TV

Archer
2x11 Jeu Monegasque
Another fantastic episode! Go Archer!
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Grand Designs Australia
1x01 Bushfire House
Noticed More4 have started showing this just in time to catch the first episode on catch-up. Super.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Mock the Week
10x06 (14/7/11 edition) [mid-season finale]
The regular mid-series highlights/outtakes/bloopers episode. On the one hand I always feel cheated out of a new topical edition; on the other they delete some pretty good stuff from the rest of the series.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

MythBusters
5x24 Confederate Steam Gun
Happened across this on random TV browsing. Rather addictive good fun.

Single-Handed
2x01 The Lost Boys Part 1
As I hoped, it's back. Hurrah! And as good as ever, too, though this time we have to wait a whole week for the second half. Scheduled against both Torchwood and The (US) Killing, I fear slightly for its ratings, but perhaps it'll be different enough to succeed.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Films

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
[#70 in 100 Films in a Year 2011]

Part 2 may be smashing (almost) every record going, but I'm just catching up with Part 1. It was good, but I expect I'll still wait for the second half on Blu-ray.

Articles

Weekend Report: Harry Makes History by Brandon Gray
(from Box Office Mojo)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 soared into the record books with the highest-grossing opening weekend ever. The series finale drew an estimated $168.55 million... dethroning The Dark Knight's $158.4 million.

[It also achieved a new] opening day record of $92.1 million on Friday (buoyed by a record-shattering $43.5 million midnight launch) [and] the second biggest-grossing 3D opening yet, behind Alice in Wonderland's $81.3 million. In IMAX alone, Deathly Hallows Part 2 delivered the top-grossing start ever, generating $15.5 million versus Alice's second-place $12.2 million.

Impressive... but can it overtake Avatar to become the highest grossing film of all time? I don't see it. Cameron's uber-blockbuster had the advantage of being Something New, rather than the 8th film in an (admittedly extremely popular) franchise, plus the big boost of being so promoted as The 3D Film that everyone flocked to see it in more-expensive 3D. HP7.2 is in 3D too, but the technology no longer has that "must see" factor.

Indeed, HP7.2 is the latest film in a trend that sees 3D pulling in a lower percentage of the gross than 2D -- despite 68% of its US screens showing it in 3D, and all those tickets being more expensive than 2D ones, 3D only accounted for 43% of its gross. Ouch. And that's likely to drop off even more as time goes on.

this week on 100 Films

After nothing at all to report last week, there was just 1 new review posted to 100 Films in a Year in the past seven days. It was...

Easy Virtue (2008)

Director Stephan Elliott adds something extra to the wit with his choice of a wonderfully inventive soundtrack. Standards from the era are present and correct, but Cole Porter-styled reinterpretations of modern songs like Car Wash and Sex Bomb raise a smile whenever they turn up unexpectedly. It’s fabulously cheeky.

Hopefully, more next Sunday.