TV

Crimes of Passion
1x06 Tragedy in a Country Churchyard [season finale]
This hasn't been to everyone's taste (there was at least one moany letter in the Radio Times, not to mention a 'pick of the day' review for this episode by a writer who even said they hadn't watched most of the series), but I've enjoyed it and hope to see more.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
[#99 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

this week on 100 Films

This week saw the start of October, meaning it was time for the regular 100 Films in a Year monthly update...




As well as that, three brand-new reviews were published this week...


A Beautiful Mind (2001)

There’s a Big Twist that they skilfully kept out of the advertising, and which many people have done a fair job of keeping quiet for the past 13 years; but, unlike most Big Twists, this one isn’t at the end of the film — in fact, it’s pretty early on, and the bulk of the movie is spent dealing with its fall-out.

Read more here.


Clear and Present Danger (1994)

The plot isn’t exactly inspiring, sadly, but it does allow for a few more memorable sequences: an alleyway ambush on an American convoy, with Ryan in the thick of the action, which is apparently still used to train real troops; and, in a very modern twist, a sequence where Ryan hacks into a corrupt colleague’s computer, while the colleague tries to delete the files Ryan is looking for.

Read more here.


Patriot Games (1992)

a sprawling tale. Although most of the major characters start off connected by a failed assassination, they soon splinter to go about their business in unconnected sequences, which finally come back together towards the end. To describe it as “novelistic” might be obvious, but it’s not been streamlined for the big screen.

Read more here.


Finally, this week's archive re-posts had a bit of a one-track mind...


David Fincher Week

With Fincher's latest in cinemas this week, it seems a good time to repost my 2011 'week'. Starting with this somewhat-self-indulgent introduction...

Read more here.


The end of David Fincher Week

...and continuing with my summary post from the week's end.

Read more here.


Se7en (1995)

The quality of a crime thriller is often so tied to its mystery that the film can only sustain so many viewings — sometimes, only one — before you know it too well. I have seen Se7en at least seven times now, which for me is a lot — a helluva lot, even — and yet I still get something from it every time. That’s a rarity, that’s a reason to love it, and that is why it may well be my favourite film.

Read more here.


Fight Club (1999)

At one point consensus seemed to have it that Fight Club was easily Fincher’s best movie, a generation-defining statement, “the first great film of the 21st Century” despite being released in 1999... I’ve always preferred Se7en myself. I still do. But Fight Club is nonetheless an exceptional film.

Read more here.


Panic Room (2002)

stands out as (arguably) Fincher’s most atypical film. Whereas his others are all epic, in one way or another, this is the exact opposite. It’s very contained, virtually the entire running time spent on one night in one house, alleviated only by brief outside bookends and a guided tour of the house at the start. Fortunately, it’s still an outstanding little thriller.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
34x07 Kill the Moon
This may well be the first classic of the Capaldi era. Not everyone on Twitter agreed though, so we'll see... but it felt great to me.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who Extra
1x07 Kill the Moon
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless Celebrities
6x18 (4/10/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978)
[#98 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Articles

Lost ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Film Discovered After Almost a Century
by Kevin Noonan (from Variety)

A nearly 100-year-old silent film version of “Sherlock Holmes” starring famed Holmes thespian and American actor William Gillette has been discovered at the Cinémathèque Française

Exciting! Lord knows how us normal people who don't attend silent film festivals will ever get to see it, but, y'know, we'll see.

What It's like to Fly the $23,000 Singapore Airlines Suites Class
by Derek Low
This looks amazing! Definitely sits high on the list of "things to do if I win an insane amount on the Lottery".

Collection Count

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

Nothing again -- again! -- this week. I imagine it'll be quite a small monthly running time update, then...

Number of titles in collection: 1,697 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,203 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 494 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,232 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,830 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,242 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

Plus this week it's time for a running time update, so...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
304 days, 18 hours, and 3 minutes.
(Up 10 hours and 13 minutes from last month.)

It's approaching the time when all of the summer's big blockbusters hit disc, and as I skipped them all at the cinema I'll be buying a fair few. Hopefully these updates will get a bit livelier then, then.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Detectorists
1x01 Episode 1
BBC Four sitcom about metal detector users -- aka detectorists -- not incompetent police detectives, or something.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
1x09 Episode 9
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
28x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
8x03 Episode 3

TV

Doctor Who
25x04 Remembrance of the Daleks Part Four [3rd watch]

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
3x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Two Tribes
1x30 (26/9/14 edition) [season finale]
Hope this is coming back.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
25x03 Remembrance of the Daleks Part Three [3rd watch]

The Great British Bake Off
5x09 Semi-final - Patisserie
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
13x09 (26/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Two Tribes
1x29 (25/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
25x02 Remembrance of the Daleks Part Two [3rd watch]

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
2x05 Episode 5

Two Tribes
1x28 (24/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

This is Not a Film (2011)
[#97 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Doctor Who
25x01 Remembrance of the Daleks Part One [3rd watch]
After Saturday's Doctor Who took us to Coal Hill School, here's what happened the last time the Doctor visited that esteemed educational establishment. Also, a belated Dalek story, something felt owing ever since I didn't pick one to follow Into the Dalek.

Pioneers of Television
4x05 Robin Williams Remembered

Scott & Bailey
4x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Two Tribes
1x27 (23/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Crimes of Passion
1x05 Dangerous Dreams
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

No (2012)
[#96 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

this week on 100 Films

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


Alter Egos (2012)

You might not think superheroes lend themselves to the ultra-low-budget indie treatment, but where there’s a will there’s a way, and clearly writer-director Jordan Galland had a will.

Read more here.


American Hustle (2013)

“Don’t put metal in the science oven!” If you’ve seen that bit, you’ve seen the most successful thing American Hustle has to offer. Possibly a victim of hype, it’s an over-long disappointment.

Read more here.


Touch of Evil (1958/1998)

This is not film noir as many think they know it. Instead of a doggedly determined wisecracking PI solving a slightly seedy case, Touch of Evil is suffused with a sweaty and disquieting atmosphere. It’s like a terrible fever dream, with events and characters that sometimes seem disconnected, but nonetheless interweave through a dense plot.

Read more here.


Up (2009)

You know Up: it's the Pixar movie where everyone talks about how amazing the first 10 minutes are, and never seems to have anything to say about the rest of the film. Which sums it up pretty well, to be honest.

Read more here.


Plus seven were new to the new blog...


The Blues Brothers (1980)

Cult comedy musical, with a more-than-healthy dose of the surreal... its insistence at being random, crazy, and incessantly silly throughout is beautifully anarchic.

Read more here.


Children of Heaven (1997)

a charming little number, with a simple story about a brother and sister that nonetheless runs itself on inventive incident — the amount of (pleasingly light-hearted) drama it can ring from one missing pair of shoes is, in many ways, quite extraordinary.

Read more here.


Field of Dreams (1989)

it’s almost unremittingly pleasant. The lack of anything hard-hitting is no doubt why some have such a dim view of the film... [it] won’t shock you, it likely won’t make you think very hard, and any moral message or meaning it has is positive and reassuring… but what’s so wrong with that?

Read more here.


The Game (1997)

Having seen it a few times over the years, I've come to the conclusion that The Game is by far at its best on your first viewing, when you don't know how it will end and it's stuffed with mysteries and twists... a lot of the film's enjoyment comes from being played with, the back-and-forth of what the truth is.

Read more here.


The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

Even more attractive are the skills Welles brings directorially, on display throughout... the cruise offers many of the best bits — the hot, sweaty foreign climes are conveyed brilliantly, aided by sumptuous location photography, and these sunny scenes contrast nicely with the noir plot.

Read more here.


Lethal Weapon (1987)

my mind frequently wandered during Lethal Weapon — often to Die Hard. This may predate the Bruce Willis franchise by several years, but it’s a testament to the fame of that film’s Christmas setting that my first thought was they’d ripped it off

Read more here.


The Woodsman (2004)

recently released paedophile struggles to fit back into the world and avoid recommitting former crimes... Kevin Bacon manages the tricky task of eliciting sympathy and understanding as the paedophile

Read more here.



More next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
34x06 The Caretaker
Very much enjoyed that. OK, there are similarities to previous episodes, but that almost seems to be the theme this season. It was likeable, both fun and funny, and most importantly of all, entertaining. Best of the season so far? Certainly the most easily enjoyable, I'd say.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who Extra
1x06 The Caretaker
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless Celebrities
6x17 (27/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
[#95 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Collection Count

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

Nothing again this week! I know, it's so unlike me.

Number of titles in collection: 1,697 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,203 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 494 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,232 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,830 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,242 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

Maybe there'll be something next week... but maybe not... See you here either way, faithful reader.

TV

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
2x04 Episode 4

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
3x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Pointless Celebrities
6x16 (20/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Mad City (1997)
[#94 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Doctor Who
15x16 The Sun Makers Part Four
Yep, that was jolly good. Definitely underrated.

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
1x08 Episode 8
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pioneers of Television
3x03 Superheroes

Two Tribes
1x26 (22/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
15x15 The Sun Makers Part Three
Really enjoying this. It only came 162nd (out of 241) on DWM's last poll of greatest Who stories, with a score of 66%. That's definitely too harsh -- there are certainly worse things above it.

The Great British Bake Off
5x08 Advanced Dough
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Two Tribes
1x25 (19/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

American Hustle (2013)
[#93 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Derren Brown: Infamous
I hope that woman at the end has changed her phone number...
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Doctor Who
15x14 The Sun Makers Part Two

Scott & Bailey
4x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Two Tribes
1x24 (18/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
15x13 The Sun Makers Part One
After the Doctor and friends robbed a bank on Saturday, here they come up against evil taxmen, in the most thinly-veiled 'satire' ever made (I suspect).

Tumble
1x06 Episode 6 [season finale]

Two Tribes
1x23 (17/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Always (1989)
[#92 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Crimes of Passion
1x04 Roses, Kisses and Death
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Frankenweenie (2012)
[#91 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

this week on 100 Films

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


Braveheart (1995)

I figured I ran the risk of affecting the outcome of the Scottish independence referendum if I posted this review yesterday (because of course I have that kind of reach and influence), but after Mel Gibson’s historical(ly-dubious) epic wound up on my 2014 WDYMYHS list, it seemed too good an occasion to miss. So whether Scotland is about to become independent or not, here are my thoughts on a movie that hopefully didn’t actually influence anyone’s vote…

Read more here.


Dark Shadows (2012)

Director Tim Burton’s most recent live-action movie is an adaptation of a 1960s soap opera… albeit one featuring vampires, witches, ghosts and sundry other supernatural goings-on. You wouldn’t get that on EastEnders (more’s the pity).

Read more here.


The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

The big one everyone wants to see, of course, is Jackie Chan vs. Jet Li. Rather than engineer it to form part of the climax, they duel halfway through, in an encounter that settles on a victor just as much as that opening credit does. Nonetheless, it’s an epic bout in terms of both scope and length.

Read more here.


Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012)

This new take has trashier, almost grungy, stylings, which at least make it more interesting than the "mainstream blockbuster"-styled first attempt. That doesn't make it a good film by any means, but it does make it somehow less objectionable

Read more here.


Plus five were new to the new blog...


Bride & Prejudice (2004)

Melodramatic love story/stories? Check. A couple of over-acted comedy characters? Check. Characters bursting into song? Check. Bright, colourful, extravagant song-and-dance numbers? Check.

Read more here.


Ladies in Lavender (2004)

Charles Dance’s first film as writer and director. Judi Dench and her long-time friend Maggie Smith play believable sisters in a beautiful Cornish setting who discover a young Pole washed up on their beach.

Read more here.


Miracles (1989)

It’s 1930s Hong Kong and Jackie Chan accidentally becomes the head of a mafia-like gang. The film follows a “gang war” plot for about 40 minutes before abruptly changing tack to become an identity-based farce! It’s all a bit messy

Read more here.


Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

“What if Max Schreck really was a vampire?” is the simple, thoroughly daft, and equally promising, premise of this low-budget horror/drama/comedy. Having the advantage of such a good concept to kick things off, all starts well, but the longer it runs the more it loses it.

Read more here.


Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

Most negative reviews accused the film of being essentially a TV episode, not earning itself a spot on the big screen. They may have a point. The subject matter isn’t at fault... but the execution of it is frequently low-key.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
7x03 (19/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Celebrity Squares
1x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Doctor Who
34x05 Time Heist
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who Extra
1x05 Time Heist
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Two Tribes
1x22 (16/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
8x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

Absolutely no changes this week. Hey-ho.

Number of titles in collection: 1,697 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,203 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 494 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,232 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,830 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,242 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
1x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
13x08 (18/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Wall (2012)
[#90 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]
aka Die Wand

TV

Doctor Who
26x07 Ghost Light Part Three [2nd watch]

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
3x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Would I Lie To You?
8x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Spirit (2008)
[#89 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Doctor Who
26x06 Ghost Light Part Two [2nd watch]

The Great British Bake Off
5x07 Pastry
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Musketeers
1x10 Musketeers Don't Die Easily [season finale]
Seems like it would've been quite easy to write the Cardinal out after all... Anyway, good show. Look forward to series two.

Films

Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
[#88 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Doctor Who
26x05 Ghost Light Part One [2nd watch]
It's quite hard to think of a classic Who serial that's very like Listen, so this is the best I could come up with: the Doctor taking his companion to a mysterious and nigh-unfathomable thing from their past in a dark, creepy and complex tale.
It also means that, for the second week in a row, my tie-in four-parter is less than four parts. Ho hum.

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
2x03 Episode 3

Two Tribes
1x21 (15/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
7x02 (12/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Celebrity Squares
1x01 Episode 1
Despite being billed in some places as a 21st Century version, this feels like it was made in the '70s.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Mock the Week
13x07 (11/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Scott & Bailey
4x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

TV

Crimes of Passion
1x03 No More Murders
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Braveheart (1995)
[#87 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2014 #9

Seemed an appropriate choice this week.

this week on 100 Films

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


Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

Disney attempted to replicate the success of Mary Poppins with this, another musical adaptation of a fantastical British novel set in Britain with British people in it — including some kids who, based on their accents, must be from the same part of London as Dick Van Dyke’s Bert.

Read more here.


Idiocracy (2006)

The creator of Beavis and Butthead imagines a future America in which, essentially, everyone has become his once-famous animated creations. I think — I never watched it. Basically, everyone’s a moron.

Read more here.


Monsters vs Aliens (2009)

it’s The Avengers with ’50s B-movie monsters. If that doesn’t sound like a fun concept, you’re probably already on a hiding to nothing. It has a love and understanding of B-movies that should keep many a genre fan happy, suggesting it was created for them almost as much as its true audience [i.e. kids]

Read more here.


Plus four were new to the new blog...


Be Kind Rewind (2008)

The work of Michel Gondry and the comedy of Jack Black are both, shall we say, acquired tastes, and not ones you would necessarily expect to overlap. Yet here they do — at least to an extent — but while Black is again doing his usual schtick as the Ker-Azy Best Mate, it’s the writer-director who is perhaps offering some surprises.

Read more here.


It Happened Here (1966)

Alternate histories are always fun, and nothing seems to have provoked more than the Second World War. Which, as a defining event in modern history for a good chunk of the world, is understandable. It Happened Here is perhaps one of the earliest examples, depicting a 1940s Britain under Nazi occupation.

Read more here.


Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

arguably Agatha Christie’s most famous novel, perhaps because of its widely-known twist ending, or perhaps because it’s inspired in part by a high-profile true story, or perhaps because of this multi-Oscar-nominated all-star adaptation.

Read more here.


Over the Hedge (2006)

CGI movies are far too common these days, meaning that the quality is dropping... Over the Hedge is certainly derivative — its character arc is almost directly lifted from Toy Story, for example — but it is beautifully animated

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
34x04 Listen
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who Extra
1x04 Listen
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Tumble
1x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Two Tribes
1x20 (12/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Dark Shadows (2012)
[#86 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Collection Count

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

A classic TV series on DVD, half a new one on Blu-ray, and a movie on BD too, make for increases in almost every tally this week.

Number of titles in collection: 1,697 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,203 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 494 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,232 [up 8]
Number of films in collection: 1,830 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,242 [up 23]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
1x06 Episode 6
Having an unrepentant Diana on feels like it's reopened that can of worms just after it had finally died down...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Last Leg
5x06 (5/9/14 edition) [season finale]
Ending a week too early to cover the Pistorius verdict! Shame. Great episode, though.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Two Tribes
1x19 (11/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Great British Bake Off
5x06 European Cakes
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Musketeers
1x09 Knight Takes Queen

Two Tribes
1x18 (10/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
20x22 The King's Demons Part Two [season finale; 3rd watch]
What an odd ending. Essentially, the Doctor uncovers the Master's plot... and then all the time travellers just leave. There must be some very confused 13th Century nobles left behind, but we never see any of that. The downsides of being only two parts, I guess. You have to wonder if three is the ideal length for a Who story -- two is a bit rushed and unsatisfactory, whereas with four (or more) a good deal of the middle episodes is often spent doing sod all.

Two Tribes
1x16 (8/9/14 edition)
1x17 (9/9/14 edition)
[Watch episodes 16 and 17 (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
20x21 The King's Demons Part One [3rd watch]
Any Doctor Who fans reading this will notice that, despite my stated aim of watching a four-parter after every new Who episode this year, The King's Demons has only two parts. There are a couple of reasons for this: one, it has the best connection to Robot of Sherwood that I could think of (it's set in the same era, with the same king on the throne; and, in the second half, features a robot); two, it has a neat connection to a story we'll be watching later (more on that when we get there); and three, due to a familial invasion we only have time for a two-parter this week anyway -- what serendipity!

Two Tribes
1x15 (5/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Grey (2011)
[#85 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
7x01 (5/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Crimes of Passion
1x02 King Lily of the Valley
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
[#84 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Articles

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Jack the Ripper unmasked: How amateur sleuth used DNA breakthrough to identify Britain's most notorious criminal 126 years after string of terrible murders
by Russell Edwards (from Mail Online)

Sorry to link to the Daily Fail, but this is a rather fascinating story, all over Twitter today.

I started reading it with a high degree of scepticism -- surely it wouldn't turn out to be true? It would be someone deluding themselves about some "well, maybe... kinda..." evidence. But it does sound pretty convincing, actually. I'm sure other experts will weigh in and review the evidence over the coming days/weeks/months, and perhaps then we'll know for certain.

this week on 100 Films

Right back at the start of this week, September started! Which of course means 100 Films in a Year took pause to look back at August. Read all about it here.


Following that, four brand-new reviews were published. They were...


The Battle of the Somme (1916)

Arguably the most famous clash of the First World War, the Battle of the Somme lasted four-and-a-half months from July to November 1916 and, with over a million men wounded or killed, is “one of the bloodiest battles in human history.” As the BBC’s History website puts it, although it was “intended to be a decisive breakthrough, the Battle of the Somme instead became a byword for futile and indiscriminate slaughter”. Not that you’d guess it from this contemporary documentary, which is essentially a propaganda piece produced by the British government.

Read more here.


Crimes of Passion: Death of a Loved One (2013)

the latest Scandi-crime acquisition for BBC Four, airing in their regular “foreign crime” slot of Saturday nights at 9pm. [This first episode debuted in cinemas in March 2013.] Marketed as “Mad Men meets The Killing”, it would be more accurately be described as “Agatha Christie with subtitles”.

Read more here.


The House of Fear (1945)

it felt to me like it wasn’t really going anywhere until Holmes suddenly figured it all out at the end. Certainly he draws on clues encountered along the way, but even then most of those come late on.

Read more here.


Wrath of the Titans (2012)

A confused story connects workmanlike action sequences and mediocre CGI... New ideas sporadically rear their head, but Liebesman can’t ring anything interesting from them. Its predecessor’s strong points — creature design; retro-styled gods — are AWOL.

Read more here.


But just one review was re-posted to the new blog this week (oops).


Clash of the Titans (2010)

the film is built to provide action sequences, though these are passable and rarely more. They’re fine while they’re happening, but pretty much forgotten after — none of it shows a great deal of inspiration. The history of film is littered with far worse examples, but that’s about the best I can say.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Collection Count

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

I half forgot to post this yesterday, half hadn't done all the sums -- so here it is today! Complete with exciting monthly running time update...

Number of titles in collection: 1,694 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,202 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 492 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 4,224 [up 6]
Number of films in collection: 1,829 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,219 [up 5]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

And the aforementioned running time update tells us...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
304 days, 7 hours, and 50 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 23 hours, and 59 minutes from last month.)

Yep, one minute off exactly two days. Ah well.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Doctor Who
34x03 Robot of Sherwood
Really enjoyed that. It aimed to be a fun romp, and it was a fun romp -- what more can you ask? Looks like we're back to Super Seriousness next week, which will please some. Not that it displeases me, but I like the tone of my Who to be varied.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who Extra
1x03 Robot of Sherwood
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Two Tribes
1x13 (3/9/14 edition)
1x14 (4/9/14 edition)
[Watch episodes 13 and 14 (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)
[#83 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Crimes of Passion
1x01 Death of a Loved One
BBC Four's latest Scandi crime import, which I'm actually watching when it's on (more or less) rather than just downloading and never quite getting round to. This first episode received a theatrical release in Sweden, making it 100 Films in a Year 2014 #82; I'll have a review up in the morning.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
1x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Last Leg
5x05 (29/8/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Films

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
[#81 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Doctor Who
15x08 The Invisible Enemy Part Four
That was that, then. Not a very well-regarded story (it came 196th in DWM's recent poll) and it doesn't particularly deserve to be either. Some good bits though.

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
2x01 Episode 1

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
3x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

TV

Doctor Who
15x07 The Invisible Enemy Part Three
Considering this was made in the mid-'70s on a BBC kids' TV budget, I thought the special effects/sets inside the Doctor's brain looked pretty good. The nucleus of the swarm -- aka the giant prawn -- was godawful, though.

The Great British Bake Off
5x05 Pies and Tarts
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Tumble
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
15x06 The Invisible Enemy Part Two
There's K9, and the miniaturisation! This isn't a very well-regarded story, and it's not all that, it's true. Has its moments though, most of them courtesy of Leela's humour.

The Musketeers
1x08 The Challenge

Two Tribes
1x11 (1/9/14 edition)
1x12 (2/9/14 edition)
[Watch episodes 11 and 12 (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
15x05 The Invisible Enemy Part One

This week's selection avoids the obvious choice of a Dalek story for something more conceptually linked: this is the story in which the Doctor is shrunk to enter his own body.

So I've read, anyway -- this is one I've not seen before (bonus!), and it doesn't happen in this episode. It's also the first story with K9... who's also not in this episode. Hey-ho.

TV

Two Tribes
1x10 (29/8/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Wallander [Swedish]
3x04 Saknaden (aka The Loss)

Films

The Shining (1980)
[#80 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2014 #8

this week on 100 Films

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


G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)

wants to have its cake and eat it by being both a sequel and a fresh movie for newcomers. Unfortunately it doesn’t work: it feels disjointed from the first film, but there’s too much carried over for it to feel standalone.

Read more here.


Gravity (2013)

This is a survival story, predicated on two things: one, the desperate attempts of our heroine to triumph against increasingly-poor odds; and two, the spectacle of weightlessness and space. Not every movie needs a complex storyline to keep it going; not every film needs to only be about its plot.

Read more here.


Sightseers (2012)

Like The Trip, only with quaint museums instead of restaurants and murder instead of impressions, the third feature from director Ben Wheatley is succinctly described as “a black comedy”.

Read more here.


St. Trinian's: The Legend of Fritton's Gold (2009)

Despite an occasionally slicker appearance, including some CGI-aided pirate-y flashbacks, and bigger sequences, like a commando raid on the school or a large flashmob musical number at Liverpool Street station, the whole doesn’t come together quite as well as the first movie. (Plus, the use of the term “flashmob” instantly dates it.)

Read more here.


And seven archive reviews (and one other piece) were new to the new blog...


The Brothers Bloom (2008)

From the director of the acquired taste that was Brick, The Brothers Bloom looks like it might be a little more mainstream: it’s got a lead cast who are all Oscar nominees and it has a con/heist plot — always popular — and a light tone. But while it’s not as specialised as Brick‘s near-impenetrable dialogue and considered (over-considered?) tone, it’s certainly Quirky.

Read more here.


Confetti (2006)

Largely improvised Britcom, shot in a documentary style, about three couples trying to win a most original wedding competition.

Read more here.


For All Mankind (1989)

It’s not a documentary in the sense that most people perceive the form — i.e. a highly realistic presentation of the facts — but instead something a little more interpretive, aiming to recreate the feeling and experience of travelling to the moon, not the hard facts of who went when and how it was done. As such it is both beautiful and artistic, featuring stunning photography that has been sensitively edited and scored.

Read more here.


Indy 4: Initial Thoughts

I'll post a proper review another time, but these are a quick handful of reactions having finished the film less than an hour ago. They are, as the title notes, spoiler-free.

Read more here.


Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Make no mistake, Harrison Ford is still Indiana Jones. The hair may be grey, the face covered in more lines, but the attitude and humour is still there. This is an older Indy, of course... [They] could have used his age as a crutch, leaving him with some comedy running away while the much younger Mutt got stuck in; this isn't the case, and that's great.

Read more here.


In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)

The telling is dominated by the words of the actual astronauts, describing their personal experiences and feelings. Rather than following a mission-by-mission chronology it mixes all their stories together, thereby telling the tale of a journey to the Moon and exploring its surface only once. It’s a neat way of editing it because it avoids repetition while also covering a variety of perspectives.

Read more here.


Paths of Glory (1957)

the film remains bleakly realistic: the depressing Old Boys’ Club-style hierarchy of the military (still all too much in effect, as series like Generation Kill reveal); the unjust unrecorded trial (an excellent courtroom sequence that can stand up to any other); through to the inescapable finale.

Read more here.


Starter for Ten (2006)

You'd assume the plot would focus on the characters' aim to win University Challenge, coupled with a woefully predictable romantic subplot; sadly, it turns out the woefully predictable romance is the main plot and the quiz only turns up now and then to lend some structure.

Read more here.


Tomorrow, it's the monthly update for August. That, and more, next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
34x02 Into the Dalek
Consensus seems to be that this was better than last week. While I didn't dislike last week, I'd agree with that. Not a classic maybe, but a very solid Dalek adventure.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Next week on Doctor Who (in my world), the 4th Doctor is shrunk and goes inside himself to battle The Invisible Enemy...

Doctor Who Extra
1x02 Into the Dalek
This was an improvement, too. More decent episode-focused detail, and the voiceover seemed to have calmed down too -- possibly as a result of all the criticism online? It's just a shame it doesn't have Confidential-style 'witty'/'clever' episode titles. I kinda miss those.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
2x13 A-Tisket, A-Tasket [2nd watch]

Tumble
1x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)
[#79 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Collection Count

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

Last-minute changes abound, as one imported Blu-ray turned up three days later than it should have, and then another turned up three days early!

Number of titles in collection: 1,692 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,203 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 489 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,219 [up 14]
Number of films in collection: 1,827 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,214 [up 37]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [up 3]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Last Leg
5x04 (22/8/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Two Tribes
1x08 (27/8/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
12x04 Robot Part Four [2nd watch]
The fact this episode is entirely made up of climax is a reminder of how sometimes (often?) classic Who was constructed as a movie split into parts. As for Robot itself, I think the first half is very good and there are excellent ideas and concepts throughout, but some of the execution (both in the writing and realisation on screen) is a let down in the latter two instalments.

Next time on Doctor Who: Peter Capaldi goes Into the Dalek...

The Musketeers
1x07 A Rebellious Woman

Two Tribes
1x09 (28/8/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Wrath of the Titans (2012)
[#78 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Doctor Who
12x03 Robot Part Three [2nd watch]
This isn't the best-regarded of Who stories, but I'd been really liking it... until this episode, when things all got a little silly. UNIT were the most ineffective military ever at stopping the villains escape: "they've gone round the corner into a van! We'll just stand here and shoot at the back of the van!"; "The truck's driving at us! We could shoot the driver, but instead let's just jump out of the way!" Ah well.

The Great British Bake Off
5x04 Desserts
Controversy in the Bake Off tent! A virtual riot on Twitter! Will our little baking show ever be the same again?!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Safe (2012)
[#77 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Doctor Who
12x02 Robot Part Two [2nd watch]

The Musketeers
1x06 The Exiles

Two Tribes
1x07 (26/8/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Kings of Summer (2013)
[#76 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Doctor Who
12x01 Robot Part One [2nd watch]

After the success of our 50th anniversary viewing, it's time for some more tie-in classic Who. This time, it'll be a series of four-parters, watched Monday through Thursday between Capaldi episodes, and the aim is for each to have some connection to the episode just gone by.

In this case, Moffat has referenced the Pertwee/Baker regeneration and the style of the ensuing story as being influences on Deep Breath, so it seemed an apt choice. (Stylistically, Talons of Weng-Chiang would have been closer; but a) that's a six-parter, and b) not all the ties will be so obvious.)


Ripper Street
2x08 Our Betrayal Part Two [season finale]

The would've-been-"series-finale" were it not for Amazon. S'a good show, I look forward to the next run... when it eventually arrives on the BBC. Or earlier, perhaps...


Two Tribes
1x06 (25/8/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Fiction

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
5 The Five Orange Pips

One of Doyle's favourite Holmes adventures, and one of those awarded five stars by The Pocket Essential Sherlock Holmes; also the inspiration (loosely) for The House of Fear, which I was finally writing my review for today, hence reading the story.