Collection Count

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

Just one new title this week, a film, but I also spotted some TV episodes I missed, so that number gets corrected. And it's the running time update! Thrills.

Number of titles in collection: 1,526 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,147 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 379 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 3,842 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,604 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,712 [up 2]
Number of short films in collection: 374 [no change]

And the running time update comes to...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
277 days, 5 hours, and 51 minutes.
(Up 10 hours and 54 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Great Comic Relief Bake Off
Episode 1 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

Skyfall becomes tenth highest-grossing film of all time
by Emma Dibdin (from Digital Spy)

It is predicted that Skyfall will ultimately climb to number seven in the list, bumping The Dark Knight Rises down to eighth place

Awesome.

TV

Britain's Brightest
1x02 Episode 2
So, to be Britain's brightest, you have to be prepared for them to change the rules mid-round without letting you know? Right.

Death in Paradise
2x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

Armored Car Robbery (1950)
[#8 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

TV

Yes, Prime Minister [2013]
1x02 The Poisoned Chalice
Feels particularly pertinent, given today's news.

Films

You Only Live Twice (1967)
[5th or so watch]

My latest go at "Bond from the Beginning" stalled in October and ground to a halt in November, but I'm picking it up again now, hopefully with a concerted effort.

So, I'll be reviewing this as #7a in 100 Films 2013, alongside the other '60s Bond films, at a later date.

TV

John Bishop's Only Joking
1x02 Episode 2

The Sarah Millican Television Programme
2x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Spies of Warsaw
Part 2 (of 2)
Felt like there was more incident in this part. Maybe the first just needed a little more oomph, or something.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Miranda
3x05 Three Little Words
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Non-Fiction

Bond on Bond by Roger Moore (with Gareth Owen)
Bond on Screen
Bond on Films [the end]

I'll again echo my thoughts on the first half. Though it's a shame the last chapter is just a list of main credits and box office stats -- it might've been nice to hear Moore's thoughts on the films themselves, as opposed to elements of them. Though asking an 85-year-old man to distinguish between 22 broadly similar features would probably have been a bit much...

TV

Blandings
1x01 Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey!
Well, that was broader than I was expecting. Funny in parts though.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Room 101: Extra Storage
13x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Splash!
1x03 Heat 3
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Non-Fiction

Bond on Bond by Roger Moore (with Gareth Owen)
Bond on Style
Bond on Location
Bond on Bonds
Bond Behind the Scenes

My thoughts on the first half still apply.

this week on 100 Films

Two new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...


Django (1966)

Much of the film plays as an action movie. There’s a lot of atmospheric ponderousness at the start, but once things kick off they rarely let up... It’s practically a definition of bang for your buck, which I’m sure goes a long way to explaining its popularity.

Read more here.


Moonfleet (1955)

What you’d call a curio. It’s a colour CinemaScope Hollywood adventure movie from a director best known for epic German silents or dark film noirs; it’s not been passed by the BBFC since its original release in the ’50s; I believe it’s also unavailable in the US; yet a poll in France’s Cahiers du cinéma ranked it the 32nd “most essential film”

Read more here.


And new to the new blog...


Chinatown (1974)

It’s often held up as an example of a perfectly structured screenplay... packed with imagery and subtext for those who want it, but if that’s not your thing it still makes for a darn good thriller with a few neat twists.

Read more here.


Hellboy: Director's Cut (2004)

A surprise hit on release, this live action adaptation of the cult comic book is an exciting and entertaining, though flawed, mix of pulp fantasy, gothic style and action.

Read more here.


Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

del Toro’s creation seems to overflow — the laying of plot threads for a further film is even more overt than it was in the first film — which makes it even more unfortunate that the director’s long term commitment to about half a dozen projects makes a proposed trilogy-closer seem increasingly unlikely.

Read more here.


Sense and Sensibility (1995)

A host of familiar British faces turn up in this Oscar-winning adaptation of the Austen-novel-with-the-name-like-Pride-and-Prejudice-only-not. Fans of any of the following will love this film: Jane Austen, costume drama in general, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Films

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part II (2013)
[#7 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

I liked Part 1, but this was excellent. And I got it early: it's not officially out in the US until the 29th. No UK date set yet, but they released Part 1 so I assume it'll follow at some point.

Non-Fiction

Bond on Bond by Roger Moore (with Gareth Owen)
Introduction
Bond on Beginnings
Bond on Villains
Bond on Girls
Bond on Gadgets
Bond on Cars

(or, pretty much exactly half the book)

The suavest Bond of them all, Sir Roger Moore, is our inimitable guide (well, ghostwritten by Gareth Owen) for this lavishly illustrated whistle-stop overview of the entire Bond film series, occasioned by its 50th anniversary last year.

Organised thematically-then-chronologically (rather than the usual guidebook style of chronologically-then-thematically), Moore shares his thoughts on (most of) the series' villains, girls, gadgets, and more. Naturally the strongest memories come from the seven films he starred in, and it is a quick and idiosyncratic tour -- while some topics are afforded lengthy recollections, others get a cursory line or two, while still others get no mention at all.

But it doesn't aim to be a thorough, all-inclusive guide -- it's not written by a fan or an academic who's devoted decades to cataloguing the films' minutiae -- these are Moore's personal memories and opinions; like having a genial chat with the man himself, I shouldn't wonder. For his anecdotes and many of the pictures, that makes it an essential read for fans.

Comics

Star Wars #1 by Brian Wood & Carlos D'Anda

Dark Horse have published dozens -- probably hundreds -- of Star Wars tie-in books down the years, but this is the first simply entitled Star Wars. (So people keep saying, but it isn't. Still, that was 10 years ago.)

Set immediately after the end of A New Hope, it's the further adventures of Luke, Leia, Han and Darth Vader (and the rest). Despite opening with a slightly dull three-page dialogue scene, the rest of the issue is content-packed and largely entertaining. A promising start.


The Superior Spider-Man #1 by Dan Slott & Ryan Stegman

So the controversial new era of Spider-Man begins… and I thought it was really good. So there. Great twist at the end too.

Collection Count

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

This week, I upgraded my Jaws DVD (to the BD digibook, mmm), acquired Dredd, finally got the Doctor Who Legacy Collection box set, and received Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 nearly two weeks before its US release date.

Only a handful of changes mean the numbers look... completely normal, though weirder things happened before the Who set and Batman turned up. Ho hum.

Number of titles in collection: 1,525 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,146 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 379 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 3,841 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 1,603 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,710 [up 10]
Number of short films in collection: 374 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Romanzo Criminale
2x09 Episode 9
2x10 Episode 10 [series finale]
It's the second -- and very much final -- Romanzo Crimifinale! And these make for a neat two-parter of an ending. In the first, the gang are finally brought to trial, and we see how that pans out for everyone. Then in the second, it's years later and we discover everyone's ultimate fates -- including who the old man was in the pre-titles of series one episode one. Grand.

Yes, Prime Minister [2013]
1x01 Crisis at the Summit
Gold's reboot, from the original writers but with a new cast and set in the present day, and based (in part or whole, I don't know) on the 2010 stage play. It's a little odd, with the characters falling somewhere between impression and re-interpretation, but it is still funny. May just take a bit of time to bed in.

Yes, Prime Minister: Re-elected
A tribute-ish programme to the original and mini behind-the-scenes on the reboot, including interviews with fans, the writers, politicians, Whitehall staff, and so on. Actually very good, aside from the repetitious reminders that there's a new series on Gold, donchaknow.

TV

Romanzo Criminale
2x07 Episode 7
2x08 Episode 8

Non-Fiction

Bond on Set - Filming Skyfall by Greg Williams

The fourth Bond on Set book of behind-the-scenes photos by Williams, one of the series' set photographers. Not for everyone -- the only text comes in tiny scene-setting script extracts and picture credits -- but a great visual record of the film's production.

An interview with Williams for the official 007 website can be read here. One thing you learn in it is that "the first version of the book... 800 pages and it’s now 208 pages." Considering some are half empty (for artistic reasons, no doubt), you do feel that with some judicious re-arranging they could've fit more in if they'd wanted.

Comics

The Amazing Spider-Man #699.1 by Joe Keatinge (with Dan Slott), Valentine De Landro & Marco Checchetto

Entirely about Morbius the Living Vampire, entirely setup for the new Morbius: The Living Vampire series that began a couple of weeks ago, and so entirely a pointless aside as far as I'm concerned. Ho hum.


The Amazing Spider-Man #700 by Dan Slott & Humberto Ramos

The final ever issue! Until they inevitably relaunch it at some point, of course. And it's a bumper-length 104 pages! Finally, a comic that really feels worth their cover price... except because it's longer they've doubled that, naturally. But the whole thing is more than double the length of your regular comic (more like four or five times as long, in fact), so it still feels value for money. Why can't they do this every month?

(Incidentally, this was out December 26th. I actually received it a few days early but have only just got round to it. Why I'm bothering providing my views and summary three weeks late I don't really know, but hey-ho, keeps me happy.)

The contents kick off with a 52-page main story (that's about 2½ regular issues' worth). Here, Slott wraps up stuff he's been building for a very, very long time -- and in the process, justifies (in-story at least) why this is the final issue and why it's being (well, been) replaced by The Superior Spider-Man. This whole storyline has been remarkably controversial, often without justification, but this finale does warrant it. A bit, anyway -- I mean, it's just a story. And it's comics -- nothing's permanent. Still, I can see why some were aggrieved. Personally, I enjoyed it. Also good,, Ramos' cartoony art is a perfect fit for a book like Spidey. Hope the guy doing Superior is as good.

Following the main story, the issue has all sorts of other wonders up its sleeve. There's a whole 'nother issue's worth of back-ups: Spider-Dreams by J.M. DeMatteis and Giuseppe Camuncoli (a neatly constructed, fun tribute to the entire Spider-Man legacy) and Date Night by Jen Van Meter and Stephanie Buscema (retro-styled humorousness). There are galleries of #700's variant covers (there are lots) and the main covers for all 700 issues of the title (packed 100 to a page). There's a brief preview of all the Spidey books coming up, and a whopping seven pages of letters.

Bumper indeed.


Avenging Spider-Man #15.1 by Chris Yost & Paco Medina

Following on immediately from the end of ASM 700, this reads rather as you'd expect issue one of Superior to. I guess it's designed as a bridge, then, allowing the first issue of the new book to be completely new-reader friendly -- always the point of a #1 in the comics world.

TV

Charley Boorman's South African Adventure
Episode 1 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Death in Paradise
2x02 Episode 2
Death in Paradise feels like the kind of series that should have nice punny episode titles -- Nun's the Word or something. But no, it's just the UK-standard episode numbers. How dull.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Elementary
1x08 The Long Fuse
Some good twists in this episode. Better than your average Elementary.

Romanzo Criminale
2x06 Episode 6
There may still be four episodes left, but it definitely feels like the series is moving its pieces into position for the endgame -- because, equally, there are only four episodes left.

Articles

Why companies fail - the rise and fall of HMV
by Philip Beeching (from Philip Beeching: Social Marketing and Advertising Insight)

This was actually written last August, but is even more pertinent in light of recent events. It's also a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes from the man who "worked on the HMV advertising account for over 25 years".

My two favourite bits:

I said, "The three greatest threats to HMV are, online retailers, downloadable music and supermarkets discounting loss leader product". Suddenly I realised the MD had stopped the meeting and was visibly angry. "I have never heard such rubbish", he said, "I accept that supermarkets are a thorn in our side but not for the serious music, games or film buyer and as for the other two, I don't ever see them being a real threat, downloadable music is just a fad"

Oh dear. Also,

I got to know two young entrepreneurs from Jersey, Richard Goulding and Simon Perree who started the highly successful online games, music and video retailer, Play.com in 1998, and I remember them saying to me, "We were just waiting for HMV to turn their big guns on us but we just kept on going and getting bigger and bigger, and thinking they must be going to get their act together soon and come after us but they never did". I think this comment says it all.

Indeed it does.

TV

Spies of Warsaw
Part 1 (of 2)
I don't mind a (shall we say) thoughtfully paced spy thriller -- indeed, I loved Tinker Tailor (both versions) and, more recently, Restless -- but this one pushed it a bit, especially near the start. It's three hours across its two episodes, and one feels like two-and-a-half might've been a better length… but then how do you split that for TV? Just two might've been rushed. Though I suppose one can only know once you see the second half.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Yes, Prime Minister
2x08 The Tangled Web [series finale]
Finishing the old one just in time for the new reboot, which started this evening on Gold.

Films

Dredd (2012)
[#6 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

TV

John Bishop's Only Joking
1x01 Episode 1

Miranda
3x04 Je Regret Nothing
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Person of Interest
1x21 Many Happy Returns

Romanzo Criminale
2x04 Episode 4
2x05 Episode 5
Halfway...

TV

Romanzo Criminale
2x02 Episode 2
2x03 Episode 3

Stella
2x01 Episode 1
Is it really a year to the day since I started the first series? Time flies.

Films

Underdog (2007)
[#5 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

this week on 100 Films

My attempt to wrap up 2012 has begun, with two new reviews published to 100 Films in a Year this week...


Dirty Laundry (2012)

Considering it breaks both Marvel/Disney’s character copyright and WB’s music copyright, and thanks to starring Proper Actors & That it’s been relatively high-profile, it’s a miracle it’s still on YouTube after all this time. It’s a fairly effective depiction of a fan-favourite character, though, so long may it remain.

Read more here.


Rules of Engagement (2000)

most of the time it feels less like the film is aiming for ambiguity and more like it doesn’t know how to guide us well enough in what to feel. Important points aren’t appropriately established, others aren’t appropriately dealt with, and Mark Isham’s score toddles on regardless while important moments slip by.

Read more here.


Plus, new to the new blog...


Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

a great Christmastime film, requisitely magical and heart-warming. The court case finale (or "second half", more or less) is particularly enjoyable, not least The Bit With The Post Bags. I do like a good court room victory.

Read more here.


Stay (2005)

writer David Benioff sold the screenplay for $1.5 million, and it would be nice to agree with that buyer — there’s a good cast, a good director, some good ideas — but ultimately it’s 85 minutes that seem retrospectively pointless when the final ten do so little with them

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Arrow
1x05 Damaged

British Legends of Stage and Screen
1x08 Sir Ian McKellen [season finale]
I watched the one of these with Christopher Lee back in September (was it really so long ago?!), and they're very good profiles/autobiographical interviews. Apparently they're doing more, so that's nice.

Splash!
1x02 Heat 2
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Yes, Prime Minister
2x07 The National Education Service

Films

Django (1966)
[#4 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

With Tarantino's Django Unchained hitting UK cinemas next week, it seemed a good time to finally watch the '60s original, which I've had in my collection for a good 18 months or so. There's a UK BD of it out in just over a week, which I hope (for the sake of everyone who buys it) has a better transfer than this. If it does, I may even upgrade.

Articles

This Isn't the Petition Response You're Looking For
by Paul Shawcross (from We the People)

The witty yet educational official response from the White House to a petition requesting they "secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016."

Collection Count

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

I should've had three new things this week. Not a one has turned up. That's mainly down to Hut Group companies, as ever.

So:

Number of titles in collection: 1,522 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,146 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 376 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 3,836 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,601 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,700 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 374 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Elementary
1x07 One Way to Get Off


The Graham Norton Show
12x11 (4/1/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


Live at the Apollo
8x03 Episode 3


Romanzo Criminale
2x01 Episode 1

I watched most of Romanzo Criminale's first series over a single week back in June. It shows how good it was that I'm shocked to find I watched it all so quickly -- it's a sprawling crime epic that in my memory goes on much longer than just one week. There's something in that about significance vs. actuality when it comes to memory.

Anyway, Sky Arts embarked on a repeat run of the second season last Saturday, and considering I've had the whole lot sat on my V+ box since it first aired months ago -- plus that it's seven months since I finished the first series -- it seemed like I really ought to get round to it.

Articles

Orwell, covered up
by Mark Sinclair (from Creative Review)

Penguin are re-releasing six George Orwell novels with new covers. The most interesting is Nineteen Eighty-Four, and this is a quick article about its creation (and the other five for good measure).

The new editions are out now -- here's the new 1984 on Amazon, for instance.

TV

Person of Interest
1x20 Matsya Nyaya

Room 101: Extra Storage
13x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Death in Paradise
2x01 Episode 1
Hurrah for the return of DiP, and in an even-better post-Christmas slot -- just when people need cheering up, rather than when they're all prepared for and happy about the winter months. Not that I ever feel the urge for sun & sand, but some do, so hopefully this second run of the light, fun detective drama will be even more successful.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #456

I've never stopped buying DWM, but I haven't read a significant amount of an issue for months, perhaps even years (due to a particularly festive season, the preceding bagged Christmas issue remains unopened). Somewhere between a New Year's Resolution and It's The 50th Anniversary Goddammit, however, I have dived into this one and read it almost cover to cover.

This issue has a not-all-new-but-tweaked look for the 50th anniversary, appropriately tying into the not-all-new-but-tweaked stuff that permeated the Christmas special (titles, music, logo, TARDIS, Doctor, etc etc). Revving up for the anniversary, the issue includes a fairly thorough summary of the tonnes of merchandise I'll be spending a small fortune on this year (though it neglects to mention the recently-announced Puffin short stories (more here), which I therefore presume were being kept A Big Secret). Lots of it is rather exciting, even if I still dispute some of the choices for the anniversary collection of 11 tie-in novels. Big Finish are doing a helluva lot of stuff, while BBC Books seem to have missed a trick by not doing some kind of big behind-the-scenes book. On the one hand, they may just not have announced it yet (the article ends with a "and there's more to come" note); on the other, they've done a couple down the years so maybe there's no point; though, adjunct to that, the last I remember was for (I think) the 40th, so maybe an update of that to include the Ninth to Eleventh Doctors is the least we're due.

There's also the first part of a new comic strip, Hunters of the Burning Stone by regular DWM comic strippers Scott Gray and Martin Geraghty. This is set up elsewhere in the issue as being part season finale, part anniversary celebration (though at six parts it will be finished by the middle of the year, nowhere near the anniversary itself). I always feel like I should be reading DWM's strip, especially as it's only around 10 pages once per month, but again I haven't for years. This instalment doesn't do much to convince me otherwise to be honest, full as it is of dense because-we-can sci-fi-ness. Great final page though.

Articles

Baftas: Lincoln leads but Spielberg snubbed
(from BBC News)

And a fair few well-deserved nods for Skyfall too. Whether it wins anything or not is another matter, but fingers crossed. The full nominations can be read on BAFTA's site, here.


Jersey retailer Play.com closes direct retail business
(from BBC News)

Bit of a surprise, this -- Play always seem to be doing so well. But it was also kind of inevitable, with the tax loophole closing, something Play was always based around.

Lots of misreporting around the web on this though: Play aren't being forced to shut down, they're choosing to, meaning you don't need to worry about outstanding orders or refunds; indeed, they'll be selling stuff until the end of March; and then after that, they'll still be there, as an ebay/Amazon Marketplace-style site for people to sell stuff through. Be interesting to see how long that lasts, with at least two so-obvious alternatives available.


Relatedly:

French mourn Virgin's 'funeral march'
by Robert Plummer (from BBC News)

Interestingly different reaction to record store closures from our friends across the Channel. Perhaps they'll be more inclined to do something to stop the tax-dodging multinationals because of it.

TV

Bond's Greatest Moments
Sky's countdown of the 22 greatest moments in the official James Bond films (one per film), as voted for by readers of their website. A surprising list in places, which went some way to make up for the often incredibly irritating talking heads they'd chosen.
[If you have Sky, you can watch it (again) on Sky Go.]

Face the Clock
1x01 (7/1/13 edition)
This sounded like a good idea for a game show -- contestants must answer questions against the clock to amass prize money, but if they're the one doing the answering when the clock runs out they lose it all; twist is, neither they nor surprisingly-camp question-master Rory Bremner can see the clock -- but it makes one fatal misjudgement: the length of time varies, at random, from round to round. So not only do the contestants have no idea how long is left on the clock, they don't have a clue how long the clock was in the first place. That removes any element of skill or prediction and just makes it blind luck whether they're still in command at the end, which makes it considerably less fun.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Live at the Apollo
8x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
Or "The Middle-Aged Men Episode". Can't quite tell if that was deliberate booking or unfortunate thematic repetition...
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Miranda
3x03 The Dinner Party
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Person of Interest
1x19 Flesh and Blood
Resuming all these things post-Christmas-telly (see also: Elementary yesterday).

TV

Animal Antics
1x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Britain's Brightest
1x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
1x06 Flight Risk

Films

A Trip to the Moon (1902)
[#2a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
aka Le Voyage dans la lune, Georges Méliès' seminal sci-fi short, in the 2011 restoration of a rare hand-coloured print. And to accompany it:

The Extraordinary Voyage (2011)
[#3 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
Shown alongside the restored short (and included on Park Circus' UK DVD released last November), this just-over-60-minute documentary describes Méliès' life and work (with specific focus on A Trip to the Moon), before moving on to the cover the various attempts at restoring his most famous work.

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2012-13 Episode 10 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

It Happened One Night (1934)
[#2 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

this week on 100 Films

No new reviews to the blog this week, because it's just turned 2013! I know, it has been for the best part of a week, but as this is the first 100 Films update since the year began there's a few bits & bobs to report.

So first among firsts, there's the December update, revealing not only what I watched in December, but also the final total for 2013. Then there's some statistics about the site, helpfully provided by WordPress.

Next, the first of my big looks back at 2012. That has the full list of everything I watched, as well as the always-fun statistics. This year there are more of the latter than ever before, complete with numerous graphs. Exciting!

Finally, my final post looking back at last year, 2012 In Retrospect. There you can find my ten favourite films I saw for the first time last year, alongside some honourable mentions, the worst five, and fifty new ones I missed.


No new reviews, as I said, but nonetheless some old reviews were new to the new blog...


Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Like On Stranger Tides, it suffers from a surfeit of ideas that are equally undeveloped. There’s an adventure story that wants to reach an Indiana Jones-esque style but fumbles it. It often feels like the genuinely important bits of plot and character development are quickly brushed over, instead spending inexplicably long stretches on barely-relevant asides.

Read more here.


The Princess and the Frog (2009)

It’s beautifully done: backgrounds are gorgeously painted, character animation is fast and fluid. There are some stunning individual shots, like when the fireflies become involved in creating glorious lighting and patterns in the bayou, for instance. There’s a nice use of different styles when appropriate too

Read more here.


Robin Hood: Director's Cut (2010)

Origin stories are all the rage at the moment, and so Ridley Scott follows in the footsteps of Batman Begins and Casino Royale with his Darker And Grittier™ take on the beginnings of Robin Hood. No lurid green tights or Merry Men here — this is Robin of the Hood as he really was (maybe). Sadly, Scott's potentially worthwhile effort has become distracted and wandered too far down the wrong path.

Read more here.


And that's all for now. More next Sunday!

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2012-13 Episode 9 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Numb: Simon Amstell Live at the BBC
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

QI
10x12 Justice (XL edition)

Ripper Street
1x01 I Need Light
This seems to have had some mixed reviews, but I thought it was brilliant. Dark, but appropriately so.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Splash!
1x01 Heat 1
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Films

Underworld: Awakening (2012)
[#1 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

The latest (fourth) entry in the surprisingly-durable Underworld series comes to Sky Movies yesterday. I don't have that yet (as usual, I'll get it in the next month or so for the Oscars), but I happened to buy the BD cheap in the sales, so it seemed a good idea to watch it right away and try to review it while it's still on telly. We'll see how that goes...

Collection Count

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

Number of titles in collection: 1,522 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,146 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 376 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,836 [up 2]
Number of films in collection: 1,601 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,700 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 374 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Apparently it's Comedy Reviews Of The Year Day here... plus Celebrity Mastermind (of course) and another Little Cracker.

Celebrity Mastermind
2012-13 Episode 8 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Charlie Brooker's 2012 Wipe
For some reason this isn't on iPlayer online (though if you look, it's there but won't work), but if you have a service like Virgin Media you can find it on there.

Have I Got News For You
44x11 Highlights (extended repeat) [season finale]
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

The Last Leg of the Year
The Paralympics were generally pretty awesome, but The Last Leg was nonetheless one of the best bits. And here it is for a review of the year -- which, as per every review of the year I've seen (and I've seen a few) means: Jubilee, Olympics, Paralympics, Gangnam Style, the Jesus 'restoration', and one or two sundry other bits. Which isn't a bad thing, just, y'know, that was the year, so...
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Little Crackers
3x10 Of All the Trees
Being Katy Brand's.

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2012-13 Episode 7 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Little Crackers
3x08 The Ten Year Plan: Fringe to Hollywood
Being Omid Djalili's.

Superstars 2012
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2012-13 Episode 6 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Miranda
3x02 What a Surprise
Such fun.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

That Dog Can Dance!
Awww.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

TV

2012: A Funny Old Year
Well that was spectacularly mediocre.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Castle
2x24 A Deadly Game [season finale]
Great episode. Hope C5 don't make it too long before they embark on season three. I mean, I could download it (they're on, what, five now in the US?), but...
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Celebrity Mastermind
2012-13 Episode 5 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Little Crackers
3x01 Baby, Be Blonde
Being Joanna Lumley's.

Restless
Part 2 (of 2)
Great conclusion, even if it was a tad dense and confusing in places. I'd quite like to read the novel now, too.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2012
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Celebrity Mastermind
2012-13 Episode 4 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Graham Norton Show
12x10 New Year's Eve
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Little Crackers
3x12 Le Concert de L'école [season finale]
Being Darren Boyd's.

The Mentalist
5x09 Black Cherry
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

New Year Live 2012
Fireworks! Yay!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Restless
Part 1 (of 2)
Good period spy drama (double period, in fact, as it's set in both the '40s and the '70s), but I've no idea what the title means.
I'm also not sure that "look, it's Michael Gambon!" works as a cliffhanger when his name's in the opening credits.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

The Plank (1967)
[#97 in 100 Films in a Year 2012]

And that's 100 Films for 2012 done... at less than 100 films. Oh well.

Articles

Skyfall becomes first $1 billion James Bond movie
by Simon Reynolds (from Digital Spy)

Skyfall has also crossed the £100 million barrier at the UK box office, making it the first movie to achieve that milestone.

Huzzah!

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2012-13 Episode 2 (of 10)
2012-13 Episode 3 (of 10)
[Watch episodes two and three (again) on iPlayer.]

James May's Toy Stories
Flight Club
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Little Crackers
3x04 Nutcracker
3x05 The Autograph
Being, respectively, Caroline Quentin's and Alison Steadman's. (And I must add, it's a complete accident I watched these in 'order' and following on from watching two and three on Friday -- they're listed randomly on Virgin's catch-up and so I've been choosing them randomly.)

QI
10x14 Jingle Bells (XL edition)
If for any reason anyone persists in watching the 30-minute edition, they really do miss out on some quite interesting stuff.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Stiff Upper Lips (1998)
[#96 in 100 Films in a Year 2012]

this week on 100 Films

The 100 Films 2012 Advent Calendar came to an end this week and... golly, was Christmas less than a week ago? Feels forever!

Anyway, that means two brand-new reviews were published to finish that off, and they were...


Cowboys & Aliens: Extended Director's Cut (2011)

It’s still an action-adventure summer blockbuster, but with pretensions at times to be a Western drama. I think that’s the fundamental problem with the entire film, and probably why it feels slow... One wonders if these particular writers, versed in the art of the blockbuster, don’t really know what they’re doing.

Read more here.


Skyfall (2012)

I had been intending to write a sort-of commentary on Skyfall, talking through my opinion of the film on a scene-by-scene basis. But then I thought it a bit too distant to write now. And then I sat down and it happened anyway. So here is a 4,400 word (yes, really) natter through the film in broadly chronological order, but taking asides to discuss particular elements in their entirety.

It contains whopping great spoilers about almost everything, just in case you hadn’t guessed.

Read more here.


With the advent calendar over, I've returned to reposting old reviews. Also new to the new blog, then, were...


Alice in Wonderland (3D) (2010)

Burton has created a sort of "Alice 2", crafting a new plot from the novels’ elements... Consequently, this new Alice positions itself freshly in two ways: one, as “Burton’s version”, and two, by following in the footsteps of the specific side of the filmic fantasy genre started by Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings.

Read more here.


The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

Despite the modern stylings, dark themes and attention-grabbing characters, much of the film unfolds as a procedural whodunnit like, for instance, the Wallanders, complete with piles of red herrings and last-minute twists.

Read more here.


The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009)

One solution to the sequel problem is to “make it personal”, and that’s exactly what we get... A journalist and his girlfriend working for Mikael are murdered and Lisbeth is suspected of the crime. It’s somewhere around here that the coincidences begin to pile up. It makes perfect sense as a plot in itself, but in bringing Mikael and Lisbeth back together it doesn’t work.

Read more here.


The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest (2009)

The final third of the film is dominated by a series of immensely satisfying courtroom scenes in which the defence trounce the opposition, not through American-esque grandstanding but through a quiet and thorough application of facts and truth. You can see the satisfaction bubbling under Lisbeth’s almost-static face as the prosecution unknowingly hang themselves

Read more here.


How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

I saw a trailer for How to Train Your Dragon a few months before release. I thought it looked to have basic animation and a too daft tone. I wrote it off, expecting the kind of animated movie that would be slagged off as a Pixar-wannabe… My impression from the trailer was massively wrong. How to Train Your Dragon is, as everyone else has likely already impressed upon you, brilliant.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Castle
2x23 Overkill
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

It'll be Alright on the Night
(28/12/12 edition)

Mock the Week
11x13 Christmas Special [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Panto!
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Films

Iron Sky (2012)
[#95 in 100 Films in a Year 2012]

Not looking good for 100...

Collection Count

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

This is the first post-Christmas update, and it was a relatively light haul this year (lots of books instead). Still, it did include the 31-disc Harry Potter Wizards Collection, and the large and awesome limited edition of Lawrence of Arabia. Both are instant centrepieces to a collection.

Also, the digibook re-release of Peter Jackson's King Kong (not replacing my old DVDs (at least not just yet) because I don't think it's even close to having all the extras); plus E.T. (which I'm moderately certain I've never seen) and the new release of A Trip to the Moon. Post Christmas purchases include Underworld: Awakening (it was only a fiver) and... other stuff that hasn't arrived.

All BDs except Trip to the Moon, and Lawrence replaces my old DVD, which you'll see reflected in these numbers...

Number of titles in collection: 1,521 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,146 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 375 [up 5]

Number of discs in collection: 3,834 [up 36]
Number of films in collection: 1,600 [up 14]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,700 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 374 [up 1]

And just to make it a bumper bonus of excitement, this week it's the regularly scheduled running time update too! As I'm not expecting anything on Monday, this also serves as an end-of-2012 update. Shiny.

So without further ado...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
276 days, 18 hours, and 57 minutes.
(Up 3 days, 14 hours, and 11 minutes from last month.)

That's a pretty big jump these days.Happy times.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2012-13 Episode 1 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Dragons' Den
10x13 Christmas Special
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Little Crackers
3x03 Howler
3x02 Rainy Days & Mondays
Being, respectively, Tommy Tiernan's and Rebecca Front's.

Stephen Fry: Gadget Man
1x06 Christmas Special [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

Downton Abbey
3x09 A Journey to the Highlands [Christmas special]
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Live at the Apollo
8x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
at Christmas
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Spy
2x11 Codename: Show Stopper [Christmas special]
2x12 Behind the Scenes
If the technical-season-finale resolved most of the season's on-going plot threads, this resolves the rest -- including some stuff that's formed part of the backbone of the entire series. But it also definitively sets it up for a third run, so hurrah!
Plus, an uncommonly serious-minded making-of for a comedy show, but also good fun with it. Win-win.

TV

Castle
2x22 Food To Die For
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Have I Got News For You
44x10 (21/12/12 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Little Crackers
3x06 The Awkward Age
Sky show these in all sorts of different orders, so I figured I may as well jump in where I please -- it's not like they really form a series. Plus they're all over the place on catch-up (listed individually as, for instance, Dylan Moran's Little Cracker, rather than as a series of Little Crackers), so what's a man to do?
I like the addition of making-of attachments this year, but that might just be me.

Miranda
3x01 It Was Panning
Hurrah for the much-belated return of Miranda! And I thought it was fabulous too, so even better.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Paddy's 2012 Show and Telly
I remembered this as being not too bad last year, but clearly I wiped it from my memory because looking it up now I hated it. And this one was definitely awful. Just... ugh.
[Watch it (again), if you must, on ITV Player.]

The Sarah Millican Television Programme
2x00 Christmas Special
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

World's Biggest Pets
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Articles

DIY Tardis looks bigger on inside with augmented reality
by Leo Kelion (from BBC News)

Kinda awesome. I'm sure someone at the BBC is now beavering away to make this a toy people can buy. And if they're not, they should be.

TV

Doctor Who
33x06 The Snowmen [Christmas special]

Well I thought that was a properly Christmassy and properly special Christmas special, with some real magic moments (the "taller on the inside" staircase, for just one). Considering I've found myself moderately underwhelmed by large chunks of the last two series, and didn't care for last year's Christmas special, it was a nice to finally just enjoy some Who.

Also, it was completely standalone, which a good Doctor Who Christmas special really should be, but also was absolutely aware of what had gone on in the first half of this season and considerably set up what's to come in the second half. Nice job, Mr Moffat.

Plus, Ian McKellen was awesome, Richard E Grant wasn't irritating (in fact, he was pretty good too), and as much as I hated Oswin Oswald in Asylum of the Daleks, I liked Clara here. So that was a nice surprise!

The other Big New Things were, of course: the TARDIS interior, which I like stylistically but seems a bit small after the grandiose last one; the new theme music, which sounded like the build-up of the old one (with added bass), but lacking the big dramatic proper-theme pay-off; and a new title sequence, which I thought was fantastic. 1.5 out of 3 on those counts, then, but maybe the rest just takes some getting used to.

All in all, I think it was a certifiable success.

(I rather like the poster, a full-size version of which should be viewable here.)

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


Friday Night Dinner
2x07 Christmas [special]
aka Mark Heap Christmas Special 2 of 3.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]


The Mentalist
5x08 Red Sails in the Sunset
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]


Rolf's Animal Clinic
1x07 Rolf's Animal Christmas [special]
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]


Room on the Broom
[#94a in 100 Films in a Year 2012]
Wasn't familiar with this one, from the writer, illustrator and filmmakers behind the two Gruffalos, but I loved it! Wonderful family entertainment.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

Has 3D film-making had its day?
by Vincent Dowd (from BBC News)

"Not exactly, but maybe a bit," is kind of the conclusion of this balanced article -- a rare thing when it comes to 3D, which tends to come with a love-it or hate-it bias. Worth a read for the interested.

TV

Bring Me Morecambe & Wise
1x05 Christmas [final episode]

The Great British Bake Off
Christmas Masterclass
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
44x09 (14/12/12 edition; extended repeat)

Merlin
5x13 The Diamond of the Day Part Two [series finale]
Well that surprised me -- I wasn't expecting anything nearly as definitive. They only announced it was the final finale recently, as if a sixth series was a genuine possibility. Perhaps they shot two endings? Who knows.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
26x13 Christmas Special [season finale]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Outnumbered
5x00 The Sick Party [Christmas special]
aka Mark Heap Christmas Special 1 of 3.
Took a while to get going, but it turned out OK. I think the kids are quite definitively too old for it now though -- Ben and Karen really seem to have shot up and matured in the last year. It would still be nice if they properly wrapped it up somehow, but I think it's time for that now.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Snowman
I haven't watched this since I was very little, but it is still rather magical.