TV

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2013
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Friends
6x23 The One with the Ring [4th or so watch]
6x24 The One with the Proposal Part 1 [5th or so watch]
6x25 The One with the Proposal Part 2 [season finale; 5th or so watch]

Hebburn
2x07 Sleep in Hebburnly Peace [Christmas special]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

New Year's Eve Fireworks
Normally I like the fireworks, but this year I thought they were uninspired. Start as you mean to go on...?
(And the title's inaccurate, because the fireworks don't begin until midnight, making them New Year's Day Fireworks. Tsk.)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

Seven Samurai (1954)
[#110 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

Second half (see yesterday).

TV

Arrow
2x09 Three Ghosts

Atlantis
1x12 Touched by the Gods Part One
1x13 Touched by the Gods Part Two [season finale]
Seems a shame a lot of people gave up on Atlantis so quickly -- it's grown into itself and become not bad. Considering Merlin had a similarly shaky start, this could well continue to improve if it's given the chance (which it will have in at least one more season).
[Watch Touched by the Gods Parts One & Two (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Friends
6x21 The One Where Ross Meets Elizabeth's Dad [4th or so watch]
6x22 The One Where Paul's the Man [5th or so watch]
Bruce Willis!

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x12 Buzzcocks: The Hunt for the Missing Episode - A Documentary with Krishnan Guru-Murthy

Films

Seven Samurai (1954)
[#110 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

The first half thereof, anyway -- it's another long film with a handy intermission. I was aiming to watch it all in one go (which is demonstrably not impossible), but I was beginning to nod off before even the halfway point (no fault of the film), so it seemed daft to try to force through over 90+ minutes more. I'll watch that tomorrow.

TV

Death Comes to Pemberley
Part 3 (of 3)
Never read the novel, but I thought that was an engrossing and well-performed drama in its own right.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Elementary
2x09 On the Line

Friends
6x19 The One with Joey's Fridge [4th or so watch]
6x20 The One with Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E. [5th or so watch]
Clips shows are clops shows... but Friends clips shows are a cut above the average. I mean, The One with Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E. has a proper storyline through it -- one I remember well and had forgotten was bolstered with all those montages. And actually, they're pretty good montages.

Have I Got News For You
46x10 (13/12/2013 edition; extended repeat)
The last proper episode -- #11 is a highlights show that I shan't bother with (but the extended version is still on iPlayer if you want).

Hebburn
2x06 Gas and Air [season finale]
Felt like a series finale... but there's a Christmas special to come, at least.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

With Christmas been and gone, the 100 Films Advent Calendar has to come to a close for another year. But if you've not been keeping up daily, that means there's still three new reviews for you to read...


Arthur Christmas (2011)

a breathless global knockabout — it rattles along so fast, an hour in you’ll think it must be nearly over. Aside from a few longueurs that give you pause to think such thoughts, it’s an entertaining ride, perfect for the family at Christmas.

Read more here.


Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

Kick-Ass joins up with a superhero team trying to do good, the M***********r gradually assembles his own team of villains, and Mindy tries to fit in as a regular high school girl... Whereas the first film riffed on archetypal characters and plots from regular superhero movies, as such providing an entertaining deconstruction of the genre, the sequel doesn’t feel as focussed.

Read more here.


Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Unfortunately, despite the rarely-filmed milieu of video games, it’s all a bit predictable — it basically does with video game characters what Toy Story did with toys, both in terms of the story and its themes of acceptance.

Read more here.


Plus, one new to the new blog...


Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides [3D] (2011)

The film burns through ideas and plot points at a rate of knots. While I’m all for not stretching ideas thin, here the opposite is true, with not enough time devoted to explaining things, to characterisation, to making us give a damn about what’s going on or why it’s going on.

Read more here.


With 2013 nearly at a close, I'll be sharing my usual series of wrap-up articles soon. Keep an eye on 100 Films for that, or check back here for more next Sunday.

TV

Death Comes to Pemberley
Part 2 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Friends
6x17 The One with Unagi [5th or so watch]
6x18 The One Where Ross Dates a Student [5th or so watch]
Or, The One with Joey's Twin ("How you dooo-iiin!"), and... no, the second one's good.

Not Going Out
7x01 The House [Christmas special]
Weird for a one-off Christmas special to be the first episode of a series that isn't immediately following it (because it's a one-off, innit). But that's what the episode guide says, so there you go. Either way, I thought it was good fun, and suitably Christmassy in that ghost story tradition... with plenty of laughs too, of course.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Vicious
2x00 Christmas Special
More laughs! It may be a little blunt and old fashioned, but I like Vicious.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

This week's update includes my Christmas haul, which this year contained just four Blu-rays... and as one of them replaces three I already had, and the another upgrades (and expands) on a DVD I had, some of the changes look even more sedate. And others look huge, because one of those was a 25-film box set.

(Also this week, I noticed that I accidentally wiped out Damages -- I added it correctly here, but on the next update must have mucked up copying & pasting and 'lost' the disc and episode numbers. Rather than go back and correct three previous updates, I've just re-added them here. If I get bored later I may fix them after all and remove this paragraph, we'll see.)

Plus, this is the final update of the year! See how much my collection has grown in the last 12 months too...

Number of titles in collection: 1,644 [no change this week; up 123 in 2013]
Of which DVDs: 1,197 [down 1 this week; up 51 in 2013]
Of which Blu-rays: 447 [up 1 this week; up 72 in 2013]

Number of discs in collection: 4,119 [up 40 this week; up 285 in 2013]
Number of films in collection: 1,772 [up 23 this week; up 172 in 2013]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,098 [up 46 this week; up 398 in 2013]
Number of short films in collection: 406 [no change this week; up 32 in 2013]

Plus the year-end running time update...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
295 days, 18 hours, and 50 minutes.

(Up 1 day, 23 hours, and 20 minutes from last month.)
(Up 18 days, 23 hours, and 53 minutes from last year.)

See you next year, faithful reader!

TV

Hebburn
2x05 Stairway to Hebburn
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Miranda
3x03 The Dinner Party [2nd watch]
I'd forgotten this series of Miranda was only on at the start of this year -- feels much longer ago. Anyway, great episode.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
7x10 At Christmas [special; 2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Death Comes to Pemberley
Part 1 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
at Christmas [2013]
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Still Open All Hours
[2nd half]
Turned it on halfway through; won't be bothering to go back for the first half.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
[2nd half; 3rd or so watch]

Turned this on as something easy to watch. Ought to re-watch the whole saga at some point really...

TV

Doctor Who
33x16 The Time of the Doctor [Christmas special]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

John Bishop's Christmas Show
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Mrs Brown's Boys
Buckin' Mammy [Christmas special]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
7x10 At Christmas [special]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

QI
11x14 Kris Kringle (XL edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Sherlock
3x00 Many Happy Returns
A seven-minute mini-episode released as a prequel/teaser to the third series, which begins on New Year's Day. Inessential but fun.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

QI
11x13 Kitchen Sink (XL edition)

Ruth Watson Means Business!
1x15 The Bridge Tea Rooms
In my little home town!
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

University Challenge
Christmas 2013, Episode 3 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

The 12 Drinks of Christmas
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Only Connect
8x08 Oenophiles v Bakers
First two times I've ever watched non-celebrity Only Connect, and by some weird fluke all four of these teams will make the semifinals, and both losing teams in these episodes will be the finalists!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

It's the final full week of the 100 Films Advent Calendar 2013, and the means seven brand-new reviews...


A Field in England (2013)

if you’re searching for any kind of mass acceptance you don’t do it with a black-and-white film about a few blokes in period dress running around a field doing weird, inexplicable things. Though you might top it off with a shoot-out that is arguably one of the year’s best action sequences, something Wheatley and co do do.

Read more here.


The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

it's directed by a woman, the first noir to be so. We live in an age where a woman has only recently managed to win the Best Director Oscar... Katherine Bigelow received additional praise in some quarters for taking said award while playing in the "men's world" of the action/war movie, but that's also what Lupino did here.

Read more here.


Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

O’Toole carries us through all this with the skill of a seasoned pro, and yet this was his first major role. No wonder it made him a star over night. He makes every tweak in Lawrence’s attitude plausible; sells both the supreme self-confidence and crushing tumbles to inadequacy. Whatever else is going on, he draws your attention

Read more here.


The Seventh Seal (1957)

A black and white Swedish movie in which a knight ponders the existence of God while playing chess with Death? Yep, here we have the stereotype of arthouse cinema. Let’s be honest, it lives up to most of those expectations.

Read more here.


Shanghai Noon (2000)

There are two reasons we come to a film like this: action and comedy. Some of Chan’s contributions to the former are entertaining, but they’re by no means his best work. Sadly, the latter isn’t that great either. The film works better for both its leads when they’re apart, and that defeats the object.

Read more here.


Shanghai Knights (2003)

as ever, it’s Chan’s action scenes that are the highlight. They’re inventive, exciting, funny, and the speed and dexterity with which they’re performed is often astounding. Those are definitely the reason to watch.

Read more here.


Sharknado (2013)

a defining film of 2013. The volume of conversation it generated, which achieved the near-impossibility of higher viewing figures for its repeats, is exceptional. So I was determined to give it its due in a full-length review. But I can’t be bothered — it doesn’t merit such attention.

Read more here.


That's all for now. More next Sunday.

TV

Only Connect
8x07 Lasletts v Board Gamers
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

University Challenge
Christmas 2013, Episode 1 (of 10)
Christmas 2013, Episode 2 (of 10)
[Watch episodes one and two (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

As predicted, no new additions this week. Next week, though... that should be good.

Number of titles in collection: 1,644 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,198 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 446 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,079 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,749 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,052 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 406 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Friends
6x15 The One That Could Have Been Part 1 [4th or so watch]
6x16 The One That Could Have Been Part 2 [4th or so watch]

Hebburn
2x04 Stairway to Hebburn
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Matt Lucas Awards
3x00 The Matt Lucas Christmas Awards
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Person of Interest
2x09 C.O.D.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Poetry

Wenceslas: A Christmas Poem by Carol Ann Duffy,
illustrated by Stuart Kolakovic

Not convinced about the poem, but Kolakovic's illustrations are beautiful.

(You can read the poem, sans illustrations, on the Guardian's website.)

TV

Castle
3x12 Poof! You're Dead
About magic, not homosexuals.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Friends
6x14 The One Where Chandler Can't Cry [4th or so watch]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x13 Christmas Show [season finale]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
[#109 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

This is coming to Sky Movies/Now TV on Christmas Eve, so I intend to have a review up then.

Fiction

The Best of Times by Michael Morpurgo,
illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark

A Christmassy tale.

TV

Friends
6x13 The One with Rachel's Sister [4th or so watch]

Live at the Apollo
9x04 Episode 4
Apparently the broadcasts of Live at the Apollo have all been knocked back a week due to the Nelson Mandela tribute shown on Friday 6th... but they keep putting the ones that would have been on up on iPlayer, so I'm 'ahead'. Weird.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Person of Interest
2x08 'Til Death
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Films

Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009)
[#108 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

TV

Elementary
2x08 Blood is Thicker

Friends
6x12 The One with the Joke [4th or so watch]

TV

Arrow
2x08 The Scientist
Spin-off setup alert! I thought they did a pretty good job, though, and clearly it's a fairly slow-build setup rather than a backdoor pilot (that said, one of those was due later in the season, so...)

Have I Got News For You
46x09 (6/12/2013 edition; extended repeat)

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x11 Episode 11

TV

The British Comedy Awards 2013
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Friends
6x11 The One with the Apothecary Table [4th or so watch]

this week on 100 Films

The 100 Films Advent Calendar marches on this week, leading to seven new reviews again...


Fast & Furious (2009)

Some say this is the worst of the series, and I think I agree. 2 Fast 2 Furious has a stupid name and Tokyo Drift is almost a direct-to-DVD cheapo, but they embrace their trashy roots and are kinda fun. #4 takes itself too seriously as a revenge/drug-smuggling thriller.

Read more here.


Flight (2012)

After a decade locked away in motion-capture madness, Robert Zemeckis returned to the realms of the real with this Oscar-nominated drama... Cue a film that attempts a grown-up account of addiction, but fumbles it, in the process missing the more interesting story of the crash investigation.

Read more here.


G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

If Team America: World Police had been made for children, it would be a lot like this.

If The Asylum made blockbusters instead of mockbusters, they would be a lot like this.

If Michael Bay were a less skilled director, his movies would be a lot like this.

Read more here.


Jack Reacher (2012)

an enthralling action-thriller with an unusual-these-days emphasis on the thriller part. There’s still a well-executed car chase, an epic punchy-shooty climax, and the odd spot of running and fighting along the way, but primarily this is a mystery that our heroes must wind their way through.

Read more here.


Lady of Deceit (1947) aka Born to Kill

Even today, it’s quite a nasty little work, although tastes have evolved to the point where “discriminating people” are likely to be attracted to it — though not purely for the violence. You’d imagine that would pale by today’s standards, but even now the opening double homicide is quite shocking

Read more here.


Real Steel (2011)

Once upon a time, Real Steel would have been rated PG, been aimed at 7- to 10-year-old boys, and would probably have been quite the success. In the current Hollywood moviemaking climate, however, it’s rated PG-13, consequently aimed at teenage boys and grown men who still have the tastes of teenage boys, and seems to be regularly slated in online comment sections. That’s a shame because, despite some corny and cheesy bits, it generally works.

Read more here.


Wolf (1994)

It’s about werewolves. But don’t go thinking this is like An American Werewolf in London or The Wolfman, and certainly don’t attach it to the modern Twilight-type werewolf saga — this is a supernatural movie For Adults. Not in the sense of there being excessive violence or sex or swearing or what have you, but, rather, because of the characters and their situations.

Read more here.


Plus, new to the new blog...


Friday the 13th Part III [3D] (1982)

They have a whale of a time shoving stuff out into the audience for almost no reason — just like the stereotype of 3D films, of course. That’s part of the fun of trashy 3D movies so I’m not criticising it, but what sadly doesn’t work is the ColorCode 3D system... It provides lovely depth to normal scenes, but as soon as something’s attempting to come out at you it fails.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Atlantis
1x11 Hunger Pangs
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Derren Brown: The Great Art Robbery
Well that was super. You know Derren's always going to have a few extra tricks up his sleeve, but then there are a couple more even beyond that...
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Friends
6x10 The One with the Routine [5th or so watch]
Sometimes Friends titles pick on a bizarrely minor point; and sometimes, they're bang on.

Yonderland
1x03 Reformation

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

As noted last week, I was expecting one new addition this week and one next. But the freakishly slow Christmastime post seems to have suddenly sprung back to life, and next week's parcel dropped today... along with something else I ordered that should have taken until next week, making a grand total of three!

There'll be nothing next week, now. Well, almost certainly nothing...

Number of titles in collection: 1,644 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,198 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 446 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 4,079 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 1,749 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,052 [up 22]
Number of short films in collection: 406 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Friends
6x09 The One Where Ross Got High [4th or so watch]

The Graham Norton Show
14x08 (6/12/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Hebburn
2x03 Knocking About
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Live at the Apollo
9x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Castle
3x11 Nikki Heat
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Friends
6x08 The One with Ross's Teeth [4th or so watch]

TV

Friends
6x06 The One on the Last Night [5th or so watch]
6x07 The One Where Phoebe Runs [4th or so watch]

The Graham Norton Show
14x07 (29/11/13 edition)

Suburgatory
2x14 T-Ball & Sympathy

Yonderland
1x02 Wizard Bradley

Films

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
[#107 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

Articles

Axed BBC drama Ripper Street could be revived by LOVEFiLM for third series
by Ben Dowell (from Radio Times)

I was disappointed when they cancelled Ripper Street (even though I haven't started season two yet, I enjoyed the first), but this has come as a right surprise nonetheless. Hope it comes to pass.

TV

Elementary
2x07 The Marchioness

Friends
6x05 The One with Joey's Porsche [4th or so watch]

The Happenings
1x01 Alien Invasion
Usually-comedic (and gory) magicians Barry and Stuart get their own series on Watch "from the makers of Derren Brown", in which they string together a selection of magic tricks posing as supernatural events in order to convince a community that something paranormal is happening. Here, it's a small British town that they try to make believe is being observed by aliens. Some of the tricks are quite familiar if you watch enough magic -- they're still impressive in their own right, just increasingly seen -- while others feel fresher. All are suitably baffling. I'm not sure how well the "convince a whole town" element works, though. But maybe.
[Watch it (again) on Watch's website.]

Person of Interest
2x07 Critical
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

TV

Arrow
2x07 State v. Queen
Did they re-cast the Count with a worse actor just to (spoilers!) kill him off? Or was it actually the same guy but I remembered him being not quite so bad?

Have I Got News For You
46x08 (29/11/2013 edition; extended repeat)

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x10 Episode 10

Films

Kick-Ass (2010)
[2nd watch]

This was #39 in 100 Films 2010. I haven't seen it since that first viewing, but the sequel is out on DVD & Blu-ray today so I watched this last night in preparation. Sadly my copy of said follow-up didn't arrive today, but expect it to turn up here just as soon as it does.

TV

Castle
3x10 Last Call
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited
1x11 The Eleventh Doctor [final episode]

Friends
6x04 The One Where Joey Loses His Insurance [4th or so watch]
Behind that so-dull-it-sounds-like-a-spoof title lies one of Friends' funniest episodes.

Hebburn
2x02 Easy Tiger
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Yonderland
1x01 The Chosen Mum
The Horrible Histories gang do fantasy in this new Sky1 comedy (which has almost finished on the actual telly, so I've got some catching up to do). Like so many genre series, episode one is all about setting up the premise. Still funny though, so hopefully the rest will be even better.

Films

Hanna (2011)
[#106 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
Read my drabble review here.

DVD Extras

Special Features on Hanna

An alternate ending that was thankfully unused, and some near-pointless deleted scenes; a handful of featurettes looking at the fights, the fairytale inspirations, the music, and the military escape scene; and some promo stuff.

Plus I listened to a couple of short snippets of the commentary, which sounded interesting but also a bit quiet at times.

this week on 100 Films

The second 100 Films Advent Calendar is well and truly underway now, meaning that 7 new reviews were published this week.

First, on Channel 4 tonight at 10pm:


Hanna (2011)

There’s the genre’s typical globetrotting, fistfighting thrills; but also an allegorical coming-of-age indie drama; plus a surreal, fairytale tone that drifts across proceedings like a pleasant morning mist.

Read more here.


And the rest:


Black Death (2010)

Though not entirely devoid of gore or jumps, this is more a creeping horror; a tale of the supernatural where an uncanny mood is more important than visceral thrills. I don’t think it’s too lofty to suggest comparison to The Wicker Man rather than an historical Saw.

Read more here.


The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

There’s no shortage of ambition in the rendering on screen, but the film sadly comes up short on occasion. Despite director Michael Apted’s experienced hand on the wheel, the course strays into Syfy Channel TV movie territory at times, with a kind of cheapness that won’t please anyone

Read more here.


Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (Extended Cut) (2013)

Having heard only bad things, I expected a soul-crushing dud of Van Helsing proportions. Actually, it’s a lot of fun.

Read more here.


LEGO Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite (2013)

I’ve seen a couple of the LEGO Star Wars TV specials and found them to be quite fun, but LEGO Batman can’t reach their level. It’s not just that it’s almost four times as long as one of those, it’s that the humour it does contain doesn’t hit home in the same way. It’s often too juvenile, too “that’ll do”

Read more here.


Side by Side (2012)

a documentary on camera technology. No, wait, come back! It’s much more interesting than that sounds. Side by Side is, primarily, about the debate between those who prefer the old film ways and those who embrace the digital future...

Read more here.


Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

In an ethnically diverse and equal future, white American Kirk and white Vulcan-American Spock are commanded by white American Pike and white American Marcus to lead their crew to capture a Starfleet-targeting terrorist: John Harrison, a white Englishman

Read more here.


And one related review was new to the new blog too...


The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

The epic final battle comes as close to rivalling Helm’s Deep as anything I can think of, albeit — in typical Narnia style — in broad daylight on a big field. It has a real story to it, with specific moves being made by each side in the name of an overall strategy, rather than just A Lot Of Good Guys charging at A Lot Of Bad Guys and hacking away ’til one side wins, the apparent battle tactic in most other such large encounters on film.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Atlantis
1x10 The Price of Hope
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Friends
6x03 The One with Ross's Denial [4th or so watch]

Was It Something I Said
1x08 Episode 8 (extended repeat) [season finale]
[Watch only the shorter version on 4oD.]

Films

Arthur Christmas (2011)
[#105 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

You might think my collection has stopped growing as I await Christmas, but oh no! There's one new slightly-random impulse-buy this week (a film called Dimensions that looks potentially fascinating); Kick-Ass 2 is in the post; and The Long Goodbye is on pre-order for the 16th. Should be something to update with every week even before The Big Day, then.

Number of titles in collection: 1,641 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,198 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 443 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,074 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,747 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,030 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 406 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Friends
6x02 The One Where Ross Hugs Rachel [4th or so watch]

Live at the Apollo
9x02 Episode 2

Poirot
13x05 Curtain: Poirot's Last Case [series finale]
A great final episode, and a great final story actually -- why isn't it one of the best-known ones? Maybe fans are too concerned with spoiling the twist (and rightly so), which has been the fate of Murder on the Orient Express.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

TV

Friends
6x01 The One After Vegas [4th or so watch]


The Mentalist
6x07 The Great Red Dragon
6x08 Red John

I got bored of waiting for Channel 5 -- I wanted answers. And here they are.

It's tough to say whether they were underwhelming or not. The reveal could never really have lived up to all those expectations, could it? Yet for that, I thought it was a pretty great episode, and actually having the courage of their convictions at the end was good. Be interesting to see where things go from here for the show, though whether the revamp will be strong enough to sustain it long-term is another matter.

One thing I did find weird, though: if you've got an eight-part story (as this kinda was), why does Part 6 end on a great big cliffhanger and Part 7 kinda feel like "The End (For Now)"? Did they just assume everyone had read the title of episode 8 in advance and knew there was an immediate final act to come? Because if I hadn't known better, I'd've presumed it was returning to the old Mentalist style of spending ages between Red John episodes. Doesn't really matter, just a stylistic point.

[Watch The Great Red Dragon on Demand 5 from Tuesday 10th December, and Red John from Tuesday 17th December.]

Films

On the Waterfront (1954)
[#104 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

TV

Elementary
2x06 An Unnatural Arrangement


Friends
5x23 The One in Vegas Part 1 [4th or so watch]
5x24 The One in Vegas Part 2 [season finale; 4th or so watch]


The Mentalist
6x06 Fire and Brimstone

Alright, look: I'm not naive/stupid/ill-informed — I know there's an episode coming up called Red John (already aired in the US), and the answer to the entire series' overarching mystery is contained within… but how in the hell is that not the next episode?! I mean, I thought we might get to that reveal here — how is there at least another 45 minutes before that revelation?

Also, on a separate but related note: if the series is essentially relaunching after that point, why is said relaunch before the Christmas break? Surely it would've been neater to tell the final act of the Red John tale in 2013, then start afresh with the first episode next year? But I suppose this is US network TV we're talking about: they probably don't want anyone going away over Christmas thinking the show's finished and then not watching when it returns in January. Though how long it can go without its main driving storyline is a whole other issue.

Well, that said, it could go quite a while, because the Red John case was never really the series' primary joy; but, equally, it might feel a tad unfocused long-term without that to latch on to.

Anyway, this is really a debate for another time.

[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

TV

Friends
5x21 The One with the Ball [4th or so watch]
5x22 The One with Joey's Big Break [4th or so watch]

The Great British Bake Off
4x10 Class of 2012

Person of Interest
2x06 The High Road
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

TV

Friends
5x20 The One with the Ride Along [4th or so watch]

Have I Got News For You
46x07 (22/11/2013 edition; extended repeat)

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x09 Episode 9

TV

Friends
5x18 The One Where Rachel Smokes [4th or so watch]
5x19 The One Where Ross Can't Flirt [5th or so watch]

The Mentalist
6x05 The Red Tattoo
So... nearly... there...
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Articles

Ian Fleming hit a Nazi, but you should have seen the one that got away…
by David Mitchell (from The Observer)

Turns out Sky Atlantic's new Ian Fleming biopic is mostly fiction, but looks like it's being fact, but kinda admits it's fiction, but only after tricking you into thinking it's fact. And that's wrong.

this week on 100 Films

A busy week on 100 Films in a Year -- well, actually, it was a pretty quiet week, and then suddenly a very busy last few days.

Anyway...

First, as it's December 1st, here's the November update. And because I've reached 100 films, it looks back at all the previous #100s too. Exciting.

Secondly, as it's December 1st, it's time to launch the 100 Films Advent Calendar 2013! I Know, I bet you can barely contain your excitement. 25 days of solid new reviews -- thrilling!

Thirdly, two new reviews were published this week, and they were...


Dredd (2012)

It's the gritty take on 2000AD’s primary hero that aficionados have long desired, but also an exemplary sci-fi/action movie in its own right. With impressive gun battles, dry humour, and Karl Urban nailing the title character (yes, including the voice)

Read more here.


Shane (1953)

The general shape of the plot is one familiar to Western fans, though that may well be because the others are based on Shane: a mysterious stranger riders into town, just looking for lodgings and/or work. Turns out the honest good-hearted town-folk are in some way being oppressed by a local gang/landowner/etc. The stranger doesn’t want to intervene, he just wants a quiet life… but eventually something galvanises him and he can’t help it. Cue climactic shoot-out.

Read more here.


And finally, there were a couple of reviews new to the new blog too...


Casanova (2005)

pales in comparison to the Russell T Davies-scripted, David Tennant-starring BBC production from the same year. Where that version is witty, clever, entertaining and actually does something with the characters, this film is silly, predictable and only occasionally graced with an amusing moment.

Read more here.


Make/Remake: Assaults on Precinct 13

Comparing the 1976 cult classic to its glossy 2005 remake.

Individual reviews can be found here and here, while the comparison is here.

Swing Time (1936)

One interesting note is some story similarities to Sideways — yes, Sideways, the recent Oscar-winning indie comedy about love and wine tasting. Whether Swing Time had any influence on that (made almost 70 years later), or it’s just a huge coincidence, I don’t know, but there are several reminiscent moments throughout the engaged-man-and-buddy-find-love-in-far-off-location-(then-accidentally-let-truth-slip) plot.

Read more here.


Phew!

More next Sunday. Seven more, hopefully.

TV

Atlantis
1x09 Pandora's Box
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Castle
3x09 Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Friends
5x17 The One with Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss [4th or so watch]

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

This week, Amazon UK's Black Friday brings a last-minute (almost literally: it only arrived two hours ago) addition: a complete series box set of Damages to replace the only season I already owned. (And I was surprised to learn it's 3½ years since I last watched it!) Up go discs and episodes, but not titles.

And up goes the running time too, of course -- and it's time for an update on that as well (which the Damages set accounts for more than half of).

Number of titles in collection: 1,640 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,197 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 443 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,085 [up 12]
Number of films in collection: 1,746 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,076 [up 46]
Number of short films in collection: 406 [no change]

Total running time of collection (approx.):
293 days, 19 hours, and 30 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 11 hours and 19 minutes from last month.)

The next running time update will be the post-Christmas year-end one! Thrilling.

But before that, see you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Arrow
2x06 Keep Your Enemies Closer

Friends
5x15 The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey [4th or so watch]
5x16 The One with the Cop [4th or so watch]

Hebburn
2x01 Welcome Home
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Live at the Apollo
9x01 Episode 1

Was It Something I Said
1x07 Episode 7 (extended repeat)
[Watch only the shorter version on 4oD.]

TV

Elementary
2x05 Ancient History

Friends
5x13 The One with Joey's Bag [4th or so watch]
5x14 The One Where Everybody Finds Out [4th or so watch]

Poirot
13x04 The Labours of Hercules
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

TV

Friends
5x11 The One with All the Resolutions [4th or so watch]
5x12 The One with Chandler's Work Laugh [4th or so watch]

Person of Interest
2x05 Bury the Lede
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Films

Man of Steel (2013)
[#103 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

TV

Castle
3x08 Murder Most Fowl
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty
From everything I'd heard, I was expecting this to be a complete wash-out. Actually, it had its moments -- essentially, anything pre-recorded or pre-edited, including some magnificent montages; and the throw to Australia was quite sweet. The already-infamous bit with One Direction was truly appalling, though. I don't think I've ever seen something go so badly wrong in a live broadcast before.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Friends
5x09 The One with Ross's Sandwich [5th or so watch]
5x10 The One with the Inappropriate Sister [4th or so watch]

Was It Something I Said
1x06 Episode 6 (extended repeat)
[Watch only the shorter version on 4oD.]

TV

Friends
5x08 The One with All the Thanksgivings [5th or so watch]

Have I Got News For You
46x05 (8/11/2013 edition; extended repeat)

The Mentalist
6x04 Red Listed
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x08 Episode 8


This is my first Monday without Doctor Who for almost four months. I miss #bbbDW50, which of course has ended... but, the moment has been prepared for...

(Which, um, you'll find out about... in about a week...)

Articles

Steven Moffat is rewriting Doctor Who folklore to produce a Christmas cracker
by Mark Jefferies (from Radio Times)

Well this could've been made clearer in-show! Or I guess they're just going to explain it at Christmas for those only tuning in then. But there should be a liiiittle more hype to the idea that Matt Smith is The Last Ever Doctor. Shame.

Anyway, yes, you read that right: Matt Smith is the Doctor's 13, ergo final, regeneration. Peter Capaldi will be the impossible 14th. Even though I believe they're still calling him the Twelfth Doctor. Confused? So say we all.

Doctor Who is was 50...

The Doctor Who anniversary may be officially over, and the glut of programming not so much winding down as stopping dead (aside from repeats, all that's left is Radio 1's The Story of Trock later today), but there's a whole load of stuff I've not got round to yet:

BBC Three's Afterparty; the last Doctors Revisited; The Ultimate Guide to Doctor Who; the 12 Again special; Radio 2's Who is The Doctor? and Blagger's Guide to Doctor Who; eight audiobooks & full-cast plays from Radio 4 Extra; plus their Who Made Who marathon, and sundry other radio bits...

So for me, the celebrations are far from over -- hurrah!

TV

Arrow
2x05 League of Assassins

Doctor Who
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
As the 50th anniversary special approaches, the surviving Doctors decide they should be involved, in this comedy special written and directed by Peter Davison. I was worried this would be terribly self-indulgent, especially when I learnt it was half-an-hour long, but... well, I suppose it is in a way, because it's very much "for fans" -- but my goodness is it hilarious! And the array of cameos is astonishing, and everyone's having a whale of a time... We've been spoilt for highlights this anniversary, but this is definitely amongst the highest.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited
1x10 The Tenth Doctor

Friends
5x07 The One Where Ross Moves In [5th or so watch]

Poirot
13x03 Dead Man's Folly
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

The Sarah Millican Slightly Longer Television Programme
3x06 Episode 6 [season finale]

Articles

Cover of the Century: The making of the "Vote Dalek!" Radio Times cover
(from Radio Times)

I meant to share this a few days ago when I read it, but forgot. I think it's somewhat fascinating, because I'd always assumed that cover was simply Photoshopped from existing elements -- but ohhh no!

this week on 100 Films

Two new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...


Armored Car Robbery (1950)

A solid rather than exceptional film noir, Armoured Car Robbery is worth a look for fans of the genre if they get a chance.

Read more here.


Immortals (2011)

Trailers reminiscent of 300 belie a (slightly) higher degree of artiness: in the making-of, Tarsem espouses that there are many “comic strip” movies, but he wanted to make a “painted strip” movie; Henry Cavill calls it “Fight Club meets Caravaggio”.

Read more here.


And new to the new blog...


American Dreamz (2006)

This loosely satirical comedy sees Dennis Quaid’s Bush-growing-a-brain President agree to be a guest judge on Hugh Grant’s Simon-Cowell-with-looks TV talent show. It’s pretty much as loopy as that sounds, though not as clever as it thinks it is.

Read more here.


Point Break (1991)

Jock-tastic ’80s-style surfing-based crime thriller. If you’ve seen Hot Fuzz you’ll know of this — it’s the one where Keanu Reeves lies on his back and empties his gun into the air while screaming “nooo!”

Read more here.


Sabrina (1954)

My top note for Sabrina is “morally suspect”... a variety of character traits and actions that left me supporting no character and disliking what a number of them got up to.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Happy Birthday Doctor Who...


Blue Peter
Doctor Who Special
Doctor Who Party

A pair of live episodes to mark Doctor Who's 50th, featuring a look at some of The Day of the Doctor's special effects, interviews with Matt and Jenna, a new "design something that will be in the series" competition, and makes for exciting things like a cushion and a Dalek cake. Bless Blue Peter.

[Watch the Special and the Party (again) on iPlayer.]



The Culture Show
Me, You and Doctor Who

A lovely, insightful exploration of the series' history and its impact on culture.

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]



Doctor Who
33x15 The Day of the Doctor [50th anniversary special]

What's the 50th episode of #bbbDW50? It's the 50th anniversary episode, of course! What else would've been more appropriate?

And it was brilliant. Wasn't it? I thought so. I don't mind saying I've not always been the biggest fan of what Moffat's done as showrunner, especially over the last two series, but he absolutely nailed this. It was chock full of exciting new stuff and nods to the past, with everything from tiny subtle references for the true hardcore fan right up to big obvious "here are all the Doctors!" celebrations of the show's 50 year legacy. It was fabulous.

I look forward to watching it again in 3D. I reckon some of it will look grand. I fear the Christmas special can only be a letdown from here though, so we'll see...

But on a positive note: it's a feature-length episode that was released in cinemas alongside TV -- definitely counts for 100 Films, right? Well, does for me. I'll post a lengthier review there at some point.

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]



Friends
5x06 The One with the Yeti [4th or so watch]
Yes, this is the only non-Who thing today.



The Graham Norton Show
14x06 (22/11/13 edition)

Featuring Matt Smith and David Tennant, dropping in halfway through like the BBC had mandated their inclusion on the regularly-scheduled episode. Which they may well have.

Actually, it left a bit of a bitter taste for me -- lots of old-fashioned stuff about the show just being for geeks, who've never touched a girl; suggesting Matt is only in the special due to contractual obligation so why on Earth has David deigned to come back; David and Matt not quite knowing what to say when Jimmy Carr asked a daft question about how can they both be in the special; and so on and so forth. It felt rather like a nasty throwback, instead of being aware that, actually, Doctor Who is now one of the BBC's top brands, a massive earner, probably more significant to culture than anyone else on the episode this evening; while they treated it a little like it deserved a nice pat on the head, a ruffle of its hair, and a half-meant "well done".

Bah.

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]