Sunday 13 November 2016

TV

Class
1x05 Brave-ish Heart
Including a short educational interlude about Sikhism, apparently.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Junior Bake Off
4x01 Heat One
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Red Dwarf
11x01 Twentica

Films

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
[#176 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...


Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)
Holy nostalgia hit, Batman! This animated movie reunites the surviving stars of the enduringly popular ’60s Batman TV series (and spin-off movie) for a new adventure in the style of their classic ones — that is to say it’s funny and colourful, a world away from the Dark Knight version of Batman we’re so accustomed to these days.
Read more here.


Fantastic Four (2015)
What could have been a comfortable 3-star movie, maybe even 4 if it followed through well enough, is dragged down to 2 by studio meddling. Will they never learn? Nonetheless, I actually enjoyed enough of Fantastic Four that, while it won’t be going on the long-list of contenders for the best movies I’ve seen this year, I won’t be putting it on the list for the worst either.
Read more here.


Moneyball (2011)
it’s like turning on a real game of any sport you know nothing about: you can discern some stuff, but the coverage is not being produced for you. At one point it cuts to a match and a caption informs us it’s the “bottom of the 9th”. I’m sure that means something to baseball fans, but I can tell you the rest of us haven’t got the foggiest. Is the “bottom” at the beginning or the end? The 9th what? And is it the 9th of 9 or the 9th of 10? Or is it the fact it’s the 9th that’s significant here? For Moneyball as a movie in its own right, rather than some niche special interest thing, this attitude is a drawback.
Read more here.


The Survivalist (2015)
’70s self-sufficiency sitcom The Good Life meets bleak post-apocalypse drama The Road in this technically-science-fiction dramatic thriller, the BAFTA-nominated debut of writer-director Stephen Fingleton.
Read more here.


The Visit (2015)
Although Shyamalan has always moved in supernatural circles in his movies, he’s not really directed a proper Horror movie before now. Nonetheless, it’s not surprising that his skill set lends itself to the genre. Although the found-footage format is a little forced at times (isn’t it always?), it’s also used effectively to create some nailbiting sequences, putting you alongside the kids as they fear just what the hell is going in. And some of it is pretty darn freaky.
Read more here.


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


Star Wars (1977)
Lucas almost instantly conjures up a universe that feels wholly-imagined and genuinely lived-in... Throw in an array of likeable and entertaining characters, plus groundbreaking special effects, and you’re on to a winner. The plot may just be a classical hero narrative, but it’s in space and has laser swords — that counts for a lot.
Read more here.


Team America: World Police (2004)
“Matt Damon.”
Read more here.


More next Sunday.