TV

Children in Need 2009
Highlight of the night is unquestionably the Doctor Who clip from The End of Time, Part One -- can't wait for that.
More CiN tomorrow, of course.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Derren Brown Presents The 3D Magic Spectacular
Read my thoughts on this programme here.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Harper's Island
1x12 Gasp
Having finally got my hands on both of the final episodes in HD, I can finally finish watching this (it's six weeks since I watched ep11).
So, good twist at the end of this episode... though I guessed it about halfway through the series, but that was mainly because I thought it'd be a good twist.

Articles

The 10 Worst SF & Fantasy TV Shows Of The Decade by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
I'm sure there've been worse shows than some of these... But then, everything has its fans, so...

[Doctor Who Christmas Special] Title Revealed!
(from Doctor Who official site)
oh.

Review of The Twilight Saga: New Moon by Roger Ebert
(from rogerebert.com)
Ebert lays into the latest bit of drivel to disgrace our cinema screens.

Royal flush: five of the best play Queen in new film by Tim Lusher
(from guardian.co.uk)
But there were only four people in the band.
Oh, wait, that Queen...

Webby Awards name top 10 Internet moments of the decade
(from Yahoo! Tech)
Interesting and generally correct, I think, though the inclusion of Craigslist shows something of a US bias -- the rest are global (even the US election, as that sadly effects all of us), but Craigslist has only really taken off in the US.

Collection Count

We're into the fifth week of Collection Count now, which tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics.

I've made the wholly arbitrary decision that, once a month, the Statistic of the Week will be the same -- namely, the running time of the collection -- thereby providing a sporadic look at one of the more interesting things (relatively speaking, of course) I actually have to share in these posts. ("Once a month" in this case means "every four entries".)

Number of titles in collection: 1,084 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 1,047 [up 4]
Of which Blu-rays: 37 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 2,660 [up 11]
Number of films in collection: 1,125 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 3,716 [up 20]

Statistic of the week:

Total running time of collection (approx.):
183 days, 2 hours, and 50 minutes.
(Up 3 days, 9 hours, and 57 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

new review at 100 Films

Ripley's Game (2002)

Roger Ebert saw fit to include it in his Great Movies list, though other critics are less favourable (the Radio Times, for one handy example, rate it just three out of five). While Ebert is in my opinion overselling the film by including it in a list of the best films ever made ever, it’s certainly an above average, consummately made and constantly entertaining Euro-thriller.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

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

Channel 4's 3D Week - initial impressions

Having finally got hold of some appropriate 3D specs, I can finally begin to watch the bits of Channel 4's 3D week that I've been recording. This up first: Derren Brown Presents The 3D Magic Spectacular, a selection of (quelle surprise) magic tricks and illusions. Some are presented in 3D for good reason, others... well, just cos. Most are spectacular in one way or another, others impressive in themselves but rather obscured by the weak 3D effect (in particular, the man-escaping-from-a-sky-diving-cage one). As for a pair of 'play along at home' tricks (a pair of genuine ones, that is -- Derren's doesn't count), one thoroughly failed on me. Ho hum.

As for the 3D system chosen by C4... well, it's an anaglyph one, so of course it's far from perfect, but I also feel I've seen better examples -- I've watched a bit of Coraline in 3D on Blu-ray, for example, which uses a different system, and it seemed superior. The glasses I've got are also rather dark (they're not ones issued by C4 via Sainsbury's, though they are of the right type (ColorCode 3D), so their own might be better... but I wouldn't bet on it); luckily, I can whack up the backlight on my TV to compensate a bit.

Anyway -- this just goes to prove why anaglyph-based 3D films and TV have never really taken off. It remains to be seen if the new wave of supposedly-more-effective 3D that's on the way over the next few years (and already all over cinemas, of course) finally has any staying power.

TV

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
17x11 (13/11/09 edition)
This! Is! Wossy!
*ahem*
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

How I Met Your Mother
3x03 Third Wheel

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
1x02 Episode 2
I hope this is doing well in the ratings, because it deserves to be a success.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Chris Addison records part in Skins by Mayer Nissim
(from Digital Spy)
"You are always aware when watching it that it's Not Meant For You."
FACT.

Ferrell named Hollywood's most overpaid star by Simon Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
"Will Ferrell is Hollywood's most overpaid actor"
DOUBLE FACT.

TV

Generation Kill
Part 7 Bomb in the Garden [final episode]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Have I Got News For You
38x05 (13/11/09 edition; uncut repeat).
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

It's Only a Theory
1x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
23x07 (11/11/09 edition)
Yes, last week's, with Tim Minchin -- yay! Not nearly enough of him though. And as I think I've 'reviewed' every guest host this series, let me say that Mark Watson was definitely an above-average one, which is super.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Wallander [Swedish]
1x02 Byfånen (aka The Village Idiot)

new review at 100 Films

Wallander: Before the Frost (2005)

Kurt is something of a guest star in the first episode of his own series, but we still see enough of Henriksson to get a feel for his Wallander. Where Branagh is soul-searching, constantly staring silently into the distance, occasionally with a few tears for company, Henriksson is just a guy trying to do his job; struggling to be a good dad and maybe struggling with his health, but still a regular guy. Maybe the introspection and crying come later.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 18 feature films and one short in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

How I Met Your Mother
3x02 We're Not From Here

Misfits
1x01 Episode One
You don't get much more E4 than this: Heroes meets Skins -- with extra ASBOs. Naturally, this being E4, you'd expect it to err towards the latter two elements, thus making it distinctly less... how shall I put this... good. Surprisingly, however, there's a pleasantly strong dash of the former. In fairness, this may just be because it's the first episode, meaning extra time is devoted to the setup, but we can keep our fingers crossed it continues in this vein. It's also genuinely funny, rather than the usual funny-if-you-have-no-brain level 'humour' churned out for this intended audience. A nice surprise; one worth keeping an eye on.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Wallander [Swedish]
1x01 Innan Frosten (aka Before the Frost)
BBC Four have been showing the original Swedish series of Wallander for a while now. It's rather different to the British version: more normal drama, less slow-paced coldly-shot faux-Swedish. There's also a greater focus on his daughter -- based on this episode alone, she seems to be more the main character than he is! Different, then, but still good.
[Due to its original theatrical release, this also counts as #74 in 100 Films in a Year 2009. Read my full review here.]

TV

FlashForward
1x07 The Gift
FlashForward in good episode shocker! Finally, an answer... of sorts. Still had more than its fair share of dodgy moments though.
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

House
6x07 Known Unknowns
Sky1 catches up with the US showings this week, apparently, so I guess we're headed for a Christmas break too now. Which just reminds me that 24 Day 8 must be starting in January, and I've still not seen Day 7. Oops.

Films

Brute Force (1947)
[#73 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Articles

Actor Edward Woodward dies at 79
(from BBC News)
RIP Ewar Woowar.

TV

Three hours of fantastic HD entertainment this evening, courtesy of the BBC...

Doctor Who [new]
4x16 The Waters of Mars [special]
An absolutely excellent episode -- scary, funny, surprising, heartbreaking... the adjectives could go on. If DWM had waited to do The Mighty 201, I'm sure this would've come right near the top. (And if it hadn't, there'd be something terribly wrong with the world. Or Doctor Who fans, anyway.)
Only bad thing... where was the next episode's title?! (The End of Time is the next-but-one. Unless reports which say as much have been wrong?)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who Confidential
4x17 Is There Life on Mars?
Now in HD! Yay! (Also, the first Confidential I've watched in a bloody long time.)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Top Gear
14x01 Episode 1
Now in HD! Yay!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

And in regular old SD...

Charley Boorman: By Any Means - Sydney to Tokyo
Part 5 (of 6)
Part 6 (of 6)
Hurrah, got to the end! As did Charley, of course.

Films

Hard Candy (2005)
[#72 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

TV

Argumental
2x11 (10/11/09 edition)
Rather good edition, including a nice debate on religion and a funny bit on old people.

Charley Boorman: By Any Means - Sydney to Tokyo
Part 3 (of 6)
Part 4 (of 6)
Bit of a rush to catch up, as all six episodes disappear from iPlayer at 10pm tomorrow.
[Watch parts three and four (again) on iPlayer.]

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #415

Russell T Davies' Production Notes column has been a mainstay of DWM for over six years now, and the final edition will be in next month's mag. It's disappointing that a once-great column, often the highlight of the mag thanks to all the next-series teasers it would share, has limped to a weak finish, filled with nothingy columns about post-production schedules and unrelated topics, when we should have been reveling in Steven Moffat's next-series teasers. Next month's finale has the feel, less of a grand goodbye, more of having a beloved but now critically ill pet put down. Hopefully Moffat's new pup will be suitably entertaining.

Little else to say about this issue. Despite a Waters of Mars preview and Lindsay Duncan interview, it's clear that the real meat is to come in the next two bumper-length issues. DWM leaves us twiddling our collective thumbs again, then.

Articles

Brand says Sachs row was 'funny'
(from BBC News)
The headline is slightly misleading, I think, because Brand does have a point:

"I apologise for the thing I did wrong to the person I did it to but the whole subsequent scandal was funny," he said.

new review at 100 Films

Ashes of Time Redux (1994/2008)

Despite apparently being an Eastern action movie — it’s in the wuxia genre, which, for the uninitiated, also covers the likes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers — Ashes of Time isn’t what one would typically expect from such a billing. Reviews talk about it being a confusingly-plotted art film — and those are the positive ones — which, coupled with my relative dislike of Chungking Express, meant I didn’t really expect to like it a great deal. But I found myself surprised, because I really enjoyed it.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

Film4 are showing Ashes of Time Redux tonight at 1:05am.

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

TV

Collision
Part 4 (of 5)
Part 5 (of 5)
The Radio Times were quite critical of the ending. Personally, I liked it -- it was a nice little twist that tied together most things appropriately, not ridiculously. Plus I thoroughly support its ultimate moral message ("all insects should die because they cause this", clearly).
[Watch parts four and five (again) on ITV Player.]

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
17x10 (6/11/09 edition)
Yes, last week's.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Sarah Jane Adventures
3x10 Mona Lisa's Revenge Part Two
Another fun story for SJA. Last one next week -- shame.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]