TV

The Job Lot
1x01 Episode 1
The second half of ITV's big new Monday night comedy double bill, which was fine but in many respects is just the latest in a long line of Office imitators. And The Office is 12 years old now...
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player].

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
6x06 (27/4/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Playhouse Presents
1x11 Psychobitches [season finale]
Having sat through six of these to this point and not especially liked many of them, I've decided to be both less linear and more selective with my viewing going forward. So I've completely ditched the tenth episode, starring the irritating Trevor Eve and almost-as-bad Richard E. Grant; and also jumped ahead to this one, because I fancied something lighter.
Unfortunately, it's essentially a half-hour-long adult-rude Horrible Histories sketch, but not as funny.
Still, the remaining three episodes from the first run, as well as the two thus far shown in the second, all sound quite interesting. Fingers crossed...

Vicious
1x01 Episode 1
The first half of ITV's big new Monday night comedy double bill, with a big starry cast and 'cutting edge' setup (it's about an old gay couple!), but very traditional live-audience production. It was a little stagey, but had enough good lines to carry it. Room for improvement, but shows promise.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player].

Watson and Oliver
2x01 Episode 1
A lot of people really didn't like the first series of this. It might be fairer to say many hated it. But I quite enjoyed it, so I was pleased (if surprised) to see it recommissioned. I thought this was a little more consistent than the first series, but it's still a sketch show so it's still hit-and-miss.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer].

Podcasts

Nerd Poker: Dungeons and Dragons with Brian Posehn & Friends
Episode 6 Swim Toward the Light

Five episodes in eight days then nothing for a month? Such is my way. But hey, they took a year off at some point -- I can pick it up again after a few weeks.

Non-Fiction

JN-T: The Life & Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson
Chapters 13 - 14
Epilogue [the end]

A fascinating book, all told. Don't think it's going too far to say it's a must-read for anyone with an interest in the behind-the-scenes goings-on of this era of Who. I hope we get similar on the RTD and Moffat eras someday, because I sense there are some juicy untold stories lurking there too.

TV

Elementary
1x20 Dead Man's Switch

The Good Life
3x04 I Talk to the Trees

Mad Men
6x04 To Have and To Hold

The Mentalist
5x19 Red Letter Day
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Non-Fiction

JN-T: The Life & Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson
Chapter 11 - 12

Former head of drama and controller of BBC1 Jonathan Powell does not come off well in this book at all, especially in this section, dealing with the 1989 cancellation of Who. Naturally fans would blamed him and could be expected to be cross, but it's the comments from colleagues and other professionals that are most damning, not about the decision to ditch Who but his general attitude and ability. Russell T Davies gets particularly -- and appropriately -- blunt on page 318:

He gave his attention to The Barchester Chronicles or whatever was going to win him a BAFTA and let me tell you, 30 years later that stuff isn't coming to bite you on the arse but the Doctor Who stuff is. Your sins will find you out!

TV

Ben Earl: Trick Artist
1x01 Crime
With Dynamo snaffled up by whichever cable/satellite-channel-I-don't-get it is that he's on, here's Channel 4's latest answer to him -- and, I presume, intended Derren Brown replacement, as he seems to do fewer and fewer TV programmes. Initial impressions are OK, but he doesn't have quite the same wow factor as the other two.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Veronica Mars
1x13 Lord of the Bling

Films

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
[#43a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
[3rd watch]

See also last week.

Non-Fiction

JN-T: The Life & Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson
Chapter 10

this week on 100 Films

Just two new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week...


Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Extended Version (2001/2004)

Included on the film’s original DVD release back in 2002, albeit under a series of frustrating mini-games, were six short deleted sequences and one extended one… and it’s those and those alone that were added back into the film in 2004.

Read more here.


Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Extended Version (2002/2005)

The difference in running time is 13½ minutes, spread across 19 differen extensions.... Unsurprisingly, many are of little significance, often just fleshing out minor characters or adding comedy beats. So are any especially beneficial?

Find out here.


And nothing new to the new blog! Oops.

Still, more next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
33x11 Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

Well, I thought that was really good. Any fans expecting a revelation about what was at the heart of the TARDIS, or what weird lava-ish creatures the Doctor kept locked in its depths, was in for disappointment... but, really, did you expect them to rewrite the book in such a mad fashion? I didn't. It was nice that was all tied into the episode's plot, rather than just expanding the universe for the sake of it. And still, there was all that stuff about Clara getting a look at that Time War book and finding out the Doctor's name -- which, clearly, is both pronounceable by humans (one theory being that it wasn't) and meant something to her (but who knows what!?)

Anyway, what a fantastic look around the rest of the TARDIS! After they did it in The Doctor's Wife and all it amounted to was some identikit corridors and the old console room, it was nice to get a proper look -- the swimming pool! the library! some room full of stuff to do with Amy and River! And, I'm sure many will say, a much more impressive Eye of Harmony than they had in the TV movie.

Plus, only Doctor Who could do what would seem to be a 'bottle' episode and still require as many new sets, effects, costumes and characters as a regular episode.

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


The Voice UK
2x05 The Blind Auditions 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

Number of titles in collection: 1,554 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,162 [up 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 392 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,885 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 1,671 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,754 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 380 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Good Life
3x03 A Tug of the Forelock

The Graham Norton Show
13x03 (19/4/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Veronica Mars
1x12 Clash of the Tritons

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
3x02 (19/4/13 edition) [season finale]
Sometimes, my "[season finale]" convention feels silly.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Have I Got News For You
45x03 (19/4/2013 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

How I Met Your Mother
8x13 Band or DJ?
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Playhouse Presents
1x06 Care
A new series of this started last week (apparently it's the second, though four-part miniseries A Young Doctor's Notebook was presented as part of the strand in between), but I never finished the first run, so, yeah, doing that now.

Scott & Bailey
3x04 Episode 4
Well that was grim.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

TV

The Great British Sewing Bee
1x04 Episode 4 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Pointless
6x47 (17/5/12 edition)

TV

Broadchurch
1x08 Part 8 [season finale]
Guessed who it would be a few weeks ago, but that doesn't really matter in drama this good. Fascinated to see what they have planned for the next series...
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

The Good Life
3x02 The Happy Event

Once Upon a Time
2x01 Broken
As ridiculously bad as ever? Of course it is! And yet, weirdly compellingly so. Partly because it's often so bad it's laugh-out-loud funny, which is nice.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Films

Man on a Ledge (2012)
[#43 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

TV

The Mentalist
5x18 Behind the Red Curtain
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Not Going Out
6x03 Therapy
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Veronica Mars
1x11 Silence of the Lamb
And that's halfway.
I can't remember if I've said since I voiced my initial sort-of-doubts, but Veronica Mars does get really bloody good. This (and the last) are some of the best episodes thus far.

Non-Fiction

JN-T: The Life & Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson
Chapters 8 - 9

Here's where the book gets really good, in a way: chapter 8 is The Chapter -- Hanky Panky, the one that most of the reviews and commentary on the book have focused on. Unsurprisingly, it's not nearly as shocking as some reports made out.

And then there's Doctor in Distress, the tale of Doctor Who's mid-'80s cancellation -- and un-cancellation. It's no wonder some fans are still paranoid that the BBC are sneakily trying to make Who unpopular and get rid of it, considering that's basically what they did back then. You're not paranoid if they're out to get you...

TV

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
6x05 (20/4/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Veronica Mars
1x10 An Echolls Family Christmas

Films

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
[#42a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
[3rd watch]

Unlike Philosopher's Stone or Chamber of Secrets, there's no extended/altered cut here that would technically merit a review for 100 Films... but if I don't, Azkaban and next week's Goblet of Fire would be the only Potter films to go unreviewed. I figure I may as well bung a few sentences together at least.

Non-Fiction

JN-T: The Life & Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson
Chapter 7

this week on 100 Films

This week, I mainly encouraged 100 Films readers to back Alex Cox's Bill the Galactic Hero Kickstarter. It's passed its goal and will be funded now, but if you want to be involved you can still do so here until 1am on Sunday night/Monday morning (UK time).


That aside, one new review was published this week...


Stiff Upper Lips (1998)

Spoof of British ‘Heritage’ films and TV series, particularly the work of Merchant Ivory... Specific targets include Brideshead Revisited and A Room with a View, with individual sequences riffing off the likes of Chariots of Fire and Orlando.

Read more here.


And new to the new blog...


Airplane! (1980)

This model of comedy — the silly spoof, as it were — is still in use today in the depressingly endless series of …Movie movies. But where they’re just crude, Airplane! is witty; where they’re just random, Airplane! is irreverent; and where they’re just derivative, Airplane! was original.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Arrow
1x19 Unfinished Business


Doctor Who
33x10 Hide

That's more like it!

I say that, but I've enjoyed most of this series of Doctor Who. Not so the reaction online, though, which seems to largely coincide with my above sentiment. Either way, this is the best episode of the current run so far; possibly the best episode of the series fullstop for some time. Considering writer Neil Cross was responsible for one of the most disappointing episodes in yonks (last fortnight's Rings of Akhaten), that's some turnaround in ability. He actually wrote this episode first, and it was on the strength of this that he was commissioned to write another, and it's easy to see why.

It's billed as A Scary One, and it properly is. No blood or guts or gore, but I'm not convinced this is only a PG (as recently passed by the BBFC). That monster was freaky! And even worse were those photos of the ghost... Shuddertastic. Scares aside, there was a solid story, dispensing with the all-too-repetitive "save the entire world!" palaver we've been getting too much of, really. Instead we had a mystery, which was investigated, and which produced a moderately original solution. Plus all the Clara vs TARDIS stuff was finally made more explicit, amongst an array of other character bits that were never too heavy-handed.

A triumph, then. Hurrah! And next week's looks awesome too...

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


The Voice UK
2x04 The Blind Auditions 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

Ted (2012)
[#42 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

DVD Extras

Teddy Bear Scuffle

A short making-of featurette on Ted that shows how they achieved one of the film's most memorable sequences (if you've seen it, you can guess which). Definitely worth a watch to see the amount of time and effort and skill that had to go in to creating such a short scene.

Non-Fiction

JN-T: The Life & Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson
Chapters 5 - 6

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

One new addition this week, and a couple of tweaks to bring numbers I thought were right in line with my big DVD database. No idea how they got out of sync, which always worries me.

Number of titles in collection: 1,551 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,160 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 391 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,882 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,668 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,754 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 380 [up 3]

Plus this week it's time for a running time update, so...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
280 days, 1 hour, and 34 minutes.
(Up 21 hours and 21 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
3x01 (12/4/13 edition)
Clearly this went down well the first time, because this is now the third time they've done it. I guess I missed -- or, just as likely, purposefully avoided -- the second time. This was fun though.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Graham Norton Show
13x02 (12/4/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Pointless Celebrities
3x05 Strictly Come Dancing Special

Veronica Mars
1x09 Drinking the Kool-Aid

Non-Fiction

JN-T: The Life & Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson
Chapter 4

TV

Have I Got News For You
45x02 (12/4/2013 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

How I Met Your Mother
8x12 The Final Page Part 2
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Matt Lucas Awards
2x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Scott & Bailey
3x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Veronica Mars
1x08 Like a Virgin

TV

Anna & Katy
1x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Great British Sewing Bee
1x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Broadchurch
Part 7 (of 8)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Mad Men
6x03 The Collaborators
That felt more like it. (This episode is on Sky Atlantic tomorrow.)

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
6x04 (13/4/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Dinosaur Project (2012)
[#41 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

DVD Extras

The Evolution of The Dinosaur Project

24-minute making-of on the Dinosaur Project BD. In some respects, it makes the film seem more impressive... which is kinda the wrong way round.

It also looks like they made a rod for their own backs by making it "found footage", which is somewhat ironic as that seems to be many people's top complaint about it. If only they just hadn't bothered...

TV

Arrow
1x18 Salvation

The Good Life
3x01 The Early Birds

The Mentalist
5x17 Red, White and Blue
Can't believe it's taken them 'til season five to use that title!
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Plebs
1x04 The Herpes Cat
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Scott & Bailey
3x02 Episode 2
A very sloppy flashback episode -- hard to tell what was set in the past and what in the 'present' (which is already removed in some way thanks to that opening to episode one that ended with "eight months earlier"), and no tension because we know where it all ends up. If this had been linear and the first episode it would've been fine, but why have last week's isolated case only to jump back into the ongoing stories here? Daft.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Non-Fiction

JN-T: The Life & Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson
Chapter 3

Articles

Solo revealed as title of William Boyd James Bond book
by Simon Reynolds (from Digital Spy)

Not the most exciting title ever, but obviously I'm still looking forward to this.

You can read the full press release at The Book Bond.

TV

Not Going Out
6x02 Skiing
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Veronica Mars
1x07 The Girl Next Door

Films

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
[#40 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

The BBFC, IMDb (when referring to its original title), and the film's title card call it 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer; but Wikipedia and the film's posters call it the more sensible Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. So which is it? I'd go with the film's copyright, but there wasn't proper info for that at the end of the film. Grr.


Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Extended Version (2002/2005)
[#40a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
[3rd watch]

Similar to Philosopher's Stone last week, it's been years and years since I've seen this; indeed, I'm not even convinced I've seen it since the cinema, over a decade ago. But I feel I must've, so, we'll go with third watch.

Already longer than its predecessor, here they've added 13½ minutes (just over double the 6½ on Philosopher's), pushing it to nearly three hours long. I'm not sure such length is all warranted, but hey-ho.

Non-Fiction

JN-T: The Life & Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson
Chapter 2

this week on 100 Films

Just one new review on 100 Films in a Year this week...


Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

It doesn’t make much sense, it’s scrappy around the edges, but at times it exhibits a kind of loose fun and modest excitement. I can see why it appeals to those who saw it at the right age.

Read more here.


But also, new to the new blog were...


The Black Dahlia (2006)

It’s one of many problems in a film that tries hard to be a proper noir but fails in almost every respect: performances (most of which wind up flat), corny dialogue, plot, pretty-but-vacant direction, and even voice-over narration.

Read more here.


Death Race (2008)

There’s no denying that Death Race is B-movie tosh, but at least it’s an example of fairly entertaining B-movie tosh... It caters perfectly to its intended audience: there’s fast cars, sexy girls, lots of action, big explosions.

Read more here.


Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

Woody Allen mixes a bit of the thriller into his usual relationship-based comedy/drama style, with effective results. The combination produces an engaging thriller with the usual character-focused drama woven around it

Read more here.


Mean Streets (1973)

Semi-autobiographical New York gangster movie, guaranteed a place in history as the first collaboration between Scorsese and De Niro

Read more here.


Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)

Despite the success of their two Sherlock Holmes films, Fox decided the character was outdated and resolved not to make any more. Universal clearly disagreed, and the popular pairing of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce reprised their roles for this, the first of twelve Holmes films the studio would make with the duo

Read more here.


Wallace and Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008)

As ever it’s packed with inventive humour, both visual and verbal, and Gromit remains one of the finest silent comedy characters ever created. The amount of emotion and story that can be conveyed with a lump of plasticine is tribute to the abilities of Park and his team

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
33x09 Cold War

After last week's misfire, this was a return to form. The studio submarine sets were brilliantly done, there were some great guest turns from Liam Cunningham and David Warner, effective effects (models!)... but best of all, the Ice Warrior -- he looked fantastic. So creepily used too, but also powerfully when appropriate.

Not everyone was enamoured with the episode, it would seem by reading some online reaction, but overall I thought it was very good. Mark Gatiss may be a huge fan and seem like a lovely guy, and he does great work on Sherlock, but his scripts for Who aren't always the sharpest. That said, even though I liked Night Terrors, this was probably his strongest effort since his first. One hopes it's not the last time we see the new-look(-ish) Martians...

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


The Good Life
2x07 Going to Pot? [season finale]


The Voice UK
2x03 The Blind Auditions 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Last Boy Scout (1991)
[#39 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

Number of titles in collection: 1,550 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,160 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 390 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,881 [up 4]
Number of films in collection: 1,666 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,754 [up 8]
Number of short films in collection: 377 [no change]

Despite what the numbers would seem to tell you, I didn't get an eight-part TV series on a four-disc Blu-ray set this week. No, I upgraded my Schindler's List DVD to Blu-ray (same number of films, same number of discs), and bought The Kingdom I&II on DVD (new title, four discs, eight episodes). So, DVDs actually go down one and then up one again, while Blu-rays just go up one.

Fascinating, right?

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Graham Norton Show
13x01 (5/4/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


How I Met Your Mother
8x11 The Final Page Part 1

Apparently this originally aired as a one-hour episode in the US. Which is interesting, because in no way whatsoever does this feel like it's only the first half of something. Indeed, HIMYM has had definitely-standalone episodes that were less self-contained than this.

But the answer comes halfway down the Wikipedia page: "episodes 11 and 12 were not planned to be shown together as a two part, one hour combined episode. But the decision was made to present them together after the show was preempted because of Hurricane Sandy." So there you go.

Also, "Before the two episodes were combined, episode 11 was entitled The Silence of the Jinx and episode 12 was entitled The Robin." Why they felt the need to ditch those titles, goodness only knows.

[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]


Veronica Mars
1x06 Return of the Kane

TV

Elementary
1x19 Snow Angels
After yonks away, Elementary's back with a pretty good episode. It seems to have found a better groove as the season progresses, being less of a regular cop show and moving (slightly) more in the direction of "adventures" for its leads, which is what Sherlock Holmes should have really. It's still no Sherlock, but it's getting good enough on its own feet.
Unfortunately, it's now another fortnight 'til the next episode. Silly Americans and their silly scheduling.

The Matt Lucas Awards
2x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
6x03 (6/4/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Not Going Out
6x01 Rabbit
There seem to have been a fair few articles slagging off Not Going Out to accompany its return for a sixth run, either explicitly or by association. Well, tosh and piffle. I like it, and I found this a particularly amusing episode. I laughed out loud several times, and that happens too rarely in so many 'acclaimed' 'comedies'.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Plebs
1x03 The Erotic Vase
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Non-Fiction

JN-T: The Life & Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson
Preface
Chapter 1

You may have heard of this -- I mentioned SFX's review a month ago, and more recently it caused a stir that led to the front page of a couple of tabloids... just as SFX predicted! According to the publisher's site it's not out yet, but they sent out a bunch of copies already (mine arrived today, and based on twitter I've received it a few days later than a lot of people!), so... yeah.

Not read much of it yet, as you can see, but it's a solid opening. The really interesting stuff -- the Doctor Who years, and all the controversy -- is still to come.

Additionally, today I've also spotted a few reviews of the book that exceed the mere critical appraisal to become worthwhile reading in their own right. There's Matthew Sweet's for the Guardian, Brian J. Robb's for Sci-Fi Bulletin, and Anthony Weight's for Doctor Who News. The last includes this particularly insightful, truthful comment near the end:

I think [Nathan-Turner] would have been pleased that he’ll be remembered, and that’s where the curse of Doctor Who is at least paying him something back. [The BBC1 controller when Who was axed in 1989,] Jonathan Powell – refreshingly honest as an interviewee here – may well have been a far superior drama producer to Nathan-Turner, with a track record the latter couldn’t hope to match. He’s produced several BAFTA-winning productions of high quality. But he’ll never have a biography written about him. Nobody will ever research his life in detail, track down and speak to his teachers and schoolfriends. Trace the progress of his career in television, from the studio floor to the producer’s chair. When he dies, it will be little-noted outside of his friends and family.

Doctor Who can destroy careers. But Doctor Who fans remember.

TV

The Great British Sewing Bee
1x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
45x01 (5/4/2013 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Veronica Mars
1x05 You Think You Know Somebody

DVD Extras

Secrets Revealed! Quidditch
Secrets Revealed! Hagrid
The Harry Potters You Never Met
(from the Harry Potter Wizard's Collection Bonus Disc)

A series off 11-minute (ish) featurettes that are exclusively found on the aforementioned bonus disc. The most interesting is the Hagrid one, showing how they went about making the 6-foot Robbie Coltrane appear like a giant across the eight films. To be honest, I thought they'd given up after the first few, but nooo, they really hadn't -- and it's quite remarkable how it was all done.

The third featurette is about the lead cast's stunt doubles, many of whom remained the same throughout the series. An ominous note creeps in early on when they discuss how Daniel Radcliffe became great mates with the guy who doubled for him on "six of the eight films". Why not all? The featurette reveals what can happen when stunts go wrong...

Finally, the Quidditch featurette is also fairly good, skipping the standard "what blue screen is" stuff that we all know now in favour of the particular challenges of making people fly on brooms, and how they evolved and changed that down the films.

TV

Anna & Katy
1x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Broadchurch
Part 6 (of 8)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Heading Out
1x06 Episode 6 [series finale]
Apparently this has gone down really badly with both critics and audiences, so I guess it's not coming back. I rather liked it though.

It's Kevin
1x01 Episode 1
A mixed bag, as sketch shows always are. Can't actually tell if I liked it or not.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Mentalist
5x16 There Will Be Blood
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

TV

Game of Thrones
2x10 Valar Morghulis [season finale]

After Blackwater I was slightly concerned the season finale would be a let down, but nope, it was everything but. Shows how incredible GoT is, really. One of the best bits is that, yeah, there's a cliffhanger, but the real cliffhangers (plural) are the unresolved plot threads; all the storylines left dangling where you just want to know what happens next.

It really is one big long story that has to be divided up to be told, and one day, when it's all over, it might be fun to watch the entire thing back to back (not in one sitting -- it should be over 80 hours long by then), ignoring the season divides, to see the scope of it as a single tale.


The Good Life
2x06 Home Sweet Home

It's amazing how often classic TV series do plots mid-season that would definitely be finale material these days; and then, of course, just have "another episode" at the end. I wonder when the concept of a big climax became de rigueur for series television -- it seems so obvious, structurally.


Mad Men
6x01 The Doorway Part 1
6x02 The Doorway Part 2

Another double-length episode / two-parter (depending how you look at it) to kick off a season of Mad Men. I felt it was missing a certain something... and not just the last seven minutes that my hastily-uploaded copy didn't have. (I shall catch them tomorrow, when I've downloaded a fuller copy.)

For those waiting for it to come to Sky Atlantic, it begins on Wednesday at 10pm. Enjoy the wait.


Veronica Mars
1x04 The Wrath of Con

TV

Arrow
1x17 The Huntress Returns

Game of Thrones
2x09 Blackwater
This episode has been hyped since I-don't-know-when; certainly, long before season two even began airing. But it lives up to all expectations, because it's phenomenal. The action is quite incredible, but also the drama within the city's walls. It's a shame it cost them so much (a bonus on top of the season's regular budget) that we're not likely to see it repeated, because they can clearly pull off a battle incredibly well given the money.

Films

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Extended Version (2001/2004)
[#38a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
[3rd watch]

Beginning a re-watch of the Harry Potter series, which will hopefully continue weekly for the next couple of months.

This will be the first time I've seen most of the films for years -- this blog kicked off in the middle of 2008, and since then I've only watched the last four; and 100 Films started at the beginning of 2007, and I've only watched the final four since then too.

By my reckoning, it's at least 8 years since I last watched Philosopher's Stone. The view count therefore is a guess; but I can say with certainty that it's the first time I've seen the extended version. It's around 7 minutes longer, but, even though much of the film was incredibly familiar, after so many years I have no idea where those new minutes were.

this week on 100 Films

You may have noticed that it's been April for the past month, which means it's time for 100 Films in a Year to look back at March.

This month's top five list is "favourite fantasy films" -- what are yours?


Additionally, one new review was published this week...


The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

It may lack the epic world-changing grandeur of Lord of the Rings, but as an epically-scaled action-adventure fantasy I found if to be most entertaining. It treads a tricky path mixing action, humour, world-building, politicking, legend, and plot... For me, the balance worked.

Read more here.



Nextly, premiering on Channel 4 tonight at 9pm is...


The King's Speech (2010)

Even if directorially and cinematographically The King’s Speech isn’t the triumph a film lover might like their Oscar winners to be, it’s more than made up for by an exceptional screenplay and an array of highest-quality performances.

Read more here.



And finally, also new to the new blog were reviews of...


A Bunch of Amateurs (2008)

It’s thoroughly predictable — most viewers could probably map out the plot before the film even begins, so it’s certainly easy to guess what’s coming next as it trots along — but there’s also something reassuring about that predictability — it’s exactly the sort of Quaint British Movie you expect it to be.

Read more here.


Dark City (1998)

Reposted in memory of the great Roger Ebert, this was a film he championed and I adored.

Read more here.


Insomnia (1997)

It’s generally taken as a rule that an original film is better than the remake, particularly so if that original is in a language other than English and the remake is American. But there’ll always be something to buck the trend, and in my view that’s Insomnia.

Read more here.


Insomnia (2002)

this is not a “whodunnit”: the killer’s identity is revealed around the halfway mark (assuming you haven’t already guessed it from the opening credits) and from then on the film gradually moves into murky moral territory, quickly leaving behind those early trappings for a set of more complex noir-ish moral conundrums.

Read more here.


Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

when the director of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park says something is “one of the greatest adventure movies of all time”, one really ought to listen.

Read more here.



More next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
33x08 The Rings of Akhaten

Well that was disappointing. The concept had some potential, and I quite liked the early stuff exploring the alien world, but it all went off-piste...

I like Doctor Who to feel like you're getting a novel in 45 minutes (or, of course, 90 when it's a two-parter); something that could conceivably fill a Target novelisation, if they still did those. Most of the time it manages that, or something approaching it. The Rings of Akhaten was resolutely a short story. And, even then, not a particularly good one, with all the singing saving the world kind of nonsense, and a damp squib of a villain, and a giant head for big monster...

Shame.

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


Game of Thrones
2x07 A Man Without Honor
2x08 The Prince of Winterfell

Both of these episodes are of such tip-top quality that either one would suffice (as per what I was saying the other day)… but next up is Blackwater, which I've been anticipating for ever so long now, and what a splendiferous idea to be able to watch that on Saturday night. (I appreciate this post is going out on Saturday night, but that's because I wind up watching these a little after midnight.)


How I Met Your Mother
8x10 The Over-Correction
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]


The Voice UK
2x02 The Blind Auditions 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

LucasArts nostalgia: Remembering The Secret of Monkey Island
by Alex Hudson (from BBC News Magazine)

BBC News commemorate the end of LucasArts not with a look back at its obsessively endless production of Star Wars games, but with a bona fide classic, one of the greatest games of all time.

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

Last week there was a minor increase thanks to a Tom Baker Doctor Who DVD; this week, there's another. (Next week, there won't be. Unless I order another one, so, y'know, never say never.)

Also, in today's post, George A. Romero's Knightriders from Arrow Video. It's not officially out until the 22nd, so I really ought to try to watch and review it by then...

Number of titles in collection: 1,549 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,160 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 389 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,877 [up 4]
Number of films in collection: 1,666 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,746 [up 4]
Number of short films in collection: 377 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Game of Thrones
2x05 The Ghost of Harrenhal
2x06 The Old Gods and the New
Passing the halfway point -- I'll be done by the end of the weekend at this rate.
Despite my observation yesterday, The Ghost of Harrenhal is a rather important episode. Ho hum.

The Graham Norton Show
11x07 (25/5/12 edition)

The Great British Sewing Bee
1x01 Episode 1
It's OK, but it's no Bake Off.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Scott & Bailey
3x01 Episode 1
At the end of last series I said I "hope we get more of this", but now it seems to certifiably be a big hit, so there's no danger of not. It's mostly very good as ever, but a very abrupt ending for no good reason. Structural faux pas there.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

TV

Game of Thrones
2x04 Garden of Bones
Sometimes, you can't resist racing on to find out the result of a cliffhanger; and sometimes, an episode's so good it seems wrong to sully it by going straight on to another. This is definitely a case of the latter. It feels like some things must be coming to a head next episode, but it's the only one of the entire season without a commentary track -- if it is pivotal, what an odd choice to skip it.

The Last Leg
2x09 (29/3/13 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Pointless
6x46 (16/5/12 edition)
Yeah, if I watch a daily game show fortnightly, I'll catch up in no time!

Veronica Mars
1x03 Meet John Smith
I liked the first two episodes, but this one really clicked for me.

Articles

Roger Ebert dies at 70 after battle with cancer
by Neil Steinberg (from Chicago Sun-Times)

Thorough obituary from his paper.


Roger Ebert Hails Human Existence As 'A Triumph'
(from The Onion)

Sweet but still funny, possibly the best thing The Onion has ever run.


Vale Roger Ebert: your greatest crime was loving movies too much
by Luke Buckmaster (from Cinetology at Crikey)

Ebert’s passion for cinema can serve as a reminder that it is always OK to love, like or enjoy a film no matter what it is or what anybody else says.

Finally,

I do not fear death
by Roger Ebert (from Salon)

TV

Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask
2x06 Episode 6

Game of Thrones
2x02 The Night Lands
2x03 What is Dead May Never Die
I try to pace myself with Game of Thrones, but it's ever so tempting to just watch it in one great big nine-hour chunk. Still, two isn't too indulgent, especially when The Night Lands ends with the kind of cliffhanger that demands you find out what happens ASAP.

Starlings
1x08 Episode Eight [season finale]
It only took 8½ months, but I got there in the end. Weirdly, it sets up a number of will-they-won't-they-season-finale-ish dilemmas... only to completely forget about them. At least it's coming back.

Veronica Mars
1x02 Credit Where Credit's Due

TV

Broadchurch
Part 5 (of 8)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Game of Thrones
2x01 The North Remembers
Well, I said I'd leave "a bit of a break" before starting season two, and here I am a year later! As season three gets underway on the tellybox, the end of my Sky Movies subscription means I'm finally (as in "after having it for a couple of weeks") turning to my season two box set to get caught up. It's good to be back in Westeros, even if my commitment to watching it legally in full Blu-ray quality means I'm a year behind everyone else. (Well, I say "everyone else" -- the relatively small number of people who have HBO or Sky Atlantic.)

Veronica Mars
1x01 Pilot
I've been very vaguely aware of this for years, but the recent interest provoked by the Kickstarter made me decide it was finally time to give it a go. Hard to tell from episode one -- it's an awful lot of establishing stuff -- but it definitely has promise.

TV

Arrow
1x16 Dead to Rights

The Great British Bake Off
Easter Masterclass
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Heading Out
1x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
6x02 (30/3/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
[#38 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

Much to my surprise, all 3 hours and 40 minutes of it in one go. It didn't feel that long.