Music

The Goblin Song
by Murray Gold

Released today, the musical number from the Doctor Who Christmas special. It's about eating babies. Ridiculous, camp, and marvellous. It's already #1 on some charts; how amazing would it be if it got to be Christmas #1? I doubt it will, but stranger things have happened. And it's raising money for Children in Need, so that's nice too.

[Watch the music video (aka clip from the episode) on YouTube.]

TV

Children in Need 2023
Apparently I haven't watched Children in Need since 2020. I knew I wasn't as dedicated to these charity-athons as I used to be (I watched them religiously in my childhood, through my teens, and I guess most of my twenties too), but I thought I'd watched it more regularly than that of late. Obviously not. (I checked out the intro to last year's show while it was still on iPlayer and realised, yeah, I'd only watched the reveal of Millie Gibson as the new Who companion on social media.)
Frankly, I can't really say I watched this year's either: I dipped in and out, primarily waiting for the Doctor Who sketch. That took the form of a brand-new scene, possibly titled Destination: Skaro (per RTD on Instagram), starring David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor in an encounter (sort of) with the Daleks. You can watch it by itself on iPlayer or YouTube, as well as the whole charity event (linked below). More thoughts on Letterboxd.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who: Unleashed
1x00 Children in Need
Who's new behind-the-scenes show begins (sort of — I mean, it's the first "episode" of Unleashed that's been released, but it's not full-length, is it?) with a look at the making of that Children in Need scene.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Last Leg
29x02 (17/11/2023 edition)
More Doctor Who-inspired viewing, sort of, in the sense that David Tennant was a guest tonight and I was still around my TV so ended up tuning in. I used to watch The Last Leg regularly, of course, and it was funny to see how little it's changed over the numerous years I've not been a viewer.
[Watch it (again) on Channel 4.]

TV

Children in Need 2020
I didn't really intend to watch this (I haven't for years), I just wanted to catch up with certain parts later (like the Goes Wrong Show sketch); but I had nothing else to do at the time it started, so I bunged it on and ended up leaving it on in the background throughout. It wasn't bad. Maybe it helps that it was only 3 hours this year — so much less filler.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Children in Need: Got It Covered
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

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

TV

Children in Need 2018
I can't remember the last time I actually watched Children in Need — well, this blog tells me it was 2014 — and I didn't even watch all of it this year, but I saw a fair bit (including the Mastermind special, which might've been the best bit). It was… fine. I swear there used to be more special sketches and stuff...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

A new month started this week, so it was time to look back at the old one over on 100 Films in a Year...





Plus, there were 3 brand-new reviews...


London Has Fallen (2016)

It does just about pass muster as a brains-off actioner, in the truest sense of the term: you’ll need to switch your brain off to endure the rampant xenophobia and American flag-waving. God, I bet Trump loves this movie.

Read more here.


Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Miss Peregrine seems to have received a rather muted response, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It might be best to qualify that by reiterating that it’s playing with a lot of things I enjoy — “X-Men by way of Tim Burton” sounds fantastic to me, and that’s not a bad definition of this movie.

Read more here.


The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (1962)

The consensus seems to be that The Tale of Zatoichi Continues is a faster-paced and more action-packed movie than its predecessor, which is obviously to some viewers’ taste... However, I thought it lacked the artistry of the first film. It’s very focused on plot rather than digging into character, which is especially problematic when it comes to a subplot about a rogue who turns out to be Ichi’s brother.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

this week on 100 Films

This week over at 100 Films in a Year saw a new-look monthly update, packed with far more goodies than ever before. Check it out here:




As well as that, four brand-new reviews were published this week...


The Eagle (2011)

Adapted from Rosemary Sutcliff’s children’s adventure novel, director Kevin Macdonald’s film is, perhaps surprisingly, almost leisurely paced, as much about mood as it is about action. Big fights and battles clearly aren’t the film’s goal or forte, though an early sequence where Roman forces battle druids outside the fort Tatum commands is excellently done.

Read more here.


Fury (2014)

In some respects it's a bit “seen it all before”. The desaturated photography, muddy landscape and slightly-ramshackle military campaign are all very post-Saving Private Ryan, though writer-director David Ayer lends enough of his own directorial flair that it feels more visually distinctive than most Ryan rip-offs.

Read more here.


The Guest (2014)

I loved The Guest. I loved Dan Stevens’ character and his performance. I loved each and every one of the perfectly-placed supporting cast. I loved the wit and the action scenes. I loved the ’80s-inspired plotting. I loved the score. Indeed, I loved pretty much everything about it.

Read more here.


The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer’s French-produced silent movie depicts the last hours in the life of Joan of Arc, a nineteen-year-old who is on trial by the Church for claiming God instructed her to fight to free France from British rule. You probably know it doesn’t turn out well for her.

Read more here.


Plus six archive reviews were reposted on the new blog...


Breathless (1960)

Godard's first and most famous film; part of the beginning of the nouvelle vague, a French movement defining a particular youth culture at the time... This is definitely what most people would call an 'arthouse' film, though is decidedly less so than the one other Godard film I've seen

Read more here.


The Crowd (1928)

Late silent-era drama — though you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a comedy until halfway, when the light antics of a young couple in ’20s New York give way to some increasingly dark drama (interesting trivia: seven endings were shot for distributors to choose from, some happy and some sad; all chose sad ones.)

Read more here.


Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005)

The plot is more or less suitably movieised — a more-epic-than-usual tale of Stewie’s origins (sort of) — though it seems slightly held back by its genesis as three TV episodes and the need for it ultimately to be split back up. With subplots that begin and end within each half-hour(-ish) segment, it plays about as well as watching a three-parter back to back

Read more here.


Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine (1913)

The first of the silent Fantômas films. It's interestingly structured: there's no 'origin story' for Fantômas, he just is an infamous master criminal, who's introduced in what would undoubtedly be a pre-titles sequence today

Read more here.


Fantômas: Juve Versus Fantômas (1913)

Second instalment... full of crazy schemes and action set pieces, which means it’s actually a great deal of fun, relatively fast-paced and densely plotted, exciting and deliberately amusing

Read more here.


The Good German (2006)

is this a case of style over substance? Some critics accuse it of just that, saying it concentrates more on the look & feel than the characters. They do have a point, but the style is, if not incidental, then still not the sole purpose. The tale is more about the mystery — indeed, mysteries — than the characters.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Children in Need 2014
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
6x17 The Invasion Episode Seven

Gareth Malone's All Star Choir
Part 2 (of 2)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Not Going Out
7x04 Anna
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Only Connect
Children in Need: Noggins v Curiosities
Last time I watched Only Connect, I also watched the animated X-Men's version of Days of Future Past, and today... well. That's one freaky coincidence.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

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


Darkman (1990)

Before he made the insanely successful Spider-Man trilogy, horror auteur Sam Raimi helmed this cinema-original superhero-esque fable, about a scientist caught in the crossfire between a corrupt developer and the mob who sets out for revenge.

Read more here.


The Tournament (2009)

the kind of film where its relative quality is entirely dependent on what you want from a movie. Is it original? Not terribly. Is it clever? Not really. Is it action-packed and kinda fun? Yessir.

Read more here.


Plus six were new to the new blog...


24: Redemption (Extended Edition) (2008)

Everything you need to know for this story is contained herein... On the other hand, it fails as a standalone movie. While the main plot — Jack defends school — is kicked off and wrapped up in the space between the title and the credits, there are several US-based plot threads that aren’t even close to being resolved. These are clearly designed to flow on into season seven

Read more here.


The Condemned (2007)

one keeps expecting it to degenerate into rubbish, but it never quite does. This is partly due to lowered expectations, true, and I’m not claiming it’s a piece of philosophical art — it’s still essentially a straight-up action movie — but there’s more to the story and its inherent issues than one has any reason to expect.

Read more here.


Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005)

the main point is clearly the action, which is pretty spectacular. If you can bear the dense, plot-heavy first half (which does also contain several good sequences), the second is non-stop action, only occasionally marred by overactive camerawork.

Read more here.


I Am Legend (2007)

Things go very well for the first half. It’s nicely paced, concentrating on a depiction of one man’s loneliness taken to the extreme. The script, and Smith’s acting, handle the material well... Sadly, things begin to go down hill...

Read more here.


The Kite Runner (2007)

it feels like it’s part biography (though it’s fiction) and part moral fable. By the end, we’re presumably meant to leave with the feeling that some justice has been done at last. But while one boy has been saved from the horrors of his captors... there are hundreds left behind with the still-active villain.

Read more here.


Stand By Me (1986)

Irrespective of age, generation, or being able to remember the kinds of experiences suggested by the film, Stand By Me is still an effective and affecting little film. The level of enjoyment for some may depend on how much they can stomach child actors, though as kids go they’re mostly very good.

Read more here.



More next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
30x14 The Next Doctor [2nd watch]

The Tenth Doctor portion of #bbbDW50 concludes with the 2008 Christmas special, the last episode of Doctor Who to be made in standard definition (but, almost ironically, the first we're watching on Blu-ray).

Every episode in this viewing season was selected for a reason, be it to represent a certain monster, or as a gold-standard classic, or even for its notoriety. Why did The Next Doctor win out over the numerous RTD-era classics? Well, it's one of the least-regarded Christmas specials, and as I haven't seen it since it first went out (five years ago!) it seemed overdue a personal reappraisal. It also features the Cybermen, who are the most startling oversight in a run of stories that has included Daleks (twice), Ice Warriors, Autons, the Master (twice), Omega, Zygons, Sontarans, and the Kandy Man.

Finally, watching The Next Doctor right after an episode starring "the next Doctor" was too fun to miss. (There are plenty of other episodes from season four and the specials that I've yet to re-watch, so that's the real reason, isn't it?)

In the end, the best reason to watch was that reappraisal. The Next Doctor is really good, with a peerless performance by David Morrissey and a great turn from Dervla Kirwan too. The Cyberking is a bit much, but otherwise the Cybermen are great, particularly effective at a snow-bound funeral and when they betray -- or, as it turns out, attempt to betray -- Miss Hartigan. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the best Christmas special, but it's actually a very good one. Hurrah!


Elementary
2x03 We Are Everyone


Friends
5x01 The One After Ross Says Rachel [4th or so watch]
Really, it's Part 3.


Only Connect
Children in Need Special: Scrabblers v The Balding Team

TV

Arrow
2x04 Crucible

Atlantis
1x08 The Furies
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Children in Need 2013
Midnight to 2am, featuring dregs and repeats... and a record-breaking total.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited
1x08 The Eighth Doctor
Half an hour on one story -- no mention of the books, audios, comic strips... And because it was made months ago, no mention of The Night of the Doctor either, which is a shame.

Friends
4x23 The One with Ross's Wedding Part 1 [5th or so watch]
4x24 The One with Ross's Wedding Part 2 [season finale; 5th or so watch]

The Science of Doctor Who
Prof. Brian Cox's lecture on the real-life science related to concepts from Doctor Who. Essentially, this means time travel, with a diversion into the possible existence of aliens. Interesting, but a shame there was nothing on uniquely Who concepts like something being bigger on the inside.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Children in Need 2013
As ever, this is officially everything up to midnight -- including a clip of the Doctor Who 50th! Link below is all the CiN stuff on iPlayer.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who
29x09 The Family of Blood [3rd watch]
This is truly excellent. In DWM's Mighty 200 it was voted the sixth greatest story ever, and I reckon it's at least that good, if not better, even with another 50-ish stories having come since that poll.

TV

Arrow
1x13 Betrayal

Broadchurch
Part 2 (of 8)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Pointless Celebrities
Children in Need 2012

Room 101: Extra Storage
13x08 Episode 8 [season finale]

TV

Doctor Who
33x05b Vastra Investigates
After the one we got during Children in Need, here's another brief prequel to Tuesday's Doctor Who Christmas special. Intriguing...
[Watch it (again) on the official Doctor Who site.]

The Graham Norton Show
12x09 (21/12/12 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Loving Miss Hatto
It must be Christmas -- I actually watched something when it was actually on! See also below.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Mr Stink
Quite marvellous this was -- perfect Christmastime family entertainment. Slightly wish I had a 3D TV to have seen its full effect; not because it needed the extra dimension, but just because... well, it's a gimmick, isn't it -- but sometimes a fun one. I don't think you can watch it online in 3D though. Heck, you can't even watch it in HD!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Spy
2x10 Codename: Last Scupper [season finale]
I say "season finale" -- there's a double-length Christmas special on Boxing Day that I should imagine picks up where this left off. But it was billed as the season finale nonetheless, and did rather wrap some things up at least.

TV

Children in Need 2012
Specifically, everything after midnight; though the link below will just take you to all the CiN stuff on iPlayer.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
44x05 (9/11/12 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Merlin
5x07 A Lesson in Vengeance
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Children in Need 2012
As ever, there'll be more CiN tomorrow to cover the post-midnight stuff (which is, naturally, still on as I post this).
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Derren Brown: Fear & Faith
Part 1 (of 2)
Or, to put it another way, Derren Brown: Fear -- next week is the Faith part. Although it does work, because there's certainly some faith in here and I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover there's some fear in religious faith.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

1001 Things You Should Know
1x02 (13/11/12 edition)
C4's new daytime quiz show, which I primarily watched because it's presented by Sandi Toksvig and she seemed an arbiter of quality. It's not bad, but it's basically just a simple question format -- pleasant enough but hardly taxing. Not likely to make the jump to a prime-time variant. (And I started with episode two because episode one wasn't available on Virgin Media's version of 4oD, because Virgin are useless like that.)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Hebburn
1x04 Feeling Dynamic
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Hunted
1x06 Ambassadors
See also today's Articles.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Only Connect
Children in Need Special: Goldfingers vs Fowls
I did surprisingly well at this... though, as you may remember from last year, they apparently make it slightly easier for the celebrity/special editions, so that might not be saying a whole lot.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

A daily dose of sci-fi - Day 21

Favourite alien invasion movie/series

Alien invasion is a constant theme of sci-fi across books, TV, film and more. Unsurprising, really -- it involves aliens (sci-fi!) and keeps it grounded on Earth, which can be good for both relating things to your viewers and, perhaps even more importantly, the budget.

Torchwood: Children of Earth

It's not an invasion story per se: only one alien actually arrives and it's after, essentially, a bribe. But it's a bribe to stop an alien invasion (if I remember correctly), so I'm going to count it. And that's because it's bloody brilliant.

Torchwood was quite good through its first two series. Some episodes were brilliant, some were dire, and overall it felt half-thought-through and made up on the fly -- characters' behaviour changing from week to week, that kind of thing. I think more people wanted to like it, as a rare dose of adult-orientated genre TV in the UK, than actually genuinely did.

But that all changed with Children of Earth, which is flat out one of the greatest SF miniseries ever made, never mind its connections to previous Torchwood or Doctor Who or what have you. It's a cracking tale full of action, emotion, humour, tension, fear, heartbreak...

You don't need to have seen previous Torchwood to get it, and if you disliked previous Torchwood that shouldn't put you off: Children of Earth is exceptional.


Read about a daily dose of sci-fi, with links to the rest of the series, here.

TV

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
25x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Only Connect
Children in Need Special: Great Believers vs Free Speakers
Apparently they make this notoriously-difficult quiz slightly easier for the celebrity/special editions. Which probably explains how I did moderately well at it.

Pointless
3x41 (9/11/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]