TV

Doctor Who
37x01 The Woman Who Fell to Earth [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
12x03 Episode 3 [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Great Model Railway Challenge
1x03 Heat Three: Globetrotting
[Watch it (again) on My5.]

Would I Lie To You?
12x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2018 #41

Films

Face/Off (1997)
[3rd watch]
Rewatchathon 2018 #40. I included this in my "100 favourite films" series back in 2016, but didn't actually rewatch it first. Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't've included it had I done that rewatch, but I don't think I'd've given it the full five stars.

TV

Doctor Who
37x04 Arachnids in the UK
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Inside No. 9
5x00 Dead Line [live Halloween special]
Never watched Inside No. 9 before, but always meant to catch up. As this episode was going out live, though, it seemed a good idea to watch it when it was on... and, for all the tomfoolery and playing with form, I think it was. Nonetheless, you can still:
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Strictly Come Dancing
16x12 Week 6 Results (aka Halloween)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

4 brand-new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...


Batman Ninja (2018)

“This is madness,” exclaims Batman at one point relatively early on in this anime interpretation of the DC superhero. He could be speaking on behalf of us viewers... although, at that point, he — and we — don’t even know the half of it…

Read more here.


Hitchcock (2012)

I’ve no idea how true it is, but the setup — the acclaimed Master of Suspense who’s so established that people are judging him over the hill, determined to do a striking new project no one else believes in to prove he’s still got it — is a good’un. It’s especially effective precisely because it’s about Hitchcock and Psycho: it’s the film that defines him for many people now; so, yes, we know the ending, but that lends dramatic irony — how do we get from that starting point to the acclaimed classic we all know?

Read more here.


Phantom Thread (2017)

if there’s one thing writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson’s film is not, it’s histrionic. It’s plot may be that of a Gothic melodrama, and if it were a novel perhaps we’d class it as one, but Anderson hasn’t taken on the skin of a Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro here — in the quiet but forceful and precise way it plays out, Phantom Thread is as stringently produced as one of Reynolds’ gowns.

Read more here.


The Purge (2013)

When this first came out, I ignored it because its premise was inherently daft. Then they made some sequels, which I ignored because the premise was still inherently daft. Then two things happened: one, some people who I think are worth listening to said some decent things about it; and two, Trump came to power, and suddenly that daft premise doesn’t feel so far outside the confines of what’s possible.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Daredevil
3x12 One Last Shot
3x13 A New Napkin [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Strictly Come Dancing
16x11 Week 6 (aka Halloween)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Jennifer's Body (2009)
[#222 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Collection Count

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

It's a busy one this week: four sale acquisitions, one new release, and three (three!) titles that are actually out next week. Whew! That doubles the size of my 4K Blu-ray collection, too.

Number of titles in collection: 2,163 [up 8]
Of which DVDs: 1,153 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,010 [up 8]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 4 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 5,541 [up 14]
Number of films: 2,416 [up 12]
Number of TV episodes: 8,294 [no change]
Number of short films: 636 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Daredevil
3x10 Karen
3x11 Reunion
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

Phantom Thread (2017)
[#221 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

TV

Daredevil
3x08 Upstairs/Downstairs
3x09 Revelations
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Would I Lie To You?
12x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Lives of Others (2006)
[#220 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]
What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2018 #10

TV

Derren Brown: Sacrifice
This is Derren Brown's third Netflix special... except the first two were just a Channel 4 special slightly re-edited, and a filmed stage show that I think had already aired on C4 (though I missed it then, so, er, I should watch that too). This is his first genuinely-original Netflix Original, though, and it's... not bad. Not his best special (it feels like a recombination of previous techniques to an ending that's only new in its specifics), but not a bad one either.
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Upstart Crow
3x06 Go On and I Will Follow [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Daredevil
3x07 Aftermath
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
[#218 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Unsane (2018)
[#219 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

TV

Daredevil
3x05 The Perfect Game
3x06 The Devil You Know
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

Rocky Balboa (2006)
[#217 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]
+ the audio commentary by writer/director/star Sylvester Stallone

TV

Daredevil
3x04 Blindsided
Including an impressive 11½-minute single-take fight scene, the creation of which is discussed in this article.
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Doctor Who
37x03 Rosa
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Producers (1967)
[#216 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

this week on 100 Films

It was already time for another TV roundup at 100 Films in a Year this week...





Plus, there were 6 brand-new film reviews...


Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)

enough cool costumes and bursts of ultra-violence to cut together a trailer that looks like a kinda-typical anime action-fest, but that’s really hiding a thoughtful, complicated (oh so complicated) drama about an unlikely romance and military conspiracies. If that sounds like a bizarre mix… well, it is. This is a film that likes to pull tricks on its audience, and one of the tricks it plays is to constantly wrongfoot you about what kind of movie it’s meant to be.

Read more here.


Mary and Max (2009)

It has an empathy for people who are disadvantaged and troubled, and for the importance of finding some measure of happiness in life, however small or awkward, that is quite touching. The heavily stylised designs, desaturated colour scheme, and stop-motion animation method suit the material well — there’s a lot of bleakness here, as both Mary and Max are battered by life, which juxtaposes effectively with the “kids’ picture book” visual aesthetic.

Read more here.


The Night Comes for Us (2018)

The whole storyline is quite perfunctory and rather something-and-nothing (and, considering that, gets a bit too much screen time), but it’s a sideshow because the real star is, of course, the action choreography. That’s as relentless and barmy as you’d expect given the pedigree of the cast and crew

Read more here.


Rocky V (1990)

I don’t quite see why Rocky V gets so reviled. It’s certainly not the best movie in the series — indeed, it’s probably the lowest point, lacking the realism of the early films, the entertaining ridiculousness of its immediate predecessors, and the feel-good zero-to-hero arc seen in all of those — but it’s a passable-enough drama in its own right.

Read more here.


Sartana’s Here… Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin (1970)

The third official Sartana movie is to this series what On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is to the Bond films: its one-shot leading man isn’t as good as the regular fella, but the film around him is a cut above.

Read more here.


Zatoichi's Vengeance (1966)

the action is the lesser element here, with some of it feeling almost perfunctory alongside the interesting ideas presented by the plot. It engages on multiple fronts. Firstly, there’s the young boy Taichi and Ichi’s potential influence on him. [...] Connected to this is the blind priest, a wise man who seems to see into Ichi’s very soul, and advises him on his interactions with the boy and, well, his lifestyle in general. [...] While both of these characters and their associated views of Ichi’s methods provide food for thought, perhaps my favourite part of the film is the subplot about a prostitute, Ocho, a kindhearted woman who’s revealed to have a tragic backstory

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Daredevil
3x03 No Good Deed
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

The Night Comes for Us (2018)
[#215 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Podcasts

The Empire Film Podcast
Mission: Impossible – Fallout Spoiler Special Part 3 ft. Christopher McQuarrie

Following on from parts one and two, another three hours of McQuarrie's priceless insights into the moviemaking process. Can't believe it's taken me this long to get round to finishing it, because it's so good.

Articles

Netflix Pulls The Plug On Luke Cage, No Season 3 For Marvel’s Harlem Hero
by Dominic Patten & Nellie Andrea (from Deadline)

Well, this is an unusual story. It's not like Iron Fist, which was cancelled presumably because of low ratings -- they've been working on Cage season 3 for months, apparently with the whole season plotted, half of it in detail, but creative disagreements between Marvel and Netflix have led to the latter just pulling the plug. Makes you wonder if a revival on Disney's forthcoming streaming service is on the cards, and also what the fate of the other Marvel/Netflix shows will be after their already-filming seasons are released.

Collection Count

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

A couple of new additions this week. Plus, it's once again that time of the month: the running time update! After the hu-uge one last month, it's only a lickle one this time; in fact, it's the smallest one since March.

Number of titles in collection: 2,155 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,153 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,002 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 2 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 5,527 [up 2]
Number of films: 2,404 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 8,294 [no change]
Number of short films: 636 [no change]

Total running time of collection (approx.):
408 days, 14 hours, and 8 minutes.
(Up 13 hours (exactly) from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Daredevil
3x01 Resurrection
3x02 Please
Two-and-a-half years since the end of season two, Daredevil's back! Of course, in between we've had The Defenders, which had a pretty significant impact on Daredevil -- any viewers who decided to skip that are gonna be confused!
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Upstart Crow
3x05 The Most Unkindest Cut of All
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Zatoichi's Pilgrimage (1966)
[#214 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Films

School of Rock (2003)
[3rd watch]
Rewatchathon 2018 #39. According to my records this was my third watch of School of Rock, which is weird because I only remember seeing it once. Are my records wrong, or my memory? Probably I saw it twice fairly close together or something. Anyhow, I've decided to trust past-me's record keeping.

TV

The Great Model Railway Challenge
1x01 Heat One: Classic Movies
1x02 Heat Two: British TV Shows
[Watch episodes one and two (again) on My5.]

Would I Lie To You?
12x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Matinee (1993)
[#213 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Films

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)
[#212 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Articles

LFF Review: They Shall Not Grow Old Honours Veterans But Not The Archive
by PH (from Silent London)
An interesting perspective on Peter Jackson's new World War I documentary, which is being positively talked-up most places.

TV

The Imitation Game
1x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Films

Suspiria (1977)
[#211 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]
Blindspot 2018 #10

TV

Doctor Who
37x02 The Ghost Monument
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

TiMER (2009)
[#210 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Collection Count

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

After a landmark occasion last week (1,000 Blu-rays! My first 4K discs!), this week has nothing to report. So I've added a new stat to track my 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays. I've counted them as a subset of Blu-rays because, well, they are (plus most/all UHD releases contain a regular Blu-ray copy anyhow). It's listed as "no change" because, of course, I actually bought them last week.

Number of titles in collection: 2,153 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,153 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,000 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 2 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 5,525 [no change]
Number of films: 2,402 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,294 [no change]
Number of short films: 636 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Have I Got News For You
56x02 (12/10/18 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Upstart Crow
3x04 Sigh No More
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Exclusive: Christopher McQuarrie Goes Deep on Fallout, Mission 7, Hollywood, and More
and
Exclusive: Christopher McQuarrie on the Fallout Score, Action Sequences, Superhero Movies and More
by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub (from Collider)

I don't think I'll ever have had enough of Christopher McQuarrie talking about how he made Mission: Impossible. This two-part interview, transcribed from a Q&A after a screening of the film, sees him on as fine form as ever.

TV

Pointless
20x29 (10/10/18 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Pointless
20x28 (9/10/18 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
37x01 The Woman Who Fell to Earth
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Strictly Come Dancing
16x06 Week 3 Results (aka Movies Week)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

It was nearly a whole week ago so maybe you've forgotten, but the new month actually started this week, and so 100 Films in a Year took a look back at the last one -- which had a pretty noteworthy occurrence...





As well as that, 3 brand-new reviews were published this week...


Behind-the-Scenes Comedy Review Roundup

Featuring:
- Mindhorn
- In & Out
- Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The Jonathan Ross Show
13x06 (6/10/18 edition)
I can't remember the last time I watched Wossy's show (this blog tells me it was over 6½ years ago, in February 2012), but sometimes you just catch stuff on TV…
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Strictly Come Dancing
16x05 Week 3 (aka Movies Week)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

This week, I reached exactly 1,000 Blu-rays -- crikey! And, as if to mark the occasion, this week's purchases included my first-ever 4K UHD Blu-rays! Now I just need a new Blu-ray player so I can actually watch them...

Number of titles in collection: 2,153 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,153 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,000 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 5,525 [up 9]
Number of films: 2,402 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes: 8,294 [up 1]
Number of short films: 636 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Imitation Game
1x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Pls Like
2x03 Most Views
2x04 Kids
Happened to catch a double bill of this BBC Three show on BBC One. A spoof of YouTubers, it was quite funny.
[Watch it (again) on the iPlayer.]

Films

Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)
[#209 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

TV

Maniac
Part 9 Utangatta
Part 10 Option C [finale]
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

TV

Maniac
Part 7 Ceci N'est Pas Une Drill
Part 8 The Lake of the Clouds
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

Prevenge (2016)
[#208 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

TV

Maniac
Part 5 Exactly Like You
Part 6 Larger Structural Issues
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)
[#207 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

I've been watching one Twilight a year for the past few years, normally at the end of October, but they're about to be removed from Amazon Prime so this one's coming up a little early. Except I just discovered the whole series is scheduled to turn up on Netflix the day after it leaves Amazon. Ah well, you never know -- sometimes sites say that and the films don't appear. Maybe I'll 'risk' leaving Part 2 until then. They did originally release Parts 1 and 2 a whole year apart, so I could once again wait until this time next year, but I'm not sure I want to drag this out for another 12 months...

TV

Maniac
Part 4 Furs by Sebastian
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

Rocky V (1990)
[#206 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]