TV

Have I Got News For You
40x10 (17/12/10 edition; extended repeat) [2nd watch]
Despite what some listings magazines (i.e. the Radio Times) say, tonight's episode was a new one (well, sort of), not a repeat of this. The extended edition of tonight's (i.e. not this one) is on tomorrow (i.e. Christmas Day).
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Miranda
2x06 The Perfect Christmas [season finale]
How marvellously Christmassy! And what a lovely ending indeed.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x10 Episode 10
A good guest host! Good.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
[#120 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
How marvellously Christmassy!

Fiction

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green
Book Two, Chapter 1

TV

The Armstrong & Miller Show
3x05 Episode 5
Despite claiming it was on series link 'til Christmas Day, the final episode of this series has disappeared from the TV (and online) iPlayer. Boo.

And for the rest, it's just last Friday night's telly...

The Event
1x10 Everything Will Change
And that's the mid-season finale. It's back in March (in the US, anyway).
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Graham Norton Show
8x08 (17/12/10 edition)
The Script again?! At least they were singing a different song... not that it was any good...
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Live at the Apollo
6x04 (17/12/10 edition)
Jack Whitehall again?! On the bright side, though, he had an excellent rant about Robert Pattinson.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Robert's Web
1x04 (17/12/10 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Fiction

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green
Book One, Chapters 1 - 4

Articles

Eleventh Hour tops iPlayer requests by Marcus
(from Doctor Who News Page)
The outstanding Doctor Who series 1, or 5, or 31, premiere was the most-watched programme on the BBC iPlayer this year, by quite some distance. "This year so far", anyway, because some Christmas specials surely stand a chance of a last-minute surge.
This article's also interesting for showing the whole top twenty, which includes an interesting variety of programmes -- among them, Sherlock episode one at #3 and David Tennant's final episode at #9.

TV

The Armstrong & Miller Show
3x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again), maybe, on iPlayer.]

QI
8x13 Holidays (extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Royal Variety Performance 2010
While watching I thought this was on ITV last year (and I was right). Coming back to the Beeb seems to have upped the overall quality.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Ruth Jones' Christmas Cracker
Having been enjoyed by those of us who bothered to seek it out on BBC Wales last year, Ruth Jones' Christmas chat show gets a nationwide upgrade. Tidy.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Preview: Doctor Who: Shadows Of The Vashta Nerada by Matthew Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
By "preview" they mean "somewhat spoilery full game review" (hey, this is Digital Spy -- if you're expecting solid accuracy, look elsewhere), but that only makes it more interesting. Sounds like these games are finally beginning to head in the right direction... maybe I'll bother to play the other three soon...

TV

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x09 Episode 9
The guest hosts seem to have been much more variable (or just plain bad) this series. See to that, please.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Top Gear
15x07 (21/12/10 edition) [season finale]
I thought this was Christmas Special Pt.1, not just New Series Ep.1 -- though the BBC website is saying it's the 7th episode of the last series (which ended in August), for some reason. Whichever way, it was still jolly entertaining, so that's nice.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

UK minister declares 'war' on Rupert Murdoch
(from mail.com)
Hurrah for Vince Cable; boo to the Telegraph for blowing it.

TV

David Suchet on the Orient Express
I've heard this called no more an extended advert for the Orient Express, which I think does it a disservice. It's a casually informative documentary that touches on the history of the service and does a nice job of conveying the feeling of what it might be like to travel on the famous train, for an audience who a largely unlikely to have the opportunity themselves. Suchet makes for a genial host too -- more such documentaries fronted by him wouldn't go amiss.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Miranda
2x05 Just Act Normal
An exceptionally exceptional episode, I thought. Neatly contained, occurring as it did in one location with three characters (more or less) and in real time, but still hilariously funny. Particularly noteworthy is the way it managed to spoof itself... but to say more would spoil it if you've not seen it. Which you should.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

A Ghost Of Christmas Past
(from Musings of the Ghost Of 82)
Musing on the old days of desperately seeking films on TV or VHS, and how times have changed -- films are more readily accessible today, but is this actually a good thing? A most interesting article.

nothing.

nowt.

nada.

I did make a cocktail I'd never tried before, go out for lunch, and spent several hours on a train though, so I suppose that's experience.

this week on 100 Films

2 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

The Outrage (1964)

remake of Akira Kurosawa's classic Rashomon... the story is as fascinating as ever, not just for the fact it offers different versions of what happened but for what the protagonists feel the need to modify in their accounts -- after all, they're happy to confess to several crimes, so why obscure the facts in other ways.

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

The plot doesn't go anywhere fast. Attempts to liven it up with some action sequences often come off as tacked-on asides, while discussions about just who Picard's clone is and what he wants feel hollow -- of course he's a nasty piece of work, otherwise your film is completely villain-free!

More next Sunday (aka Boxing Day).

TV

Have I Got News For You
40x10 (17/12/10 edition; extended repeat)
Maybe not, then. Super!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Strictly Come Dancing
8x25 The Final Part 1
8x26 The Final Part 2 [season finale]
[Watch both parts (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

Rambo III (1988)
[#119 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]

Collection Count

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

Not much showing this week -- the pre-Christmas slump, where I buy very little in case someone decides to give it to me for Christmas. Plus gotta find money to buy presents from somewhere.

The next update is due on Christmas Eve, but as that's likely to have even less change than this one, I may put it off a day or two and cover my Christmas haul. I'm sure no one will complain.

Number of titles in collection: 1,247 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,095 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 150 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,094 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,320 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,472 [no change]

Statistic of the week is having a little rest.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Event
1x09 Your World to Take
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Graham Norton Show
8x07 (10/12/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
2x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

QI
8x12 Horses and Hunting (extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Robert's Web
1x03 (10/12/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

Band of Brothers
Part Ten Points [2nd watch; final episode]
As I noted at the start, this is the first time I've watched Band of Brothers since it was on TV almost a decade ago. I'm pleased to report that it's still absolutely brilliant from beginning to end. Looks stunning on Blu-ray too.

Coronation Street
10/12/10 edition 1
10/12/10 edition 2
That's the end of their Big Dramatic Tram Crash Week, and so this is where I get off. Probably. That's the thing with soaps, isn't it -- the storylines never stop; you always want to know just what happens next...
[Watch it (again) at the above link.]

Due South
2x03 Witness [2nd watch]

Fiction

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus
Chapter Three in which Rabbit organises almost everything
The Domesday Book? A Census? This is meant to be Winnie-the-Pooh!

TV

Coronation Street
9/12/10 edition
This is The Live One, by-the-by. Well staged.
[Watch it (again) at the above link.]

Live at the Apollo
6x03 (9/12/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Natural World
Panda Makers

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x08 Episode 8
Lee Mack's TV domination continues.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Fiction

A fine night and all's well... by Michael Morpurgo
Morpurgo provides a 'ghost' story for the Radio Times Christmas issue. I know this is a family magazine and so the story's going to be kid-friendly, but even still, this is a particularly toothless example. Yes, there's a ghost involved, but it's not even remotely spinetingly. Nor is it Christmassy, really. Oh well.

TV

Band of Brothers
Part Nine Why We Fight [2nd watch]

Due South
2x02 The Vault [2nd watch]
I'm labelling all of these "2nd watch" because I definitely watched Due South first time round, but I don't think I've actually recognised any of it yet. (Beyond the very basics of the show's setup, that is.) I guess my memory has wiped the mid-'90s pretty thoroughly, then.

The Mentalist
3x08 Ball of Fire
Nearly caught up with Five (and therefore, as of this Friday, the US).
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Sarah Jane's Alien Files
1x05 Episode 5
1x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
I've decided this is very good for wrapping presents in front of. For that reason, wish I hadn't left it so long that episodes three and four got deleted from iPlayer.

Fiction

Star Trek: Countdown by Mike Johnson, Tim Jones & David Messina
Number Four (of Four)
The last part rattles along, which is a not unwelcome change of pace. Impressively, it also manages to completely wrap up its own story while still providing background and setup for the film. Job nicely done, chaps.

Articles

Author Slams eBook Piracy, Son Outs Her As a Music Pirate by enigmax
(from TorrentFreak)
Headline says it all, really.

Roger Ebert: ‘There Are Only Two Meaningful Ratings: R and Not-R’ by Germain Lussier
(from /Film)
Insightful. Plus, the US film ratings system is often amusing.
Ebert's original piece, to be read before or after /Film's commentary on it, is here.

Toby Ord: Why I'm giving £1m to charity
(from BBC News Magazine)
This is just quite interesting. For instance: "When I was earning £14,000 as a student, I found I was in the richest 4% in the world, even adjusting for how much further money goes in developing countries. Giving away 10% of that, I found that I would still be in the top 5%." See?

The X Factor takes on the world by Sinead Garvan
(from BBC News)

Perhaps the most insightful - and damning - assessment of The X Factor comes from underground rap artist Dan Le Sac.

"It simply doesn't matter," he says... "I know Joe McElderry won last year, but I couldn't tell you who won the year before. We get rid of it. It recycles itself within a year."

TV

Band of Brothers
Part Eight The Last Patrol [2nd watch]
The roster of quite-recognisable young British actors in this seems never-ending. This episode, Primeval's Andrew Lee Potts joins the list.

Coronation Street
7/12/10 edition
8/12/10 edition
Whatever I think of soaps normally, there's no denying that this Big Dramatic Tram Crash Week has been incredibly well staged.
[Watch both episodes (again) at the above links.]

Doctors
12x160 The Living Gaylights
Doctors goes Bond-spoof-tastic. Not to everyone's taste, I imagine. You have to wonder what regular Doctors viewers thought if they tuned in without having seen any reviews...
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Due South
2x01 North [2nd watch]

Have I Got News For You
40x09 (9/12/10 edition; extended repeat)
I think this may be the last of the series (with next week's being a compilation). Boo.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

House
7x08 Small Sacrifices
That's it for House until the middle of January. Funny US scheduling antics...

Films

Verity (2010)
[#118a in 100 Films in a Year 2010]

Short student-made biopic about Doctor Who's first producer, Verity Lambert, covering her early days on the series. You can watch it for free in various qualities (though don't bother with 1080p, it isn't) on YouTube, and read my review here.

Fiction

Star Trek: Countdown by Mike Johnson, Tim Jones & David Messina
Number Three (of Four)
How many Next Generation characters can they squeeze into this thing?! They should've tried to get all this into the film -- it probably would've flopped marvellously.

this week on 100 Films

6 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

The Good German (2006)

is this a case of style over substance? Some critics accuse it of just that, saying it concentrates more on the look & feel than the characters. They do have a point, but the style is, if not incidental, then still not the sole purpose. The tale is more about the mystery — indeed, mysteries — than the characters.

The Night Listener (2006)

this is a case of Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction because, though fictionalised, that sequence of events is entirely based on stuff that really happened to author and co-screenwriter Armistead Maupin. The downside is, this “but it happened!” logic seems to allow the filmmakers to get away with not offering adequate explanation.

Solaris (1972)

parts are like an endurance test — Berton’s seemingly endless drive through a future cityscape (actually just ’70s Tokyo), for instance — but, though still glacially paced, most of the film has some discernibly relevant content. Provided you’re not expecting Star Wars, that is, but who in their right mind would be?

The Special Edition of Beauty and the Beast (1991/2002)

Do you need me to tell you how great Beauty and the Beast is? I imagine not. If you’ve seen it, you’ll know. If you haven’t, you really should, and then you’ll know.

Verity (2010)

This nine-minute effort from student screenwriters Thomas Cowell and Joey Guy... focuses on the start of Verity Lambert’s producing career, dramatising the events around her being chosen by Sydney Newman (then the BBC’s Head of Drama) to shepherd his idea for an educational science-fiction children’s drama, Doctor Who.

The Wolfman: Unrated Version (2010)

Despite the “unrated” branding implying “more gore” as per usual, there’s hardly any of that added. Instead it’s mainly character moments of varying degrees of relevance, plus an array of inconsequential tweaks. I appreciate the attempt to bring a slower, creepier style back to modern horror films, but Johnston over-eggs it

More next Sunday.

TV

The Armstrong & Miller Show
3x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Coronation Street
6/12/10 edition 1
6/12/10 edition 2
I don't normally watch soaps (as I'm sure you've noticed), but this is Corrie's Big Dramatic Tram Crash Week -- including The Live Episode -- so I thought it might be worth a go. Turns out, soaps are about as good as I think they are (i.e. not very), but the crash itself was rather good.
[Watch both episodes (again) at the above links.]

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
2x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Mentalist
3x07 Red Hot
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Fiction

Star Trek: Countdown by Mike Johnson, Tim Jones & David Messina
Number Two (of Four)
See, I hadn't forgotten... I just don't get round to these things very quickly.

TV

Due South
1x23 Letting Go [2nd watch; season finale]

The Event
1x08 For the Good of Our Country
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Graham Norton Show
8x06 (3/12/10 edition)
Ugh.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Robert's Web
1x02 (3/12/10 edition)
I think it's fair to describe the quality of this as "...mixed".
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Films

Surrogates (2009)
[#118 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]

Collection Count

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

Nearly Christmas now -- which hopefully means a big jump in numbers, of course -- but, me being me, that doesn't mean I've stopped buying things. This week's lot includes another "Complete Series" Blu-ray set, hence the big jumps in discs and TV episodes. Lovely.

Number of titles in collection: 1,247 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,096 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 149 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 3,093 [up 43]
Number of films in collection: 1,319 [up 5]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,472 [up 120]

Statistic of the week:

Number of titles rated 12:
188
(15.1% of the total)

I've now covered titles rated U, PG, 15, 18 and those unrated, so that only leaves the 12s. (And a bunch of foreign ratings where I only have a handful in each, but shh.) So, job done!

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Due South
1x22 Victoria's Secret Part 2 [2nd watch]

Live at the Apollo
6x02 (2/12/10 edition)
Lee Mack's everywhere at the minute: he hosted HIGNFY the other night, he hosted this (which is last week's), and he's the host of tonight's (i.e. not the one below) Buzzcocks. Madness.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x07 Episode 7
Oh my lord, that might just be the worst episode of Buzzcocks ever. Tim Westwood is a horrid person and an appalling host. How does he have a career?!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Fiction

It's a Dog's Life by Michael Morpurgo & Patrick Benson
Lovely.

TV

Due South
1x21 Victoria's Secret Part 1 [2nd watch]

Mad Men
4x13 Tomorrowland [season finale]
Low-key, even by Mad Men's standards. Previous seasons have ended with cliffhangers or big changes; despite Don's sudden engagement, I wouldn't say this had either. Not as enticing for next year as the season three finale was, then, but Mad Men is always worth watching.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Miranda
2x04 A New Low
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Story of England
Part 6 Victoria to the Present Day [final episode]
Taking my usual style of watching at the last possible minute to the extreme with this one: I downloaded it on the last day it was available from iPlayer, then at the end of the 30 days you have to watch a download I played it, in order to buy an extra seven days in which to watch it. Today (of course) is day seven.
Amazing how time flies, too -- doesn't feel like five weeks (or, long enough to re-run the whole series at one a week) since I watched the previous episode.

Fiction

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus
Chapter Two in which Owl does a crossword, and a Spelling Bee is held
While these are quite good, I can't help but feel they're a bit over-written -- Milne's stories weren't quite so lengthily detailed, I swear. Plus, isn't "Spelling Bee" an Americanism? Certainly feels like one. Tsk.

TV

Due South
1x20 Heaven and Earth [2nd watch]

Have I Got News For You
40x08 (2/12/10 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Mentalist
3x06 Pink Chanel Suit
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

QI
8x11 Highs and Lows (extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

The Wolfman: Unrated Version (2010)
[#117 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]

TV

Due South
1x18 The Deal [2nd watch]
1x19 An Invitation to Romance [2nd watch]
BBC Two have taken a break from their Due South repeats this week, for some sport or other, which is fortunate for me because I'm about 8 episodes behind.

TV

Due South
1x17 The Blue Line [2nd watch]

House
7x07 A Pox on Our House

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
2x03 Episode 3

The Rob Brydon Show
1x06 Centenary Special [season finale]
This may just be the oddest episode of a chat show ever, set (yes, it has a special setting) decades in the future, with a 100-year-old Brydon looking back at his first series all those years ago in 2010. What this means in practice is a few highlights and lots of outtakes from the other five episodes, but it's certainly an unusual -- and, in fairness, entertaining -- way of presenting them.

Strictly Come Dancing
8x21 Week 10 Results (aka Movie Night Results)
More film-inspired routines, hurrah. Also, farewell to the dancer the 2010 series will surely be most remembered for.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

The Outrage (1964)
[#116 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]

this week on 100 Films

2 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

The History Boys (2006)

Nicholas Hytner’s film of Alan Bennett’s play, about a group of unlikely ’80s grammar school boys trying out for Oxbridge, sticks with a Bennett screenplay and the original West End/Broadway cast. However, it succeeds in not being very stagey — to the credit of Bennett’s screen adaptation and Hytner’s direction, I should imagine.

Total Recall (1990)

the joy of Total Recall is in discovering another ’80s blockbuster (ignore the fact it was released in 1990), the kind of thing I grew up watching on rented videos and BBC One Bank Holiday schedules, whose practical effects and general style and tone vividly recalls that era for me

Plus, as you've undoubtedly noticed, it's now December, which means the November update went up this week too.

More next Sunday.

TV

Colditz
2x12 Death Sentence
2x13 Liberation [series finale]
And so that's that. The title of the final episode probably gives a fair idea of what happens.
And while that's all well and good, the series ends the moment they all leave Colditz -- a fitting final image, maybe, but this is the series that began with three whole episodes set outside the camp. It might have been nice to see some of the characters return home, particularly Lt. Carter, who's spent much of the series missing his wife. With so much time passed (the series began after Dunkirk and ends at the end (more or less) of the war), it would have been nice to spend half an episode or so seeing how things have changed for these men when they get back home. Plus, on a more personal note, I wouldn't've minded a bit more time given to the ending of my favourite character, Hauptmann Ulmann. Can't have it all.
But hey-ho -- these things aside, it was rather good.

Have I Got News For You
40x07 (25/11/10 edition; extended repeat)

Merlin
3x13 The Coming of Arthur Part Two [season finale]
Good finale, I thought. I like that it doesn't feel the need to end on a cliffhanger. They can be effective, but I can't help but feel too many series resort to them. Wrap things up for a bit! Also, nice amounts of the myth cropping up now. I wonder if we'll see Arthur fully installed as King for a season or two before the producers' five-year plan comes to an end...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Miranda
2x03 Let's Do It
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

QI
8x10 Health and Safety (extended repeat)
XL repeats skip two episodes to come back in sync with BBC One. Just in case you were trying to keep track.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Strictly Come Dancing
8x20 Week 10 (aka Movie Night)
I'm usually in the room when Strictly's being watched, but rarely or barely watch any of it myself. Movie Night's a different beast though, what with being a film fan, and I found it all rather entertaining. Except Gavin Henson. But Matt Baker's Austin Powers was particularly spot-on.
[Watch it (soon) on iPlayer.]

Articles

How to design a Hollywood poster: just add sparks by Ali
(from TheShiznit.co.uk)
It's funny because it's true.

Collection Count

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

Except last week, which fell apart due to an abundance of real-world commitments and an equal abundance of new titles. And not just any new titles, but a complex array of (mostly last-minute) BD-to-DVD upgrades -- things like a "complete series" set with four seasons replacing the three individual seasons I had; or BD-to-DVD upgrades where I may or may not be keeping the original DVD. For instance, despite the number of titles only going up one, there are seven new titles in my collection this week.

It all sounds trivial -- and ultimately, it is -- but it still required working out.

Number of titles in collection: 1,242 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,096 [down 6]
Of which Blu-rays: 146 [up 6]

Number of discs in collection: 3,050 [up 10]
Number of films in collection: 1,314 [up 6]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,352 [up 19]

Statistic of the week:

Number of Digital Copies:
Continuing my recap of early stats of the week, here's one from exactly a year ago again.

The number stands at 16, up 6 from last year (actually up 7, but I just upgraded a DVD that had a digital copy for the Blu-ray that doesn't). That means 1.3% of my collection has one, which is up 0.4% on last year -- more digital copies around then, but still hardly a significant number.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Colditz
2x11 Chameleon
As the Allies approach and German defeat seems increasingly inevitable, Major Mohn finally gives up hope in the Third Reich and tries to strike deals to save his own skin. Of course, as the most hated man in Colditz, he soon finds he has no friends -- indeed, only outright enemies -- on both sides. A long-awaited tearing down ensues, though it seems he has escaped... for now...

The Event
1x07 I Know Who You Are
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Graham Norton Show
8x05 (26/11/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Robert's Web
1x01 (26/11/10 edition)
New Internet-based comedy -- a panel show without any panels, if you will -- hosted by Robert Webb. Do you see what they've done with the title? Do you?
Yes, well, the show itself is better than that.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Articles

Disney will set sail for Pirates of the Caribbean 5 & 6 back-to-back by Drew McWeeny
(from Motion Captured at HitFix)
Because that produced such high-quality cinematic delights last time round. On the other hand, they did make a ton of cash.

TV

Colditz
2x08 The Gambler
2x09 Senior American Officer
2x10 Very Important Person
As it heads toward its final finale, Colditz is getting rather addictive (clearly). Still three episodes to go though...

Live at the Apollo
6x01 (25/11/10 edition)

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
[5th watch]
And finally, Return of the King is calculated much like Fellowship: once in the cinema, once on DVD, the extended twice, and now the theatrical on Blu-ray. Which means I've seen Two Towers more than either of the other two, despite it being my least favourite. But I'm hardly going to watch the first and third and skip the second just to even the numbers up.

Fiction

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus
Chapter One in which Christopher Robin returns
Being the first authorised sequel to A.A. Milne's original Winnie-the-Pooh stories, featuring ten new tales. Thank goodness, it's suitably super.

Articles

Final Doctor Who game ep for Christmas by Matthew Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
Christmas Day, to be precise, which is a neat idea -- extra Christmas present and all that kind of palaver. It's titled Shadows of the Vashta Nerada which, as any Who fan will surely immediately realise, means a return for the enemy from Silence in the Library (Steven Moffat's weakest story, if you ask me, but a great idea for a monster). Interesting choice.
I've still not played the last two games though, what with the first one being a bit rubbish (never did write that review, did I). I ought to catch up...

Nolan confirms Batman departure by Hugh Armitage
(from Digital Spy)
No no, don't worry, he's still directing The Dark Knight Rises -- but that will be his last Batman film. Probably for the best -- gets to close off a definite three-part story that way, and with lightning already having struck twice it's pushing it to ask for a third, never mind fourth.

Who exec: 'No old monsters in series six' by Justin Harp
(from Digital Spy)
Hm. I can't say I'll miss the Daleks -- we've had plenty of them in the new series for now, thanks -- but it seems a shame not to dig into that rich history at least a little bit. It's worked well so far, anyway, and there are still a few iconic monsters that merit a return appearance.
(The article warns of spoilers, but there aren't any really, just a bit of a plot description for the Christmas special. There is a mildly amusing overuse of square brackets though.)

TV

Colditz
2x07 French Leave

Due South
1x16 The Wild Bunch [2nd watch]

Mad Men
4x12 Blowing Smoke
Mad Men just goes from strength to strength -- I don't think there's anything else quite so addictive on TV at the moment.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Thorne
1x06 Scaredycat Part 3 [season finale]
I'd meant to watch this last Friday (having watched the first two parts on Wednesday and Thursday); can't remember why I didn't now. Anyway, I saw that twist coming! Go me!

TV

Band of Brothers
Part Seven The Breaking Point [2nd watch]
Along with no Internet we had no digital TV, which meant I couldn't catch up with recordings of Colditz -- so instead I finally got on with Band of Brothers. Silver lining 'n' all that.

Due South
1x15 The Man Who Knew Too Little [2nd watch]

Films

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
[6th watch]
Similar to Fellowship yesterday, my viewing number for Two Towers is derived from twice in the cinema, once on DVD, twice for the extended cut on DVD, and now the theatrical again on Blu-ray -- that's 6. Again, I can't help but feel it's more.

Music

The Union by Elton John & Leon Russell
Specifically, the Deluxe Edition, which boasts two extra tracks.

TV

House
7x06 Office Politics

Just Good Friends
1x04 Fatherly Advice

Madman Across the Water: The Making of Elton John

The Mentalist
3x05 The Red Ponies
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Films

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
[5th watch]
I'm never quite certain how many times I've seen Lord of the Rings, and how should one count it when there are extended editions to consider? I know, I know, it doesn't matter. But I've arrived at the figure of "5" for Fellowship based on seeing it once in the cinema, once on DVD, the extended cut twice on DVD, and now the theatrical again on Blu-ray. I suspect the real number may be slightly higher.

Internet problems

As I'm currently having problems with my Internet, there'll be no updates until further notice -- just writing this simple message via iPhone is tricky enough.

Rest assured, dear reader, that I'm keeping a record of what I would have posted, all ready to be back-dated once my 'net returns. I wouldn't want you to miss out!

TV

The Armstrong & Miller Show
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Beauty and the Beast (1991)
[4th or so watch]
Or The Special Edition of Beauty & the Beast, as the credits would have this six-minutes-longer version (adding a new song) which I'm not sure if I've seen before or not. So I've yet to decide if it counts in 100 Films (as an 'a' film, of course); depends whether I feel like writing about it or not, I think.
(Last time I watched the film in any form, incidentally, was August 2008. I think it was on (*shudder*) VHS.)

this week on 100 Films

3 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

It Happened Here (1965)

depicting a 1940s Britain under Nazi occupation [using] a dramatic narrative, as opposed to faux-documentary, to show off their vision of an occupied Britain... shot in grainy, handheld black-and-white with a rough-round-the-edges feel that gives it the air of documentary even when it’s undoubtedly scripted and performed.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)

it’s a bit like a DVD commentary, except instead of people involved with the film recounting anecdotes or academics offering analysis, we have people taking the piss out of it... The experience is very much like watching a movie with some mates when you’re in the mindset to take the piss out of the film.

Panic in the Streets (1950)

not a particularly film noir-y film noir. That’s not a problem, just an observation. There’s still a criminal underworld, a (slightly) downtrodden hero, criminal wrongdoings, some shadow-drenched photography, and a smattering of other traits that do place it within the genre, but it’s not a textbook example.

More next Sunday.

TV

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
2x02 Episode 2
Some of their impressions are spot-on brilliant. Others, you wonder why they bothered.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Merlin
3x12 The Coming of Arthur Part One
The season finale begins! Where'd that come from, eh? This season has shot by. Good start though, promising an even better second half.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Russell Howard's Good News
3x05 (18/11/10 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the short edition (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Odd Man Out (1947)
[#115 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
My viewing inspired by an excellent (as always) piece at Riding the High Country.

TV

Colditz
2x06 Ace in the Hole

The Event
1x06 Loyalty
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

QI
8x07 Horrible (extended repeat)
The XL repeats return, with the one episode I missed entirely too. Hooray!
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

Q&A: Colin Morgan talks the Merlin finale by Morgan Jeffery
(from Digital Spy)
A nice interview with Merlin's star, though beware spoilers for the season finale.

TV

Colditz
2x05 Frogs in the Well

Due South
1x14 An Eye for an Eye [2nd watch]

Nazi Collaborators
Episode 2 Chaim Rumkowski
I'm sure no one's particularly bothered, but it seems the listings for this episode (including the one linked above) were wrong.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x05 Episode 5
This episode seemed to have a particularly eclectic selection of guests.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Thorne
1x05 Scaredycat Part 2

TV

Colditz
2x04 The Guests

Due South
1x13 Hawk and a Handsaw [2nd watch]

Nazi Collaborators
Episode 1 Pierre Laval
Original 13-part series for Yesterday looking at (the title might give this away) those who collaborated with the Nazis. For more info, try this press release, or this (slightly harsh, I think) review of episode one.

Mad Men
4x11 Chinese Wall
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Thorne
1x04 Scaredycat Part 1
It's a fortnight since I finished the first serial in this series. Feels ages ago.

Fiction

Star Trek: Countdown by Mike Johnson, Tim Jones & David Messina
Number One (of Four)
Having watched Star Trek again the other day, I was inspired to finally read this, the four-issue mini-series that tells the events leading up to the film (those in the original/future timeline, featuring Nero, Spock 'Prime' and the Next Generation crew). My copy of these came as an Amazon-exclusive with the Blu-ray. Scaled to fit, it's a teensy bit small, but just about readable.

Articles

The Disney 50 at BFI Southbank
(from BFI)
To celebrate Disney's 50th animated feature film (they've made many more than that, I'm certain, but the 50th in their canon, or Animated Classic line, or whatever they choose to call it these days), BFI Southbank will be showing one a week next year. Which is rather nice. If you live in London.

TV

Colditz
2x03 Odd Man In

Have I Got News For You
40x06 (18/11/10 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Miranda
2x02 Before I Die
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

Joss Whedon bares his teeth over new Buffy film by Ben Child
(from Film Blog at guardian.co.uk)
This was all over twitter and even made it into Proper News, so you've probably heard, but in case not...

TV

Ask Rhod Gilbert
1x08 Episode 8 [season finale]

Colditz
2x02 Ghosts

The Sarah Jane Adventures
4x11 Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith Part One
4x12 Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith Part Two [season finale]
Nice finale to a good season, well done all. Had sneakily hoped for a trailer for the next series, as they've already filmed half of it, but no such luck. Ah well.
[Watch parts one and two, or a compilation of both, on iPlayer.]

TV

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
2x01 Episode 1
I wasn't sure we'd see this back -- and the BBC certainly look to have buried it, at half 10 on Sundays -- but I'm glad it is, because I do like a good impressions show, and this is actually a rather good one.

The Rob Brydon Show
1x05 (15/10/10 edition)
Watching the fifth episode fifth? Why, that's not in the spirit of how I've viewed the series so far! (And I'll be watching the sixth sixth too. Shocking!)

Films

Star Trek (2009)
[2nd watch]
This was #24 in 100 Films 2009. Last time I watched it was in the cinemas, 18 months ago.

this week on 100 Films

2 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

Force of Evil (1948)

comes well recommended, with places on several 1,000 Best Movies lists and inclusion both on They Shoot Pictures…'s 250 Quintessential Noir Films and in the US National Film Registry, not to mention a full 5/5 in Paul Duncan's consistently handy Pocket Essential Film Noir. But it didn't work for me. To be blunt, I found it dull.

The Spiral Staircase (1945)

screenwriter Mel Dinelli and director Robert Siodmak spin a yarn that, over the course of just one dark and stormy night, blends together gothic horror, film noir, serial killer thriller and Christie-esque whodunnit. The resulting blend makes for a film that is, for several reasons, an exceptionally entertaining work.

More next Sunday.

TV

Children in Need 2010
Being the post-midnight stretch, naturally (are you surprised I'm thorough enough to list it separately?)
Lots of repeats, as per usual, but once you've stuck with it for five hours it feels wrong to quit with only two to go. Besides which, they often pull out a couple of new bits, not to mention the final total. Down on last year though it may be, £18.1m is nothing to be sniffed at.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Merlin
3x11 The Sorcerer's Shadow
Guest starring the guy who plays Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter movies -- he's in the sorcerer's shadow indeed.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Russell Howard's Good News
3x04 (11/11/10 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the short edition (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Toy Story 3 (2010)
[#114 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]

TV

Children in Need 2010
How good was that Doctor Who trailer?! I was naturally excited for the Christmas special anyway, but that looked exceptional. And beautifully shot too.
Meanwhile, 'East Street' amused me because I have almost no idea who is in which soap, so that could just be what either is always like for all I knew. But they pitched it such-like that I got (all?) the jokes. So that was nice.
More CiN tomorrow, of course.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Colditz
2x01 Arrival of a Hero

Mastermind
for Children in Need [2010 special]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Solaris (1972)
[#113 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Being the Russian original, obviously. My review of the US remake is here.

Articles

A Serbian Film: Is this the nastiest film ever made? by Geoffrey Macnab
(from The Independent)

If this was just another bad and grotesque horror film, nobody would be paying any attention to it. The fact that it has already provoked such ferocious debate suggests that it can't be dismissed that easily.

If you've heard of the film or the controversy but don't know any details, this article will go someway towards enlightening you; not just by mentioning what in the film is controversial, but also the debates, discussions and reactions around it.

Collection Count

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

Number of titles in collection: 1,242 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,102 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 140 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 3,040 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 1,308 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,333 [no change]

Statistic of the week:

Total running time of collection (approx.):
214 days, 22 hours, and 44 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 15 hours, and 46 minutes from last month.)

Incidentally, the next time I do a running time update should be Christmas Eve! Exciting stuff.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Colditz
1x14 Gone Away Part 1
1x15 Gone Away Part 2: With the Wild Geese [season finale]

The Graham Norton Show
8x04 (12/11/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

QI
8x09 House and Home
I notice in this week's Radio Times (or rather next week's; the one that's out now and covers from next Saturday on) that the QI XL repeats are returning. It seems they're picking up where they left off (the first will be for episode 7), which is probably a good thing (especially for me, as I missed episode 7 due to the extended repeats stopping).
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Have I Got News For You
40x05 (11/11/10 edition; extended repeat)
An exceptionally amusing edition, I thought.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mad Men
4x10 Hands and Knees
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Rob Brydon Show
1x03 (1/10/10 edition)
Stephen Fry -- yay! Seasick Steve -- yay! And Daniel Sloss, one of the few young comedians I actually quite like.

Films

The Spiral Staircase (1945)
[#112 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]

Articles

Couple who met at university to marry by James Browne
(from Caledonian Mercury)

Two people who went to university together are to get married, it has emerged.

William Windsor (or possibly Wales or possibly Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) and Kate Middleton, both 28, met at St Andrews University eight years ago.

Mr Windsor is a Flight Lieutenant in the RAF – and also a prince.

Wall-to-wall, dewy-eyed hysterical coverage can be found in every other media outlet.

TV

Colditz
1x13 The Way Out

The Event
1x05 Casualties of War
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x04 Episode 4
Presented by Sir Terry Wogan. I need say no more.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Sarah Jane Adventures
4x09 Lost in Time Part One
4x10 Lost in Time Part Two
[Watch parts one and two, or a compilation of both, on iPlayer.]