Films

TMNT (2007)
[#99 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x10 (17/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Films

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition) (2003/2004)
[3rd or so watch]

Consensus marks this as the best of the trilogy. For me, Fellowship still edges it, but this is nonetheless a great finale.

Films

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Edition) (2002/2003)
[3rd or so watch]

I've warmed to The Two Towers down the years... or rather I had, because this time I found it a bit of a slog again. It's the only one of the three where I'd entertain an argument that the Extended Edition makes it worse.

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2x22 The Chopper

Gotham
1x20 Under the Knife

Mock the Week
14x02 (18/06/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Lilo & Stitch (2002)
[#98 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

this week on 100 Films

First things first, this week 100 Films in a Year was nominated for a Liebster Award. More on that here:




Relatedly, I dragged this interview from 2011 out of the archive:




In regular business, three brand-new reviews were published this week...


The Rocketeer (1991)

the first act drags and unbalances the film, which picks up considerably (though gradually) after the Rocketeer himself finally turns up. It would feel a much better film, and perhaps be better regarded, if it didn’t dilly-dally for so long before getting to the meat of the plot and action. It doesn’t help that it has ambition ahead of its era when it comes to special effects.

Read more here.


The Voices (2014)

The Voices isn’t your usual kind of film — obviously. In the special features, everyone’s very keen to talk about how it exists outside of genre, and they’re right. From some of the premise (his pets talk!) and marketing, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was just a comedy. It is a comedy, but a very black one. A very, very black one. A total-absence-of-light black one.

Read more here.


X-Men: Days of Future Past - The Rogue Cut (2014/2015)

So is this cut better? Well, no. Is it worse? Well, not really. It’s just different. On the one hand, here we have some extra fleshing out of Raven and Hank’s characters, more action for future-Magneto and Iceman, and a more decent role for Rogue... On the other hand, it makes for a slightly less streamlined film

Read more here.


Plus three archive reviews were reposted on the new blog...


Manhattan (1979)

for me, the best bit of the entire film is the opening three-and-a-half minutes, in which the beautiful images, Allen’s narration and Gershwin’s music combine in a tribute to what must be the most genuinely loved of all cities.

Read more here.


The Right Stuff (1983)

it’s nice to actually get some coverage of these earlier, vital missions, though such an in-depth knowledge of what was to follow has its problems for The Right Stuff’s narrative, just as knowing the facts always does for a historical movie. Equally, it gives the emotional resonance a helping hand

Read more here.


Verity (2010)

The short’s tagline — “men, bitches and Daleks” — sums up its thematic concerns: Verity Lambert argues with the man who hired her, faces animosity from other female members of staff, and saves the day by forcing the Daleks into [Doctor Who] despite Sydney Newman’s forbiddance.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Films

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) (2001/2002)
[3rd or so watch]

Has it really been five years since I last watched Lord of the Rings?! Bloody hell! And it was only the theatricals then, so I haven't seen these extended ones for... God only knows. At least seven or eight years, I'd wager. That's insane. Must start watching them more often again.


The Thing (1982)
[#97 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2015 #5

Collection Count

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

Multiple new acquisitions this week, though as several of them were upgrades from DVDs it threw the maths into a bit of a tizzy. Basically, I replaced my individual DVDs of the first three Mission: Impossible films, totalling five discs, with a single four-disc Blu-ray box set.

Such kinks have been largely eradicated from the final result by a last-minute new DVD arrivals.

Number of titles in collection: 1,779 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,207 [down 3]
Of which Blu-rays: 572 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 4,411 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 1,924 [up 6]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,508 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Coldplay + Game of Thrones: The Musical for Red Nose Day
Sketch for Red Nose Day USA that I finally got round to watching. It had its moments.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube.]

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
8x05 (20/6/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Ripper Street
3x02 The Beating of Her Wings
I'd heard tell this was the best series yet, and based on these first two episodes I can well believe it. Looking forward to how it develops from here, though how it will I can't quite imagine.
[Watch it now on Amazon Instant Video, or on BBC One (edited) soon.]

Vicious
2x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

TV

Episodes
4x06 Episode 6

Gotham
1x19 Beasts of Prey

The Last Leg
7x01 (26/6/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Two Tribes
2x28 (13/7/15 edition)
Two Tribes returned to BBC Two for two episodes, then after two days was replaced by golf for two weeks. (I don't know if the golf really lasts two weeks, but for all I know it will.)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

X-Men: Days of Future Past - The Rogue Cut (2014/2015)
[#96a in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

The theatrical cut of Days of Future Past was 2014 #113 when I watched it last November. This new cut, released on DVD and Blu-ray this week, adds 17 minutes. Does it make a huge difference? Not really.

TV

Ripper Street
3x01 Whitechapel Terminus
The Amazon-saved series returns to BBC One later this month... so I'm finally getting round to watching it on Amazon. Well, I watched the first two series months after they aired, so it's only right. It's at least as good as ever, which is nice, and by jumping ahead four years it's almost like a mini-reboot. Leaves you feeling a bit dazed if you can't quite remember how the last series ended, but on the bright side it does (eventually) recap anything you need to know.

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2x21 Det. Dave Majors

Gotham
1x18 Everyone Has a Cobblepot
Has it really been nearly three months?! Time to finish this one off...

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2x20 AC/DC

Mock the Week
14x01 (11/06/15 edition)
Got some catching up to do...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
8x04 (13/6/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Voices (2014)
[#96 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

this week on 100 Films

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


Changing Lanes (2002)

I don’t know if Changing Lanes was aiming to be a state-of-the-nation thriller or just a character drama, but either way, the storyline is a mite too implausible, and the ending — where everyone suddenly realises The Right Thing To Do — is rather pat

Read more here.


Meet the Robinsons (2007)

Disney’s 47th Animated Classic comes from their weak ’00s period, after the end of the so-called Renaissance and before what’s apparently been dubbed the neo-Renaissance (presumably no one could think of a synonym). This hails from the tail end of that lamentable era, though, so there are signs of recovery: Meet the Robinsons isn’t bad, just mediocre.

Read more here.


Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics (2013)

Christopher Lee narrates as a bunch of talking heads (writers, actors, psychologists) discuss the titular. The topics are quite universal — the psychological underpinnings apply not just to DC, not even just to comics, but to all fiction.

Read more here.


Song of the Sea (2014)

This depth of emotion and, if you like, thematic consideration probably marks Song of the Sea out over The Secret of Kells in some respects. Certainly, there seems to be a broad understanding that this is the better film... a more mature, complex work. I’ll be the dissenting voice, because while I did like Song of the Sea, I didn’t think it was as strong an overall experience as Kells.

Read more here.


What We Did on Our Holiday (2014)

It's hard to miss the Outnumbered parallels early on... There's a suspicion that Hamilton and Jenkin are returning to their half-improvised TV show's early glory days, when the natural kids said funny things and the adults had to react. If anything, however, the more Kids Say the Funniest Things: The Sitcom tendencies of early Outnumbered are toned down for this movie, which (like later seasons of the series) is very story-driven much of the time.

Read more here.


Plus six archive reviews were reposted on the new blog...


Bolt (2008)

Also noteworthy are the action sequences. Far from being perfunctory attempts at liveliness, these are properly exciting, making full use of 3D CGI to create exciting and dynamic sequences. I'm not just talking about the couple we get from the TV-series-within-the-film either, but also the 'real world' ones as Bolt, Mittens and Rhino jump onto trains, out of moving vans, escape from a pound, etc.

Read more here.


Commentary! The Musical (2008)

on the Dr. Horrible DVD can be found this — an alternate audio track, on which the cast and crew discuss the making of the feature… except it’s all scripted and the majority is sung. Not your traditional audio commentary then. [It] falls somewhere between DVD extra, TV episode and short film. Whatever it should be classed as, it’s utter genius.

Read more here.


Hello, Dolly! (1969)

Comedians Walter Matthau and Michael Crawford (yes, Frank Spencer!) star alongside Barbra Streisand in this comedy musical directed by Gene Kelly (yes, the star of many a musical himself!) which flopped at the box office but did well at the Oscars, and has gained in popularity since.

Read more here.


Odd Man Out (1974)

What the structure really facilitates is the depiction of a cross-section of Northern Irish life, and particularly their reaction to “the organisation” — it doesn’t take a genius to guess what that means. As the opening scroll said, this is indeed concerned “only with the conflict in the hearts of the people when they become unexpectedly involved”, but by leaving out detail of the politically contentious background to the unrest, it perhaps robs the characters’ indecision of any basis.

Read more here.


Tangled (2010)

It’s funny, which is its biggest asset, and exciting at times — as usual, the highly moveable camera of CG animation adds fluidity, speed and excitement to the action sequences, making them one of the high points.

Read more here.


Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)

Dana Andrews is an effective lead, believable as Dixon the thuggish cop. We support him, but only just — he doesn’t quite have the instant likeability of Bogie’s Marlowe, for example, but he’s enough on the side of right that we can get behind him.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x09 (10/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Collection Count

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

Only two acquisitions this week, though a few more are winging their way to me for next time. Nonetheless, it's that time of the month: the running time update.

Number of titles in collection: 1,779 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,210 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 569 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,406 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 1,918 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,508 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

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

Total running time of collection (approx.):
317 days, 22 hours, and 50 minutes.
(Up 12 hours and 59 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? (2015)
[#95 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Films

Song of the Sea (2014)
[#94 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Films

Scanners (1981)
[#93 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

Family Guy
13x01 The Simpsons Guy
Family Guy returned to BBC Two last night for the first time in yonks (before it heads to ITV2 later this year), beginning with this crossover episode that aired in the US last September. It was quite good.

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x08 (3/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

this week on 100 Films

This week over at 100 Films in a Year saw a new-look monthly update, packed with far more goodies than ever before. Check it out here:




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


The Eagle (2011)

Adapted from Rosemary Sutcliff’s children’s adventure novel, director Kevin Macdonald’s film is, perhaps surprisingly, almost leisurely paced, as much about mood as it is about action. Big fights and battles clearly aren’t the film’s goal or forte, though an early sequence where Roman forces battle druids outside the fort Tatum commands is excellently done.

Read more here.


Fury (2014)

In some respects it's a bit “seen it all before”. The desaturated photography, muddy landscape and slightly-ramshackle military campaign are all very post-Saving Private Ryan, though writer-director David Ayer lends enough of his own directorial flair that it feels more visually distinctive than most Ryan rip-offs.

Read more here.


The Guest (2014)

I loved The Guest. I loved Dan Stevens’ character and his performance. I loved each and every one of the perfectly-placed supporting cast. I loved the wit and the action scenes. I loved the ’80s-inspired plotting. I loved the score. Indeed, I loved pretty much everything about it.

Read more here.


The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer’s French-produced silent movie depicts the last hours in the life of Joan of Arc, a nineteen-year-old who is on trial by the Church for claiming God instructed her to fight to free France from British rule. You probably know it doesn’t turn out well for her.

Read more here.


Plus six archive reviews were reposted on the new blog...


Breathless (1960)

Godard's first and most famous film; part of the beginning of the nouvelle vague, a French movement defining a particular youth culture at the time... This is definitely what most people would call an 'arthouse' film, though is decidedly less so than the one other Godard film I've seen

Read more here.


The Crowd (1928)

Late silent-era drama — though you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a comedy until halfway, when the light antics of a young couple in ’20s New York give way to some increasingly dark drama (interesting trivia: seven endings were shot for distributors to choose from, some happy and some sad; all chose sad ones.)

Read more here.


Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005)

The plot is more or less suitably movieised — a more-epic-than-usual tale of Stewie’s origins (sort of) — though it seems slightly held back by its genesis as three TV episodes and the need for it ultimately to be split back up. With subplots that begin and end within each half-hour(-ish) segment, it plays about as well as watching a three-parter back to back

Read more here.


Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine (1913)

The first of the silent Fantômas films. It's interestingly structured: there's no 'origin story' for Fantômas, he just is an infamous master criminal, who's introduced in what would undoubtedly be a pre-titles sequence today

Read more here.


Fantômas: Juve Versus Fantômas (1913)

Second instalment... full of crazy schemes and action set pieces, which means it’s actually a great deal of fun, relatively fast-paced and densely plotted, exciting and deliberately amusing

Read more here.


The Good German (2006)

is this a case of style over substance? Some critics accuse it of just that, saying it concentrates more on the look & feel than the characters. They do have a point, but the style is, if not incidental, then still not the sole purpose. The tale is more about the mystery — indeed, mysteries — than the characters.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Collection Count

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

Should've been stuff this week; wasn't. Should definitely be next week, then.

Number of titles in collection: 1,777 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,210 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 567 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,403 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,916 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,508 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics (2013)
[#92 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Films

Returning to Jedi (2007)
[#91 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Completing the fan documentary trilogy, after Star Wars Begins and Building Empire. You can watch it on Vimeo.

Films

Fury (2014)
[#90 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x07 (26/6/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

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

Films

Apollo 13 (1995)
[2nd or so watch]

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
[2nd watch]

this week on 100 Films

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


21 Jump Street (2012)

the film’s best material revolves around the changing face of high school. Tatum and Hill’s characters grew up in an era of the traditional mould, where jocks ruled and nerds were bullied. When they return undercover, the tables have turned: getting good grades and caring about the environment is cool.

Read more here.


Hummingbird (2013)

might sound like your standard Statham action-thriller. It really isn’t. Knight’s focus is primarily on the relationship between Joey and Cristina, two people who are both lost, struggling with events from their past, trying to help people, in search of something. It’s a bigger acting challenge than Statham usually has to face. To be honest, he’s probably not wholly up to the task, but he makes a good fist of it.

Read more here.


The Interview (2014)

As with so many comedies, your mileage will vary on whether what follows is indeed hilarity or merely inanity. For me, it contained a weight of obvious ‘gags’ and crass ‘humour’, but also enough genuinely amusing bits to keep it ticking over.

Read more here.


The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Katharine Hepburn is the high society heiress getting re-married to someone dull from daddy’s company. Cary Grant is the husband from her tempestuous first marriage. When he turns up uninvited, screwball hijinks ensue.

Read more here.


Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

The debut feature from the director of all-conquering box office behemoth Jurassic World, Safety Not Guaranteed is a small-scale indie comedy that may or may not have a sci-fi twist. Inspired by a real newspaper ad (actually written by a bored editor), this fictional version sees three journalists from a Seattle magazine tracking down the guy who placed the ad in order to find out the true story behind it.

Read more here.


Plus nine archive reviews were reposted on the new blog...


Bringing Out the Dead (1999)

The storyline, which follows Nicolas Cage's paramedic across three nights in New York, is a mixture of short episodic medical incidents with longer threads that continue throughout. These connect and fall apart, feeling as episodic as the rest, and most of them don't really lead anywhere.

Read more here.


Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone. (2007/2009)

The pace is surprisingly good throughout, a well-considered balance between action, character and mysteries. Anno and co have retained some of the original’s light and shade — this isn’t just a plot recap, but includes some of the humour and character-based subplots.

Read more here.


Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance. (2009/2010)

This is very clearly a second part. It hits the ground running, with no thought for those not up to speed on the characters and events so far. Indeed, there’s perhaps little regard for those who may be familiar with it anyway: certain significant events rattle past, the storyline spewing mysteries via dialogue we barely understand, so dense is it with references and allusions.

Read more here.


Garden State (2004)

Zach Braff of Scrubs fame writes, directs and stars in this coming-of-age-style comedy-drama, his first feature as writer and director.

Read more here.


Gigi (1958)

a film about largely horrid people doing morally dubious things. But of course it’s a musical from the ’50s, so it all has a veneer of loveliness and respectability.

Read more here.


Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth (1997)

There are answers, revelations, some great sequences, and a great cliffhanger! Unfortunately this is also the start of the next film, which ultimately renders this as just one thing: a fan-only curio.

Read more here.


Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)

don't even attempt this if you haven't seen all of the (excellent) TV series -- it won't even vaguelly make sense. Sadly, if you have seen the series, it's a disappointing climax. Promising a clearer ending than the original arty philosophical one, it winds up delivering something that's almost as bad.

Read more here.


On the Town (1949)

Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra lead the cast in this musical comedy about three sailors who have 24 hours of shore leave in New York. The plot is sometimes predictable, but at least it's not as standardised as many. Equally, none of the songs are truly memorable but most are fun while they last.

Read more here.


Play Time (1967)

I know some people love the work of Tati, just like there’s always someone who loves everything; personally, I find his films largely dull. His character, Monsieur Hulot, is like Mr Bean but less funny

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2x19 Sabotage

Person of Interest
3x12 Aletheia
[Watch it on Demand 5 from 9th July.]

Films

John Wick (2014)
[#89 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Collection Count

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

Number of titles in collection: 1,777 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,210 [up 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 567 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,403 [up 6]
Number of films in collection: 1,916 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,508 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Raging Bull (1980)
[#88 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2015 #4

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x06 (19/6/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Films

The Guest (2014)
[#87 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Films

Before Dawn (2012)
[#86 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

Episodes
4x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
49x08 (5/6/2015 edition; extended repeat) [season finale]
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Person of Interest
3x11 Lethe
[Watch it on Demand 5 from 2nd July.]

Films

Meet the Robinsons (2007)
[#85 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]


Star Wars - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983/2011)
[goodness-knows-what-th watch]

Concluding my Star Wars HD re-watch with the movie that I last watched as #82b in 100 Films 2007. The Machete Order seems to work pretty well, particularly with regards to the Dark Side: the otherwise out-of-the-blue awesomeness of the Emperor and redemption of Vader now have some context.

this week on 100 Films

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


Blitz (2011)

the cast is filled out with some really good (and/or recognisable) actors slumming it: David Morrissey, Paddy Considine, Aidan Gillen, Luke Evans, Mark Rylance. Yes, Mark Rylance. Mark “Wolf Hall” Rylance. Mark “greatest theatre actor of his generation” Rylance. Mark bleeding Rylance! Why, Mark? Why?!

Read more here.


Forty Guns (1957)

Western with Barbara Stanwyck as a powerful landowner, and commander of the titular posse, whose bullying brother, Brockie, is consequently allowed to run riot over the town. Enter lawman Griff (Barry Sullivan) and his two brothers, whose moves to bring Brockie in line kickstart a chain of ruinous events.

Read more here.


Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

Action comedy starring John Cusack as a hitman who has to face the life he left behind when he’s assigned a job in his hometown on the same weekend as his high school reunion.

Read more here.


Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut (2005)

in many respects, an old-fashioned epic. It’s a long film not because the director is prone to excess, but because it has a lengthy and complicated story to tell. It isn’t adapted from a novel, but the structure feels that way, spending a lot of time on characters... it’s a long while before the movie reaches Jerusalem, ostensibly the film’s focus, and it completes the arcs of several major characters along the way.

Read more here.


Man of Tai Chi (2013)

should probably feel derivative and lightweight. Instead, it feels fun, exciting, stylish, and, if not deep, then at least more complex than you might have expected.

Read more here.


Monsters University (2013)

Pixar’s fourth sequel is more Cars 2 than Toy Story 3.

Read more here.


Pursuit to Algiers (1945)

In his production notes on the Optimum DVD release, Sherlockian Richard Valley describes the 12th film in the Rathbone/Bruce Holmes series as “the runt of the litter” — which it is — though he also declares that it “has its own peculiar charm… If it’s not in the same league as Adventures of Sherlock Holmes or The Scarlet Claw, neither is it a waste of time.” Of that I am less convinced.

Read more here.


Plus six archive reviews were reposted on the new blog...


After the Sunset (2004)

Each of these plots seem to have originated in different films — some serious, some light, some thoroughly comedic. When stuck together they make for a constantly varying tone, and it’s difficult to work out which was the intended one. By the end there’s so much going on (though, barely) that the ending goes on forever

Read more here.


Beyond the Pole (2009)

In case it wasn’t clear, this is a comedy. Unfortunately it’s only mildly amusing rather than laugh-out-loud hilarious. Worse still, it’s occasionally a bit thumb-twiddly as the inevitable plot points inevitably happen.

Read more here.


Clue (1985)

it's the kind of film that's unremittingly daft, but it knows it is, and if one gets on board with that then it's a very enjoyable experience... Eventually there's a murder, and then a few more, all of which is conveyed in a mix of hilarious farce and fast-paced screwball comedy. It's Agatha Christie meets Fawlty Towers.

Read more here.


The Damned (1963)

an interesting film, certainly, but one that is perhaps somewhat undercut by its age; a kind of ’60s SF that would probably require a distinctly different approach if you were to attempt to make it today... starting out as a kind of small town British gang B-movie, with some eccentric and apparently irrelevant characters turning up in asides, before segueing into a nuclear-age SF parable.

Read more here.


This is Spinal Tap (1984)

Comedy up to 11.

Read more here.


The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

A confused first act (which jumps about in chronology for no discernible reason) gives way to a more linear second two that, while more pleasing, seem to do away with major characters for no reason other than the plot ran out of things for them to do.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Elementary
3x24 A Controlled Descent [season finale]

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
8x03 (6/6/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

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

Films

Whiplash (2014)
[#84 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Collection Count

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

Number of titles in collection: 1,774 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,208 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 566 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,397 [up 2]
Number of films in collection: 1,913 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,508 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

I said there'd be inevitably be something, didn't I.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Have I Got News For You
49x08 (29/5/2015 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Rush (2013)
[#83 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Films

Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
[2nd watch]

Films

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
[2nd or so watch]

TV

Game of Thrones
5x10 Mother's Mercy [season finale]
I watched this in the early hours, right after it was on in the US, rather than wait 24 hours as I normally do (for various reasons). I'm glad I did — so much that would almost inevitably have been spoiled in those intervening hours! Great episode, though.

TV

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

Films

Dogma (1999)
[2nd watch]


Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005/2011)
[3rd watch]

After a three-week interruption (for various reasons), the Star Wars re-watch resumes. Sith isn't as bad as the other two prequels, but it's not really as good as the original trilogy, is it? As for the Machete Order, exactly how well it works hinges on how Jedi plays next week...

this week on 100 Films

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


Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013)

Some claim the film hinges on in-jokes and references to the numerous Partridge series, but that’s poppycock: as someone who’s never watched one, I didn’t even sense I was missing something. Indeed, even as someone who’s never seen the character’s appeal, I thought the film was hilarious.

Read more here.


The Expendables 3 (Extended Version) (2014)

Oscar-nominated screenwriter Sylvester Stallone continues his examination of masculinity and machismo amongst older men in this trilogy-forming instalment of his Expendables franchise. You think I’m joking… because I am. But there is actually an element of that in this latest action-fest, as the leader of the titular band of mercenaries chooses to retire his team of ageing soldiers and replace them with younger models.

Read more here.


The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

The film has the feel of an artisan confection: candy-coloured, precisely designed and constructed, sweetly enjoyable, but with a hidden bite. Something like that, anyway.

Read more here.


Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

Despite being a moderately-starry big-budget Hollywood effort, Jack the Giant Slayer feels cheap as chips across the board. For starters there’s the woeful screenplay, with its first-draft-level dialogue and poor construction. [Then,] if you told me any of the CG-driven sequences were from a Syfy miniseries, I’d probably believe you.

Read more here.


Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

Part of the setup is “My Fair Lady with gentlemen spies”, as chavvy Eggsy is reshaped to be an old-fashioned besuited gent, inspired by the story of how Dr. No director Terence Young took a rough young Scottish chap called Sean Connery under his wing and taught him how to dress and behave as a gentlemen in preparation for his star-making role as the original superspy. It’s one of those ideas that you wonder why no one thought of developing into a fiction sooner.

Read more here.


Plus seven archive reviews were reposted on the new blog...


Anne Frank Remembered (1995)

In this Oscar-winning documentary, Jon Blair exposes the ‘untold story’ of Anne Frank. He adds to her words with the perspective of her friends, other people who knew her, and relatives of her companions in the annex... The film also reflects on Anne herself, and what it uncovers is not always positive. Such an honest approach could be contentious, but its attempt to uncover the truth — rather than paint a false saintly picture — is admirable.

Read more here.


Cruise of the Gods (2002)

Though the film pokes fun (fairly good-naturedly) at sci-fi obsessives, the underlying story here is about a man overshadowed by his past. In this Rob Brydon gives a strong performance, and he’s ably supported by James Corden in particular

Read more here.


Dark Floors (2008)

You may remember Lordi, the surprise winners of the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. If that doesn’t help, they were the Finnish rockers all dressed up in monster suits. Here in the UK we gave them our highest number of points. You’d be easily forgiven if you had forgotten them, but clearly someone hasn’t as they not only made this film, someone thought they were big enough to use in its promotion — it’s subtitled “The Lordi Movie” on posters, DVD covers and what have you. Maybe they’re still well-known in Europe. Or Finland.

Read more here.


Hamlet (1996)

It’s the first ever full-text screen adaptation, which means it clocks in just shy of four hours; he unusually shot it on 70mm film, which means it looks gorgeous; and, while he grabbed the title role himself, he assembled around him a ludicrously star-packed cast from both sides of the pond... Even Ken Dodd’s in there!

Read more here.


Hamlet (2009)

[A] notable facet of David Tennant’s interpretation of the character is humour. Hamlet’s madness here is almost unrelentingly funny — even in deadly serious situations, like capture following a murder, Tennant’s Hamlet can’t resist taunting the other characters, keeping the viewer onside by keeping his apparent insanity entertaining rather than scary or darkly intense.

Read more here.


Ministry of Fear (1944)

To say too much about what Ministry of Fear is actually about would ruin it, which I don’t want to do because in fact it’s a great twisty little thriller, a rather Hitchcockian ‘wrong man’ tale with a baked MacGuffin

Read more here.


Mrs Brown (1997)

Period drama focusing on the friendship between Queen Victoria and her Highland servant John Brown, alongside political threats faced by the British monarchy in the 1860s.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
8x02 (30/5/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Superman vs. The Elite (2012)
[#82 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Collection Count

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

After last week's busy ol' update, nothing to report (except one small correction). My prediction that it will remain that way for a further five weeks still stands, too. For now.

Anyway, it's not all boring this week: there's a running time update! (Thought: if there genuinely remains nothing to add for the next five weeks, the next running time update will show no change -- I think that'd be a first. I imagine I'll cave to some impulse purchase in that time, though.)

As I was saying: anyway...

Number of titles in collection: 1,772 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,208 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 564 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,395 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,911 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,508 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

And that running time update...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
317 days, 9 hours, and 51 minutes.
(Up 11 hours and 52 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
[#81 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x05 (5/6/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

Elementary
3x23 Absconded

Person of Interest
3x10 The Devil's Share
Well that must be HR done now, then (hurrah!)

Vicious
2x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Films

The Interview (2014)
[#80 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

Episodes
4x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Flash
1x23 Fast Enough [season finale]

Game of Thrones
5x09 The Dance of Dragons

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
8x01 Eurovision Special
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Forever
1x22 The Last Death of Henry Morgan [series finale]
Cancelled before its time, perhaps, but at least it wrapped up most of the mysteries.

Have I Got News For You
49x07 (22/5/2015 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Now You See Me (2013)
[#79 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

Vicious
2x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Films

Ladyhawke (1985)
[#78 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

this week on 100 Films

A new month began during this week on 100 Films in a Year, so we begin with a look back at... wait a minute! I forgot to post the look-back at April! Right then:



And now, May too:




After all that, six brand-new reviews were published this week...


The Black Cauldron (1985)

an intriguing footnote in the history of Disney animation. Their 25th ‘official’ film, it was the first with no songs, the first to earn a PG, and flopped so badly they disowned it for over a decade. Fully-animated sequences were cut after disastrous test screenings for parents, and famed exec Jeffrey Katzenberg reportedly ordered 12 minutes cut, muddling the film’s story.

Read more here.


Hancock (Extended Version) (2008)

If you’ve only seen the humour-focused trailers, seeing Hancock described as a comedy-drama might come as a surprise. There’s a whole behind-the-scenes story here, it would seem... [they] thought they were making a character drama superhero movie, while studio executives were more interested in it being a superhero action-comedy... While the marketing went all-out on the comedy angle, the film itself is torn between these two pillars, leaving viewers with mismanaged expectations

Read more here.


Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

The first of Summer 2013’s “Die Hard in the White House” movies... The remarkable thing, watching both movies, is just how many plot beats are so similar. Even when they’re not exactly the same, they’re functionally identical. For example, a plane shoots up Washington merely as a distraction to get the President sent to the White House’s bunker; in White House Down, an explosion at the Capitol is staged merely as a distraction to get the President sent to the White House’s bunker.

Read more here.


Room 237 (2012)

Possibly-crazy people offer definitely-crazy theories on the subtextual meaning of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining in this controversial film analysis documentary.

Read more here.


Violet & Daisy (2011)

plays like Tarantino with a metric tonne of Quirk slathered over it. On the bright side, it’s sort of entertaining, albeit fundamentally derivative with a sheen of left-field try-hard wacky-uniqueness.

Read more here.


White House Down (2013)

where your opinion is likely to land is most succinctly summed up in Film4’s review by Rebecca Davis: “Whether or not you enjoy this film depends entirely on whether you judge it to be po-faced or parody. If you believe it’s the former, you’ll probably hate it. If you believe it’s the latter, you’ll have an absolute blast.” I definitely judge it to be a parody... not an out-and-out Airplane-style parody, but very much a self-aware retro-styled tongue-in-cheek Action Movie.

Read more here.


Finally, there were six archive reviews republished too...


Capote (2005)

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar-winning lead performance dominates this movie... in and around the mechanics of the murder investigation and Capote’s work process, it’s the character of the man, and how it’s affected, that is really revealed to the viewer

Read more here.


Catfish (2010)

a documentary (probably -- we'll come to that) in which 20-something Nev falls in love with a girl somewhere else in America over the internet. He and his friends become suspicious that she's not who she claims and set off to find out The Truth. ...reflects our current relationship with social networking technology... how these tools are and can be used, and what effects this can have on human relations.

Read more here.


The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)

Wordy political intrigue tries to coexist with broad comedy which is squashed against swashbuckling adventure. The latter two could co-exist, but the film feels like it wants to be the former and so suffers for it. The comedy jars too much to be effective... It should at least be able to swash buckles effectively, but entirely fails to achieve this until the climax.

Read more here.


The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

If some later Disney ventures have lost sight of the correct spirit for Pooh’s adventures, at least this original is a great adaptation. Bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, and, above all, fun fun fun fun fun.

Read more here.


The Naked City (1948)

Police procedural film noir, shot entirely on location in New York... The story is quite straightforward -- girl is murdered, police investigate -- but it exists mainly as a structure on which to hang perspectives of the city, its criminals and its law enforcement

Read more here.


New York Stories (1989)

Anthology of three shorts, connected only by the New York setting, directed by Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Scorsese.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Elementary
3x22 The Best Way Out is Always Through

Pointless Celebrities
7x05 British Film
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Expendables 3 (Extended Version) (2014)
[#77 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Collection Count

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

A nice big five additions this week. (Current prediction for the next six weeks: 0. Well, we'll see...)

Number of titles in collection: 1,772 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,208 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 564 [up 5]

Number of discs in collection: 4,394 [up 4]
Number of films in collection: 1,911 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,508 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
[#76 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x04 (29/5/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

Car Share
1x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
Ending with one of the funniest episodes -- brilliant! Really hope they make more. The ratings were strong, so I guess it's just down to Peter Kay and co. And to think I wasn't going to even bother with it...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Game of Thrones
5x08 Hardhome

Films

Changing Lanes (2002)
[#75 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Films

Pursuit to Algiers (1945)
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

this week on 100 Films

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


Bullet to the Head (2012)

At times, you get the impression that director Walter Hill wants this to be a noir tale: there’s a hardboiled voiceover, a story mired in corrupt officials, twists about who to trust, and so on. But these elements are only fleeting, never building a consistency where you could plausibly claim it as any kind of neo-noir. Instead, it’s more of a buddy movie in the ’80s mould.

Read more here.


Feast (2014)

This year’s Best Animated Short Oscar winner is a charming little tale of a dog and his owner. I absolutely adored it

Read more here.


Seven Psychopaths (2012)

The writer-director and star of In Bruges re-team for the former’s sophomore feature; and if that doesn’t sound oddball enough for you, the lead cast is rounded out by Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken. Zaniness is sure to ensue.

Read more here.


Shutter Island (2010)

One of the things Lehane set out to do in his novel was write “a gothic”, and Scorsese and co have taken that ball and run with it. It’s overflowing with a fantastic atmosphere: unsettling, creepy, chilling, horror-movie scary when needed (some sequences are properly hair-raising); truly gothic-feeling.

Read more here.


Plus eight archive reviews were reposted on the new blog...


Almost Famous (2000)

Crowe’s autobiographical screenplay is a good one, with plenty of amusing and dramatic moments to keep it ticking over — the most memorable, on a crashing plane, manages both with aplomb. Likewise, his direction is rarely flashy but always works. The music, costumes, design and cinematography evoke the period well

Read more here.


Bullets Over Broadway (1994)

John Cusack spends the entire film doing a blatant and middling impression of writer/director Woody Allen. But he nonetheless does OK, and the rest of the cast are note-perfect, the script pacy and funny, the photography gorgeous, and the long takes never more appropriate

Read more here.


Goodfellas (1990)

In the lead role, Ray Liotta seems to have been underrated, lost behind the top billing of De Niro and the award-winning craziness of Joe Pesci. He carries the film, with a performance that isn't showy but is perfectly pitched.

Read more here.


A Good Woman (2004)

reviewers like to pounce on the US cast members. Scarlett Johansson is neither here nor there, as per usual, but I thought Helen Hunt was quite good. It's undoubtable that they're overshadowed by British thesps like Tom Wilkinson and Stephen Campbell Moore however, but that's just par for the course.

Read more here.


Road to Singapore (1940)

Bob Hope and Bing Crosby star as a pair of young(ish) playboy sailors who run away from responsibility and family expectations in this comedy that launched the perennially popular Road to… series, which would spawn six sequels over the next 22 years.

Read more here.


Road to Morocco (1942)

Gentle, silly humour abound in this comedy, the third in the Road to… series. If you remember those plays that Morecambe & Wise used to do you’ll have a fair idea what this feels like

Read more here.


Road to Rio (1947)

If you’ve seen one Road to film then you’ve a fair idea what to expect from any other: lots of comedy, a few songs, a bit of romance, as well as some general hijinks. The differences, in all of these aspects, lie in the specifics: which songs, which gags, and so on... One might say it’s a variety show with a framing device, though there is a little more to the narrative than that.

Read more here.


Some Like It Hot (1959)

enjoying it again, didn’t want to skip the chance of handing it five stars in this pathetically brief review... it’s a very funny film even 50 years on. It rattles from situation to situation at an occasionally surprising pace, literally without a dull moment.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.