TV

House
6x17 Lockdown
Directed by Hugh Laurie! And the latest in what's becoming a recurring trend for breaking-the-format episodes of House in the wake of episodes focussed on Wilson (the imaginatively-titled Wilson) and Cuddy (the genuinely imaginatively-titled 5 to 9). This sees the regulars all split up and Learning Something About Each Other... and yet, it felt oddly slight.

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
3x06 (17/4/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

15 Movie Posters Re-Imagined With the Stars Originally Cast by Kevin Polowy
(from Moviefone)
It's well done 'n' all but, for some reason, not as funny or interesting as it ought to be.

Hitler rants about the Hitler Parodies

Not heard about the Hitler parodies? Me either til now. So have a look here.

TV

Happy Finish
Pilot
Quite funny.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

iCandy
Pilot
Rubbish.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Mad Men
3x13 Shut the Door, Have a Seat [season finale]
Another excellent closing episode from Mad Men, replete with moments to contest Don's declaration about having no contract (my favourite was Joan's return). It's also a tantalising 'cliffhanger', and with the new season set to begin Stateside in around three months I'm not sure I can handle the long slow wait 'til BBC Four/HD bother to pick it up.
[Watch it again in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

50 Movie Titles That Got Lost In Translation by Simon Brew
(from Den of Geek)
I appreciate this was posted A Very Long Time Ago and it's on an awful website, but someone happened to mention it on twitter today. It's an expectedly daft but still rather amusing diversion, I thought. Look out in particular for China's version of Boogie Nights and France's (alleged) new title for The Matrix. Do feel free to share any other favourites in the comments.

Damages not expected to return by Mike Moody
and
Damages creator wants new season by Catriona Wightman
(from Digital Spy)
The first season of Damages was utterly brilliant, flawless TV. The second was a bit of a muddle. The third... could still go either way (it's just finished in the US, halfway through on BBC One, and I'm only on episode three still) All of which leaves me rather uncertain about whether a fourth run is a good idea: if it has and can hit the heights of its first season, more is definitely desired; but it's just maintained the second year's degeneration, then no thanks, put it out of our misery.

Sutherland says 24 movie script is ready by Mike Moody
(from Digital Spy)

Sutherland also hinted that the plot could possibly mirror the show's first season, giving Jack Bauer a personal crisis to deal with. "It doesn't have to be a bomb," he said. "It can be something personal that people understand."

Sounds like good news... but then they've said something similar before every season of the TV show for the last few years, so I'll believe it when we see it.

TV

A Comedy Roast
1x03 Chris Tarrant [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Graham Norton Show
7x01 (12/4/10 edition)

Over the Rainbow
Show 5: Results
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

This is What a Tweet Looks Like by Sarah Perez
(from ReadWriteWeb)
"Yes yes, a message only 140 characters long, I know." But oh no no, dear reader, no no -- there's a lot more to a tweet than you might think. And this explains it. Moderately interesting, I thought.

TV

Have I Got News For You
39x03 (15/4/10 edition; extended repeat)
I had a specific comment to make about this episode, but it's completely gone now. Just watch it, laugh lots, and I'm sure you'll've seen whatever it was I had to say.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Russell Howard's Good News
2x04 (15/4/10 edition)
Despite setting a recording for the extended repeat, it seems BBC Three did Something Funny and I wound up with the last 20 minutes of Herbie-whatever-with-Lindsay-Lohan and a half-an-hour-early edition of Family Guy. There's no explanation for this that I can find.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Wallander [Swedish]
2x01 Hämnden (aka The Revenge)
The Swedish Wallander series returns for its second and reportedly final series. This episode was originally released in cinemas, so counts as #40 on 100 Films in a Year 2010. Click here to read my review.

You Have Been Watching
2x01 (15/4/10 edition)
Hurrah for another excellent programme returning.
This edition featured clips from Spartacus: Blood and Sand, a series I'd been a little looking forward to because it looked like it might be Rome Mark 2. Sadly, this appears to not be the case. Where Rome was high-budget and underpinned its sex and violence with an awful lot of character and intelligence, Spartacus: BS (the most apt title abbreviation) has CGI in every scene that's so bad it makes everything look like a 15-year-old computer game. The quality of the script and acting suggest they've been dragged from the same.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Articles

By Zeus! The version of Clash of the Titans you didn't see by Devin Faraci
(from CHUD.com)
Whether you've seen the new Clash of the Titans or not (I haven't), this makes for an interesting read -- basically, how they took something half-decent and completely buggered about with it to make the film as released.

Cook-book misprint costs Australian publishers dear
(from BBC News)

An Australian publisher has had to pulp and reprint a cook-book after one recipe listed "salt and freshly ground black people" instead of black pepper.

Marvellous!
Over here, this would no doubt lead to all kinds of outrage and demands for refunds and apologies and probably the closure of the company or at least resignation of all involved in the book's creation. In Australia, however...

"why anyone would be offended, we don't know," head of publishing Bob Sessions is quoted as saying... "proofreading a cook-book is an extremely difficult task. I find that quite forgivable," Mr Sessions said. If anyone complains about the "silly mistake", they will be given the new version

Argh! Common sense! Run away!

How did you find Victory of the Daleks? by Neil Wilkes
(from Digital Spy)
I turned on BBC HD at the scheduled time and there it was!
Ho ho ho. But you can read some bafflingly sarcasm-free idiotic comments here.

this week on 100 Films

Just 1 new review again this week at 100 Films in a Year. I really ought to post more...

Elektra (2005)

The plot starts out as sub-Leon assassin nonsense, before turning into sub-X-Men superhero nonsense. The connection to Daredevil is actually minimal... she reverts to a bright red get-up that’s slightly more reminiscent of the comics. “It builds the legend,” she semi-explains. How can a legend be built if everyone who sees her in it is promptly killed?

More next Sunday. Hopefully.

stupid Digital Spy readers on Doctor Who episode 3

These are hilarious. Honestly, the amount of stupidity on display is... well, it's a little troubling, actually; but it does make for funny reading.

I'm not trying to say Victory of the Daleks was a great episode or anything (though I did think parts of it were fun and others conveyed good ideas), and I'm not adverse to a difference of opinion... but there's a big difference between conflicting opinions and pure idiocy, which many of these comments display.

Here's a selection:

Dalek plot always seems to be the same

Yes, in every new-series episode so far they've pretended to be good guys.
Except they haven't. Not once.

Steven Moffat wrote such amazing episodes... he seems to have forgotten how to write/direct over the last year.

Two things: Moffat didn't write this episode, and he's never directed an episode. One might argue this is a little geeky, requiring behind-the-scenes knowledge -- but if you're going to criticise someone's work, at least attribute it to the right person. You may as well say Twilight isn't as good as Great Expectations because, well, they're both by authors writing in English.

I found that the new doctor... didn't interact with the audience properly.

It's not theatre, love. What do you want him to do, turn to camera and invite us to share the jokes? Or suggest we should be scared? Maybe ask if we'd like a cup of tea too?

The storyline was well thats just it, it was a bit far fetched

So, you're watching a series in which a two-hearted alien travels through time and space in a little blue box that is infinitely bigger on the inside fighting all kinds of aliens and monsters... and you think an episode set in our own history is "a bit far fetched"?

But this takes the prize for the very best -- or, rather, very worst...

doctor who, season 1, episode 9/10. the doctor visits WW2 and encounters gas mask children. doctor who, season 5, episode 3. the doctor visits WW2 and encounters daleks. how does he not meet himself? ... very, very, VERY, silly.

That's right, readers: the Doctor visiting a 6-year-long continent-spanning war twice and not meeting himself is "very, very, VERY, silly."

If you can stand the pain, the whole darn lot can be read here.

TV

Doctor Who
31x03 Victory of the Daleks
Looks like Character, the main Doctor Who toy licensee, is now in charge of the series itself. Why else replace the excellent 2005 Dalek re-design with a selection of merchandise-friendly multi-coloured bubble bath bottles?
The actual story was by-and-large pretty good though, particularly their escape at the end -- truly, a victory for the Daleks. And it also means that when they inevitably return they won't have to resort to the now-tired "one of us survived and happened to fall through time" malarky they've used goodness-knows-how-many times over the past five years (including this episode).
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who Confidential
5x03 War Games
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Mentalist
2x08 His Red Right Hand
Dark episode. Though not sure what his right hand had to do with it. His leg, yes, but not his hand.
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Over the Rainbow
Show 5
For the first time in weeks/months/years, I've finally watched all of the BBC's Saturday night line-up when it was actually on! Though I watched it on BBC HD, so most of it was late. Still...
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

Mark Gatiss talks Who, Sherlock by Neil Wilkes & Nick Levine
(from Digital Spy)
Probably best to read this after his episode as it contains minor spoilers, but it's mostly nice to hear an update on Sherlock -- looking forward to that one. (See also: interview with Ian McNeice, aka Winston Churchill, about the same episode (but not Sherlock. Obviously.))

Matthew Weiner Says Mad Men Is Half-Over by Christopher Rosen
(from Movie|Line)
i.e. they're hoping for six seasons, no more (and, be default, no less). So that's... good... I guess...

TV

Archer
1x09 Job Offer
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Ashes to Ashes
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Outnumbered
3x02 Programme 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Confession: I Can't Tell the Actors Apart on HBO's The Pacific by Kyle Buchanan
(from Movie|Line)
I haven't been watching The Pacific (partly because I object to Sky shoving it on Movies; partly cos I may as well just wait for the Blu-ray to get it in the best quality), but this article makes it look hard. Just look at the three pictures at the top... and remember that they aren't the same guy. Seriously.

Sutherland confirms 24 movie series by Simon Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
All information we already knew, just reiterated. But noteworthy for this:

The film will be a two-hour representation of a 24-hour day

says Sutherland. That's all well and good, but the main thing about the show is less that it all takes place in one day (though, obviously, that's the title) and more that it takes place in real time. Note that the one-off circa-90-minute TV movie special didn't try to include 24 hours, but simply it covered a (real-time) two.
Previously producers intimated that the movie might make half the film cover 23 hours and the last hour occur in real-time -- this is a little half-arsed, but at the same time is probably the only way to cover both the titular period and the franchise's primary gimmick.

Zac Efron in Firefly
(from Serial Bus)
Holy moly, so it is!

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week. Slight increases this week thanks to some new Doctor Who DVDs.

Number of titles in collection: 1,164 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,089 [up 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 75 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 2,827 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 1,222 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 3,890 [up 16]

Statistic of the week:

Number of titles in the 'Drama' genre:
183
(15.7% of the total)

Genre is a rather subjective thing and many titles cross several -- is Back to the Future Comedy or Sci-fi? Which Bond films are Thrillers and which are just Action? -- which is why I've thus far avoided any stats around it. Nonetheless, I group every title on my list into one genre, and the largest of these is the suitably generic 'Drama'.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

A Comedy Roast
1x02 Sharon Osbourne
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Articles

Review of Kick-Ass by Roger Ebert
(from rogerebert.com)
I don't agree with Ebert in the slightest -- I loved Kick-Ass -- but, at the same time, his arguments are moderately well-reasoned. Certainly better than the Daily Mail's laughable claptrap, anyway.

TV

The Mentalist
2x07 Red Bulls
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Over the Rainbow
Programme 5 (of 20)
Programme 6 (of 20)
[Watch programmes 5 and 6 (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

FlashForward tipped for season two renewal by Oli Simpson
(from Digital Spy)

Despite performing poorly in the US, apparently "it actually does fairly well overseas". Really?! The world has poor taste... (Says he who still intends to keep watching season one. When I get round to it.)
Still, the story is actually more interesting for this reason:

"This is a rare case where a low domestic performer could get a surprise pickup."

Rare indeed.