The Twilight Zone
5x27 Sounds and Silences
As I continue to watch some of the worst of The Twilight Zone, I come to this, which is regarded as the worst out of all 156 episodes.
Tuesday, 31 March 2020
Films
The Breakfast Club (1985)
[#56 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
As part of this year's Blindspot list, I included 8 films that I'd failed to watch in previous years of the challenge and so hoped to tick off this year. This is the first of those I've watched, originally from 2019's list.
+ the This American Life radio episode included in Criterion’s special features, where Molly Ringwald talks about watching the film with her ten-year-old daughter for the first time. It’s a fascinating interview for a variety of reasons.
So Dark the Night (1946)
[#57 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
+ the featurette and trailer on Arrow's Blu-ray
[#56 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
As part of this year's Blindspot list, I included 8 films that I'd failed to watch in previous years of the challenge and so hoped to tick off this year. This is the first of those I've watched, originally from 2019's list.
+ the This American Life radio episode included in Criterion’s special features, where Molly Ringwald talks about watching the film with her ten-year-old daughter for the first time. It’s a fascinating interview for a variety of reasons.
So Dark the Night (1946)
[#57 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
+ the featurette and trailer on Arrow's Blu-ray
Monday, 30 March 2020
Films
Knives Out (2019)
[#55 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
One Cut of the Dead (2017)
[#54 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
[#55 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
One Cut of the Dead (2017)
[#54 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Sunday, 29 March 2020
TV
Doctor Who
4x29 The Macra Terror Episode 3
The Twilight Zone
3x36 Cavender Is Coming
4x12 I Dream of Genie
The second episode inspired an ingenieous double-bill *badum-tish*
4x29 The Macra Terror Episode 3
The Twilight Zone
3x36 Cavender Is Coming
4x12 I Dream of Genie
The second episode inspired an ingenieous double-bill *badum-tish*
this week on 100 Films
2 new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
Mission: Impossible - Fallout in 3D (2018)
Rocketman (2019)
More next Sunday.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout in 3D (2018)
the 3D is superb. It may be a post-conversion, but it’s really well done, in particular during the action sequences — which, in fairness, is most of the movie. The skydive; the Paris bike chase; the helicopter stuff; perhaps most of all the clifftop fight — they all gain something from the third dimension.Read more here.
Rocketman (2019)
this isn’t just “a film about music”, but a proper musical. It isn’t just a simplistic jukebox musical either, nor a standard musician biopic where the character performs some of their hits. Well, it is both of those... But it’s also more than that in the way it’s executed. Other characters break into song from time to time too, and there are clever reimaginings of several recognisable tracks. This is a restlessly imaginative movie.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 28 March 2020
Films
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
[#51 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The Viking Queen (1967)
[#52 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Both of these films were featured in the episode of Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema that I watched today. The first one I coincidentally watched before the episode; the second one I chose to watch after he included it. (I didn't even realise I had it in my DVD collection until I Googled where I might be able to watch it.)
[#51 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The Viking Queen (1967)
[#52 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Both of these films were featured in the episode of Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema that I watched today. The first one I coincidentally watched before the episode; the second one I chose to watch after he included it. (I didn't even realise I had it in my DVD collection until I Googled where I might be able to watch it.)
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
After reaching weekly numbers unseen for almost a decade earlier this month, I'm at it again. I've equalled that week's total of 13 new additions, but only one of them is an upgrade, so this week's net change of +12 is bigger than that week's +11. That makes it the second biggest week in the history of this column for increasing my collection (the winner is still a week from July 2011 that saw a whopping 14 additions).
This week's additions include a large pile from Indicator, a combination of splurging in their recent sale and a couple of preorders. That's topped up by two imports from Germany to get things unavailable here (Darren Aronofsky's Noah in 3D and Steven Soderbergh's Solaris); a preorder turning up 10 days early (hurrah for ordering direct from the label); and a couple of other random purchases to boot.
Number of titles in collection: 2,335 [up 12]
Of which DVDs: 1,109 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,226 [up 13]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 46 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 6,061 [up 22]
Number of films: 2,736 [up 22]
Number of TV episodes: 8,807 [no change]
Number of short films: 700 [up 9]
Oh, and it's also time for the monthly running time update! With two of my largest weeks of all time within the last month, plus a couple more big-by-normal-standards ones, let's see what effect that's had...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
443 days, 9 hours, and 57 minutes.
(Up 4 days, 2 hours, and 48 minutes from last month.)
Those 4-and-a-bit days are equivalent to 21% of the running time increase across the whole of last year, which is a lot really (if all was equal, each of these running time updates would represent 7.7% of the year). That said, it's less than a year since I had one even bigger, so in the grand scheme of things it's not that phenomenal. But I suspect most of those previous ones were boosted by a big TV box set or two, so, you know, swings and roundabouts.
Of course, all these huge increases have cost a small fortune (I added 39 new titles this month!), so hopefully things will be considerably calmer in April. But you never know...
See you next week, faithful reader.
After reaching weekly numbers unseen for almost a decade earlier this month, I'm at it again. I've equalled that week's total of 13 new additions, but only one of them is an upgrade, so this week's net change of +12 is bigger than that week's +11. That makes it the second biggest week in the history of this column for increasing my collection (the winner is still a week from July 2011 that saw a whopping 14 additions).
This week's additions include a large pile from Indicator, a combination of splurging in their recent sale and a couple of preorders. That's topped up by two imports from Germany to get things unavailable here (Darren Aronofsky's Noah in 3D and Steven Soderbergh's Solaris); a preorder turning up 10 days early (hurrah for ordering direct from the label); and a couple of other random purchases to boot.
Number of titles in collection: 2,335 [up 12]
Of which DVDs: 1,109 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,226 [up 13]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 46 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 6,061 [up 22]
Number of films: 2,736 [up 22]
Number of TV episodes: 8,807 [no change]
Number of short films: 700 [up 9]
Oh, and it's also time for the monthly running time update! With two of my largest weeks of all time within the last month, plus a couple more big-by-normal-standards ones, let's see what effect that's had...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
443 days, 9 hours, and 57 minutes.
(Up 4 days, 2 hours, and 48 minutes from last month.)
Those 4-and-a-bit days are equivalent to 21% of the running time increase across the whole of last year, which is a lot really (if all was equal, each of these running time updates would represent 7.7% of the year). That said, it's less than a year since I had one even bigger, so in the grand scheme of things it's not that phenomenal. But I suspect most of those previous ones were boosted by a big TV box set or two, so, you know, swings and roundabouts.
Of course, all these huge increases have cost a small fortune (I added 39 new titles this month!), so hopefully things will be considerably calmer in April. But you never know...
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 27 March 2020
Films
The Mad Magician 3D (1954)
[#50 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Pardon My Backfire 3D (1953)
[#50b in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The second and final Three Stooges short made in 3D, and included on Indicator's Blu-ray release of The Mad Magician. It's not very good, but at least it's better than...
Spooks! 3D (1953)
[#50a in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The first Three Stooges short made in 3D, also included on Indicator's Blu-ray release of The Mad Magician. It's rubbish.
[#50 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Pardon My Backfire 3D (1953)
[#50b in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The second and final Three Stooges short made in 3D, and included on Indicator's Blu-ray release of The Mad Magician. It's not very good, but at least it's better than...
Spooks! 3D (1953)
[#50a in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The first Three Stooges short made in 3D, also included on Indicator's Blu-ray release of The Mad Magician. It's rubbish.
Thursday, 26 March 2020
TV
Doctor Who
27x01 Rose [4th or so watch]
Watched as part of the big watchalong on Twitter, #TripOfALifetime. It's the first time I've seen it in about 13 or 14 years, and I enjoyed it. See also: the prequel and sequel stories released around this event.
[Watch Rose (again) on iPlayer.]
27x01 Rose [4th or so watch]
Watched as part of the big watchalong on Twitter, #TripOfALifetime. It's the first time I've seen it in about 13 or 14 years, and I enjoyed it. See also: the prequel and sequel stories released around this event.
[Watch Rose (again) on iPlayer.]
Films
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
[#48 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Blindspot 2020 #3
Spider-Man: Far from Home 3D (2019)
[#49 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
+ a couple of extras on the Blu-ray, including the deleted scenes (good decisions), and what they've billed as a short film -- Peter's To-Do List -- but is really just an extended deleted sequence. But as they've called it a short film, I'll review it as #49a on 100 Films.
[#48 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Blindspot 2020 #3
Spider-Man: Far from Home 3D (2019)
[#49 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
+ a couple of extras on the Blu-ray, including the deleted scenes (good decisions), and what they've billed as a short film -- Peter's To-Do List -- but is really just an extended deleted sequence. But as they've called it a short film, I'll review it as #49a on 100 Films.
Fiction
Things She Thought While Falling by Chris Chibnall
A short prose prequel to The Woman Who Fell to Earth, just released to give people something to read during all this quarantining that's going on. I'd heard on Twitter that it was quite good, some of the best writing in this current era of Doctor Who, but... well, it has its moments, but it definitely peters out by the end -- the last two paragraphs are even rather poor, I think. But hey-ho, it's free and it'll only take up a couple of minutes of your time. But please don't let Chibnall ever write a whole Who novel -- it doesn't seem like he could sustain a reasonable quality of prose for that long.
On the other hand...
Doctor Who and the Time War by Russell T Davies
This leftover from the 50th anniversary -- rendered now as a never-was alternate bit of Who continuity -- is really, really good.
And finally...
Doctor Who: Revenge of the Nestene by Russell T Davies
A 10-minute audiobook sequel to Rose, performed by Jacob Dudman.
A short prose prequel to The Woman Who Fell to Earth, just released to give people something to read during all this quarantining that's going on. I'd heard on Twitter that it was quite good, some of the best writing in this current era of Doctor Who, but... well, it has its moments, but it definitely peters out by the end -- the last two paragraphs are even rather poor, I think. But hey-ho, it's free and it'll only take up a couple of minutes of your time. But please don't let Chibnall ever write a whole Who novel -- it doesn't seem like he could sustain a reasonable quality of prose for that long.
On the other hand...
Doctor Who and the Time War by Russell T Davies
This leftover from the 50th anniversary -- rendered now as a never-was alternate bit of Who continuity -- is really, really good.
And finally...
Doctor Who: Revenge of the Nestene by Russell T Davies
A 10-minute audiobook sequel to Rose, performed by Jacob Dudman.
Wednesday, 25 March 2020
Films
Mission: Impossible - Fallout 3D (2018)
[3rd watch]
Rewatchathon 2020 #14. Following a regular cinema viewing and an IMAX viewing, now in a different format again: 3D. More thoughts on this version here.
[3rd watch]
Rewatchathon 2020 #14. Following a regular cinema viewing and an IMAX viewing, now in a different format again: 3D. More thoughts on this version here.
Tuesday, 24 March 2020
Films
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D (2009)
[#46 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The Platform (2019)
[#47 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
[#46 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The Platform (2019)
[#47 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Monday, 23 March 2020
Sunday, 22 March 2020
Films
Quartet (2012)
[#44 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2020 #13
[#44 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2020 #13
this week on 100 Films
A new way of catching up on unreviewed films at 100 Films in a Year this week...
The 100-Week Roundup
More next Sunday.
The 100-Week Roundup
The 100-Week Roundup will cover films I still haven’t reviewed 100 weeks after watching them. Most of the time that’ll be in the form of quick thoughts, perhaps even copy-and-pasting the notes I made while viewing, rather than ‘proper’ reviews. Today’s are... Das Boot: The Director's Cut and IdentityRead more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 21 March 2020
TV
The Rookie
1x12 Heartbreak
Would I Lie To You?
12x06 Episode 6 [3rd watch]
Watched this again because it was an easy go-to on iPlayer. Had forgotten it was that episode. The final round is a classic.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
1x12 Heartbreak
Would I Lie To You?
12x06 Episode 6 [3rd watch]
Watched this again because it was an easy go-to on iPlayer. Had forgotten it was that episode. The final round is a classic.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Films
Late Night (2019)
[#43 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Red Joan (2018)
[#42 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
[#43 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Red Joan (2018)
[#42 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
This week's additions include the complete X Files on Blu-ray... except for the first movie, which I bought just a week or two ago. I already had seasons 1-9 and both movies on DVD, so in terms of additions it's only seasons 10 and 11 that are new. But those upgrades are on fewer discs on Blu, meaning that even with two extra seasons it adds 0 to the disc count. The switch from sped-up PAL to original speed on the Blu-rays will mean it still adds significantly to next week's running time update, though.
Numbers are still up healthily this week -- not as much in other recent weeks, but a decent amount nonetheless. And, because I can't stop myself, I've got a tonne more stuff in the post that will land me with another properly big increase next week (unless all deliveries get stopped before they can arrive or something).
Number of titles in collection: 2,323 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,110 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,213 [up 7]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 45 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,039 [up 5]
Number of films: 2,714 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes: 8,807 [up 15]
Number of short films: 691 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader.
This week's additions include the complete X Files on Blu-ray... except for the first movie, which I bought just a week or two ago. I already had seasons 1-9 and both movies on DVD, so in terms of additions it's only seasons 10 and 11 that are new. But those upgrades are on fewer discs on Blu, meaning that even with two extra seasons it adds 0 to the disc count. The switch from sped-up PAL to original speed on the Blu-rays will mean it still adds significantly to next week's running time update, though.
Numbers are still up healthily this week -- not as much in other recent weeks, but a decent amount nonetheless. And, because I can't stop myself, I've got a tonne more stuff in the post that will land me with another properly big increase next week (unless all deliveries get stopped before they can arrive or something).
Number of titles in collection: 2,323 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,110 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,213 [up 7]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 45 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,039 [up 5]
Number of films: 2,714 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes: 8,807 [up 15]
Number of short films: 691 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 20 March 2020
TV
Grantchester
5x01 Episode 1
The Rookie
1x10 Flesh and Blood
1x11 Redwood
Would I Lie To You?
13x12 More Unseen Bits [season finale; 2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
5x01 Episode 1
The Rookie
1x10 Flesh and Blood
1x11 Redwood
Would I Lie To You?
13x12 More Unseen Bits [season finale; 2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Thursday, 19 March 2020
TV
Celebrity Mastermind
2019/2020 Episode 8 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
1x08 Time of Death
1x09 Standoff
A two-parter. The first half is a measured depiction of what actually happens when a cop shoots someone; the second half is an overblown remix of The Raid. Shame.
2019/2020 Episode 8 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
1x08 Time of Death
1x09 Standoff
A two-parter. The first half is a measured depiction of what actually happens when a cop shoots someone; the second half is an overblown remix of The Raid. Shame.
Wednesday, 18 March 2020
TV
Celebrity Mastermind
2019/2020 Episode 7 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Lucifer
3x26 Once Upon a Time [bonus episode]
And that's the end of Lucifer on Amazon. Next: the Netflix years.
[Watch season 3 (again) on Prime Video.]
McDonald & Dodds
1x02 A Wilderness of Mirrors [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]
The Rookie
1x07 The Ride Along
2019/2020 Episode 7 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Lucifer
3x26 Once Upon a Time [bonus episode]
And that's the end of Lucifer on Amazon. Next: the Netflix years.
[Watch season 3 (again) on Prime Video.]
McDonald & Dodds
1x02 A Wilderness of Mirrors [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]
The Rookie
1x07 The Ride Along
Tuesday, 17 March 2020
Films
Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
[#40 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Hustlers (2019)
[#39 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
[#40 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Hustlers (2019)
[#39 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Monday, 16 March 2020
Sunday, 15 March 2020
Films
Godzilla: King of the Monsters 3D (2019)
[#38 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The Invisible Guest (2016)
[#37 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
I hadn't even heard of this before it appeared on the IMDb Top 250, seemingly at random. But I'm glad it did, because... no spoilers! But if you like twisty thrillers, trust me: read nothing, just go watch this (it's on Netflix, in the UK at least).
[#38 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The Invisible Guest (2016)
[#37 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
I hadn't even heard of this before it appeared on the IMDb Top 250, seemingly at random. But I'm glad it did, because... no spoilers! But if you like twisty thrillers, trust me: read nothing, just go watch this (it's on Netflix, in the UK at least).
this week on 100 Films
1 new review on 100 Films in a Year this week...
The Lion King (2019)
More next Sunday.
The Lion King (2019)
it’s like a cover song from a TV talent show: a reasonable approximation of the original, although clearly not as good, with unnecessarily added riffs and tricks as the cover artist struggles in vain to “make it their own” while not fundamentally deviating from what made the original so beloved.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 14 March 2020
TV
Doctor Who
4x24 The Moonbase Episode 2 [2nd watch]
As noted yesterday, I've seen the two surviving episodes of this serial before.
Star Trek: Picard
1x04 Absolute Candor
1x05 Stardust City Rag
[Watch Absolute Candor and Stardust City Rag (again) on Prime Video.]
4x24 The Moonbase Episode 2 [2nd watch]
As noted yesterday, I've seen the two surviving episodes of this serial before.
Star Trek: Picard
1x04 Absolute Candor
1x05 Stardust City Rag
[Watch Absolute Candor and Stardust City Rag (again) on Prime Video.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
As promised last week, another pile of additions. No records being challenged this time, but it's still bigger than the norm... although, as I've been a bit purchase-mad of late, maybe this is the current norm. Well, it can't last forever... but it will last until next week, at least, when I've got another pile of sales acquisitions turning up. I must develop some restraint.
Number of titles in collection: 2,318 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 1,112 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,206 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 45 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,034 [up 12]
Number of films: 2,711 [up 5]
Number of TV episodes: 8,792 [up 8]
Number of short films: 690 [up 1]
One of this week's additions is the new animation of Doctor Who serial The Faceless Ones, and it presents a 'challenge' in terms of counting: how many episodes are on it? It's a 6-part serial, but it contains the whole animated serial in colour, and in black & white, and also the two surviving live-action episodes. You might say "it's a 6-parter, so it's 6", but those are all viable viewing options to me, so does that mean it's 14 episodes? Or split the difference and say 8 -- 6 animations (in colour or black & white) plus 2 live-action? I think that's what I'll go with, partly because the last animated release, The Macra Terror, also had both colour and b&w versions and I only counted it as 4. I'm not sure that's the right way to go about it (it seems to hedge it, rather), but it'll have to do.
See you next week, faithful reader.
As promised last week, another pile of additions. No records being challenged this time, but it's still bigger than the norm... although, as I've been a bit purchase-mad of late, maybe this is the current norm. Well, it can't last forever... but it will last until next week, at least, when I've got another pile of sales acquisitions turning up. I must develop some restraint.
Number of titles in collection: 2,318 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 1,112 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,206 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 45 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,034 [up 12]
Number of films: 2,711 [up 5]
Number of TV episodes: 8,792 [up 8]
Number of short films: 690 [up 1]
One of this week's additions is the new animation of Doctor Who serial The Faceless Ones, and it presents a 'challenge' in terms of counting: how many episodes are on it? It's a 6-part serial, but it contains the whole animated serial in colour, and in black & white, and also the two surviving live-action episodes. You might say "it's a 6-parter, so it's 6", but those are all viable viewing options to me, so does that mean it's 14 episodes? Or split the difference and say 8 -- 6 animations (in colour or black & white) plus 2 live-action? I think that's what I'll go with, partly because the last animated release, The Macra Terror, also had both colour and b&w versions and I only counted it as 4. I'm not sure that's the right way to go about it (it seems to hedge it, rather), but it'll have to do.
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 13 March 2020
TV
Doctor Who
4x23 The Moonbase Episode 1
Continuing my watch-through of animated missing episodes that I've not yet seen. This serial's only half missing, and I've seen the surviving episodes before (plus audio to fill the gaps, I presume (I forget)). This first part is one of the animated ones.
4x23 The Moonbase Episode 1
Continuing my watch-through of animated missing episodes that I've not yet seen. This serial's only half missing, and I've seen the surviving episodes before (plus audio to fill the gaps, I presume (I forget)). This first part is one of the animated ones.
Films
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
[#36 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The Lion King 3D (2019)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2020 #10
[#36 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The Lion King 3D (2019)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2020 #10
Thursday, 12 March 2020
TV
Doctor Who
4x14 The Power of the Daleks Episode Six
A great serial. How mad it was wiped. The animation isn't perfect, but it's a reasonable stand-in.
Also watched the commentary on episode four by a selection of people involved with the Daleks in nuWho, and the roundup of short clips that survive from the original.
4x14 The Power of the Daleks Episode Six
A great serial. How mad it was wiped. The animation isn't perfect, but it's a reasonable stand-in.
Also watched the commentary on episode four by a selection of people involved with the Daleks in nuWho, and the roundup of short clips that survive from the original.
Films
Showman: The Life of John Nathan-Turner (2019)
[#35 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Some might just consider this a special feature on a Doctor Who Blu-ray, but it's feature-length and received some measure of praise, so I'm counting it. And it really is very good -- if you consider yourself a Whovian, it's a must-see.
[#35 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Some might just consider this a special feature on a Doctor Who Blu-ray, but it's feature-length and received some measure of praise, so I'm counting it. And it really is very good -- if you consider yourself a Whovian, it's a must-see.
Wednesday, 11 March 2020
TV
Doctor Who
4x13 The Power of the Daleks Episode Five
Would I Lie To You?
13x12 More Unseen Bits [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
4x13 The Power of the Daleks Episode Five
Would I Lie To You?
13x12 More Unseen Bits [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Films
Harakiri (1962)
[#34 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The 4th greatest film of all time according to Letterboxd user, and 33rd according to IMDb voters, and yet it's never been on my Blindspot list! It was under consideration this year but, well, there's not room for everything.
[#34 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The 4th greatest film of all time according to Letterboxd user, and 33rd according to IMDb voters, and yet it's never been on my Blindspot list! It was under consideration this year but, well, there's not room for everything.
Tuesday, 10 March 2020
TV
Doctor Who
4x11 The Power of the Daleks Episode Three
4x12 The Power of the Daleks Episode Four
The Twilight Zone
1x26 Execution
3x12 The Jungle
So far I've been watching episodes judged to be the best of The Twilight Zone, but now I'm switching it up and watching some of those considered to be the worst. (I didn't want to have these be the last ones I viewed if I kept going in order of quality, so I decided to 'jump ahead' to them now.)
Would I Lie To You?
13x11 The Unseen Bits
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
4x11 The Power of the Daleks Episode Three
4x12 The Power of the Daleks Episode Four
The Twilight Zone
1x26 Execution
3x12 The Jungle
So far I've been watching episodes judged to be the best of The Twilight Zone, but now I'm switching it up and watching some of those considered to be the worst. (I didn't want to have these be the last ones I viewed if I kept going in order of quality, so I decided to 'jump ahead' to them now.)
Would I Lie To You?
13x11 The Unseen Bits
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Films
The Lego Movie 3D (2014)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2020 #9. It really doesn't feel like over 5 years since I last watched this (where does time go?!) First time in 3D, though, and (as I expected, given how good other LEGO movies looked in 3D), the visuals were superb.
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part 3D (2019)
[#33 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2020 #9. It really doesn't feel like over 5 years since I last watched this (where does time go?!) First time in 3D, though, and (as I expected, given how good other LEGO movies looked in 3D), the visuals were superb.
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part 3D (2019)
[#33 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Monday, 9 March 2020
Articles
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie is an unappreciated masterpiece
by Karen Han (from Polygon)
I liked LXG (as it was marketed at the time) when it came out. The other people I saw it with agreed with the critics, i.e. that it wasn't very good. I think I rewatched it on DVD at some point and came around a bit to that way of thinking. But I still have kinda-fond memories of it, and this piece (and some of the reaction to it on Twitter) suggests I'm not wholly alone. It also prompted me to the order the Blu-ray (it's going cheap nowadays, of course) to reassess.
by Karen Han (from Polygon)
I liked LXG (as it was marketed at the time) when it came out. The other people I saw it with agreed with the critics, i.e. that it wasn't very good. I think I rewatched it on DVD at some point and came around a bit to that way of thinking. But I still have kinda-fond memories of it, and this piece (and some of the reaction to it on Twitter) suggests I'm not wholly alone. It also prompted me to the order the Blu-ray (it's going cheap nowadays, of course) to reassess.
Sunday, 8 March 2020
TV
Doctor Who
4x09 The Power of the Daleks Episode One
4x10 The Power of the Daleks Episode Two
Halfway through the recent series of Doctor Who, I realised it had been several years (five years and four months, to be precise) since I last watched any of the classic show. I decided I needed to fix that as soon as the season finished. Plus, with new animations of The Faceless Ones and Fury from the Deep imminent, I was reminded that I hadn't actually got round to watching the other animations of missing serials they've done in the past few years. So now I'm righting both those wrongs, starting with the oldest of those new animations (which came out at the end of 2016, so that's taken me three-and-a-bit years 'n' all).
Would I Lie To You?
13x10 Episode 9
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
4x09 The Power of the Daleks Episode One
4x10 The Power of the Daleks Episode Two
Halfway through the recent series of Doctor Who, I realised it had been several years (five years and four months, to be precise) since I last watched any of the classic show. I decided I needed to fix that as soon as the season finished. Plus, with new animations of The Faceless Ones and Fury from the Deep imminent, I was reminded that I hadn't actually got round to watching the other animations of missing serials they've done in the past few years. So now I'm righting both those wrongs, starting with the oldest of those new animations (which came out at the end of 2016, so that's taken me three-and-a-bit years 'n' all).
Would I Lie To You?
13x10 Episode 9
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
this week on 100 Films
Just my (slightly later than anticipated) monthly TV column over at 100 Films in a Year this week...
More next Sunday.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 7 March 2020
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
After hitting 6,000 discs last week, this week I've hit the nice round number of 1,200 Blu-rays. Okay, not quite as nice or round as last time, but still. That's thanks to 13 new additions this week (two of them DVD-to-BD upgrades).
That, in case you weren't aware, is a lot of new additions -- the most in one week since July 2011, when I added 8 DVDs and 6 BDs for a total of 14. Of course, the overall net change is 11 additions, but you still have to go back almost as far, to August 2011, to find another week with as big a tally. In the entire history of this count, only one further week has seen a net increase as large as 11 (it was in December 2009), so this is a pretty remarkable week all round.
(None of those is the biggest ever change, though, which was a decrease. When I bought the Bond 50 Blu-ray box set, it replaced my individual DVD copies of all the films, and the overall number of titles dropped by 18.)
Number of titles in collection: 2,312 [up 11]
Of which DVDs: 1,112 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,200 [up 13]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 45 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,021 [up 21]
Number of films: 2,706 [up 13]
Number of TV episodes: 8,784 [up 15]
Number of short films: 689 [up 1]
And I've still got plenty more on order, too! Looks like it's going to be another big running time update in a few weeks' time...
See you next week, faithful reader.
After hitting 6,000 discs last week, this week I've hit the nice round number of 1,200 Blu-rays. Okay, not quite as nice or round as last time, but still. That's thanks to 13 new additions this week (two of them DVD-to-BD upgrades).
That, in case you weren't aware, is a lot of new additions -- the most in one week since July 2011, when I added 8 DVDs and 6 BDs for a total of 14. Of course, the overall net change is 11 additions, but you still have to go back almost as far, to August 2011, to find another week with as big a tally. In the entire history of this count, only one further week has seen a net increase as large as 11 (it was in December 2009), so this is a pretty remarkable week all round.
(None of those is the biggest ever change, though, which was a decrease. When I bought the Bond 50 Blu-ray box set, it replaced my individual DVD copies of all the films, and the overall number of titles dropped by 18.)
Number of titles in collection: 2,312 [up 11]
Of which DVDs: 1,112 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,200 [up 13]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 45 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,021 [up 21]
Number of films: 2,706 [up 13]
Number of TV episodes: 8,784 [up 15]
Number of short films: 689 [up 1]
And I've still got plenty more on order, too! Looks like it's going to be another big running time update in a few weeks' time...
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 6 March 2020
TV
Death in Paradise
9x08 Episode 8 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Good Place
3x11 Chidi Sees the Time-Knife
3x12 Pandemonium [season finale]
[Watch the whole series (again) on Netflix.]
Lucifer
3x24 A Devil of My Word [season finale]
[Watch season 3 (again) on Prime Video.]
The Rookie
1x06 The Hawke
9x08 Episode 8 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Good Place
3x11 Chidi Sees the Time-Knife
3x12 Pandemonium [season finale]
[Watch the whole series (again) on Netflix.]
Lucifer
3x24 A Devil of My Word [season finale]
[Watch season 3 (again) on Prime Video.]
The Rookie
1x06 The Hawke
Articles
Candyman Director Bernard Rose Details His Unmade Sequel in More Depth Than Ever Before
by Jason Jenkins (from Bloody Disgusting)
The headline sums up the basis of this article pretty well, but it's worth a read for all the fascinating details. It sounds like a film with a lot of promise -- shame we'll never get to see it.
by Jason Jenkins (from Bloody Disgusting)
The headline sums up the basis of this article pretty well, but it's worth a read for all the fascinating details. It sounds like a film with a lot of promise -- shame we'll never get to see it.
Thursday, 5 March 2020
TV
Death in Paradise
9x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Flesh and Blood
1x04 Episode 4 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]
Friday Night Dinner
5x06 Wilson [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]
The Good Place
3x10 The Book of Dougs
[Watch the whole series (again) on Netflix.]
Lucifer
3x23 Quintessential Deckerstar
[Watch season 3 (again) on Prime Video.]
9x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Flesh and Blood
1x04 Episode 4 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]
Friday Night Dinner
5x06 Wilson [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]
The Good Place
3x10 The Book of Dougs
[Watch the whole series (again) on Netflix.]
Lucifer
3x23 Quintessential Deckerstar
[Watch season 3 (again) on Prime Video.]
Wednesday, 4 March 2020
TV
Death in Paradise
9x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Flesh and Blood
1x02 Episode 2
1x03 Episode 3
[Watch episodes two and three (again) on the ITV Hub.]
The Good Place
3x08 Don't Let the Good Life Pass You By
3x09 Janet(s)
[Watch the whole series (again) on Netflix.]
Lucifer
3x21 Anything Pierce Can Do I Can Do Better
3x22 All Hands on Decker
[Watch season 3 (again) on Prime Video.]
9x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Flesh and Blood
1x02 Episode 2
1x03 Episode 3
[Watch episodes two and three (again) on the ITV Hub.]
The Good Place
3x08 Don't Let the Good Life Pass You By
3x09 Janet(s)
[Watch the whole series (again) on Netflix.]
Lucifer
3x21 Anything Pierce Can Do I Can Do Better
3x22 All Hands on Decker
[Watch season 3 (again) on Prime Video.]
Tuesday, 3 March 2020
TV
Death in Paradise
9x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Flesh and Blood
1x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]
The Good Place
3x06 A Fractured Inheritance
3x07 The Worst Possible Use of Free Will
[Watch the whole series (again) on Netflix.]
Lucifer
3x20 The Angel of San Bernardino
[Watch season 3 (again) on Prime Video.]
9x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Flesh and Blood
1x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]
The Good Place
3x06 A Fractured Inheritance
3x07 The Worst Possible Use of Free Will
[Watch the whole series (again) on Netflix.]
Lucifer
3x20 The Angel of San Bernardino
[Watch season 3 (again) on Prime Video.]
Monday, 2 March 2020
TV
The Good Place
3x04 Jeremy Bearimy
3x05 The Ballad of Donkey Doug
[Watch the whole series (again) on Netflix.]
McDonald & Dodds
1x01 The Fall of the House of Crockett
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]
3x04 Jeremy Bearimy
3x05 The Ballad of Donkey Doug
[Watch the whole series (again) on Netflix.]
McDonald & Dodds
1x01 The Fall of the House of Crockett
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]
this week on 100 Films
A new month began yesterday, which meant it was time to once again look the last one over at 100 Films in a Year...
Also this past week, 1 new review...
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
More next Sunday.
Also this past week, 1 new review...
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Now, here’s a film I really need to see again. Not to affirm whether I liked it or not — in fact, I loved it; enough to rank it the #1 film I saw in 2019 — but to fully assess and analyse and process it. This admission is not the best way to begin a review — reviews are meant to be assessment and/or analysis, after all — but, nonetheless, it indicates the kind of effect I felt from the film. What is that effect? In my best-of-year piece I said it was “the kind of film that casts a spell”, by which I’m referring to how it sweeps you in; how it engages you in such a way that you’re just experiencing itRead more here.
More next Sunday.
Sunday, 1 March 2020
TV
Doctor Who
38x08 The Haunting of Villa Diodati [2nd watch]
38x09 Ascension of the Cybermen [2nd watch]
38x10 The Timeless Children [season finale]
[Watch season 38, aka series 12, (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
1x05 The Roundup
38x08 The Haunting of Villa Diodati [2nd watch]
38x09 Ascension of the Cybermen [2nd watch]
38x10 The Timeless Children [season finale]
[Watch season 38, aka series 12, (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
1x05 The Roundup
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