My letter to DWM

As promised yesterday, here's the complete text of my letter to DWM. Bits they cut are in red for the sake of comparison (I assumed they'd ignore everything before that first colon but they, er, didn't...)

Dearest DWM,

The shiny new Complete Specials Blu-ray set dropped through my letterbox the other morning, prompting me to compose the following missive:

Five years of revived Doctor Who, five excellent complete series DVD sets from 2entertain.

Sorry, did I say five? I meant four, because the Complete Specials set is something of a disappointment. Full-length Confidentials - great! Video diary - fantastic! Deleted scenes - superb! Audio commentaries on every episode - marv--* Oh, wait.

After managing a thorough 55 tracks over the first four series - and some with video too - the ball has been severely dropped by only including commentaries for The End of Time in this set. There's no good excuse, especially when there are those podcast ones available for every episode, which have indeed been included in the past in lieu of a new track.

But hey, those are online, right? We can have them any time! Just gotta work out how to sync it up with the DVD - pressing play at the same time might work... no, one always takes too long to actually start...

So it'll take some effort, but at least we can conveniently download them to iPods or burn them to CDs. What do you mean they're streaming only? Guess I'll have to watch it on my PC then...

Except I've gone and bought the Blu-ray set - can't play that on my computer! I suppose I could unplug my desktop, take all the bits downstairs, set it up again, then watch the stream and the Blu-ray at the same time...

Until halfway through it pauses to buffer, that is. Why aren't these just on the discs again?**

Poor show, 2|entertain.

* Here's a bit they added, turning my truncated "marvellous" into the full word.
** They re-wrote this bit ever so slightly, to make it sound better. Cheers, DWM.

(Just in case anyone misconstrues me posting this as bitterness cos they cut my oh-so-wonderful letter -- I don't mind, it's what magazines do, and I expected them to cut most of it... though, they didn't necessarily cut what I'd expected, which is interesting (ish). But what are blogs for if not posting your full and frank thoughts? So here they are.)

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week. Only a slight increase again this week -- in fact, it's numerically very similar to last week. Thrilling.

Number of titles in collection: 1,150 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,079 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 71 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 2,805 [up 4]
Number of films in collection: 1,215 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 3,874 [no change]

Statistic of the week:

Number of titles watched:
406
(35.3% of the total)

This means titles where I've completely watched the main feature(s) on my copy -- so if I saw a film at the cinema but haven't yet watched the DVD, it doesn't count as watched. Special features don't count either; and if it's, say, a three-film set, I have to have watched all three for it to be counted (watching two means nothing).

Obviously, therefore, something like The X Files (with its 202 45-minute episodes) has more of an uphill struggle than, say, Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (just one 45-minute episode). Arguably this makes the above statistic meaningless, as a tally of how many individual films and TV eps I'd watched would be a more accurate representation of how much (or, rather, how little) of my DVD/BD collection I've actually seen.

Anyway, see you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Argumental
3x05 (2/3/10 edition)

Five Days
2x01 Day 1
Following a direct sequel featuring two of the first series' ensemble cast promoted to leading roles (Hunter, which was on in January 2009), this new series of the original takes the Criminal Justice route: same format, completely new story with new characters. Whereas Criminal Justice needed this to work, Five Days' concept isn't so beholden to needing new characters, new setting, etc -- if it's about five key days in a criminal investigation, there's no reason the police officers involved couldn't be the same. It's a bit like scrapping Jack Bauer, CTU and all the rest after one season of 24 because it's unrealistic they'd ever have to deal with another terrorist threat in a 24-hour period.
Anyway, it's an intriguing -- if occasionally slow-going -- start. Hopefully there won't be too much of the dull "it's not your jurisdiction" crap with the lead character though -- the couple of moments in this episode were already dragging, and the Next Time trailer suggested it plays an even bigger role in Part Two. Oh dear.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Tinga Tinga Tales
1x12 Why Warthog is So Ugly
1x13 Why Jackal Howls at the Moon
1x14 Why Frog Croaks
[Watch episodes 12, 13 and 14 (again) on iPlayer.]

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #419

Amongst many other things in the new DWM (including three new episode titles) is a letter I wrote. Hurrah!

I sent it a while ago -- in time for the last issue, in fact -- so when it didn't appear I assumed it had been left out. It's better timed this edition, however, as it coincides with their review of the DVD/Blu-ray release of the 2008-10 Specials (which is, as you may have guessed, what my letter was about).

It's been trimmed for inclusion in the magazine, which is fair enough; I'd include the full one here, but I can't currently access my sent emails (see here for why) -- if I remember, I'll post it another day.

[Edit: I've now posted the letter here.]

Articles

Oscar and Me by John Scalzi
(from Whatever)
Discovered thanks to an article further down this post (ah the joys of alphabetical listings). This particular piece is about what it's like to borrow an Oscar for a few days and what discoveries you make. Fun.

TGE Review at SFReviews.net, Plus a Bonus Childhood Story by John Scalzi
(from Whatever)
I've never heard of John Scalzi, his novel The God Engines (that's the TGE of the article title) or the site SFReviews.net, but I saw this article linked to from twitter and was intrigued. I share it because it's a nicely written true story that's also True. Lessons learned 'n' all that. (The rest of his blog is rather nifty too, as it turns out.)

Technology

new iMac

As followers of my twitter may be aware, I recently won a shiny new iMac from raffle.it. It arrived this morning and it is, as is common for Apple products, a thing of beauty.

And a much-need one too, because my 3½-year-old iMac was beginning to show serious signs of wear. Not to mention the always-welcome benefits of an upgrade in screen size (to 21.5") and resolution (Full HD!), boosted power (up to 2.4x better than the previous generation, and mine's older), and all the other nifty things new Macs have (Magic Mouse! Freakishly small keyboard! And everything's so light (as in not-heavy, not, like, glowing...))

(After all those links, I feel like I need a disclaimer saying I'm not paid to endorse any of the companies involved! But it is great.)

Currently, however, I'm using Migration Assistant to transfer the files from my old iMac. Apparently it's going to be another 19 hours, and I can't use either machine while they're at it. Damn.

Guess I'm just stuck with my MacBook Air for now then. Woe is me, eh.

TV

Mock the Week
8x05 (18/2/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Survivors [2008]
2x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
Half-resolved, half-cliffhanger. Will there be a third series? Goodness knows. I'm torn about whether it's a good idea, although the potential to shift the show's dynamic -- from surviving to rebuilding -- is an intriguing one.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Tinga Tinga Tales
1x11 Why Monkeys Swing in the Trees
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Infographic: Fun Oscar Trivia by Peter Sciretta
(from /Film)
A pictorial selection of Oscar-related stats and trivia. Fun.

Martin Scorsese Says Even Films Like Precious Should Be in 3D by Peter Sciretta
(from /Film)
No.

Why everyone is so animated about Disney by Will Gompertz
(from Gomp/arts at BBC News)
Read this a few days ago, forgot to mention it. It's a good explanation of why the situation matters.

TV

How I Met Your Mother
4x24 The Leap [season finale]
[Watch it on 4oD from 20th May (probably).]

Mad Men
3x06 Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency
[Watch it again on iPlayer.]

Tinga Tinga Tales
1x09 Why Caterpillar Is Never in a Hurry
1x10 Why Mosquito Buzzes
Not that anyone cares, but the BBC episode guide seems to be titting around with the order of these for no foreseeable reason. Maybe it's the cutbacks kicking in already. Still, I'm going to keep on numbering them in broadcast order regardless because, like I said, it hardly matters.
[Watch episode 9 (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

First, Married Single Other features in two articles published today, in a somewhat different context...

All you need is fluff by Alison Graham (from Radio Times 6-12 March 2009, p45)

the first episode of Married Single Other won an audience of more than six million (that's very, very good, by the way)

followed by...

Married, Single, Other drops over 2m by Dan French (from Digital Spy)

The second episode... managed 3.96m (15.5%). Last week's opener interested 6.22m (25.5%).

Oh dear.

But, additionally,

it was beaten [by] Five Days, which returned to an impressive 7.39m (28.9%)

I guess Graham would call that very, very, very good...

And now for something completely different...

James Cameron's Oscar Speech Revealed! by John Lopez
(from Vanity Fair)
Very, very funny. Also, probably true.

TV

24
7x23 6:00AM - 7:00AM
7x24 7:00AM - 8:00AM
Well, that's that then. Quite a nice ending in places -- mainly, the very-end endings. It's been a mixed season, though at least that's an improvement on some more recent ones. I've heard talk of season eight being a return to early-years form... but then they said that about this season, so we'll see.

The Comic Strip Presents...
1x01 Five Go Mad in Dorset

The Mentalist
2x02 The Scarlet Letter
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Articles

Prison drama A Prophet sweeps French Oscars
(from BBC News)
It's funny, really -- the BAFTAs must be the only non-American awards that are criticised for resolutely rewarding their own cinema. Maybe it's because British cinema is so lacking (we think only America produces films, but that's because we don't see so much of the low-key foreign output), maybe it's because we're so desperate to position ourselves as an Oscar predictor, or maybe it's just because we speak English and so American movies are equally (nay, more) important than our own (whereas in non-English-speaking countries, local cinema can equal or best the big American movies at the box office as well as in critics' eyes). And if you happen to be thinking that the French film won and all/most of the other big nominees were the English-language films we're used to seeing at every other ceremony this year... nope.

TV

24
7x22 5:00AM - 6:00AM

How I Met Your Mother
4x23 As Fast As She Can
[Watch it on 4oD from 13th May (probably).]

Mo
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Films

Juno (2007)
[#25 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Finally seen all the Best Picture Oscar nominees for 2007! It's only taken three years (more if you count from when they were actually released, not just announced); and it's been over a year since I set about seeing most of them for one big 100 Films post. That should now be coming within the week... hopefully...

Also, as you can see, I've now reached 25 films in my 2010 collection. I've posted a bit on this subject here.

Articles

Jolie departure kills Wanted sequel by Simon Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
My first reaction to seeing this story was, "why?" She was hardly the biggest draw of the first film, which was also self-contained and not needing of a sequel... until it made a lot of money. So I was thoroughly unsurprised to see this story the very next day:
Wanted 2 going ahead without Jolie by Paul Millar
(from Digital Spy)
And this points out just what I said: that it was self-contained, the big-name stars die at the end, and then it made a fortune at the box office and they wanted a sequel. Essentially, then, there was no truth to Jolie's departure killing the sequel -- the news reports just made it up/assumed it. Which just goes to remind us why you can't trust the media. Especially Digital Spy.

Real-Life Buzz Lightyear by Peter Sciretta
(from /film)
Not real-real life, but a realistic CGI version. It's rather impressive and consequently disconcerting (certainly more so than ones done for other cartoon characters like Mario or Jessica Rabbit, which just look like their originals with more realistic skin-tone. Or, worst of all, a freaky puffy Homer Simpson, looking like someone with a horrible disease.)

this week on 100 Films

7 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

Batman (1966)

it has a real feel for what comics were like at the time — the vibrant colours, silliness, larger-than-life characters, nonsensical plots, plus there’s a nice line in risque humour, keeping the adults happy in what’s really a kid-focused film.

Deja Vu (2006)

kinda nonsense, albeit nonsense that some people have put a lot of thought into trying to explain. In spite of this, I quite enjoyed it

Exiled (2006)

features several impressive action scenes. They’re Leone-like in the way there’s often an extended pause, the threat of violence hanging in the air — then a sudden burst, over quickly. But within this style there’s a lot of visual flair

Frankenstein (2004)

this is what Dean Koontz would like viewers/readers to believe: that the novels are his undiluted vision, while the film most certainly is not. Well, don’t believe him. Watching the film having read the book (a couple of years ago), this feels like a faithful adaptation.

M (1931)

a film of immense significance, not least because of its place on numerous Best Ever lists... near-endless essays and articles and whole books have been penned discussing every notable aspect, it’s unlikely I’m going to have much either new or significant to say after one viewing. Just so you know

Paths of Glory (1957)

Kubrick’s depiction of war is excellent, from long tracking shots through the trenches, to the nighttime wilderness of No Man’s Land, lit only by flares that reveal it’s strewn with bodies, to an epic and perfectly-staged battle that is a visual and aural assault.

Zum Beispiel: Fritz Lang (1968)

A slightly odd little documentary, in which Erwin Leiser ‘interviews’ Lang about his early directing career.

More next Sunday.

TV

The Bubble
1x02 (26/2/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Let's Dance for Sport Relief
Episode 2 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
8x06 (25/2/10 edition) [season finale]
Often Mock the Week's Best Of/Outtakes shows are more the former than the latter, but this achieved a nice mix with plenty of new material. Hurrah!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Tinga Tinga Tales
1x08 Why Vulture is Bald
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

24
7x21 4:00AM - 5:00AM

Archer
1x01 Mole Hunt
1x02 Training Day
A relatively speedy UK debut for this animated spy-com, albeit buried on Fiver.
Strictly adults-only, it's funnier than your average sitcom manages these days, particularly benefitting from a fast pace and near-constant stream of gags, and not quite as vulgar as some can be (though it certainly pushes toward those limits). Better than I'd hoped for, then, especially considering its inconspicuous scheduling. Plus there's a lot more to look forward to as it's recently been picked up for a longer second season.
(Five have a minisite with clips and character profiles (and not much else) for the interested.)
[Watch Mole Hunt and Training Day (again) on Demand Five.]

Friday Night With Jonathan Ross
18x06 (19/2/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

How I Met Your Mother
4x22 Right Place Right Time
[Watch it on 4oD from 6th May (probably).]

Films

No Country For Old Men (2007)
[2nd watch]
This was #5 in 100 Films 2009. I first watched it 13 months ago and I've still not posted a review! Soon though...

Articles

Skins Effy, Freddie praised for episode by Dan French
(from Digital Spy)
By critics for an exceptional storyline, you might presume... but no. The article doesn't mention what the episode was about to garner this praise, but it does tell us who it came from: one of their co-stars, and her boyfriend. On twitter. Seriously.
And so the award for "crap non-news story of the week" goes to...

Survivors Season Two - The Verdict by Ben Rawson-Jones
(from Digital Spy)
Look at the comments -- hardly anyone ever seems to agree with Rawson-Jones' reviews. Why they let him keep going is a mystery.
[This isn't the "crap non-news story of the week". That's the Skins one. Just in case you were confused.]