Wednesday 31 July 2013

TV

The Americans
1x07 Duty and Honor
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Family Tree
1x03 The Austerity Games
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Veronica Mars
2x02 Driver Ed

Tuesday 30 July 2013

TV

The Americans
1x06 Trust Me
Getting close to ITV now...
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

The Good Life
4x08 Silly, But It's Fun... [Christmas special]

Veronica Mars
2x01 Normal is the Watchword
I'd heard season one was by far the best, but the second certainly kicks off to an intriguing start.

Articles

BBC Worldwide to include Widow on Series Seven Box Set
by Marcus (from Doctor Who News)

Well thank goodness for common sense! Though even while fixing a point of stupidity, they still come across as moronic:

Originally the decision was taken not to include this release on the box set as it had previously been released as a standalone product.

Which previous specials had been released as a standalone product before being included in the subsequent box set? Only all of them. But hey, if something's gone down without complaint for six years in a row, why not do the complete opposite on the seventh?

Morons.

Oh, and it looks like the US set has quite a few more special features. The UK listing released so far wasn't as thoroughly broken down as that in fairness, but nonetheless there are several things there that aren't even hinted at being on the UK set. Boo, Worldwide -- BOO.

Monday 29 July 2013

TV

The Americans
1x05 COMINT

Family Tree
1x02 Treading the Boards
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Hoff's Best Film ...Ever!
1x05 The Hoff's Best Sci-Fi Film ...Ever!
After a month-long break, they resumed these while I was away -- and I nearly missed it! Now that would've been a tragedy.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Starlings
2x02 Episode Two

Sunday 28 July 2013

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
4x01 (26/7/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Americans
1x04 In Control

Once Upon a Time
2x05 The Doctor
See again my comments on origin episodes from last time. This time, it's that traditional fairytale character Dr. Frankenstein.

Suburgatory
2x02 The Witch of East Chatswin
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Articles

Doctor Who - Complete Seventh Series boxset [UPDATE]
(from Blogtor Who)

Confirmation that the 'complete' series seven set will not include the 2011 Christmas special -- in the UK. The US set will get it just fine.

If you think this is moronic (which it is), you can let BBC Worldwide know that here.

this fortnight on 100 Films

I was away last weekend (and there wasn't much to report anyway), so here's a look back at the last two weeks on 100 Films in a Year.


Firstly, earlier this week I was accepted as a member of the LAMB -- or, the Large Association of Movie Blogs, to give its full title. So that's nice, isn't it? Read more here.


Secondly (and finally), there was just one brand-new review published in the last fortnight...


Broken Arrow (1996)
In his second Hollywood outing, Hong Kong action maestro John Woo (over-)directs his little heart out: there’s an endless array of slightly hilarious slow-mo, crash zooms, etc.
Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Saturday 27 July 2013

TV

Law & Order: UK
7x02 Tremors
Not sure whether it was the writing, the directing, or the acting -- or a combination of all three -- but I thought this episode was actually pretty awful. Stick to the straight procedural stuff, L&O!
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Starlings
2x01 Episode One

Collection Count

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

This week's only acquisition is the rather-pretty Zavvi-exclusive Close Encounters Steelbook. Though it includes all three cuts of the film (in HD, obv.), it doesn't appear to include any of the extras from the three-disc DVD I have, so I guess I keep both. Annoyingly, the three-disc DVD is missing some of the extras from the 2-disc BD. Why that second disc isn't in the Steelbook, Sony only knows.

Number of titles in collection: 1,585 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,168 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 417 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,954 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,699 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,786 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 383 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Friday 26 July 2013

TV

The Americans
1x03 Gregory

Top Gear
20x04 (21/7/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

Complete Series Seven Boxed Set announced
by Chuck Foster (from Doctor Who News)

Once upon a time, Doctor Who DVDs came with commentaries on every single episode. Sometimes there were additional commentaries online, meaning there are a good few episodes with two of the things. Now, we get a 15-episode set with just four tracks. To rub salt in the wound, none are on any of Amy & Rory's final episodes. Not a one.

Oh, wait, did I say "15-episode set"? Because apparently the 2011 Christmas special isn't included. 'Complete' my whatsit! But the set does include the prequel to that special, just to make sure you know the episode itself isn't there.

And to top it off, it looks as though we may be missing an extra from the US release. I don't know if I care about seeing "Doctor Who on The Nerdist" -- I probably don't, in fact -- but it's the principle.

Thursday 25 July 2013

TV

The Americans
1x02 The Clock

Family Tree
1x01 The Box
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
12x06 (18/7/13 edition) [mid-season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Wednesday 24 July 2013

TV

The Americans
1x01 Pilot
Finally getting stuck into this. Glad I've bothered, too, because it's off to a flying start.

Luther
3x04 Episode 4 [season finale]
Is that it for Luther, then? If you told me this was the series finale, I'd believe you. And maybe it will be.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Suburgatory
2x01 Homecoming
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Tuesday 23 July 2013

TV

Luther
3x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Monday 22 July 2013

TV

Top Gear
20x03 (14/7/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Saturday 20 July 2013

Collection Count

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

Funny old update this week (well, for me): I'm away at present, and this update actually only includes what landed on my doormat on Monday -- there may yet be more sat there now, but probably not, so even if I'd been able to hold off until today to write this, I doubt there'd be any more to add. How handy they all arrived at once.

Number of titles in collection: 1,584 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,168 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 416 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 3,953 [up 6]
Number of films in collection: 1,696 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,786 [up 4]
Number of short films in collection: 383 [up 1]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Monday 15 July 2013

Sunday 14 July 2013

TV

The Good Life
4x07 Anniversary [season finale]

Horrible Histories
4x13 Savage Songs [season finale]

Ripper Street
1x08 What Use Our Work [season finale]
All resolved, while also leaving almost every character and storyline potentially open for more. Neat.

Films

Akira (1988)
[2nd watch]

I'm not sure when I first (and last) watched Akira, but it's somewhere in the region of 10 or more years ago. I didn't really get it then -- I thought it had some impressive visuals but was otherwise overhyped -- and, truth be told, I didn't completely understand the ending now (does anyone?)

However, I found the rest of the film a lot more followable, and I liked it a lot more for that. The animation is still stunning, so is the sound (watched in Japanese rather than English this time out), and I'm sure it has much to say if you want to read into it. Even as just an out-there sci-fi movie centred around the friendship between two outcasts, though, it has plenty going for it.


The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
[#62 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

this week on 100 Films

Two brand-new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week...


Battleship (2012)
something to do with an alien invasion and they do it at sea and there’s only one ship that can stop them but the only person who can command it is the young loudmouth playboy recruit who has so much potential but never fully realises it… until now! Honestly, it’s that clichéd
Read more here.


Underdog (2007)
The film is widely disliked, it seems, with a very low rating on IMDb; but I thought it was actually good fun. It’s a kids’ comedy-adventure, but it also has enough wit and charm to see it through for some older viewers.
Read more here.


And new to the new blog...


The Illusionist (2006)
The story — you remember those? It’s the bit between the attention-grabbing opening and preposterous-twist finale — is mediocre with or without the finale. It’s a something-and-nothing account of a Poor Boy who loves a Rich Girl he can’t have and… oh, I can’t even be bothered to explain it.
Read more here.


True Grit (1969)
Mattie Ross is a great character — plain speaking, knows her own mind, ready & prepared for anything… Kim Darby was 21 at the time but is completely convincing not only as a 14-year-old but as a 14-year-old who’s wise beyond her years.
Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Saturday 13 July 2013

TV

Jo Brand's Great Wall of Comedy
1x03 Episode Three
1x04 Episode Four

Mock the Week
12x05 (11/7/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Ripper Street
1x07 A Man of My Company

Top Gear
20x02 (7/7/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

It's the monthly running time update this week, and a couple of last-minute additions have done their bit: The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, with two cuts of the film totalling over four hours; and Cloud Atlas, which runs nearly three hours itself. So without further ado...

Number of titles in collection: 1,581 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,168 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 413 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 3,947 [up 6]
Number of films in collection: 1,693 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,782 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 382 [up 2]

And...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
283 days, 5 hours, and 39 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 8 hours, and 6 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

Friday 12 July 2013

TV

Case Histories
2x03 Jackson and the Women [season finale]

Comic Relief's Big Chat with Graham Norton
Part 4 (of 4)
Finished!

How I Met Your Mother
8x24 Something New [season finale]
Big unexpected reveal! ...when it was shown in America. Pretty well known about by now.
And now, only one season left...
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Thursday 11 July 2013

TV

Luther
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
12x03 (27/6/13 edition)

Films

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976/1978)
[#61 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

The re-edited shorter version, sometimes known as the director's cut (inaccurately, apparently).

Articles

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special Will Be “Feature Length” Confirms Moffat
by Dave Golder (from SFX)

"I think you could call it movie-length, yeah. I mean, I’m saying that with a slight hint of vagueness because I don’t know the finished running time. [Laughs] It’s certainly well over an hour."

What's the betting on it being something like 1 hour 20, then? Well over an hour but maybe not quite as long as a movie these days...

Moffat also goes on to talk about what the interaction of the two Doctors is like, some hints about how the next regeneration will play out, what they're doing about Matt Smith's hair, and that the next Doctor will be publicly announced pretty much as soon as he's cast.

Wednesday 10 July 2013

TV

Jo Brand's Great Wall of Comedy
1x02 Episode Two

Luther
3x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
2x08 Episode 8 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Ripper Street
1x06 Tournament of Shadows

Articles

League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Coming To Fox With Put Pilot Order
by Brett White (from MTV Splash Page)

Hopefully this pilot will stay a bit more faithful to Moore and O'Neill's work, as opposed to the film which took a number of liberties with the source material.

Oh yeah, US network TV can totally do this faithfully.

Tuesday 9 July 2013

TV

Dexter
7x12 Surprise, Motherfucker! [season finale]
Another surprising finale. Well, actually, I dunno how surprising it was, but it was certainly twisty and went places the show hasn't yet gone. In some respects, though, it didn't feel like a finale. It'll be interesting to see if next season just picks up where this left off and runs with it, or if they're going to attempt to differentiate it with new big arc plots. Considering this season had several and they came and went at a different rate to normal, I wouldn't be surprised if the final two seasons didn't still feel like one long one.

Jo Brand's Great Wall of Comedy
1x01 Episode One
Hm.

Mock the Week
12x04 (4/7/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

A Field In England multiplatform release: the results
(from Film4 Blog)

How the innovative release fared. In short: very well.

Monday 8 July 2013

TV

Dexter
7x11 Do You See What I See?

Top Gear
20x01 (30/6/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)
[#60 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

Articles

The Lone Ranger gives Disney a bumpy ride
by Ben Child (from the Guardian)

Johnny Depp-starring western's low box office yield looks set to lose studio more than $150m

I think this is something a lot of people actually saw coming... apart from Disney, it seems, who were blinded by the 'Pirates reunion' factor -- apparently forgetting that the last Pirates only did OK at the US box office; and though it made a shedload around the world, Westerns never do well outside the US... or inside the US, these days.

Sunday 7 July 2013

TV

How I Met Your Mother
8x23 Something Old
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Wimbledon 2013
I don't imagine you need me to tell you what happened.
[Watch the mens' final, and many other matches, on iPlayer.]

Films

A Field in England (2013)
[#59 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

this week on 100 Films

The only thing posted to 100 Films in a Year this week was the June update. But that's full o' fun, so there you go.

Hopefully, more next Sunday.

Saturday 6 July 2013

TV

Dexter
7x10 The Dark...Whatever
Thank goodness they avoided the obvious 'twist' with the fire inspector! Feels like a rare moment of unobviousness for this season, to me. But you can tell the writers know they're getting near the end (this being one of the closing episodes of the penultimate season), what with ditching one of the entire series' main conceits (the clue's in the title).

The Good Life
4x06 Sweet & Sour Charity

Wimbledon 2013
Poor Lisicki, but the way Bartoli played meant she really did deserve it.
[Watch the ladies' final, and many other matches, on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

A busy old week, this one. As I mentioned last time, I had a few things in the post. While a couple trickled in during the week, the vast majority (seven of the nine additions) arrived on Friday and Saturday, meaning a bit of last-minute totting up before posting this. How exciting.

The biggest addition must be The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-ray set. I'm keeping my DVDs (sentimentality, pretty packaging, that kind of reason), so it just adds to the numbers -- and it adds 15 discs, primarily.

Number of titles in collection: 1,579 [up 9]
Of which DVDs: 1,168 [up 3]
Of which Blu-rays: 411 [up 6]

Number of discs in collection: 3,941 [up 24]
Number of films in collection: 1,690 [up 8]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,782 [up 9]
Number of short films in collection: 380 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader, when a running time update will see what difference all of this has made to that.

Thursday 4 July 2013

Comics

Batman '66 #1 by Jeff Parker & Jonathan Case

The new digital-first series. I was going to buy it in print, but now that I have an iPad and I read that it was very much designed for digital (with animations 'n' all that) I decided to pick it up this way. And it was fun, evoking the mood of the '60s TV show well (as it's meant to, of course). Be interesting to see how it translates to print, but I dunno if it'd be interesting enough to pay for again.

You can get it on Comixology (of course). For those unfamiliar, do be aware that it's a weekly series (three times a month) and each three parts form one story. So while issue one is only 99¢ (69p), you'll need three for each complete story.

Articles

A Field in England, review
by Robbie Collin (from the Telegraph)

Collin always comes across as pretty irritating as a person on TV or wherever, and this review's positivity is at odds with the more muted responses I've encountered elsewhere, but it's still an entertaining read.

Wednesday 3 July 2013

TV

Comic Relief's Big Chat with Graham Norton
Part 4 (of 4)
Just a little bit left now...

Dexter
7x09 Helter Skelter
Much like 24, I like it better when Dexter does whole-season-long plots rather than these coming-and-going few-episode-long ones.

Tuesday 2 July 2013

TV

Comic Relief's Big Chat with Graham Norton
Part 4 (of 4)
Not all of it -- it's two hours. But soon, soon it shall be over.

Dexter
7x08 Argentina
I've not quite been seeing what everyone else so loved about this season, but it felt to me like it kinda got moving in this instalment.

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
2x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Monday 1 July 2013

TV

Dexter
7x07 Chemistry

Miranda
1x05 Excuse [3rd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Touch of Evil: Reconstructed Version (1958/1998)
[#58 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

I watched this late last night, so I'm counting it as June for the purposes of 100 Films...