Articles

Brad Bird Explains Why We Haven’t Seen an Incredibles Sequel Yet by Kevin Melrose
(from Spinoff Online at Comic Book Resources)
Because he doesn't have an idea for one, essentially. Which is fine -- I loved The Incredibles and would love a sequel, but there's no point if it's just for the sake of some easy cash.

The Science and Future of 3D Films, With Legend3D Founder, COO and CTO Dr. Barry Sandrew
Parts 1, 2 & 3 by Mark Hughes
(from Forbes)
This interview/polemic has an irritatingly fawning tone and a loose interpretation of some facts -- see in particular Sandrew and Hughes' dubious analysis of some figures at the bottom of part 2 page 1 -- but it's nonetheless interesting thanks to its inside-the-industry perspective.

TV

Pointless
3x24 (15/10/10 edition)
They put a shot of the four-team round one in the middle of the three-team round two! Shocking behaviour.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Comics

Batman #2 by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo
Proper detective work, proper action, a whole heap of story and subplots too, plus Capullo's style is growing on me a lot. It's only 20 pages long, but those pages are so expertly used that it feels a lot longer -- where other books feel brief at this length, Snyder's Batman feels like it's an extra-long (for modern comics) issue. And that's obviously a good thing.
For more praise that I agree with, see CBR's review. "This is the sort of issue you could drop into anyone’s hand, no matter their level of knowledge or involvement, and make them a fan for life."

Articles

Downton Abbey bosses hit back at critics over 'ludicrous' storylines claims by Simon Boyle
(from Mirror)
Downton Abbey is not a soap because it gets incredibly high ratings and "combines comedy, romance and tension around 20 characters"? OK, if you say so...

New Mission: Impossible Poster Online by James White
(from Empire)
Or, as the poster seems very very keen for you to call it, Ghost Protocol. How small is that Mission: Impossible logo?! Especially relative to what is, technically, the subtitle. Bizarre. Obviously someone in the film's marketing has decided the M:I name is the opposite of a selling point.

Click to enlarge.

Steven Spielberg discusses Jurassic Park 4 and Indiana Jones 5 by Venkman
(from Geektyrant)
JP4 is on the scriptwriting stage and George Lucas is still developing a story for Indy 5... but never mind that, because what's most interesting here is what he has to say about the last Indy film:

I never liked the MacGuffin. George and I had big arguments about the MacGuffin. I didn't want these things to be either aliens or inter-dimensional beings.

More just-as-interesting comments at the link.

Unofficial Title Sequence for The Adventures of Tintin by Gig Patta
(from LatinoReview)
There's more to that title than meets the eye, though: the director/producer of Tintin, who is no less than Steven Spielberg of course, saw the video and liked it enough to invite its maker to the premiere... and give him a job on the next movie. Well crikey!
In case you don't fancy following the link, here it is:

TV

Ask Rhod Gilbert
2x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

House
8x03 Charity Case

Pointless
3x23 (1/10/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Spooks
10x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Comics

Judge Dredd Megazine #313

That story that was on part seven last time? I give up. It makes no sense. Maybe if I'd been reading since the start... But no, I'm not wasting my time. It's called Numbercruncher, if you happen to care.

As for the others, to refer to them as I did last time: the Dredd was a two-parter that ends here, though leaves an intriguing Big Thing set up for the future. Look forward to that coming back. The one that was on part two (now three, obviously) is Samizdat Squad, and while I can follow it I don't especially care for it.

Finally, Anderson, Psi-Division (which was on part four and finishes this issue) has been a great little tale for the two parts I've read -- the only one I wish I'd been following since the start. I suppose I could always order back issues...

Articles

Joss Whedon on his secret film of Much Ado About Nothing: 'This is the best vacation I've ever taken' by Adam B. Vary
(from Inside Movies at EW.com)
First interview with Joss (plus stars Sean Maher and Amy Acker) about the just-wrapped/just-announced adaptation. Unsurprisingly, there's a tonne of new details in here.

The Jury returns after nine years in retirement by Vicky Frost
(from the Guardian)
Interview-y article about the Julie Walters-starring second series of The Jury, speaking to Walters and writer Peter Morgan. (Much better than Mark Lawson's faintly embarrassing article, where he goes on about it being a remake when (as numerous commenters point out) it isn't.)

TV

Home Cooking Made Easy
1x04 Simple [final episode]

The Jury
Part 5 (of 6)
Part 6 (of 6)
I suppose in a way the verdict was unsurprising, but I'm still glad they reached it. A good final pair of episodes too, generating genuine tension and wrapping everything up satisfactorily -- which, in some cases, meant leaving it ambiguous or unfinished. I don't really understand why this was so ignored at the time and isn't more often mentioned as an example of great British drama, because I think it deserves to be. Looking forward to the sequel, whenever that's on.

Pointless
3x22 (30/9/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

RED (2010)
[#88 in 100 Films in a Year 2011]

Comics

Batman and Robin #2 by Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason
This series is becoming increasingly reliant on the past. I'm sure that's great for long-term readers, but it's not so good as part of (what's supposed to be) a line-wide new-reader-friendly re-launch. I coped with the first issue because I'm vaguely aware of some recent events in the Batman comics universe; this issue, it's really pushing my limit. We'll see how it goes -- I'll stick with it because nasty little git Damien, Bruce Wayne's son, is an interesting (if annoying) loose cannon.

Justice League #2 by Geoff Johns & Jim Lee
It's been a long wait for the second issue of DC's new flagship title -- nearly two months since #1! -- but critics found it worth the wait: after notoriously underwhelming reviews for that first issue, the follow-up has received much better notices. Personally, I enjoyed the first issue, and felt this one maintained the very good standard.

Resurrection Man #2 by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning & Fernando Dagnino
While this is still solid, all told I'm not as keen on it as the first issue. Resurrection Man is, I believe, the return of a long-dead series (oh irony), which makes it difficult to know if it's building on stuff from before or kicking off whole new mysteries. Considering the bafflement of the main character, hopefully things will get explained eventually, either way.

Articles

Drew Pearce to Write Sequel to As-Yet-Unreleased Sherlock Holmes Sequel by Kate Erbland
(from Film School Rejects)
To clarify, he's writing Sherlock Holmes 3 (as in the, the second sequel to the Downey Jr/Ritchie one). As the article says, "Pearce may very well be your favorite screenwriter whose work you’ve never actually seen" -- he's got several huge films in the offing, none of them yet released. Or even in front of cameras.

Joss Whedon & Nathan Fillion Do Shakespeare by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
Apparently around making The Biggest Blockbuster Ever (Maybe Probably Sort Of), Joss Whedon has found time to gather together a bunch of his chums (cast members from Buffy, Angel, Firefly and possibly others abound) to make a film of Much Ado About Nothing. What? Apparently it's not a hoax either. We'll see...
The official website, such as it is, is here.

Edit: there's a full press release confirming it all to be for real here. (It's also on the official website, but that has added commentary.)

TV

Downton Abbey
2x05 Episode 5
Mrs Bates is threatening something! ...but now it's sorted.
Mrs Bates is threatening something again! ...but now it's sorted.
Mrs Bates is threatening something else! ...but now it's sorted.
Time to wrap up the whole Mrs Bates thing, eh?
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Pointless
3x21 (29/9/10 edition)
25 people didn't know which war D Day was from?! I despair.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Spooks
10x04 Episode 4
As (most of) the rest of the nation's Spooks fans enjoy the series' last-ever episode, I'm still catching up on this final run. It is good though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
5x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

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

Batman: Year One (2011)

this is a very down-to-Earth version of the Batman story. It’s even less sci-fi-y than Chris Nolan’s much-praised realistic films, in fact. There’s no Batmobile, no Batcave, no Bat signal, only a few gadgets (and those that are used are fully plausible), no cartoonish super-villains… This Gotham is a city where crime comes from gangsters, drug dealers, muggers and a thoroughly corrupt police force, and that’s what Batman sets out to fight.

Tangled (2010)

It’s funny, which is its biggest asset, and exciting at times — as usual, the highly movable camera of CG animation adds fluidity, speed and excitement to the action sequences, [but the] comedic-ish fantasy-kingdom world can come across a bit like lightweight Shrek [and] the songs are distinctly unmemorable

More next Sunday.

TV

Derren Brown: The Experiments
1x01 The Assassin
Brilliant (as ever from Derren), with some perhaps unexpected conclusions. Watching some of the extra video interviews online, it seems even the experts were surprised how things went.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Jonathan Ross Show
1x07 (15/10/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

The Jury
Part 4 (of 6)

Merlin
4x04 Aithusa
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
25x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Perfect Couples
1x06 Perfect Crime
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Pointless
3x20 (28/9/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Magazines

New Empress Magazine #3

The latest issue of the quarterly small press film magazine feels practically tailor-made to my interests, with almost every article piquing my curiosity.

After the reviews (of which over half interest me before even reading), there's an interview with the director of the BBFC; an entry in their 'why I hate film' series about the brilliance of TV; pieces on Westerns, going to the cinema by yourself, and the noir cityscape of Blade Runner; retrospectives on Jurassic Park, Casablanca, Bhaji on the Beach, and why Bring It On is actually good; plus a look back at much-underrated miniseries The 10th Kingdom.

There's also an article entitled "How Blu-ray killed the classics", which is interesting even if I disagree with it almost entirely.

(There's other good stuff too, but those were the ones that particularly appealed to me.)

This issue can be ordered online here if you're in the UK. Back issues, subscriptions and internationally-shipping copies are also available from their store.

Collection Count

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

This post represents the second anniversary of my collection counting. Hurrah!

Interestingly, this time last year I was switching my Back to the Future DVDs for the shiny new Blu-ray set; this year, I've done the same for Jurassic Park. I imagine it'll be Indiana Jones this time next year then, eh.

First up in my round-up is, as ever, the totals as they currently stand, with how they've changed since last week. A couple of DVD-to-BD upgrades leave this lot largely stable.

Number of titles in collection: 1,392 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,139 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 253 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 3,447 [up 4]
Number of films in collection: 1,473 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,194 [up 26]

Secondly, how have they changed in a year? Well, unsurprisingly, all numbers have gone up -- indeed, the increases for many are even bigger this year than they were last. In a recession? Oops. Here's how they've increased over the last 12 months:

Number of titles in collection: up 166 (13.5%)
Of which DVDs: up 36 (3.3%)
Of which Blu-rays: up 130 (105.7%)

Number of discs in collection: up 440 (14.6%)
Number of films in collection: up 179 (13.8%)
Number of TV episodes in collection: up 914 (21.4%)

The overall increase is only slightly down (three titles fewer), but the increase in DVDs is under half what it was last year. That means Blu-rays make up the difference, the increase there being some 50 titles bigger than last year's. The increase in discs is also around 50 higher than it was last year; there are about 20 fewer new films, but nearly 300 more TV episodes added. Crikey.

Most of the percentage increases are lower than last year, because obviously they were all starting from a higher total. The one exception is TV episodes, thanks to an increase almost 50% bigger than last year's. Crikey.

Finally, and often most spectacularly, the running time update...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
248 days, 22 hours, and 31 minutes

That's up 1 day, 2 hours, and 2 minutes from last month... but what you really want to know is how much it's changed in a whole year, eh?

Well... it's increased 36 days, 15 hours and 33 minutes from last year. That's just over five solid weeks of viewing.

To put it another way, it's grown my collection's running time by 17.3%. And that rise is 12.5% bigger than last year's increase. That'd be all those TV episodes, I guess.

Anyway, that's all. Regular service resumes next week. See you then, faithful reader.

TV

The Jury
Part 3 (of 6)

Pointless
3x19 (27/9/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

QI
9x06 Inventive (XL edition)
I like Nina Conti, but I'm not sure how well a ventriloquist is suited to a panel show. They had a large section on ventriloquists, at least... most of which was cut out of the regular episode. Another tick in the box for XL editions, then.
[Watch QI XL (again) on iPlayer.]

Top Gear USA
1x01 Episode 1
It's not as good as the original British version -- the presenters are a bit weak, and certainly don't have the same camaraderie/rivalry as our lot; it's not as well made, either, lacking the slickness of direction the British one often shows -- but for all those faults it's a surprisingly entertaining re-make of the format.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Comics

2000 AD #1752
For this Prog, ECBT 2000AD added a new section to their regular reviews line-up, an initial-impressions art-only review. After that, the regular reviews are...

Judge Dredd Day of Chaos: Downtime

Ampney Crucis Investigates... The English Assassin Part Three

Indigo Prime Everything and More Part Three

Angel Zero Part 02

Low Life The Deal Part 3

The Dredd story this Prog seems to have been quite controversial among some of 2000 AD's readership (or maybe it's just one being vocally annoyed, I dunno) -- it's a one-shot in the middle of the big on-going Day of Chaos storyline -- but it also seems the majority side with it being a highly effective little tale looking at Dredd's current place in his world. With which I wholeheartedly agree. (Also, reading comments on this reminds me I'm still around four weeks behind with my reading. Ugh.)
Indigo Prime, on the other hand, is so befuddling and long-term-readers-only-y that it's the first Thrill I've seriously considered just skipping since I started reading.

Articles

Squirrelling Out Details On Watchmen 2 by Rich Johnston
(from Bleeding Cool)
Looks like it's happening after all, perhaps as a series of prequel stories. Hm. Well, at least prequels would be better than sequels: there's a gap in the Watchmen universe for stories from their costumed-heroics days, whereas a sequel would have to get all kinds of dealing-with-what-happened-y.

TV

Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey
Episode 1 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

The Jury
Part 2 (of 6)
This is almost 10 years old now, which makes it an interesting one for considering how TV drama has changed in the last decade. In many respects, not much -- it doesn't feel as old as a 10-year-old drama felt as little as three or four years ago, I don't think. In terms of things like camerawork, acting, pace, and so on, I wouldn't be surprised if this was new. You wouldn't get that similarity if you compared a production from 1991 to one from 2001.
That said, there are chunks of the story you'd have to change if making it now. Take the juror who's spent two episodes searching for someone he used to know, for instance: never mind phoning round old friends and employers, now he'd get her in a few seconds on Facebook. But these a minor points (and there aren't many of them) compared to that general stylistic one.

Spy
1x01 Codename: Loser
An original comedy… on Sky?! Starring someone from (ugh) My Family?! Oh dear.
But no, not oh dear -- it's actually really good. Because to say Robert Lindsay is "from My Family" is to underrate him; and it actually stars Darren Boyd, who's had supporting roles in all kinds of things for ages and deserves a lead role; and there's The One You Remember From Horrible Histories to provide some able support. Super.

Articles

Akira? A caricature, more like by Ben Child
(from Film Blog at the Guardian)
On why the US remake of Akira is a bad idea. It's not a fundamentally impossible proposition, but the way they're going about it -- with a hack director and Z-list cast -- is what will kill it.

Cool Tintin Concept Art by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire)
What it says on the tin.

TV

The Great British Bake Off
2x10 Masterclass Part 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
10x12 (13/10/11 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless
3x18 (24/9/10 edition)
For some reason the BBC have abandoned the current series of Pointless mid-way to delve back two series to an apparently random point in series three, with episodes originally aired a little over a year ago. What's interesting is how different it all looks... but only slightly. The set and structure have clearly been slightly tweaked at some point (possibly when it made the move from BBC Two to BBC One) -- it's not massively different, but sort of subtly, uncannily so.
But hey, I've never seen these episodes, so it's got all the same play-along-at-home fun as a brand new one would.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Comics

It's new comics day! So while I wait for Forbidden Planet to get round to sending mine, and then wait for them to get round to arriving ("Saturday at best" is the usual time frame), it makes sense to read some of those late-arrivals I haven't got round to from the last fortnight of releases...

Animal Man #2 by Jeff Lemire & Travel Foreman
The villains and their crimes are horribly gruesome in this, but then I guess it's a horror comic (well, a superhero-horror comic) so it goes with the territory. The stuff with Buddy's family is brilliant though, giving it a completely different tone to most superhero books. It's not just a surface "this hero has a family!" schtick either, but one that Lemire is using really well as part of his story. You may remember that the first issue was a surprise sell-out hit, and I see no reason why that won't continue.
Though why one character is called Reg in dialogue but clearly has a name badge saying "Ned", I don't know.

Batgirl #2 by Gail Simone & Ardian Syaf
You may recall I wasn't massively enamoured with the first issue of Batgirl (unlike many a fangirl/boy, apparently), but I was intrigued enough by the villain to keep reading. This issue was much better, I felt, in large part again thanks to the villain -- Batgirl herself is too repetitive, especially in the over-recapping of the first issue at the start. I'll stick with this until the end of this arc, to find out what happens with said villain, but I imagine I'll drop it then.

(And one of these days I'll get round to my backlog of CLiNT -- it puts my piles of unread 2000 ADs & Megazines to shame.)

Articles

Review of Batman #2 by Ryan K. Lindsay
(from Comic Book Resources)
A second absolutely glowing five-star review for Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo's Batman book. Look forward to getting my copy sometime in the next 8+ days, then, depending on how efficient Forbidden Planet are feeling.

Five new DC Comics #1s recommended for movie lovers by Matt Singer
(from IFC)
We're over halfway through the #2s now, so this article is perhaps a little late to the party, but it's still a slightly different angle to look at The New 52 from.

TV

Ask Rhod Gilbert
2x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Jury
Part 1 (of 6) [2nd watch]
I watched this first episode when it first aired way back in 2002, but I don't think I got any further with it. It's actually pretty good, so I don't know why. It's also packed with familiar faces, some who were well known at the time but others who've gone on to be movie stars and the like in the decade since. Anyway, ITV3 are repeating the whole series this week before a new version/second series begins on ITV1 sometime -- what a good opportunity to give it another go.

Pointless
5x35 (14/10/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Comics

Judge Dredd Megazine #312

I decided that 32 pages of 2000 AD a week just wasn't providing enough Thrill-power for me (how behind I've got put paid to that theory, eh... but shh! I've got this now!), so I started picking up the Megazine too. (Well, I subscribed to both, but shh again!) Not as neat a jumping-on point as Prog 1740's (and 1750's) all-new stories... but, as has been widely noted amongst Squaxx dek Thargo (oh yeah, I'm totally gettin' the lingo at this point), that wasn't that great a starting point either: though 1740's stories were all Part Ones, most built on preceding arcs. So having worked out what was going on for the sake of that, I felt sure I could manage for the Megazine too.

And it works out OK: the Dredd story begins this issue, so that's no problem; another strip is only on part two and easy to pick up; another is on part seven but could be just beginning for all I can tell (I really don't see what it's done for six parts if it's all been this story); and the final tale, on its fourth instalment, has a nice little recap that gets me completely up to speed. And all the articles are, of course, self-contained. Dandy.

Plus, the Megazine comes with a free reprint graphic novel every issue! Never mind what came with this one, the next issue's (and three after that, all of which have been published now) collects a strip I remember from when I used to read 2000 AD some time in my past (10, 15 years ago?) So that's kinda awesome.

Articles

Rooney Mara: Playing with Fire by Jonathan Van Meter
(from Vouge.com)
Profile/interview of Rooney Mara and David Fincher about, of course, the forthcoming Girl with the Dragon Tattoo re-adaptation. Interesting piece it is too.

TV

Have I Got News For You
42x01 (14/10/11 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Home Cooking Made Easy
1x03 Entertaining
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

House
8x02 Transplant
They've clearly decided to build House's new status quo relatively slowly. How many of the cast will be back? It seems only time will tell... or online spoilers if one went hunting, I suppose.

How to Win in the Den
Episode 3 The Idea (of 4)
Every episode in this series seems to have a different on-screen title to the one listed online; and every time a category comes up narrator Richard Bacon seems to say something different to what's written on screen. Why?
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Misfits
2x03 Episode 3
The first series of Misfits was good, but crikey, this one knocks it out of the park! If you're still not watching it I heartily recommend you try to catch up before series three starts.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Comics

Action Comics #2 by Grant Morrison, Rags Morales & Brent Anderson

I never imagined I'd find myself reading a Superman book -- I tend to find him a bit too goody-goody and American with a capital A -- but the first issue of Action Comics was so praised I decided to give it a go, and it was so good here I am. And this is great too. By taking Superman back to his early days Morrison has mixed things up, making him a more interesting character, and telling more exciting stories featuring him. Morales' artwork compliments it all perfectly. Much to my surprise, I'm really enjoying this one.

Plus, this issue, a behind-the-scenes look at Morrison & Morales' method on these first two issues (almost worth the price of admission on its own) and a preview of forthcoming original graphic novel Batman: Noel, which gives you no idea about the story but looks absolutely beautiful.

Articles

X Factor suffers ratings stumble
(from BBC News)

ITV1's X Factor has failed to win the primetime head-to-head battle with BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night for a second week running.

...The overnight figures suggest that audiences waited for the end of Strictly Come Dancing before turning over to watch X Factor.... more than half of viewers had switched off by the... final 15 minutes of the show...

Average ratings for the programme also fell this week... Figures are also down from this time last year

Ha ha.

TV

Downton Abbey
2x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

How to Win in the Den
Episode 2 The Art of Negotiation (of 4)
That being the Dragons' Den (as I mentioned last time), obviously.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless
5x34 (13/10/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Battle Los Angeles (2011)
[#86 in 100 Films in a Year 2011]
You may think it's called Battle: Los Angeles, as that was on all the posters and reviews and DVD covers and stuff, but no, no colon to be seen anywhere in the film itself.

That Touch of Mink (1962)
[#87 in 100 Films in a Year 2011]

this week on 100 Films

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

Cameraman: The Life & Work of Jack Cardiff (2010)

My overriding memory of the documentary is of a slew of beautiful-looking films, some well known and others not, but every one jumping onto want-to-see lists thanks to what’s shown here. Which just demonstrates how deserving Cardiff and his work are of a dedicated feature film of this quality.

Sucker Punch: Extended Cut (2011)

had I seen Sucker Punch in cinemas, would I feel the same way I do now? Would those big omissions have obscured the thematic depth I believe is there? To put it another way, how much do the changes really add? ... I do think Sucker Punch has been underrated. It’s not the masterpiece I hoped it might be when I first noticed the themes Snyder was (consciously or not) tapping in to, but do I think it’s a lot better and more interesting than most gave it credit for.

More next Sunday.

TV

The Jonathan Ross Show
1x06 (8/10/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Merlin
4x03 The Wicked Day
Well, that answers that long-standing query... though I won't say which cos, y'know, spoilers.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
5x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Batman: Year One (2011)
[#85 in 100 Films in a Year 2011]

DC Showcase: Catwoman (2011)
[#85a in 100 Films in a Year 2011]

Comics

2000 AD #1751
This Prog's ECBT 2000AD reviews:

Judge Dredd Day of Chaos: The Fourth Faction Part Two

Ampney Crucis Investigates... The English Assassin Part Two

Indigo Prime Everything and More Part Two

Angel Zero Part 01

Low Life The Deal Part 2

Daredevil #4 by Mark Waid & Marcos Martín
After a bit of a dip last issue, things are back on form this week. It kicks off a new story, with a great plot -- set mainly in Matt Murdock's attorney life, as it happens -- and some fantastic action sequences in his Daredevil one. Artist Marcos Martin delivers some absolutely stunning panels too, as well as a generally high standard of storytelling. I believe the book is switching back and forth between him and Paolo Rivera (who drew the first three issues) and they seem to have very complimentary styles.
For even more glowing praise, see CBR's 4½-star review.

TV

Pointless
5x33 (12/10/11 edition)
Round on Stanley Kubrick films -- I managed to name all but one, including the only one that was pointless. Hurrah me!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

QI
9x05 Invertebrates (XL edition)
As per usual, loads of great stuff only in the XL version. If you like QI and don't watch it, more fool you.
[Watch QI XL (again) on iPlayer.]

Spooks
10x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Blast Off! – Quatermass by James Oliver
and
Hamlet / King Lear by Michael Brooke
(from MovieMail)
The latest MovieMail catalogue/magazine dropped through my door today (view online here, download here). It's filled as ever with loads of interesting bits and pieces, but these two especially caught my eye and are available on the website in full (and in that PDF catalogue, of course).

Film Franchises, then and now by James Oliver
(from MovieMail)
...and there's also this, from a previous MovieMail catalogue. Another interesting bit (of course, otherwise why would I be sharing it).

Sky urged to waive BBC transmission fees by Andrew Laughlin
(from Digital Spy)
I was going to quote from this, but the whole article is quite interesting. Long and the short of it: the BBC should pull all their services from Sky (thereby saving £50m over five years and so being able to pay for radio stations and BBC Four), and watch Sky struggle without them. It's not going to kill Sky to not have them as any viewers could still pick up BBC over their aerial... of course, they might decide to switch to Virgin instead, which would be even more fun if it led to Sky losing money.
Even better, the article notes that ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 get a bad deal from Sky too -- imagine if all the terrestrial channels pulled out! Oh, we can but dream...

Collection Count

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

Normally this would be the next running time update, but I'll be including that next week instead -- for Collection Count's second anniversary! Wow!

This week, then, a CD bonus DVD; a 15th anniversary BD of a film I've never seen and, by being reminded it's 15, really feel I should have; and a US BD that's not even out in the US until Tuesday! MovieTyme are my new favourite website for that one.

Number of titles in collection: 1,391 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,141 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 250 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 3,443 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 1,472 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,168 [up 2]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The A to Z of Crime
Episode 6 UVWXYZ (of 6)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Billy Connolly's Route 66
Episode 4 (of 4)
Really enjoyed this series. If you didn't see it, I recommend you find a way to catch it (it's all still on ITV Player, but only just), especially if you have any interest in America.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Mock the Week
10x11 (6/10/11 edition)
This week's and next week's Radio Times seem insistent on labelling episode 12, the final episode, as episode 11 of 11. What?
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Perfect Couples
1x05 Perfect Jealousy
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Pointless
5x32 (11/10/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Music

Evanescence by Evanescence
I'd been unsure about bothering to get this, but then the reviews seemed decent. Suffice to say, despite five years since their last album and eight since their debut, not to mention numerous line-up changes, Evanescence still sound like Evanescence. Which has its pros and cons.

TV

The Great British Bake Off
2x09 Masterclass Part 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
25x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless
5x31 (10/10/11 edition)
When asked to name languages the 2011 census was available in, more people said Polish than English. The Daily Mail would have a field day with that...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Comics

It's new comics day! Except the perils of mail-ordering leaves me with these two just-arrived issues from last week's new comics, plus there's a variety of others I'm still bloody waiting for.

But hey, I'll get today's new lot on Saturday... if I'm lucky. It might be next Tuesday. Or next Wednesday. Or, based on this week, next Thursday. I ought to seek out a proper bricks-and-mortar shop...

Animal Man #1 by Jeff Lemire & Travel Foreman
[2nd read]
My physical copy finally turned up, so this is a more-attentive-to-the-art print re-read. My first-reading thoughts are here.

Detective Comics #2 by Tony S. Daniel
This book seems to be receiving quite a mixed response, from the little I've read of general reaction, but I'm enjoying it. Some have complained that the Joker doesn't feature this issue, despite the first one's cliffhanger, but I think there's a bigger game at play here and it'll be interesting when he re-emerges.

TV

Ask Rhod Gilbert
2x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

House
8x01 Twenty Vicodin
It's always great to have House back, and always fun seeing him in a new situation (this time, prison)... though the episode ends without ending. What happens next, gorramit?! Desperately looking forward to the next one now... which I believe was on last night in the US, so... well...

Mark Lawson Talks To
Rob Brydon
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Misfits
2x01 Episode 1
2x02 Episode 2
Time flies -- I've been meaning to get round to this ever since it was on. Not sure exactly when that was, but the last time I watched an episode was last decade. Anyway, series three's on its way soon, so it seemed time to get a wriggle on. And it's just as good as it always was, so that's good, and now with added Mystery too.
[Watch episodes one and two (again) on 4oD.]

Pointless
5x30 (7/10/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Dragons' Den
9x10 Episode 10 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Epic Win
1x03 Episode 3
Crikey, I didn't realise how long it had been since I last bothered to watch this. It's hardly taxing -- at all --, but it has a kind of charm.

Grand Designs Australia
1x09 Indented Head House [season finale]
Mmm, home cinema...

Home Cooking Made Easy
1x02 Favourites
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Downton Abbey
2x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

The Great British Bake Off
2x08 Episode 8
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless
5x29 (6/10/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Spooks
10x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Brothers Bloom (2008)
[#84 in 100 Films in a Year 2011]

Articles

Life on Mars Russian remake will move '70s action from Manchester to Moscow by Ben Dowell & Shiv Malik
(from guardian.co.uk)
This sounds as interesting as the Spanish version did, but as that never made it over here I doubt this will either.

this week on 100 Films

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

Browncoats: Redemption (2010)

It's quite understandable if you haven't heard of Browncoats: Redemption. In short, it's an officially-okayed Firefly/Serenity fan film for the benefit of charity. There's no doubting the enthusiasm and heart of the cast & crew of Redemption — on those factors they score a perfect 5 — but as a film in its own right... well...

A Study in Terror (1965)

it’s a decent Holmes movie, with an atmospheric rendering of Victorian London and a passably intriguing plot. However, the relatively light basis in the true story of Jack the Ripper may grate with some who approach it from that angle: there’s a Holmesian plot grafted onto a smattering of Ripper facts

More next Sunday.

TV

The Jonathan Ross Show
1x05 (1/10/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Merlin
4x02 The Darkest Hour Part Two
Didn't expect that development! I mean, if this wasn't a series based in long-established myths, then obviously that character was being positioned for that fate in this two-parter... but it is based in long-established myths, so I was surprised. Well done Merlin.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Pointless
5x28 (5/10/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

QI
9x04 Indecision (XL edition)
All that stuff about "chick sexing" was far more hilarious than it had any right to be.

Smallville
10x18 Booster
Regular readers may be aware that I don't watch Smallville, so what's this doing here? Well, I did watch it when it began, about a decade ago, but I happened to see that this episode featured Booster Gold, one of DC's most irritating heroes, so was quite curious. From the little I know they certainly seem to have captured his character -- i.e. he was suitably irritating. I was a little surprised to discover just how many other DC characters they've stuffed into it over the years, considering the stripped-back start it came from. Fan-pleasing, I guess.
More interesting than any of that, though, was that this episode was made within the past year but looked just like all those US SF/F series from the late '90s/early '00s. I guess it never transcended its roots in that era.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Comics

2000 AD #1750
After wrapping everything up last Prog, here's all-new stories. Except most of them carry on from previous ones again. That said, most are quite pick-up-able, and there's better variety of styles than in the last jumping on Prog -- even better for new readers, then.
Anyway, here's ECBT 2000AD's reviews for this week's Thrills:

Judge Dredd Day of Chaos: The Fourth Faction Part One

Ampney Crucis Investigates... The English Assassin Part One

Indigo Prime Everything and More Part One

Low Life The Deal Part 1

(I thought it was about time I made these link-lists a bit more useful than repetitions of the word "here".)
See also: a free Indigo Prime primer from 1990, available on the official 2000 AD site.

TV

Outnumbered
4x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Pointless
5x27 (4/10/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
5x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Magicians (2007)
[#83 in 100 Films in a Year 2011]

Comics

Superman #1 by George Pérez & Jesús Merino

Having read the new Action Comics #1 yesterday, it seemed only sensible to read the other Superman reboot today. Whereas the former has been one of The New 52's more praised books, Superman has proved more divisive.

No surprises, really: Action Comics' "Young Superman" story is the kind of tale that always messes around with the status quo and accepted continuity; Superman, however, is set in the 'present day' of the new DC Universe, and it makes significant changes to the pre-New 52 setup. Clark and Lois are no longer married, for instance, and apparently have never even had a relationship; Perry White now looks less a roly-poly editor and more a slightly older Man Of Action; and Lois is heading up a digital division for the company that's just bought out the Daily Planet. How very Modern.

As someone who didn't read Superman before, and isn't necessarily intending to keep it up now, I'm not necessarily all that bothered by all that. It makes sense to move with the times after all, and this is the way the news business is going. Plus, if you're trying to attract new readers, many believe the setup is a will-they-won't-they between Clark and Lois, not a married couple, and it's probably wise to play into that. Is it right to play fast and loose with continuity and character development for the sake of engaging new readers? Well, that's a much wider debate the whole industry needs to engage with.

The issue does make mistakes for every reader, mind. There's some dreadfully clunky dialogue and exposition, most of it coming when the story ought to be getting more exciting rather than more wordy -- this is a comic, not a novel, so ditch the prose description of the pictures! Then there's a one-page aside that apparently serves no purpose other than to shill Stormwatch, a completely unrelated New 52 comic (which was released weeks before this one, in fact) -- a stupid distraction. And apparently having cast Justin Bieber as Jimmy Olsen is obviously a bad idea.

Other than that, though... It's not one I'll be rushing to buy in print, but I might check out issue two sometime.

Collection Count

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

An exciting Blu-ray from America and a Doctor Who upgrade make up this week's handful of updates.

Number of titles in collection: 1,388 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,140 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 248 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,438 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 1,470 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,166 [up 4]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Billy Connolly's Route 66
Episode 3 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Mock the Week
10x10 (29/9/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless
5x26 (3/10/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Comics

Action Comics #1 by Grant Morrison & Rags Morales

Such are the perils of ordering comics online rather than going into a shop: this turned up today, a week and a day after this second printing was published (and just over a month since it was originally released). Ah well.

Another one of the more acclaimed titles from DC's relaunch, the revamped Action Comics sees Morrison telling the story of a young Superman, fighting crime in Metropolis, still half-myth, not yet in his full costume, not even working for the Daily Planet. More importantly than all that, however, is that Morrison has roughed him up a little: this isn't the dull All-American Boy Scout most people know as Superman, but one who's willing to be a little more against the law, a little more pro-active -- we're told he threw a wife-beater out of a window and broke his hip and six ribs, for instance.

A most interesting start.

Articles

Apple: Steve Jobs Has Died by Doug Aamoth
(from Techland at Time)
I'm sure you can't've missed the news about Apple's co-founder, but this article does a great job of collecting together the myriad tributes from relevant people and sources.

Apple logo turned into touching tribute to Steve Jobs by Joe Svetlik
(from T3)
And other images of mourning, but this one is the most effective:

And in other news...

'James Bond 23' title revealed to be Skyfall? by Justin Harp
(from Digital Spy)
I hope not -- that's a pretty weak title, in my opinion.

Joel Schumacher was asked to make Batman & Robin sequel by Zakia Uddin
(from Digital Spy)
Which just goes to show, money always rules in the movies.

TV

The A to Z of Crime
Episode 5 QRST (of 6)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Ask Rhod Gilbert
2x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Pointless
5x25 (30/9/11 edition)
A special episode to mark the show's 200th edition, featuring only previous contestants who crashed out with 200 points (the highest possible score in a single round). I've seen people before who managed to exit with 400 points (i.e. the full 200 on both of the two episodes they're allowed) -- I guess they're saving those sorts for a future special...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Comics

2000 AD #1749
Firstly, as usual, I shall direct you to the ECBT 2000AD reviews, covering both parts of Judge Dredd, Savage, Sinister Dexter and Zombo.
Secondly, my thoughts on my first ten issues since returning to the 2000 AD readership are here.

Animal Man #1 by Jeff Lemire & Travel Foreman
This is one of the surprise hits of DC's New 52, selling out quickly and garnering much praise. So it was one of the few I decided to order belatedly based on recommendations, but after my reaction to Justice League International (see below) I decided it best to read a digital copy before my 2nd printing hardcopy turned up. Fortunately, unlike JLI, this one lived up to the hype. Animal Man has a wife a two kids and a very present family life, lending a completely different feel and set of stories to the regular superhero setup. There's a good amount of story too, unlike some of the other books (and modern comics in general). Unlike Batman: The Dark Knight, say, I feel like I got a decent chunk of the story. With intriguing elements going forward, including a great cliffhanger-twist, this is definitely one I'll be continuing with. Indeed, it's probably one of my favourites of the New 52 books I've read.

Justice League International #1 by Dan Jurgens & Aaron Lopresti
I'd heard this was quite good, quite fun, so decided to give it a go. It wasn't. A squabbling team of superheroes is the kind of thing that probably works -- indeed, Marvel are banking on it -- but it helps if you've actually heard of most of them. It wasn't funny, it wasn't much fun, and it was actually kind of dull.
This was one of those additional books I'd decided to order. Fortunately, however, I read it in time to cancel my order. That's £2 saved.

Articles

The DC Comics New Reader Litmus Test: The New 52 Week 4 by Josie Campbell
(from Comic Book Resources)

Today saw the release of the first round of #2s for DC's New 52 -- this'll be where it really gets interesting, seeing whether sales can match the high level they've reached so far. It's been more successful than most expected, but the much-hyped beginning was always going to be the biggest bit -- will it carry over?

Anyway, all of that news and speculation is for the coming week. First, here's the last part of CBR's new reader test, where the #1s are given to completely new readers to see if it works for them, as was intended by DC. Unsurprisingly, results are more or less the same as in the previous three weeks.

However, there are some pretty damning conclusions right at the end. This, for instance: "When it came to those I approached to participate in this test, the news of the relaunch had not reached a single reader not already familiar with comics in some capacity. … Based on our anecdotal evidence, DC has failed to reach greater mainstream consciousness and is marketing to its existing audience of comics' readers, not to a brand-new market."

Oh dear.

The Adventures of Tintin trailer

This looks brilliant. I may even bother to make one of my rare trips to the cinema for it.