Films

L'avventura (1960)
[#12 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]
Blindspot 2022 #1

Voyage of Time: An IMAX Documentary (2016)
[#11 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]

this week on 100Films.co.uk

12 new reviews were published to 100Films.co.uk this week — mainly short(er) ones in roundup-type posts, but they're still reviews.


Flight of the Navigator (1986)

may have been entertaining for preteens in the ’80s and ’90s, but surely anyone older could only love it because of nostalgia from watching it at that age; and it’s probably a bit slow-paced for today’s youth.

Read more here.


2022 | Weeks 1–3

Featuring...
- Carry On Spying (1964)
- Penny Serenade (1941)
- The Navigator (1924)
- In the Line of Fire (1993)
- Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper (2004)
- Free Guy (2021)

Read more here.


Archive 5, Vol.2

Featuring...
- Royal Wedding (1951)
- A Study in Scarlet (1933)
- Chicken Run (2000)
- The Last of Sheila (1973)
- Road to Zanzibar (1941)

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Collection Count

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

After nothing last week, this one certainly set about making up for it: a big 13 new additions, including a DVD... but also a DVD-to-BD uprade, so that change gets wiped out below. Oh well.

Also five new 4K titles, which is the most in one go for six months. The most ever in a single week was six back in February 2019, fairly soon after I'd first started buying them (in October 2018). This week could've set a new record, if a few orders weren't so tardy in the post. Oh well.

Number of titles in collection: 2,767 [up 12]
Of which DVDs: 1,055 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,712 [up 12]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 147 [up 5]

Number of discs in collection: 6,933 [up 19]
Number of films: 3,283 [up 15]
Number of additional cuts: 248 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,237 [no change]
Number of short films: 936 [up 2]

It's also time once again for the monthly running time update...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
498 days, 16 hours, and 46 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 11 hours, and 26 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise (2007)
[#10 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]

Films

Mass (2021)
[#9 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]

Music

Braver Than We Are
by Meat Loaf

Meat Loaf's final album, on which all the songs were written by Jim Steinman. That led the album's producer to comment that "I believe this is actually Bat [Out of Hell] 3... I might get myself in trouble, but I'm gonna say that. Jim's involvement in this record is so intense. The songs, the way they run together and the narrative of the record, nothing has been this cohesive since Bat 1." I'm gonna give a big "hmm" to that, because while it's a nice idea in theory, I didn't feel the album was all that cohesive, nor that it was as "Bat Out of Hell-y" as the real Bat 3. Maybe I'll change my mind with time, I dunno, but it's not like the record came out (over five years ago now — I missed it at the time) with a big "the real Bat 3!" fanfare, is it?

Films

Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper (2004)
[#7 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]

Free Guy (2021)
[#8 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]

this week on 100Films.co.uk

6 new reviews were published to 100Films.co.uk this week...


American Animals (2018)

if a crime was committed, how come they’re interviewing the criminals? That latter thought contributes to a genuine tension and suspense throughout the film. How far will this plot go? Do they even actually attempt it? One of the guys keeps saying, “I expected there to be something to stop us”, and you think maybe something will stop them… but the fact this film exists, and there’s all the chat about how the boys let their parents down and whatever, shows something happened. (No spoilers!)

Read more here.


Archive 5, Vol.1

Featuring...
- Never Too Young to Die (1986)
- Bachelor Knight (1947)
- Little Women (2019)
- Aniara (2018)
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Collection Count

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

Well now, this is something of a surprise. I've got plenty on order, including preorders out on Monday; and stuff in the post, even... but none of it's actually turned up. So, for the first time since WHEN, it's a week with no changes whatsoever! I think those will remain a rarity for the foreseeable...

Number of titles in collection: 2,755 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,055 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,700 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 142 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 6,913 [no change]
Number of films: 3,268 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 247 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,237 [no change]
Number of short films: 934 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Jimmy Carr: His Dark Material
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

In the Line of Fire (1993)
[#6 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]

Music

Bat Out of Hell
Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell
Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose
by Meat Loaf

RIP Meat Loaf.

Films

Flight of the Navigator (1986)
[#5 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2022 #1

Films

The Navigator (1924)
[#4 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]

TV

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x77 Week 16: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Penny Serenade (1941)
[#3 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]

this week on 100Films.co.uk

With my review of 2021 all wrapped up last week, I could properly begin the future of 100Films.co.uk this week. And it started with a pair of lists detailing 24 films I must watch in 2022...


Blindspot 2022

For those still unfamiliar with it, Blindspot’s premise is simple: choose 12 films you should have seen but haven’t, then watch one a month throughout the year. (Those 12 also contribute to my All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge.) Below, I’ve listed my selection for this year, and afterwards I’ll talk a bit about how I chose them.

Read more here.


What Do You Mean You Haven’t Seen These Films from 1986?

After a couple of years ‘off’, “What Do You Mean You Haven’t Seen…?” is back... with a slightly refined focus. Whereas before it featured great or significant movies I should’ve seen from across film history, now I’m giving it a specific theme each year. For the inaugural year of its new version, I’ve picked my birth year: the 12 films from 1986 that I’m most surprised I haven’t seen.

Read more here.


As well as that, I actually posted a new review!


I Care a Lot (2020)

it’s hard to discuss what’s so fundamentally wrong with I Care a Lot without digging into what occurs past some of its twists — it starts as one thing (which works), quickly becomes something else (which also works), but after about the halfway mark, it ends up diving off the deep end into a mess of implausibility.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Collection Count

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

I was going to try to calm down my purchasing this year, dear reader, but January doesn't seem to be off to a good start in that regard. Even the numbers are hiding things, because that one new Ultra HD title is an upgrade from a regular Blu-ray (the film of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), so there were really four additions this week. And there's more already on order, of course.

Number of titles in collection: 2,755 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,055 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,700 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 142 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 6,913 [up 6]
Number of films: 3,268 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 247 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,237 [up 11]
Number of short films: 934 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Great Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off
2x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Leverage
4x03 The 15 Minutes Job

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x76 Week 16: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Gosford Park (2001)
[3rd watch]
[#2 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]

I feel certain I've seen this twice, but I would've guessed the second time was no more than eight or nine years ago, max; but it's not covered by this blog, ergo it must be more than that; or, possibly, I've actually only seen it once, and just spent so long thinking "I must rewatch that" that I ended up believing I had rewatched it. Who knows. Anyway, it's really good.

TV

Leverage
4x02 The 10 Li'l Grifters Job

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x74 Week 15: Thursday
5x75 Week 15: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Stewart Francis: Pun Gent

TV

Cracker
1x01 The Mad Woman in the Attic Part 1 [2nd watch]
1x02 The Mad Woman in the Attic Part 2 [2nd watch]
I first started watching Cracker back in 2009 (my original thoughts on this two-parter are here and here), and got most of the way through series 2 before some reason the viewing dropped off (midway through a three-parter, oddly). Long have I meant to resume it, or start it again (what with it having been 13 years), so here I go. On the DVDs every multi-episode story is presented as a movie, without obvious breaking points, so that might be how I'm watching this time. More importantly: it's really good.

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x71 Week 15: Monday
5x72 Week 15: Tuesday
5x73 Week 15: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Leverage
4x01 The Long Way Down Job

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x68 Week 14: Wednesday
5x69 Week 14: Thursday
5x70 Week 14: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Grantchester
6x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x66 Week 14: Monday
5x67 Week 14: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x63 Week 12: Wednesday
5x64 Week 13: Thursday
5x65 Week 13: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Shetland
6x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x60 Week 12: Friday
5x61 Week 13: Monday
5x62 Week 13: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Shetland
6x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100Films.co.uk

A new era began this week on 100 Films. For starters, it's been rebranded as 100Films.co.uk. Learn more below...


A new era begins...

Welcome to my new-look blog! Don’t worry, you’re going to find a lot of it familiar — I haven’t changed the underlying template, and all the old posts are still there... Primarily, it’s a new name and a new logo, which is showcased on the front page in dozens of randomly-changing header images... More substantively, along with the revised aesthetics comes an adjusted focus.

Read more here.


The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge

Just like its title, this new version is similar but different. My original challenge was wholly straightforward: watch 100 films I’d never seen before every year... But this brand-new version of the challenge… well, it’s going to require some explaining... You see, rather than just watching any old 100 films, now there are a selection of categories, and films will need to fulfil criteria to qualify. Whereas the old challenge merely motivated me to watch more films, this new version is designed to encourage me to watch certain kinds of films.

Read more here.


But the old era still requires some wrapping up — my "review of 2021" posts started last week, and continued this week with...


2021 Statistics

one of my personal highlights of the entire year: the statistics. Regular readers will know what this is all about, but if you’re new to these parts and enjoy things like percentages and graphs… oh boy, you’re in for a treat!

Read more here.


The Worst of 2021

‘Worst of’ lists have become widely unpopular in the film-viewing community in recent years... but film watching inevitably involves taking the rough with the smooth... Also, I’ve done this list for 14 of 100 Films in a Year’s 15 years, so now would be an odd time to stop

Read more here.


The Best of 2021

Finally, for the last time (not really the last time): what I consider to be the best (or, more accurately, my favourite) films I saw for the first time in 2021 (that bit’s correct)... it’s 10% of whatever my final total is. This year that total was 207, so it rounds to 21. (If you think that’s too many for a list like this, feel free to scroll down and start wherever you like.)

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x59 Week 12: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Shetland
6x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Carry On Spying (1964)
[#1 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]

Collection Count

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

Number of titles in collection: 2,752 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,055 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,697 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 141 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 6,907 [up 2]
Number of films: 3,266 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 247 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,226 [no change]
Number of short films: 934 [up 4]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x57 Week 12: Tuesday
5x58 Week 12: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Shetland
6x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
8x10 Episode 10 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x56 Week 12: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Shetland
6x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x53 Week 11: Wednesday
5x54 Week 11: Thursday
5x55 Week 11: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Great British Bake Off
12x10 The Final [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x52 Week 11: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Shetland
6x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
8x09 Episode 9
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x50 Week 10: Friday
5x51 Week 11: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Agatha Raisin
4x01 Kissing Christmas Goodbye [Christmas special]

The Great British Bake Off
12x09 Pâtisserie Week
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x48 Week 10: Wednesday
5x49 Week 10: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

It's the last Collection Count of the year! No, not of 2022 — I know it's already January 2nd, but I didn't get anything new this year (yet), so this is really the last count for 2021. (Also, it was meant to be posted yesterday, but sorting out all the numbers took time.)

The big addition this week is Severin's box set of folk horror, All the Haunts Be Ours, which across 12 discs (plus 3 CDs) contains a whopping 22 films and 14 shorts (not to mention all the other special features). There's also Fim Detective's The Sherlock Holmes Vault, containing four films from the 1930s plus a bunch of shorts. Together, they represent some significant increases for the final update of the year.

Also this week, as well as the usual stats, it's time for a monthly running time update. Plus, as I said, it's the annual wrapup, so we can also see how things have increased since 2020's final count.

Number of titles in collection: 2,750 [up 3 this week; up 240 in 2021]
Of which DVDs: 1,055 [no change this week; down 26 in 2021]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,695 [up 3 this week; up 266 in 2021]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 141 [up 1 this week; up 48 in 2021]

Ending the year on a nice rounded number of 2,750 titles? I like it. But that increase... Last year's title increase was 234, which I described as "mad" because the previous high was 154 — and now there's a new high! Oh dear. Moving on...

Number of discs in collection: 6,905 [up 18 this week; up 459 in 2021]
Number of films: 3,264 [up 27 this week; up 363 in 2021]
Number of additional cuts: 247 [up 1 this week; up 44 in 2021]
Number of TV episodes: 9,226 [up 1 this week; up 244 in 2021]
Number of short films: 930 [up 21 this week; up 119 in 2021]

459 discs in one year?! Bloody hell! But last year it was over 500, so... As for 244 episodes of TV, that's a new low, down from last year's then-new low of 289. I think it's partly me buying less TV, but also less TV making it to disc nowadays (whither a Blu-ray box set of The Americans, hmm?), not to mention a lot of the 'best' TV having shorter seasons.

Total running time of collection (approx.):
497 days, 5 hours, and 20 minutes.
(Up 6 days, 13 hours, and 12 minutes from last month.)
(Up 30 days, 14 hours, and 48 minutes from last year.)

That's a massive increase for just one month (all those many-film box sets, I guess), but last year's annual increase was larger (over 32 days). Still, the average is around 23 days, so 2021 was no shirk. Last year I said "I do hope I manage to calm it down again next year" and, well, I guess I did... but not much, eh? Maybe next year...

And that begins next week, when I'll definitely have more stuff to add. There's no stopping me! See you then, faithful reader.

this week on 100 Films

No reviews on 100 Films in a Year this week, but my look back at 2021 is underway...


2021: The Full List

As revealed in my December review, 2021 finished on a tally of 207 new films — my third highest ever. They’re all listed below, in alphabetical order

Read more here.


My Most-Read Posts of 2021

2021 was a relatively quiet year for me, review-wise — I made just 55 posts, vs. over 120 in each of 2019 and 2020, and over 200 in 2018 and 2017. Nonetheless, that’s still enough from which to draw a Top 5, right?

Read more here.


There was also the December monthly review, which obviously has a year-end-y aspect to it...





And tomorrow on 100 Films, a new era begins...

TV

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2021
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

The Big New Years & Years Eve Party
Part 2 (of 2)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who
39x07 Eve of the Daleks [New Year's Day special]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Happy New Year Live!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Richard Osman's House of Games
5x46 Week 10: Monday
5x47 Week 10: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]