Films

Persona (1966)
[#7 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2015 #1

TV

Castle
4x07 Cops & Robbers

Celebrity Mastermind
2014/2015 Episode 9 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Newsroom
3x04 Contempt

Films

Last Passenger (2013)
[#6 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

Death in Paradise
4x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Last Leg
6x01 (9/1/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Films

Machine Gun Preacher (2011)
[#5 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled
2x01 Simple People Eating Complex Carbohydrates
[Watch it (again) on Dave OD.]

Broadchurch
2x01 Episode 1
Has it really been almost two years? (Yes.) Interesting new direction -- an area rarely (if ever) explored in TV dramas before -- but a bit less of the obvious "we both know secrets about the past, but let's not tell the audience"-type dialogue, please.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Outnumbered
1x05 The Mystery Illness [3rd watch]

Fiction

The Adventures of Tintin: The Calculus Affair by Hergé

I recently bought a box set of three animated Tintin movies from the '60s and '70s. One of them is an original story and one a faithful adaptation of The Seven Crystal Balls/Prisoners of the Sun, but the first is a version of The Calculus Affair that reportedly bears no resemblance to the book whatsoever... so I thought I ought to read the original first, especially as "some, such as Benoit Peeters in his book Tintin and the World of Hergé, consider this as the greatest and most "detective-like" of the whole series" (so says Wikipedia).

And it is a very good one, actually; a kind of Cold War spy thriller, but through a Tintin filter of course -- there's still plenty of slapstick and so on. Considering the next Spielberg/Jackson film is being scripted by Anthony Horowitz, of Alex Rider and Foyle's War and the next Bond novel, this would seem to be a good candidate to base it around...

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
8x01 (9/1/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Castle
4x06 Demons

Room 101
15x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
[#4 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

this week on 100 Films

We're well into the new year now, but back on Monday at 100 Films in a Year I finally wrapped up last year with my Top 10, Bottom 5, and 50 I missed from 2014 (amongst other delights).


Then, to kick off 2015 properly, the selections for my "What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" challenge were announced. Read all about it here.


Additionally, a new review was also published:


Modern Times (1936)

Charlie Chaplin satirises technology and modernisation in arguably the last film of the silent era. It actually has a synchronised soundtrack, primarily for music and effects, but also dialogue — though “we hear spoken voices only when they come from mechanical devices, a symbol of the film’s theme of technology and dehumanization.”

Read more here.


And finally, two archive reviews were brought to the new blog...


C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (2004)

Mockumentary about the history of America had the South won the civil war. While an intriguing idea, in practice it’s disappointing. Apparently such a victory would have led to everything the nation did since being in order to maintain slavery.

Read more here.


The Locket (1946)

a passable melodrama. We're presented with plenty of evidence that Nancy is definitely a tricksy operator, but then is the man telling the tale an unreliable narrator? I don't know if the filmmakers were even aware of such a concept. Maybe that's unkind; maybe they just didn't want him to be one; but the ending we do get is very pat, and I'm not sure it quite makes sense.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The Voice UK
4x01 The Blind Auditions 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
8x09 Episode 8
(Those numbers aren't incorrect -- this happened.)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
[#3 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Fiction

The Adventures of Tintin: The Crab with the Golden Claws by Hergé
[second half]

Collection Count

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

As predicted, loads more stuff this week...

Number of titles in collection: 1,728 [up 7]
Of which DVDs: 1,207 [up 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 521 [up 5]

Number of discs in collection: 4,318 [up 11]
Number of films in collection: 1,862 [up 9]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,464 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 441 [up 3]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Outnumbered
1x04 The Quiet Night In [3rd watch]

Fiction

The Adventures of Tintin: The Crab with the Golden Claws by Hergé
[first half]

That film adaptation I watched the other day is almost frame-for-frame faithful, while it's clear to see what Spielberg's film got from here -- it may not have retained the title or second half, but what it did use was pretty darned faithful.

TV

Castle
4x05 Eye of the Beholder

Outnumbered
1x03 The City Farm [3rd watch]

Films

Parker (2013)
[#2 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

Castle
4x04 Kick the Ballistics

Mapp & Lucia
1x03 Episode 3 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Room 101
15x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Crab with the Golden Claws (1947)
[#1 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

aka Le Crabe aux Pinces d'Or -- the very first Tintin film, a stop-motion animation that was only screened twice, and is now only available on DVD in France (or on the internet, of course...)

TV

Arrow
3x09 The Climb

Celebrity Mastermind
2014/2015 Episode 8 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
3x08 End of Watch

Mrs Brown's Boys
Mammy's Gamble [New Year's special]
Not sure why I watched this...
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
7x04 Christmas Special
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Celebrity Mastermind
2014/2015 Episode 7 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mapp & Lucia
1x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Darcy Oake: Edge of Reality
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

The Last Leg
6x00 The Last Leg of the Year [2014]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Outnumbered
1x02 The Special Bowl [3rd watch]

this week on 100 Films

You may have noticed that 2015 has begun, and so for 100 Films in a Year that means it's time to look back at 2014 through a variety of posts.

First, WordPress provide their annual summary of site statistics. Find out how many shows I could sell out at the Sydney Opera House.

Then, there's my December summary:



And now the big one: The Full List of my 2014 viewing, complete with a bunch of fun statistics and graphs. That's fun, right?


As well as all that, a total of two new reviews were published this week:


The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)

The screenplay’s balance between peril and comedy is spotlessly enhanced by Spielberg's peerless direction. In a world stuffed to the gills with lesser blockbusters that palely imitate the groundwork Spielberg and co laid in the ’70s and ’80s, work like this should remind people why he’s still the master of the form.

Read more here.


The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)

Though Zatoichi is best (or quickest) defined as a series of samurai films, those taking that to mean copious swordplay will leave with their expectations unmet after this first movie. Tale is more of a dramatic piece, exploring the dilemmas faced by Zatoichi and Hirate — honour and what is right vs. money and misplaced promises

Read more here.


And finally, two further reviews were new to the new blog...


Becoming Jane (2007)

The big advantage to this being a somewhat Hollywoodised version of the story is the slew of English acting talent on display. Julie Walters, Maggie Smith and Ian Richardson are all present, in roles of varying sizes, plus the younger Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House) and Laurence Fox (son of Edward); not to mention James McAvoy, busy appearing in everything under the sun at the time.

Read more here.


Young Guns (1988)

Considering this is ‘the Brat Pack Western’, one might well expect a modernised, sanitised West; something rated PG-13. Instead the film seems to have begun life as a serious attempt at a Billy the Kid biography, right down to bloody violence that earns it an 18. This intention seems to survive — bar a music-video-styled opening, a couple of lines of dialogue, and the wailing ’80s guitar score — but how successful it was is another matter.

Read more here.


More next Sunday -- including my Top 10 of 2014!

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2014/2015 Episode 6 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mapp & Lucia
1x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
13x14 New Year's Eve Special [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

I didn't think I'd be buying much for a little bit... and then I saw sale stuff. There'll be even more (lots more) next week.

Number of titles in collection: 1,721 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,205 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 516 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,307 [up 4]
Number of films in collection: 1,853 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,464 [up 12]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2014
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Outnumbered
1x01 The School Run [3rd watch]
Looks like I last watched this in 2008! We got the complete DVD set for Christmas, though, so expect a complete re-run over the coming weeks/months.

TV

It'll Be Alright on the Night
(28/12/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Miranda
4x02 The Final Curtain [series finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Atlantis
2x04 The Marriage of True Minds
2x05 The Day of the Dead
Finally catching up, and these two episodes were as good as I'd heard.
[Watch The Marriage of True Minds and The Day of the Dead (again) on iPlayer.]

Castle
4x03 Head Case

On Angel Wings
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Requiem for a Dream (2000)
[#136 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2014 #12

And that's WDYMYHS completed for 2014! Hurrah!

TV

Elementary
3x07 The Adventure of the Nutmeg Concoction

The Flash
1x09 The Man in the Yellow Suit

Not Going Out
7x11 The Outtakes [special]
Some places listed the title of this bloopers special as Not Going Outtakes, which I rather liked.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Knights of Badassdom (2013)
[#135 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death

Live at the Apollo
10x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless Celebrities
6x30 Comedians
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)
[2nd watch]

This was #92 in 100 Films 2013 -- I re-watched it before posting my review today.

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2014/2015 Episode 5 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

James May's Toy Stories
Action Man at the Speed of Sound
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Wrong Mans
2x02 Action Mans/Wise Mans [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)
[#134 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

this week on 100 Films

Christmas is over for another year -- well, apart from all the remaining special TV entertainment, and no doubt a big pile of leftovers to eat (am I right?)

Still, technically it's over -- and that means the 100 Films in a Year 2014 Advent Calendar came to a close too. Here are its final reviews, plus one other, making five this week:


Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

the problem with Marvel’s massive shared universe (where the events of one film impact not only on future films but tie-in TV series, etc) is that, watching Cap 2 just seven months after its release, the film already feels like very old news... it now feels like watching a press conference after you’ve read a summary of the key points: there’s probably something to be gained from experiencing the whole thing, but it’s also like a slow-paced unveiling of surprises you already know.

Read more here.


Frozen (2013)

You don’t need me to tell you that Frozen is a phenomenon [but] you don’t actually have to go very far on the internet to find people baffled by its success. Plenty of people think the music is bland, the characters underdeveloped, the moral and emotional arcs not fully thought-through, the visual style a rip-off from Tangled, and more. While they do have some points, they’re also being a tad harsh.

Read more here.


Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

leaves you with an instant feeling of having seen a top-quality blockbuster, thanks to its likeable heroes, abundant humour, frequent irreverence, uncommonly colourful visual style, retro-cool soundtrack, and so forth. Unfortunately, once you dig underneath that there’s a little too much that’s rote ‘modern blockbuster’

Read more here.


John Carter (2012)

I was expecting, or perhaps hoping, to like it; to find a misunderstood old-style adventure full of entertainment value. It may be an old-style adventure, but that’s beside the point, because whatever it is, I just felt it wasn’t particularly well made: poorly constructed, weakly performed, lazily (and wrongly) assumptive of the audience’s familiarity with the material.

Read more here.


Seven Samurai (1954)

Despite its epic running time, Seven Samurai isn’t really an epic film — this isn’t the story of a war, or even a battle, but of a skirmish to defend one village. How does it merit such length, then? By going into immense detail, by having plenty of characters to fuel its narrative, and by using the time to familiarise us with these people, so that when the final fight comes, we care what happens.

Read more here.


More next Sunday -- when my year-end wrap-up posts will have started, because it'll be 2015!

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2014/2015 Episode 4 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
13x13 Christmas Special
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Lego Movie (2014)
[#132 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger! (2012)
[#133 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Collection Count

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

This is the first post-Christmas update, as I'm sure you could have guessed, and is also handily time for a four-weekly running time update. It's also the last update of the year, and, even though there's still a few days of 2014 left, I'm not expecting anything in that time... so let's also look at how things have changed this year.

Number of titles in collection: 1,719 [up 5 this week; up 75 in 2014]
Of which DVDs: 1,205 [no change this week; up 8 in 2014]
Of which Blu-rays: 514 [up 5 this week; up 67 in 2014]

Number of discs in collection: 4,303 [up 24 this week; up 184 in 2014]
Number of films in collection: 1,852 [up 3 this week; up 80 in 2014]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,452 [up 135 this week; up 354 in 2014]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change this week; up 32 in 2014]

Those are all smaller increases than during 2013 -- except short films, which is exactly the same. Bizarre.

And finally for 2014...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
311 days, 6 hours, and 59 minutes.

(Up 3 days, 21 hours, and 12 minutes from last month.)
(Up 15 days, 12 hours, and 9 minutes from last year.)

The very-high nearly-four-days increase is thanks to those 135 TV episodes, while the 15½ days increase is lower than last year's 19-day leap. So there.

See you next week, faithful reader, when it will be 2015. Happy New Year!

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2014/2015 Episode 3 (of 10)
Skipping the original episode 3 thanks to a round on the recently-deceased Joe Cocker. That seems to have really confused the /programmes site, what with the original ep3 still being there, as well as the new ep3...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Michael McIntyre's Very Christmassy Christmas Show
Michael McIntyre's Shockingly Mediocre Christmas Show.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Wrong Mans
2x01 X-Mans/White Mans
Being episodes one and two (hence the two titles), while episode two has episodes three and four. What's up with the BBC and episode numbers today?!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

John Carter (2012)
[#131 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Celebrity Fifteen to One
Christmas Special
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Celebrity Mastermind
2014/2015 Episode 2 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who
35x00 Last Christmas [Christmas special]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Miranda
4x01 I Do, But to Who?
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
at Christmas [2014]
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Strictly Come Dancing
Christmas 2014
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

John Bishop's Christmas Show 2014
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
28x12 Christmas Show
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Not Going Out
7x10 Christmas Special [season finale]
Was that the last-ever episode? It certainly felt like it, and some people seem to be under the impression it was, but I haven't seen any official confirmation. I rather hope they do more, though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings
[3rd watch]
Still as relevant as ever -- which, considering it's now 14 years old, is almost depressing.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

All is Lost (2013)
[#130 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

With this, 2014 overtakes 2007 to be the most successful (in terms of number of films watched) year of 100 Films ever!

And I'm not done yet!

TV

Arrow
3x08 The Brave and the Bold

The British Comedy Awards 2014
Plus The British Comedy Awards 2014: Even More Awards, the E4 after-show featuring awkward interviews, montages, and (you guessed it) even more awards.
[Watch The British Comedy Awards and Even More Awards (again) on 4oD.]

Castle
4x02 Heroes and Villains
Watching this immediately after Arrow felt a little deconstructionist...

Would I Lie To You?
8x08 At Christmas [special]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2014/2015 Episode 1 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
3x06 Teri Pericolosa

The Flash
1x08 Flash vs. Arrow

Live at the Apollo
10x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Gotham
1x10 LoveCraft
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Pointless Celebrities
6x29 Christmas Special
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

It's the third week of 100 Films in a Year's 2014 Advent Calendar, in which a further seven brand-new reviews were published...


Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

This isn’t the kind of blockbuster that sets out a simple premise then follows it up with half a dozen action sequences, possibly with a twist at the end. No, this is the story of Ape and Man learning to interact and coexist — or, rather, failing to. Political machinations abound — and that’s just in the Ape camp.

Read more here.


Machete (2010)

When it’s on its game, Machete is the best kind of spoof: innovative, comical... Unfortunately it’s far too long, with an overabundance of characters and conflicts dragging things out.

Read more here.


Sin City (Recut & Extended) (2005)

The lack of notable new material isn’t the issue, though. The real problem is the re-structure. Let’s not beat around the bush: it scuttles the film. Individually, each of the three longer narratives is fine, but when watched back-to-back as if it were still one film, the structure is unbalanced.

Read more here.


Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)

a collection of hyper-noir short stories, connected by location and overlapping characters, that flits between time periods with abandon — this is both a prequel and sequel to the first film... If the first was noir with a comic book mentality, then the second is a comic book with a noir mentality.

Read more here.


The Spirit (2008)

Comic book creator Frank Miller brings what he learnt co-directing Sin City to this adaptation of Will Eisner’s classic newspaper strip. Turns out, that’s not much.

Read more here.


The World's End (2013)

This is a more mature work than its two predecessors. While they were clever genre mash-up/pastiches, this goes lighter on that crowd-pleasing bumf. There are still generous segments of that in the film, but the genre being manipulated is less clearly defined and occasionally co-writers Pegg and Wright have substituted character development and thematic points for send-up.

Read more here.


X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

There’s an awful lot going on in Days of Future Past, which, if you want to dig into it, makes for quite a rich film. There’s the obvious need to balance major storylines taking place in both the past and the future... but there’s enough [character] material for a quality actor like James McAvoy to sink his teeth into.

Read more here.


Plus one new to the new blog...


Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

at times it reminded me of Pride & Prejudice — a family of daughters seeking marriage — albeit a version of Pride & Prejudice with much of the dramatic tension removed. For instance, Austen’s tale spends a long time creating a bad impression of Mr Darcy, only to eventually reveal his (mostly) good intentions. St. Louis, on the other hand, manages all of five minutes

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Have I Got News For You
48x10 (12/12/2014 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Another Thin Man (1939)
[#129 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

That makes 2014 equal to 2007 as 100 Films' highest-numbering year. One more film in the next 11 days and it'll be the Best. Year. Ever.

Sounds doable...

Collection Count

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

This is the last update before Christmas. Usually a light time, and indeed there's only one addition this week.

Number of titles in collection: 1,714 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,205 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 509 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 4,279 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,849 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,317 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader, for my Christmas haul!

TV

Forever
1x11 Skinny Dipper
Mid-season finales are really becoming a thing, aren't they?

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
28x11 Episode 11
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Not Going Out
7x09 Lucy
Whoo! About time. Not because I'm massively into the romance of it all (a "shipper", as the Cool Kids would put it), but because it's been lurking for so long that it is indeed about time they moved on with it.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Bill the Galactic Hero (2014)
[#128 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Arrow
3x07 Draw Back Your Bow

Elementary
3x05 Rip Off

Live at the Apollo
10x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Missing
1x08 Till Death [season finale]
Fantastic. One of the best British series for years, I'd go so far as to say. Hopefully the just-announced second run can be just as good.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Not Going Out
2x08 Murder at Christmas [season finale; 2nd watch]

Films

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
[#127 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

The Flash
1x07 Power Outage

The Missing
Part 7 Return to Eden
That ending has given me A Theory. I shall find out tomorrow...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Sin City: Recut & Extended (2005)
[#126 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

I last saw Sin City when it was in cinemas nine years ago, so this is a "2nd watch" really... but the slightly-extended and massively-reordered DVD/BD version mucks around with it so much that I felt it deserved a new number.

TV

Have I Got News For You
48x09 (5/12/2014 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Outnumbered
3x00 The Robbers [Christmas special; 2nd watch]
Seems I've not watched this since it first aired five years ago! Good stuff, though. Ought to re-watch the whole thing sometime...

The Thick of It
2x02 Episode 5
2x03 Episode 6 [season finale]

TV

Castle
4x01 Rise
Channel 5 have not only bumped Castle to 5USA, they also started showing it a couple of months ago without any fanfare (none that I saw, anyway). So I've had to resort to... alternative methods... to catch up. But catch up I will, oh yes.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
28x10 Episode 10
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Not Going Out
7x08 Plane
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

The 2014 Advent Calendar continues this week on 100 Films in a Year, meaning there were another seven new reviews...


Dead Poets Society (1989)

Here’s a film all children should see, to understand the value of free thought and rejecting the system. Cynics probably find its purity of message, coupled with a tragic ending, to be over-sentimental and twee, but this earnestness is what makes it work.

Read more here.


Edge of Tomorrow, aka Live. Die. Repeat. (2014)

It’s Groundhog Day with shoot-the-aliens bits. It’s easy to be cynical about Edge of Tomorrow — it’s a mega-budgeted Tom Cruise actioner that sounds like a semi-rip-off of several other movies and was perceived as a flop (it wasn’t, at all) that no one knew how to sell. In fact, it’s a very entertaining movie — suitably exciting, surprisingly funny, and actually quite clever.

Read more here.


Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Inspired by the true story of a US Army DJ in Vietnam during the war, the resulting film is a showcase for star Robin Williams — reportedly, his antics aren’t even close to what really happened. Doesn’t matter though, does it, because this is Williams at his best.

Read more here.


Good Will Hunting (1997)

Damon and Williams have numerous incredible scenes together; encounters that feel like genuine slowly-evolving therapy, rather than the simplistic and implausible series of repeated revelations and breakthroughs that such treatment is often reduced to on screen. They run the emotional gamut, too, [including] intense humour — that’s what you get when you have Robin Williams at your disposal, of course. His Oscar is well earnt.

Read more here.


Pacific Rim (2013)

This is a film about giant monsters invading Earth, and we fight back with giant robots. It has the logic of the Japanese movies, anime and art that inspired it rather than any basis in the real world. Which is fine — del Toro has said it was aimed at 11-year-old boys (hence the “for over 13s” rating, of course), and it slots pretty neatly into that world.

Read more here.


Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

There’s fun to be had seeing the creation of a classic movie — I’m sure it’s not 100% the honest truth of how it went, but it is based on the tapes Travers insisted were made of the meetings, so it would seem the spirit is faithful. This isn’t a dry “making of” narrative, however, but a lively romp, as the two sides clash over jaunty tunes, characterisation, casting, and made-up words.

Read more here.


The Searchers (1956)

Westerns don’t come more renowned than this Ford-Wayne collaboration about the years-long hunt for a girl kidnapped by Native Americans. Alongside the usual Western thrills, peerlessly executed, it touches on themes of obsession and racism

Read more here.


Also this week, one archive review was re-posted...


Mrs Henderson Presents (2005)

Judi Dench is clearly having a whale of a time in this 1930s-set comedy about a 70-year-old widow who starts up a nude revue.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Gotham
1x09 Harvey Dent
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Pointless Celebrities
6x28 Number 1s
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

This week, the subtraction of that duplicate I mentioned last time, plus four new acquisitions, gives us the following:

Number of titles in collection: 1,713 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,205 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 508 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 4,278 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,848 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,317 [down 5]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Not Going Out
7x07 Surprise

The Thick of It
2x01 Episode 4

TV

Forever
1x10 The Man in the Killer Suit

The Newsroom
3x03 Main Justice

TV

Arrow
3x06 Guilty

Pointless Celebrities
6x27 Writers
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Good Will Hunting (1997)
[#125 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Elementary
3x04 Bella

The Missing
Part 6 Concrete
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Thick of It
1x02 Episode 2
1x03 Episode 3 [season finale]

TV

The Flash
1x06 The Flash is Born

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
28x09 Episode 9
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Atlantis
2x03 Telemon
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gotham
1x08 The Mask
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

The Thick of It
1x01 Episode 1
Picked up the complete collection of this in a Black Friday deal -- now I hope it lives up to its reputation. On the evidence of this first episode, the potential is there, though I confess I laughed more heartily at the episode's deleted scenes.
Incidentally, The Observer described the series as a "cross between Yes Minister and The Office", which couldn't be more true if it was a joint spin-off of the two.

Films

After the Thin Man (1936)
[#124 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

this week on 100 Films

It's been a busy old week at 100 Films in a Year. Firstly, it's December (did you notice?) which meant it was time to look back at November's viewing:




Then, the 3rd annual 100 Films Advent Calendar kicked off -- 25 days of shiny new reviews, people!




And, of course, that means a whole week of reviews -- seven brand-new ones, to be precise. They were...


The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Fortunately for us, ASM2 has some new twists on the old formulas. Harry’s transformation may be inevitable, but it’s played with different emphasis and motivations. Plus Dane DeHaan is a much more unusual and engaging actor than James Franco, his version of Harry notably different from the previous “pretty young rich kid”.

Read more here.


Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

Cue two hours in which cars drive fast, people punch each other, and things blow up. Furious 6 (as it’s called on screen, to forcefully indicate a barely-existent “Part Two”-ness with the previous film) doesn’t ask much of you as a viewer, and doesn’t give you much back either — which is fair enough, in its own way. In other ways, it’s a disappointment.

Read more here.


In Your Eyes (2014)

Anyone expecting a heavy fantasy flick from the creator of Buffy and the director of The Avengers will be sorely disappointed by what they find here. Rather than being the film’s subject, the fantasy element is an unusual way in to a relationship... I don’t believe the phenomenon that connects the two leads is ever explained, or even investigated. The focus instead lies on the effects it has on the characters.

Read more here.


The Kings of Summer (2013)

I wasn’t sure I’d like this — it looked Quirky and Indie and Hipster-y — but I wound up rather loving it. It mashes zany ‘comedy’-comedy with indie drama — the kind of tonal disjunct some despise, because they like their films neatly Funny or Serious, but which I always have an affinity towards.

Read more here.


The Night of the Hunter (1955)

I guess this is one of the reasons why groups including the BFI recommend it as a must-see for kids. Although it’s dark and grim, it rarely wavers from the John’s point of view — it’s an induction into the harshness of the adult world for the two young siblings; a harshness the sweet, innocent community they come from does nothing to prepare them for.

Read more here.


No (2012)

Most strikingly, the whole thing is shot on genuine ’80s videocameras, complete with poor resolution, colour bleeding, and all that jazz. Sounds like a pretentious gimmick, doesn’t it? It actually works rather well: it quickly evokes the era, it allows genuine news footage from the period to blend seamlessly with freshly-shot material (and it really does), and you quickly stop noticing.

Read more here.


We're the Millers (2013)

It’s not, generally speaking, “my kind of film” [but] I thought I’d give this a go. I’m glad I did, because while it’s not particularly remarkable, nor likely to redeem the entire [modern mainstream American comedy] genre for me, it is a suitably amusing and entertaining comedy.

Read more here.


Phew!

The fun continues with even more next Sunday.

Collection Count

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

Number of titles in collection: 1,710 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,205 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 505 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 4,277 [up 9]
Number of films in collection: 1,845 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,322 [up 24]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

One of these actually replaces an existing DVD set, but I haven't had time to factor that in. Next week, then... provided I don't forget.

See you then, faithful reader.

TV

Gilmore Girls
2x19 Teach Me Tonight [2nd watch]

Have I Got News For You
48x08 (28/11/2014 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Oldboy (2003)
[#123 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2014 #11

TV

Arrow
3x05 The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak

Forever
1x09 6 A.M.

Miranda
3x01 It Was Panning [2nd watch]
Thought they were starting a repeat run of this before the new episodes at Christmas, but it appears to be airing as a one-off. Oh well.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Gilmore Girls
2x18 Back in the Saddle Again [2nd watch]

Live at the Apollo
10x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Newsroom
3x02 Run

Films

Series 7: The Contenders (2001)
[#122 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

The Flash
1x05 Plastique

The Missing
Part 5 Molly
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Gotham
1x07 Penguin's Umbrella
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
28x08 Episode 8
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Not Going Out
7x06 Alcohol
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
[#121 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

this week on 100 Films

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


The Secret of Kells (2009)

Based on the true story of the creation of the Book of Kells, albeit with a fantastical spin involving forest spirits, the film’s most striking element is its animation style: clean and modern, but inspired by the famed illustrations in the original illuminated manuscript. The result is endlessly beautiful.

Read more here.


Union Station (1950)

this isn’t some noir-era single-location-thriller, but a kidnap procedural with a significant role for trains and their locales. The best sequence isn’t even in the station: cops tail a suspect, get noticed, and the ensuing chase reaches a memorably grisly end.

Read more here.


Plus three were new to the new blog...


Diner (1982)

There are no big turning points or revelations or developments for any of these characters. One is in trouble thanks to deep gambling debts, but there’s the equivalent of a magic wand that wipes them all out; another is permanently drunk with serious family issues, but neither of those go anywhere

Read more here.


The Star Wars Series

Featuring reviews of all six episodes so far: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.

Read more here.


White Christmas (1954)

surprisingly un-Christmassy. Yes, it’s set at the right time of year, and the plot concerns itself with do-gooding and charity and other such vaguely seasonal themes; but, crucially, there’s a distinct absence of snow (until the very end) and little else actually inspires much Christmas feeling.

Read more here.


Starting tomorrow, it's the annual 100 Films Advent Calendar -- hooray! So, all being well, there should be a tonne of reviews to report on next Sunday.

TV

Have I Got News For You
48x07 (21/11/2014 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless Celebrities
6x26 Dance
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

Said there'd be something this week. It's also the monthly running time update, which is always fun.

Number of titles in collection: 1,708 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,204 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 504 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,268 [up 17]
Number of films in collection: 1,844 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,298 [up 44]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

Plus...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
307 days, 9 hours, and 47 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 2 hours and 22 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Forever
1x08 The Ecstasy of Agony

Films

Les Misérables in Concert: The 25th Anniversary (2010)
Not strictly a film, but as a filmed concert on DVD, where else does it belong?

The Thin Man (1934)
[#120 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Elementary
3x03 Just a Regular Irregular

Tomorrow's Worlds: The Unearthly History of Science Fiction
Part 1 Space
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Arrow
3x04 The Magician
Not sure "actor you won't recognise in non-iconic costume" counts as a big reveal. The character's a big deal, but as the aforementioned reveal is not of who he is (even if you know, as many/most/all will, no one even says his name or something when he turns round), the fact he's a big deal doesn't count toward it being a big reveal.
Rest of it was alright, at least.

Miranda
1x04 Holiday [4th watch]
Classic.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Puppy Love
1x02 Episode 2
Giving up on this. The characters are all unlikeable (all of them), most of them are incredibly irritating, and it's just not funny enough. There are cute dogs, but that's not enough to save it.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Rear Window (1954)
[#119 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2014 #10

TV

The Missing
Part 4 Gone Fishing
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
13x12 (21/11/14 edition)
The regular highlights-and-outtakes episode, for some reason divorced from the rest of the series and broadcast on a random November night.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
[#118 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]