Articles

The Fry debacle by @brumplum
(from Plum's plums)
Remember yesterday's Stephen Fry story? Here's the (reasonable, I should point out) response from the guy who 'insulted' him. There certainly has been a media overreaction. (And you'll be pleased to know they've made up and Stephen's still on twitter).

Review of The Complete Fritz Lang Mabuse Boxset DVD by Clydefro Jones
(from DVD Times)
Comprehensive review of Masters of Cinema's excellent-looking new box set. Lengthy, but fascinating.

TV

Emma
Part 4 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

With the next Doctor Who special, The Waters of Mars (brilliant title), screening for the press yesterday, the net is naturally awash with stories relating to it. And quite right too. Here are a few of the best/most interesting/etc that I've seen...

Be warned, all articles contain spoilers.

Ten Waters of Mars teasers by Neil Wilkes
(from Digital Spy)
Does what it says on the tin, and naturally is spectacularly spoilersome.

Transcript: Doctor Who press conference by Neil Wilkes & Philippa Warr (from Digital Spy)
and
Doctor Who: It’s Time by Ian Wylie (from Life of Wylie)
Both claim to offer a full transcript of the post-screening press conference. They're similar, but still amusingly different, in some cases missing whole questions (and answers, obviously). Clearly journalists have a different definition of "full" to the rest of us... but then that should be no surprise.

And in Who DVD news...

The Mind of Evil In Colour (Just Not Yet) and More! by Graeme
(from The Doctor Who Blog)
Some good news, some bad there -- I seriously hope "no incomplete story is currently on the DVD release schedule" means "in the immediate future", because there are some brilliant and very releasable incomplete stories left. Even if they're scheduled for November 2013 (when the range will end) to allow time for animated reconstructions to become viable, they deserve a release.

And in other news entirely...

Blog sparks mass council walkout
(from BBC News)
Hurrah for the power of the blog!

Fry ponders leaving Twitter site
(from BBC News)
Because of one stupid comment, the article implies, but it seems to have been building for a while -- too many news sources seem to think Twitter's Opinion and Stephen Fry's Opinion are synonymous, and that understandably irritates him.

Paranormal Activity breaks Witch record by Tim Parks
(from Digital Spy)
"Paranormal Activity has surpassed The Blair Witch Project to become the most profitable movie ever made. The film, directed by Oren Peli on a budget of $15,000 (£9,059)... has now made $65.1m (£39.5m) and has reaped a 433,900% return on its initial investment"

new review at 100 Films

Saw IV (2007)

After the overly gory third film, Saw IV returns to the franchise’s roots by playing more like a thriller than a horror film — even more so than the previous instalments, one might argue, as aside from a couple of jumps and a few instances of gore, the story and its key sequences move forward via police investigation, endless flashbacks and copious twists. The Saw franchise should be applauded for trying to be more than just another slasher series, but needs to learn the value of restraint in other areas.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 19 films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

The Armstrong and Miller Show
2x02 Episode 2
Yes, last week's.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Criminal Justice
2x01 Part 1
2x02 Part 2
Finally catching up with this. It's grim and depressing, as promised, but also utterly brilliant. Marvellous performances all round, particularly from Maxine Peake.

How I Met Your Mother
2x17 Arrivederci, Fiero
Oops, skipped one again. Fortunately this was entirely standalone.

The Sarah Jane Adventures
3x06 The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith Part Two
Another brilliant episode -- SJA is really excelling this series -- with a moving send-off to David T.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

High Anxiety (1977)
[#65 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
[#66 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
On 4HD, though the D didn't look very H to me.

Articles

The Thief of Bagdad (1940) by Roger Ebert
(from Great Movies at rogerebert.com)
Lovely review/article on 100 Films' #66.

Collection Count

Last week I started my new Collection Count series, tracking my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics. You can read the whole initial post here.

This week most numbers have gone up (as is generally the case; though, occasionally (very occasionally) I do sell titles and they might go down), which is as exciting as ever. And statistic of the week is truly fascinating. Oh yes.

Number of titles in collection: 1,066 [up 9]
Of which DVDs: 1,031 [up 7]
Of which Blu-rays: 35 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 2,625 [up 9]
Number of films in collection: 1,102 [up 8]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 3,653 [up 1]

Statistic of the week:

Number of titles produced in the '00s:
589
(55.3% of the collection)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Ooh, lots today...

Argumental
2x09 (27/10/09 edition)

Defying Gravity
1x03 Threshold
Dear God, please save us from "sci-fi for women". (Not that there's anything wrong with women liking sci-fi, but foisting Hollyoaks-level soapy plotting onto a promising sci-fi/fact idea is incredibly disappointing.)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
17x08 (23/10/09 edition)
If anyone knows where I can get hold of Tim Minchin's specially written song, please let me know -- it was brilliant!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

How I Met Your Mother
2x15 Lucky Penny
The kind of episode HIMYM does so well. Here, the story jumps increasingly far back in time to outline a months-long chain of cause and effect that stems from a penny to Ted losing out on a major job.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
23x05 (28/10/09 edition)
Frank Skinner makes for the most laid-back host yet. Not sure if that's good or bad...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Ross Noble's Australian Trip
Part 4 (of 6)
Part 5 (of 6)
"Landrover on a Pole." Ah, Australia.
[Watch Part 4 and Part 5 (again) on Demand Five.]

The Sarah Jane Adventures
3x05 The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith Part One
One of the best yet, packed with wonderful humour. Though the best bit is surely to come tomorrow, of course.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Generation Kill
Part 4 Combat Jack
Along with @Generation_Kill, of course.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

House
6x04 The Tyrant

How I Met Your Mother
2x13 Columns
2x14 Monday Night Football

Films

Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)
[#64 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
It was made in '64... and it's #64! Such amazement...

Articles

The Five Scariest Episodes in TV History by Richard Lawson
(from tv.com)
Some good picks, though the omission of Doctor Who's Blink is a serious oversight.

TV

Argumental
2x08 (20/10/09 edition)
Yes, last week's.
Proof if proof were needed that this isn't series three: managing to discuss Michael Jackson with reference to his upcoming gigs at the O2 -- and, obviously therefore, not mentioning his death -- clearly shows it was filmed a good while ago. I'm fairly surprised they broadcast that round, actually.

How I Met Your Mother
2x12 First Time in New York

Articles

It's Question Time for the Daily Mail by Media Monkey
(from guardian.co.uk)
The Daily Mail are liars -- look, here's proof.

The Only Tobin Bell Interview You'll Ever Need by Kyle Buchanan
(from Movie|Line)
Normally I find articles with such self-important titles to be objectionable, but for once it's not undeserved. The star of the Saw series has an awful lot more to offer, as demonstrated by this interview that is fascinating but barely mentions those films.

Paul Haggis Renounces Church of Scientology in Blistering Letter by Kyle Buchanan
(from Movie|Line)
You may've heard this story -- it's such a damning letter that it's been quite widely reported. Be sure to stick around for page two, that's where the best bits are (not that I don't approve of what he's saying on the first page, but someone in the media being pro gay marriage and a church being anti it has all the surprise value of the latest X Factor single going straight to number one).

new review at 100 Films

Saw III (2006)

the point at which the franchise finally tips over into the justly reviled “torture porn” category. That’s not to say it’s solely focused on its gruesome deaths — as with the previous two films, there’s a thriller-ish plot to work through as well — but Jigsaw’s traps this time round are shown in excruciating detail... Along with it, the gore feels less justified. The traps have an element of invention about them, but the punishment doesn’t fit the crime in the same way it did in the first tw

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 17 films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

Have I Got News For You
38x02 (23/10/09 edition; uncut repeat).
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

How I Met Your Mother
2x11 How Lily Stole Christmas

It's Only a Theory
1x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
[#63 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

TV

FlashForward
1x04 Black Swan
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Life
Part 2 Reptiles and Amphibians
Crikey this looks stunning in HD.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Life On Location
Part 2 Chasing the Dragon
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Russell Howard's Good News
1x01 (22/10/09 edition, extended repeat)
Faintly topical, rather lewd, very BBC Three.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Saw IV (2007)
[#62 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Articles

Hmm... remember this? by Anton Vowl
(from The enemies of reason)
One of the best articles you will ever read, showing both the hypocrisy of papers like the Daily Mail and Daily Express, and how they might just be to blame for the rise of the BNP. My favourite bit is where the Mail has a headline that's word-for-word identical to BNP protest placards.

Saw 7 - Sequel Plans by Sheridan Passell
(from Movie Moron)
Odd things are occurring in the world of the Saw franchise -- just look at those Rotten Tomatoes scores!