Films

Adam (2009)
[#20 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

A Boy and His Dog (1975)
[#19 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

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


Begin Again (2013)

Once’s writer-director returns with a film that could’ve been dubbed Once 2: New York... The songs aren’t as catchy (though some are decent) and the shape of the story is overfamiliar

Read more here.


Come Drink with Me (1966)

The film features good swordplay action, for the era — i.e. it’s not as tightly choreographed as you’d expect today. There’s a mix of huge free-for-all clashes, and Leone-esque long pauses followed by short bursts of violence.

Read more here.


The Golem (1920)

Regarded as one of the first horror films, The Golem is more of a moderately-dark fantasy, or a fairytale-type myth... However, it does feature what I presume is one of first instances of that most daft of horror tropes: running upstairs to escape the monster. It goes as well here as it ever does, i.e. not very.

Read more here.


A Most Wanted Man (2014)

A typically complex plot requires the viewer to keep their attention level high. Some find the story a plod, but (one languorous interrogation sequence aside) I thought it relatively brisk, aided by accent-defying performances

Read more here.


The Two Faces of January (2014)

The storyline is pretty straightforward, but it’s driven by some interesting characters with complex motivations. You’re never entirely sure what’s driving Rydal and Chester, even if it may appear obvious; and sometimes it can be as much of a twist that a character didn’t have a better plan as it is when their implausibly-intricate machinations are unveiled

Read more here.


Also, my 100 Favourites series continued with 2 more posts...


Back to the Future Part II (1989)

Michael J. Fox is not only Marty McFly, but older Marty McFly, and his son, Marty McFly Jr., and also… his daughter, Marlene McFly. Just in case you’d forgotten these were comedy movies, I guess. Christopher Lloyd, meanwhile, is the one and only Doc.

Read more here.


Back to the Future Part III (1990)

Much like the second film, it can’t attain the perfection of the first movie... And even as I say “they’re not as good as the first one”, I don’t wholly believe it: to me, Back to the Future never has and never will be just one film, or one film and its two sequels — it’s a trilogy; a three-parter.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The Voice UK
5x04 The Blind Auditions 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

47 Ronin (2013)
[#18 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Collection Count

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

Seven additions to my collection this week bring big changes -- and as one of them's a "complete series" DVD set adding over 100 TV episodes, the next running time update should have a huge increase! Despite that humungous DVD addition, the number of DVDs goes down. How? That complete series set replaces one season I already had, and there's a DVD-to-BD upgrade in there too. Exciting.

Lost in the mix is that the number of films in my collection sailed past 2,000 this week (it was at 1,999 last week). I ought to downsize...

Number of titles in collection: 1,835 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 1,211 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 624 [up 7]

Number of discs in collection: 4,712 [up 40]
Number of films in collection: 2,008 [up 9]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,173 [up 109]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
[#17 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Dickensian
1x04 Episode 4

Room 101
5x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Amistad (1997)
[#16 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Death in Paradise
5x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Two Faces of January (2014)
[#15 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Films

Starman (1984)
[#14 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

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


About Time (2013)

Ostensibly another of Curtis’ oh-so-British rom-coms, it plays that way for a while, but long before it’s done develops into something deeper: Tim gets the girl (Rachel McAdams), then learns about life, family, and what you might really want to do with such power.

Read more here.


Dreamgirls (2006)

Oscar-winning adaptation of the stage musical that doesn’t tell the story of the Supremes in fictionalised form, no sir.

Read more here.


Ender's Game (2013)

you can actually believe Ender is learning to be a better leader. Normally when a movie features “an excellent military strategist” we’re told that and never shown it, but here we see how Ender’s skills as a strategist develop and are exhibited.

Read more here.


Lady of Burlesque (1943)

Stanwyck carries the film, both on stage and off. Her “will they/won’t they (of course they will)” romance with Michael O’Shea’s comic is kept aloft by her biting ripostes to his advances, and when a comedy sketch is interrupted by backstage noises she saves the day by breaking into song, doing the splits, a cartwheel, and the Cossack dance in quick succession. Not bad for a 36-year-old!

Read more here.


The Lone Ranger (2013)

Hated by Americans and loved (well, ok, “liked”) by everyone else (well, ok, “by lots, but by no means all, of people who reside outside America”), Disney’s attempt to pull a Pirates of the Caribbean on Western adventure IP The Lone Ranger is by no means as successful as the first instalment in their piratical franchise, but is at least the equal of its sequels — and, in some cases, their better.

Read more here.


Also, my 100 Favourites series continued with 2 more posts...


Apollo 13 (1995)

NASA Director: “This could be the worst disaster NASA’s ever faced.”
Gene Kranz: “With all due respect, sir, I believe this is gonna be our finest hour.”

Read more here.


Back to the Future (1985)

To some, the DeLorean is a failed automobile. To a generation (and, probably, every generation since) it’s one of the most iconic movie cars of all time. “Are you telling me that you built a time machine… out of a DeLorean?” “The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” Genius.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The Voice UK
5x03 The Blind Auditions 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Return to the 36th Chamber (1980)
[#13 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Collection Count

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

After a couple of quiet weeks, a few additions this time... and many, many more to come next week! Then a regular drip throughout February, too. Exciting times.

Number of titles in collection: 1,829 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,212 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 617 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 4,672 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 1,999 [up 6]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,064 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

Plus this week it's time for a running time update, so...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
340 days, 22 hours, and 19 minutes.
(Up 10 hours and 12 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Insert Name Here
1x03 Kate
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

King Boxer (1972)
[#12 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]
aka Five Fingers of Death

White God (2014)
[#11 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
3x04 The Oolong Slayer
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Films

Hercules (Extended Cut) (2014)
[#10 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

The Graham Norton Show
18x14 (15/1/16 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Five Venoms (1978)
[#9 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

aka Five Deadly Venoms

TV

Dickensian
1x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
[#8 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Super 8 (2011)
[#7 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

Firstly on 100 Films in a Year this week, a tribute to Alan Rickman:




Elsewise, 3 brand-new reviews were published:


The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

Widely regard as one of (if not the) greatest kung fu movies ever made... The chambers take the form of challenges, which San Te must overcome by either puzzling them out or developing some kind of physical or mental acuity. Their content is varied and innovative, which makes them engrossing to watch even as they make the film episodic

Read more here.


Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996)

It’ll come as no surprise that the biggest and best [bit] is Williams reprising his iconic performance, and consequently being responsible for most of the film’s humour. There are a couple of fun nods to some of Williams’ other best-remembered roles, and plenty to other Disney films too. The rest of the film offers a fast-paced, action-packed narrative, with a few musical numbers to boot.

Read more here.


What Dreams May Come (1998)

Director Vincent Ward and his team have created a rich, engrossing visual space here. It’s not just the Oscar-winning visual effects either, which create Chris’ initial realisation of Heaven as a kind of living painting, but also the locations, their decorations, and some fantastic sets. The design work is brilliant

Read more here.


Finally, as will hopefully be the case every week for the rest of 2016, my 100 Favourites series continued with 2 more posts:


Alien (1979)

Being a great of one genre is an achievement, but to be great in two at the same time (horror and sci-fi, of course) is something else.

Read more here.


Apocalypse Now Redux (1979/2001)

Adding some 49 minutes of footage to the praised theatrical version, Redux divides viewers and critics on whether the extensions make a classic even better or just dilute it. If there’s a consensus, it’s that in either version this is a great movie.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
3x03 Boyle's Hunch
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

The Voice UK
5x02 The Blind Auditions 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

Nowt this week. Lots on order, though, so soon...

Number of titles in collection: 1,826 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,212 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 614 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,667 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,993 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,064 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Derren Brown: Pushed to the Edge
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Ripper Street
4x01 The Strangers' Home
2 hours 11 minutes long and in 2.35:1? Why, it's Ripper Street: The Movie! It isn't, obviously, but it certainly feels different at that length and ratio. And, of course, it's really good.
[Watch it exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video.]

Would I Lie To You?
9x09 Episode 8
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
3x01 New Captain
3x02 The Funeral
[Watch New Captain and The Funeral (again) on All 4.]

Death in Paradise
5x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Dickensian
1x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Stephen Fry: A Life on Screen
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
[#6 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

aka Master Killer... not that anyone ever actually calls it that, it seems.

TV

The Big Fat Quiz of Everything
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Insert Name Here
1x02 William
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Lady of Burlesque (1943)
[#5 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Dickensian
1x01 Episode 1
This seems to have provoked a mixed response, but I thought it got off to a promising start.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
4x06 The Cost of Doing Business

Insert Name Here
1x01 Frank
No, that's not me forgetting to name the programme -- if you've not heard of it, that's what it's called.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 10 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
4x05 The Games Underfoot

Films

Funny Games (1997)
[#4 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

No reviews but lots of special posts this week on 100 Films in a Year.


First: I finished my look-back at 2015 with my bottom 5 and top 20 (yes, 20) films I watched last year:




Then: I announced a new series for 2016, detailing my 100 favourite movies:



(More on that in a moment.)


Penultimately: I kicked off a new year of my "What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen" series with my 12 choices:




Finally: not a review per se, but I posted the first of my 100 Favourites this morning:


Aladdin (1992)

Hailing from slap-bang in the middle of the Disney Renaissance, Aladdin may not be quite as strong as the films either side of it (Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King), but it’s the next best thing.

Read more here.


More favourites -- and, hopefully, some good old fashioned reviews -- next Sunday.

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 9 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Voice UK
5x01 The Blind Auditions 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

12 Years a Slave (2013)
[#3 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2016 #2

Collection Count

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

A two-disc release for a single TV episode? Well, it is the Sherlock special.

Number of titles in collection: 1,826 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,212 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 614 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 4,667 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,993 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,064 [up 1]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Arrow
4x09 Dark Waters

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 8 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
50x10 (11/12/2015 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Snatch. (2000)
[#2 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2016 #1

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 7 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 6 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 5 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

A new year means it's also a new month, so it was time to look back at December over at 100 Films in a Year this week:




Also, it's time to look back on the entire year. So, first up, my full list -- and the exciting statistics!




The final year-end post, featuring my top ten and bottom five, is imminent. Other than that, there was just 1 brand-new review published...


Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (2016)

the latest episode of the BBC’s modern-day Sherlock Holmes series is actually a standalone adventure set in the character’s original Victorian time period... if you’re someone who’s a Sherlock Holmes fan but not keen on Sherlock and are wondering if the changed temporal setting means this special might be of interest to you, then I think it’s fair to say it won’t.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Bruce's Hall of Fame with Alexander Armstrong
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 4 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
4x04 All My Exes Live in Essex

The Flash
2x09 Running to Stand Still

Collection Count

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

Nothing to add in the short time between Christmas and the New Year. Ho hum.

Number of titles in collection: 1,825 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,212 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 613 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,665 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,993 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,063 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 3 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Sherlock
4x00 The Abominable Bride [special]
I may count this as 100 Films 2016 #1, owing to its simultaneous cinema release. I'm undecided at the moment, though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]