Saturday 31 October 2020

Films

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
[#236 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]

Collection Count

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

This week's updates include a couple of new titles — biggest among them, Indicator's Fu Manchu box set — but (as mooted last week) I've removed the set of eight classic Universal monster movies, so a couple of stats still go down. And then, when tallying up, I discovered I'd forgotten something I bought earlier in the month was actually a DVD-to-BD upgrade, so even more stats drop or stay the same!

Regarding the Indicator set, it contains alternative presentations of several of the films, but I've only counted one as a true alternate cut. That one has a whole different prologue, whereas the others are just alternate title sequences, which I personally consider to be be a curio rather than a genuine additional cut.

Number of titles in collection: 2,456 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,086 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,370 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 80 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 6,338 [down 3]
Number of films: 2,810 [down 2]
Number of additional cuts: 188 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 8,975 [no change]
Number of short films: 771 [up 5]

Also this week, it's time for the monthly running time update. With several box sets rocking up this month (including that huge Universal one last week), does that mean an uncommonly large jump here?

Total running time of collection (approx.):
460 days, 9 hours, and 45 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 19 hours, and 45 minutes from last month.)

Well, I don't actually know what the average monthly increase is. This one doesn't challenge several of the ultra-big jumps I've had this year, but it's not paltry either.

Anyway, see you next week, faithful reader.

Friday 30 October 2020

Thursday 29 October 2020

Films

The Face of Fu Manchu (1965)
[#234 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]
+ from Indicator's new box set, the introduction by BFI curator Vic Pratt, and the first hour of the audio commentary by experts Stephen Jones and Kim Newman (it's not that I got bored and quit; quite the opposite: I'd only intended to listen to the first few minutes, then got sucked in for just over an hour!)

Wednesday 28 October 2020

Tuesday 27 October 2020

Sunday 25 October 2020

TV

Demetri Martin: The Overthinker
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
7x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

this week on 100 Films

No new reviews at 100 Films in a Year this week — indeed, the only new post was about why that was...


FilmBath + AMPLIFY!
In a mirror of this post from last year, I’m here again to blame my recent blogging quietness on FilmBath Festival. Yes, even in these Covid-struck days, we are putting on a film festival. It’s different — smaller, for one thing, with just nine films over five days... But, as if to make up for that, we have a New Thing… AMPLIFY! is an online virtual film festival — which, in short, means you can enjoy it if you live anywhere in the UK.
Read more here.


Hopefully, more reviews next Sunday.

Collection Count

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

A later-than-normal update again, because a bunch of stuff turned up on Saturday morning (that's why I set this to normally post at 3pm on Saturday, but it's no good if lots turns up when I'm busy with something else). By "lots" I primarily mean "something to think about": three shiny new titles, that's easy; but I picked up the Universal Classic Monsters 30-film Blu-ray set (which contains 31 films) in Amazon's Prime Day sale and that causes dilemmas. Does it replace my existing 8-film 'highlights' Blu-ray set? Does it also replace my similar DVD set? You might think "duh, of course", but the DVD set comes with some physical extras I'd like to keep.

For now, I've just added it as a brand-new title. Long-term, I suspect the 8-film set will go, but the DVDs won't — I've no need for those discs anymore, so I could sell them and keep the physical extras; but as that wouldn't save me any space (and the DVDs would only make a pittance), what's the point?

Number of titles in collection: 2,456 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,087 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,369 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 80 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 6,341 [up 28]
Number of films: 2,812 [up 34]
Number of additional cuts: 187 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,975 [no change]
Number of short films: 766 [up 1]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Saturday 24 October 2020

TV

The Great British Bake Off
11x04 Chocolate Week
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Jonathan Creek
5x04 Daemons' Roost [Christmas special; series finale]
It's been almost four years since this episode aired — not as long as the longest gap in the series' history (just under five years between the series four finale and The Grinning Man), but you can see why websites have decided this is probably the final-ever instalment (it certainly is for now, at least). If that's the case, it's not a bad one to go out on: a lot better than other recent episodes, and with some nice nods to the series' history.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Down with Love (2003)
[#228 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]

Puzzle (2018)
[#229 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]

Friday 23 October 2020

TV

Elementary
7x08 Miss Understood

Who Dares Wins
12x05 (27/7/19 edition)

Young Wallander
1x06 Bomb [season finale]
Well, that was... less than great. "Bomb" indeed. Full review in my next 100 Films TV column.
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Thursday 22 October 2020

Wednesday 21 October 2020

Tuesday 20 October 2020

TV

Jonathan Creek
5x03 The Curse of the Bronze Lamp [season finale]
An array of terrible subplots make you wish this episode was considerably shorter (it’s only an hour but feels like two), but its mystery is still the nearest these latter-day Creeks have come to its heyday highs.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Young Wallander
1x03 Mona & Munck Connection
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Monday 19 October 2020

Sunday 18 October 2020

TV

Elementary
7x05 Into the Woods

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
7x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Films

The American President (1995)
[#227 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]

Collection Count

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

As mentioned last week, this update brings Back to the Future in 4K, and with it uncertainty what to do with my old Blu-ray copy. I bought the tin edition with lots of bits & bobs in it. I'd like to keep those, but I don't need the discs anymore. Maybe I could sell the actual Blu-ray set and keep the tin & tat... but it's likely to be worth so little (it sells new for less than £15, probably even lower now there's a new edition) that, if I'm keeping the big ol' tin anyway, is there any point selling some of its contents?

Anyway, while I continue to ponder that into the future, here's this week's overall changes...

Number of titles in collection: 2,452 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,087 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,365 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 80 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 6,313 [up 14]
Number of films: 2,778 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 187 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,975 [up 11]
Number of short films: 765 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

this week on 100 Films

This week on 100 Films in a Year began with another lengthy TV column...





And there was 1 new film review, too...


A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
If it all sounds a bit predictable, director Marielle Heller dodges that with some indie-movie-esque flourishes. There’s a touch of Wes Anderson to how she uses Mr Rogers’ TV show, switching into Academy ratio to demarcate us entering a different ‘world’ — not just literally clips from the show, but bookend narration, dream sequences, location transitions, and so on.
Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Saturday 17 October 2020

Friday 16 October 2020

TV

Anthony Jeselnik: Thoughts and Prayers
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

Mystery Men (1999)
[3rd watch]
Rewatchathon 2020 #41

Tuesday 13 October 2020

Monday 12 October 2020

Sunday 11 October 2020

TV

Monty Python Conquers America
Hour-long documentary (available on Netflix) about the unlikely-but-true story of how Monty Python came to be so popular in the US.

this week on 100 Films

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


Bloodshot (2020)
Like those half-arsed efforts of old, Bloodshot is, when taken as a brain-off sci-fi actioner, mostly adequate. That’s about the best that can be said for it. I was going to say that it’s probably bland enough to scrape a passing grade, but, the further I get from it, the more it lessens in my memory.
Read more here.


The 100-Week Roundup XIII
Featuring...
- TiMER
- Suspiria (1977)
- Matinee
- The Producers (1967)
Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Saturday 10 October 2020

TV

Anthony Jeselnik: Fire in the Maternity Ward
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

The Good Liar (2019)
[#223 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]

Collection Count

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

Just two new titles this week: one regular ol' Blu-ray and one BD-to-4K upgrade.

Number of titles in collection: 2,449 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,088 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,361 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 78 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 6,299 [up 2]
Number of films: 2,774 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 187 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,964 [no change]
Number of short films: 765 [up 1]

Next week will hopefully bring Back to the Future in 4K, and another dilemma about whether to keep or sell my old Blu-ray copy. See you then, faithful reader.

Thursday 8 October 2020

Wednesday 7 October 2020

Monday 5 October 2020

Films

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
[#220 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]

Live and Let Die (1973)
[4th watch]
Rewatchathon 2020 #40. It was James Bond day today, so it seemed only right to watch a Bond film. The date marks the release of the first Bond film, but I watched the first Roger Moore one instead because, well, that's where I'm at in my rewatch (which has been going on since this anniversary in 2012. Eight films in eight years? That's not deliberate, I've just accidentally been horrendously tardy. But I better pick up the pace, otherwise it's going to take until 2036 just to get to Spectre again…)

Sunday 4 October 2020

Films

Lancelot du Lac (1974)
[#219 in 100 Films in a Year 2020]

this week on 100 Films

A new month meant a new monthly review over at 100 Films in a Year this week...





And there was 1 new film review, too...


Enola Holmes (2020)
As a story set in the world of Sherlock Holmes, Enola Holmes is… well… um… but then, it’s not really about him. While I don’t imagine Sherlockians will be inducting this into their favourite screen iterations of the Great Detective, it works as a female-led YA mystery-adventure.
Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Saturday 3 October 2020

TV

Demetri Martin: Live (At the Time)
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Collection Count

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

Finally, as promised, the much-delayed monthly running time update!

Before I get to that, I also removed those titles I mentioned last week. That would've sent several stats down (in reality, it should've just been fewer increases last week rather than decreases this week), but I also bought some new stuff (of course), so there are actually some increases instead.

Number of titles in collection: 2,448 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,088 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,360 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 77 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 6,297 [up 2]
Number of films: 2,773 [up 5]
Number of additional cuts: 187 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,964 [no change]
Number of short films: 764 [no change]

Total running time of collection (approx.):
457 days and 14 hours exactly.
(Up 1 day, 9 hours, and 17 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

Friday 2 October 2020

Music

Mouth Dreams by Neil Cicierega

So, recently, apropos of nothing, I started listening to my favourite tracks from Neil Cicierega's Mouth albums again, for the first time in ages (here's when I first discovered them, a little over two years ago). After a few days of that, I decided I should look to see if he'd ever done a fourth one... only to find it just came out a couple of days ago! Life is weird. Anyway, of course I had to play it immediately.

You can listen to it for free here.