Films

Les diaboliques (1955)
[#122 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]
Blindspot 2019 #8

Films

Rififi (1955)
[#121 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]
Blindspot 2019 #7

TV

Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes
1x03 Under Fire [series finale]

Edinburgh Nights
2019 Episode 2 (of 3)
2019 Episode 3 (of 3)
[Watch episodes two and three (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes
1x01 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker
1x02 A Stripe for Frazer

Live at the Apollo
Pride Part 2 (of 2)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
[#120 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

TV

Peaky Blinders
4x06 The Company [season finale]
[Watch seasons 1-4 (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]

Films

Viceroy's House (2017)
[#119 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

this week on 100 Films

My TV column at 100 Films in a Year used to be pretty consistent, but I've kind of given up on that and just post it whenever now -- and, this month, that "whenever" was today...





Also this week, 5 new film reviews...


Aquaman (2018)

the plotting is mostly sub-Game of Thrones fantasy gobbledegook, attached to an Indiana Jones-inspired quest plot that sends this sea-based superhero to the Saharan desert. That’s just one reason the film stretches out to a mind-boggling 143 minutes (aka almost two-and-a-half hours). It does feel like several movies stitched together; like someone couldn’t quite decide whether they wanted to do “medieval fantasy but under the sea” or “a globetrotting Indiana Jones adventure”, so just did both at the same time.

Read more here.


Rampage (2018)

I don’t really care about all the video game-y stuff. I’m here because it’s a The Rock movie, and I tend to find his stuff pretty entertaining nowadays (as do many others — I bet he’s a bigger part of that $428 million than “based on a video game” is), and it’s about an ape, a wolf, and a crocodile who get mutated into giants and set about destroying Chicago. I mean, who doesn’t want to see that? (Yes, I know: well-adjusted adults who actually grew up.)

Read more here.


Free Love Freeway: A Final Roundup from Quentin Tarantino’s Sixties Movie Marathon

Featuring:
- Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
- Cactus Flower
- Easy Rider

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Edinburgh Nights
2019 Episode 1 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Historical Roasts
1x03 Anne Frank
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Peaky Blinders
4x05 The Duel
[Watch seasons 1-4 (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]

Pointless Celebrities
11x22 Special 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Susan Calman's Fringe Benefits
1x03 Episode 3 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

No new additions this week. I thought the UHD of Apocalypse Now: Final Cut might've turned up early, but they went and pushed the UK release date back a couple of weeks. Still, it's time for the monthly running time update, which at least has the last few weeks' purchases to tot up.

Number of titles in collection: 2,247 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,131 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,116 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 32 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 5,843 [no change]
Number of films: 2,584 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,637 [no change]
Number of short films: 671 [no change]

Total running time of collection (approx.):
427 days, 21 hours, and 28 minutes.
(Up 21 hours and 18 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Susan Calman's Fringe Benefits
1x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Peaky Blinders
4x04 Dangerous
[Watch seasons 1-4 (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]

University Challenge
2019/20 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Peaky Blinders
4x03 Blackbird
[Watch seasons 1-4 (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]

Susan Calman's Fringe Benefits
1x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Peaky Blinders
4x02 Heathens
[Watch seasons 1-4 (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]

Years and Years
Part 6 (of 6)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Peaky Blinders
4x01 The Noose
[Watch seasons 1-4 (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]

Years and Years
Part 5 (of 6)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Years and Years
Part 4 (of 6)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Zatoichi at Large (1972)
[#118 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

this week on 100 Films

A series of roundups brought 10 new reviews to 100 Films in a Year this week...


2-Star Review Roundup

Featuring:
- Phantasm
- National Lampoon's Vacation
- Step Brothers

Read more here.


Quentin Tarantino's Swinging Sixties Movie Marathon Review Roundup

Featuring:
- Model Shop
- Getting Straight

Read more here.


Quentin Tarantino's Swinging Sixties Movie Marathon Roundup: Spy-Fi

Featuring:
- Hammerhead
- The Wrecking Crew
- Battle of the Coral Sea

Read more here.


Quentin Tarantino's Swinging Sixties Movie Marathon Roundup: Westerns

Featuring:
- Arizona Raiders
- Gunman's Walk

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Mrs Brown's Boys
1x02 Mammy's Secret
1x03 Mammy's Merchandise

Collection Count

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

There was going to be one small addition this week, but then Indicator's Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg box set turned up (along with another title I'd ordered at the same time), almost two weeks before its release date (it's not due 'til the 26th). That's the advantage of pre-ordering direct from the label!

Number of titles in collection: 2,247 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,131 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,116 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 32 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 5,843 [up 9]
Number of films: 2,584 [up 8]
Number of TV episodes: 8,637 [no change]
Number of short films: 671 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Battle of the Coral Sea (1959)
[#116 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)
[#117 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

The last two films in Tarantino's Sixties film season. For some reason Battle of the Coral Sea wasn't shown as part of Sony Movie Channel's initial airing last week, but when movies4men repeated the series this week it was included. (It's a solid war movie, but no huge loss to those who missed it.)

TV

Years and Years
Part 2 (of 6)
Part 3 (of 6)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Wrecking Crew (1968)
[#115 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

The 8th film I've watched from Tarantino's Sixties marathon, and one of the worst, sadly.

Films

Cactus Flower (1969)
[#113 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

Easy Rider (1969)
[#114 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

Two more instalments in Tarantino's Sixties marathon. Cactus Flower is definitely one of the better ones so far.

TV

Agatha Raisin
2x03 The Curious Curate [season finale]

Years and Years
Part 1 (of 6)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Hammerhead (1968)
[#112 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

Back into Tarantino's Sixties marathon with this mediocre Bond knockoff.

TV

Lucifer
3x03 Mr. and Mrs. Mazikeen Smith
[Watch season 3 (again) on Prime Video.]

Films

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
[#111 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

TV

Grantchester
4x06 Episode 6 [season finale]

Lucifer
3x01 They're Back, Aren't They?
3x02 The One with the Baby Carrot
[Watch season 3 (again) on Prime Video.]

Who Dares Wins
11x09 (14/7/18 edition)

Films

Road to Zanzibar (1941)
[#110 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

this week on 100 Films

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


Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman (1971)

The tragedy extends as far as the ending, which is both frustrating and poignant. “If we’d understood each other’s words, we wouldn’t have had to fight,” says each of the men… except, er, they did have a way to understand each other, thanks to the bilingual boy. Have a sword fight first, ask questions later, I guess. But anyway, it’s frustrating because they didn’t need to fight (they were both good guys!), but it’s poignant because their basic natures, compounded by misunderstandings, meant they did fight — and because they fought, one of them had to die. It’s a damn good fight, mind

Read more here.


Live by Night (2016)

Affleck is a decent director, and, actually, a quite like him as an actor too… in the right kind of roles. I’m not sure he’s got the range necessary for this part, however. His character is a conflicted, contradictory man — he genuinely has a good heart, but he’s often prepared to put it aside to do bad things; but, at other times, that moral compass gets the better of him. It’s a tricky line to tread and make believable, and Affleck’s performance is too monotone to convincingly portray it.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Unforgotten
3x01 Episode 1
3x02 Episode 2
3x03 Episode 3
3x04 Episode 4
3x05 Episode 5
3x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
Didn't realise it'd been a whole year since this was on! Time flies. Still a great show.

Collection Count

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

Three new additions, thanks to a sale. I really am trying to cut back, honest.

Number of titles in collection: 2,244 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,131 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,113 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 32 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 5,834 [up 5]
Number of films: 2,576 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes: 8,637 [no change]
Number of short films: 671 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Grantchester
4x05 Episode 5

Films

Gunman's Walk (1958)
[#109 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

Fourth film in the UK broadcast of Tarantino's Sixties marathon, and my favourite so far. (I'm going away for a few days, so this will likely be the last of these I watch 'til next week.)

TV

Agatha Raisin
2x02 The Fairies of Fryfam

Films

Arizona Raiders (1965)
[#108 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

Third film in the UK broadcast of Tarantino's Sixties marathon.

TV

Agatha Raisin
2x01 The Wizard of Evesham

Films

Getting Straight (1970)
[#107 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

Second film in that Tarantino marathon. (It's actually the 6th, as per the introduction, but we're getting them in a jumbled order in the UK for some reason... possibly to hide the fact they're only screening nine of his ten picks, possibly just because someone wasn't paying attention and scheduled them willy-nilly.)

Films

Model Shop (1969)
[#106 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

Introduced by Quentin Tarantino, in conversation with film expert Kim Morgan, as part of a series of films (dubbed the "Swinging Sixties Movie Marathon") that have been selected by QT because they have some bearing on his latest movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which is out in the UK next week. There's another instalment on the Sony Movie Channel every night this week, with two on Saturday and Sunday. (This is a package they've sold worldwide, which contains ten films, but we're only getting nine in the UK, I presume for rights reasons.)

TV

Beecham House
1x05 Episode 5
1x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
[Watch episodes five and six (again) on the ITV Hub.]

University Challenge
2019/20 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Favourite (2018)
[#105 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

this week on 100 Films

A new month began on Thursday, so it was once again time for 100 Films in a Year to look back at the month that was...





And it was also the time of the month when I turn my attention to the small screen...





And there was 1 new film review, too...


FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)

it's pretty heavy on the environmental messaging. I seem to remember that was all viewed as being kinda-loony eco stuff back when the film came out. Now, of course, acceptance of those views is much wider, and what the film has to say seems a little obvious. Though we’re still destroying the planet, so I guess we’ve not learned that much in the three decades since.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Films

Dumbo (2019)
[#104 in 100 Films in a Year 2019]

Collection Count

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

This week’s additions are a new release in 3D and a DVD-to-UHD upgrade. The latter is Black Hawk Down, which apparently didn’t even look that great on Blu-ray, while the 4K release is stunning, so leaping from DVD to 4K should provide a very nice improvement indeed. (Not that I’ve watched the DVD since about 2002...)

Number of titles in collection: 2,241 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,131 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,110 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 32 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 5,829 [up 3]
Number of films: 2,573 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 8,637 [no change]
Number of short films: 671 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Agatha Raisin
1x08 Murderous Marriage [season finale; 2nd watch]

TV

Agatha Raisin
1x06 The Day the Floods Came [2nd watch]
1x07 Witch of Wyckhadden [2nd watch]

Beecham House
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]