Line of Duty
6x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
3x82 Episode 82
3x83 Episode 83
[Watch these episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
3x03 La Fiera
Friday, 30 April 2021
Thursday, 29 April 2021
TV
Death in Paradise
10x05 Episode 5
10x06 Episode 6
[Watch series 10 (again) on iPlayer.]
Line of Duty
6x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
10x05 Episode 5
10x06 Episode 6
[Watch series 10 (again) on iPlayer.]
Line of Duty
6x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Wednesday, 28 April 2021
TV
Line of Duty
6x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Not Going Out
11x04 Old Acquaintance
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
6x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Not Going Out
11x04 Old Acquaintance
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Tuesday, 27 April 2021
TV
Line of Duty
6x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
3x81 Episode 81
The week where the contestants were Jamelia, Susan Calman, Gareth Malone, and Paul Martin.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
3x02 In Justice
6x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
3x81 Episode 81
The week where the contestants were Jamelia, Susan Calman, Gareth Malone, and Paul Martin.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
3x02 In Justice
Monday, 26 April 2021
TV
The 93rd Annual Academy Awards
aka the Oscars. I thought it was quite a good ceremony this year, actually — the differences to normal may have been forced by COVID, but it seemed to make it an actual celebration of the films and filmmakers rather than attemps to please the imagined viewing audience with sketches, etc. Well, until the final few minutes, anyway, when the brazen rearrangement of categories led to a damp squib of a finale. Shame.
The Rookie
3x01 Consequences
aka the Oscars. I thought it was quite a good ceremony this year, actually — the differences to normal may have been forced by COVID, but it seemed to make it an actual celebration of the films and filmmakers rather than attemps to please the imagined viewing audience with sketches, etc. Well, until the final few minutes, anyway, when the brazen rearrangement of categories led to a damp squib of a finale. Shame.
The Rookie
3x01 Consequences
Sunday, 25 April 2021
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Having just last week noted the slow increase of my UHD titles this year, this week I got two more and hit that century. It was a mix of all the possibilities I listed: something definitely coming later this month, that I was very likely to order, and caving to a multibuy.
Number of titles in collection: 2,587 [up 8]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,512 [up 8]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 100 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 6,569 [up 12]
Number of films: 3,002 [up 7]
Number of additional cuts: 217 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,080 [up 26]
Number of short films: 854 [up 4]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Having just last week noted the slow increase of my UHD titles this year, this week I got two more and hit that century. It was a mix of all the possibilities I listed: something definitely coming later this month, that I was very likely to order, and caving to a multibuy.
Number of titles in collection: 2,587 [up 8]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,512 [up 8]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 100 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 6,569 [up 12]
Number of films: 3,002 [up 7]
Number of additional cuts: 217 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,080 [up 26]
Number of short films: 854 [up 4]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Saturday, 24 April 2021
Friday, 23 April 2021
Films
Beginners (2010)
[#91 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Stowaway (2021)
[#90 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
[#91 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Stowaway (2021)
[#90 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Thursday, 22 April 2021
Wednesday, 21 April 2021
Tuesday, 20 April 2021
Films
Warning from Space (1956)
[#87 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
+ the audio commentary by Stuart Galbraith IV (it’s billed as a “select scene” commentary, but what that means here is that Galbraith just doesn’t have enough material to cover the full feature, tapping out before the 65 minute mark). Also the two trailers, which (aside from the alternate US version of the film and a booklet) are all the extras the disc has to offer.
[#87 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
+ the audio commentary by Stuart Galbraith IV (it’s billed as a “select scene” commentary, but what that means here is that Galbraith just doesn’t have enough material to cover the full feature, tapping out before the 65 minute mark). Also the two trailers, which (aside from the alternate US version of the film and a booklet) are all the extras the disc has to offer.
Monday, 19 April 2021
Sunday, 18 April 2021
this week on 100 Films
3 new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week...
The 100-Week Roundup XXX
More next Sunday.
The 100-Week Roundup XXX
Featuring...Read more here.
- Everybody Wants Some!!
- The Eyes of Orson Welles
- Eyes Wide Shut
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 17 April 2021
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
This week's additions include only my fifth UHD title this year. That might not sound like a particularly tiny number — it's more than one per month average, and certainly more than I've bought DVDs — but, considering my overal Blu-ray count has gone up by 75 in that same time, it's fewer than you might've expected. Nonetheless, I'm sure it'll hit the magic 100 soon. I've already got one definitely coming later this month, and a couple more I'm very likely to order; plus there's always the chance I'll cave to some multibuy offer or other. (I dread to think how quickly I've got to 100 UHDs compared to how long it took me to amass 100 DVDs back in the day...)
Also this week: a haul from the recent UK Criterion sale, which pushes my Blu-ray collection past the 1,500-title mark, and gets my film count ever so close to 3,000...
Number of titles in collection: 2,579 [up 9]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,504 [up 9]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 98 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 6,557 [up 11]
Number of films: 2,995 [up 10]
Number of additional cuts: 215 [down 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,054 [up 2]
Number of short films: 850 [up 2]
See you next week, faithful reader.
This week's additions include only my fifth UHD title this year. That might not sound like a particularly tiny number — it's more than one per month average, and certainly more than I've bought DVDs — but, considering my overal Blu-ray count has gone up by 75 in that same time, it's fewer than you might've expected. Nonetheless, I'm sure it'll hit the magic 100 soon. I've already got one definitely coming later this month, and a couple more I'm very likely to order; plus there's always the chance I'll cave to some multibuy offer or other. (I dread to think how quickly I've got to 100 UHDs compared to how long it took me to amass 100 DVDs back in the day...)
Also this week: a haul from the recent UK Criterion sale, which pushes my Blu-ray collection past the 1,500-title mark, and gets my film count ever so close to 3,000...
Number of titles in collection: 2,579 [up 9]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,504 [up 9]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 98 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 6,557 [up 11]
Number of films: 2,995 [up 10]
Number of additional cuts: 215 [down 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,054 [up 2]
Number of short films: 850 [up 2]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Wednesday, 14 April 2021
Films
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978)
[#84 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
This being the comedy one starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
[#84 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
This being the comedy one starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
Tuesday, 13 April 2021
Monday, 12 April 2021
Sunday, 11 April 2021
TV
The British Academy Film Awards 2021
Part 1 Opening Night
Part 2 Awards Ceremony
I thought splitting the usual awards in two might be a bit pointless, but the "Opening Night" part was rather good — it took awards that are normally dumped in an “also awarded” montage and did a complete 180 on that, not only presenting them but taking time to discuss them. Nicely done.
[Watch both parts (again) on iPlayer.]
The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes
This TV special was made to tie-in to the release of Young Sherlock Holmes in 1985, but nowadays can be found on Arrow's Blu-ray release of the Hammer Hound of the Baskervilles, the link being it's presented by Christopher Lee. Lee is a consummate pro — you feel like the first time he ever saw his script for this was as he read it off cue cards on camera, but he still gives a good go of injecting some personality. The disdain with which he says “Star Trek’s William Shatner” is magnificent.
Sadly, that can’t be said of much else in this perfunctory overview of Holmes on stage and screen, which plays like someone reading out a Wikipedia entry. At times it takes its title too literally, devolving into no more than a list of names. There are some interesting clips from very early and obscure films and TV adaptations, which is nice, but the long section devoted to excerpts from the Basil Rathbone films feels unnecessary nowadays when you can easily watch the whole films (and you should, most of them are really good).
Part 1 Opening Night
Part 2 Awards Ceremony
I thought splitting the usual awards in two might be a bit pointless, but the "Opening Night" part was rather good — it took awards that are normally dumped in an “also awarded” montage and did a complete 180 on that, not only presenting them but taking time to discuss them. Nicely done.
[Watch both parts (again) on iPlayer.]
The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes
This TV special was made to tie-in to the release of Young Sherlock Holmes in 1985, but nowadays can be found on Arrow's Blu-ray release of the Hammer Hound of the Baskervilles, the link being it's presented by Christopher Lee. Lee is a consummate pro — you feel like the first time he ever saw his script for this was as he read it off cue cards on camera, but he still gives a good go of injecting some personality. The disdain with which he says “Star Trek’s William Shatner” is magnificent.
Sadly, that can’t be said of much else in this perfunctory overview of Holmes on stage and screen, which plays like someone reading out a Wikipedia entry. At times it takes its title too literally, devolving into no more than a list of names. There are some interesting clips from very early and obscure films and TV adaptations, which is nice, but the long section devoted to excerpts from the Basil Rathbone films feels unnecessary nowadays when you can easily watch the whole films (and you should, most of them are really good).
this week on 100 Films
6 new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week...
King Kong (1933)
Palm Springs (2020)
The 100-Week Roundup XXIX
More next Sunday.
King Kong (1933)
Beauty and the Beast is reimagined as a monster movie in this iconic classic. Obviously some of it has aged (not just the effects, but some broadly racist attitudes around Pacific islanders and the ship’s Chinese cook), although its pre-Code roots allow it some unexpected liberties (from gruesome deaths to an unmistakable sexuality around Fay Wray — all within PG levels, but still). Take all that in your stride, and King Kong absolutely holds up as an adrenaline-fuelled spectacle.Read more here.
Palm Springs (2020)
it’s definitely a funny, likeable, surprisingly romantic (but not twee) film. Indeed, even without the time loop USP, Palm Springs would be welcomed because it hits a really good tone on the romance angle. It doesn’t dive into full romcom cheesiness, but it’s also not that kind of “tacked on love story that the filmmakers clearly wish they didn’t have to bother with”Read more here.
The 100-Week Roundup XXIX
Featuring...Read more here.
- Click
- The Help
- Mortal Engines
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 10 April 2021
Films
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
[#82 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
+ the half-hour making-of on Arrow's Blu-ray, Release the Hound!
[#82 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
+ the half-hour making-of on Arrow's Blu-ray, Release the Hound!
Fiction
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Pages 1–41
I normally prefer to log books by chapter numbers, as page numbers can vary between editions, but sometimes books just don’t have chapters. The Midnight Library does... sort of. They’re not numbered, only named, and it looks like most are only a page or two long (there are 14 in these first 41 pages alone), so numbering them myself doesn't seem much use. So, page count it is.
Pages 1–41
I normally prefer to log books by chapter numbers, as page numbers can vary between editions, but sometimes books just don’t have chapters. The Midnight Library does... sort of. They’re not numbered, only named, and it looks like most are only a page or two long (there are 14 in these first 41 pages alone), so numbering them myself doesn't seem much use. So, page count it is.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
This week's three adds come courtest of Arrow's ongoing Easter sale. And talking of sales, next week should see the arrival of a big pile of purchases from Criterion's 2-for-£25 (which ends this weekend, hence the big last-minute grab).
Number of titles in collection: 2,570 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,495 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 97 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,546 [up 3]
Number of films: 2,985 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 216 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,052 [no change]
Number of short films: 848 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
This week's three adds come courtest of Arrow's ongoing Easter sale. And talking of sales, next week should see the arrival of a big pile of purchases from Criterion's 2-for-£25 (which ends this weekend, hence the big last-minute grab).
Number of titles in collection: 2,570 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,495 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 97 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,546 [up 3]
Number of films: 2,985 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 216 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,052 [no change]
Number of short films: 848 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 9 April 2021
Films
The Fly (1986)
[#81 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
The Frozen Ghost (1945)
[#80 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
The fourth Inner Sanctum Mystery.
[#81 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
The Frozen Ghost (1945)
[#80 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
The fourth Inner Sanctum Mystery.
Thursday, 8 April 2021
Articles
My Heart Belongs to the MonsterVerse
by Matt Zoller Seitz (from Vulture)
An eloquent love letter to / defence of the Godzilla/Kong franchise.
by Matt Zoller Seitz (from Vulture)
An eloquent love letter to / defence of the Godzilla/Kong franchise.
Wednesday, 7 April 2021
Tuesday, 6 April 2021
Films
Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
[#76 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
[#77 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
That's the original Japanese version (on disc 8 in Criterion's Showa set), not the US re-jig (the one on disc 2).
[#76 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
[#77 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
That's the original Japanese version (on disc 8 in Criterion's Showa set), not the US re-jig (the one on disc 2).
Monday, 5 April 2021
Films
Godzilla (1954)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2021 #12
Sátántangó (1994)
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Finally, concluding with parts 10–12.
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2021 #12
Sátántangó (1994)
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Finally, concluding with parts 10–12.
Sunday, 4 April 2021
Films
Sátántangó (1994)
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Continuing with parts 7–9.
The Son of Kong (1933)
[#75 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Continuing with parts 7–9.
The Son of Kong (1933)
[#75 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
this week on 100 Films
A new month means a new monthly review over at 100 Films in a Year...
And there were 3 new film reviews, too...
Godzilla (1954)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
More next Sunday.
And there were 3 new film reviews, too...
Godzilla (1954)
more than just the blockbuster entertainment of its day, Godzilla is a serious-minded work. A giant monster stomping on cities — or, if you prefer, a man in a rubber suit stomping on models — may have soon become fodder for the kind of movie fans who enjoy pulp entertainment, but, in its original incarnation, it’s an analogy for the terror of the nuclear bomb. Released just nine years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it’s one of the first films to deal with that scar on the Japanese national psycheRead more here — including my thoughts on the US re-edit: Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
feels like a combination of the two previous MonsterVerse films. As a direct sequel to Godzilla (2014), it brings in plot threads and a couple of supporting characters from that movie. It also adopts the dark visual style of Gareth Edwards’ movie, eschewing the colourfulness that was part of Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ contribution in Kong: Skull Island. But what director Michael Dougherty does retain is that film's pulpiness in the storyline.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 3 April 2021
Films
King Kong (1933)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2021 #11
I also watched the "lost spider pit sequence" recreation, created by Peter Jackson and Weta while they were working on his 2005 remake. The making of their clip is covered in a half-hour segment of the main feature's 2.5-hour making-of documentary, and that behind-the-scenes glimpse is even more impressive than the finished piece. The amount of time and effort and skill that Jackson & Weta put into creating such a short sequence — something they themselves describe as “just a bit of fun” — is phenomenal.
Sátántangó (1994)
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Continuing with parts 4–6.
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2021 #11
I also watched the "lost spider pit sequence" recreation, created by Peter Jackson and Weta while they were working on his 2005 remake. The making of their clip is covered in a half-hour segment of the main feature's 2.5-hour making-of documentary, and that behind-the-scenes glimpse is even more impressive than the finished piece. The amount of time and effort and skill that Jackson & Weta put into creating such a short sequence — something they themselves describe as “just a bit of fun” — is phenomenal.
Sátántangó (1994)
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Continuing with parts 4–6.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Just one new addition this week. Not even a new release or a sale title, like you might expect, but something I heard recommended and decided to pick up.
It's also time for the monthly running time update, so let's see what difference was made by all those sale acquisitions last month...
Number of titles in collection: 2,567 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,492 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 97 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,543 [up 1]
Number of films: 2,981 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 215 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,052 [no change]
Number of short films: 848 [no change]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
473 days, 20 hours, and 33 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 4 hours, and 25 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Just one new addition this week. Not even a new release or a sale title, like you might expect, but something I heard recommended and decided to pick up.
It's also time for the monthly running time update, so let's see what difference was made by all those sale acquisitions last month...
Number of titles in collection: 2,567 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,492 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 97 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 6,543 [up 1]
Number of films: 2,981 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 215 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,052 [no change]
Number of short films: 848 [no change]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
473 days, 20 hours, and 33 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 4 hours, and 25 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 2 April 2021
Films
Sátántangó (1994)
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Blindspot 2021 #4
A seven-hour black-and-white 'slow cinema' Hungarian art drama? Crikey! Thankfully, it’s split into 12 parts, so I’m going to watch it in chunks (if all goes to plan, I'll finish it over the long Easter weekend). Today: parts 1–3.
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Blindspot 2021 #4
A seven-hour black-and-white 'slow cinema' Hungarian art drama? Crikey! Thankfully, it’s split into 12 parts, so I’m going to watch it in chunks (if all goes to plan, I'll finish it over the long Easter weekend). Today: parts 1–3.
Thursday, 1 April 2021
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