Doctor Who
21x21 The Twin Dilemma Part One
While everyone else (not literally, but you know what I mean -- that's how it feels) is busy watching The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear off iTunes, I'm waiting for the DVDs (November and February respectively) -- and, instead, watching a story I've never seen.
Last night, while waiting for the official confirmation of which missing episodes had been found, I worked out that there are around 310 previously-existing episodes of Who that I've never watched. So while this new find is exciting on many levels, and is all kinds of improbable and wonderful, for me it's not a "must see now!" moment -- it just increases the number of episodes I've never seen (and decreases the number of missing episodes I've not listened to, haha!) That's why I'm in no rush... which is great, because each story is something like £10 on iTunes, and then £13 again for each on DVD in only a few months, so I'm saving £20.
Anyway: #bbbDW50 (note the new link). It's time for the Sixth Doctor, and (as I mentioned before) after jumping 8½ years to get from the Fourth to Fifth Doctors, the time skipped to reach this is just one week.
There are several reasons for that choice, but one is the marvellous symmetry of it: Androzani is The Greatest Doctor Who Story Ever Made™, and it is immediately -- immediately -- followed by The Worst Doctor Who Story Ever Made™. Plus it's one of only two Sixth Doctor tales I've never seen (the other is Timelash, the second-worst story ever), which is a bonus.
And it really is dreadful. The writing, the acting, the costumes, the sets, the monsters, the music... everything is awful. It's slow, it's dull, it's unlikeable, it's irritating. It's not even so-bad-it's-funny. And ever so slow -- the Doctor and Peri spend the entire episode in the TARDIS! Dear God!
I imagine it doesn't improve from here.
The Great British Bake Off
4x08 Quarter Final
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Have I Got News For You
46x01 (4/10/2013 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]
Friday, 11 October 2013
Non-Fiction
Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter by Russell T Davies & Benjamin Cook
Book One, Chapter 2
Book One, Chapter 2
Thursday, 10 October 2013
TV
Friends
3x06 The One with the Flashback [4th or so watch]
Oh, if only they'd known how many more flashbacks they'd do...
Mock the Week
12x11 (3/10/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
3x06 The One with the Flashback [4th or so watch]
Oh, if only they'd known how many more flashbacks they'd do...
Mock the Week
12x11 (3/10/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
TV
Doctor Who
21x20 The Caves of Androzani Part Four [2nd watch]
And so The Greatest Doctor Who Story Ever Made™ comes to a close. It really is a corker, I think. OK, the monster is crap (and also needless), and there's a couple of bits of duff dialogue here and there -- but in the same way that no Who story is completely without merit, no great one is completely without some drawback. Everything else about Androzani is so exceptional -- particularly in this final part, where it all comes together magnificently -- that the minor sticking points can be largely overlooked.
Next time: after jumping 8½ years to get from the Fourth to Fifth Doctors, the time skipped to reach the Sixth is... one week. If you don't know what that means... well, you'll see...
Friends
3x04 The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel [4th or so watch]
3x05 The One with Frank Jr. [4th or so watch]
The Two Ronnies Spectacle
1x02 The Sketches
21x20 The Caves of Androzani Part Four [2nd watch]
And so The Greatest Doctor Who Story Ever Made™ comes to a close. It really is a corker, I think. OK, the monster is crap (and also needless), and there's a couple of bits of duff dialogue here and there -- but in the same way that no Who story is completely without merit, no great one is completely without some drawback. Everything else about Androzani is so exceptional -- particularly in this final part, where it all comes together magnificently -- that the minor sticking points can be largely overlooked.
Next time: after jumping 8½ years to get from the Fourth to Fifth Doctors, the time skipped to reach the Sixth is... one week. If you don't know what that means... well, you'll see...
Friends
3x04 The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel [4th or so watch]
3x05 The One with Frank Jr. [4th or so watch]
The Two Ronnies Spectacle
1x02 The Sketches
Non-Fiction
Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter by Russell T Davies & Benjamin Cook
Foreword by Philip Pullman
Introduction by Russell T Davies
Introduction by Benjamin Cook
Book One, Chapter 1
In 2008, then-showrunner Russell T Davies and DWM journalist Benjamin Cook co-wrote a book about Davies' experiences writing & running Who. I devoured it in 10 days back in January 2009, because it was fascinatingly insightful, brilliantly written, and gorgeously designed to boot.
Come the time for a paperback version in 2010, and Davies had finished his time on the show -- the original book covered Davies' final full series, after which they (of course) produced a run of specials. So the paperback is updated to include those episodes... but what's extraordinary and special and wonderful is that this update isn't just a chapter or two stuck on the end, oh no. Of the paperback's 693 pages, fully 353 of them are part of the updated section. Or, to put it another way: over half. It's another whole book again! Wonderful if you didn't buy the original Writer's Tale (essentially you're getting a whole extra book free); and even if you did, it makes the paperback a worthwhile proposition (if they'd just published the new stuff it would surely command the same price).
I've had this second edition/sequel/whatever it is for years now (I got it for Christmas the year it came out, if I remember rightly; though as it's a 5th printing, maybe it was for a later birthday/etc); but, even though I loved the first volume, it somehow wound up being put unread on my shelf. Well, with the 50th anniversary fast approaching, what better time to dig it out and dig in? The only question: do I re-read all of what I read before (it is nearly 5 years ago now -- more than enough time has passed to need a recap/appreciate a re-experiencing), or just go straight to the new stuff? It's a bloody long thing to re-read, after all; but if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.
Something I notice before I begin: the original had 15 chapters (and an epilogue-bit), while this version of the first book has just 12. I don't imagine they've omitted three chapters' worth of stuff, so I guess it got restructured. They did remove the four early-draft scripts that were in the hardback, so perhaps that necessitated some combining of chapters. Anyway...
Foreword by Philip Pullman
Introduction by Russell T Davies
Introduction by Benjamin Cook
Book One, Chapter 1
In 2008, then-showrunner Russell T Davies and DWM journalist Benjamin Cook co-wrote a book about Davies' experiences writing & running Who. I devoured it in 10 days back in January 2009, because it was fascinatingly insightful, brilliantly written, and gorgeously designed to boot.
Come the time for a paperback version in 2010, and Davies had finished his time on the show -- the original book covered Davies' final full series, after which they (of course) produced a run of specials. So the paperback is updated to include those episodes... but what's extraordinary and special and wonderful is that this update isn't just a chapter or two stuck on the end, oh no. Of the paperback's 693 pages, fully 353 of them are part of the updated section. Or, to put it another way: over half. It's another whole book again! Wonderful if you didn't buy the original Writer's Tale (essentially you're getting a whole extra book free); and even if you did, it makes the paperback a worthwhile proposition (if they'd just published the new stuff it would surely command the same price).
I've had this second edition/sequel/whatever it is for years now (I got it for Christmas the year it came out, if I remember rightly; though as it's a 5th printing, maybe it was for a later birthday/etc); but, even though I loved the first volume, it somehow wound up being put unread on my shelf. Well, with the 50th anniversary fast approaching, what better time to dig it out and dig in? The only question: do I re-read all of what I read before (it is nearly 5 years ago now -- more than enough time has passed to need a recap/appreciate a re-experiencing), or just go straight to the new stuff? It's a bloody long thing to re-read, after all; but if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.
Something I notice before I begin: the original had 15 chapters (and an epilogue-bit), while this version of the first book has just 12. I don't imagine they've omitted three chapters' worth of stuff, so I guess it got restructured. They did remove the four early-draft scripts that were in the hardback, so perhaps that necessitated some combining of chapters. Anyway...
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
TV
Friends
3x03 The One with the Jam [4th or so watch]
The Sarah Millican Slightly Longer Television Programme
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Wrong Mans
1x02 Bad Mans
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
3x03 The One with the Jam [4th or so watch]
The Sarah Millican Slightly Longer Television Programme
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Wrong Mans
1x02 Bad Mans
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Monday, 7 October 2013
TV
Doctor Who
21x19 The Caves of Androzani Part Three [2nd watch]
Aside from the poorly-realised Magma Creature, Androzani really is brilliant. The direction is first-rate, the performances are top-notch, the story is second-to-none... even the lighting, notoriously dreadful throughout the Davison era, has been nailed. And that cliffhanger...!
Friends
3x02 The One Where No One's Ready [5th or so watch]
We once studied this at university as a perfect example of economical but hilarious screenwriting. And it really is.
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The Newsroom
2x05 News Night with Will McAvoy
21x19 The Caves of Androzani Part Three [2nd watch]
Aside from the poorly-realised Magma Creature, Androzani really is brilliant. The direction is first-rate, the performances are top-notch, the story is second-to-none... even the lighting, notoriously dreadful throughout the Davison era, has been nailed. And that cliffhanger...!
Friends
3x02 The One Where No One's Ready [5th or so watch]
We once studied this at university as a perfect example of economical but hilarious screenwriting. And it really is.
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The Newsroom
2x05 News Night with Will McAvoy
Fiction
Solo by William Boyd
Part Four, Chapters 6-12
Part Five, Chapters 1-2 [the end]
Well, I thought that was really good. A cracking spy story, a well-observed recreation of Bond and Fleming (without slipping in to parody), all-round a good read. It does have a bit of an open-ended conclusion, though, so (when combined with the fact it was so good) I dearly hope IFP can persuade Boyd back for another go.
Part Four, Chapters 6-12
Part Five, Chapters 1-2 [the end]
Well, I thought that was really good. A cracking spy story, a well-observed recreation of Bond and Fleming (without slipping in to parody), all-round a good read. It does have a bit of an open-ended conclusion, though, so (when combined with the fact it was so good) I dearly hope IFP can persuade Boyd back for another go.
Sunday, 6 October 2013
TV
The Big Fat Quiz of the 90s
Channel 4 seem to have these on fairly regularly now, but I normally only bother with the 'traditional' year-end one. This one, however, had a good line-up of guests. And it was quite fun, so, yeah.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Castle
3x02 He's Dead, She's Dead
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Friends
3x01 The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy [4th or so watch]
I feel like I've seen season three even less than season two, but who bloody knows.
Channel 4 seem to have these on fairly regularly now, but I normally only bother with the 'traditional' year-end one. This one, however, had a good line-up of guests. And it was quite fun, so, yeah.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Castle
3x02 He's Dead, She's Dead
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Friends
3x01 The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy [4th or so watch]
I feel like I've seen season three even less than season two, but who bloody knows.
this week on 100 Films
First up, as it's now October that means its time for the always exciting 100 Films in a Year monthly update.
How good was September? This good. Also at that link: five great Shakespeare adaptations.
And that wasn't all this week, oh no. There were also three new reviews published, including...
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Deluxe Edition) (2013)
Les Misérables (2012)
Safe House (2012)
And finally, reviews new to the new blog...
Great Expectations (1998)
Solaris (2002)
Stormbreaker (2006)
More next Sunday.
How good was September? This good. Also at that link: five great Shakespeare adaptations.
And that wasn't all this week, oh no. There were also three new reviews published, including...
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Deluxe Edition) (2013)
Given the choice, I think this adaptation functions better in its original, intended, two-part version; but the single-film version is not fundamentally different to double-billing its constituent parts. [But] though there are aesthetic reasons for choosing to watch The Dark Knight Returns as two separate features, there are several unavoidable reasons why picking up the Deluxe Edition is preferable.Read more here.
Les Misérables (2012)
Jackman is the star of the show, and brings his musical theatre background to bear on a clearly-sung but emotive performance. He was unlucky to be in the same awards year as Daniel Day-Lewis’ all-conquering turn in Lincoln, because otherwise those gongs might well have been his.Read more here.
Safe House (2012)
Denzel Washington is a fugitive, Ryan Reynolds is the CIA rookie who ends up looking after him — and later, chasing him — after Something Goes Wrong at the titular abode in this workmanlike thrillerRead more here.
And finally, reviews new to the new blog...
Great Expectations (1998)
It comes across more as an academic exercise in turning a British Victorian novel into a modern American movie than a believable tale that works in isolation. Indeed, many of the changes appear to be designed purely to help distance it: the changed character names, the focus on the love story, and so on. Yet it directly recreates many scenes from the novel, and it obviously retains its titleRead more here.
Solaris (2002)
When Andrei Tarkovsky adapted Stanislaw Lem’s thoughtful science fiction novel in 1972, it took 165 minutes. When Steven Soderbergh did it 30 years later, it took just over 90. Lem hated them both, stating that he didn’t write about people’s “erotic problems in space”, but for those concerned with what the film is about rather than what it (perhaps) should have been about, it seems that an abbreviated running time is no barrier to loading any adaptation of Solaris with a weighty thoughtfulness.Read more here.
Stormbreaker (2006)
An adaptation of the first in Anthony Horowitz’s bestselling series of Alex Rider novels. It does a good job of translating the book, aided by an extensive cast of recognisable Brits (and some Yanks) and some entertaining action sequences.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Belatedly, here's this week's small update... followed by the always-fun monthly running time update.
Number of titles in collection: 1,616 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,186 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 430 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 4,024 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,719 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,967 [up 1]
Number of short films in collection: 392 [no change]
And that all-action running time update tells us...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
288 days, 22 hours, and 6 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 3 hours, and 13 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Belatedly, here's this week's small update... followed by the always-fun monthly running time update.
Number of titles in collection: 1,616 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,186 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 430 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 4,024 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,719 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,967 [up 1]
Number of short films in collection: 392 [no change]
And that all-action running time update tells us...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
288 days, 22 hours, and 6 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 3 hours, and 13 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Saturday, 5 October 2013
TV
Atlantis
1x02 A Girl By Any Other Name
That name presumably being "Morgana", as the makers of this (and, funnily enough, Merlin) seem to have borrowed her arc plot for Medusa.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Friends
2x23 The One with the Chicken Pox [4th or so watch]
2x24 The One with Barry and Mindy's Wedding [season finale; 4th or so watch]
1x02 A Girl By Any Other Name
That name presumably being "Morgana", as the makers of this (and, funnily enough, Merlin) seem to have borrowed her arc plot for Medusa.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Friends
2x23 The One with the Chicken Pox [4th or so watch]
2x24 The One with Barry and Mindy's Wedding [season finale; 4th or so watch]
Films
Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)
[2nd watch; #84a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
To mark Doctor Who's 50th anniversary on my film blog, I'm intending to write Make/Remake articles on the two Dalek movies. Which naturally means re-watching them, because I haven't seen them for years (and now own them on Blu-ray).
Initial impression is, I liked this a good deal more than I used to, which I think might have been received wisdom about them being almost a blight on Who history. It's certainly of comparable quality to the original serial, which it sticks to very closely.
[2nd watch; #84a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
To mark Doctor Who's 50th anniversary on my film blog, I'm intending to write Make/Remake articles on the two Dalek movies. Which naturally means re-watching them, because I haven't seen them for years (and now own them on Blu-ray).
Initial impression is, I liked this a good deal more than I used to, which I think might have been received wisdom about them being almost a blight on Who history. It's certainly of comparable quality to the original serial, which it sticks to very closely.
Fiction
Solo by William Boyd
Part Two, Chapters 9-18
The end of the Africa section of the novel -- next up, Bond goes the titular solo. It's a bit meandering at times, but it builds to a helluva last-minute twist; actually, the kind of twist you feel you should've seen coming, but I didn't at all. Super stuff.
Part Two, Chapters 9-18
The end of the Africa section of the novel -- next up, Bond goes the titular solo. It's a bit meandering at times, but it builds to a helluva last-minute twist; actually, the kind of twist you feel you should've seen coming, but I didn't at all. Super stuff.
Friday, 4 October 2013
TV
Doctor Who
21x18 The Caves of Androzani Part Two [2nd watch]
Downton Abbey
4x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Friends
2x22 The One with the Two Parties [4th or so watch]
The Great British Bake Off
4x07 Pastry
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
21x18 The Caves of Androzani Part Two [2nd watch]
Downton Abbey
4x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Friends
2x22 The One with the Two Parties [4th or so watch]
The Great British Bake Off
4x07 Pastry
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Thursday, 3 October 2013
TV
Friends
2x21 The One with the Bullies [4th or so watch]
Mock the Week
12x10 (26/9/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
2x21 The One with the Bullies [4th or so watch]
Mock the Week
12x10 (26/9/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
TV
Doctor Who
21x17 The Caves of Androzani Part One [2nd watch]
After just four episodes in the presence of the Fourth Doctor (the lowest amount yet, but not the lowest overall), #bbbDW50 races on to the titular Time Lord's fifth incarnation.
This one's a pretty clear choice for a celebration of the show's 50th anniversary: it's the story most recently voted the best ever by fans, in (where else) DWM's Mighty 200 survey. There are a number of contenders for such a lofty position (other regular incumbents include Genesis of the Daleks and The Talons of Weng-Chiang), but Androzani is also a deserving choice -- not least because two of its four episodes feature some of Doctor Who's best ever cliffhangers. (The fact that the middle one's remarkably poor should just be overlooked.)
Despite being a personal favourite too, I've only actually seen it once -- I first got into Who through the Target novelisations, and Androzani was one I read and loved from those early days of my fandom. Nice to revisit it properly, then -- it deserves it, it's bloody great.
Friends
2x20 The One Where Old Yeller Dies [4th or so watch]
The Hoff's Best Film ...Ever!
1x06 The Hoff's Best Romantic Comedy Film ...Ever! [season finale]
Action, Horror, Sports, Sci-Fi... Yeah, rom-com totally fits with that.
Suburgatory
2x10 Chinese Chicken
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
21x17 The Caves of Androzani Part One [2nd watch]
After just four episodes in the presence of the Fourth Doctor (the lowest amount yet, but not the lowest overall), #bbbDW50 races on to the titular Time Lord's fifth incarnation.
This one's a pretty clear choice for a celebration of the show's 50th anniversary: it's the story most recently voted the best ever by fans, in (where else) DWM's Mighty 200 survey. There are a number of contenders for such a lofty position (other regular incumbents include Genesis of the Daleks and The Talons of Weng-Chiang), but Androzani is also a deserving choice -- not least because two of its four episodes feature some of Doctor Who's best ever cliffhangers. (The fact that the middle one's remarkably poor should just be overlooked.)
Despite being a personal favourite too, I've only actually seen it once -- I first got into Who through the Target novelisations, and Androzani was one I read and loved from those early days of my fandom. Nice to revisit it properly, then -- it deserves it, it's bloody great.
Friends
2x20 The One Where Old Yeller Dies [4th or so watch]
The Hoff's Best Film ...Ever!
1x06 The Hoff's Best Romantic Comedy Film ...Ever! [season finale]
Action, Horror, Sports, Sci-Fi... Yeah, rom-com totally fits with that.
Suburgatory
2x10 Chinese Chicken
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
TV
Unintentional comedy day...
Friends
2x18 The One Where Dr. Ramoray Dies [4th or so watch]
2x19 The One Where Eddie Won't Go [4th or so watch]
The Hoff's Best Film ...Ever!
1x04 The Hoff's Best Dance Film ...Ever!
Action, Horror, Sports, Sci-Fi... Yeah, dance totally fits with that.
The Sarah Millican Slightly Longer Television Programme
3x01 Episode 1
Miss Millican goes the way of most BBC comedy programmes and gets a buried-in-the-schedules extended-by-10-minutes repeat of her programme.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer, or watch the shorter version in HD.]
The Two Ronnies Spectacle
1x01 Two Become One
Like Bring Me Morecambe & Wise, but with the Two Ronnies. So that's nice.
The Wrong Mans
1x01 The Wrong Mans
A new comedy-thriller from Horrible Histories' Mathew Baynton and Gavin & Stacey's James Corden. Very promising first part -- funny and thrilleringy.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Friends
2x18 The One Where Dr. Ramoray Dies [4th or so watch]
2x19 The One Where Eddie Won't Go [4th or so watch]
The Hoff's Best Film ...Ever!
1x04 The Hoff's Best Dance Film ...Ever!
Action, Horror, Sports, Sci-Fi... Yeah, dance totally fits with that.
The Sarah Millican Slightly Longer Television Programme
3x01 Episode 1
Miss Millican goes the way of most BBC comedy programmes and gets a buried-in-the-schedules extended-by-10-minutes repeat of her programme.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer, or watch the shorter version in HD.]
The Two Ronnies Spectacle
1x01 Two Become One
Like Bring Me Morecambe & Wise, but with the Two Ronnies. So that's nice.
The Wrong Mans
1x01 The Wrong Mans
A new comedy-thriller from Horrible Histories' Mathew Baynton and Gavin & Stacey's James Corden. Very promising first part -- funny and thrilleringy.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Monday, 30 September 2013
TV
Doctor Who
13x04 Terror of the Zygons Part Four [2nd watch]
OK, so maybe I was wrong about the Skarasen the other day. Some dodgy effects at the end aside, though, this is a cracking conclusion to a great story. Top choice for the Fourth Doctor, if I do say so myself.
Also noteworthy, #bbbDW50 reaches the halfway point today: this is the 25th episode of the 50 we'll be watching to mark the anniversary. (However, because scheduling decisions will see the final 10 episodes squeezed into two weeks, the chronological halfway point was... yesterday. Huh, thought they'd be further apart than that. But I suppose turning the single-episode TV Movie into a three-parter for our schedule counterbalances the speed of the final episodes. Anyway...)
Incidentally, the 5.1 surround sound mix on the DVD sounds fantastic, especially the theme music.
Friends
2x17 The One Where Eddie Moves In [4th or so watch]
The Great British Bake Off
4x06 Sweet Dough
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
13x04 Terror of the Zygons Part Four [2nd watch]
OK, so maybe I was wrong about the Skarasen the other day. Some dodgy effects at the end aside, though, this is a cracking conclusion to a great story. Top choice for the Fourth Doctor, if I do say so myself.
Also noteworthy, #bbbDW50 reaches the halfway point today: this is the 25th episode of the 50 we'll be watching to mark the anniversary. (However, because scheduling decisions will see the final 10 episodes squeezed into two weeks, the chronological halfway point was... yesterday. Huh, thought they'd be further apart than that. But I suppose turning the single-episode TV Movie into a three-parter for our schedule counterbalances the speed of the final episodes. Anyway...)
Incidentally, the 5.1 surround sound mix on the DVD sounds fantastic, especially the theme music.
Friends
2x17 The One Where Eddie Moves In [4th or so watch]
The Great British Bake Off
4x06 Sweet Dough
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Sunday, 29 September 2013
Films
The Falcon in San Francisco (1945)
[#84 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
Flight (2012)
[#83 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
[#84 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
Flight (2012)
[#83 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
this week on 100 Films
Three brand-new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
The Dinosaur Project (2012)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
And new to the new blog...
Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982/2007)
Cloverfield (2008)
Jumper (2008)
More next Sunday.
The Dinosaur Project (2012)
The story concerns a group of present-day explorers heading into the jungle to find dinosaurs. Lead explorer-man’s son tags along for various contrived reasons, and because he is Young and Hip he brings a bunch of cameras that he’s constantly recording from, hence the found footage thing. And the footage is “found” rather than “returned” because, of course, Things Go Wrong.Read more here.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
At times I wondered if the film might just want to be a straight thriller, but that Kubrick couldn’t escape what he saw as the inherent ludicrousness of the situation. Even if you wanted to try reading the film from that angle, the silly bits are too silly to take the rest seriously.Read more here.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
For a film with world-ending consequences, it all feels a little slight and lacking in scale. I’d say it feels “of its era” — a slightly indefinable feeling based on not only the quality of its CGI but also the cinematography, the choice of locations, the tone and pace... — but it’s less of its era, more a few (or more) years earlier.Read more here.
And new to the new blog...
Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982/2007)
You don’t need me to tell you about Blade Runner. It’s one of the most popular movies ever, if not with a mass audience then with a significantly-sized cult following and even wider-spread respect. Still, I’m going to go on about it for a bit anyway.Read more here.
Cloverfield (2008)
it’s when the monster turns up that things kick off. From then the film does a great job of creating an unrelenting chase/escape, drawing the viewer in with its first-person/eyewitness style. You’re never going to be fooled into thinking it’s a real thing that really happened, obviously, but it comes as close as it’s likely to.Read more here.
Jumper (2008)
Budget is plastered across the screen in incredible action sequences that show off the promise of the concept to good effect. Griffin jumping a double decker bus at Roland is a particular highlight. The jumping car chase, on the other hand, is visually neat and a good idea, but also entirely pointlessRead more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 28 September 2013
TV
Atlantis
1x01 The Earth Bull
The BBC's attempt at a Merlin replacement is another rejigging of familiar myths and legends, from the same people who made Merlin. Seems like a safe bet, eh? On the evidence of the first episode, it's certainly of a level with Merlin -- though if they're not careful it'll be too of a level, recycling character arcs and 'twists' on familiar icons that we've seen before.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Friends
2x14 The One with the Prom Video [4th or so watch]
2x15 The One Where Ross and Rachel... You Know [4th or so watch]
1x01 The Earth Bull
The BBC's attempt at a Merlin replacement is another rejigging of familiar myths and legends, from the same people who made Merlin. Seems like a safe bet, eh? On the evidence of the first episode, it's certainly of a level with Merlin -- though if they're not careful it'll be too of a level, recycling character arcs and 'twists' on familiar icons that we've seen before.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Friends
2x14 The One with the Prom Video [4th or so watch]
2x15 The One Where Ross and Rachel... You Know [4th or so watch]
Films
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Deluxe Edition (2013)
[#82a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
This animated movie was originally released in two parts, one at the end of 2012 and the next early in 2013. Now it's been combined into one long movie and is out on US DVD and Blu-ray in a couple of weeks (except at Best Buy, where it's already available). I've reviewed both parts separately (here and here), so this single-cut doesn't count as a new number.
(Although my rule for things-I've-seen-before-in-a-new-form is they must be significantly different, and this is double the length of either part individually, and watching in one sitting is very different to watching in two chunks separated by many months... they're still the same two films. It's not much different to double-billing the existing versions.)
You can read more of my thoughts in the review I posted on Letterboxd. The same thoughts (and maybe more) will, of course, eventually turn up on 100 Films too.
[#82a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
This animated movie was originally released in two parts, one at the end of 2012 and the next early in 2013. Now it's been combined into one long movie and is out on US DVD and Blu-ray in a couple of weeks (except at Best Buy, where it's already available). I've reviewed both parts separately (here and here), so this single-cut doesn't count as a new number.
(Although my rule for things-I've-seen-before-in-a-new-form is they must be significantly different, and this is double the length of either part individually, and watching in one sitting is very different to watching in two chunks separated by many months... they're still the same two films. It's not much different to double-billing the existing versions.)
You can read more of my thoughts in the review I posted on Letterboxd. The same thoughts (and maybe more) will, of course, eventually turn up on 100 Films too.
Fiction
Solo by William Boyd
Part One, Chapters 1-2
Part Two, Chapters 1-6
aka the new James Bond novel!
After the present-day diversion of Carte Blanche, it's back to 1969 for a continuation of Fleming's Bond. That means it's set after Sebastian Faulks' Devil May Care, the first of the current run of continuation novels from five years ago (which was set in '67), but whether it embraces that into continuity or outright contradicts it I don't know (and can't remember Devil May Care well enough to work out).
As a novel unto itself, it's a funny but entertaining mix. It begins with two chapters about Bond's birthday and his strange almost-encounter with a mysterious woman (presumably something that will have renewed relevance later), but then it's off to Africa for Bond to single-handedly stop a civil war. It certainly feels more like a Fleming novel than Jeffrey Deaver's movie-influenced modern novel, and I think it's fair to say that's definitely a good thing.
Part One, Chapters 1-2
Part Two, Chapters 1-6
aka the new James Bond novel!
After the present-day diversion of Carte Blanche, it's back to 1969 for a continuation of Fleming's Bond. That means it's set after Sebastian Faulks' Devil May Care, the first of the current run of continuation novels from five years ago (which was set in '67), but whether it embraces that into continuity or outright contradicts it I don't know (and can't remember Devil May Care well enough to work out).
As a novel unto itself, it's a funny but entertaining mix. It begins with two chapters about Bond's birthday and his strange almost-encounter with a mysterious woman (presumably something that will have renewed relevance later), but then it's off to Africa for Bond to single-handedly stop a civil war. It certainly feels more like a Fleming novel than Jeffrey Deaver's movie-influenced modern novel, and I think it's fair to say that's definitely a good thing.
Articles
Hitchhiker’s Guide director Dirk Maggs: "Douglas Adams told me there was more to come"
by Tristram Fane Saunders (from Radio TImes)
Including some of Radio 4's reaction to the recent adaptation of Neverwhere he helmed for them.
by Tristram Fane Saunders (from Radio TImes)
The producer and director on doing justice to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, working with Neil Gaiman, and the debt they both owe to Douglas Adams
Including some of Radio 4's reaction to the recent adaptation of Neverwhere he helmed for them.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
A Blu-ray! No -- two Blu-rays!
Number of titles in collection: 1,615 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,185 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 430 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 4,023 [up 6]
Number of films in collection: 1,719 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,963 [up 9]
Number of short films in collection: 392 [no change]
Next week it's the monthly running time update. See you then, faithful reader.
A Blu-ray! No -- two Blu-rays!
Number of titles in collection: 1,615 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,185 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 430 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 4,023 [up 6]
Number of films in collection: 1,719 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,963 [up 9]
Number of short films in collection: 392 [no change]
Next week it's the monthly running time update. See you then, faithful reader.
Friday, 27 September 2013
TV
Castle
3x01 A Deadly Affair
Back on C5! After just... 9 months. Well, still, hurrah!
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Celebrity Fifteen to One
That was surprisingly good fun. I imagine the sheer volume of celebrities required for any one edition will prevent this becoming some kind of back-door pilot, though.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Doctor Who
13x03 Terror of the Zygons Part Three [2nd watch]
Y'know, I think the Skarasen is actually a pretty well-executed effect, all things considered -- I mean, this was 1975, on a UK kids' TV budget. Some (like in the BBC episode guide linked above) assert it ruins the story, but that's going far too far. And with this placing in the top 20 of the Mighty 200, it would seem others agree.
Friends
2x12 The One After the Superbowl Part 1 [4th or so watch]
2x13 The One After the Superbowl Part 2 [4th or so watch]
No Superbowl occurs or is mentioned in either of these episodes. I presume it was originally on immediately after said sporting occasion, a point which is thoroughly lost almost 18 years later.
A Touch of Cloth II
2x02 Undercover Cloth Part Two
A Touch of Cloth: Behind the Scenes
Behind the scenes of A Touch of Cloth II, with a look ahead to A Touch of Cloth III.
3x01 A Deadly Affair
Back on C5! After just... 9 months. Well, still, hurrah!
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Celebrity Fifteen to One
That was surprisingly good fun. I imagine the sheer volume of celebrities required for any one edition will prevent this becoming some kind of back-door pilot, though.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Doctor Who
13x03 Terror of the Zygons Part Three [2nd watch]
Y'know, I think the Skarasen is actually a pretty well-executed effect, all things considered -- I mean, this was 1975, on a UK kids' TV budget. Some (like in the BBC episode guide linked above) assert it ruins the story, but that's going far too far. And with this placing in the top 20 of the Mighty 200, it would seem others agree.
Friends
2x12 The One After the Superbowl Part 1 [4th or so watch]
2x13 The One After the Superbowl Part 2 [4th or so watch]
No Superbowl occurs or is mentioned in either of these episodes. I presume it was originally on immediately after said sporting occasion, a point which is thoroughly lost almost 18 years later.
A Touch of Cloth II
2x02 Undercover Cloth Part Two
A Touch of Cloth: Behind the Scenes
Behind the scenes of A Touch of Cloth II, with a look ahead to A Touch of Cloth III.
Thursday, 26 September 2013
TV
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
4x06 80s Night Special
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Friends
2x10 The One with Russ [4th or so watch]
2x11 The One with the Lesbian Wedding [4th or so watch]
Mock the Week
12x09 (19/9/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Vera
3x04 Prodigal Son [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
4x06 80s Night Special
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Friends
2x10 The One with Russ [4th or so watch]
2x11 The One with the Lesbian Wedding [4th or so watch]
Mock the Week
12x09 (19/9/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Vera
3x04 Prodigal Son [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Comics
A Redtail's Dream by Minna Sundberg
Chapter 2
Only about four days of the print campaign left, and I'm beginning to feel pretty sold. It's not perfect storytelling -- see my complaints last time, only now with more typos -- but the story and characters are appealing, and the art can be quite beautiful.
Chapter 2
Only about four days of the print campaign left, and I'm beginning to feel pretty sold. It's not perfect storytelling -- see my complaints last time, only now with more typos -- but the story and characters are appealing, and the art can be quite beautiful.
Articles
William Boyd's Solo reviewed
by Cathy Rentzenbrink (from The Bookseller)
The new Bond novel. Sounds good. My copy arrived today (the cover looks great in the flesh), but I didn't get a chance to start it.
by Cathy Rentzenbrink (from The Bookseller)
The new Bond novel. Sounds good. My copy arrived today (the cover looks great in the flesh), but I didn't get a chance to start it.
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
TV
Archer
4x06 Once Bitten
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Doctor Who
13x02 Terror of the Zygons Part Two [2nd watch]
Damn fine story, this. Weirdly, I'm certain I've seen it before, but whole swathes are unfamiliar. Like the silly bit where Sarah Jane and some soldiers need to split up while chasing a potentially dangerous fellow... so Sarah Jane goes one way and the three armed men the other. But, y'know, other than that.
Friends
2x08 The One with the List [4th or so watch]
2x09 The One with Phoebe's Dad [4th or so watch]
I think I've quite consistently seen all of Friends' first season, but I've definitely seen some of season two (and, probably, later years) more than others. For instance, I'm very familiar with The One with Phoebe's Dad (which is also The One Where Gunther Has His First Line!), but in a few episodes' time it's The One with the Lesbian Wedding, which I feel like I've only seen a couple of times (I've seen the entire series through at least twice already, so, hey).
This doesn't signify anything, just something I've been mulling over.
The Newsroom
2x04 Unintended Consequences
Every episode, it strikes me how clunky (and therefore painfully predictable) Sorkin's writing can actually be (see also: last time). On the bright side, at least some of the plot lines rattle along to revelations, rather than dragging every mystery out only to pay them all off at once in the finale.
4x06 Once Bitten
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Doctor Who
13x02 Terror of the Zygons Part Two [2nd watch]
Damn fine story, this. Weirdly, I'm certain I've seen it before, but whole swathes are unfamiliar. Like the silly bit where Sarah Jane and some soldiers need to split up while chasing a potentially dangerous fellow... so Sarah Jane goes one way and the three armed men the other. But, y'know, other than that.
Friends
2x08 The One with the List [4th or so watch]
2x09 The One with Phoebe's Dad [4th or so watch]
I think I've quite consistently seen all of Friends' first season, but I've definitely seen some of season two (and, probably, later years) more than others. For instance, I'm very familiar with The One with Phoebe's Dad (which is also The One Where Gunther Has His First Line!), but in a few episodes' time it's The One with the Lesbian Wedding, which I feel like I've only seen a couple of times (I've seen the entire series through at least twice already, so, hey).
This doesn't signify anything, just something I've been mulling over.
The Newsroom
2x04 Unintended Consequences
Every episode, it strikes me how clunky (and therefore painfully predictable) Sorkin's writing can actually be (see also: last time). On the bright side, at least some of the plot lines rattle along to revelations, rather than dragging every mystery out only to pay them all off at once in the finale.
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
TV
Archer
4x05 Vicious Coupling
Hurrah, C5 have deigned to give us more!
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Downton Abbey
4x01 Episode 1
Oh Downton and your funny ways. It's so painfully on the nose at times, and yet Americans seem to think this is Great Drama... even though they produce plenty of subtle, great drama of their own. But as a high-class soap, with plenty of unintentional hilarity, the Abbey can't be beat.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Friends
2x07 The One Where Ross Finds Out [4th or so watch]
The Last Leg
3x08 (18/9/13 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
4x05 Vicious Coupling
Hurrah, C5 have deigned to give us more!
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Downton Abbey
4x01 Episode 1
Oh Downton and your funny ways. It's so painfully on the nose at times, and yet Americans seem to think this is Great Drama... even though they produce plenty of subtle, great drama of their own. But as a high-class soap, with plenty of unintentional hilarity, the Abbey can't be beat.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Friends
2x07 The One Where Ross Finds Out [4th or so watch]
The Last Leg
3x08 (18/9/13 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Monday, 23 September 2013
TV
Dexter
8x12 Remember the Monsters? [series finale]
Another packed episodes, with a near endless array of things that could be discussed -- and debated. Did the show's writers make all the right choices? I'm not sure. The end was always going to be controversial: some fans wanted Dexter caught, some wanted him dead, some wanted him to live happily ever after -- three different endings that are not compatible. But the particular way they went about it... well, of course some people hate it -- some people have hated the whole season; heck, some people have hated the series for years (and yet still they watch...)
Personally, I thought it was mostly fitting, in its way. Don't know if it's what I wanted, per se, but (as discussed) it's a damn hard show to know how to end right. Not sure about the coda, though; it was the one moment where it seemed like the writers lacked the courage of their convictions. But what's done is done.
Doctor Who
13x01 Terror of the Zygons Part One [2nd watch]
My choice for the Fourth Doctor's entry in #bbbDW50 is both an acknowledged classic (it came 17th on DWM's Mighty 200, putting it in the top 9% of all Who tales), and the only on screen appearance for monster design icons the Zygons... before their return in November's 50th anniversary special, of course.
It was also going to finally come out on DVD the very week we were scheduled to watch it... until inserting the TV Movie pushed all my plans a week earlier (see also: Ice Warriors). Fortunately, the Fourth Doctor Time Capsule came to my scheduling rescue.
It's a cracking story, too. The monsters are teased gradually, building to a great -- and very sudden -- cliffhanger. There's plenty of mystery, plenty of excitement and humour. Once again, the stuff shot on location on film looks great -- why oh why couldn't the whole show have had the budget to go that route?!
Friends
2x06 The One with the Baby on the Bus [4th or so watch]
Smelly Cat makes its debut! Sung by someone else! Weird.
8x12 Remember the Monsters? [series finale]
Another packed episodes, with a near endless array of things that could be discussed -- and debated. Did the show's writers make all the right choices? I'm not sure. The end was always going to be controversial: some fans wanted Dexter caught, some wanted him dead, some wanted him to live happily ever after -- three different endings that are not compatible. But the particular way they went about it... well, of course some people hate it -- some people have hated the whole season; heck, some people have hated the series for years (and yet still they watch...)
Personally, I thought it was mostly fitting, in its way. Don't know if it's what I wanted, per se, but (as discussed) it's a damn hard show to know how to end right. Not sure about the coda, though; it was the one moment where it seemed like the writers lacked the courage of their convictions. But what's done is done.
Doctor Who
13x01 Terror of the Zygons Part One [2nd watch]
My choice for the Fourth Doctor's entry in #bbbDW50 is both an acknowledged classic (it came 17th on DWM's Mighty 200, putting it in the top 9% of all Who tales), and the only on screen appearance for monster design icons the Zygons... before their return in November's 50th anniversary special, of course.
It was also going to finally come out on DVD the very week we were scheduled to watch it... until inserting the TV Movie pushed all my plans a week earlier (see also: Ice Warriors). Fortunately, the Fourth Doctor Time Capsule came to my scheduling rescue.
It's a cracking story, too. The monsters are teased gradually, building to a great -- and very sudden -- cliffhanger. There's plenty of mystery, plenty of excitement and humour. Once again, the stuff shot on location on film looks great -- why oh why couldn't the whole show have had the budget to go that route?!
Friends
2x06 The One with the Baby on the Bus [4th or so watch]
Smelly Cat makes its debut! Sung by someone else! Weird.
Articles
Dexter producers explain finale, defend final season
by James Hibberd (from Inside TV on Entertainment Weekly)
Obviously this is riddled with spoilers if you're waiting for next Sunday's UK airing of the finale. Otherwise, interesting.
by James Hibberd (from Inside TV on Entertainment Weekly)
Obviously this is riddled with spoilers if you're waiting for next Sunday's UK airing of the finale. Otherwise, interesting.
Sunday, 22 September 2013
TV
Dexter
8x11 Monkey in a Box
And lo, my plan did work perfectly: this episode was on UK TV tonight, and the series finale will be on US TV a few hours after I post this. That's tomorrow's viewing, then.
I don't despise this final season as much as some of Dexter's fans (former fans?), but it's not been the best ever. Nonetheless, still excited to find out what happens in the end.
8x11 Monkey in a Box
And lo, my plan did work perfectly: this episode was on UK TV tonight, and the series finale will be on US TV a few hours after I post this. That's tomorrow's viewing, then.
I don't despise this final season as much as some of Dexter's fans (former fans?), but it's not been the best ever. Nonetheless, still excited to find out what happens in the end.
Films
The Falcon in Hollywood (1944)
[#82 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
North by Northwest (1959)
[#81 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
[#82 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
North by Northwest (1959)
[#81 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
this week on 100 Films
Three new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week!
Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter (2013)
Marvel One-Shot: Item 47 (2012)
The Muppets (2011)
Plus a whole load were new to the new blog...
The Green Mile (1999)
Henry V (1944)
Henry V (1989)
The History Boys (2006)
Thunderbirds (2004)
Transformers (2007)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
More next Sunday.
Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter (2013)
Action-packed, funny, character developing, and with some hilarious cameos at the end… You couldn’t ask for much more from a 15 minute superhero-universe short.Read more here.
Marvel One-Shot: Item 47 (2012)
This is exactly the kind of tale I presume the imminent TV series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be telling. Considering fans seem ultra-hyped for that, I’m not sure why they dislike Item 47 so muchRead more here.
The Muppets (2011)
a film that embraces the Muppets’ anarchic nature and old-fashioned entertainment style, while also integrating them into the modern world... breaks of the fourth wall abound, and constitute most of the film’s best bits.Read more here.
Plus a whole load were new to the new blog...
The Green Mile (1999)
draws the viewer into believing that miracles may be possible. It’s a whole hour before Michael Clarke Duncan’s near-silent John Coffey (“like the drink, only not spelled the same”) does his healing thing, at which point what was apparently a straightforward period prison drama gains a new dimension.Read more here.
Henry V (1944)
I didn’t much care for it. It failed to engage me, and I’d put this down to Olivier’s infamous staging (literally) of it.Read more here.
Henry V (1989)
Olivier’s version is an over-stylised, propaganda-inspired, outdated version of Shakespeare, whereas Branagh’s is a comprehensible, realistic, textured and, perhaps most importantly, genuinely enjoyable interpretation.Read more here.
The History Boys (2006)
The History Boys isn’t really about what it’s about — the boys applying for Oxbridge is shoved into a corner almost as soon as it’s introduced — but is instead about their learning, and their experience gained while (and from) learning, and a bit about growing up and discovering oneself too.Read more here.
Thunderbirds (2004)
If you loved the series you’ll never like this; heck, unless you’re under 10 you’ll probably never like this (and that’s being generous). Maybe, someday, there’ll be a decent new version of Thunderbirds. Sadly, this has probably hindered any attempts at that.Read more here.
Transformers (2007)
It may be clichéd in places, with too much of a tech fetish, shallow female characters, too many faceless soldiers, bouts of weak dialogue, a muddled climax… But it’s still fun.Read more here.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
This is what happens when a studio allows someone like Bay an essentially limitless budget and less than two years to turn a blockbuster around.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 21 September 2013
TV
Dexter
8x10 Goodbye Miami
Tension!
And, "only 2 episodes remainthis season" ever.
Friends
2x05 The One with Five Steaks and an Eggplant [4th or so watch]
The Great British Bake Off
4x05 Biscuits and Traybakes
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
8x10 Goodbye Miami
Tension!
And, "only 2 episodes remain
Friends
2x05 The One with Five Steaks and an Eggplant [4th or so watch]
The Great British Bake Off
4x05 Biscuits and Traybakes
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Articles
Dark Horse Can't Stop the Signal, Relaunches Serenity
by Graeme McMillan (from Heat Vision at The Hollywood Reporter)
Though the currently released info is a little light on specifics (it's happening; the artist is named), it's certainly made to sound like a "Buffy Season 8" style revival of the story -- i.e. a full-blown on-going continuation, rather than a mini-series or one-off (as the franchise has been treated in comics before). Exciting stuff.
Doctor Who: the man who shot the show's first Radio Times photoshoot 50 years ago reveals all
by Patrick Mulkern (from Radio Times)
With little time and no sets, photographer Don Smith managed to pull together some photos that are amongst the most recognisable of the First Doctor's era. It's like the story of the entire series itself: taking not very much and turning it into something incredible and enduring.
by Graeme McMillan (from Heat Vision at The Hollywood Reporter)
Though the currently released info is a little light on specifics (it's happening; the artist is named), it's certainly made to sound like a "Buffy Season 8" style revival of the story -- i.e. a full-blown on-going continuation, rather than a mini-series or one-off (as the franchise has been treated in comics before). Exciting stuff.
Doctor Who: the man who shot the show's first Radio Times photoshoot 50 years ago reveals all
by Patrick Mulkern (from Radio Times)
With little time and no sets, photographer Don Smith managed to pull together some photos that are amongst the most recognisable of the First Doctor's era. It's like the story of the entire series itself: taking not very much and turning it into something incredible and enduring.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
After the uniqueness of last week's update being 100% DVDs, it's happened again! Don't worry though, I guarantee at least one brand-new Blu-ray next week.
Number of titles in collection: 1,612 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,184 [up 3]
Of which Blu-rays: 428 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 4,017 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 1,717 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,954 [up 8]
Number of short films in collection: 392 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
After the uniqueness of last week's update being 100% DVDs, it's happened again! Don't worry though, I guarantee at least one brand-new Blu-ray next week.
Number of titles in collection: 1,612 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,184 [up 3]
Of which Blu-rays: 428 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 4,017 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 1,717 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,954 [up 8]
Number of short films in collection: 392 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 20 September 2013
TV
Dexter
8x09 Make Your Own Kind of Music
Man, this season is packed with Plot!
Doctor Who
10x04 The Three Doctors Episode Four [2nd watch]
The Third Doctor phase of #bbbDW50 comes to an end today, with this final episode of the 10th anniversary special. Overall I enjoyed the story more this time round, with the antics between the Doctors being particularly fun, but it still has more than its fair share of silliness -- the waddling "om-nom-nom"ing Gel Guards, for instance, or the bizarre fight at the end of episode three. As anniversary celebrations go, The Five Doctors nailed it better. Hopefully The Day of the Doctor can do the same.
Friends
2x03 The One Where Heckles Dies [4th or so watch]
2x04 The One with Phoebe's Husband [4th or so watch]
QI
11x02 Kit and Kaboodle (XL edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
8x09 Make Your Own Kind of Music
Man, this season is packed with Plot!
Doctor Who
10x04 The Three Doctors Episode Four [2nd watch]
The Third Doctor phase of #bbbDW50 comes to an end today, with this final episode of the 10th anniversary special. Overall I enjoyed the story more this time round, with the antics between the Doctors being particularly fun, but it still has more than its fair share of silliness -- the waddling "om-nom-nom"ing Gel Guards, for instance, or the bizarre fight at the end of episode three. As anniversary celebrations go, The Five Doctors nailed it better. Hopefully The Day of the Doctor can do the same.
Friends
2x03 The One Where Heckles Dies [4th or so watch]
2x04 The One with Phoebe's Husband [4th or so watch]
QI
11x02 Kit and Kaboodle (XL edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
DVD Extras
Commentary on The Green Death Episode Six and Death of the Doctor by Russell T Davies & Katy Manning
Two big, well-matched personalities have a glorious natter over 79 minutes of Doctor Who-related material. Wonderful.
Two big, well-matched personalities have a glorious natter over 79 minutes of Doctor Who-related material. Wonderful.
Thursday, 19 September 2013
TV
Dexter
8x08 Are We There Yet?
Loved the 'dysfunctional family' bits of this episode. But the way things are going, feels like next time is more the finale than only the start of the final third! What strange and exciting new twists are left in store for us?
Friends
2x01 The One with Ross's New Girlfriend [4th or so watch]
2x02 The One with the Breast Milk [4th or so watch]
I know I've seen season one a good deal more than some of the middle years, but this is all still very familiar -- and very funny. So we'll go with "4th watch", because it's a bit less unwieldy.
8x08 Are We There Yet?
Loved the 'dysfunctional family' bits of this episode. But the way things are going, feels like next time is more the finale than only the start of the final third! What strange and exciting new twists are left in store for us?
Friends
2x01 The One with Ross's New Girlfriend [4th or so watch]
2x02 The One with the Breast Milk [4th or so watch]
I know I've seen season one a good deal more than some of the middle years, but this is all still very familiar -- and very funny. So we'll go with "4th watch", because it's a bit less unwieldy.
Comics
A Redtail's Dream by Minna Sundberg
Chapter 1
Some of the dialogue is a little clunky (it's obvious English isn't the author's first language), and the word balloon layout could also use some work at times... but other than speech-related issues, the art is lovely, the characters are mostly likeable, and the story is intriguing. Not yet convinced about spending such a large amount on the hardback, but I'm almost there.
Chapter 1
Some of the dialogue is a little clunky (it's obvious English isn't the author's first language), and the word balloon layout could also use some work at times... but other than speech-related issues, the art is lovely, the characters are mostly likeable, and the story is intriguing. Not yet convinced about spending such a large amount on the hardback, but I'm almost there.
Wednesday, 18 September 2013
TV
Doctor Who
10x03 The Three Doctors Episode Three [2nd watch]
In which the Third Doctor slow-mo wrestles with a pig-nosed bat-eared avatar of Omega in a black-void dreamspace. Not at all weird.
In other news, I'm beginning to remember why I didn't really like this first time round... though I don't dislike it quite so much.
Friends
1x24 The One Where Rachel Finds Out [season finale; goodness-knows-what-th watch]
The Last Leg
3x07 (11/9/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Suburgatory
2x09 Junior Secretary's Day
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
10x03 The Three Doctors Episode Three [2nd watch]
In which the Third Doctor slow-mo wrestles with a pig-nosed bat-eared avatar of Omega in a black-void dreamspace. Not at all weird.
In other news, I'm beginning to remember why I didn't really like this first time round... though I don't dislike it quite so much.
Friends
1x24 The One Where Rachel Finds Out [season finale; goodness-knows-what-th watch]
The Last Leg
3x07 (11/9/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Suburgatory
2x09 Junior Secretary's Day
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
TV
Dexter
8x07 Dress Code
Rastamouse!
Friends
1x23 The One with the Birth [goodness-knows-what-th watch]
The Newsroom
2x03 Willie Pete
Sometimes the writing is ever so fast and clever and all that, and other times it sinks to utterly implausible soap opera theatrics. It always seemed to work in The West Wing, but even this far in I'm not sure how well it does here.
8x07 Dress Code
Rastamouse!
Friends
1x23 The One with the Birth [goodness-knows-what-th watch]
The Newsroom
2x03 Willie Pete
Sometimes the writing is ever so fast and clever and all that, and other times it sinks to utterly implausible soap opera theatrics. It always seemed to work in The West Wing, but even this far in I'm not sure how well it does here.
Monday, 16 September 2013
TV
Dexter
8x06 A Little Reflection
An apprentice; a returning face; Dexter struggling with romantic relationships... Feels like the series is on a 'greatest hits' tour for its final season!
Doctor Who
10x02 The Three Doctors Episode Two [2nd watch]
A quarry! It really is a proper anniversary special.
Friends
1x22 The One with the Ick Factor [goodness-knows-what-th watch]
Mock the Week
12x08 (12/9/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
8x06 A Little Reflection
An apprentice; a returning face; Dexter struggling with romantic relationships... Feels like the series is on a 'greatest hits' tour for its final season!
Doctor Who
10x02 The Three Doctors Episode Two [2nd watch]
A quarry! It really is a proper anniversary special.
Friends
1x22 The One with the Ick Factor [goodness-knows-what-th watch]
Mock the Week
12x08 (12/9/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Comics
Batman '66 #3 by Jeff Parker & Jonathan Case
End of the first story. My previous comments still stand, in a good way -- I shall continue reading. Probably at my usual daftly-slow rate, but I shall.
End of the first story. My previous comments still stand, in a good way -- I shall continue reading. Probably at my usual daftly-slow rate, but I shall.
Sunday, 15 September 2013
TV
Friends
1x21 The One with the Fake Monica [goodness-knows-what-th watch]
Vera
3x03 Young Gods
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
1x21 The One with the Fake Monica [goodness-knows-what-th watch]
Vera
3x03 Young Gods
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Comics
A Redtail's Dream by Minna Sundberg
Prologue
This was brought to my attention by an Indiegogo email, because it's currently running an (incredibly successful) campaign to publish a print edition. But because it's a webcomic, you can still read the full thing online for free here, which is certainly handy when it comes to decision-making about backing the project -- especially at the prices involved: although you can get a PDF version for as little as $15 (~£9.50), the fact the book will be over 600 pages long in a lavish hardback with a small print run (because hey, it's free online, so if you're gonna pay for a print edition you wanna go all-out) means prices start at $90 (~£57)!
The comic itself, then, is "about a young Finnish lad named Hannu Viitanen and his shapeshifting, talking dog Ville, who are on a journey to bring back the souls of their fellow villagers from the realm of dreams. Much of the story is inspired by Finnish mythology, and it is quite child friendly and lighthearted." The artwork is lovely, a painterly fairy-tale storybook style that would seem to suit a mythology-based family-friendly tale like a glove.
The story itself, in this prologue, is harder to gauge. There's a long preamble with some foxes chatting about their love of buns. It's Quirky and therefore kinda sickly. It's also thick with dialogue and an occasionally unclear arrangement of speech bubbles. Sundberg is working in a second (or third? She's Finnish-Swedish) language here, so some of that is understandable -- indeed, the vast majority of the time you'd never know, as these overly-wordy pages are the kind of thing you could see in any young person's (she started it in her second year of uni) first dabble in the medium.
At the minute I'm a little torn: I really like the art and it sounds like the hardback will be glorious, and show the artwork off beautifully; but I'm not sold on the writing/storytelling style in the prologue. The plot summary intrigues me though, and perhaps things settle down as Sundberg gets more experienced? The campaign doesn't end for another 2½ weeks, so maybe I'll just get stuck into reading it in the meantime.
Prologue
This was brought to my attention by an Indiegogo email, because it's currently running an (incredibly successful) campaign to publish a print edition. But because it's a webcomic, you can still read the full thing online for free here, which is certainly handy when it comes to decision-making about backing the project -- especially at the prices involved: although you can get a PDF version for as little as $15 (~£9.50), the fact the book will be over 600 pages long in a lavish hardback with a small print run (because hey, it's free online, so if you're gonna pay for a print edition you wanna go all-out) means prices start at $90 (~£57)!
The comic itself, then, is "about a young Finnish lad named Hannu Viitanen and his shapeshifting, talking dog Ville, who are on a journey to bring back the souls of their fellow villagers from the realm of dreams. Much of the story is inspired by Finnish mythology, and it is quite child friendly and lighthearted." The artwork is lovely, a painterly fairy-tale storybook style that would seem to suit a mythology-based family-friendly tale like a glove.
The story itself, in this prologue, is harder to gauge. There's a long preamble with some foxes chatting about their love of buns. It's Quirky and therefore kinda sickly. It's also thick with dialogue and an occasionally unclear arrangement of speech bubbles. Sundberg is working in a second (or third? She's Finnish-Swedish) language here, so some of that is understandable -- indeed, the vast majority of the time you'd never know, as these overly-wordy pages are the kind of thing you could see in any young person's (she started it in her second year of uni) first dabble in the medium.
At the minute I'm a little torn: I really like the art and it sounds like the hardback will be glorious, and show the artwork off beautifully; but I'm not sold on the writing/storytelling style in the prologue. The plot summary intrigues me though, and perhaps things settle down as Sundberg gets more experienced? The campaign doesn't end for another 2½ weeks, so maybe I'll just get stuck into reading it in the meantime.
this week on 100 Films
Three new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
Anonymous (2011)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)
And new to the new blog...
United 93 (2006)
More next Sunday.
Anonymous (2011)
this film by any other name would smell just as shit.Read more here.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Some have described Iron Man Three as “the best Iron Man yet”, even better than the exalted first movie. Others have described it as “at least better than Iron Man 2”, the derided first sequel. I thought the first one was a tad overrated and the second notably underrated, so where does this trilogy-forming instalment fall on my personal scale? Well, that depends what you want from an Iron Man film…Read more here.
The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)
Normally I’m a stickler for watching film series in order, even when it doesn’t matter, so skipping 31 sequels really isn’t my style… but this was on telly one night in July and I was in just the right mood, so the second will have to wait for its turn another day.Read more here.
And new to the new blog...
United 93 (2006)
it is hard to imagine a more competent and respectful film being made about 9/11... Perhaps most importantly of all, the families want you to see it.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 14 September 2013
TV
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
4x05 (13/9/13 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Friends
1x20 The One with the Evil Orthodontist [goodness-knows-what-th watch]
The Great British Bake Off
4x04 Pies and Tarts
Paul Hollywood seemed on particularly mean form this week, though Ali-who-wouldn't-taste-his-fruit probably deserved to go.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
4x05 (13/9/13 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Friends
1x20 The One with the Evil Orthodontist [goodness-knows-what-th watch]
The Great British Bake Off
4x04 Pies and Tarts
Paul Hollywood seemed on particularly mean form this week, though Ali-who-wouldn't-taste-his-fruit probably deserved to go.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
DVD Extras
Carry On Screaming
and
Interweb of Fear
The two main new documentaries on the Scream of the Shalka DVD (out Monday).
The first concerns the making of the serial itself, with some insights into the original plans (a 12-episode series of three four-parters!), the difficulties getting it made, and also the wonder how well it came together on so little time, money and expertise. It also includes the revelation that, were it not for Shalka, the revived TV series might never have happened: it was the research done into the rights situation so they could produce Shalka that meant that when BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey was saying they couldn't put Who on TV because of rights, the BBC website team were able to put her right. Architects of their own destruction, maybe, but it worked out well for all of us!
The second is about the aforementioned site, and the BBC's web presence more generally, including some of the groundbreaking and experimental things it was able to get away with... before the higher-ups shut things down, in spite of their popularity. It also doesn't shy away from some of the bad ideas, either.
One thing I got from both documentaries is what an ungrateful, hateful bunch Doctor Who fans can be. You can get that impression just by going on most dedicated forums for a few minutes, but you may assume it's isolated. However, stories of Who fans' nasty behaviour and negative attitude crops up in both these pieces. It's sad, really.
and
Interweb of Fear
The two main new documentaries on the Scream of the Shalka DVD (out Monday).
The first concerns the making of the serial itself, with some insights into the original plans (a 12-episode series of three four-parters!), the difficulties getting it made, and also the wonder how well it came together on so little time, money and expertise. It also includes the revelation that, were it not for Shalka, the revived TV series might never have happened: it was the research done into the rights situation so they could produce Shalka that meant that when BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey was saying they couldn't put Who on TV because of rights, the BBC website team were able to put her right. Architects of their own destruction, maybe, but it worked out well for all of us!
The second is about the aforementioned site, and the BBC's web presence more generally, including some of the groundbreaking and experimental things it was able to get away with... before the higher-ups shut things down, in spite of their popularity. It also doesn't shy away from some of the bad ideas, either.
One thing I got from both documentaries is what an ungrateful, hateful bunch Doctor Who fans can be. You can get that impression just by going on most dedicated forums for a few minutes, but you may assume it's isolated. However, stories of Who fans' nasty behaviour and negative attitude crops up in both these pieces. It's sad, really.
Comics
Dredd Underbelly: Part One by Arthur Wyatt & Henry Flint
(from Judge Dredd Megazine #340)
While the campaign continues to get a Dredd sequel made, here's the official comic book sequel to last year's movie.
It's a bit hard to get a handle on it in this first instalment -- these feel very much like the first 10 pages of a graphic novel-length tale, rather than a self-contained chunk of action. That said, it manages to give Anderson a nice re-introduction, an action sequence for Dredd, and then establish the storyline. It also expands the world of the film, introducing Cursed Earth mutants. Thankfully, Flint's design for the muties is less comic-book and more how they might look in the film's universe.
There's definite promise here, but I suspect it will read better in collected form than in short monthly parts.
Nonetheless, Megazine #340 is in shops from next Wednesday.
(from Judge Dredd Megazine #340)
While the campaign continues to get a Dredd sequel made, here's the official comic book sequel to last year's movie.
It's a bit hard to get a handle on it in this first instalment -- these feel very much like the first 10 pages of a graphic novel-length tale, rather than a self-contained chunk of action. That said, it manages to give Anderson a nice re-introduction, an action sequence for Dredd, and then establish the storyline. It also expands the world of the film, introducing Cursed Earth mutants. Thankfully, Flint's design for the muties is less comic-book and more how they might look in the film's universe.
There's definite promise here, but I suspect it will read better in collected form than in short monthly parts.
Nonetheless, Megazine #340 is in shops from next Wednesday.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
I believe I've had Blu-rays as part of my collection since before I started this weekly round-up, so this may be a first ever: a week with lots of new additions that is entirely DVD-only. It's not long 'til my next expected BD (a week Monday, to be precise), but still: this week, it's all good ol' Digital Video Disc.
That includes four bargain-priced Doctor Who DVDs (my collection edges ever nearer to completion), one new Doctor Who DVD that arrived a few days early, a box set I've waited so long to get I had to buy it used, and an upgrade of a US series from its barebones US edition to special-feature-packed UK release (weird, eh).
Number of titles in collection: 1,609 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 1,181 [up 6]
Of which Blu-rays: 428 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 4,014 [up 14]
Number of films in collection: 1,716 [up 6]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,946 [up 25]
Number of short films in collection: 392 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
I believe I've had Blu-rays as part of my collection since before I started this weekly round-up, so this may be a first ever: a week with lots of new additions that is entirely DVD-only. It's not long 'til my next expected BD (a week Monday, to be precise), but still: this week, it's all good ol' Digital Video Disc.
That includes four bargain-priced Doctor Who DVDs (my collection edges ever nearer to completion), one new Doctor Who DVD that arrived a few days early, a box set I've waited so long to get I had to buy it used, and an upgrade of a US series from its barebones US edition to special-feature-packed UK release (weird, eh).
Number of titles in collection: 1,609 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 1,181 [up 6]
Of which Blu-rays: 428 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 4,014 [up 14]
Number of films in collection: 1,716 [up 6]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,946 [up 25]
Number of short films in collection: 392 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 13 September 2013
TV
Dexter
8x05 This Little Piggy
I haven't always been convinced in previous episodes, but between this one and the trailer for next time, I think this might turn out to be a cracking final season.
Doctor Who
10x01 The Three Doctors Episode One [2nd watch]
A break from the Doctor-by-Doctor approach now for, appropriately enough, the series' 10th anniversary serial. It also features the first appearance of evil Time Lord Omega, who some rumours suggest will turn up for the 50th. Even if he doesn't, it's another iconic (ish) villain to add to the list.
I can't remember when I first watched The Three Doctors -- after its DVD release, but before this blog's existence, so clearly a number of years ago. I didn't care for it then, for whatever reason, but I rather enjoyed this first episode. Hopefully the rest of the serial will keep it up.
Friends
1x19 The One Where the Monkey Gets Away [goodness-knows-what-th watch]
8x05 This Little Piggy
I haven't always been convinced in previous episodes, but between this one and the trailer for next time, I think this might turn out to be a cracking final season.
Doctor Who
10x01 The Three Doctors Episode One [2nd watch]
A break from the Doctor-by-Doctor approach now for, appropriately enough, the series' 10th anniversary serial. It also features the first appearance of evil Time Lord Omega, who some rumours suggest will turn up for the 50th. Even if he doesn't, it's another iconic (ish) villain to add to the list.
I can't remember when I first watched The Three Doctors -- after its DVD release, but before this blog's existence, so clearly a number of years ago. I didn't care for it then, for whatever reason, but I rather enjoyed this first episode. Hopefully the rest of the serial will keep it up.
Friends
1x19 The One Where the Monkey Gets Away [goodness-knows-what-th watch]
Films
Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter (2013)
[#75b in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
Marvel One-Shot: Item 47 (2012)
[#75a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
The two most recent Marvel short films, the latter included on the Blu-ray of Avengers Assemble this time last year, the former on the released-this-week Blu-ray of Iron Man 3.
Both are entertaining, though Agent Carter is definitely the winner -- a 'sequel' to 2011's Captain America, in just 15 minutes it manages to entirely better it.
[#75b in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
Marvel One-Shot: Item 47 (2012)
[#75a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
The two most recent Marvel short films, the latter included on the Blu-ray of Avengers Assemble this time last year, the former on the released-this-week Blu-ray of Iron Man 3.
Both are entertaining, though Agent Carter is definitely the winner -- a 'sequel' to 2011's Captain America, in just 15 minutes it manages to entirely better it.
Articles
DVD Preview: Scream of the Shalka
by Christopher Allen (from Doctor Who 50th Anniversary: Official BBC Worldwide Site)
After a near-decade of waiting, Shalka finally makes it to DVD next Monday. Here, the BBC's official 50th anniversary site previews the release, mounting a mini-defence of the serial and nothing that the disc features "a fascinating interview with Ben Lavender, creator of the BBC iPlayer and the 82 presentations he had to make to get iPlayer in front of the Director-General!"
Relatedly:
Doctor Who: The Simon Clark Story That Never Was
by Ian Berriman (from SFX)
The Shalka sequel that was half-written and fully outlined sounds great. Someone somewhere make it happen somehow, please!
by Christopher Allen (from Doctor Who 50th Anniversary: Official BBC Worldwide Site)
After a near-decade of waiting, Shalka finally makes it to DVD next Monday. Here, the BBC's official 50th anniversary site previews the release, mounting a mini-defence of the serial and nothing that the disc features "a fascinating interview with Ben Lavender, creator of the BBC iPlayer and the 82 presentations he had to make to get iPlayer in front of the Director-General!"
Relatedly:
Doctor Who: The Simon Clark Story That Never Was
by Ian Berriman (from SFX)
The Shalka sequel that was half-written and fully outlined sounds great. Someone somewhere make it happen somehow, please!
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