest -- I bet Doctor Who's pre-installed fan base before the 2005 revival would knock it out of the park -- but, still, it sounds interesting.
Lone Star Statements by Matthew Baldwin
(from The Morning News)
Ah, the article title that gives you no clue what the article's about. Try this:
RTD on Torchwood by Ian Berriman
(from SFX)
Specifically, the next series -- "one long story, consisting of 10 episodes". Awesome.
(from Agent DVD)
A report on the DVD/Blu-ray producers panel at Comic-Con 2010, mainly focused on the importance of special features and if studios are beginning to ignore DVD. A decent read for those interested.
Is A Game of Thrones the most eagerly anticipated TV show ever? by Mathilda Gregory
(from guardian.co.uk)
I reckon it's safe to say "no" on that one, to be honest -- I bet Doctor Who's pre-installed fan base before the 2005 revival would knock it out of the park -- but, still, it sounds interesting.
Lone Star Statements by Matthew Baldwin
(from The Morning News)
Ah, the article title that gives you no clue what the article's about. Try this:
Recently [it was 2005, but then so was this], Time magazine published a list of the 100 best novels. But the praise of professional critics hardly matters to the book-reviewing readers at Amazon.com. A compilation of the best of the worst… about the best.So there you go. Some of these actually provoke a response more akin to "well, I've not read the book, that might be fair criticism" from me, but as they go on they get increasingly ridiculous and, therefore, funny. Some of my favourites include the quotes about Mrs. Dalloway, Lord of the Flies, 1984 and Slaughterhouse-Five. And Tropic of Cancer (right at the end) probably sums up the general attitude.
RTD on Torchwood by Ian Berriman
(from SFX)
Specifically, the next series -- "one long story, consisting of 10 episodes". Awesome.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Only Blu-ray increases this week, pushing me closer still to 100 of them. I can't remember exactly when I got Blu-ray, though I should try to find out -- it's been almost a year and it would be interesting to know just how many I acquire in my first 12 months.
Number of titles in collection: 1,190 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,094 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 96 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 2,926 [up 2]
Number of films in collection: 1,253 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,121 [no change]
Statistic of the week:
James Bond titles:
23
(1.93% of the total)
No particular reason for this -- I was just looking for something easy while I continue to work on a slightly unusual stat (which will appear in a fortnight, as next week is the running time update).
There are, of course, only 22 official Bond films. The 23rd thing isn't Never Say Never Again, nor the crappy '60s Casino Royale, nor even the TV Casino Royale (which I still haven't seen, actually). No, it is, of all things, the Die Another Day Special Edition bonus disc -- because the Ultimate Edition left off extras (why? The fools!) I kept a copy of the original SE's second disc. Because I'm like that.
See you next week, faithful reader.
Only Blu-ray increases this week, pushing me closer still to 100 of them. I can't remember exactly when I got Blu-ray, though I should try to find out -- it's been almost a year and it would be interesting to know just how many I acquire in my first 12 months.
Number of titles in collection: 1,190 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,094 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 96 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 2,926 [up 2]
Number of films in collection: 1,253 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,121 [no change]
Statistic of the week:
James Bond titles:
23
(1.93% of the total)
No particular reason for this -- I was just looking for something easy while I continue to work on a slightly unusual stat (which will appear in a fortnight, as next week is the running time update).
There are, of course, only 22 official Bond films. The 23rd thing isn't Never Say Never Again, nor the crappy '60s Casino Royale, nor even the TV Casino Royale (which I still haven't seen, actually). No, it is, of all things, the Die Another Day Special Edition bonus disc -- because the Ultimate Edition left off extras (why? The fools!) I kept a copy of the original SE's second disc. Because I'm like that.
See you next week, faithful reader.
Red trailer
Remember the Red (and/or RED, if it matters) teaser trailer from last month? Well, there's a full-sized trailer already:
Still looks like a ton of fun.
Still looks like a ton of fun.
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Articles
My Two Cents (20/7/10) by Bill Hunt
(from The Digital Bits)
Fantastic news for us Blu-ray fans: the risible release of Gladiator is being done-over with a new transfer. And it looks properly stunning too -- I'm sure even uninitiated Normal People will be able to see how much sharper the lines are, how much more accurate the colours look, and so on. Now all that remains to be seen is if it makes its way to the UK -- in the US and, it would seem, some other countries, Paramount are responsible for distributing it and are re-releasing the new transfer; but in the UK it's owned by Universal... oh dear. Well, if they don't, I'll just buy the US version and they shan't have my cash. So ner.
Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss interview: Sherlock by Michael Leader
(from Den of Geek!)
Some of this is familiar from earlier articles (I'm guessing it was a roundtable interview, especially as it mentions how "we ventured out to the BBC studios in Wales with a bunch of eager journalists"), but there are enough new bits to hold the interest of the interested.
(from The Digital Bits)
Fantastic news for us Blu-ray fans: the risible release of Gladiator is being done-over with a new transfer. And it looks properly stunning too -- I'm sure even uninitiated Normal People will be able to see how much sharper the lines are, how much more accurate the colours look, and so on. Now all that remains to be seen is if it makes its way to the UK -- in the US and, it would seem, some other countries, Paramount are responsible for distributing it and are re-releasing the new transfer; but in the UK it's owned by Universal... oh dear. Well, if they don't, I'll just buy the US version and they shan't have my cash. So ner.
Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss interview: Sherlock by Michael Leader
(from Den of Geek!)
Some of this is familiar from earlier articles (I'm guessing it was a roundtable interview, especially as it mentions how "we ventured out to the BBC studios in Wales with a bunch of eager journalists"), but there are enough new bits to hold the interest of the interested.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
TV
How I Met Your Mother
5x08 The Playbook
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Stand Up for the Week
1x04 (16/7/10 edition)
No sooner had I accepted that Jack Whitehall might be getting good than he turned rubbish again. Ho hum.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Top Gear
15x04 (18/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
5x08 The Playbook
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Stand Up for the Week
1x04 (16/7/10 edition)
No sooner had I accepted that Jack Whitehall might be getting good than he turned rubbish again. Ho hum.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Top Gear
15x04 (18/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Films
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
[2nd watch]
I first watched this back in December, when it became #82 in 100 Films in a Year 2009. And now, over 7 months later, I've still not got round to reviewing it. I don't know if that's a personal record (it felt like I took a pretty long time to get to The Green Mile, but it was only actually two months -- child's play to me these days), but it's still far too long.
And so, I have watched it again -- partly to jog my memory so I can finally write the damn review, and partly just cos it's great.
[2nd watch]
I first watched this back in December, when it became #82 in 100 Films in a Year 2009. And now, over 7 months later, I've still not got round to reviewing it. I don't know if that's a personal record (it felt like I took a pretty long time to get to The Green Mile, but it was only actually two months -- child's play to me these days), but it's still far too long.
And so, I have watched it again -- partly to jog my memory so I can finally write the damn review, and partly just cos it's great.
Monday, 19 July 2010
Articles
Damages finds home on DirecTV by Stuart Levine
(from Variety)
(Yep, in bold, and caps, with an exclamation mark.)
I really thought Damages was a goner, so this is stupendous news. My one hope is that it doesn't somehow mean the BBC lose the rights -- it would be irritatingly ironic for the series to leave FX in the US only to wind up on FX over here.
Jeffery Deaver will write a James Bond novel by Glenn McDonald
(from newsobserver.com)
OK, the headline tells us nothing we don't already know, which makes it just about the most pathetic headline ever, because this is actually an interview with Deaver in which he reveals a few more snippets about the direction he'll be taking Bond in. Interesting.
The new Doctor Who season will hit home video with a tantalizing extra by Geoff Boucher
(from Hero Complex at the Los Angeles Times)
Or, translated into English, "The Doctor Who Series 5 DVD will have a tantalising special feature". And one that will likely interest those fans who don't normally give a toss about extras too -- a pair of new scenes, starring Smith and Gillan and written by Moffat. Oo-ooh indeed.
Sherlock Holmes is back… sending texts and using nicotine patches by Vanessa Thorpe
(from The Observer)
Half preview, half interview with co-creator Mark Gatiss, there's not a great deal new here but there are snippets, and if you've not read anything about the series yet it's fine. Don't bother with the comments thought -- you may think you've stumbled onto the Daily Mail's website.
Whole lotta cantin' going on by Roger Ebert
(from Roger Ebert's Journal)
Or, as the URL puts it better, "the myth of a perfect film". Very definitely worth a read, this one. The BBC Entertainment News twitter said not to read it 'til you've seen Inception, though I honestly have no idea why -- it doesn't spoil the film and is only about it in part (it's a starting point and case study as much as it's the focus).
(from Variety)
[DirecTV] has ordered two 10-episode seasons. The first season will air next summer with the [second] launching in the summer of 2012. Glenn Close and Rose Byrne have been confirmed to return with other thesps set to sign on soon.YAY!
(Yep, in bold, and caps, with an exclamation mark.)
I really thought Damages was a goner, so this is stupendous news. My one hope is that it doesn't somehow mean the BBC lose the rights -- it would be irritatingly ironic for the series to leave FX in the US only to wind up on FX over here.
Jeffery Deaver will write a James Bond novel by Glenn McDonald
(from newsobserver.com)
OK, the headline tells us nothing we don't already know, which makes it just about the most pathetic headline ever, because this is actually an interview with Deaver in which he reveals a few more snippets about the direction he'll be taking Bond in. Interesting.
The new Doctor Who season will hit home video with a tantalizing extra by Geoff Boucher
(from Hero Complex at the Los Angeles Times)
Or, translated into English, "The Doctor Who Series 5 DVD will have a tantalising special feature". And one that will likely interest those fans who don't normally give a toss about extras too -- a pair of new scenes, starring Smith and Gillan and written by Moffat. Oo-ooh indeed.
Sherlock Holmes is back… sending texts and using nicotine patches by Vanessa Thorpe
(from The Observer)
Half preview, half interview with co-creator Mark Gatiss, there's not a great deal new here but there are snippets, and if you've not read anything about the series yet it's fine. Don't bother with the comments thought -- you may think you've stumbled onto the Daily Mail's website.
Whole lotta cantin' going on by Roger Ebert
(from Roger Ebert's Journal)
Or, as the URL puts it better, "the myth of a perfect film". Very definitely worth a read, this one. The BBC Entertainment News twitter said not to read it 'til you've seen Inception, though I honestly have no idea why -- it doesn't spoil the film and is only about it in part (it's a starting point and case study as much as it's the focus).
Sunday, 18 July 2010
TV
The Mentalist
2x22 Red Letter
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]
Mock the Week
9x04 (15/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Sandbaggers
3x02 To Hell With Justice
Wallander [Swedish]
2x10 Vålnaden (aka The Ghost)
Another rather good episode, for the most part -- very filmic, nicely shot and evocative of a summer heatwave.
2x22 Red Letter
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]
Mock the Week
9x04 (15/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Sandbaggers
3x02 To Hell With Justice
Wallander [Swedish]
2x10 Vålnaden (aka The Ghost)
Another rather good episode, for the most part -- very filmic, nicely shot and evocative of a summer heatwave.
Fiction
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Part 2, Chapters 6 - 7 [the end]
Very good. Still not sure if I've read it before.
Anyway, I read it via iBooks on my iPhone -- that's how I started it, for one thing, and it's surprisingly pleasurable to use, not to mention portable. I've been using the good preview copy I mentioned when I read Chapter 1 because, well, it was the best one. But, reaching the final chapter, I discover they are sensibly cunning: the preview includes all of the novel... except the final chapter. Oh no! Unfortunately for them, I already own two hard copies of the complete Holmes so have finished it off with one of those.
But, as it's only £1.99 for a very readable almost-complete collection, I may buy it anyway. It's just unfortunate that, out of the three copies I found on iBooks, by far the most readable is also the least complete: it misses The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, still under copyright in the US, while one of the other two is actually the complete Arthur Conan Doyle -- and is as unwieldy to use as you might imagine a single book containing dozens of novels and hundreds of short stories would be.
Part 2, Chapters 6 - 7 [the end]
Very good. Still not sure if I've read it before.
Anyway, I read it via iBooks on my iPhone -- that's how I started it, for one thing, and it's surprisingly pleasurable to use, not to mention portable. I've been using the good preview copy I mentioned when I read Chapter 1 because, well, it was the best one. But, reaching the final chapter, I discover they are sensibly cunning: the preview includes all of the novel... except the final chapter. Oh no! Unfortunately for them, I already own two hard copies of the complete Holmes so have finished it off with one of those.
But, as it's only £1.99 for a very readable almost-complete collection, I may buy it anyway. It's just unfortunate that, out of the three copies I found on iBooks, by far the most readable is also the least complete: it misses The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, still under copyright in the US, while one of the other two is actually the complete Arthur Conan Doyle -- and is as unwieldy to use as you might imagine a single book containing dozens of novels and hundreds of short stories would be.
this week on 100 Films
3 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
The International (2009)
Is Anybody There? (2008)
Max Payne: Harder Cut (2008)
Also this week, an editorial piece on the abundance of Director's Cuts (and the like) that we now see. Which is the definitive version of a film these days? Read my thoughts here.
More next Sunday.
The International (2009)
A lot of scenes involve people explaining the plot to each other, or discoursing in clichés about why they’re going to be thrown off the case or justice is an illusion or whatever. In a rare moment of something approaching innovation, we don’t have to suffer a romance between the two leads. It should be something of a concern when one of a film’s high points is something it doesn’t do.
Is Anybody There? (2008)
Far from being “lightweight”, it’s a subtle tale that covers a lot of ground in an unshowy way. Aside from the main plot, which is very worthwhile in itself — about how a lonely, slightly odd 10-year-old boy and a lonely, stubborn old man accidentally wind up bringing out the best in each other and helping each other to move on from the troubles they’re stuck in — the supporting characters are used to paint succinct pictures of old age, abandonment and regret.
Max Payne: Harder Cut (2008)
director John Moore doesn't use Matrix-derived bullet-time visuals, but, despite keeping a snow-bound New York and a revenge plot, he's somehow managed to also throw out everything that made Max Payne: The Game good. Despite the similarities in plot and setting, this doesn't feel at all like the game. Max Payne: The Film, to put it simply, is a load of crap.
Also this week, an editorial piece on the abundance of Director's Cuts (and the like) that we now see. Which is the definitive version of a film these days? Read my thoughts here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Articles
Rushdie to write his lost chapter by Ben Hoyle
(from The Australian)
(from The Australian)
Salman Rushdie has started work on perhaps the most anticipated literary memoir of them all: the story of his decade in hiding from a fatwa.I think I was always too young to realise exactly how serious the threat against Salman Rushdie was -- and the actions that were carried out by deranged extremists against other people involved in publishing his novel around the world.
Friday, 16 July 2010
TV
Friday Night With Jonathan Ross
18x24 (9/7/10 edition)
So, as most viewers dig into Wossy's last-ever show (on TV) (on the BBC), I'm still watching last week's, as usual. Ho hum. Particularly good episode though, I thought.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
That Mitchell and Webb Look
4x01 Episode 1
When the third series of Mitchell & Webb started (just over a year ago), I noted that I still hadn't watched the second series. And I still haven't. So... yeah...
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
18x24 (9/7/10 edition)
So, as most viewers dig into Wossy's last-ever show (on TV) (on the BBC), I'm still watching last week's, as usual. Ho hum. Particularly good episode though, I thought.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
That Mitchell and Webb Look
4x01 Episode 1
When the third series of Mitchell & Webb started (just over a year ago), I noted that I still hadn't watched the second series. And I still haven't. So... yeah...
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Fiction
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Part 2, Chapters 1 - 2
Study in Scarlet certainly has a crazy structure. Holmes solves the case, catches the villain, declares he's finally ready to explain it all... and then it suddenly cuts to decades earlier in America. Time to be a trusting reader... (though I know more or less where it's going anyway).
Part 2, Chapters 1 - 2
Study in Scarlet certainly has a crazy structure. Holmes solves the case, catches the villain, declares he's finally ready to explain it all... and then it suddenly cuts to decades earlier in America. Time to be a trusting reader... (though I know more or less where it's going anyway).
Sherlock stuff
It's exciting, and so here I share it (taken direct from the official site).
Trailer:
Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss interview:
Trailer:
Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss interview:
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
More funny number-flippery this week, as another Blu-ray film upgrade replaces two DVDs and a new TV DVD throws further spanners in the works. No doubt it looks much less confusing than it feels, and looks much less interesting than... no, it's not really interesting, is it.
Number of titles in collection: 1,188 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,094 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 94 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 2,924 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,251 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,121 [up 10]
Statistic of the week:
DVDs I never even watched before upgrading them to Blu-ray:
16
A couple of months back I counted the number of DVDs I'd upgraded to Blu-ray, but, despite some similarity, this number isn't that. No, inspired by the double-DVD-replacement I mentioned earlier, this is just the number of titles I've upgraded which I hadn't actually watched when I replaced them with a Blu-ray. Also known as the "list of stuff I really wasted money on" (doubly so in the couple of instances where I still own the DVD, for whatever reason).
See you next week, faithful reader.
More funny number-flippery this week, as another Blu-ray film upgrade replaces two DVDs and a new TV DVD throws further spanners in the works. No doubt it looks much less confusing than it feels, and looks much less interesting than... no, it's not really interesting, is it.
Number of titles in collection: 1,188 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,094 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 94 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 2,924 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,251 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,121 [up 10]
Statistic of the week:
DVDs I never even watched before upgrading them to Blu-ray:
16
A couple of months back I counted the number of DVDs I'd upgraded to Blu-ray, but, despite some similarity, this number isn't that. No, inspired by the double-DVD-replacement I mentioned earlier, this is just the number of titles I've upgraded which I hadn't actually watched when I replaced them with a Blu-ray. Also known as the "list of stuff I really wasted money on" (doubly so in the couple of instances where I still own the DVD, for whatever reason).
See you next week, faithful reader.
Thursday, 15 July 2010
TV
Dragons' Den
8x01 Episode 1
Why have they changed the theme tune? Now it sounds like an '80s American action series.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Wallander [Swedish]
2x09 Dödsängeln (aka The Angel of Death)
It's rare that mystery dramas can pull off a genuinely unforeseen twist that works these days (as much as anything because often everyone's a potential suspect), but it's pretty late in the game that one gets an inkling in this Wallander. A strong episode on the whole, in fact.
8x01 Episode 1
Why have they changed the theme tune? Now it sounds like an '80s American action series.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Wallander [Swedish]
2x09 Dödsängeln (aka The Angel of Death)
It's rare that mystery dramas can pull off a genuinely unforeseen twist that works these days (as much as anything because often everyone's a potential suspect), but it's pretty late in the game that one gets an inkling in this Wallander. A strong episode on the whole, in fact.
Fiction
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Part 1, Chapters 2 - 7
Couldn't resist continuing -- Conan Doyle's tales are so addictive. Plus A Study in Scarlet is actually quite a short book, so I rattled through to the end of Part 1 in all of an hour.
I've read various Sherlock Holmes tales down the years -- I know I've got through Hound of the Baskervilles at least twice, for example, and read The Sussex Vampire many times because it a) always sounds interesting/unusual and b) is really short -- but it's been a long time since the last time (last I remember was the second (or third) time I read Baskervilles, just before the Richard Roxburgh/Ian Hart TV version... in 2002). So it's no surprise I can't definitively remember which I've read and which I haven't, and among this number is A Study in Scarlet. "It's the first, surely I've read it?", I think... and yet I can't remember when, or having to get through the Holmes-less second half, so maybe I haven't after all? And as I've seen a couple of TV adaptations of it (most recently, this one), it's impossible to tell just from knowing the plot.
Part 1, Chapters 2 - 7
Couldn't resist continuing -- Conan Doyle's tales are so addictive. Plus A Study in Scarlet is actually quite a short book, so I rattled through to the end of Part 1 in all of an hour.
I've read various Sherlock Holmes tales down the years -- I know I've got through Hound of the Baskervilles at least twice, for example, and read The Sussex Vampire many times because it a) always sounds interesting/unusual and b) is really short -- but it's been a long time since the last time (last I remember was the second (or third) time I read Baskervilles, just before the Richard Roxburgh/Ian Hart TV version... in 2002). So it's no surprise I can't definitively remember which I've read and which I haven't, and among this number is A Study in Scarlet. "It's the first, surely I've read it?", I think... and yet I can't remember when, or having to get through the Holmes-less second half, so maybe I haven't after all? And as I've seen a couple of TV adaptations of it (most recently, this one), it's impossible to tell just from knowing the plot.
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
TV
Top Gear
15x03 (11/7/10 edition)
It sometimes amazes me how entertaining Top Gear still is -- you'd think they'd've run out of decent stunts by now.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
15x03 (11/7/10 edition)
It sometimes amazes me how entertaining Top Gear still is -- you'd think they'd've run out of decent stunts by now.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Articles
Hipster Priest: A Quietus Interview With Alan Moore by John Doran
(from The Quietus)
Interviews with Alan Moore are always interesting, if often odd. And they remind me that I still haven't read the first issue/book of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen III. Not sure where I've left it either...
Mr. Sherlock Holmes by Dr. Joseph Bell
(from Wikisource)
Bell was Conan Doyle's inspiration for Sherlock Holmes, not something he mentions in this essay, which is more generally about the detective's appeal. And its ending is a pretty fine summation of why Holmes and his adventures endure:
Muse: 'We sold our soul to Twilight' by Clare Wiley
(from Digital Spy)
It's a little bit reassuring that they feel that way about it.
You Can't Appreciate How Completely Apple Has Humiliated The Cellphone Industry Until You See These Charts by Henry Blodget
(from SAI (Silicon Alley Insider) at Business Insider)
Does what it says on the tin. Thoroughly.
(from The Quietus)
Interviews with Alan Moore are always interesting, if often odd. And they remind me that I still haven't read the first issue/book of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen III. Not sure where I've left it either...
Mr. Sherlock Holmes by Dr. Joseph Bell
(from Wikisource)
Bell was Conan Doyle's inspiration for Sherlock Holmes, not something he mentions in this essay, which is more generally about the detective's appeal. And its ending is a pretty fine summation of why Holmes and his adventures endure:
in addition to the creation of his hero, Dr. Conan Doyle in this remarkable series of stories has proved himself a born story-teller. He has had the wit to devise excellent plots, interesting complications; he tells them in honest Saxon-English with directness and pith; and above all his other merits, his stories are absolutely free from padding. He knows how delicious brevity is, how everything tends to be too long, and he has given us stories that we can read at a sitting between dinner and coffee, and we have not a chance to forget the beginning before we reach the end. The ordinary detective story... really needs an effort of memory quite misplaced to keep the circumstances of the crimes and all the wrong scents [in mind]. Dr. Doyle never gives you a chance to forget an incident or miss a point.
Muse: 'We sold our soul to Twilight' by Clare Wiley
(from Digital Spy)
It's a little bit reassuring that they feel that way about it.
You Can't Appreciate How Completely Apple Has Humiliated The Cellphone Industry Until You See These Charts by Henry Blodget
(from SAI (Silicon Alley Insider) at Business Insider)
Does what it says on the tin. Thoroughly.
the double rainbow saga continues...
The funniest take on "Double Rainbow" so far
(For the start of this double rainbow thingamie, look here.)
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
TV
Stand Up for the Week
1x03 (9/7/10 edition)
I have come to the only reasonable conclusion for my continuing Jack Whitehall dilemma: he must be getting funnier. This explains why I've been finding him funny of late without meaning I've lost my sense of (good) humour. Win-win!
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
1x03 (9/7/10 edition)
I have come to the only reasonable conclusion for my continuing Jack Whitehall dilemma: he must be getting funnier. This explains why I've been finding him funny of late without meaning I've lost my sense of (good) humour. Win-win!
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Fiction
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Part 1, Chapter 1
Giving iBooks a test run on my iPhone, a sample chapter from the complete Sherlock Holmes seemed a good a choice as any.
I tried several different editions: two showed why reading books on your phone is as ridiculous as it sounds, one was excellent and showed why it can actually work. Goes to show how care and attention to your product can make all the difference. Not to mention that the book itself is a great opening to Holmes' first case.
Part 1, Chapter 1
Giving iBooks a test run on my iPhone, a sample chapter from the complete Sherlock Holmes seemed a good a choice as any.
I tried several different editions: two showed why reading books on your phone is as ridiculous as it sounds, one was excellent and showed why it can actually work. Goes to show how care and attention to your product can make all the difference. Not to mention that the book itself is a great opening to Holmes' first case.
Monday, 12 July 2010
Articles
Today seems to be Steven Moffat Press Release Day at the BBC...
Father who? The Doctor crashes Christmas
(from the BBC Press Office)
Interesting casting for the Doctor Who Christmas special. Still no title or plot details though.
Sherlock press pack
(from the BBC Press Office)
Soon to be Moffat's Other Series, I'm rather excited for this present-day re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes. Page two has a great interview with Moffat and co-recreator Mark Gatiss about their thinking behind the series and how they've gone about adapting various elements of the original adventures.
Father who? The Doctor crashes Christmas
(from the BBC Press Office)
Interesting casting for the Doctor Who Christmas special. Still no title or plot details though.
Sherlock press pack
(from the BBC Press Office)
Soon to be Moffat's Other Series, I'm rather excited for this present-day re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes. Page two has a great interview with Moffat and co-recreator Mark Gatiss about their thinking behind the series and how they've gone about adapting various elements of the original adventures.
Sunday, 11 July 2010
TV
The Mentalist
2x21 18-5-4
Why, in dramas, are people's email addresses always something like "beastslayer646"? I don't know anyone that has [generic gamer name]+[random numbers] for their address -- and I don't believe the kind of people who have them in dramas would settle for that either.
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]
Murderland
Part 3 Carol's Story [final episode]
Despite ITV's promotion claiming this final part follows the murdered mother, the title gives away the truth: it's actually the tale of the grown-up girl, part one's Carrie with the adult version of her name. Hard to say if that's marketing trying to cover something perceived as a twist, or just trying to liven up an otherwise unexemplary flashback structure with the idea that the final episode followed the deceased victim.
Still, the plot itself manages a couple of final reveals that subvert where it seemed to be leading you, although the ultimate culprits aren't that surprising really -- it's the kind of end that pulls of moderately unexpected twists without making them properly shocking or raising the level of the series above "good". Ho hum.
Rev.
1x02 Episode 2
I'm not particularly a fan of Christians, but these 'iChristian' types must be the worst by a country mile.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
2x21 18-5-4
Why, in dramas, are people's email addresses always something like "beastslayer646"? I don't know anyone that has [generic gamer name]+[random numbers] for their address -- and I don't believe the kind of people who have them in dramas would settle for that either.
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]
Murderland
Part 3 Carol's Story [final episode]
Despite ITV's promotion claiming this final part follows the murdered mother, the title gives away the truth: it's actually the tale of the grown-up girl, part one's Carrie with the adult version of her name. Hard to say if that's marketing trying to cover something perceived as a twist, or just trying to liven up an otherwise unexemplary flashback structure with the idea that the final episode followed the deceased victim.
Still, the plot itself manages a couple of final reveals that subvert where it seemed to be leading you, although the ultimate culprits aren't that surprising really -- it's the kind of end that pulls of moderately unexpected twists without making them properly shocking or raising the level of the series above "good". Ho hum.
Rev.
1x02 Episode 2
I'm not particularly a fan of Christians, but these 'iChristian' types must be the worst by a country mile.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
this week on 100 Films
3 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
Guess Who (2005)
Insomnia (1997)
Pale Rider (1985)
More next Sunday.
Guess Who (2005)
The plot isn’t a direct copy of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, preferring to take the gist of the concept and a few of the story beats and surround them with a bunch of Funny Situations. I won’t bother you with details; suffice to say, the film does manage the odd laugh or smile. The ending is suitably lovey-dovey, sentimental, and, I think many would add, hogwash.
Insomnia (1997)
Watching this Norwegian original after having seen Christopher Nolan’s American version, it feels like someone watched the remake then was asked to retell it: it hits most of the main plot beats and memorable sequences, but seems to gloss past the nuances and character.
Pale Rider (1985)
Pale Rider is, in many ways, a pretty stock Western. The plot is likely to be familiar even to those who haven’t seen a great deal of the genre: in rides a mysterious stranger, sees injustice, climactic shoot-out, mysterious stranger rides into the sunset/from whence he came/forever on. Eastwood offers only one significant addition to this concept. The mysterious stranger is, on the one hand, a preacher — “surely a man of God is opposed to violence?”, etc. And on the other, is he even human?
More next Sunday.
this is so double rainbow
As Nathan Fillion said, watch this...
...then this...
(Please let me know if these don't work. They can always be found via Fillion's tweets here and here (and here).)
...then this...
(Please let me know if these don't work. They can always be found via Fillion's tweets here and here (and here).)
Saturday, 10 July 2010
TV
Murderland
Part 2 Hain's Story
Astonishingly, some of the more obvious 'twists' have been avoided, while at the same time managing to pull a few interesting ones. Thus far, though, the notion of re-presenting the same flashbacks from different perspectives has only resulted in going back over stuff we've already seen, and I wouldn't even believe they'd shot from different angles for each person's viewpoint if I hadn't read so.
Top Gear
15x02 (4/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Part 2 Hain's Story
Astonishingly, some of the more obvious 'twists' have been avoided, while at the same time managing to pull a few interesting ones. Thus far, though, the notion of re-presenting the same flashbacks from different perspectives has only resulted in going back over stuff we've already seen, and I wouldn't even believe they'd shot from different angles for each person's viewpoint if I hadn't read so.
Top Gear
15x02 (4/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Friday, 9 July 2010
TV
How I Met Your Mother
5x07 The Rough Patch
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
The Mentalist
2x20 Red All Over
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]
The Sandbaggers
3x01 All in a Good Cause [2nd watch]
It's been over a year since I last watched The Sandbaggers (sadly in that time just missing out on the third series' 30th anniversary, which would've been neat), so, as with Dexter before it, it made sense to re-watch this first episode.
5x07 The Rough Patch
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
The Mentalist
2x20 Red All Over
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]
The Sandbaggers
3x01 All in a Good Cause [2nd watch]
It's been over a year since I last watched The Sandbaggers (sadly in that time just missing out on the third series' 30th anniversary, which would've been neat), so, as with Dexter before it, it made sense to re-watch this first episode.
Articles
Firefly: The Credits Sequence It Deserved! by Garrison Dean
(from io9)
I'm not sure "deserved" is the right word. "Would've had in the '80s" is the concept. Also, be amused by the dim-witted comments that miss the joke.
Survey provides hints on the new Back to the Future game by Ian Fisher
(from Shogun Gamer)
I saw this earlier in the week and somehow forgot to post it. Telltale -- makers of the forthcoming Back to the Future games, amongst many other great things (sadly not including the Doctor Who 'Adventure ' Games) -- have been surveying fans on what they'd like to see included. Which firstly provides hints at what might be in there, but, more importantly, "it’s nice to see a developer be upfront and ask gamers what they want to see". Too true.
(from io9)
I'm not sure "deserved" is the right word. "Would've had in the '80s" is the concept. Also, be amused by the dim-witted comments that miss the joke.
Survey provides hints on the new Back to the Future game by Ian Fisher
(from Shogun Gamer)
I saw this earlier in the week and somehow forgot to post it. Telltale -- makers of the forthcoming Back to the Future games, amongst many other great things (sadly not including the Doctor Who 'Adventure ' Games) -- have been surveying fans on what they'd like to see included. Which firstly provides hints at what might be in there, but, more importantly, "it’s nice to see a developer be upfront and ask gamers what they want to see". Too true.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
This week, a Blu-ray replaces a two-disc DVD, a new single-disc DVD is added, and some more Blu-rays turn up to make it look like nothing unusual happened at all. Thrilling.
Number of titles in collection: 1,188 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,095 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 93 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 2,923 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 1,251 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,111 [no change]
Statistic of the week:
Number of music DVDs:
56
(4.7% of the total)
I don't buy music DVDs too often, but (obviously) occasionally I do -- including this week, hence the inspiration for the stat. Do note that by this I don't mean Musicals, but concert DVDs, making-ofs attached to albums, that kind of thing.
See you next week, faithful reader.
This week, a Blu-ray replaces a two-disc DVD, a new single-disc DVD is added, and some more Blu-rays turn up to make it look like nothing unusual happened at all. Thrilling.
Number of titles in collection: 1,188 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,095 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 93 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 2,923 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 1,251 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,111 [no change]
Statistic of the week:
Number of music DVDs:
56
(4.7% of the total)
I don't buy music DVDs too often, but (obviously) occasionally I do -- including this week, hence the inspiration for the stat. Do note that by this I don't mean Musicals, but concert DVDs, making-ofs attached to albums, that kind of thing.
See you next week, faithful reader.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
TV
Battlestar Galactica [2004]
2x15 Scar
Friday Night With Jonathan Ross
18x23 (2/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Gareth Malone Goes to Glyndebourne
Part 2 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Stand Up for the Week
1x02 (2/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
2x15 Scar
Friday Night With Jonathan Ross
18x23 (2/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Gareth Malone Goes to Glyndebourne
Part 2 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Stand Up for the Week
1x02 (2/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Films
Metropolis 2010 reissue trailer
Eureka's rather lovely trailer for their forthcoming release of the (almost-)complete Metropolis. It's in cinemas from September 10th, and on DVD & Blu-ray before the end of the year.
Pale Rider (1985)
[#67 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Eureka's rather lovely trailer for their forthcoming release of the (almost-)complete Metropolis. It's in cinemas from September 10th, and on DVD & Blu-ray before the end of the year.
Pale Rider (1985)
[#67 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
fix
Seems the TV post on July 1st was completely mucking up the page. This has now been fixed, so you can see the quite interesting Roger Ebert article properly now.
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
TV
Gareth Malone Goes to Glyndebourne
Part 1 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
How I Met Your Mother
5x06 Bagpipes
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Part 1 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
How I Met Your Mother
5x06 Bagpipes
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Articles
Back To The Future 'hoax' - we confess! by Dan Goodswen
(from Total Film)
International Number Ones: Because every country is best at something by David McCandless
(from Information is Beautiful)
And we're best for... CCTV. Typical.
(It falls down slightly because not every country has a label.)
Review of Inception by Nev Pierce
(from Empire)
If you didn't think the excitement/anticipation levels for Inception could be ratcheted any higher... well, Empire's review may surprise you. (In a good way.)
Some overused Doctor Who plot devices we'd like a moratorium on by Charlie Jane Anders
(from io9)
Some of these are stretching things a bit -- they've only been used twice, for example, and it's only because they're so good that we've even noticed -- but Anders also has a point about many of them.
(from Total Film)
Total Film 'Future Day' shenanigans cause Twitter chaosHa!
International Number Ones: Because every country is best at something by David McCandless
(from Information is Beautiful)
And we're best for... CCTV. Typical.
(It falls down slightly because not every country has a label.)
Review of Inception by Nev Pierce
(from Empire)
If you didn't think the excitement/anticipation levels for Inception could be ratcheted any higher... well, Empire's review may surprise you. (In a good way.)
Some overused Doctor Who plot devices we'd like a moratorium on by Charlie Jane Anders
(from io9)
Some of these are stretching things a bit -- they've only been used twice, for example, and it's only because they're so good that we've even noticed -- but Anders also has a point about many of them.
Monday, 5 July 2010
TV
Murderland
Part 1 Carrie's Story
I've had this miniseries sat waiting to be watched for almost nine months(!) It is, as you may guess from the title, about a murder; but each episode is told from the perspective on a different character -- in part one, it's the teenage daughter of the victim. It's a very good performance from young Bel Powley as the titular Carrie, and it's quite amazing just how much like The Past the mid-'90s now look, but the mystery is thus far only mildly intriguing. Perhaps things will click together in the next two episodes.
Mock the Week
9x03 (1/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Part 1 Carrie's Story
I've had this miniseries sat waiting to be watched for almost nine months(!) It is, as you may guess from the title, about a murder; but each episode is told from the perspective on a different character -- in part one, it's the teenage daughter of the victim. It's a very good performance from young Bel Powley as the titular Carrie, and it's quite amazing just how much like The Past the mid-'90s now look, but the mystery is thus far only mildly intriguing. Perhaps things will click together in the next two episodes.
Mock the Week
9x03 (1/7/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Films
1945-1998 (2003)
[#66a in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
I suppose this falls somewhere between the stools of "short film", "Art" and "Internet video", but, still, it's long enough and focused enough that I'm going to count it -- and, of course, review it. At some point.
You can watch it (for free) here.
[#66a in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
I suppose this falls somewhere between the stools of "short film", "Art" and "Internet video", but, still, it's long enough and focused enough that I'm going to count it -- and, of course, review it. At some point.
You can watch it (for free) here.
Articles
Have you seen this movie?
(from Today at BBC News)
Inception is bleeding into the real world!
(from Live for Films)
That's a damn cool advert.
Click to enlarge.
UKATV Manga Interview
(from UK Anime Network)
An interview (obviously) "with Jerome Mazandarani at Manga Entertainment about the latest announcements from the May London Expo and how these announcements could shape the future of company."
It's a particularly interesting insight into how the UK DVD business works, with emphasis on the anime side of things (obviously), but I think the possibly-supririsngly-low sales numbers are a good indicator of just how little small companies actually sell, and why they have to be very careful about what they choose to release (I'm thinking mainly of the likes of Masters of Cinema and the BFI in this regard). It also indicates why some are beginning to move more towards Blu-ray -- some of Manga's biggest releases are selling 50/50 on DVD/Blu-ray, with their biggest recent title even managing 60% on Blu-ray.
(Note, while page one of the interview (linked above) is a video, there's a transcript over the next three pages. I prefer a transcript, me.)
Your favourite Who episodes revealed by Neil Wilkes
(from Digital Spy)
Series 1/5/31/fnarg Who eps, ranked and rated by Digital Spy readers. My initial thought was that many episodes were ranked too low, but then better ones kept turning up. That said, I'd move up Amy's Choice and The Eleventh Hour, and sacrifice both parts of the finale (a little) to make some room at the top. Also, the places look less bad if you do the sensible thing and combine the two-parters into single stories.
(That said, since the RTD re-launch each half of a two-parter has often had a slightly different tone or feel -- none more so than this year's finale, in fact. And that said, they're still more often than not blatantly two halves of a whole.)
(from Today at BBC News)
The British Film Institute has launched a search for 75 films which have disappeared from view.Here's a gallery of some of the Most Wanted.
Inception is bleeding into the real world!
(from Live for Films)
That's a damn cool advert.
Click to enlarge.
UKATV Manga Interview
(from UK Anime Network)
An interview (obviously) "with Jerome Mazandarani at Manga Entertainment about the latest announcements from the May London Expo and how these announcements could shape the future of company."
It's a particularly interesting insight into how the UK DVD business works, with emphasis on the anime side of things (obviously), but I think the possibly-supririsngly-low sales numbers are a good indicator of just how little small companies actually sell, and why they have to be very careful about what they choose to release (I'm thinking mainly of the likes of Masters of Cinema and the BFI in this regard). It also indicates why some are beginning to move more towards Blu-ray -- some of Manga's biggest releases are selling 50/50 on DVD/Blu-ray, with their biggest recent title even managing 60% on Blu-ray.
(Note, while page one of the interview (linked above) is a video, there's a transcript over the next three pages. I prefer a transcript, me.)
Your favourite Who episodes revealed by Neil Wilkes
(from Digital Spy)
Series 1/5/31/fnarg Who eps, ranked and rated by Digital Spy readers. My initial thought was that many episodes were ranked too low, but then better ones kept turning up. That said, I'd move up Amy's Choice and The Eleventh Hour, and sacrifice both parts of the finale (a little) to make some room at the top. Also, the places look less bad if you do the sensible thing and combine the two-parters into single stories.
(That said, since the RTD re-launch each half of a two-parter has often had a slightly different tone or feel -- none more so than this year's finale, in fact. And that said, they're still more often than not blatantly two halves of a whole.)
Sunday, 4 July 2010
TV
Have I Got News For You
39x02 (8/4/10 edition; extended repeat)
Bizarrely belated repeat (it's from the start of April... as if the date above didn't tell you that) for this particularly good edition of HIGNFY, now with even more laughs.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Wimbledon 2010
[Watch the Men's Singles final, as well as other matches, on iPlayer.]
39x02 (8/4/10 edition; extended repeat)
Bizarrely belated repeat (it's from the start of April... as if the date above didn't tell you that) for this particularly good edition of HIGNFY, now with even more laughs.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Wimbledon 2010
[Watch the Men's Singles final, as well as other matches, on iPlayer.]
Films
Guess Who (2005)
[#66 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
An inverted semi-remake of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Not as good, of course.
[#66 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
An inverted semi-remake of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Not as good, of course.
this week on 100 Films
2 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
Clue (1985)
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Also this week, as we've moved into July it's time for the monthly look at my progress.
More next Sunday.
Clue (1985)
it’s the kind of film that’s unremittingly daft, but it knows it is, and if one gets on board with that then it’s a very enjoyable experience... a mix of hilarious farce and fast-paced screwball comedy. It’s Agatha Christie meets Fawlty Towers.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
It could easily have been a simplistic message movie — these people are liberal, these people are racist, etc — but instead there’s complexity at every turn... these characters could just become ciphers for the arguments and debates; but they’re not, they’re characters, having believable reactions, and from this comes the debate.
Also this week, as we've moved into July it's time for the monthly look at my progress.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 3 July 2010
TV
The Mentalist
2x19 Blood Money
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]
Wimbledon 2010
[Watch the Ladies' Singles final, parts one and two, as well as other matches, on iPlayer.]
2x19 Blood Money
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]
Wimbledon 2010
[Watch the Ladies' Singles final, parts one and two, as well as other matches, on iPlayer.]
Music
Renegades [EP 1] by Renegades
Renegades [EP 2] by Renegades
Feeder's new album, Renegades, turned up today, at which point I realised I still hadn't listened to these two EPs -- by Feeder labelling themselves as Renegades (don't ask me why, no one really seems to know). So, I thought I ought to get round to it before spinning the album, especially as 5 of the songs are duplicated on there.
Renegades [EP 2] by Renegades
Feeder's new album, Renegades, turned up today, at which point I realised I still hadn't listened to these two EPs -- by Feeder labelling themselves as Renegades (don't ask me why, no one really seems to know). So, I thought I ought to get round to it before spinning the album, especially as 5 of the songs are duplicated on there.
Friday, 2 July 2010
TV
Battlestar Galactica [2004]
2x13 Epiphanies
2x14 Black Market
Friday Night With Jonathan Ross
18x22 (25/6/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Wimbledon 2010
Men's semi-final day. Cheerio British hope then.
[Watch Murray v Nadal and Berdych v Djokovic (again) on iPlayer.]
2x13 Epiphanies
2x14 Black Market
Friday Night With Jonathan Ross
18x22 (25/6/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Wimbledon 2010
Men's semi-final day. Cheerio British hope then.
[Watch Murray v Nadal and Berdych v Djokovic (again) on iPlayer.]
Articles
FlashForward is 'most missed' axed show by Morgan Jeffery
(from Digital Spy)
On the one hand, you think, "really? Really?" On the other, look at its competition in that poll. On another, with the likes of Law & Order and Scrubs there it's a bit bizarre how much it won by. On a fourth hand, several L&O franchises remain and Scrubs was apparently past its best.
Is Aaron Johnson too perfect for Spider-Man? by Ben Child
(from Film Blog at guardian.co.uk)
This article posted just hours before it turned out that, yes, he probably was. And quite right too -- Kick-Ass rather undermines Spider-Man.
(from Digital Spy)
On the one hand, you think, "really? Really?" On the other, look at its competition in that poll. On another, with the likes of Law & Order and Scrubs there it's a bit bizarre how much it won by. On a fourth hand, several L&O franchises remain and Scrubs was apparently past its best.
Is Aaron Johnson too perfect for Spider-Man? by Ben Child
(from Film Blog at guardian.co.uk)
This article posted just hours before it turned out that, yes, he probably was. And quite right too -- Kick-Ass rather undermines Spider-Man.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
No updates to the regular numbers this week, but at least there's the running time update to make up for it.
Number of titles in collection: 1,185 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,095 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 90 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 2,920 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,247 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,111 [no change]
Statistic of the week:
Total running time of collection (approx.):
205 days, 4 hours, and 32 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 19 hours, and 14 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
No updates to the regular numbers this week, but at least there's the running time update to make up for it.
Number of titles in collection: 1,185 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,095 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 90 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 2,920 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,247 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,111 [no change]
Statistic of the week:
Total running time of collection (approx.):
205 days, 4 hours, and 32 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 19 hours, and 14 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Thursday, 1 July 2010
TV
Rev.
1x01 Episode 1
BBC Two's new Church-based sitcom is very good. Recommended, for what that's worth.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Stand Up for the Week
1x01 (25/6/10 edition)
Well, now, that was at least as rude as was implied, eh. Some of it was quite funny though, so that's OK. Though I'm slightly concerned: this is the third thing I've seen with Jack Whitehall in a row where I thought he was one of the best bits -- do I actually like him?!
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
1x01 Episode 1
BBC Two's new Church-based sitcom is very good. Recommended, for what that's worth.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Stand Up for the Week
1x01 (25/6/10 edition)
Well, now, that was at least as rude as was implied, eh. Some of it was quite funny though, so that's OK. Though I'm slightly concerned: this is the third thing I've seen with Jack Whitehall in a row where I thought he was one of the best bits -- do I actually like him?!
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Articles
The Great Box-Office Scam by Roger Ebert
(from rogerebert.com)
An article from 1985 (mentioned today on twitter) which feels as relevant 25 years later as it surely was then. And it's funny reading about "recent hits" like Rambo and "movies about to come out" like Pale Rider, Silverado and Back to the Future -- and, mentioned in more or less the same tone, movies that are now forgotten.
(from rogerebert.com)
An article from 1985 (mentioned today on twitter) which feels as relevant 25 years later as it surely was then. And it's funny reading about "recent hits" like Rambo and "movies about to come out" like Pale Rider, Silverado and Back to the Future -- and, mentioned in more or less the same tone, movies that are now forgotten.
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