Saturday 14 January 2012

TV

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
Episode 1 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The House of Rooms
1x01 Episode 1 - Paul
Or Milton Jones's House of Rooms, as the listings would have it. It's a pilot, but they called it Episode 1 on screen -- confidant. It was completely barmy, which you should expect from Jones really, and quite fun because of it. Go on C4, make a series.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Jonathan Ross Show
2x01 (7/1/12 edition)
Still not got round to the Christmas special. Ho hum.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

The Magicians
2x01 Episode 1
I can see why they've made it live -- for tricks like the social media one and, even more so, the public vote -- but it did make it feel rather clunky and unpolished at times. Hopefully it was first night nerves and things will firm up as the series goes on, because it's still a fun show.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Pointless
5x42 (11/1/12 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Underworld: Extended Cut (2003)
[3rd watch]

Technically my second watch, for this version (the first being the theatrical cut, in the cinema right back in '03). Last time was just before the first sequel hit cinemas, so about six years ago.

My opinion on it hasn't changed a great deal in that time, though I may have grown out of it a little more... but then I was always aware the dialogue was frequently clunky, the desaturated look a bit forced, the production design self-consciously Goth-y, and some of the performances dire: on one hand you have the likes of always-excellent Michael Sheen, on another Bill Nighy hamming it up magnificently, and on another the flat-as-a-pancake Shane Brolly, with the rest of the cast hitting various quality levels around them.

But it's good supernatural/action/Goth-geek-cool fun for all that. I imagine it's a helluva lot better than that other populist vampire vs. werewolf love story of recent times.