TV

Episodes
3x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Gavin & Stacey
2x07 Episode 7 [season finale; 2nd watch]

The Mentalist
6x22 Blue Bird [season finale]
That would've worked perfectly well as a last-ever episode... which, considering how late their renewal came, may well have been the intention. Hurrah for one more season to find out what happens next, though.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Films

Backfire (1950)
[#43 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Comics

The Bunker #2 by Joshua Hale Fialkov & Joe Infurnari
The first issue, originally published online in small chunks, rattled through a ton of story. Given a full issue at full-issue pace, this seems to slow down. Shame. Remains intriguing, but a shame.

Pretty Deadly #4 by Kelly Sue DeConnick & Emma Rios
Golly this is good. No offence to comics as a medium, but I'd love to see it as a film -- a truly faithful, put-the-panels-on-screen movie. That would be awesome.

Wolverine #5 by Paul Cornell & Gerardo Sandoval
In which Wolverine gets a tattoo. No, really. He has a fight with Thor too, for no real reason, but that's about it. Except for giving some voiceover to the book's only real female character, and giving her some awareness and impetuous and -- as the buzzword seems to go these days -- "agency". Which is the least we should expect from a writer obsessed with things like panel parity, I think.

Collection Count

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

A few anime BDs push up the TV episodes, especially, this week.

Number of titles in collection: 1,678 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,202 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 476 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 4,174 [up 6]
Number of films in collection: 1,801 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,147 [up 21]
Number of short films in collection: 410 [up 1]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Doctor Who
33x15 The Day of the Doctor [50th anniversary special; 2nd watch]
In 3D! OK, only anaglyph 3D, but amber-blue rather than the old-fashioned red-green -- the depth isn't as striking, but the colours are better rendered; though pure white has a tendency to go wrong. But anyway, that's not the point. The point is, I put it on to try out the 3D a bit, and ended up watching the whole thing. Brilliant episode. The best ever? Well, dunno... but it does deserve to be up there.

Gavin & Stacey
2x06 Episode 6 [2nd watch]

The Mentalist
6x21 Black Hearts
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Person of Interest
2x19 Trojan Horse

TV

Gavin & Stacey
2x05 Episode 5 [2nd watch]

Law & Order: UK
8x05 Customs

Films

In Your Eyes (2014)
[#42 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

You can rent this Joss Whedon-penned film on Vimeo (and any of its associated apps) for $5 (~£3). And if you do, you might get a little something in the post, too. I'd recommend it (not just for the potential for awesome free stuff.)

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #474

After Empire's huge movie poll yesterday, today it's DWM's turn. To mark the 50th anniversary, they asked fans to rate every Doctor Who story ever (right up to Matt Smith's Christmas regeneration), and this issue is dedicated to the results (which therefore replace the previously-defintive poll held in 2009 when the series reached 200 stories).

Lots of new entries (41 full-length stories have been produced since then), lots of changes, lots of things to agree and disagree with. But I won't spoil any of that here, go buy it for yourself (which you can on iTunes as well as in print, if you're so inclined).

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
1x19 Tactical Village
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Gavin & Stacey
2x04 Episode 4 [2nd watch]

The Mentalist
6x20 Il Tavolo Bianco

Magazines

Empire #301

Featuring the 301 Greatest Movies of All Time, the magazine's first reader-voted poll since the renowned 500 Greatest Movies of All Time back in 2008.

As with any list of this ilk, it's chock-full of stuff to completely disagree with, including a ludicrous number of recent films (13 from last year; even two from this year). But I'm sure someone, somewhere, will think it's bang-on. Law of averages and all that...

TV

Gavin & Stacey
2x03 Episode 3 [2nd watch]

The Guess List
1x06 Episode 6 [season fins;e]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Person of Interest
2x18 All In
Oh great, HR are back. I'd completely forgotten about them, and it was blissful. Props to the show for having multiple unconnected back stories and on-going threads (like real life), and for ending them at different times and in different ways (also like real life), but this HR business is one I was glad to see the back of the first time round. Here's hoping it gets gone quickly -- and thoroughly this time.

Comics

The Bunker #1 by Joshua Hale Fialkov & Joe Infurnari

Collecting the entire (unfinished) run of the digital comic in a double-sized issue, which continues in regularly-scaled chunks (which, therefore, are half as good value, price-wise) from #2. Intriguing enough to have me on board for now, but I can't help but feel it has the potential to get irritating and go nowhere fast.


Pretty Deadly #3 by Kelly Sue DeConnick & Emma Rios

So much for "hold off on it a little" -- again, it's now four months later. Really good stuff, though.


Wolverine #1-4 by Paul Cornell & Ryan Stegman

This isn't the Wolverine #1 I read in April, nor the Wolverine #1 I read in February (should've saved this for June, eh), nor any of the Wolverine #1s published between these two. No, this is the latest Wolverine #1, from a few months ago, when writer Paul Cornell re-re-launched the title having re-launched it just 11 months previously. Got that?

Thus far, not the greatest Wolverine story ever told, but maybe it's going somewhere good... maybe...

TV

Gavin & Stacey
2x02 Episode 2 [2nd watch]


Wallander [Swedish]
3x01 Den orolige mannen (aka The Troubled Man)
[#41 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

The final series of Wallander is finally making its way to British TV, four years since the last. Hurrah! Plus, as this first feature-length episode was released in cinemas in Sweden, it counts towards 100 Films (just as three episodes from season one and one from season two did as well).

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

TV

Game of Thrones
4x06 The Laws of Gods and Men
4x07 Mockingbird

I've been trying to pace my viewing of GoT season 4 -- as you may remember, I started late, spurred on by spoilers and the attempt to avoid them; but I didn't want to catch up too fast -- how annoying would it be to watch three or four or five episodes in quick succession and then have to wait a full week between each further one?! And that worked...

...until now, because The Laws of Gods and Men -- and in particular its ending -- were so damn good that I couldn't resist ploughing straight on into last week's episode. While that didn't exactly tackle the things one might've expected it to, it had more than enough quality in its own right. GoT is always a great show, but it seems to be particularly on point this season.

So now I am at last fully caught up, and with exceptional timing: while all other TV-pace GoT fans are in the middle of a fortnight with no new episode, I'll only have a regular week-long break until the next. Huzzah!



Have I Got News For You
47x06 (9/5/2014 edition; extended repeat) [2nd watch]
I really noticed the extensions, which was nice.


Vera
4x02 Protected
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Comics

Coffin Hill
#4-6 by Caitlin Kittredge & Inaki Miranda
#7 by Caitlin Kittredge & Stephen Sadowksi

I think serialised comics should make like serialised TV shows, and come with "previously on" sections as standard. Picking this back up after four months, I really struggled to remember what was going on, and I still don't think I have it fully. OK, that's partly my fault for leaving it so long (I didn't realise it had been so long -- God, time flies), but it also means that the series didn't grip or engage me fully, so I won't bother continuing with it.

this week on 100 Films

One new review was published to 100 Films in a Year again this week...


The Wolverine: Extended Cut (2013)

refreshingly different to other superhero movies. That’s largely thanks to its Japanese setting and supporting cast... Those might sound like superficial differences, but the change of faces, scenery and culture seems to have infused the film’s attitude. Couple that with a plot that is more of a thriller than one of the usual three Superhero Movie storylines, and the end result is a moderately unique movie.

Read more here.


Plus one more new to the new blog...


A Cock and Bull Story (2005)

I forget which British paper described this as “the best film ever, ever, ever”. It may’ve been The Guardian. They’re not right, of course, but it has its moments

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Gavin & Stacey
2x01 Episode 1 [2nd watch]

How I Met Your Mother
9x16 How Your Mother Met Me
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Person of Interest
2x17 Proteus
As various series reach the end of their seasons, it's time to resume some others and, soon, start some new ones. Which is good, because there's a big pile of stuff I've had saved up for months.

Films

Punisher: War Zone (2008)
[#40 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Comics

The New 52: Futures End #0 by Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen, Ethan Van Sciver, Patrick Zircher, Aaron Lopresti & Jesus Merino

Yes, that's right: DC's contribution to FCBD 2014 has four credited writers and five credited pencillers! (If you only counted eight above, you're right: Dan Jurgens has a credit for both.) And for all that, it's not a story that's piqued my interest to read the full series, which started earlier this month.

Collection Count

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

This week, a couple of new BDs push my film total over the 1,800 mark. Based on the two years that I've done "since last year" increase tallies (2013 and 2011), I'll probably cross the 2,000 mark in July 2015. Unless I finally start reducing my collection, of course...

Number of titles in collection: 1,675 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,202 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 473 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,168 [up 2]
Number of films in collection: 1,801 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,126 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 409 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Arrow
2x23 Unthinkable [season finale]
They seemed to pile everything on extra thick for the finale -- not only the epic action, but also the cheese. S'all good fun though.

Elementary
2x24 The Grand Experiment [season finale]
Pretty sure there's no experiment in this, grand or otherwise.

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

Gavin & Stacey
1x06 Episode 6 [season finale; 2nd watch]

Films

Doctor Who: Celebrating 50 Years of Fandom

A Kickstarted Who documentary, due for release to mark the 50th anniversary but which finally turned up in the past month or so. It's a somewhat unfocused affair, with a random grab-bag of interviewees sharing their Who-related stories.

When it does hone in on a topic, like the appeal of conventions, or the effect of the revived series, or the gender of fans, it often raises interesting ideas but then fails to explore them further. There are several almost-throwaway remarks from interviewees which have the most potential for genuine interest here, but there never followed up on. It's a shame the filmmakers didn't put that extra effort into their film's construction.

There's a good documentary to be made exploring the details of fandom -- the story of it, the whys of it, the ways in which it's changed, the good and the bad of it -- but, sadly, this only skims the surface.

If you still fancy seeing the documentary, you can buy it on DVD, Blu-ray or HD download here, or stream it for £2.49 from here.

Comics

Rocket Raccoon: Free Comic Book Day by Joe Caramagna, Adam Archer & Ty Templeton

Marvel are very obviously pitching Rocket to be the break-out star of their late summer blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy: there's already tonnes of merchandise announced featuring him, there's a new on-going comic coming up, and he was the star of their FCBD offering this year.

In two short 10-page tales (one a reprint), Caramagna demonstrates that it's perfectly possible to tell a decent, self-contained story -- and if he can do it in ten, why the hell can't most comic book writers do it in 20?! OK, so these are simple, fun, all-ages quickies, not the grown-up in-depth tales most comic book fans expect nowadays, but I think the point stands -- it can be done.

Articles

Edgar Wright Departs Ant-Man
by James White (from Empire)

Well here's something no one saw coming! Wright's been working on an Ant-Man movie since before the MCU began (with Iron Man in 2008), and had recently cast it and got deep into pre-production. Bet there must be a juicy behind-the-scenes story there...

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
1x18 The Apartment
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Gavin & Stacey
1x04 Episode 4 [2nd watch]
1x05 Episode 5 [2nd watch]

Comics

Batman Eternal #6 by Ray Fawkes & Trevor McCarthy with Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, John Layman & Tim Seeley

Apparently the team are setting a bunch of story lines in motion over four or five issues at this point (starting with #4, though that was tied to the main story (or what was apparently the main story) so it was less obvious). The problem with that style of storytelling is nothing seems to be moving forward, and you have to keep track of a ton of things all at once. (I'm certainly not the only one feeling this.)

This issue feels particularly slight, not helped by its style: out of 20 story pages, a ridiculous six are splash pages. Only one or two of those are earned, meaning the rest just pad out an overly-short story.

After an exciting and promising opening salvo, Eternal is losing its way right now. Fingers crossed they can pull it back.

TV

Arrow
2x21 City of Blood
2x22 Streets of Fire
I happened to read some of a review that said City of Blood felt very much like "Part 1 of 2". The advantage to being a couple of weeks behind is I was able to watch both of these back to back. Unfortunately, it was actually "Part 1 of 3". On the bright side, the finale is on tomorrow -- not too long to wait.

Elementary
2x23 Art in the Blood

Gavin & Stacey
1x03 Episode 3 [2nd watch]

Films

A Beautiful Mind (2001)
[#39 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

LOVEFiLM didn't bother to send me a replacement disc, so I watched the remaining 90 minutes via an HD download.

Articles

Batman vs Superman movie named Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
by Greg Laing (from Digital Spy)

If everyone's been calling your film Batman vs Superman, why would you title it Batman v Superman?! It's a silly little difference that just draws attention to itself, as evidenced by the abundance of headlines and tweets like this one.

TV

Castle
3x24 Knockout [season finale]
I knew they were going somewhere with Montgomery, the way they'd been building him up through the last few episodes.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Game of Thrones
4x05 First of His Name
Bit of a "move the pieces into place" episode, but hey-ho, you need those sometimes.

Gavin & Stacey
1x02 Episode 2 [2nd watch]

The Mentalist
6x19 Brown Eyed Girls

TV

24
8x23 2:00PM - 3:00PM
8x24 3:00PM - 4:00PM [series finale]

Here's a philosophical question for you: if something is made as a last-ever episode -- a series finale -- but then later they bring the series back, is it still a series finale? And does it make a difference if the revival is under a slightly different name?

That shouldn't really be my main concern after an Exciting Two-Hour 24 Finale, really, should it; but the episodes themselves were a little silly, and poorly paced, and the ending saw both the villains vanquished and Jack proved right and Jack having to go on the run because he did wrong. Does that even make sense? Not convinced. Having your cake and eating it, etc. This is what happens when you're desperate to leave things open-ended for the movie you're hoping to make.


Gavin & Stacey
1x01 Episode 1 [3rd watch]

Here's my latest comedy re-watch, then.

Comics

Kill Shakespeare #1 by Conor McCreery, Anthony Del Col & Andy Belanger

Another give-it-a-go cut-price #1 reprint. Didn't care for this as much, though; though not as little as some people did.

TV

24
8x22 1:00PM - 2:00PM
"There's two episodes left?! Aw crap, we jumped the gun! Right, new big bad..."

The British Academy Television Awards 2014
Hooray Doctor Who!
[Watch it (again) soon on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
47x05 (2/5/2014 edition; extended repeat)

Films

A Beautiful Mind (2001)
[#39 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

The first 45 minutes (which is exactly (exactly) the first third of the movie), before my rental disc gave up the ghost. Feels like that's been happening a lot recently...

Comics

American Vampire #1 by Scott Snyder & Rafael Albuquerque

American Vampire's been going for a few years, lots of people seem to love it, it's by Scott Snyder (who writes an incredible Batman), so when they republished issue 1 for $1* as part of the 'Vertigo Essentials' thing I thought I'd give it a go.

And it is really good. Which means now I want the graphic novel(s), of which there are already five volumes and counting. Eh.


* which somehow ends up being £1 here. C'est la vie.

Articles

Twin Peaks - 'The Entire Mystery' Blu-ray Set: Every Episode, The Movie, New Extras!
by David Lambert (from TVShowsOnDVD.com)

O. M. G.

OK, so I've had the Gold Box for years and I've not watched it (I saw the pilot and season one years ago), but this is so awesome, so full of features, many of them long-awaited, that I'll have to jump on it day one. Feels like a waste, like I should mission through the previous edition now... but if I do that, I won't want to watch the BDs immediately... and oh, all that lovely HD quality...!

Ah well, at least the Gold Box was a present.

this week on 100 Films

One new review was published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and it was...


Visions of Light (1992)

Initially a whistlestop history of film photography, it segues into analysis of movies the interviewed DPs had shot. Unfortunately, casual film fans may judge it monotopical, while hardened cineastes may find it a haphazard, Hollywood-centric overview.

Read more here.


Plus, new to the new blog...


Monsters (2010)

Expecting an epic SF-action movie where soldiers kitted out with futuristic weaponry battle an alien menace? You might be disappointed. Indeed, the relatively low IMDb rating suggests people have been. Monsters isn’t an action movie. It’s barely a sci-fi movie. And that’s not a bad thing.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

24
8x21 12:00PM - 1:00PM

Elementary
2x22 Paint It Black

The Guess List
1x04 Episode 4

Comics

Batman Eternal #5 by James Tynion IV & Andy Clarke with Scott Snyder, Ray Fawkes, John Layman & Tim Seeley

I'm having to pay slightly over what I normally would to keep up with this as a weekly rather than wait for it as part of my monthly subscription bundle; but as I felt like I'd skipped an issue after just an 11 day gap since I read the last two, I think I'm right to want to keep on top of it.

Engrossing as it is, references to 'recent events' in the Bat-world remind me I really should catch up on the massive pile of backlogged comics I have. (If only I had genuinely kept them all in one convenient pile that I could easily dive in to...)

Collection Count

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

This week, a couple of new-release BDs and sale DVDs give this month's running time a last-minute boost...

Number of titles in collection: 1,673 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,202 [up 3]
Of which Blu-rays: 471 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,166 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 1,799 [up 6]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,126 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 409 [no change]

And that monthly running time update...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
298 days, 8 hours, and 17 minutes.
(Up 16 hours and 1 minute from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

24
8x20 11:00AM - 12:00PM

Castle
3x23 Pretty Dead
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Episodes
3x01 Episode 1
The hardest programme to find in my blog's archive returns after nearly two years away. And it's still very good, so that's nice.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

24
8x19 10:00AM - 11:00AM

Arrow
2x20 Seeing Red
Seeing Filler, more like. Aside from a Very Dramatic ending, they could've done without this episode.

Elementary
2x21 The Man with the Twisted Lip

How I Met Your Mother
9x15 Unpause
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Films

Darkman (1990)
[#38 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
1x17 Full Boyle
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Castle
3x21 The Dead Pool
3x22 To Love and Die in L.A.

Game of Thrones
4x04 Oathkeeper

TV

24
8x18 9:00AM - 10:00AM

The Mentalist
6x18 Forest Green

TV

Pointless Celebrities
6x09 Eurovision Special
Or, according to the BBC's blurb, "a special celebrity crime edition" (no really, go check it out). But it was actually a Eurovision-themed one, including Pointless' very own entry, Nul Points.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

Three new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, all under one banner...


Tom Conway as the Falcon, Part III
A summary, linking to the following reviews:


The Falcon in San Francisco (1945)

I’m not sure whether to give in San Francisco points for its intricate storyline or admonish it for being so darn confusing. At least it makes for a different kind of mystery from the usual whodunnit styling of the series

Read more here.


The Falcon's Alibi (1946)

It’s darker than usual fare for the series, bordering on the noir-ish. There’s still the usual Falcon charm and comedic antics of Goldie to lighten the mood, but they feel bolted on to the core of a slightly grimmer tale

Read more here.


The Falcon's Adventure (1946)

a terribly generic title for a film that isn’t the series’ very best, but is a solid upper-end instalment. They’re mostly quite formulaic films, but Adventure gets the mix right with some good sequences and gags.

Read more here.


Also, new to the new blog...


The New World (2005)

Slowly paced and beautifully photographed, this is about as far from Disney’s telling of the story as you could get. This is not a bad thing, as the pace and photography combine to make for a serene unravelling of story and mood.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Eurovision Song Contest: Copenhagen 2014

For various reasons, turned this on just in time for the final two acts, so only watched those, the interval performances, and the voting. Yep, the voting. On the bright side, means I can fastforward it when I go back for the rest of the performances.

Also, that I didn't hear the winner until it was performed at the end. I quite liked it though -- very '90s Bond theme.

[Watch it (again) soon on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

Nothing to mention this week. There will definitely be a couple next week, though, along with a running time update (feels like no time at all since the last one!), so that's nice.

Number of titles in collection: 1,668 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,199 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 469 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,161 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,794 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,126 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 409 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Graham Norton Show
15x06 (9/5/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
47x06 (9/5/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Trip to Italy
Part 6 Il Riccio, Capri [finale]
Yes, I skipped from episode one to six. It wasn't really deliberate. It is quite good though, so I should go back and fill in the rest.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

24
8x17 8:00AM - 9:00AM

Arrow
2x19 The Man Under the Hood
Which in passing introduces some of the supporting cast for forthcoming spin-off show The Flash. Unfortunately, they seem intensely irritating. Otherwise, pretty good stuff.

Game of Thrones
4x03 Breaker of Chains

How I Met Your Mother
9x14 Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra
This was the episode that got accused of racism. Either it was severely edited for the UK, or people got their knickers in a twist over literally nothing.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Audio Drama

Doctor Who [Big Finish]
19x04 Minuet in Hell Part Four

Thank crikey that's over! Something good next, I hope.

TV

24
8x16 7:00AM - 8:00AM
It won't be clear until the next episode, but this seems to make the end of Story Arc #2. That said, Arc #1 was actually part of Arc #2, we just didn't see that until a little later -- so really, the whole season has been Arc #1 until now. That pleases me. Plenty of other things about this season don't, but that does.

Castle
3x20 Slice of Death

TV

Vera
4x01 On Harbour Street
Adapted from the novel Harbour Street. Your guess as to why they tweaked the title is as good as mine.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Films

Idiocracy (2006)
[#37 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Comics

Batman Eternal #3-4 by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, John Layman, Jason Fabok & Dustin Nguyen with Ray Fawkes & Tim Seeley

Five writers and two artists (not to mention all the colourists, letterers, etc) tell another 3.3% of this year-(or-more)-long Bat-story.

TV

24
8x15 6:00AM - 7:00AM

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
1x16 The Party
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

How I Met Your Mother
9x13 Bass Player Wanted
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Films

The World's End (2013)
[#36 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

24
8x14 5:00AM - 6:00AM

Castle
3x19 Law and Murder
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Friends
10x17 The Last One Part 1 [5th or so watch]
10x18 The Last One Part 2 [series finale; 5th or so watch]
In what feels like the blink of an eye (actually 8½ months), ten years have passed, and Friends is over once again. Until the next time...

this fortnight on 100 Films

Due to a basic mistake, I forgot to post a 100 Films in a Year update last week... so here's a double one!


Firstly, as it was May a couple of days ago, it's time to look back at April. This month's top five is my favourite movies from 1986. You can read why by clicking through.


Next, two new reviews were published in the past fortnight... well, in the past week, actually. Anyway, they were:


Bicycle Thieves (1948)

For my 800th review, it's the film Sight & Sound swiftly decided was the greatest of all time, and almost as swiftly changed their mind about.

Read more here.


Solomon Kane (2009)

The style is a fantasy-horror mash-up, recalling everything from the 1982 Conan to Witchfinder General, and plenty more besides. That’s not to say its a rip-off of those movies, or even some kind of cobbled-together reference-fest, but rather that its roots and inspirations are discernible. There’s some creepy creatures and sequences, but also a more-than-requisite amount of swordfighting

Read more here.


And finally, new to the new blog were:


L.A. Confidential (1997)

how does a 480-page, densely written, intricately plotted crime novel, spanning seven years and “no fewer than four and perhaps as many as a dozen major crimes”, translate into a two-and-a-quarter-hour film? With more than a few surprises, as it turns out, because the apparently minor changes near the film’s start turn out to be the proverbial pebble in a pond: their ripples spread so far that, by the second half, not even a reader who can remember the many details of the novel’s complex plot will know for sure what’s coming.

Read more here.


Mulan (1998)

The thing that stands out is how very Americanised it is. That’s nothing new for Disney, but it feels a little odd these days. When we’re so used to increased attempts at appropriate cultural reverence from Hollywood movies, it’s almost uncomfortable to hear such American accents from clearly Chinese characters.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

24
8x13 4:00AM - 5:00AM
...aaaaand there it is.

Elementary
2x20 No Lack of Void

Friends
10x16 The One with Rachel's Going Away Party [5th or so watch]

Game of Thrones
4x02 The Lion and the Rose
The whole point of starting this now was that I wouldn't be behind and wouldn't get spoiled -- watching one per week on a four week delay isn't going to solve that, is it? Time to start catching up, then. This is The Big One so far this season, which I won't discuss for fear of spoiling someone else. Still, I understand there'll be plenty more surprises to come...

Collection Count

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

A couple of Doctor Who DVD upgrades last week and this mean... my Who collection is finally completely complete! Well, except for the last couple of Matt Smith episodes that have yet to see a box set / Special Edition re-release, and the one classic story they're taking forever to get round to. But that's not my fault, is it.

Of course, because they're upgrades, the only footprint last week was an extra disc, and this week not even that. (I also got a few new Blu-rays, hence the increases.)

Number of titles in collection: 1,668 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,199 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 469 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 4,161 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 1,794 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,126 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 409 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

24
8x12 3:00AM - 4:00AM
Halfway and... boom, there goes CTU! Mark it off your "Things That Always Happen in a Season of 24" bingo card, people. How long before we find out there's a mole?

Friends
10x15 The One Where Estelle Dies [5th or so watch]

Have I Got News For You
47x04 (25/4/2014 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

24
8x11 2:00AM - 3:00AM

Arrow
2x18 Deathstroke
There's still five episodes left this season! Either they've got a lot of plans, or it's going to get really strung out...

Friends
10x14 The One with Princess Consuela [5th or so watch]

Films

Blue Velvet (1986)
[#35 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2014 #4