Benjamin Button and the Curious Stories Surrounding Him by Brad Brevet
(from RopesofSilicon)
Somehow, all this fuss over The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has completely passed me by. Obviously it hasn't been big enough news for anyone other than the navel-gazing likes of AICN & co.
TMNT To Go Live Action Again by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
"Following last year’s all-CGI TMNT and a clutch of movies and animated series, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may indeed be back in real-life if [their creator] Kevin Eastman is to be believed... “Although the CGI film did well enough to warrant a sequel, there has been much talk between Imagi and Warners to do a better ‘re-invention’ of the TMNTs... Back to basics, back to the origin and the intro of the Shredder." While it might sound like a great idea, the problem with "going back to basics and adopting the darker tone of their original comic books" -- you see, "far from kid friendly, their initial adventures were bloody and broody affairs" -- is that it would be too hard-edged to sell to kids and too ludicrous to sell to most adults,
Watchmen Trial Date Set by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire Online)
"The crux of the matter is that Fox is arguing that it still has distribution rights to the film, based on a 1991 agreement... the judge has ordered expedited discovery (a legal term which means "Show the other side all your paperwork already") but denied a preliminary motion to dismiss (in English, "I'll see you in court, Counsellor"), so the parties now have four months to examine each other's records, prepare for a case and work frantically on some sort of settlement on the side, before it all goes to court and out of their hands."
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
porn in the multiplex!
The full red band trailer (i.e. 18-rated) for Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Kevin Smith's latest comedic effort, is now available online.
Writers (and readers) at Empire seem to be reacting in much the way they might having watched a chunk of Zack and Miri's film -- "shaping up to be the man’s best for some time", "the perfect cross between Smith’s more caustic side and the ever-maturing sentimental streak", "the central relationship in particular looking particularly well-realised and full of warmth", "I haven't laughed that hard at a trailer in time", "the trailer is even funnier than i thought it'd be", "my most anticipated film of the year now has the best trailer I've seen this year"...
Maybe they were watching a different trailer to me. One that was funnier, for example, and had a warm central relationship. There were some amusing moments, but nothing that's going to have me rushing to see it on DVD, never mind at the cinema. Oh well.
Writers (and readers) at Empire seem to be reacting in much the way they might having watched a chunk of Zack and Miri's film -- "shaping up to be the man’s best for some time", "the perfect cross between Smith’s more caustic side and the ever-maturing sentimental streak", "the central relationship in particular looking particularly well-realised and full of warmth", "I haven't laughed that hard at a trailer in time", "the trailer is even funnier than i thought it'd be", "my most anticipated film of the year now has the best trailer I've seen this year"...
Maybe they were watching a different trailer to me. One that was funnier, for example, and had a warm central relationship. There were some amusing moments, but nothing that's going to have me rushing to see it on DVD, never mind at the cinema. Oh well.
"Midnight Sun" by Stephenie Meyer - Chapter 1
Earlier I reported on the leak of Midnight Sun, the uncompleted fifth book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. You can see what she'd completed for free, legally, here. I wouldn't recommend it though -- I made it to page 12 of the first 23-page chapter before I had to give up.
The novel retells the series' first book from the perspective of another character, and while this isn't particularly overt it does cloud things when you know it -- Meyer is clearly pulling some narrative gymnastics to slot this new perspective around established events, which will be a lot of fun for the series' fans but is awkward for a new reader.
The primary flaw with this lies in the fact that the first novel showed things from a human perspective*, while this utilises a vampire's -- not necessarily a fatal mistake, but for a newbie reader who doesn't know the characters it locks you out of the events that are occurring, while instead focussing on describing, at interminable length, the vampire's thoughts and feelings. This means it mostly reads like a fairly competent example of amateur/fanfic vampire writing, a sense that is exacerbated by the prose's style. It's not poorly written, but nor is it in any way exemplary -- unless you were looking for something slow and repetitive, that is.
So, having finally experienced a small chunk of the much-hyped (thanks to the forthcoming film) Twilight universe, I can assure you, dear readers, that I won't be bothering with any more of it. Except perhaps the film, depending on what the reviews are like, and once it's on DVD, and my rental site finally send it to me, which isn't likely to be very speedily.
* I should point out that I haven't read any other novels in the series, but know this from having read a little about it thanks to the upcoming film and this leaked manuscript.
The novel retells the series' first book from the perspective of another character, and while this isn't particularly overt it does cloud things when you know it -- Meyer is clearly pulling some narrative gymnastics to slot this new perspective around established events, which will be a lot of fun for the series' fans but is awkward for a new reader.
The primary flaw with this lies in the fact that the first novel showed things from a human perspective*, while this utilises a vampire's -- not necessarily a fatal mistake, but for a newbie reader who doesn't know the characters it locks you out of the events that are occurring, while instead focussing on describing, at interminable length, the vampire's thoughts and feelings. This means it mostly reads like a fairly competent example of amateur/fanfic vampire writing, a sense that is exacerbated by the prose's style. It's not poorly written, but nor is it in any way exemplary -- unless you were looking for something slow and repetitive, that is.
So, having finally experienced a small chunk of the much-hyped (thanks to the forthcoming film) Twilight universe, I can assure you, dear readers, that I won't be bothering with any more of it. Except perhaps the film, depending on what the reviews are like, and once it's on DVD, and my rental site finally send it to me, which isn't likely to be very speedily.
* I should point out that I haven't read any other novels in the series, but know this from having read a little about it thanks to the upcoming film and this leaked manuscript.
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
TV
God, the Devil and Bob
1x05 Neighbor's Keeper
Mutual Friends
1x02 Episode Two
So, here's a comedy-drama, which, as we now all know, means it's neither very funny nor very dramatic. Except, sometimes, it is quite funny... just not funny enough to be a full-on comedy. But the drama's utterly pathetic, as if they knew it wasn't funny enough to be a comedy so decided to make it a comedy-drama. And thanks to it being a comedy-drama it's an hour, because I think they now want it to be more of a drama. But it gets dull after an hour, and would be better in a shorter dose. All this considered, it's a bit of a muddle.
Outnumbered
1x06 Episode 6 [2nd watch; season finale]
Unlike Mutual Friends, this is flat-out excellent. Certainly one of the best sitcoms ever made, perhaps plainly one of the best programmes ever made. As well as being completely hilarious every episode, it also manages higher levels of pathos and proper drama than most dramas, never mind comedies. The fact it's not broadcast in a prime time slot to greater acclaim and larger audiences is surely a crime against the viewing public. A second season airs on BBC One at the end of the month -- make sure you see it.
1x05 Neighbor's Keeper
Mutual Friends
1x02 Episode Two
So, here's a comedy-drama, which, as we now all know, means it's neither very funny nor very dramatic. Except, sometimes, it is quite funny... just not funny enough to be a full-on comedy. But the drama's utterly pathetic, as if they knew it wasn't funny enough to be a comedy so decided to make it a comedy-drama. And thanks to it being a comedy-drama it's an hour, because I think they now want it to be more of a drama. But it gets dull after an hour, and would be better in a shorter dose. All this considered, it's a bit of a muddle.
Outnumbered
1x06 Episode 6 [2nd watch; season finale]
Unlike Mutual Friends, this is flat-out excellent. Certainly one of the best sitcoms ever made, perhaps plainly one of the best programmes ever made. As well as being completely hilarious every episode, it also manages higher levels of pathos and proper drama than most dramas, never mind comedies. The fact it's not broadcast in a prime time slot to greater acclaim and larger audiences is surely a crime against the viewing public. A second season airs on BBC One at the end of the month -- make sure you see it.
Articles
Don LaFontaine, voice of movie trailers, dies
(from Mail.com)
"LaFontaine has been a fixture in Hollywood for decades, working on about 5,000 movie trailers. Much of his fame stems from his trademark movie-trailer catch phrase, 'In a world where...'"
Review of Disaster Movie by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
"a possible hazard to brain cells, the only thing this offensive dross gets right is the title."
Twilight Series Halted, Read Stephenie Meyer's Midnight Sun Draft by Brad Brevet
(from RopeofSilicon)
"Midnight Sun, which would retell the Twilight stories only this time from the perspective of Edward. However, her draft found its way online... and she has decided to stop working on the story indefinitely... Meyer goes on to say the draft is incomplete, "the writing is messy and flawed and full of mistakes"... I thought that was her M.O." Ha ha.
I have to say, not only does the series sound rather crappy, but Meyer appears to be a dreadfully annoying J.K. Rowling wannabe who's probably decidedly bitter that she's not as big as Rowling and gets even more slated by those critics who have actually heard of her.
Some other articles read today can be found here and here.
(from Mail.com)
"LaFontaine has been a fixture in Hollywood for decades, working on about 5,000 movie trailers. Much of his fame stems from his trademark movie-trailer catch phrase, 'In a world where...'"
Review of Disaster Movie by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
"a possible hazard to brain cells, the only thing this offensive dross gets right is the title."
Twilight Series Halted, Read Stephenie Meyer's Midnight Sun Draft by Brad Brevet
(from RopeofSilicon)
"Midnight Sun, which would retell the Twilight stories only this time from the perspective of Edward. However, her draft found its way online... and she has decided to stop working on the story indefinitely... Meyer goes on to say the draft is incomplete, "the writing is messy and flawed and full of mistakes"... I thought that was her M.O." Ha ha.
I have to say, not only does the series sound rather crappy, but Meyer appears to be a dreadfully annoying J.K. Rowling wannabe who's probably decidedly bitter that she's not as big as Rowling and gets even more slated by those critics who have actually heard of her.
Some other articles read today can be found here and here.
Not the end for Young Bond?
The fifth and final book in Puffin's Young Bond series, By Royal Command, finally hits UK bookshelves tomorrow -- based on the preceding books and the hints that we've had about this one, it should be a good read.
Author Charlie Higson has been doing the rounds to promote the book, and it seems that this may not be the final book after all...
Take a look at:
Charlie Higson Talks Young Bond And Beyond by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
Covering the final book, the forthcoming SilverFin graphic novel, the potential for film adaptations, and what Higson has planned next ("basically 28 Days Later for kids").
Charlie Higson On The Future Of Young Bond by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
"The most intriguing aspect of the interview is Higson’s reply when asked if By Royal Command represented the end of the Young Bond books: ‘No. I'm taking a break for the time being.’"
And for the full version of the above:
Charlie Higson Interview - BBC Breakfast
(on YouTube; originally from BBC Breakfast)
Author Charlie Higson has been doing the rounds to promote the book, and it seems that this may not be the final book after all...
Take a look at:
Charlie Higson Talks Young Bond And Beyond by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
Covering the final book, the forthcoming SilverFin graphic novel, the potential for film adaptations, and what Higson has planned next ("basically 28 Days Later for kids").
Charlie Higson On The Future Of Young Bond by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
"The most intriguing aspect of the interview is Higson’s reply when asked if By Royal Command represented the end of the Young Bond books: ‘No. I'm taking a break for the time being.’"
And for the full version of the above:
Charlie Higson Interview - BBC Breakfast
(on YouTube; originally from BBC Breakfast)
"this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing"
Exclusive: Ritchie Talks Sherlock Holmes by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
I'm growing increasingly, but still cautiously, optimistic about this film.
Though this report is slightly more worrying:
Downey’s Holmes To Be “Bad-Ass” by 'Cybergosh'
(from UGO MovieBlog)
"Sherlock Holmes will be turned into a “bad-ass” martial arts expert in Guy Ritchie's hard-hitting new film... Robert Downey Jr. tells British newspaper The Sun, “I’ve got to spend some time with Guy and I love his take on it. We’re both martial arts enthusiasts and in the original stories of Sherlock Holmes, he’s kind of a bad-ass and a bare-knuckle boxer and studies the rare, fictional martial art of baritsu. If you look baritsu up, they can’t even really tell you what it is, so it gives us a lot of leeway.”" Hmm...
(from Empire Online)
I'm growing increasingly, but still cautiously, optimistic about this film.
Though this report is slightly more worrying:
Downey’s Holmes To Be “Bad-Ass” by 'Cybergosh'
(from UGO MovieBlog)
"Sherlock Holmes will be turned into a “bad-ass” martial arts expert in Guy Ritchie's hard-hitting new film... Robert Downey Jr. tells British newspaper The Sun, “I’ve got to spend some time with Guy and I love his take on it. We’re both martial arts enthusiasts and in the original stories of Sherlock Holmes, he’s kind of a bad-ass and a bare-knuckle boxer and studies the rare, fictional martial art of baritsu. If you look baritsu up, they can’t even really tell you what it is, so it gives us a lot of leeway.”" Hmm...
Monday, 1 September 2008
TV
The Children
Part 1 (of 3)
Surprisingly good drama, considering it's on ITV. It's about a group of separated and re-partnered adult couples, whose selfish actions have horrific effects on their children and new step-children -- actions which will, as we know from dramatic flash forwards (placed just before every ad break, of course), eventually lead to a murder. The thriller aspect works brilliantly, because almost any of the characters could conceivably have done it; plus it's a well-written piece about the problems of parenting, especially when the kids aren't yours and you're a self centred git.
God, the Devil and Bob
1x04 The Devil's Birthday
Merlin Cinema Trailer
This looks like it'll be about as good as Robin Hood, at best. On the other hand, the involvement of Anthony Head, Richard Wilson and John Hurt bodes well, and the dragon CGI looks great. I suspect the BBC still needs to try harder if it wants a Doctor Who stand-in of equal quality though.
Spooks
5x09 The Criminal
The biggest problem with this episode is that the mystery of who was in charge of the Black Op is a complete non-event: there's only one other guest character, so who the hell do you think it's going to turn out to be?! Elsewhere, the exact circumstances may be different, but Adam has basically followed Tom's "unfit for duty?" storyline... except he gets to stay at the end of it.
Part 1 (of 3)
Surprisingly good drama, considering it's on ITV. It's about a group of separated and re-partnered adult couples, whose selfish actions have horrific effects on their children and new step-children -- actions which will, as we know from dramatic flash forwards (placed just before every ad break, of course), eventually lead to a murder. The thriller aspect works brilliantly, because almost any of the characters could conceivably have done it; plus it's a well-written piece about the problems of parenting, especially when the kids aren't yours and you're a self centred git.
God, the Devil and Bob
1x04 The Devil's Birthday
Merlin Cinema Trailer
This looks like it'll be about as good as Robin Hood, at best. On the other hand, the involvement of Anthony Head, Richard Wilson and John Hurt bodes well, and the dragon CGI looks great. I suspect the BBC still needs to try harder if it wants a Doctor Who stand-in of equal quality though.
Spooks
5x09 The Criminal
The biggest problem with this episode is that the mystery of who was in charge of the Black Op is a complete non-event: there's only one other guest character, so who the hell do you think it's going to turn out to be?! Elsewhere, the exact circumstances may be different, but Adam has basically followed Tom's "unfit for duty?" storyline... except he gets to stay at the end of it.
Articles
BBC to offer "series stacking"
(from the BBC Press Office)
"The BBC is to offer viewers the chance to catch up on every episode of some of their favourite series as 'series stacking' is introduced to BBC iPlayer and programme sites from 13 September 2008. Viewers will be able to enjoy any episode, after it has first been broadcast, for the duration of the entire series." Wonderful news, if you ask me.
The Dark Knight Breaks $500 Million by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Yep, that Batman flick just keeps on rolling. "The Dark Knight passed the $500 million mark (that's US domestic, we're talking over $919 million worldwide) on Sunday... it still looks like the superhero phenomenon won’t hit the most-successful-film-of-all-time number one slot presently occupied by James Cameron’s watery epic, which grossed $600 million in the States back in 1997/98. Current estimates are that The Dark Knight will finish around $60 million short of that target... it won't even come close to beating Titanic's $1.8 worldwide haul." Not unexpected, but still a shame.
Film Review: Babylon A.D. by Jonathan Crocker
(from SFX)
"It’s only after some seriously clunky action scenes that it finally hits you: Kassovitz might have directed incendiary cult-fave La Haine... But that was 13 years ago. His last film was Gothika."
Mark Millar Talks Wanted 2 by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
Reassuring, I must say.
Spooks Viewers Give Up the Ghost by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
"Spooks spin-off Code 9 is proving an almighty flop, with episode four having lost nearly two thirds of the viewers who tuned in for episode one. The series debuted on BBC3 with 810,000 viewers, but last Sunday only 288,000 tuned in. That’s fewer than anything that makes it into the top ten on Dave, and they’re all repeats."
(from the BBC Press Office)
"The BBC is to offer viewers the chance to catch up on every episode of some of their favourite series as 'series stacking' is introduced to BBC iPlayer and programme sites from 13 September 2008. Viewers will be able to enjoy any episode, after it has first been broadcast, for the duration of the entire series." Wonderful news, if you ask me.
The Dark Knight Breaks $500 Million by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Yep, that Batman flick just keeps on rolling. "The Dark Knight passed the $500 million mark (that's US domestic, we're talking over $919 million worldwide) on Sunday... it still looks like the superhero phenomenon won’t hit the most-successful-film-of-all-time number one slot presently occupied by James Cameron’s watery epic, which grossed $600 million in the States back in 1997/98. Current estimates are that The Dark Knight will finish around $60 million short of that target... it won't even come close to beating Titanic's $1.8 worldwide haul." Not unexpected, but still a shame.
Film Review: Babylon A.D. by Jonathan Crocker
(from SFX)
"It’s only after some seriously clunky action scenes that it finally hits you: Kassovitz might have directed incendiary cult-fave La Haine... But that was 13 years ago. His last film was Gothika."
Mark Millar Talks Wanted 2 by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
Reassuring, I must say.
Spooks Viewers Give Up the Ghost by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
"Spooks spin-off Code 9 is proving an almighty flop, with episode four having lost nearly two thirds of the viewers who tuned in for episode one. The series debuted on BBC3 with 810,000 viewers, but last Sunday only 288,000 tuned in. That’s fewer than anything that makes it into the top ten on Dave, and they’re all repeats."
Websites
Merlin Official Website
Have a nose around the official site for the BBC's forthcoming Merlin (to air on NBC in the US sometime in the future -- oo-ooh!) As the series isn't on for a few weeks there's little there -- just the cinema trailer and some character profiles (good guys only), really -- but later there'll be the now-usual array of episode guides, photos, games and online-only video thingies.
Have a nose around the official site for the BBC's forthcoming Merlin (to air on NBC in the US sometime in the future -- oo-ooh!) As the series isn't on for a few weeks there's little there -- just the cinema trailer and some character profiles (good guys only), really -- but later there'll be the now-usual array of episode guides, photos, games and online-only video thingies.
James Bond Ultimate Editions
My geekiness -- or, as some would surely say, sadness -- knows no bounds:
Two years ago -- or, if we're precise, 25.5 months ago -- MGM released the first 20 James Bond films as Ultimate Edition DVDs. These re-releases featured remastered picture and sound, as well as an array of new special features, creating two-disc releases for every film (previously only Die Another Day had been rewarded with one). As well as being released individually, there was a box set -- packaged in a rather stylish Bond-like 007-logo-embossed briefcase -- that housed all 20. I bought this on release. It is rather lovely.
The point of all this is that now, 25.5 months on, I've finally finished going through all 40 discs... not watching them, you understand, just having a general look through. And counting up what's on them. And as I've done all that legwork, I'm now going to share some of my findings with you.
The Films
We'll start with the films themselves. Assume that I'm leaving the 21st film (that's Casino Royale, by-the-way) out of things unless I say otherwise.
So there are, as I've said, 20 Bond films, and if you wanted to watch them all back to back from UK DVD it would take you 40 hours, 3 minutes and 27 seconds. Except of course you'd have to change discs and sit through menu load times and what have you -- not to mention sleeping and eating -- so in reality it would take notably longer, but you know what I mean. I specifically say "on UK DVD" because they of course feature PAL speed-up; if you were to watch all 20 from a film print, it would take more like 41 hours, 43 minutes and 36 seconds. But that's just an estimate. (Additionally, throw Casino Royale into the mix -- from the first, slightly cut UK DVD (hopefully the new one will be uncut, but don't bank on it) -- and it'll take you 42 hours 22 mins.)
The longest Bond film is 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, at 2 hours 16 mins. (Casino Royale now pips it by 2 minutes 10 seconds.) The shortest is the first, 1962's Dr. No. Only eight of the films run under 2 hours, and in 1997 Tomorrow Never Dies (1 hour 54 mins) was the shortest Bond for 30 years. And two final pointless statistics: the actor who's got the longest total running time as Bond is Roger Moore (beating Sean Connery by just under 3 hours), while the longest average length belongs to one-time Bond George Lazenby -- entirely logically, if you think about it. (He'll probably keep hold of that too, as reports say Quantum of Solace will be shorter than Casino Royale, thereby keeping Daniel Craig's average down.)
The Commentaries
Moving on to the only first-disc extras for these films: commentaries (apart from two exceptions that I'll mention in a minute). There's no way I'm going to do something crazy like list all of the commentary participants -- while some stick to only using a couple of people (especially the specially-recorded ones on later films), many compile interviews with several people. What I can say is that, across the 20 films, there are a total of 35 commentary tracks. That's just over 70 hours of people yapping away over the top of movies. The additional 15 are provided for as follows:
Goldfinger has a "director & cast" track and a "crew" track
Thunderball has a "director & others" track and a "crew" track
Live and Let Die has three tracks: "director & others", the screenwriters, and Roger Moore solo
For Your Eyes Only also gets three: "director & cast", "crew", and Roger Moore solo
Timothy Dalton's second (and final) film, Licence to Kill, features "director & cast" and "producer & crew" tracks
Tomorrow Never Dies has one from the director and one from the producer & 2nd unit director
The World Is Not Enough has one by the director and one by three members of the crew
Die Another Day features one with the director & producer, and one with star Pierce Brosnan and sporadic contributions from Bond girl Rosamund Pike
And finally, the number is rounded out by an additional five solo Roger Moore commentaries -- that's one for each of his films.
I mentioned two exceptions. They are an 'isolated score' track on Tomorrow Never Dies, featuring David Arnold's wonderful score unobscured by sound effects or dialogue (it makes some awkward edits painfully obvious however), and an "MI6 Datastream" on Die Another Day. The latter is a silly name for a trivia track, where random bits of info are displayed in boxes on screen throughout the film. This one also occasionally branches out to featurettes (19 of them), during which the film is minimised to a tiny box while the behind-the-scenes footage plays in a larger one. It makes the film impossible to follow if you're not familiar with it, and also makes the featurettes awkward to find (or quantify the length of) without sitting through the whole thing.
"007 Mission Control"
I'll get to the extras proper in a minute, but first I have something stupid to mention. In what seems to be an effort to pad out the content of the second disc, each film contains something called "007 Mission Control". This is merely a selection of clips from the relevant film, divided up into six sections: 007, Women, Allies, Villains, Mission Combat Manual, and Q Branch. It is in every way pointless and just a waste of space, especially on Die Another Day (more on that in a moment).
The only worthwhile bit of it is a seventh 'category', called Exotic Locations. These are in fact short featurettes (three to five minutes long), narrated by a couple of different actresses from the series, that detail some of the locations featured in their relative films. In total they run 1 hour 19 minutes, which is clearly far from insubstantial... but it doesn't justify the 18 hours total wasted by Mission Control! Bloody stupid idea that was.
The Extras
So to the extras themselves. I'm not going to attempt to list all of them -- there are 250+ separate items across the series -- but there are a variety of things included: original documentaries, including specific Inside... 'making of's on each of the first 16 films, as well as broader ones that cover specific elements or contributors; vintage featurettes from the time of the film's release; newly-uncovered behind-the-scenes footage; deleted scenes (though not on Die Another Day, despite various sources having confirmed their existence); storyboards; image galleries; music videos; trailers, for every film (except Die Another Day), and TV and radio spots for many... I think that broadly summarises what's there.
You'll undoubtedly have noticed me having several jibes at Die Another Day throughout this post. Well, they're with good reason. The first 19 films all receive well-deserved re-releases: the image quality on all of them is immeasurably better than the dirty, standard definition transfers from the old releases; and all have been treated to new extras, as well as retaining everything that was already there. Not so Die Another Day. Apparently the picture quality of the film is improved from the original release -- which, incidentally, was only three years old when this new one appeared -- but the extras have been ransacked! True, there are a handful of new elements that reuse some of the old material... but they only total 40 minutes, and one of the things now missing is the 81 minute Inside Die Another Day feature! Not to mention other bits and bobs, including multi-angle sequences, shorter featurettes and music videos. Plus, as mentioned earlier, the deleted scenes still aren't present and the trailers and TV spots -- surely easily available just three-and-a-half years after release? -- haven't been added to the package.
It's especially galling because there's clearly room on the disc. Die Another Day's extras total 2 hours 10 mins; with "Mission Control" wasting space, that's 3 hours... but the three other Brosnan films have around 3 hours 45 minutes of material on disc two, as do several of the older films (Thunderball for one). How ludicrous is that? Especially when there's the Ultimate Edition label slapped on it -- all things considered, it's not really as good as the first release, never mind better than it! Of all the Bonds, this is clearly the one to hold out on -- I'd wager that, when it comes time to re-release them on Blu-ray (the first releases, coming soon, will just duplicate these Ultimate Editions), Die Another Day will regain some of that missing documentary material, and maybe even rediscover its deleted scenes (the other three Brosnan films all have deleted scenes that weren't on their original releases).
Totals
Rant over, I'll get to the final point of this thing: the total running times for the extras and the collection as a whole.
But first... The best film in the extras department is GoldenEye, with 2 hours 59 mins of the stuff. The weakest is For Your Eyes Only, which only scrapes together 1 hour 19 mins. The amount of new material on each release varies wildly, from as little as 18 minutes to as much as 1 hour 40 mins. Several have over an hour of new stuff, and it's only a few that sink below 30 mins.
But what of that grand total? Well, I can tell you that the running time of all those extras exceeds that of the films themselves, topping out at 43 hours, 4 minutes and 37 seconds!
So, when you put all of this stuff together, how long would it take you to get through the whole damn lot? You're going to need plenty of time, because the total length of these 20 Ultimate Editions' content is 173 hours, 50 minutes and 18 seconds!
I'm so never going to watch all of that. It's over seven solid days for crying out loud!
Casino Royale
Just to finish up, a note on Casino Royale.
As I said way back at the start of this post (do you remember that? It must seem a long time ago now...), it's about to be re-released in a three-disc edition bursting with extras. I say "bursting" -- it bloody better be as I'm going to be buying it again. Anyway, the initial release wasn't quite as shoddy as some might suppose: as well as containing a good-looking (and sounding) copy of the film, it also manages 54 minutes of film-specific extras plus a 49 minute documentary on Bond girls. That's not a bad tally really, even though the new edition should easily top it. That considered, I won't be including those numbers in a total here... so expect an update before long.
Incidentally, if you're an extras fan and want the re-release, but already own the old one, I suggest selling it sharpish -- you've got 49 days til the new edition hits shelves...
Two years ago -- or, if we're precise, 25.5 months ago -- MGM released the first 20 James Bond films as Ultimate Edition DVDs. These re-releases featured remastered picture and sound, as well as an array of new special features, creating two-disc releases for every film (previously only Die Another Day had been rewarded with one). As well as being released individually, there was a box set -- packaged in a rather stylish Bond-like 007-logo-embossed briefcase -- that housed all 20. I bought this on release. It is rather lovely.
The point of all this is that now, 25.5 months on, I've finally finished going through all 40 discs... not watching them, you understand, just having a general look through. And counting up what's on them. And as I've done all that legwork, I'm now going to share some of my findings with you.
The Films
We'll start with the films themselves. Assume that I'm leaving the 21st film (that's Casino Royale, by-the-way) out of things unless I say otherwise.
So there are, as I've said, 20 Bond films, and if you wanted to watch them all back to back from UK DVD it would take you 40 hours, 3 minutes and 27 seconds. Except of course you'd have to change discs and sit through menu load times and what have you -- not to mention sleeping and eating -- so in reality it would take notably longer, but you know what I mean. I specifically say "on UK DVD" because they of course feature PAL speed-up; if you were to watch all 20 from a film print, it would take more like 41 hours, 43 minutes and 36 seconds. But that's just an estimate. (Additionally, throw Casino Royale into the mix -- from the first, slightly cut UK DVD (hopefully the new one will be uncut, but don't bank on it) -- and it'll take you 42 hours 22 mins.)
The longest Bond film is 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, at 2 hours 16 mins. (Casino Royale now pips it by 2 minutes 10 seconds.) The shortest is the first, 1962's Dr. No. Only eight of the films run under 2 hours, and in 1997 Tomorrow Never Dies (1 hour 54 mins) was the shortest Bond for 30 years. And two final pointless statistics: the actor who's got the longest total running time as Bond is Roger Moore (beating Sean Connery by just under 3 hours), while the longest average length belongs to one-time Bond George Lazenby -- entirely logically, if you think about it. (He'll probably keep hold of that too, as reports say Quantum of Solace will be shorter than Casino Royale, thereby keeping Daniel Craig's average down.)
The Commentaries
Moving on to the only first-disc extras for these films: commentaries (apart from two exceptions that I'll mention in a minute). There's no way I'm going to do something crazy like list all of the commentary participants -- while some stick to only using a couple of people (especially the specially-recorded ones on later films), many compile interviews with several people. What I can say is that, across the 20 films, there are a total of 35 commentary tracks. That's just over 70 hours of people yapping away over the top of movies. The additional 15 are provided for as follows:
I mentioned two exceptions. They are an 'isolated score' track on Tomorrow Never Dies, featuring David Arnold's wonderful score unobscured by sound effects or dialogue (it makes some awkward edits painfully obvious however), and an "MI6 Datastream" on Die Another Day. The latter is a silly name for a trivia track, where random bits of info are displayed in boxes on screen throughout the film. This one also occasionally branches out to featurettes (19 of them), during which the film is minimised to a tiny box while the behind-the-scenes footage plays in a larger one. It makes the film impossible to follow if you're not familiar with it, and also makes the featurettes awkward to find (or quantify the length of) without sitting through the whole thing.
"007 Mission Control"
I'll get to the extras proper in a minute, but first I have something stupid to mention. In what seems to be an effort to pad out the content of the second disc, each film contains something called "007 Mission Control". This is merely a selection of clips from the relevant film, divided up into six sections: 007, Women, Allies, Villains, Mission Combat Manual, and Q Branch. It is in every way pointless and just a waste of space, especially on Die Another Day (more on that in a moment).
The only worthwhile bit of it is a seventh 'category', called Exotic Locations. These are in fact short featurettes (three to five minutes long), narrated by a couple of different actresses from the series, that detail some of the locations featured in their relative films. In total they run 1 hour 19 minutes, which is clearly far from insubstantial... but it doesn't justify the 18 hours total wasted by Mission Control! Bloody stupid idea that was.
The Extras
So to the extras themselves. I'm not going to attempt to list all of them -- there are 250+ separate items across the series -- but there are a variety of things included: original documentaries, including specific Inside... 'making of's on each of the first 16 films, as well as broader ones that cover specific elements or contributors; vintage featurettes from the time of the film's release; newly-uncovered behind-the-scenes footage; deleted scenes (though not on Die Another Day, despite various sources having confirmed their existence); storyboards; image galleries; music videos; trailers, for every film (except Die Another Day), and TV and radio spots for many... I think that broadly summarises what's there.
You'll undoubtedly have noticed me having several jibes at Die Another Day throughout this post. Well, they're with good reason. The first 19 films all receive well-deserved re-releases: the image quality on all of them is immeasurably better than the dirty, standard definition transfers from the old releases; and all have been treated to new extras, as well as retaining everything that was already there. Not so Die Another Day. Apparently the picture quality of the film is improved from the original release -- which, incidentally, was only three years old when this new one appeared -- but the extras have been ransacked! True, there are a handful of new elements that reuse some of the old material... but they only total 40 minutes, and one of the things now missing is the 81 minute Inside Die Another Day feature! Not to mention other bits and bobs, including multi-angle sequences, shorter featurettes and music videos. Plus, as mentioned earlier, the deleted scenes still aren't present and the trailers and TV spots -- surely easily available just three-and-a-half years after release? -- haven't been added to the package.
It's especially galling because there's clearly room on the disc. Die Another Day's extras total 2 hours 10 mins; with "Mission Control" wasting space, that's 3 hours... but the three other Brosnan films have around 3 hours 45 minutes of material on disc two, as do several of the older films (Thunderball for one). How ludicrous is that? Especially when there's the Ultimate Edition label slapped on it -- all things considered, it's not really as good as the first release, never mind better than it! Of all the Bonds, this is clearly the one to hold out on -- I'd wager that, when it comes time to re-release them on Blu-ray (the first releases, coming soon, will just duplicate these Ultimate Editions), Die Another Day will regain some of that missing documentary material, and maybe even rediscover its deleted scenes (the other three Brosnan films all have deleted scenes that weren't on their original releases).
Totals
Rant over, I'll get to the final point of this thing: the total running times for the extras and the collection as a whole.
But first... The best film in the extras department is GoldenEye, with 2 hours 59 mins of the stuff. The weakest is For Your Eyes Only, which only scrapes together 1 hour 19 mins. The amount of new material on each release varies wildly, from as little as 18 minutes to as much as 1 hour 40 mins. Several have over an hour of new stuff, and it's only a few that sink below 30 mins.
But what of that grand total? Well, I can tell you that the running time of all those extras exceeds that of the films themselves, topping out at 43 hours, 4 minutes and 37 seconds!
So, when you put all of this stuff together, how long would it take you to get through the whole damn lot? You're going to need plenty of time, because the total length of these 20 Ultimate Editions' content is 173 hours, 50 minutes and 18 seconds!
I'm so never going to watch all of that. It's over seven solid days for crying out loud!
Casino Royale
Just to finish up, a note on Casino Royale.
As I said way back at the start of this post (do you remember that? It must seem a long time ago now...), it's about to be re-released in a three-disc edition bursting with extras. I say "bursting" -- it bloody better be as I'm going to be buying it again. Anyway, the initial release wasn't quite as shoddy as some might suppose: as well as containing a good-looking (and sounding) copy of the film, it also manages 54 minutes of film-specific extras plus a 49 minute documentary on Bond girls. That's not a bad tally really, even though the new edition should easily top it. That considered, I won't be including those numbers in a total here... so expect an update before long.
Incidentally, if you're an extras fan and want the re-release, but already own the old one, I suggest selling it sharpish -- you've got 49 days til the new edition hits shelves...
Sunday, 31 August 2008
TV
Cathy Come Home
[#59 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Ken Loach's 1966 Wednesday Play about a family's descent into homelessness, which directly led to the formation of the charity Shelter and, later, changes in British law.
Fiona's Story
One-off drama starring Gina McKee as the wife of a man who is found to have downloaded child porn. It's Jeremy Northam who gives the piece's stand-out performance as the layered, complex husband, an ultimately nasty character who is consequently much more interesting than the rather stock Worried Wife character McKee's landed with.
Outnumbered
1x05 Episode 5 [2nd watch]
Spooks
5x08 Agenda
Bloody Christians. Nice to see them as the villains for once. Brilliant. Down side: Adam seems to be following almost exactly the same plot arc that Tom travelled along in the run up to his dismissal from the show, and the trailer for the next episode suggests a total rehash of those elements from Tom's penultimate storyline. Oh dear. Still, at least I know Adam doesn't leave.
[#59 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Ken Loach's 1966 Wednesday Play about a family's descent into homelessness, which directly led to the formation of the charity Shelter and, later, changes in British law.
Fiona's Story
One-off drama starring Gina McKee as the wife of a man who is found to have downloaded child porn. It's Jeremy Northam who gives the piece's stand-out performance as the layered, complex husband, an ultimately nasty character who is consequently much more interesting than the rather stock Worried Wife character McKee's landed with.
Outnumbered
1x05 Episode 5 [2nd watch]
Spooks
5x08 Agenda
Bloody Christians. Nice to see them as the villains for once. Brilliant. Down side: Adam seems to be following almost exactly the same plot arc that Tom travelled along in the run up to his dismissal from the show, and the trailer for the next episode suggests a total rehash of those elements from Tom's penultimate storyline. Oh dear. Still, at least I know Adam doesn't leave.
Saturday, 30 August 2008
TV
Gilmore Girls
5x02 A Messenger, Nothing More
"Huzzah!"
Outnumbered
1x04 Episode 4 [2nd watch]
Spooks
5x06 Hostage Takers Part 1
5x07 Hostage Takers Part 2
Presumably one of the reasons Spooks don't bandy their episode titles about is that they sometimes give the game away -- the twists at the end of part one are virtually nonexistent if you know it's going to turn into a hostage situation! On the other hand, part one is subpar across the board, so maybe it wouldn't've matter. Part two wasn't too bad though.
5x02 A Messenger, Nothing More
"Huzzah!"
Outnumbered
1x04 Episode 4 [2nd watch]
Spooks
5x06 Hostage Takers Part 1
5x07 Hostage Takers Part 2
Presumably one of the reasons Spooks don't bandy their episode titles about is that they sometimes give the game away -- the twists at the end of part one are virtually nonexistent if you know it's going to turn into a hostage situation! On the other hand, part one is subpar across the board, so maybe it wouldn't've matter. Part two wasn't too bad though.
Films
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
[3rd or so watch]
It's hardly a little-known piece of trivia, but Beauty and the Beast was the first (and, 17 years on, is still the only) animated film to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Well-deserved it was too.
[3rd or so watch]
It's hardly a little-known piece of trivia, but Beauty and the Beast was the first (and, 17 years on, is still the only) animated film to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Well-deserved it was too.
Articles
Review of Robot Chicken: Star Wars DVD by James Gray
(from DVD Times)
"Never, I would hazard to guess, has a single twenty-minute episode of anything been the focus of so much comprehensive coverage [but] it’d be daft to criticise a DVD for having too many extras [though] there's still a good argument to be made that no single episode is worth an entire DVD release"
(from DVD Times)
"Never, I would hazard to guess, has a single twenty-minute episode of anything been the focus of so much comprehensive coverage [but] it’d be daft to criticise a DVD for having too many extras [though] there's still a good argument to be made that no single episode is worth an entire DVD release"
100 Films on a Cover
Empire, not content with conducting a ludicrously huge reader poll to find the 500 greatest films ever made, have also roped in 150 (as yet unnamed) "key directors and producers" and "the world's most influential film critics" to have their say.
And Empire, not content with conducting a ludicrously huge reader poll and gathering the opinion of key directors, producers and critics to find the 500 greatest films ever made, have gone and created a "magazine milestone" -- 100 different covers for the issue featuring the list! In fact, it's 101, with the 101st being a subscriber-only cover that's currently secret. I'm currently quite glad that Empire's the only magazine I've bothered to keep up my subscription to.
I'm a bit of a collector and hoarder, but even I'm not made enough to fork out £150 to get all 100 covers. That said, at just £1.50 an issue it's a pretty reasonable deal, all things considered, and certainly better than the one Total Film offered when they did their 21 different Bond covers a short while back. Nonetheless, I'll surely try to get my hands on a few different ones, and here's my current pick of the bunch -- mainly, films I love that have especially cool covers, but also some that just look good.
Click to enlarge.
And Empire, not content with conducting a ludicrously huge reader poll and gathering the opinion of key directors, producers and critics to find the 500 greatest films ever made, have gone and created a "magazine milestone" -- 100 different covers for the issue featuring the list! In fact, it's 101, with the 101st being a subscriber-only cover that's currently secret. I'm currently quite glad that Empire's the only magazine I've bothered to keep up my subscription to.
I'm a bit of a collector and hoarder, but even I'm not made enough to fork out £150 to get all 100 covers. That said, at just £1.50 an issue it's a pretty reasonable deal, all things considered, and certainly better than the one Total Film offered when they did their 21 different Bond covers a short while back. Nonetheless, I'll surely try to get my hands on a few different ones, and here's my current pick of the bunch -- mainly, films I love that have especially cool covers, but also some that just look good.
Click to enlarge.
Friday, 29 August 2008
TV
God, the Devil and Bob
1x03 Date From Hell
The Tudors
2x05 His Majesty's Pleasure
After three opening episodes that continued the first season's model of going nowhere fast, these last two have seen The Tudors finally pick up the pace. Thank God! No, do -- He's what most of the plot's about right now.
Would I Lie To You?
2x08 (29/8/08 edition) [season finale]
1x03 Date From Hell
The Tudors
2x05 His Majesty's Pleasure
After three opening episodes that continued the first season's model of going nowhere fast, these last two have seen The Tudors finally pick up the pace. Thank God! No, do -- He's what most of the plot's about right now.
Would I Lie To You?
2x08 (29/8/08 edition) [season finale]
Films
Bond from the Beginning #10:
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
[2nd watch]
See here for my thoughts on this film.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
[2nd watch]
See here for my thoughts on this film.
Articles
Australia Pushed Back To Thanksgiving by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
More amusing witterings: "Looks like Harry Potter And The Shift Into Next Summer has had a real impact on the November schedules in the States... Australia has just moved back by a whopping 12 days, to November 26. [It] remains to be seen how a film that could only become more Australian if Rolf Harris showed up will play on the weekend when America is celebrating its most patriotic holiday. Australia is still scheduled to open here on Boxing G’day."
Duchovny enters sex rehab clinic
(from BBC News)
Well that's... unusual...
Interview: Quantum of Solace Game Co-Design Director Adam Gascoine by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
"Daniel Craig was actually the most reluctant [to lend his voice and likeness to the game]. He’s a big gamer himself and didn’t want to be in a poorly made licensed game, so we sat him down and let him play an early build. He loved it and came back to us to say “Okay, I’ll do it.” Since then he’s been a very important part of making the game what it is."
Young Bond computer game aims to get boys reading by Alison Flood
(from guardian.co.uk)
If you haven't heard about The Shadow War online game, you may also want to check out links such as this and this; but I mention the Guardian article more for this little snippet: "Higson said there had also been "a lot of film interest" in the books. "It's just finding the time to get it right – it's very difficult to find a kid with the charisma to pull off the character of Bond at that age.""
(from Empire Online)
More amusing witterings: "Looks like Harry Potter And The Shift Into Next Summer has had a real impact on the November schedules in the States... Australia has just moved back by a whopping 12 days, to November 26. [It] remains to be seen how a film that could only become more Australian if Rolf Harris showed up will play on the weekend when America is celebrating its most patriotic holiday. Australia is still scheduled to open here on Boxing G’day."
Duchovny enters sex rehab clinic
(from BBC News)
Well that's... unusual...
Interview: Quantum of Solace Game Co-Design Director Adam Gascoine by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
"Daniel Craig was actually the most reluctant [to lend his voice and likeness to the game]. He’s a big gamer himself and didn’t want to be in a poorly made licensed game, so we sat him down and let him play an early build. He loved it and came back to us to say “Okay, I’ll do it.” Since then he’s been a very important part of making the game what it is."
Young Bond computer game aims to get boys reading by Alison Flood
(from guardian.co.uk)
If you haven't heard about The Shadow War online game, you may also want to check out links such as this and this; but I mention the Guardian article more for this little snippet: "Higson said there had also been "a lot of film interest" in the books. "It's just finding the time to get it right – it's very difficult to find a kid with the charisma to pull off the character of Bond at that age.""
Super Bond interviews
No, it's not a new super-powered direction for the franchise, but rather interviews that are super about Bond -- and, specifically, Quantum of Solace. They're from a German site, but don't worry, they're in English.
So, check out the latest utterances of...
Gemma Arterton ('Agent Fields')
She's in bloody everything nowadays, y'know. "I’m glamorous but I don’t think I’m hot glamorous. There was this thing with my character where we wanted to make her really retro and a bit of a throwback. I can’t reveal her first name yet but it’s typically Fleming and quite cheeky and a little bit tongue in cheek."
Barbara Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson (producers)
"Bond is pursuing the people behind Vesper’s betrayal and her death. He is tracking them down and the mystery unfolds. He runs into CIA people later who are very ambivalent about their role in all of this." Americans are bad! Yay!
Marc Forster (director)
"Judi Dench is one of the greatest actresses living today... personally I could watch her read the phone book... I wanted to give her more scenes and have her interact with Bond more because she is the only woman Bond doesn’t see in a sexual context... The relationship between them is fascinating and I think it’s really important so I wanted more scenes between them and to go into that relationship with more depth."
Quantum of Solace hits UK cinemas on October 31st and the US on November 14th (allow my to say, "ha ha!"). For a full list of release dates by country, look here.
A new trailer is due in the next couple of weeks.
So, check out the latest utterances of...
Gemma Arterton ('Agent Fields')She's in bloody everything nowadays, y'know. "I’m glamorous but I don’t think I’m hot glamorous. There was this thing with my character where we wanted to make her really retro and a bit of a throwback. I can’t reveal her first name yet but it’s typically Fleming and quite cheeky and a little bit tongue in cheek."
Barbara Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson (producers)"Bond is pursuing the people behind Vesper’s betrayal and her death. He is tracking them down and the mystery unfolds. He runs into CIA people later who are very ambivalent about their role in all of this." Americans are bad! Yay!
Marc Forster (director)"Judi Dench is one of the greatest actresses living today... personally I could watch her read the phone book... I wanted to give her more scenes and have her interact with Bond more because she is the only woman Bond doesn’t see in a sexual context... The relationship between them is fascinating and I think it’s really important so I wanted more scenes between them and to go into that relationship with more depth."
Quantum of Solace hits UK cinemas on October 31st and the US on November 14th (allow my to say, "ha ha!"). For a full list of release dates by country, look here.
A new trailer is due in the next couple of weeks.
Thursday, 28 August 2008
TV
Big Cat Week
2x02 (4/1/2005 edition)
God, the Devil and Bob
1x01 In the Beginning
1x02 Andy Runs Away
I loved this when it first aired back in 2000, and I'm pleased to say that, unlike Hot Shots, it's still funny to me today. Hurray!
Mock the Week
6x08 (28/8/08 edition)
The Tudors
2x04 The Act of Succession
2x02 (4/1/2005 edition)
God, the Devil and Bob
1x01 In the Beginning
1x02 Andy Runs Away
I loved this when it first aired back in 2000, and I'm pleased to say that, unlike Hot Shots, it's still funny to me today. Hurray!
Mock the Week
6x08 (28/8/08 edition)
The Tudors
2x04 The Act of Succession
Articles
Quite a few today -- maybe I should start breaking these down / posting them throughout the day?
Documentaries Being Screened In Empty Auditoriums In N.Y.
(from Studio Briefing)
"Nine documentary films are being screened in mostly empty theaters at a New York arthouse this week in order to quality for Oscar consideration... The New York Times reported that when its reporter looked into the 7:00 p.m. screenings, it found two theaters with not a single person in the seats and one with just three."
Filming under way for new series of Torchwood
(from BBC Press Office)
Press release announcing the third season of Torchwood, a single five-part story entitled Children of Earth. One of the main guest stars is Peter Capaldi, from Doctor Who's The Fires of Pompeii. Another case of spatial genetic multiplicity in Cardiff?
Ghostbusters Tops Funny Films Poll
(from WENN)
I love Ghostbusters, so this is worth reporting. Follow the links for more of the list.
Movie Reviews: Hamlet 2
(from Studio Briefing)
While the trailer looked surprisingly good, it seems the film itself is as bad as you'd expect.
Pitt and Clooney at Venice debut
(from BBC News)
"Pitt picked up an award that he won in Venice last year -- the best actor's prize for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. "You can run but you can't hide," Pitt joked as he accepted the award. "It was an honour to receive this last year and it remains an honour to accept this this year.""
The Strangers Set For A Sequel by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Don't even really know what it is (and the article contains spoilers), but it makes this valid point: "Rogue is hoping that the [sequel] might see The Strangers develop into a Saw-like franchise. With the best will in the world, we hope not, for very few horror franchises have suffered from the law of diminishing returns like the Saw series. Isn’t it best to burn out with a couple of really good, strong efforts, than to fade away with increasingly awful sequels?"
Torchwood Season Three Revealed
(from Torchwood Official Site)
Mentioned purely for this quote: "Russell T Davies outlined his vision in a tone meeting with key production staff where he told them, 'I usually give you all one or two tone words when we have a meeting like this, but if I were to give you two words this time, they would be "Euros Lyn". More than ever before, this series of Torchwood will be director-led, and it will look absolutely amazing.'" How unusual, and therefore intriguing...
West Wing writer tackles Facebook
(from BBC News)
"Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has agreed to make a film about the founders of social networking site Facebook... "I have a fairly specific idea of what the first 15 pages of the screenplay will be and no idea what will happen on pages 16 thru 130," he wrote. "I have very strong feelings about the internet and its effect on our national culture, but frankly those feelings are being countered by the sophistication, kindness, curiosity and wit of the posts in this site. You people are screwing me up with your civility and intelligence.""
Also:
Get Ready For Facebook: The Movie by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Mentioned for these two somewhat amusing comments: "Empire has to ask: who is sad enough to start a fake Facebook page for Aaron Sorkin? ... should Sorkin’s next status update read, ‘Aaron was only kidding about the Facebook thing – it’s a very bad idea’?"
Documentaries Being Screened In Empty Auditoriums In N.Y.
(from Studio Briefing)
"Nine documentary films are being screened in mostly empty theaters at a New York arthouse this week in order to quality for Oscar consideration... The New York Times reported that when its reporter looked into the 7:00 p.m. screenings, it found two theaters with not a single person in the seats and one with just three."
Filming under way for new series of Torchwood
(from BBC Press Office)
Press release announcing the third season of Torchwood, a single five-part story entitled Children of Earth. One of the main guest stars is Peter Capaldi, from Doctor Who's The Fires of Pompeii. Another case of spatial genetic multiplicity in Cardiff?
Ghostbusters Tops Funny Films Poll
(from WENN)
I love Ghostbusters, so this is worth reporting. Follow the links for more of the list.
Movie Reviews: Hamlet 2
(from Studio Briefing)
While the trailer looked surprisingly good, it seems the film itself is as bad as you'd expect.
Pitt and Clooney at Venice debut
(from BBC News)
"Pitt picked up an award that he won in Venice last year -- the best actor's prize for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. "You can run but you can't hide," Pitt joked as he accepted the award. "It was an honour to receive this last year and it remains an honour to accept this this year.""
The Strangers Set For A Sequel by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Don't even really know what it is (and the article contains spoilers), but it makes this valid point: "Rogue is hoping that the [sequel] might see The Strangers develop into a Saw-like franchise. With the best will in the world, we hope not, for very few horror franchises have suffered from the law of diminishing returns like the Saw series. Isn’t it best to burn out with a couple of really good, strong efforts, than to fade away with increasingly awful sequels?"
Torchwood Season Three Revealed
(from Torchwood Official Site)
Mentioned purely for this quote: "Russell T Davies outlined his vision in a tone meeting with key production staff where he told them, 'I usually give you all one or two tone words when we have a meeting like this, but if I were to give you two words this time, they would be "Euros Lyn". More than ever before, this series of Torchwood will be director-led, and it will look absolutely amazing.'" How unusual, and therefore intriguing...
West Wing writer tackles Facebook
(from BBC News)
"Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has agreed to make a film about the founders of social networking site Facebook... "I have a fairly specific idea of what the first 15 pages of the screenplay will be and no idea what will happen on pages 16 thru 130," he wrote. "I have very strong feelings about the internet and its effect on our national culture, but frankly those feelings are being countered by the sophistication, kindness, curiosity and wit of the posts in this site. You people are screwing me up with your civility and intelligence.""
Also:
Get Ready For Facebook: The Movie by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Mentioned for these two somewhat amusing comments: "Empire has to ask: who is sad enough to start a fake Facebook page for Aaron Sorkin? ... should Sorkin’s next status update read, ‘Aaron was only kidding about the Facebook thing – it’s a very bad idea’?"
"sing the theme toon..."
James Bond Theme (Casino Royale Trailer Version) by Pfeifer Broz. Music
Nearly two years on, I finally found the damn thing! And it's brilliant. You can download it for yourself here (less than legally, I should add, but there's no way to purchase the music as it's never been officially released).
Nearly two years on, I finally found the damn thing! And it's brilliant. You can download it for yourself here (less than legally, I should add, but there's no way to purchase the music as it's never been officially released).
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Films
Texas Across the River (1966)
[#58 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Now eight films behind with my reviews...
[#58 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Now eight films behind with my reviews...
Articles
Alicia Keys And Jack White May Perform On James Bond-Themed X Factor by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
I hate The X Factor as much as the next person with any taste, but this could be fun. Well, a chance to hear the new theme would be good at least.
Hellboy defeats Batman in cinemas
(from BBC News)
"Comic book movie Hellboy II: The Golden Army has knocked The Dark Knight off the number one spot in the UK and Ireland box office chart. [It] took £2.97m on its opening weekend." Hardly a huge haul, but then TDK (which finally dropped from first down to fourth) is in its fifth week.
New Pics From Oliver Stone’s W by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
A preview of Empire's preview of Oliver Stone's forthcoming film W.. Stone says that Bush is "a circular character; even now he harkens back to who he was in 2000. His speeches are the same. There doesn’t seem to be a growth. There’s a fundamental inability in the man, a King Lear kind of hubris, where he can’t admit to any fault, whereas Nixon [the subject of Stone's previous Presidential biopic] seems to have been genuinely haunted by doubt and uncertainty. As a result, this is a very different type of movie. While Nixon was a very rich meal, this is more of a soufflé. And with a soufflé, you never quite know until it bakes." And it will be baked & served on November 7th in the UK.
(from CommanderBond.net)
I hate The X Factor as much as the next person with any taste, but this could be fun. Well, a chance to hear the new theme would be good at least.
Hellboy defeats Batman in cinemas
(from BBC News)
"Comic book movie Hellboy II: The Golden Army has knocked The Dark Knight off the number one spot in the UK and Ireland box office chart. [It] took £2.97m on its opening weekend." Hardly a huge haul, but then TDK (which finally dropped from first down to fourth) is in its fifth week.
New Pics From Oliver Stone’s W by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
A preview of Empire's preview of Oliver Stone's forthcoming film W.. Stone says that Bush is "a circular character; even now he harkens back to who he was in 2000. His speeches are the same. There doesn’t seem to be a growth. There’s a fundamental inability in the man, a King Lear kind of hubris, where he can’t admit to any fault, whereas Nixon [the subject of Stone's previous Presidential biopic] seems to have been genuinely haunted by doubt and uncertainty. As a result, this is a very different type of movie. While Nixon was a very rich meal, this is more of a soufflé. And with a soufflé, you never quite know until it bakes." And it will be baked & served on November 7th in the UK.
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
TV
Mutual Friends
1x01 Episode One
Not bad, though it does fall into the usual comedy-drama trap of not being all that much of either. That said, there were a few good laugh-out-loud moments. But it's too long at an hour -- 30 minutes would've suited it better.
Outnumbered
1x03 Episode 3 [2nd watch]
The Tudors
2x01 Everything is Beautiful
2x02 Tears of Blood
1x01 Episode One
Not bad, though it does fall into the usual comedy-drama trap of not being all that much of either. That said, there were a few good laugh-out-loud moments. But it's too long at an hour -- 30 minutes would've suited it better.
Outnumbered
1x03 Episode 3 [2nd watch]
The Tudors
2x01 Everything is Beautiful
2x02 Tears of Blood
Music
Selections from the Avenue Q Soundtrack by the original Broadway cast
Since seeing this and getting hold of the music, I've been listening to the following tracks fairly regularly:
Everyone's a Little Bit Racist
The Internet is For Porn
My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada
There is Life Outside Your Apartment
Silent Cry (Deluxe Edition) by Feeder
[3rd listen]
Stand out tracks for me (so far) are:
We Are the People
Itsumo
Silent Cry
Who's the Enemy
Into the Blue
Since seeing this and getting hold of the music, I've been listening to the following tracks fairly regularly:
Silent Cry (Deluxe Edition) by Feeder
[3rd listen]
Stand out tracks for me (so far) are:
Articles
Battlestar Galactica franchise steams ahead by Chris Talbott
(from Mail.com)
Long-ish article on two forthcoming Battlestar Galactica spin-offs (in spite of the series' falling ratings).
A fall TV season with questions in the air by Frazier Moore
(from Mail.com)
"It's hard to make an argument that viewers are breathlessly awaiting ABC's fall season -- or any other network's... only 17 new series have been slotted for fall -- about half the usual number." General article about the state of US TV as it heads into the time of year when, traditionally, all their new shows start. It's quite an interesting analysis (yes, even for normal folks) handily broken down by topic -- including one on the number of international formats they've copied, many of them British.
National Lampoon To Spoof Gladiator/300 by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
"Dear God, someone make them stop!"
New Che Poster Online by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
"Steven Soderbergh's epic Che Guevara biopic, which is going under the alternating titles ofChe, Guerilla and The Argentine -- what the final title will be depends on whether or not Soderbergh decides to run the movie in its full four-hour cut or split it into two seperate flicks." So, that answers that then.
Rushdie anger at policeman's book
and
Bodyguard apologises to Rushdie
(from BBC News)
"A former police officer has apologised to Sir Salman Rushdie for false claims he made in a book about the author." I came across the latter first, which (presumably for legal reasons) doesn't repeat the claims made. Thankfully, the first one helps explain things. (Incidentally, the latter article was called "Apology for Rushdie over claims" when I read it earlier. Why the change? Odd things do go on at the BBC News site...)
Two More Riddick Films Coming? by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire Online)
Seriously? Chronicles of Riddick (which, all things considered, was badly in need of a subtitle) was four years ago already (seems longer) and hardly an unequivocal success.
Warner 'sues over Puttar movie'
(from BBC News)
"Harry Potter maker Warner Bros is suing an Indian film company over the title of upcoming film Hari Puttar: A Comedy Of Terrors, according to reports." A bit like Fox suing over Watchmen, they've left it suspiciously late.
(from Mail.com)
Long-ish article on two forthcoming Battlestar Galactica spin-offs (in spite of the series' falling ratings).
A fall TV season with questions in the air by Frazier Moore
(from Mail.com)
"It's hard to make an argument that viewers are breathlessly awaiting ABC's fall season -- or any other network's... only 17 new series have been slotted for fall -- about half the usual number." General article about the state of US TV as it heads into the time of year when, traditionally, all their new shows start. It's quite an interesting analysis (yes, even for normal folks) handily broken down by topic -- including one on the number of international formats they've copied, many of them British.
National Lampoon To Spoof Gladiator/300 by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
"Dear God, someone make them stop!"
New Che Poster Online by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
"Steven Soderbergh's epic Che Guevara biopic, which is going under the alternating titles ofChe, Guerilla and The Argentine -- what the final title will be depends on whether or not Soderbergh decides to run the movie in its full four-hour cut or split it into two seperate flicks." So, that answers that then.
Rushdie anger at policeman's book
and
Bodyguard apologises to Rushdie
(from BBC News)
"A former police officer has apologised to Sir Salman Rushdie for false claims he made in a book about the author." I came across the latter first, which (presumably for legal reasons) doesn't repeat the claims made. Thankfully, the first one helps explain things. (Incidentally, the latter article was called "Apology for Rushdie over claims" when I read it earlier. Why the change? Odd things do go on at the BBC News site...)
Two More Riddick Films Coming? by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire Online)
Seriously? Chronicles of Riddick (which, all things considered, was badly in need of a subtitle) was four years ago already (seems longer) and hardly an unequivocal success.
Warner 'sues over Puttar movie'
(from BBC News)
"Harry Potter maker Warner Bros is suing an Indian film company over the title of upcoming film Hari Puttar: A Comedy Of Terrors, according to reports." A bit like Fox suing over Watchmen, they've left it suspiciously late.
Monday, 25 August 2008
TV
Big Cat Week
2x01 (3/1/2005 edition)
Or Big Cat Diary 7x01, depending on how you want to look at it. Who'd've though a simple BBC wildlife series would have complex season/episode numbering issues? It'll be even worse when the 2008 series starts, cos they've changed the name back to Diary. Does that make it Big Cat Diary 7x01 this year, skipping the three Weeks; or is it 10x01, despite 6, 7 & 8 being Weeks? More importantly, why do I care? (I've gone with 2x01 here, incidentally, because it is technically Week series two, and is labelled as such on the DVD I'm watching from. So there.)
Dragons' Den
6x06 (25/8/08 edition)
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Or, at least, bits of it.
Marple
3x03 Towards Zero [2nd half]
Outnumbered
1x01 Episode 1 [2nd watch]
1x02 Episode 2 [2nd watch]
BBC Three are repeating this excellent half-improvised sitcom about parenting, ahead of a second series on BBC One sometime in the future. You really should watch it, it's great.
Spooks
5x05 The Message
2x01 (3/1/2005 edition)
Or Big Cat Diary 7x01, depending on how you want to look at it. Who'd've though a simple BBC wildlife series would have complex season/episode numbering issues? It'll be even worse when the 2008 series starts, cos they've changed the name back to Diary. Does that make it Big Cat Diary 7x01 this year, skipping the three Weeks; or is it 10x01, despite 6, 7 & 8 being Weeks? More importantly, why do I care? (I've gone with 2x01 here, incidentally, because it is technically Week series two, and is labelled as such on the DVD I'm watching from. So there.)
Dragons' Den
6x06 (25/8/08 edition)
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Or, at least, bits of it.
Marple
3x03 Towards Zero [2nd half]
Outnumbered
1x01 Episode 1 [2nd watch]
1x02 Episode 2 [2nd watch]
BBC Three are repeating this excellent half-improvised sitcom about parenting, ahead of a second series on BBC One sometime in the future. You really should watch it, it's great.
Spooks
5x05 The Message
Articles
Sci Fi sinks SG Atlantis by Tim Surette
and
Stargate reopens new Universe by Tim Surette
(from TV.com)
Could the Stargate franchise finally be dead? As it turns out, no, of course it isn't.
Tropic film holds on to top spot
(from BBC News)
The Dark Knight battles on, sitting in 4th place this weekend behind Tropic Thunder (in only its second week) and two new releases -- and only $5.8m behind #1 too. But this particular article is worth reading because, thanks to poor writing, it implies Titanic took $601m this weekend.
and
Stargate reopens new Universe by Tim Surette
(from TV.com)
Could the Stargate franchise finally be dead? As it turns out, no, of course it isn't.
Tropic film holds on to top spot
(from BBC News)
The Dark Knight battles on, sitting in 4th place this weekend behind Tropic Thunder (in only its second week) and two new releases -- and only $5.8m behind #1 too. But this particular article is worth reading because, thanks to poor writing, it implies Titanic took $601m this weekend.
Sunday, 24 August 2008
TV
Beijing 2008 Olympics: Closing Ceremony
I'm still not convinced that the Chinese should have the Olympics -- apparently, according to some commentators, the human rights issues seem "long ago" now. Idiots. Anyway, it was lower key than the stunning opening ceremony, but in an of itself you'd never describe it as "low key". Best bit? Boris Johnson, of course. Boris Johnson is always the best bit. The Memory Tower was pretty impressive, though Zhang Yimou's work is somewhat undermined by his recent criticisms of the West actually having human rights. (Watched on the BBC, what with now being back in the UK.)
Marple
3x03 Towards Zero [1st half]
ITV's scheduling of its Marples and Poirots is decidedly odd -- it has at least four of the latter completed but unbroadcast (the last was shown about two years ago), while this Marple premiered in Canada in February 2007, but only just aired here the other week. There's another episode (Nemesis) that also aired in Canada back then, and in Finland (Finland!) in January to boot, as well as Australia, and probably others, which they still haven't scheduled for the UK. They're an odd lot at ITV... (Additionally, these are the last two episodes starring Geraldine McEwan, who has been replaced by Julia McKenzie -- perhaps ITV are just trying to delay the change-over?)
I'm still not convinced that the Chinese should have the Olympics -- apparently, according to some commentators, the human rights issues seem "long ago" now. Idiots. Anyway, it was lower key than the stunning opening ceremony, but in an of itself you'd never describe it as "low key". Best bit? Boris Johnson, of course. Boris Johnson is always the best bit. The Memory Tower was pretty impressive, though Zhang Yimou's work is somewhat undermined by his recent criticisms of the West actually having human rights. (Watched on the BBC, what with now being back in the UK.)
Marple
3x03 Towards Zero [1st half]
ITV's scheduling of its Marples and Poirots is decidedly odd -- it has at least four of the latter completed but unbroadcast (the last was shown about two years ago), while this Marple premiered in Canada in February 2007, but only just aired here the other week. There's another episode (Nemesis) that also aired in Canada back then, and in Finland (Finland!) in January to boot, as well as Australia, and probably others, which they still haven't scheduled for the UK. They're an odd lot at ITV... (Additionally, these are the last two episodes starring Geraldine McEwan, who has been replaced by Julia McKenzie -- perhaps ITV are just trying to delay the change-over?)
Films
Hot Shots! (1991)
I've seen Hot Shots! before, though I couldn't say how many times. The last was years ago though, and I've grown up, which seems to have dulled its humour considerably. There are still some funny bits at least.
I've seen Hot Shots! before, though I couldn't say how many times. The last was years ago though, and I've grown up, which seems to have dulled its humour considerably. There are still some funny bits at least.
Saturday, 23 August 2008
TV
Gilmore Girls
4x22 Raincoats and Recipes [season finale]
Mock the Week
6x05 (7/8/08 edition)
Poirot
10x04 Taken at the Flood [season finale]
A weak tale, with a particularly implausible and unengaging plot. Also, the title is meaningless.
Would I Lie To You?
2x07 (22/8/08 edition)
4x22 Raincoats and Recipes [season finale]
Mock the Week
6x05 (7/8/08 edition)
Poirot
10x04 Taken at the Flood [season finale]
A weak tale, with a particularly implausible and unengaging plot. Also, the title is meaningless.
Would I Lie To You?
2x07 (22/8/08 edition)
Films
Flushed Away (2006)
[#57 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Still really, really far behind with my reviews...
[#57 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Still really, really far behind with my reviews...
Friday, 22 August 2008
TV
Dragons' Den
6x05 (18/8/08 edition)
The most padded show on TV is still great entertainment, a massive intellectual cut above shows like The X Factor despite occasionally sharing some of the same traits. This season there's extra footage available online, though quite why this isn't put into the show at the expense of Evan Davis' repetitive commentary I don't know.
Gilmore Girls
4x20 Luke Can See Her Face
4x21 Last Week Fights, This Week Tights
Mock the Week
6x07 (21/8/08 edition)
A particularly hilarious episode.
Poirot
10x02 Cards on the Table [2nd watch]
[2nd half]
6x05 (18/8/08 edition)
The most padded show on TV is still great entertainment, a massive intellectual cut above shows like The X Factor despite occasionally sharing some of the same traits. This season there's extra footage available online, though quite why this isn't put into the show at the expense of Evan Davis' repetitive commentary I don't know.
Gilmore Girls
4x20 Luke Can See Her Face
4x21 Last Week Fights, This Week Tights
Mock the Week
6x07 (21/8/08 edition)
A particularly hilarious episode.
Poirot
10x02 Cards on the Table [2nd watch]
[2nd half]
Articles
Eon Productions Pass On Devil May Care Film Rights by Matt Weston
and
Broccoli And Faulks Talk Devil Film Rights Snub by Matt Weston
(from CommanderBond.net)
"Eon Productions had passed on the movie rights to Sebastian Faulks’ one-off James Bond novel, Devil May Care... “Devil May Care is a period book which is set in the 1960s, and it really wouldn’t fit as one of the films that Eon has been making recently,” Broccoli [said]... Faulks, meanwhile, raised a valid point: “I would have thought that if you could move Casino Royale from the 1950s you could move Devil May Care from the Sixties.”"
The Movie-Con Blog by Olly Richards
(from BFI Presents the Empire Movie-Con)
Oh new Watchmen footage, how I wish thee could be seen!
Production Stopped On The Sweeney Film by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Cancelled by damn Yanks for fear of a lack of international appeal. Damn Yanks. If it was only going to cost $16m, surely it would've made that back in the UK alone; and, if it was any good, it would make enough worldwide to top it up? But hey, what do studio execs know? (Answer: not much.)
"We wanted to join the family of Barry, Bassey, Connery and Craig." by Matt Weston
(from CommanderBond.net)
"Jack White discusses his collaboration with Alicia Keys on [new Bond theme] Another Way To Die." And he sounds like a bit of a cock, to be honest.
Will This Be The Worst Film Ever? by Helen O'Hara
(from the Empire blog)
O'Hara makes a good case for why the forthcoming 'satire' An American Carol may be the most morally repulsive film ever made. See what you think by watching the trailer here.
and
Broccoli And Faulks Talk Devil Film Rights Snub by Matt Weston
(from CommanderBond.net)
"Eon Productions had passed on the movie rights to Sebastian Faulks’ one-off James Bond novel, Devil May Care... “Devil May Care is a period book which is set in the 1960s, and it really wouldn’t fit as one of the films that Eon has been making recently,” Broccoli [said]... Faulks, meanwhile, raised a valid point: “I would have thought that if you could move Casino Royale from the 1950s you could move Devil May Care from the Sixties.”"
The Movie-Con Blog by Olly Richards
(from BFI Presents the Empire Movie-Con)
Oh new Watchmen footage, how I wish thee could be seen!
Production Stopped On The Sweeney Film by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Cancelled by damn Yanks for fear of a lack of international appeal. Damn Yanks. If it was only going to cost $16m, surely it would've made that back in the UK alone; and, if it was any good, it would make enough worldwide to top it up? But hey, what do studio execs know? (Answer: not much.)
"We wanted to join the family of Barry, Bassey, Connery and Craig." by Matt Weston
(from CommanderBond.net)
"Jack White discusses his collaboration with Alicia Keys on [new Bond theme] Another Way To Die." And he sounds like a bit of a cock, to be honest.
Will This Be The Worst Film Ever? by Helen O'Hara
(from the Empire blog)
O'Hara makes a good case for why the forthcoming 'satire' An American Carol may be the most morally repulsive film ever made. See what you think by watching the trailer here.
Thursday, 21 August 2008
TV
Friday Night With Jonathan Ross
14x25 (11/7/08 edition) [season finale]
Mock the Week
6x06 (14/8/08 edition)
The first time I've watched something on BBC iPlayer through my Virgin Media TV service. The image quality was below normal, of course, but not noticeably so most of the time. In fact, it all worked pretty darn well.
Poirot
10x02 Cards on the Table [2nd watch]
[1st half]
14x25 (11/7/08 edition) [season finale]
Mock the Week
6x06 (14/8/08 edition)
The first time I've watched something on BBC iPlayer through my Virgin Media TV service. The image quality was below normal, of course, but not noticeably so most of the time. In fact, it all worked pretty darn well.
Poirot
10x02 Cards on the Table [2nd watch]
[1st half]
Films
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
[#56 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
I'm getting really, really far behind with my reviews now...
[#56 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
I'm getting really, really far behind with my reviews now...
Articles
Review of X-Men (Animated Television Series): Season 1 - Volume 1 DVD by Eamonn McCusker
(from DVD Times)
My God I used to love this show. I can't wait to finally get it on DVD. The theme music is absolutely classic -- all together now: "dododododo do-do, dododododo do-do! Dododododo-do-do... do-do, dooo-do!"
(from DVD Times)
My God I used to love this show. I can't wait to finally get it on DVD. The theme music is absolutely classic -- all together now: "dododododo do-do, dododododo do-do! Dododododo-do-do... do-do, dooo-do!"
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
TV
Friday Night With Jonathan Ross
14x24 (4/7/08 edition)
On which I discovered they're making a film spin-off from The Thick of It, called In the Loop.
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
19x05 (23/11/08 edition) [2nd watch]
Buzzcocks has been so much better since Simon Amstell took over as host (it's been almost two years now). In this episode, a squeaky-voiced pink-shirt-wearing Daniel Bedingfield seems to be trying to out-camp John Barrowman. Ha!
Would I Lie To You?
2x05 (8/8/08 edition)
14x24 (4/7/08 edition)
On which I discovered they're making a film spin-off from The Thick of It, called In the Loop.
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
19x05 (23/11/08 edition) [2nd watch]
Buzzcocks has been so much better since Simon Amstell took over as host (it's been almost two years now). In this episode, a squeaky-voiced pink-shirt-wearing Daniel Bedingfield seems to be trying to out-camp John Barrowman. Ha!
Would I Lie To You?
2x05 (8/8/08 edition)
Articles
Legal Battle Over Watchmen Movie
(from WENN)
Well this came out of nowhere.
Tropic Thunder Topples Dark Knight by Olly Richards
(from Empire Online)
"The Dark Knight may have slipped, but it only went as far as number two, taking another $16.8 million. That's pushed it to $471.5 million domestically, making it the second highest grossing film of all time, after Titanic. Yes, it's surpassed Star Wars, which has earned $461 million in its various releases."
Review of The Jane Austen Book Club by Angie Errigo
(from Empire Online)
Review of Stardust by Dan Jolin
(from Empire Online)
"Patchy but great fun, peppering plenty of black humour into a sweet if silly fairy-tale romance."
Russell Crowe To Play Bill Hicks? by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire Online)
A biopic of Bill Hicks? Could be cool. But really, why not just watch some recordings of his gigs?
(from WENN)
Well this came out of nowhere.
Tropic Thunder Topples Dark Knight by Olly Richards
(from Empire Online)
"The Dark Knight may have slipped, but it only went as far as number two, taking another $16.8 million. That's pushed it to $471.5 million domestically, making it the second highest grossing film of all time, after Titanic. Yes, it's surpassed Star Wars, which has earned $461 million in its various releases."
Review of The Jane Austen Book Club by Angie Errigo
(from Empire Online)
Review of Stardust by Dan Jolin
(from Empire Online)
"Patchy but great fun, peppering plenty of black humour into a sweet if silly fairy-tale romance."
Russell Crowe To Play Bill Hicks? by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire Online)
A biopic of Bill Hicks? Could be cool. But really, why not just watch some recordings of his gigs?
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
Films
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
[2nd watch]
Better second time round.
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)
[#54 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
[2nd watch]
Better second time round.
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)
[#54 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Monday, 18 August 2008
TV
Mock the Week
6x02 (17/7/08 edition)
6x03 (24/7/08 edition)
6x04 (31/7/08 edition)
Would I Lie To You?
2x02 (18/7/08 edition)
2x03 (25/7/08 edition)
2x04 (1/8/08 edition)
6x02 (17/7/08 edition)
6x03 (24/7/08 edition)
6x04 (31/7/08 edition)
Would I Lie To You?
2x02 (18/7/08 edition)
2x03 (25/7/08 edition)
2x04 (1/8/08 edition)
Sunday, 17 August 2008
Saturday, 16 August 2008
TV
Invincible
Behind-the-Scenes
Free behind-the-scenes video for the 'motion comic' made my MTV. Based on the extended preview at the front of this very light-weight "making of", it has the advantage of a full voice cast, but the actual animation is incredibly minimal. Sort of the inverse of...
Watchmen Motion Comics
Chapter I (of 12)
The first Warner Premiere Motion Comic, available through iTunes in the US (it doesn't seem to have turned up in the UK yet). The original comic is brilliant and, aside from a sometimes-iffy narrator (a full voice cast would've been better) this is an excellent rendition. It's surprisingly animated too -- perhaps not quite up to scratch for a fully-animated show (especially with those speech bubbles floating around), but a lot more than just moving things around within the frame or somesuch.
Behind-the-Scenes
Free behind-the-scenes video for the 'motion comic' made my MTV. Based on the extended preview at the front of this very light-weight "making of", it has the advantage of a full voice cast, but the actual animation is incredibly minimal. Sort of the inverse of...
Watchmen Motion Comics
Chapter I (of 12)
The first Warner Premiere Motion Comic, available through iTunes in the US (it doesn't seem to have turned up in the UK yet). The original comic is brilliant and, aside from a sometimes-iffy narrator (a full voice cast would've been better) this is an excellent rendition. It's surprisingly animated too -- perhaps not quite up to scratch for a fully-animated show (especially with those speech bubbles floating around), but a lot more than just moving things around within the frame or somesuch.
Back in the UK!
0!
As this is posted, I should be somewhere in the air, flying Business Class from Newark to Bristol. Oo-ooh, I know. However, thanks to horrendous delays, I'll probably be sat in the Business Lounge at Newark waiting for a flight.
For a full explanation, please see the start of the countdown.
As this is posted, I should be somewhere in the air, flying Business Class from Newark to Bristol. Oo-ooh, I know. However, thanks to horrendous delays, I'll probably be sat in the Business Lounge at Newark waiting for a flight.
For a full explanation, please see the start of the countdown.
TV
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series
Unreleased Promo
Back in 2001 and 2002, Joss Whedon & co tried to get an animated version of Buffy off the ground. A four-minute promo was completed in 2004, but no network picked up the show. Finally, just a few days ago, that promo leaked online. Hurrah! A must-see for anyone who ever liked Buffy -- it looks great, though the voice actress for Buffy sounds nothing like Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Acts 1 - 3 (of 3)
"#1 Downloaded TV Season on iTunes 3 WEEKS RUNNING!"
And it's funny. Which is the point. So all is good. Surprisingly few songs though. And Whedon can't resist a tragic twist or two.
Unreleased Promo
Back in 2001 and 2002, Joss Whedon & co tried to get an animated version of Buffy off the ground. A four-minute promo was completed in 2004, but no network picked up the show. Finally, just a few days ago, that promo leaked online. Hurrah! A must-see for anyone who ever liked Buffy -- it looks great, though the voice actress for Buffy sounds nothing like Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Acts 1 - 3 (of 3)
"#1 Downloaded TV Season on iTunes 3 WEEKS RUNNING!"
And it's funny. Which is the point. So all is good. Surprisingly few songs though. And Whedon can't resist a tragic twist or two.
Articles
10 Shows You Should Be Watching by Shirley Halperin, Jeff Jensen, Tim Stack, Dan Snierson, Jennifer Armstrong, Lindsay Soll, Ken Tucker & Mandi Bierly
(from Entertainment Weekly #995/996, p.34-35)
List-article of ten low-rated US TV shows that are (allegedly) great. Featuring Breaking Bad, Reaper, Flight of the Conchords, Friday Night Lights, Greek, The Paper, Gossip Girl (in spite of the fuss, it seems few watch it), In Treatment, Brotherhood, and Bones (cos 9.7m average is "no one").
20 fall movies we can't wait to see by Adam Markovitz
(from EW.com)
Pictorial preview of some of the big films still to come in 2008. Includes the great truism, "There's a thin line between ''And the Oscar goes to...'' and ''The Hallmark Channel proudly presents...''"
Be Still My Geeking Heart by Olly Richards
(from Empire Online)
A Joss Whedon Batman film? Let me say that again: a Joss Whedon Batman film?! Sorry, Chris Nolan -- we all love you, but nothing short of Joss in charge of Batman Begins 3 is going to satiate us now.
Mad Men (Summer TV Preview) by Missy Schwartz
(from Entertainment Weekly #995/996, p.26-33)
(from Entertainment Weekly #995/996, p.34-35)
List-article of ten low-rated US TV shows that are (allegedly) great. Featuring Breaking Bad, Reaper, Flight of the Conchords, Friday Night Lights, Greek, The Paper, Gossip Girl (in spite of the fuss, it seems few watch it), In Treatment, Brotherhood, and Bones (cos 9.7m average is "no one").
20 fall movies we can't wait to see by Adam Markovitz
(from EW.com)
Pictorial preview of some of the big films still to come in 2008. Includes the great truism, "There's a thin line between ''And the Oscar goes to...'' and ''The Hallmark Channel proudly presents...''"
Be Still My Geeking Heart by Olly Richards
(from Empire Online)
A Joss Whedon Batman film? Let me say that again: a Joss Whedon Batman film?! Sorry, Chris Nolan -- we all love you, but nothing short of Joss in charge of Batman Begins 3 is going to satiate us now.
Mad Men (Summer TV Preview) by Missy Schwartz
(from Entertainment Weekly #995/996, p.26-33)
Friday, 15 August 2008
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