TV

Dexter
8x11 Monkey in a Box
And lo, my plan did work perfectly: this episode was on UK TV tonight, and the series finale will be on US TV a few hours after I post this. That's tomorrow's viewing, then.
I don't despise this final season as much as some of Dexter's fans (former fans?), but it's not been the best ever. Nonetheless, still excited to find out what happens in the end.

Films

The Falcon in Hollywood (1944)
[#82 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

North by Northwest (1959)
[#81 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

this week on 100 Films

Three new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week!


Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter (2013)

Action-packed, funny, character developing, and with some hilarious cameos at the end… You couldn’t ask for much more from a 15 minute superhero-universe short.

Read more here.


Marvel One-Shot: Item 47 (2012)

This is exactly the kind of tale I presume the imminent TV series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be telling. Considering fans seem ultra-hyped for that, I’m not sure why they dislike Item 47 so much

Read more here.


The Muppets (2011)

a film that embraces the Muppets’ anarchic nature and old-fashioned entertainment style, while also integrating them into the modern world... breaks of the fourth wall abound, and constitute most of the film’s best bits.

Read more here.


Plus a whole load were new to the new blog...


The Green Mile (1999)

draws the viewer into believing that miracles may be possible. It’s a whole hour before Michael Clarke Duncan’s near-silent John Coffey (“like the drink, only not spelled the same”) does his healing thing, at which point what was apparently a straightforward period prison drama gains a new dimension.

Read more here.


Henry V (1944)

I didn’t much care for it. It failed to engage me, and I’d put this down to Olivier’s infamous staging (literally) of it.

Read more here.


Henry V (1989)

Olivier’s version is an over-stylised, propaganda-inspired, outdated version of Shakespeare, whereas Branagh’s is a comprehensible, realistic, textured and, perhaps most importantly, genuinely enjoyable interpretation.

Read more here.


The History Boys (2006)

The History Boys isn’t really about what it’s about — the boys applying for Oxbridge is shoved into a corner almost as soon as it’s introduced — but is instead about their learning, and their experience gained while (and from) learning, and a bit about growing up and discovering oneself too.

Read more here.


Thunderbirds (2004)

If you loved the series you’ll never like this; heck, unless you’re under 10 you’ll probably never like this (and that’s being generous). Maybe, someday, there’ll be a decent new version of Thunderbirds. Sadly, this has probably hindered any attempts at that.

Read more here.


Transformers (2007)

It may be clichéd in places, with too much of a tech fetish, shallow female characters, too many faceless soldiers, bouts of weak dialogue, a muddled climax… But it’s still fun.

Read more here.


Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

This is what happens when a studio allows someone like Bay an essentially limitless budget and less than two years to turn a blockbuster around.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.