Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
A pretty low-key, straightforward update this week: just five new titles, mostly 4K, no upgrades or sidegrades or whatever. It should be like this more often.
Number of titles in collection: 3,517 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 985 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,532 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 462 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 8,497 [up 8]
Number of films: 4,467 [up 5]
Number of additional cuts: 442 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 10,101 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,227 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Saturday, 12 April 2025
Friday, 11 April 2025
TV
The Diplomat
2x01 When a Stranger Calls
2x02 St. Paul's
Friends
6x15 The One That Could Have Been Part 2 [5th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x01 Week 1: Monday
8x02 Week 1: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
2x01 When a Stranger Calls
2x02 St. Paul's
Friends
6x15 The One That Could Have Been Part 2 [5th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x01 Week 1: Monday
8x02 Week 1: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Videos
Critical Role
2x99 High Seas, High Stakes [3rd hour]
When I started this episode, I mentioned it was their last regular live one. It was also the last appearance of this set, because when the show returned from hiatus it was in a new socially-distanced format that lasted until the end of Campaign 2, and they got a shiny new set for Campaign 3. Said hiatus, due to Covid, was announced the Tuesday after this episode aired. There's a Wiki article about it here, but in short: the show eventually returned almost four months later. I don't intend to emulate that with a lengthy pause of my own, although this does feel like it would be an appropriate juncture to go check out some other one-shots and/or miniseries...
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x99 High Seas, High Stakes [3rd hour]
When I started this episode, I mentioned it was their last regular live one. It was also the last appearance of this set, because when the show returned from hiatus it was in a new socially-distanced format that lasted until the end of Campaign 2, and they got a shiny new set for Campaign 3. Said hiatus, due to Covid, was announced the Tuesday after this episode aired. There's a Wiki article about it here, but in short: the show eventually returned almost four months later. I don't intend to emulate that with a lengthy pause of my own, although this does feel like it would be an appropriate juncture to go check out some other one-shots and/or miniseries...
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Thursday, 10 April 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x99 High Seas, High Stakes [2nd hour]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x99 High Seas, High Stakes [2nd hour]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Wednesday, 9 April 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x99 High Seas, High Stakes [1st hour]
Weird beginning to this episode: it's a big ol' party for their fifth anniversary, but they've also finally had to explicity acknowledge there's Something Going On In The World — i.e. Covid. Indeed, although they don't know it yet, this is the last-ever "broadcast live" regular edition of CR. After this they started pre-recording (because of the pandemic) and since have only returned to live broadcasts for one-shots and specials and that kinda thing. (More about their pandemic hiatus when I watch the second half / start the next episode.)
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x99 High Seas, High Stakes [1st hour]
Weird beginning to this episode: it's a big ol' party for their fifth anniversary, but they've also finally had to explicity acknowledge there's Something Going On In The World — i.e. Covid. Indeed, although they don't know it yet, this is the last-ever "broadcast live" regular edition of CR. After this they started pre-recording (because of the pandemic) and since have only returned to live broadcasts for one-shots and specials and that kinda thing. (More about their pandemic hiatus when I watch the second half / start the next episode.)
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Tuesday, 8 April 2025
Videos
Talks Machina
#145 'Dark Waters'
This is the last Talks for a while, thanks to a little ol' thing called the pandemic. They did get out one more episode of CR proper though, so more on their break when I watch that.
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
#145 'Dark Waters'
This is the last Talks for a while, thanks to a little ol' thing called the pandemic. They did get out one more episode of CR proper though, so more on their break when I watch that.
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Monday, 7 April 2025
Comics
The Uncanny X-Men
#7 Raid on Graymalkin, Part Two: No Walls Can Hold Us! by Gail Simone, David Marquez & Edgar Salazar
#8 Raid on Graymalkin, Part Four: Finale by Gail Simone & Javier Garrón
X-Men
#8 Raid on Graymalkin Part 1 by Jed MacKay & Ryan Stegman
#9 Raid on Graymalkin Part 3 by Jed MacKay, Federico Vicentini & Ryan Stegman
Having made an effort to catch up for this crossover, I've now fallen a good few issues behind again. Ho hum, such are my reading habits. Anyway, obviously I read these in the appropriate order, I'm just logging them alphabetically.
#7 Raid on Graymalkin, Part Two: No Walls Can Hold Us! by Gail Simone, David Marquez & Edgar Salazar
#8 Raid on Graymalkin, Part Four: Finale by Gail Simone & Javier Garrón
X-Men
#8 Raid on Graymalkin Part 1 by Jed MacKay & Ryan Stegman
#9 Raid on Graymalkin Part 3 by Jed MacKay, Federico Vicentini & Ryan Stegman
Having made an effort to catch up for this crossover, I've now fallen a good few issues behind again. Ho hum, such are my reading habits. Anyway, obviously I read these in the appropriate order, I'm just logging them alphabetically.
Videos
Critical Role
2x98 Dark Waters [2nd half's 2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x98 Dark Waters [2nd half's 2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Sunday, 6 April 2025
Films
The Black Watch (1929)
[#35 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
aka King of the Khyber Rifles
[#35 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
aka King of the Khyber Rifles
Fiction
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
Pages 1–37
This epistolary novel is split into chapter-like sections (it alternates between the two characters, Red and Blue, finding letters they've left for each other, followed by said letter), but as they're not numbered or anything it's easier to track this with page numbers (never my favourite, because pages can differ between editions, but needs must).
Pages 1–37
This epistolary novel is split into chapter-like sections (it alternates between the two characters, Red and Blue, finding letters they've left for each other, followed by said letter), but as they're not numbered or anything it's easier to track this with page numbers (never my favourite, because pages can differ between editions, but needs must).
this week on 100Films.co.uk
Another quiet month at 100Films.co.uk — oops. But this week did bring the one thing I have stuck at: a monthly review...
...as well as its accompanying list of failures...
More next Sunday? One day there will be...
...as well as its accompanying list of failures...
More next Sunday? One day there will be...
Saturday, 5 April 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x98 Dark Waters [2nd half's 1st half]
I use "half" with CR episodes for convenient shorthand — what I mean, broadly, is either side of the ad break — but the "halves" are rarely equal. This is a particularly egregious example of that, in an unusual direction: normally the first 'half' is longer, but this time the first 'half' was about 90 minutes and the second is about 3 hours. I watched about half of that 'half' today, so... yeah...
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x98 Dark Waters [2nd half's 1st half]
I use "half" with CR episodes for convenient shorthand — what I mean, broadly, is either side of the ad break — but the "halves" are rarely equal. This is a particularly egregious example of that, in an unusual direction: normally the first 'half' is longer, but this time the first 'half' was about 90 minutes and the second is about 3 hours. I watched about half of that 'half' today, so... yeah...
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
I hadn't expected this week to be so jam-packed — just a few pre-orders — but then sales cropped up and, well, I got a little carried away. The fact many of these are box sets has just made it feel like an even bigger week, especially on the back of multiple other larger sets recently.
Of note amongst this batch: the DVD that was gained last week goes back down, and takes another with it for good measure; and look how many additions are 4K again! They may only account for 13% of my collection vs regular Blu-ray at almost 59%, but I feel like they're beginning to consistently outnumber regular BDs as new purchases. The artsier boutique labels continue to keep 1080p well fuelled, though.
Number of titles in collection: 3,512 [up 11]
Of which DVDs: 985 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,527 [up 13]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 458 [up 8]
Number of discs in collection: 8,489 [up 23]
Number of films: 4,462 [up 20]
Number of additional cuts: 440 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 10,101 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,227 [up 2]
See you next week, faithful reader.
I hadn't expected this week to be so jam-packed — just a few pre-orders — but then sales cropped up and, well, I got a little carried away. The fact many of these are box sets has just made it feel like an even bigger week, especially on the back of multiple other larger sets recently.
Of note amongst this batch: the DVD that was gained last week goes back down, and takes another with it for good measure; and look how many additions are 4K again! They may only account for 13% of my collection vs regular Blu-ray at almost 59%, but I feel like they're beginning to consistently outnumber regular BDs as new purchases. The artsier boutique labels continue to keep 1080p well fuelled, though.
Number of titles in collection: 3,512 [up 11]
Of which DVDs: 985 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,527 [up 13]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 458 [up 8]
Number of discs in collection: 8,489 [up 23]
Number of films: 4,462 [up 20]
Number of additional cuts: 440 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 10,101 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,227 [up 2]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 4 April 2025
Thursday, 3 April 2025
Wednesday, 2 April 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x97 The Fancy and the Fooled [2nd half]
I don't know if Matt adjusts his plans to make sure something major happens at live shows, but good golly, it's a fantastic payoff when that does happen — the energy brought by playing in front of (and playing up to) a live audience is something else.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x97 The Fancy and the Fooled [2nd half]
I don't know if Matt adjusts his plans to make sure something major happens at live shows, but good golly, it's a fantastic payoff when that does happen — the energy brought by playing in front of (and playing up to) a live audience is something else.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Tuesday, 1 April 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x97 The Fancy and the Fooled [1st half]
Live show! Yay!
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x97 The Fancy and the Fooled [1st half]
Live show! Yay!
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Monday, 31 March 2025
Sunday, 30 March 2025
Saturday, 29 March 2025
TV
Friends
6x10 The One with the Routine [6th or so watch]
6x11 The One with the Apothecary Table [5th or so watch]
6x12 The One with the Joke [5th or so watch]
Unforgotten
6x03 Episode 3
6x04 Episode 4
6x05 Episode 5
6x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
[Watch the whole series (again) on ITVX.]
6x10 The One with the Routine [6th or so watch]
6x11 The One with the Apothecary Table [5th or so watch]
6x12 The One with the Joke [5th or so watch]
Unforgotten
6x03 Episode 3
6x04 Episode 4
6x05 Episode 5
6x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
[Watch the whole series (again) on ITVX.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
It's a somewhat momentous week, as a flood of new titles (not a record-breaker, but still a big one) push my total collection past 3,500 titles. Eesh!
Number of titles in collection: 3,501 [up 11]
Of which DVDs: 987 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,514 [up 10]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 450 [up 4]
That includes a real rarity nowadays: a DVD. Though calling it "a DVD" is an understandment: it's a 34-disc set; the complete series of The Saint, to be precise. So there's a huge boost to TV episode numbers, too — and at 118 episodes, it single-handedly pushes me past the 10,000 episodes mark!
But that's not all, because one of the Blu-rays I got is a box set of classic cinema serials, which I count as TV episodes (as discussed previously), so it's a mind-boggling TV episode increase — more than the whole of 2024! Whew! Maybe I should start counting "cinema serial episodes" as its own stat...
Number of discs in collection: 8,466 [up 58]
Number of films: 4,442 [up 17]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,101 [up 218]
Number of short films: 1,225 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
It's a somewhat momentous week, as a flood of new titles (not a record-breaker, but still a big one) push my total collection past 3,500 titles. Eesh!
Number of titles in collection: 3,501 [up 11]
Of which DVDs: 987 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,514 [up 10]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 450 [up 4]
That includes a real rarity nowadays: a DVD. Though calling it "a DVD" is an understandment: it's a 34-disc set; the complete series of The Saint, to be precise. So there's a huge boost to TV episode numbers, too — and at 118 episodes, it single-handedly pushes me past the 10,000 episodes mark!
But that's not all, because one of the Blu-rays I got is a box set of classic cinema serials, which I count as TV episodes (as discussed previously), so it's a mind-boggling TV episode increase — more than the whole of 2024! Whew! Maybe I should start counting "cinema serial episodes" as its own stat...
Number of discs in collection: 8,466 [up 58]
Number of films: 4,442 [up 17]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,101 [up 218]
Number of short films: 1,225 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 28 March 2025
TV
Friends
6x08 The One with Ross's Teeth [5th or so watch]
6x09 The One Where Ross Got High [5th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x59 Week 12: Thursday
8x60 Week 12: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Unforgotten
6x01 Episode 1
6x02 Episode 2
[Watch the whole series (again) on ITVX.]
6x08 The One with Ross's Teeth [5th or so watch]
6x09 The One Where Ross Got High [5th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x59 Week 12: Thursday
8x60 Week 12: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Unforgotten
6x01 Episode 1
6x02 Episode 2
[Watch the whole series (again) on ITVX.]
Thursday, 27 March 2025
TV
Friends
6x06 The One on the Last Night [6th or so watch]
6x07 The One Where Phoebe Runs [5th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x58 Week 12: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
6x06 The One on the Last Night [6th or so watch]
6x07 The One Where Phoebe Runs [5th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x58 Week 12: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Monday, 24 March 2025
Sunday, 23 March 2025
Fiction
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
12 The Adventure of the Copper Beeches [the end]
Far from the end of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, of course, but the end of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
12 The Adventure of the Copper Beeches [the end]
Far from the end of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, of course, but the end of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Comics
Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli
#231 Saved
#232 God and Country
#233 Armageddon [the end]
I didn't intend to binge my way through this, but it was so good I didn't want to stop reading. A deserved classic.
#231 Saved
#232 God and Country
#233 Armageddon [the end]
I didn't intend to binge my way through this, but it was so good I didn't want to stop reading. A deserved classic.
Saturday, 22 March 2025
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
I mentioned last time that this week would be an average one, provided all my preorders for the 24th turned up early, and most of them did. That's six new titles this week, then, but two are upgrades, so it sits at four — and my weekly average for 2024* was 4.5, so there you go.
* calculated as the increase to "number of titles" in the year-end tallies, divided by 52.
Number of titles in collection: 3,490 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 986 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,504 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 446 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,408 [up 9]
Number of films: 4,425 [up 5]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,883 [up 4]
Number of short films: 1,225 [no change]
It's also time once again for a monthly running time update...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
589 days, 5 hours, and 5 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 14 hours, and 18 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader, which might be twice the size of this one...
I mentioned last time that this week would be an average one, provided all my preorders for the 24th turned up early, and most of them did. That's six new titles this week, then, but two are upgrades, so it sits at four — and my weekly average for 2024* was 4.5, so there you go.
* calculated as the increase to "number of titles" in the year-end tallies, divided by 52.
Number of titles in collection: 3,490 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 986 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,504 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 446 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,408 [up 9]
Number of films: 4,425 [up 5]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,883 [up 4]
Number of short films: 1,225 [no change]
It's also time once again for a monthly running time update...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
589 days, 5 hours, and 5 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 14 hours, and 18 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader, which might be twice the size of this one...
Friday, 21 March 2025
Films
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
[4th or so watch]
[#32 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Continuing my chronological James Bond rewatch — you know, the one I last touched on in 2020 and that’s been going since 2012. Will I complete it before they manage to release a new Bond film? At this point, maybe.
(I also put "four or so" for my watch count last time I saw TMwtGG, but I now think I probably overestimated that.)
[4th or so watch]
[#32 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Continuing my chronological James Bond rewatch — you know, the one I last touched on in 2020 and that’s been going since 2012. Will I complete it before they manage to release a new Bond film? At this point, maybe.
(I also put "four or so" for my watch count last time I saw TMwtGG, but I now think I probably overestimated that.)
Games
Dark Tomb: Crypts of Aurelian
I backed the latest instalment of this series of games on Kickstarter, choosing all three editions so far as my reward. They're pocket-sized dungeon crawlers, presented in a neat little tin containing a stack of different types of gameplay cards, a d20, and a variety of cubes to track stats, etc. The presentation is gorgeous by being simple and compact, but also tactile and detailed. Like, I'm sure there are ways this could have been rendered as just a deck of cards, but the die and cubes add something.
It's a 1-5 player game; really 1-4 with a five-player mode. There are three levels, and listed playtime is 15–40 minutes (presumably meant to depend on how many levels you play). I played for 90 minutes... which, in fairness, was five levels' worth: level one once, and level two four times, as I kept failing. It's a fun game, but that was a bit frustrating. Having a couple of attempts, ok, fair enough — if it were too much of a walkover, it's not a game you'd return to (and the game is designed to be replayable, with a choice of characters and each level having a randomised map) — but not making significant headway after four playthroughs... ugh. Either I need to entirely reassess my strategy (possible), or the game isn't that well balanced for one player (maybe this a bit too).
The enemies do have reduced hit points with fewer players, but there's no other compensation for difficulty. To complete a level, you have to reveal the whole map (it starts mostly hidden) and kill all the enemies; on the game's turn, the enemies move towards the nearest player. So, with one player, you've got to get to every hidden square yourself, while all the enemies converge on you. Even with two, you could head in two different directions — I feel a 'divide and conquer' approach would work well with a map where you begin in the middle, like the second level here. Of course, as a single player, there's really nothing to stop me running multiple characters, so I might try that next time.
I backed the latest instalment of this series of games on Kickstarter, choosing all three editions so far as my reward. They're pocket-sized dungeon crawlers, presented in a neat little tin containing a stack of different types of gameplay cards, a d20, and a variety of cubes to track stats, etc. The presentation is gorgeous by being simple and compact, but also tactile and detailed. Like, I'm sure there are ways this could have been rendered as just a deck of cards, but the die and cubes add something.
It's a 1-5 player game; really 1-4 with a five-player mode. There are three levels, and listed playtime is 15–40 minutes (presumably meant to depend on how many levels you play). I played for 90 minutes... which, in fairness, was five levels' worth: level one once, and level two four times, as I kept failing. It's a fun game, but that was a bit frustrating. Having a couple of attempts, ok, fair enough — if it were too much of a walkover, it's not a game you'd return to (and the game is designed to be replayable, with a choice of characters and each level having a randomised map) — but not making significant headway after four playthroughs... ugh. Either I need to entirely reassess my strategy (possible), or the game isn't that well balanced for one player (maybe this a bit too).
The enemies do have reduced hit points with fewer players, but there's no other compensation for difficulty. To complete a level, you have to reveal the whole map (it starts mostly hidden) and kill all the enemies; on the game's turn, the enemies move towards the nearest player. So, with one player, you've got to get to every hidden square yourself, while all the enemies converge on you. Even with two, you could head in two different directions — I feel a 'divide and conquer' approach would work well with a map where you begin in the middle, like the second level here. Of course, as a single player, there's really nothing to stop me running multiple characters, so I might try that next time.
Videos
Critical Role
2x95 Blessing in Disguise [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x95 Blessing in Disguise [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Thursday, 20 March 2025
Films
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916)
[#31 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Blindspot 2025 #3
[#31 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Blindspot 2025 #3
Comics
Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli
#227 Apocalypse
I’ve been intending to read this classic Daredevil storyline for a while — I bought my copy before the character rights had even reverted to Marvel, meaning the entirety of Daredevil: The TV Series’s conception, production, popularity, cancellation, and Disney+ revival (which, of course, borrows its subtitle from here) has occurred since this was put on my shelf. Yes, that’s ridiculous. Even worse: there are dozens, possibly hundreds, of other books that it’s just as true for. (Comics in particular: I bought this as part of Hachette’s The Ultimate Marvel Graphic Novel Collection, from which I own 50 volumes, and before this I’d read… one. I’m terrible.)
Anyway, it's off to a strong start. They sure did make comics bleak in the ’80s!
#227 Apocalypse
I’ve been intending to read this classic Daredevil storyline for a while — I bought my copy before the character rights had even reverted to Marvel, meaning the entirety of Daredevil: The TV Series’s conception, production, popularity, cancellation, and Disney+ revival (which, of course, borrows its subtitle from here) has occurred since this was put on my shelf. Yes, that’s ridiculous. Even worse: there are dozens, possibly hundreds, of other books that it’s just as true for. (Comics in particular: I bought this as part of Hachette’s The Ultimate Marvel Graphic Novel Collection, from which I own 50 volumes, and before this I’d read… one. I’m terrible.)
Anyway, it's off to a strong start. They sure did make comics bleak in the ’80s!
Videos
Critical Role
2x95 Blessing in Disguise [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x95 Blessing in Disguise [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x94 With Great Power... [2nd half]
With this episode, I'm two-thirds of the way through Campaign 2. It took me 6 months to reach one-third, and another 6½ to reach two-thirds, which suggests a fairly consistent pace overall (I slowed down towards the end of last year, explaining why it's taken slightly longer, but I've picked up again in 2025). So, assuming that continues, I should finish Campaign 2 around September or October. Will that be before they start Campaign 4? Seems doubtful, but (for various reasons) I do think it's going to be a while away yet, so maaaaybe. That said, do I even need to finish C2 before starting C4? With Campaign 3 being such a major "end of an era" piece, C4 is certain to be some kind of fresh start, so perhaps I'll just watch it alongside finishing C2. I'm sure I can manage to follow multiple campaigns at once. Whatever — it's all just speculation for now; I'll make a decision when the time arrives.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x94 With Great Power... [2nd half]
With this episode, I'm two-thirds of the way through Campaign 2. It took me 6 months to reach one-third, and another 6½ to reach two-thirds, which suggests a fairly consistent pace overall (I slowed down towards the end of last year, explaining why it's taken slightly longer, but I've picked up again in 2025). So, assuming that continues, I should finish Campaign 2 around September or October. Will that be before they start Campaign 4? Seems doubtful, but (for various reasons) I do think it's going to be a while away yet, so maaaaybe. That said, do I even need to finish C2 before starting C4? With Campaign 3 being such a major "end of an era" piece, C4 is certain to be some kind of fresh start, so perhaps I'll just watch it alongside finishing C2. I'm sure I can manage to follow multiple campaigns at once. Whatever — it's all just speculation for now; I'll make a decision when the time arrives.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Monday, 17 March 2025
Sunday, 16 March 2025
Fiction
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
3 A Case of Identity
Following the first two novels (A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four), Adventures is the first collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories; it's also the one I've read most of, but not completed. So, rather than return to jumping around through the canon's highlights, I thought I'd polish this off first. (After this book is done, I'll see how I feel about where I go next.)
3 A Case of Identity
Following the first two novels (A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four), Adventures is the first collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories; it's also the one I've read most of, but not completed. So, rather than return to jumping around through the canon's highlights, I thought I'd polish this off first. (After this book is done, I'll see how I feel about where I go next.)
Comics
Exceptional X-Men
#4 by Eve L. Ewing & Carmen Carnero
#5 by Eve L. Ewing & Carmen Carnero
Swords: The Adventures of Quest Sprout
by Matthew J. Wills
I discovered Swords when I joined Bluesky. It's a free online comic, but I bought this zine that compiles (some of) the adventures of Quest Sprout because (a) support creators, and (b) Quest Sprout is adorable.
#4 by Eve L. Ewing & Carmen Carnero
#5 by Eve L. Ewing & Carmen Carnero
Swords: The Adventures of Quest Sprout
by Matthew J. Wills
I discovered Swords when I joined Bluesky. It's a free online comic, but I bought this zine that compiles (some of) the adventures of Quest Sprout because (a) support creators, and (b) Quest Sprout is adorable.
Saturday, 15 March 2025
Fiction
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Chapters 43–53
Epilogue [the end]
The final twist strays a little too far into the realm of coincidence for my taste, but it's a solid read overall. Would I have seen all the other twists coming if I hadn't had it flagged to me as having an incredible, makes-you-want-to-reread-it twist? Maybe not, and maybe it would've been better for that. Such is the risk when you tell someone "this has a great twist!"
Chapters 43–53
Epilogue [the end]
The final twist strays a little too far into the realm of coincidence for my taste, but it's a solid read overall. Would I have seen all the other twists coming if I hadn't had it flagged to me as having an incredible, makes-you-want-to-reread-it twist? Maybe not, and maybe it would've been better for that. Such is the risk when you tell someone "this has a great twist!"
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
It's the second quiet week in a row, this one even quieter than the last. Next week, however, should be fairly busy (not close to a record-breaker, just averagely excessive), assuming all my preorders due on Monday 24th arrive early (this week, one did and one did not).
Number of titles in collection: 3,486 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 987 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,499 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 443 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,399 [up 3]
Number of films: 4,420 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,879 [up 8]
Number of short films: 1,225 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
It's the second quiet week in a row, this one even quieter than the last. Next week, however, should be fairly busy (not close to a record-breaker, just averagely excessive), assuming all my preorders due on Monday 24th arrive early (this week, one did and one did not).
Number of titles in collection: 3,486 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 987 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,499 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 443 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,399 [up 3]
Number of films: 4,420 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,879 [up 8]
Number of short films: 1,225 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 14 March 2025
Thursday, 13 March 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x93 Misery Loves Company [2nd half]
"Laura. Fucking. Bailey." This episode climaxes with one of the things everyone talks about from Campaign 2: Jester vs the hag. Often, when you reach famous moments like that in a series, they struggle to live up to expectations. This one is still brilliant, in part thanks to the reactions of the other eight people at the table (as Liam says, "so obviously, in the moment, a legendary moment of this campaign." And Taliesin's face, in particular, is all over the place throughout.) Even beyond Laura's stuff, everyone's interviews with the hag are fantastic and character-revealing, which makes this a great episode.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#140 'Misery Loves Company'
After an episode that really showcased Laura, Marisha, and Matt, we get... Taliesin and Ashley. I love 'em, but c'mon. (They did have Laura and Marisha last time which, with hindsight, feels like a Big Mistake.)
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x93 Misery Loves Company [2nd half]
"Laura. Fucking. Bailey." This episode climaxes with one of the things everyone talks about from Campaign 2: Jester vs the hag. Often, when you reach famous moments like that in a series, they struggle to live up to expectations. This one is still brilliant, in part thanks to the reactions of the other eight people at the table (as Liam says, "so obviously, in the moment, a legendary moment of this campaign." And Taliesin's face, in particular, is all over the place throughout.) Even beyond Laura's stuff, everyone's interviews with the hag are fantastic and character-revealing, which makes this a great episode.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#140 'Misery Loves Company'
After an episode that really showcased Laura, Marisha, and Matt, we get... Taliesin and Ashley. I love 'em, but c'mon. (They did have Laura and Marisha last time which, with hindsight, feels like a Big Mistake.)
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Games
Roadwarden
Another advantage to starting over is that the full game offers a choice of three difficulties: standard mode gives you 40 in-game days to complete your goals; “restrictive” reduces that to 30 and increases overnight damage; “casual” emphasises the story by removing the time limit entirely, giving you a small head start, and making some quests easier. (You can also customise these a little via advanced settings, which is nice if you want a mix of the aforementioned options — you can have no time limit but not make the quests easier, for example; or the standard rules but with the aforementioned ‘head start’.)
I chose the third option, because the kind of player and person I am means I’m more interested in the game’s world and narrative than beating its mechanics; then I speed-ran the opening to get back to where I left off in the demo; then I played for a couple of hours. It seems almost leisurely at first, but even one bad encounter knocked me for six, and suddenly days were racing by as I tried to recuperate, and I had no money for repairs to my armour (so that's currently non-existent). And this is the easy setting! I'm on Day 6 already, and the game has told me days are getting shorter — thank goodness they're unlimited! It feels like it would be a definite challenge to complete in 40 days. Or maybe I've just been unlucky, I dunno.
Another advantage to starting over is that the full game offers a choice of three difficulties: standard mode gives you 40 in-game days to complete your goals; “restrictive” reduces that to 30 and increases overnight damage; “casual” emphasises the story by removing the time limit entirely, giving you a small head start, and making some quests easier. (You can also customise these a little via advanced settings, which is nice if you want a mix of the aforementioned options — you can have no time limit but not make the quests easier, for example; or the standard rules but with the aforementioned ‘head start’.)
I chose the third option, because the kind of player and person I am means I’m more interested in the game’s world and narrative than beating its mechanics; then I speed-ran the opening to get back to where I left off in the demo; then I played for a couple of hours. It seems almost leisurely at first, but even one bad encounter knocked me for six, and suddenly days were racing by as I tried to recuperate, and I had no money for repairs to my armour (so that's currently non-existent). And this is the easy setting! I'm on Day 6 already, and the game has told me days are getting shorter — thank goodness they're unlimited! It feels like it would be a definite challenge to complete in 40 days. Or maybe I've just been unlucky, I dunno.
Videos
Critical Role
2x93 Misery Loves Company [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#139 'Home Is Where the Heart Is'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x93 Misery Loves Company [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#139 'Home Is Where the Heart Is'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x92 Home Is Where the Heart Is [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x92 Home Is Where the Heart Is [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Monday, 10 March 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x92 Home Is Where the Heart Is [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#138 'Stone to Clay'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x92 Home Is Where the Heart Is [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#138 'Stone to Clay'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Sunday, 9 March 2025
TV
Daredevil: Born Again
1x01 Heaven's Half Hour
1x02 Optics
Almost eight years since Daredevil's unintended final episode ("unintended" because it was cancelled after airing thanks to an MCU/Netflix rights kerfuffle), it's back. Well, technically it's a new show, which I guess makes it a sequel or something, but it's the same characters and cast and whatnot so, y'know, it's kinda Season 4. And I still think it's pretty great. Looking forward to the rest, and delighted a second season is already confirmed.
[Watch it (again) on Disney+.]
1x01 Heaven's Half Hour
1x02 Optics
Almost eight years since Daredevil's unintended final episode ("unintended" because it was cancelled after airing thanks to an MCU/Netflix rights kerfuffle), it's back. Well, technically it's a new show, which I guess makes it a sequel or something, but it's the same characters and cast and whatnot so, y'know, it's kinda Season 4. And I still think it's pretty great. Looking forward to the rest, and delighted a second season is already confirmed.
[Watch it (again) on Disney+.]
Fiction
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Chapters 15–21
As I noted when I started, one of the main reasons I'm reading this is because everyone talks about its amazing twist. Well, I guessed one possible twist as soon as I read the blurb, and here — at the end of Part One (of two) — it comes to pass. Hopefully the one everyone's talking about is still to come.
Chapters 15–21
As I noted when I started, one of the main reasons I'm reading this is because everyone talks about its amazing twist. Well, I guessed one possible twist as soon as I read the blurb, and here — at the end of Part One (of two) — it comes to pass. Hopefully the one everyone's talking about is still to come.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
A bit later than normal, it was finally time for 100Films.co.uk to look back at February.
It's the same posts as usual: first, the general review of the month...
Then, my numerous "failures"...
More next Sunday? You never know...
It's the same posts as usual: first, the general review of the month...
Then, my numerous "failures"...
More next Sunday? You never know...
Saturday, 8 March 2025
Games
Roadwarden (demo)
Can't remember what first brought this game to my attention, but I've had the demo waiting for a while now — at one point I nearly played it to decide about a purchase of the full game while it was on sale, but I ran out of time before the offer ended... but then it seems to be permanently on sale anyway, so I haven't had a real motivator besides general interest (and I have tonnes of games waiting to be played at that level).
Still, something made me finally boot it up today, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's a retro-styled text-driven (with some isometric pixel art) RPG. Lots of world building info and lore, which is engrossing. Really feels like an RPG, not just some kind of fighting game with some basic stats skinned over the top, or something. Anyway, I liked it enough that I've bought the full thing without even completing the demo (because it seems to be fairly extensive for a demo (I played for almost an hour and a half and didn't feel like it was about to stop me progressing any further), and I presumed I'd have to re-play everything I've already done in the full game anyway. It will actually let me load my demo save, but it also has a note about a new improvement patch not working on old saves, so I think I will start from scratch.)
Can't remember what first brought this game to my attention, but I've had the demo waiting for a while now — at one point I nearly played it to decide about a purchase of the full game while it was on sale, but I ran out of time before the offer ended... but then it seems to be permanently on sale anyway, so I haven't had a real motivator besides general interest (and I have tonnes of games waiting to be played at that level).
Still, something made me finally boot it up today, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's a retro-styled text-driven (with some isometric pixel art) RPG. Lots of world building info and lore, which is engrossing. Really feels like an RPG, not just some kind of fighting game with some basic stats skinned over the top, or something. Anyway, I liked it enough that I've bought the full thing without even completing the demo (because it seems to be fairly extensive for a demo (I played for almost an hour and a half and didn't feel like it was about to stop me progressing any further), and I presumed I'd have to re-play everything I've already done in the full game anyway. It will actually let me load my demo save, but it also has a note about a new improvement patch not working on old saves, so I think I will start from scratch.)
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Number of titles in collection: 3,485 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 987 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,498 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 442 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,396 [up 5]
Number of films: 4,420 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,871 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,225 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Number of titles in collection: 3,485 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 987 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,498 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 442 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,396 [up 5]
Number of films: 4,420 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,871 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,225 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 7 March 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x90 Bathhouses and Bastions [2nd half]
I love these guys, but jeez, they're bad at politics. Any time they're in front of a ruler or some such, they're so busy trying to make speeches or sound intelligent that they skip over vital information and the arguments they're trying to make ping all over the place. Matt's kindness is almost palpable as he tries to redirect them back to the point, or simply lets the NPCs ignore what they *actually* said in favour of keeping the important parts moving. It's somewhat in character for the Nein, at least, but I'm not convinced it's wholly a character choice.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#137 'Lingering Wounds' & 'Bathhouses and Bastions'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x90 Bathhouses and Bastions [2nd half]
I love these guys, but jeez, they're bad at politics. Any time they're in front of a ruler or some such, they're so busy trying to make speeches or sound intelligent that they skip over vital information and the arguments they're trying to make ping all over the place. Matt's kindness is almost palpable as he tries to redirect them back to the point, or simply lets the NPCs ignore what they *actually* said in favour of keeping the important parts moving. It's somewhat in character for the Nein, at least, but I'm not convinced it's wholly a character choice.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#137 'Lingering Wounds' & 'Bathhouses and Bastions'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Thursday, 6 March 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x90 Bathhouses and Bastions [1st half]
Welcome to 2020! I'm sure it's going to be a great year...
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Daggerheart Ep 2: The Menagerie Returns!
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
2x90 Bathhouses and Bastions [1st half]
Welcome to 2020! I'm sure it's going to be a great year...
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Daggerheart Ep 2: The Menagerie Returns!
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Wednesday, 5 March 2025
Videos
Critical Role
The Menagerie Returns! [2nd half]
Cliffhanger ending! Good thing there's a third one.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
The Menagerie Returns! [2nd half]
Cliffhanger ending! Good thing there's a third one.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Tuesday, 4 March 2025
Videos
Critical Role
The Menagerie Returns! [1st half]
Watch the Menagerie level up to L4 on YouTube or Beacon (if you like basically just hanging out with the CR cast for 25 minutes), which is where they start this second adventure. (I watched the first almost six months ago — where does time go?!)
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
The Menagerie Returns! [1st half]
Watch the Menagerie level up to L4 on YouTube or Beacon (if you like basically just hanging out with the CR cast for 25 minutes), which is where they start this second adventure. (I watched the first almost six months ago — where does time go?!)
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Monday, 3 March 2025
TV
The 97th Annual Academy Awards
aka the Oscars — the actual ceremony this time. I thought it was fine — nothing bad happened; nothing really great or surprising. Conan was an adequate host: some jokes landed, some didn't; nothing really bombed, but nothing really shone.
[Watch it (again) on ITVX.]
Friends
6x03 The One with Ross's Denial [5th or so watch]
6x04 The One Where Joey Loses His Insurance [5th or so watch]
6x05 The One with Joey's Porsche [5th or so watch]
aka the Oscars — the actual ceremony this time. I thought it was fine — nothing bad happened; nothing really great or surprising. Conan was an adequate host: some jokes landed, some didn't; nothing really bombed, but nothing really shone.
[Watch it (again) on ITVX.]
Friends
6x03 The One with Ross's Denial [5th or so watch]
6x04 The One Where Joey Loses His Insurance [5th or so watch]
6x05 The One with Joey's Porsche [5th or so watch]
Sunday, 2 March 2025
TV
The 97th Annual Academy Awards
aka the Oscars... though not the ceremony itself, because that starts at midnight, but an hour-and-a-half of build-up on UK TV.
[Watch a selection of Oscars-related programmes and films on ITVX.]
Friends
6x01 The One After Vegas [5th or so watch]
6x02 The One Where Ross Hugs Rachel [5th or so watch]
Towards Zero
Part 1 (of 3)
Part 2 (of 3)
Part 3 (of 3)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
aka the Oscars... though not the ceremony itself, because that starts at midnight, but an hour-and-a-half of build-up on UK TV.
[Watch a selection of Oscars-related programmes and films on ITVX.]
Friends
6x01 The One After Vegas [5th or so watch]
6x02 The One Where Ross Hugs Rachel [5th or so watch]
Towards Zero
Part 1 (of 3)
Part 2 (of 3)
Part 3 (of 3)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Saturday, 1 March 2025
Films
Hooray for Hollywood (1982)
[#25 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Never Back Losers (1961)
[#23 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962)
[#24 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
[#25 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Never Back Losers (1961)
[#23 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962)
[#24 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Videos
No actual videos watched today, but I wanted to mark the occasion nonetheless, because today is the first anniversary* of my getting into Critical Role. In that time, I've watched 356 hours of Campaign 2, 105 hours of Talks Machina, multiple Daggerheart-based one-shots and related levelling-up videos, and untold hours of clips and other bits & pieces on YouTube that I don't log on here because, c'mon, that would be insane (even more insane than the entire exercise of this blog is in the first place).
As I mentioned last time I actually watched an episode, I've still got a long way to go until I'm caught up (over 200 more hours of C2 itself, never mind Talks, one-shots, and miniseries that I want to watch) — but with Campaign 4 on the horizon, it may not be too long before I just jump ahead to 'live' so I don't feel so out of touch.
* Something I regret about that inaugural post: "I’ll spare you my usual long-winded explanation of how I first heard of it and what made me decide to start now." It seemed smart at the time, but I've long since forgotten what exactly drove me to start watching it (and how much I'd heard of it before), and I wish I could remember. Thwarted myself there.
As I mentioned last time I actually watched an episode, I've still got a long way to go until I'm caught up (over 200 more hours of C2 itself, never mind Talks, one-shots, and miniseries that I want to watch) — but with Campaign 4 on the horizon, it may not be too long before I just jump ahead to 'live' so I don't feel so out of touch.
* Something I regret about that inaugural post: "I’ll spare you my usual long-winded explanation of how I first heard of it and what made me decide to start now." It seemed smart at the time, but I've long since forgotten what exactly drove me to start watching it (and how much I'd heard of it before), and I wish I could remember. Thwarted myself there.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Fun times with maths this week: six new titles arrived, including a DVD-to-4K upgrade, a BD-to-4K upgrade, and a classic Doctor Who season set that upgrades a Blu-ray and a DVD, but is questionable about two other DVDs. Here's how that panned out...
Number of titles in collection: 3,482 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 987 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,495 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 441 [up 5]
Number of discs in collection: 8,391 [up 9]
Number of films: 4,417 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,871 [up 13]
Number of short films: 1,224 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Fun times with maths this week: six new titles arrived, including a DVD-to-4K upgrade, a BD-to-4K upgrade, and a classic Doctor Who season set that upgrades a Blu-ray and a DVD, but is questionable about two other DVDs. Here's how that panned out...
Number of titles in collection: 3,482 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 987 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,495 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 441 [up 5]
Number of discs in collection: 8,391 [up 9]
Number of films: 4,417 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,871 [up 13]
Number of short films: 1,224 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 28 February 2025
TV
Friends
5x22 The One with Joey's Big Break [5th or so watch]
5x23 The One in Vegas Part 1 [5th or so watch]
5x24 The One in Vegas Part 2 [season finale; 5th or so watch]
5x22 The One with Joey's Big Break [5th or so watch]
5x23 The One in Vegas Part 1 [5th or so watch]
5x24 The One in Vegas Part 2 [season finale; 5th or so watch]
Thursday, 27 February 2025
Videos
Daggerheart First Look: Worldbuilding with Critical Role - Live from PAX Unplugged
Funny to call this a "first look" when it came after the massive open beta and multiple CR Daggerheart streams, but there you go — it's kind of an introduction, though kind of assume viewers already have some knowledge of the basics of the system. Anyway, it's quite a fun mini-adventure (the panel lasts about 90 minutes, including some intro to the game and character building).
[Watch it (again) on YouTube.]
Funny to call this a "first look" when it came after the massive open beta and multiple CR Daggerheart streams, but there you go — it's kind of an introduction, though kind of assume viewers already have some knowledge of the basics of the system. Anyway, it's quite a fun mini-adventure (the panel lasts about 90 minutes, including some intro to the game and character building).
[Watch it (again) on YouTube.]
Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x89 Lingering Wounds [2nd half]
The final episode of 2019 — which is noteworthy because it more-or-less coincides with the end of my first year of watching Critical Role! I started out 6 years & 2 months behind, and have now caught up to 5 years & 2 months behind. Catching up one year in one year sounds like nothing, but it means I've actually caught up on two years (because if I'd only watched one year in one year, I'd still be the same amount behind). If I carry on at that rate, I'll be caught up fully in... 2030. Yeesh. Or I could just jump on to Campaign 4 when it starts (or as soon as I finish C2, whatever). I can always start on Campaign 1 and/or 3 when brand-new content isn't coming out often enough to satiate me.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x89 Lingering Wounds [2nd half]
The final episode of 2019 — which is noteworthy because it more-or-less coincides with the end of my first year of watching Critical Role! I started out 6 years & 2 months behind, and have now caught up to 5 years & 2 months behind. Catching up one year in one year sounds like nothing, but it means I've actually caught up on two years (because if I'd only watched one year in one year, I'd still be the same amount behind). If I carry on at that rate, I'll be caught up fully in... 2030. Yeesh. Or I could just jump on to Campaign 4 when it starts (or as soon as I finish C2, whatever). I can always start on Campaign 1 and/or 3 when brand-new content isn't coming out often enough to satiate me.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Monday, 24 February 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x88 Unwanted Reunions
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#136 'Unwanted Reunions'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x88 Unwanted Reunions
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#136 'Unwanted Reunions'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Sunday, 23 February 2025
Films
Freaks (1932)
[#20 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Blindspot 2025 #2
Grand Theft Hamlet (2024)
[#21 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
[#20 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Blindspot 2025 #2
Grand Theft Hamlet (2024)
[#21 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Videos
Critical Role
2x87 Punishment and Politics [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#135 'Punishment and Politics'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x87 Punishment and Politics [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#135 'Punishment and Politics'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Saturday, 22 February 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x87 Punishment and Politics [1st half]
This is the first time Matt has a "how do I want to do this?" Not actually the first time he's sort of said it to himself (that was 28 episodes ago; clip here), but back then the others sort of just treated it as comical that an NPC had dealt the killing blow, whereas this time they make a big deal of Matt achieving it and saying the catchphrase to himself (clip here).
[Watch the whole episode (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x87 Punishment and Politics [1st half]
This is the first time Matt has a "how do I want to do this?" Not actually the first time he's sort of said it to himself (that was 28 episodes ago; clip here), but back then the others sort of just treated it as comical that an NPC had dealt the killing blow, whereas this time they make a big deal of Matt achieving it and saying the catchphrase to himself (clip here).
[Watch the whole episode (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Seven additions this week (including two upgrades from BD to 4K, one of which doesn't replace my existing copy). Last week I said there should be seven, as a remainder from the 12 I mentioned the week before (after five of them arrived last time) — and, clearly, there are... but there shouldn't be! I'd confused myself with my own maths: an additional title turned up last week, and two due this week were delayed, so that would make 13 total with two still outstanding; but then something else turned up this week, and it's back up to seven, with two outstanding, for that 12 to now be a 14.
Not that it really matters or anyone cares.
Number of titles in collection: 3,480 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 989 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,491 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 436 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,382 [up 10]
Number of films: 4,414 [up 9]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,858 [up 2]
Number of short films: 1,224 [up 4]
Combined with the 18 titles that arrived before the 12/13/14 fiasco, it's been a fairly hefty month — and it's time to look at that in totality, courtesy of the monthly running time update...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
587 days, 14 hours, and 47 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 20 hours, and 36 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Seven additions this week (including two upgrades from BD to 4K, one of which doesn't replace my existing copy). Last week I said there should be seven, as a remainder from the 12 I mentioned the week before (after five of them arrived last time) — and, clearly, there are... but there shouldn't be! I'd confused myself with my own maths: an additional title turned up last week, and two due this week were delayed, so that would make 13 total with two still outstanding; but then something else turned up this week, and it's back up to seven, with two outstanding, for that 12 to now be a 14.
Not that it really matters or anyone cares.
Number of titles in collection: 3,480 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 989 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,491 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 436 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,382 [up 10]
Number of films: 4,414 [up 9]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,858 [up 2]
Number of short films: 1,224 [up 4]
Combined with the 18 titles that arrived before the 12/13/14 fiasco, it's been a fairly hefty month — and it's time to look at that in totality, courtesy of the monthly running time update...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
587 days, 14 hours, and 47 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 20 hours, and 36 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 21 February 2025
Thursday, 20 February 2025
Wednesday, 19 February 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x86 The Cathedral [1st half]
For what it's worth, with this episode I've switched to watching on Beacon. They've cut the ad break out there, as well as the fan art galleries, so the episodes are shorter than their usually-listed running time (which is based on YouTube), whereas on Twitch they were longer (because that also includes the pre-stream, which was cut from the YouTube version). All of which is immaterial to most people, but somewhat interesting to stat-nerd types like me.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x86 The Cathedral [1st half]
For what it's worth, with this episode I've switched to watching on Beacon. They've cut the ad break out there, as well as the fan art galleries, so the episodes are shorter than their usually-listed running time (which is based on YouTube), whereas on Twitch they were longer (because that also includes the pre-stream, which was cut from the YouTube version). All of which is immaterial to most people, but somewhat interesting to stat-nerd types like me.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Articles
‘A New Age Begins’ for Critical Role. Let’s hope it’s one for actual play and TTRPGs, too
by Em Friedman (from Polygon)
An interesting analysis of the Critical Role Campaign 3 finale, and what it might signify not only for the future of CR, but for the actual-play genre as a whole.
by Em Friedman (from Polygon)
An interesting analysis of the Critical Role Campaign 3 finale, and what it might signify not only for the future of CR, but for the actual-play genre as a whole.
Videos
Talks Machina
#133 'The Threads Converge'
The three-year anniversary of Talks is about the 200th episode of Critical Role, and no one noticed? Tsk.
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
#133 'The Threads Converge'
The three-year anniversary of Talks is about the 200th episode of Critical Role, and no one noticed? Tsk.
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Sunday, 16 February 2025
TV
The BAFTA Film Awards 2025
Well, they listened to me and brought David Tennant back. Good thing too, because he was very good again.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Well, they listened to me and brought David Tennant back. Good thing too, because he was very good again.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Videos
Critical Role
2x85 The Threads Converge
The 200th episode of Critical Role! Not that they mention it, I just read it on the wiki. It's my... 85th, obviously. Apart from one-shots. So... yeah, whatever.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x85 The Threads Converge
The 200th episode of Critical Role! Not that they mention it, I just read it on the wiki. It's my... 85th, obviously. Apart from one-shots. So... yeah, whatever.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Saturday, 15 February 2025
Films
Snake Eyes (1998)
[2nd watch]
[#18 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
When I first watched this (link above) it was an "old film", because it was from the '90s and I watched it in 2010. Well, the time between my first and second viewings is longer than that gap between original release and my first viewing, and I've been meaning to rewatch it for most of that time, so... I don't really know what that says, other than that I'm getting old and time is slipping by.
Anyway, I got to watch it in 4K, and it's good.
[2nd watch]
[#18 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
When I first watched this (link above) it was an "old film", because it was from the '90s and I watched it in 2010. Well, the time between my first and second viewings is longer than that gap between original release and my first viewing, and I've been meaning to rewatch it for most of that time, so... I don't really know what that says, other than that I'm getting old and time is slipping by.
Anyway, I got to watch it in 4K, and it's good.
Fiction
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Prologue
Chapters 1–6
Not my normal kind of thing, but I recently learnt this author is a friend of a work colleague; and apparently this (her debut novel) has an incredible twist, and I do love a great twist.
Prologue
Chapters 1–6
Not my normal kind of thing, but I recently learnt this author is a friend of a work colleague; and apparently this (her debut novel) has an incredible twist, and I do love a great twist.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
When I mentioned last week that I had 12 titles on the way, you kind of envision them arriving all at once. But I did say it was over "the next couple of weeks", and so here we have the first volley of five.
Number of titles in collection: 3,474 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 989 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,485 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 434 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,372 [up 6]
Number of films: 4,405 [up 5]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,220 [no change]
The remaining seven might turn up next week, but some are preorders for the week after, so we'll see. Whenever they arrive, I guess they're mostly (possibly all) destined to end up on my never-ending pile of "future watches", because I certainly don't watch as many films each week as I buy.
Not gonna stop, though. See you next week, faithful reader.
When I mentioned last week that I had 12 titles on the way, you kind of envision them arriving all at once. But I did say it was over "the next couple of weeks", and so here we have the first volley of five.
Number of titles in collection: 3,474 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 989 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,485 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 434 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,372 [up 6]
Number of films: 4,405 [up 5]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,220 [no change]
The remaining seven might turn up next week, but some are preorders for the week after, so we'll see. Whenever they arrive, I guess they're mostly (possibly all) destined to end up on my never-ending pile of "future watches", because I certainly don't watch as many films each week as I buy.
Not gonna stop, though. See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 14 February 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x84 Titles and Tattoos [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#132 'Titles and Tattoos'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x84 Titles and Tattoos [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#132 'Titles and Tattoos'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Thursday, 13 February 2025
Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Monday, 10 February 2025
Sunday, 9 February 2025
Films
Long Story Short (2021)
[#16 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Silver Blaze (1937)
[#15 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
aka Murder at the Baskervilles in the US, to cash in on the success of the Rathbone Hound. The original UK title is more accurate.
[#16 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Silver Blaze (1937)
[#15 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
aka Murder at the Baskervilles in the US, to cash in on the success of the Rathbone Hound. The original UK title is more accurate.
Saturday, 8 February 2025
TV
Friends
5x14 The One Where Everybody Finds Out [5th or so watch]
5x15 The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey [5th or so watch]
5x16 The One with the Cop [5th or so watch]
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
32x09 Episode 9
Strike
5x03 The Ink Black Heart Part 3
5x04 The Ink Black Heart Part 4 [season finale]
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
5x14 The One Where Everybody Finds Out [5th or so watch]
5x15 The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey [5th or so watch]
5x16 The One with the Cop [5th or so watch]
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
32x09 Episode 9
Strike
5x03 The Ink Black Heart Part 3
5x04 The Ink Black Heart Part 4 [season finale]
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
After last week's deluge, the pendulum swings to just one little title this week. However, I've already got 12 titles on order that will arrive across the next couple of weeks, so it's looking like a substantial month overall.
Number of titles in collection: 3,469 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 989 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,480 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 433 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,366 [up 1]
Number of films: 4,400 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 437 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,220 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
After last week's deluge, the pendulum swings to just one little title this week. However, I've already got 12 titles on order that will arrive across the next couple of weeks, so it's looking like a substantial month overall.
Number of titles in collection: 3,469 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 989 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,480 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 433 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,366 [up 1]
Number of films: 4,400 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 437 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,220 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 7 February 2025
TV
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
32x08 Never Mind the Buzzcocks Does the 00s
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x57 Week 12: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
6x05 The Vow
Strike
5x01 The Ink Black Heart Part 1
5x02 The Ink Black Heart Part 2
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
32x08 Never Mind the Buzzcocks Does the 00s
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x57 Week 12: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
6x05 The Vow
Strike
5x01 The Ink Black Heart Part 1
5x02 The Ink Black Heart Part 2
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Thursday, 6 February 2025
TV
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
32x07 Episode 7
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x56 Week 12: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
32x07 Episode 7
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x56 Week 12: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Wednesday, 5 February 2025
Films
Macbeth (2025)
[#13 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
The filmed stage production starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo. Counting it as a film because, well, I saw it in a cinema, so...
[#13 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
The filmed stage production starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo. Counting it as a film because, well, I saw it in a cinema, so...
Videos
Critical Role
2x83 Dark Bargains [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#130 'The Beat of the Permaheart'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x83 Dark Bargains [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#130 'The Beat of the Permaheart'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Tuesday, 4 February 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x82 The Beat of the Permaheart [2nd half]
In game: We better not stay here too long, we might miss TravelerCon!
External knowledge from watching years later: There are 25 episodes before TravelerCon. In the players' real lives, it won't be for another 10 months.
Makes their worrying about it kind of comical, really.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x82 The Beat of the Permaheart [2nd half]
In game: We better not stay here too long, we might miss TravelerCon!
External knowledge from watching years later: There are 25 episodes before TravelerCon. In the players' real lives, it won't be for another 10 months.
Makes their worrying about it kind of comical, really.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Monday, 3 February 2025
TV
X-Men
3x18 Orphan's End
3x19 The Juggernaut Returns
Right, after a four-and-a-half-month break, it's more than overdue that I have another crack at this. (It's not that I don't enjoy it anymore or something, it's just I'm terrible at sticking at anything 'long' without concerted effort.)
(Also: I seem to have stopped putting "2nd watch" on these by accident; but as I was never sure how many of them I actually saw on their original broadcast, I've decided to just leave those and carry on without it.)
3x18 Orphan's End
3x19 The Juggernaut Returns
Right, after a four-and-a-half-month break, it's more than overdue that I have another crack at this. (It's not that I don't enjoy it anymore or something, it's just I'm terrible at sticking at anything 'long' without concerted effort.)
(Also: I seem to have stopped putting "2nd watch" on these by accident; but as I was never sure how many of them I actually saw on their original broadcast, I've decided to just leave those and carry on without it.)
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