The Crown
2x01 Misadventure
2x02 A Company of Men
It's over three years since I watched season one! I hadn't given up on it, just hadn't got round to it.
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]
Jonathan Creek
3x02 The Eyes of Tiresias [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Friday 31 July 2020
Thursday 30 July 2020
TV
Friday Night Dinner
6x01 The Caravan
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]
The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
6x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]
Jonathan Creek
3x01 The Curious Tale of Mr Spearfish [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
6x01 The Caravan
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]
The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
6x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]
Jonathan Creek
3x01 The Curious Tale of Mr Spearfish [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Wednesday 29 July 2020
TV
The Great British Bake Off
10x01 Cake Week
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]
Jonathan Creek
2x07 Black Canary [Christmas special; 2nd or so watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
10x01 Cake Week
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]
Jonathan Creek
2x07 Black Canary [Christmas special; 2nd or so watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Tuesday 28 July 2020
Films
Spaceship Earth (2020)
[#182 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Venom (2018)
[#181 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
[#182 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Venom (2018)
[#181 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Monday 27 July 2020
Films
The French Connection (1971)
[#180 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Blindspot 2020 #7
+ a couple of the deleted scenes, and a featurette on the film's connections to film noir
[#180 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Blindspot 2020 #7
+ a couple of the deleted scenes, and a featurette on the film's connections to film noir
Sunday 26 July 2020
this week on 100 Films
My latest TV column headlines the additions to 100 Films in a Year this week...
There was also 1 new film review...
Searching (2018)
More next Sunday.
There was also 1 new film review...
Searching (2018)
When his daughter goes missing, David Kim does the most logical thing in this day and age: he turns to her computer and social media to try to work out where she’s gone. What Searching does to really sell this concept is place us inside the tech: everything we see takes place on the screen of computers... Director Aneesh Chaganty uses the visual concept perfectly... finding new ways to use the limitations to tell the story.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday 25 July 2020
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Every time I try to slow my purchasing, new sales and offers come along. So there are another six new titles this week, with a bunch more in the post and on order.
Of particular note this time is Master of Cinema's set of Bela Lugosi-starring Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, which includes an alternate cut of one of the three films, hidden as an Easter egg. This doesn't seem to have been widely reported. Indeed, if I hadn't had to look up a review to get the running times of the individual films, I would've missed that fact -- that one review seems to be the only place it's been mentioned anywhere!
Number of titles in collection: 2,409 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,089 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,320 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 64 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 6,216 [up 8]
Number of films: 2,708 [up 7]
Number of additional cuts: 176 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 8,935 [no change]
Number of short films: 756 [no change]
In the midst of all that going on, it's also time again for a monthly running time update...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
452 days, 19 hours, and 5 minutes.
(Up 1 day and 10 hours (exactly) from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Every time I try to slow my purchasing, new sales and offers come along. So there are another six new titles this week, with a bunch more in the post and on order.
Of particular note this time is Master of Cinema's set of Bela Lugosi-starring Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, which includes an alternate cut of one of the three films, hidden as an Easter egg. This doesn't seem to have been widely reported. Indeed, if I hadn't had to look up a review to get the running times of the individual films, I would've missed that fact -- that one review seems to be the only place it's been mentioned anywhere!
Number of titles in collection: 2,409 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,089 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,320 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 64 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 6,216 [up 8]
Number of films: 2,708 [up 7]
Number of additional cuts: 176 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 8,935 [no change]
Number of short films: 756 [no change]
In the midst of all that going on, it's also time again for a monthly running time update...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
452 days, 19 hours, and 5 minutes.
(Up 1 day and 10 hours (exactly) from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday 24 July 2020
Films
Bloodshot (2020)
[#178 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Le Mans ’66 (2019)
[#177 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
aka Ford v Ferrari
[#178 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Le Mans ’66 (2019)
[#177 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
aka Ford v Ferrari
Wednesday 22 July 2020
Tuesday 21 July 2020
Monday 20 July 2020
Films
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
[#176 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
And a submarine double-bill...
Hunter Killer (2018)
[#175 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The Wolf's Call (2019)
[#174 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
[#176 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
And a submarine double-bill...
Hunter Killer (2018)
[#175 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The Wolf's Call (2019)
[#174 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Sunday 19 July 2020
Films
Hamilton (2020)
[2nd watch]
The final 55 minutes + credits.
Love on a Leash (2011)
[#173 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
[2nd watch]
The final 55 minutes + credits.
Love on a Leash (2011)
[#173 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
this week on 100 Films
2 new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week...
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
The Three Caballeros (1944)
More next Sunday.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
The opening few minutes of The Last Black Man in San Francisco are some of the most visually extraordinary I remember seeing from a film in a while. Well, it begins with two men waiting at a bus stop, but when the bus doesn’t arrive… cinema happens. If the rest of the film had been terrible, I’d have been ok with watching it just to have seen that.Read more here.
The Three Caballeros (1944)
technically, the first sequel in the Disney Canon... [it's] considerably more enjoyable than its predecessor. Its depiction of South America is perhaps a little more twee, leaning on culture and tradition rather than the modern cityscapes that were so important to the impact of the first film, but that doesn’t grate too much because it’s not striving so hard to be educational. Because of that, it’s also able to be more straightforwardly entertaining.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday 18 July 2020
TV
The Twilight Zone
2x25 The Silence
+ the audio commentary by TZ expert Marc Scott Zicree & comic book writer Marv Wolfman
2x25 The Silence
+ the audio commentary by TZ expert Marc Scott Zicree & comic book writer Marv Wolfman
Films
Hamilton (2020)
[2nd watch]
I decided to embrace watching it in chunks, so took in another 50-or-so minutes. Intend to finish it tomorrow, and do a proper one-sitting rewatch at a later date.
Safety Last! (1923)
[#172 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
+ some extras from the Criterion Blu-ray, including the introduction by Suzanne Lloyd and the Locations and Effects featurette
[2nd watch]
I decided to embrace watching it in chunks, so took in another 50-or-so minutes. Intend to finish it tomorrow, and do a proper one-sitting rewatch at a later date.
Safety Last! (1923)
[#172 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
+ some extras from the Criterion Blu-ray, including the introduction by Suzanne Lloyd and the Locations and Effects featurette
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Yeah, I'm back buying again -- eight new additions this week, no upgrades (well, one I already own on DVD, but it's in a box set with loads of other stuff so it's going nowhere), and even more on order (some from the US, so they might not arrive for a month yet).
Number of titles in collection: 2,404 [up 8]
Of which DVDs: 1,090 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,314 [up 8]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 63 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,208 [up 10]
Number of films: 2,701 [up 8]
Number of additional cuts: 175 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 8,935 [no change]
Number of short films: 756 [up 2]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Yeah, I'm back buying again -- eight new additions this week, no upgrades (well, one I already own on DVD, but it's in a box set with loads of other stuff so it's going nowhere), and even more on order (some from the US, so they might not arrive for a month yet).
Number of titles in collection: 2,404 [up 8]
Of which DVDs: 1,090 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,314 [up 8]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 63 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,208 [up 10]
Number of films: 2,701 [up 8]
Number of additional cuts: 175 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 8,935 [no change]
Number of short films: 756 [up 2]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday 17 July 2020
Films
Hamilton (2020)
[2nd watch?]
Only rewatched the first 45 minutes-ish so far (for various reasons), which feels like too much to not mention, but isn't really full rewatch (yet), so...
Lady Bird (2017)
[#171 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
[2nd watch?]
Only rewatched the first 45 minutes-ish so far (for various reasons), which feels like too much to not mention, but isn't really full rewatch (yet), so...
Lady Bird (2017)
[#171 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Thursday 16 July 2020
TV
Star Trek: Picard
1x10 Et in Arcadia Ego Part 2 [season finale]
It’s only taken me six months, but I finished it! Hurrah.
[Watch it (again) on Prime Video.]
The Twilight Zone
1x29 Nightmare as a Child
2x18 The Odyssey of Flight 33
+ the start of the commentary on Flight 33, which is not by the usual commentator, Marc Scott Zicree. I only listened to the start because it was a bit dull. As overly-enthusiastic and motormouthed as Zicree is, at least it makes his commentaries speedy and attention-grabbing.
1x10 Et in Arcadia Ego Part 2 [season finale]
It’s only taken me six months, but I finished it! Hurrah.
[Watch it (again) on Prime Video.]
The Twilight Zone
1x29 Nightmare as a Child
2x18 The Odyssey of Flight 33
+ the start of the commentary on Flight 33, which is not by the usual commentator, Marc Scott Zicree. I only listened to the start because it was a bit dull. As overly-enthusiastic and motormouthed as Zicree is, at least it makes his commentaries speedy and attention-grabbing.
Wednesday 15 July 2020
Tuesday 14 July 2020
Monday 13 July 2020
Films
Dangal (2016)
[#166 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The Lighthouse (2019)
[#167 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
+ some of The Lighthouse's special features. The two deleted scenes are... odd. They’re incredibly short (less than 3 minutes combined, and quite a chunk of that is clips to put them in context) and they don’t really add much, especially the second one. I don’t know why they bothered to put them on the disc, to be honest, except maybe as some kind of joke. “Do you have any deleted scenes? People love deleted scenes.” “Um... yeah, have these... *snigger*” I also listened to the first ten minutes of the commentary, which had some interesting titbits but was a little sparse. The only other feature is a 37-minute making-of, which I might make time for later.
[#166 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The Lighthouse (2019)
[#167 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
+ some of The Lighthouse's special features. The two deleted scenes are... odd. They’re incredibly short (less than 3 minutes combined, and quite a chunk of that is clips to put them in context) and they don’t really add much, especially the second one. I don’t know why they bothered to put them on the disc, to be honest, except maybe as some kind of joke. “Do you have any deleted scenes? People love deleted scenes.” “Um... yeah, have these... *snigger*” I also listened to the first ten minutes of the commentary, which had some interesting titbits but was a little sparse. The only other feature is a 37-minute making-of, which I might make time for later.
Sunday 12 July 2020
this week on 100 Films
A whopping 11 new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week...
The Equalizer 2 (2018)
Greyhound (2020)
It Chapter Two (2019)
The Old Guard (2020)
The 100-Week Roundup VII
The 100-Week Roundup VIII
More next Sunday.
The Equalizer 2 (2018)
It isn’t a terrible film, but it is quite a boring one. Not just slow paced — genuinely boring. A raft of subplots don’t really go anywhere or serve any purpose, the main story is incredibly thin, and the limited action sequences do little to balance the books.Read more here.
Greyhound (2020)
The threat of the U-boats is ever present, a constant danger that leaves our men pinging from one crisis to the next... Combined with the brief running time, it feels like the film doesn’t let up. This isn’t some stately drama about men at sea who are occasionally forced to take potshots at an unseen enemy, but an action movie; only instead of men clashing with kung fu or guns, its boats and subs fighting with torpedos and, um, trigonometry. The result is tight, tense, and thrilling.Read more here.
It Chapter Two (2019)
I think I liked the film it wanted to be (using the horror genre as an analogy/examination of growing up and moving on, or not, and how the past differs from our memories even as it defines us) more than the film it actually is (kind of that, but not in enough depth, and with a bunch of unnecessary business thrown in).Read more here.
The Old Guard (2020)
the concept has fundamental similarities to another recent big-budget Netflix actioner, Michael Bay’s 6 Underground. Whereas that was about a band of off-the-grid mercenaries working in secret to try to influence the course of human history for the better by going around shooting bad guys, The Old Guard is about a band of people who can’t die working in secret to try to influence the course of human history for the better by going around shooting bad guys. ... The Old Guard is more blandly acceptable than 6 Underground. And yet it never swings as big as Bay’s films — for all his many faults, his “go big or go home” style has its merits as blockbuster entertainment. Nothing here is going to stick in the memory as much as 6 Underground’s opening car chaseRead more here.
The 100-Week Roundup VII
Featuring...Read more here.
- The Garden of Words
- The Secret in Their Eyes
- Paul
- The Way of the Gun
The 100-Week Roundup VIII
Featuring...Read more here.
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
- The Quiet Earth
More next Sunday.
Saturday 11 July 2020
Films
Greyhound (2020)
[#164 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
+ the two short featurettes accompanying it, which are more like trailers with interviews really
Palm Springs (2020)
[#163 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
[#164 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
+ the two short featurettes accompanying it, which are more like trailers with interviews really
Palm Springs (2020)
[#163 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Two box sets this week, with three discs apiece, one with three films, one with just one. Ah, the whims of disc producers...
Number of titles in collection: 2,396 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,090 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,306 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 63 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,198 [up 6]
Number of films: 2,693 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 174 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,935 [no change]
Number of short films: 754 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Two box sets this week, with three discs apiece, one with three films, one with just one. Ah, the whims of disc producers...
Number of titles in collection: 2,396 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,090 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,306 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 63 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,198 [up 6]
Number of films: 2,693 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 174 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,935 [no change]
Number of short films: 754 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday 10 July 2020
Thursday 9 July 2020
TV
Hamilton's America
A documentary that aired on PBS in the US after the Hamilton phenomenon and truly taken hold. Part making-of, part history lesson, it’s full of insight into both, so it's a shame Disney+ couldn't get this (or didn't try, I dunno) to accompany the film -- I think a lot of people who’ve enjoyed the film would enjoy this as a chaser. Definitely worth a watch if you can track it down.
Star Trek: Picard
1x09 Et in Arcadia Ego Part 1
[Watch it (again) on Prime Video.]
A documentary that aired on PBS in the US after the Hamilton phenomenon and truly taken hold. Part making-of, part history lesson, it’s full of insight into both, so it's a shame Disney+ couldn't get this (or didn't try, I dunno) to accompany the film -- I think a lot of people who’ve enjoyed the film would enjoy this as a chaser. Definitely worth a watch if you can track it down.
Star Trek: Picard
1x09 Et in Arcadia Ego Part 1
[Watch it (again) on Prime Video.]
Wednesday 8 July 2020
Tuesday 7 July 2020
Films
Make Mine Music (1946)
[#160 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Plus...
David Lynch Cooks Quinoa (2007)
[#159a in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
"Shia LaBeouf" Live
[Watch it (again) on YouTube]
Both of these are counted as short films on this list on Letterboxd, but I'd argue the Shia LaBeouf one is actually a comedy skit and/or music video. The Lynch one is originally a DVD special feature, but I'm gonna let it count, as much as anything with the purpose of writing about the weirdness of that list on 100 Films.
[#160 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
Plus...
David Lynch Cooks Quinoa (2007)
[#159a in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
"Shia LaBeouf" Live
[Watch it (again) on YouTube]
Both of these are counted as short films on this list on Letterboxd, but I'd argue the Shia LaBeouf one is actually a comedy skit and/or music video. The Lynch one is originally a DVD special feature, but I'm gonna let it count, as much as anything with the purpose of writing about the weirdness of that list on 100 Films.
Monday 6 July 2020
Films
A Dog's Will (2000)
[#159 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The 8th greatest film of all time according to Letterboxd users.
[#159 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
The 8th greatest film of all time according to Letterboxd users.
Sunday 5 July 2020
TV
Celebrity Mastermind
2019/2020 Episode 5 (of 10)
Elementary
6x20 Fit to Be Tied
6x21 Whatever Remains, However Improbable [season finale]
Jonathan Creek
2x06 Mother Redcap [season finale; 2nd or so watch]
Regarding my ongoing dilemma about how many times I've seen these episodes, the more of the series I watch, the more I suspect I had the first series on VHS and watched it more than once, but only saw the second series onwards when it aired. (Not that this matters to anyone besides me and my weird completism for counting rewatches!)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
2019/2020 Episode 5 (of 10)
Elementary
6x20 Fit to Be Tied
6x21 Whatever Remains, However Improbable [season finale]
Jonathan Creek
2x06 Mother Redcap [season finale; 2nd or so watch]
Regarding my ongoing dilemma about how many times I've seen these episodes, the more of the series I watch, the more I suspect I had the first series on VHS and watched it more than once, but only saw the second series onwards when it aired. (Not that this matters to anyone besides me and my weird completism for counting rewatches!)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
this week on 100 Films
Just 1 new review on 100 Films in a Year this week, but it was a big one...
Hamilton (2020)
It was also the start of a new month, so there was my usual review of the old one...
More next Sunday.
Hamilton (2020)
it doesn’t feel like a mere stopgap until they film it ‘properly’, nor a “that’ll do” stand-in for a real theatrical performance, but instead like a legitimate experience in its own right. Hamilton is a masterpiece, and getting to see it performed by the original cast in its original staging via a film so carefully and lovingly crafted is an absolute thrill.Read more here.
It was also the start of a new month, so there was my usual review of the old one...
More next Sunday.
Saturday 4 July 2020
TV
Agatha Raisin
3x01 The Haunted House
Celebrity Mastermind
2019/2020 Episode 3 (of 10)
Elementary
6x19 The Geek Interpreter
3x01 The Haunted House
Celebrity Mastermind
2019/2020 Episode 3 (of 10)
Elementary
6x19 The Geek Interpreter
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
This week's only new addition is that missing Red Dwarf series from last week, which means I now own the complete show on Blu-ray. Hurrah. Now just to watch it...
Number of titles in collection: 2,394 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,090 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,304 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 63 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,192 [up 2]
Number of films: 2,689 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 174 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,935 [up 6]
Number of short films: 754 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
This week's only new addition is that missing Red Dwarf series from last week, which means I now own the complete show on Blu-ray. Hurrah. Now just to watch it...
Number of titles in collection: 2,394 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,090 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,304 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 63 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,192 [up 2]
Number of films: 2,689 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 174 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,935 [up 6]
Number of short films: 754 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday 3 July 2020
Thursday 2 July 2020
TV
Elementary
6x18 The Visions of Norman P. Horowitz
Jonathan Creek
2x04 The Problem at Gallows Gate Part One [2nd or so watch]
2x05 The Problem at Gallows Gate Part Two [2nd or so watch]
[Watch parts one and two (again) on iPlayer.]
Staged
1x05 Ulysses
1x06 The Cookie Jar [season finale]
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
6x18 The Visions of Norman P. Horowitz
Jonathan Creek
2x04 The Problem at Gallows Gate Part One [2nd or so watch]
2x05 The Problem at Gallows Gate Part Two [2nd or so watch]
[Watch parts one and two (again) on iPlayer.]
Staged
1x05 Ulysses
1x06 The Cookie Jar [season finale]
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Wednesday 1 July 2020
TV
Elementary
6x17 The Worms Crawl In, the Worms Crawl Out
Jonathan Creek
2x03 The Scented Room [2nd or so watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Staged
1x03 Who the F#!k is Michael Sheen?
1x04 Bara Brith
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
6x17 The Worms Crawl In, the Worms Crawl Out
Jonathan Creek
2x03 The Scented Room [2nd or so watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Staged
1x03 Who the F#!k is Michael Sheen?
1x04 Bara Brith
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Films
The Ipcress File (1965)
[#156 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
As part of Blindspot 2020, a leftover from Blindspot 2019.
[#156 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
As part of Blindspot 2020, a leftover from Blindspot 2019.
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