TV

Emma
Part 3 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

How I Met Your Mother
2x09 Slap Bet
2x10 Single Stamina

Merlin
2x05 Beauty and the Beast Part 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #414

DWM finds itself in a slightly awkward position at the minute, it seems to me. It can't start reporting on Matt Smith's era because David Tennant's is far from over (there's three Who specials, a full-length animation, two eps of Sarah Jane, and a surprise 'Project 3' still to come), despite reports covering the web with titbits from filming; but as Tennant's era is all in the can, with broadcast still a month or two away, it has no news on that front either. Russell T Davies' Production Notes are particularly meaningless these days because of that -- we want to hear what Mr Moffat has to say about work on the new series, not Davies' endless (almost literally, it seems) musings on leaving.

It leaves the whole thing feeling a bit neutered, quite frankly, a problem it didn't have in the run up to Chris Eccleston's era beginning -- with no exiting Doctor, the mag was free to publish bits of news and whatnot about the forthcoming series. Same for Tennant's, actually, because serious work (well, filming) didn't commence until after the regeneration was shown on screen. Surely they don't really think fandom are dumb enough to not realise Smith's era is already underway? Where's the news of writers, directors, which episodes have been/are being filmed?

While celebrating it's 30th anniversary this month, it seems DWM has finally hit a production team-enforced nadir. One can only hope that things return to their previous high standard once the new team take over properly.

TV

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
17x07 (16/10/09 edition)
Yes, last week's.

The Graham Norton Show
6x03 (19/10/09 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Sarah Jane Adventures
3x04 The Mad Woman in the Attic Part Two
Makes a nice change to have aliens without a malicious purpose, but to still craft an interesting and worthwhile story around them. It's especially suited to the kiddy-centric Who spin-off, actually
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

October Filming Roundup by Chuck Foster
(from Doctor Who News Page)
They're currently filming episode one of Series Five (or Series One, as Steven Moffat will be rebranding it), so beware spoilers in this piece. Not too many, actually, though it does reveal Amy Pond's job and her dad-friendly initial costume, among one or two other intriguing titbits -- including our first blurry partial look at the new TARDIS console room.

Collection Count

As some readers will be aware, I have a rather large DVD/Blu-ray collection. It's by no means amongst the largest in the world, but to any sane person it's big. Insanely big. Huge, one might say. And it's increasing all the time. Daily, at times.

So, in the interests of... well, nothing, really... I've decided to post a weekly Collection Count. Every Friday, a little list of some of the statistics from my collection. These will include a few the same every week, but, in case there's little variance (or, indeed, interest) I'll bung in one different stat every week. (If that makes no sense, hopefully it will in practice).

My collection has just been through quite a solid period of expansion, so it's a shame I didn't think of this earlier, and it probably means I'll now cut back and the numbers will barely shift at all... but we'll see.

Here's this week's numbers:

Number of titles in collection: 1,057
Of which DVDs: 1,024
Of which Blu-rays: 33

Number of discs in collection: 2,616
Number of films in collection: 1,094
Number of TV episodes in collection: 3,652

And statistic of the week is...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
179 days, 16 hours, and 53 minutes.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
23x04 (22/10/09 edition)
Jack Whitehall makes the first rubbish host of this guest-hosted series, and consequently this is the most lacklustre episode so far. Still, even below-par Buzzcocks is worth watching.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Question Time
22/10/09 edition
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Sarah Jane Adventures
3x03 The Mad Woman in the Attic Part One
Interesting framing device, though it's not very reassuring to know that mid-teen boys will still have that annoying helmet-like haircut (as sported by three in this episode) in 50 years' time. All round a good episode though, which at times I thought was going to be an SJA version of Torchwood's Greeks Bearing Gifts, if you know what I mean. Guess not. Anyway, much promise for tomorrow's second half.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Saw III (2006)
[#61 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Articles

Gately's label complains to PCC
(from BBC News)

Boyzone's record label, Polydor, has filed an official complaint with the Press Complaints Commission over a Daily Mail column about Stephen Gately... More than 25,000 people have now contacted the PCC about the article. The PCC has already written to the Daily Mail for its response to the complaints received so far - the most ever made about a single newspaper article.

Marvel: 'Batman & Robin was important film' by Tim Parks
(from Digital Spy)
Hopefully you can see where the Marvel-man making this comment is going with such an apparently ludicrous assertion, but in case not:

[It] may be the most important comic book movie ever made. It was so bad that it demanded a new way of doing things. It created the opportunity to do X-Men and Spider-Man adaptations that respected the source material and adaptations that were not campy.

TV

Defying Gravity
1x01 Pilot
1x02 Natural Selection
I've loved the miniseries that inspired this (the BBC's Space Odyssey) ever since it first aired, always thinking it would make a good basis for an extended-length series... which this is. Unsurprisingly, it can't wholly live up to expectations. There are some good bits, and some wonderful special effects, but there's also plenty of soap opera-level melodrama and horribly cheesy dialogue, not least the voiceover narration. Ouch.
It's been called "Grey's Anatomy in space". I've never seen Grey's, but I can guess what people mean, and think they should've just stuck with the realistic sci-fi angle of the original miniseries. Certainly, the most obviously sci-fi element of all -- whatever the mystery in Pod 4 is -- is the most irritating part of the show for me (yes, even more than the voiceover), because it drags would could almost be science-fact into out-and-out science-fiction. And while I do love out-and-out science-fiction, I want a series with this premise to have a greater grounding in reality.
Still, I'll be sticking with it -- there's some promise. (As much as anything, I want it be successful enough to run for as many seasons are needed to show us the whole darn mission.)
[Watch Pilot and Natural Selection (again) on iPlayer.]

Generation Kill
Part 3 Screwby
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire
1x06 Thrilla in the Villa [season finale]
Despite a poor showing in the US leading to co-production partner Comedy Central pulling out, I hear UK production company Hat Trick are still pursuing a second series with the BBC (who haven't ruled out the idea). Reports say that, to make it affordable, the budget would be slashed by half, reconfiguring the series to focus more on Matt Lucas' character, with fewer special effects and filming in the UK. The series wasn't half bad and still has promise, so hopefully it'll be given another shot.

Last Chance to See
Part 5 Kakapo
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Dave wants more Red Dwarf by Robin Parker
(from Broadcast)
Says it all, really. Apart from that scripts are in development and that "filming is pencilled in for next year".
Additionally, for an interview with the head of Dave talking about how pleased they were with Back to Earth, look here.

new review at 100 Films

Saw II (2005)

the climax produces a final round of twists that are almost equal to the first film’s triumphant reveal. I won’t give it away, but it’s entirely in keeping with both the games Jigsaw might play and the flashback-driven style of the first film, not to mention that — as the insistent concluding recap shows — there are clues seeded all the way along. If it’s not as audaciously memorable as the twist in Saw, that’s through no fault of it’s own.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 15 films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

The Force
Episode 1 (of 3)
Excellent new documentary series which follows a real-life police case from beginning to end (assuming there is one), with full access to every element of the police's activities during the investigation. As well as being fascinating in its own right, it neatly shows up the veracity (or lack thereof) of the many TV shows about criminal investigation.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

How I Met Your Mother
2x08 Atlantic City

Articles

INTERVIEW - Charlie Brooker by Ben Parfitt
(from MCV)
Interesting three-part interview with Charlie Brooker relating to his recent Gameswipe TV programme. An interesting read for both gamers and those baffled by gamers -- for the former, it might explain why non-gamers find it all so odd; and for the latter, it might help explain it a bit. Maybe.
In particular, Part Three's discussion of violence in games is definitely worth a read, as Brooker has several objective, intelligent and worthwhile points to make.

TV

The Armstrong and Miller Show
2x01 Episode 1
That rarest of things, a sketch show that's consistently good. Nice to finally have it back.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

House
6x03 Epic Fail
After the highly irregular events of the opening two-parter, House takes another episode to put things back on track. Yes, we're back in Case of the Week territory, but at least it's with an interesting patient.

How I Met Your Mother
2x07 Swarley
Nice Friends reference. Nice Cheers reference. Nice to see yet another Joss Whedon chum turn up in this show. Nice episode all round.

It's Only a Theory
1x02 Episode 2
It seems I completely forgot to mention watching the first episode of this new series. Oops. It's an odd'un, part panel comedy part discussion of concepts, which I suppose is why it's on BBC Four. It has some potential, but it's not ever going to be a breakthrough success.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Disney predicts 'profound changes' for films by Oli Simpson
(from Digital Spy)

the DVD business continues to decline by double digits annually... the advent of high definition Blu-ray discs has not halted the slide, noting that the average family already owns around 80 movies in their libraries but are not replacing their older discs with Blu-ray equivalents.

...in order to bolster the home video business, the window between the time a movie is released in cinemas and on DVD must be shortened. ... the long delay from cinema to DVD has given pirates an opportunity to capitalise. "In South Korea, it obliterated the secondary market so much so that we [Disney] closed our home video operations"

If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one to hear it, can Carter-Ruck ban all mention of the sound? by Charlie Brooker
(from guardian.co.uk)
Another current major news story beautifully deconstructed by Mr Brooker.

TV

The Graham Norton Show
6x02 (12/10/09 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
38x01 (16/10/09 edition; uncut repeat)
It's back! Hurrah! And the extended repeat is still the only way to go.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

House
6x01 Broken Part 1
6x02 Broken Part 2
A couple of weeks late in starting the new season, due to an intensive season five catch-up. But that's fine, because this is actually a two-hour season premiere that was cut in two for the UK broadcast -- so I win.
It's also an excellent episode. Entirely unlike any other episode of House ever (which is something you very rarely get to say with total honesty about any TV programme), but all the more brilliant for it. It probably relies on having spent five seasons getting to know the character, so it's hard to recommend it to everyone, but it's nonetheless a great hour-and-a-half of drama. Not flawless (some of the protocols followed by staff were more lax than they would be in reality; the happy endings for almost anyone stretched credibility), but still great.

How I Met Your Mother
2x06 Aldrin Justice

Films

Saw II (2005)
[#60 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Articles

Edge Of Darkness Trailer Now Online by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire)
"It's all based on the 1985 BBC TV series of the same name, but before you throw up your hands in disgust and dismiss it as just another remake, it's worth noting that this is directed by Martin Campbell, who also made the much acclaimed series. That makes it less like Gus Van Sant's Psycho and more like Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 remake of his own film, The Man Who Knew Too Much."

The Future Of The X-Men Franchise by Nick de Semlyen
(from Empire)
Producer Lauren Shuler Donner reveals all about the four (four) X-Men films currently in development. All sound promising.

New Harry Brown Poster by Phil de Semlyen
(from Empire)
Michael Caine killing hoodies? Sounds bloody brilliant!

new review at 100 Films

Saw (2004)

Despite being credited with birthing the entirely risible ‘gorno’ genre, Saw isn’t really a good example of it. There are nasty, vicious murders — or, technically, deaths — but there’s no serious sexual element and it’s all underpinned by a half-decent plot. In fact, I’ve heard it called “a thriller with sadism” rather than a horror movie.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 15 films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

Ross Noble's Australian Trip
Part 2 (of 6)
Part 3 (of 6)
[Watch Part 2 and Part 3 (again) on Demand Five.]