TV

The Americans
3x07 Walter Taffet

Two Tribes
2x40 (31/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
9x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)
[#112 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]
Part 8 New Directors, New Form
Part 9 American Cinema of the 70s

Fiction

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
Chapter 3 [2nd read]

TV

The Americans
3x06 Born Again

Two Tribes
2x35 (30/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)
[#112 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]
Part 6 Sex & Melodrama
Part 7 European New Wave

Fiction

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
Chapters 1-2 [2nd read]

I never re-read books, in part because I don't read enough in the first place (and if I did, there's always so much more to read!) Obviously, this is an exception. I first read it years ago, at uni, and have been wanting to re-read it for a while. I was spurred on by watching Inherent Vice the other day, of course, and also by it only being a short'un. It's not quite as I remember it -- I think the stuff that really stuck with me, that I really enjoyed, must be to come later. We'll see.

this week on 100 Films

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


Interstellar (2014)

criticism/acceptance seems to hinge on the final act. Without getting into spoilers, then, “it’s too far-fetched” is one criticism I’ve seen. Of a science fiction movie. I guess it depends what you’re expecting. The rest of the film is grounded in realistic or plausible science, so when it really pushes at the boundaries of the unknown at the end, some people struggle to accept that

Read more here.


TMNT (2007)

The kids’ phenomenon of the ’80s/’90s has never quite gone away, and this film is one thing that kept it ticking over in the ’00s. I watched out of nostalgia, which may’ve been a mistake.

Read more here.


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


A Few Good Men (1992)
I really ought to watch this again, next time without over two months between most of the film and the final half hour! (Can't believe I stood for that back then...)
Read my review here.


The Prestige (2006)

A well-handled complex narrative (it again jumps about in time, but never to the audience’s confusion), even if the twists are relatively easy to guess. A credit, then, that the film doesn’t totally rely on them.

Read more here.


Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

After the widespread disappointment with Insurrection, the ninth big screen outing for Star Trek, fans hoped this tenth would mark a return to their old adage “even ones good, odd ones bad.” They had reasons to be hopeful: a new director, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, and (potentially) the final outing for the beloved Next Generation crew... Sadly, it wasn’t to be: Nemesis was a critical and commercial flop... And quite rightly, because it isn’t very good.

Read more here.


Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

F.W. Murnau's first film in America, throughout the decades hailed as one of the greatest film ever made. Maybe it is, in some respects -- for a film made 80 years ago it certainly stands up very well today.

Read more here.


What makes a film a film?

I don’t mean “as opposed to a book”, or “as opposed to a pile of rubbish”; but rather, “as opposed to a TV special”, or different to a direct-to-DVD movie — indeed, is there a difference?

Read more here.


And that's the end of the archive reviews! Yes, really! Here's a word on what's next:


Archive Reposts: Mop-up & More

After 14 months of dedicated effort, yesterday's repost of my Sunrise review means I've finally reached the end of my archive reposts... at least as far as reviews are concerned. There are a few posts left to go until I've fully re-uploaded all my priceless older content, and I've split them into the following categories...

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The Americans
3x05 Salang Pass

Films

Inherent Vice (2014)
[#113 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

The Theory of Everything (2014)
[#114 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 couple of releases from the US finally made their way to me this week. Next week, a bumper crop of stuff I bought on offer.

Number of titles in collection: 1,786 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,208 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 578 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,441 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 1,930 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,634 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x14 (14/8/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Americans
3x04 Dimebag

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
2x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Last Leg
7x07 (7/8/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

The Americans
3x03 Open House

The Great British Bake Off
6x03 Bread
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Two Tribes
2x34 (29/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)
[#112 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]
Part 5 Post-War Cinema

TV

The Americans
3x02 Baggage

Person of Interest
3x21 Beta
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Two Tribes
2x33 (28/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)
[#112 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]
Part 3 The Golden Age of World Cinema
Part 4 The Arrival of Sound

TV

The Americans
3x01 EST Men
This returns to the UK on ITV Encore this Wednesday, but I don't get that, so we've got it through... other means. As usual. Also as usual, intending to watch it over the next two or three weeks. You should also watch it, because it's awesome.

Two Tribes
2x32 (27/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)
[#112 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]
Part 1 Birth of the Cinema
Part 2 The Hollywood Dream

1,000! I could say more about why this counts & that, but you can just read such information here. In case you don't know, however, it's 15 hours long, so I'll be watching it over the coming few days/week(s).

TV

Would I Lie To You?
9x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

End of Watch (2012)
[#111 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...


Behind the Candelabra (2013)

Leading us into the uniquely bizarre world of the outrageous musician, Soderbergh keeps a sure grasp on the resultant drama/humour balance. If anything, the entertaining and well-received trailer makes the film look more outrageous than it is, distilling most of the best laughs into a two-minute burst. Indeed, some of the jokes play better in that form

Read more here.


Sherlock Holmes (1922), aka Moriarty

The story diverges from the canon so much it’s liable to give any particularly canon-focused Sherlockians a conniption. It begins in Cambridge... There, a student, Prince Alexis, third in line to the throne of somewhere-or-other-in-Europe, has been accused of stealing from the university, but he claims innocence. His friend John Watson recommends he seeks the assistance of a chap in his year, one Sherlock Holmes. Yes, shades of 1985’s Young Sherlock Holmes. I’m sure you’ll be surprised to learn there are fewer CGI stained glass window knights here, though.

Read more here.


The Thing (1982)

At its heart, John Carpenter’s film is a psychological thriller: an alien is in the group’s midst; it has taken on the form of one or more of them; who can you trust? How can you tell? It’s both a dilemma in an abstract “sci-fi concept” sense, and no doubt a parallel from an era when spying and the threat of ‘the other’ infiltrating society were still major issues.

Read more here.


The Thing (2011)

The Thing 2011-variety is not a remake of The Thing 1982-variety because, primarily, it takes place before The Thing ’82, and also because of drastic changes like making the lead character female and having some of the cast speak Norwegian sometimes. Other than that, what unfolds is just a variation on a theme.

Read more here.


The archive review reposts are getting near the end now. This week, multiple shorts and one all-time classic. But first, a literary remake...


Brideshead Revisited (2008)

It’s entertainingly written and performed, firmly in the tradition of the ‘heritage’ films and TV series that Britain churned out through the ’80s and ’90s — it’s the natural successor to the work of Merchant-Ivory, who of course produced the tonally-similar (at least at first) A Room With a View

Read more here.


Gasman (1997)

“Gritty”, “realist” and “indie” are just some of the stock terms that immediately jump to mind when watching this short, which directly enabled director Lynne Ramsay to make her first feature, Ratcatcher. [It] succeeds in using the associated techniques to tell a simple story of complex emotions and meaning for the characters involved.

Read more here.


How Long is a Minute? (2001)

Pummell’s film succeeds by not over-reaching itself. He has a single philosophical thought, conveyed succinctly with a mixture of image and sound. That’s worth 60 seconds, surely.

Read more here.


The Lunch Date (1990)

Short films are paid minimal attention by most people, but a good one can launch a career. Take this, for example, which won the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1990 and the Oscar for Best Live Action Short in 1991. Writer/director Davidson may not have had a significant film career since, but he has directed episodes of Dexter, Deadwood, Grey’s Anatomy, Law & Order, Lie to Me, Lost, Rome, Shark, Six Feet Under, True Blood, and more.

Read more here.


Rashomon (1950)

Justifiably, much has been written about Rashomon, both critically and analytically. As such I’m not going to dig too deeply here, but instead just highlight a couple of reasons why it’s so acclaimed.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Celebrity Fifteen to One
(14/8/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Yonderland
2x05 Nanny La Roo

Films

Interstellar (2014)
[#110 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Collection Count

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

There should've been a lovely box set bolstering the numbers this week. Unfortunately, it arrived damaged and has had to go back for a replacement. Next time, then.

As it stands, however, no changes.

Number of titles in collection: 1,784 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,208 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 576 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,438 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,928 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,634 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
2x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Person of Interest
3x20 Death Benefit
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Superman: Red Son
Part 1 News of Superman
The first of a 25-part 'motion comic' adaptation of Mark Millar's acclaimed Elseworlds tale. (It’s commonly bundled into 12 instalments, with each one containing multiple parts.) It has some plus points over previous motion comics (like the Watchmen one) -- namely, that there are multiple voices, so there's not some bloke putting on a squeaky tone to play the female characters. It's still not a proper animation, though, so it feels a bit pointless. I shan't be bothering with the rest of it.
[Watch Part 1 on YouTube (legally, I think).]

Films

Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
[#109 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

The Last Leg
7x06 (31/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Two Tribes
2x39 (26/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Great British Bake Off
6x02 Biscuits
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Last Man on Earth
1x01 Alive in Tucson
1x02 The Elephant in the Room
[Watch Alive in Tucson and The Elephant in the Room (again) on UKTV Play.]

Person of Interest
3x19 Most Likely To...
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Yonderland
2x04 Up the Workers

TV

Castle
5x01 After the Storm
Thanks to the wonders of Amazon Prime, no more waiting for Channel 5 -- hurrah!

Would I Lie To You?
9x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Contagion (2011)
[#108 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x13 (7/8/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Last Leg
7x05 (24/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Person of Interest
3x17 /
aka The Episode Channel 5 Skipped For No Discernible Reason. It's an arc-heavy one too, so goodness knows what they were thinking. Perhaps they somehow overlooked it thanks to that damn stupid title...

Two Tribes
2x38 (24/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime
1x01 The Secret Adversary Part One
1x02 The Secret Adversary Part Two
1x03 The Secret Adversary Part Three
Didn't necessarily intend to watch the entire serial in one sitting, but it was good fun. I guess it'll be three weeks 'til the next for me now, then...
[Watch The Secret Adversary parts one, two and three (again) on iPlayer.]

Cowboy Bebop
1x14 Bohemian Rhapsody
1x15 My Funny Valentine
Sometimes I'm concerned about my ability to monitor the passing of time: it's well over a year since I last watched Cowboy Bebop, and over two since I started it! Here I go again, but hopefully now I'll finish it off in a reasonable timeframe...

this week on 100 Films

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


Life of Pi (2012)

it concerns, literally, the story of a boy stuck on a lifeboat with a tiger, and, figuratively, the very nature of storytelling itself — not to mention the purpose of religion and the existence of God. Never has “from the director of Hulk” seemed less pertinent.

Read more here.


Red Sonja (1985)

From the sword and sorcery ‘boom’ of the ’80s, Red Sonja concerns a warrioress going after the evil queen who slaughtered her family and has now seized a magical MacGuffin that will destroy the world or somesuch. The first remarkable thing is that I don’t think anyone in it can act.

Read more here.


Space Station 76 (2014)

The film’s visual aesthetic is a loving recreation of classic SF, from the set design to the gorgeous model-like CGI exteriors. I don’t think anything in particular was being referenced — at least, not obviously so — but it’s all reminiscent of the likes of the original Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, Space: 1999, and so on. It’s been created with such care that it borders on the beautiful.

Read more here.


Videodrome (1983)

even though it’s 32 years old and the tech being depicted is similarly dated, its fears about the influence of the media and the changes it brings to society could’ve been shot yesterday. These thought-provoking themes are in part conveyed through Cronenberg’s familiar stomping ground of body horror, with top-drawer prosthetics giving tangible visual life to nightmarish ideas

Read more here.


Whiplash (2014)

Chazelle’s screenplay is admirable in its psychological complexity here, particularly as it’s contained in a straightforward-seeming master/pupil, abuser/abusee drama that also functions as a surface-level dramatic thriller. The extra levels come from these exact characters and their exact relationship.

Read more here.


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


Cut (2009)

When the violence comes, it’s moderately brutal. And here’s the rub — it’s arguably not brutal enough to cover the horrid reality of what some people have to suffer. It’s been made suitable to be shown on TV in a slot where people will see it — which, for its aims as an awareness advert, is completely appropriate.

Read more here.


Enchanted (2007)

it’s the one that starts out as a traditionally animated Disney film, before The Normal Girl Who Will Marry A Prince is thrown into a Magic Portal by The Evil Stepmother and finds herself in present-day New York. It’s one of those concepts so good it just makes you think, “why haven’t they thought of that before?” Thankfully, they pull it off.

Read more here.


Flushed Away (2006)

Aardman Animations, the Bristol-based company most famous for Wallace & Gromit and Creature Comforts, branch out into CGI for the first time with this tale of rats trying to save the sewers of London. CGI rats? Yes, thoughts of Ratatouille are inevitable. Can Aardman beat Pixar at their own game? You might be surprised…

Read more here.


Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)

For those who’ve never heard of MST3K, it’s a bit like a DVD commentary… except instead of people involved with the film recounting anecdotes or academics offering analysis, we have people taking the piss out of it. I say “people” — one person and two robots. Who are obviously voiced by people. Look, that’s not the point.

Read more here.


Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)

Kim Stanley’s performance is stunning. Initially just a Hyacinth Bucket-esque overbearing wife, as the film continues we learn more about her almost solely from what Stanley brings to the role. By the final scene, when the truth of her character is laid bare, there’s little doubt that she’s given an extraordinary performance.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Celebrity Fifteen to One
(7/8/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Ripper Street
3x08 The Peace of Edmund Reid [season finale]
Great finale to a great season. It really feels like a final end, though, so it'll be interesting to see where everyone goes in the next two seasons.
[Watch it now on Amazon Instant Video, or on BBC One (edited) in a few weeks.]

Films

Life of Pi (2012)
[#107 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Collection Count

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

Only two titles added this week... but it's also the running time update, and that entire TV series I added a couple of weeks back has made its presence felt.

Number of titles in collection: 1,784 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,208 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 576 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,438 [up 2]
Number of films in collection: 1,928 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,634 [up 2]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

Total running time of collection (approx.):
320 days, 10 hours, and 57 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 13 hours, and 50 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
2x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Person of Interest
3x18 Allegiance
So, for no apparent reason, Channel 5 chose to skip an entire episode -- and they haven't even tried to hide it by renumbering the episodes on their site. Brazen! Torrents to the rescue it is, then.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Yonderland
2x03 A Vicious Circle

Films

Sherlock Holmes (1922), aka Moriarty
[#106 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x12 (31/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Great British Bake Off
6x01 Cake
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Last Leg
7x04 (17/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

Mock the Week
14x06 (16/7/15 edition) [mid-season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Ripper Street
3x07 Live Free, Live True
[Watch it now on Amazon Instant Video, or on BBC One (edited) in a few weeks.]

Yonderland
2x02 The Winging Detective

Films

Shallow Grave (1994)
[#105 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

The Last Leg
7x03 (10/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Person of Interest
3x16 RAM
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Two Tribes
2x37 (23/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Thing (2011)
[#104 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

Mock the Week
14x05 (9/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Ripper Street
3x06 The Incontrovertible Truth
[Watch it now on Amazon Instant Video, or on BBC One (heavily edited) in a few weeks.]

Films

Inside Man (2006)
[2nd watch]

Space Station 76 (2014)
[#103 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

this week on 100 Films

August started yesterday, so it's time for the 100 Films in a Year monthly update, looking back at July:




Also this week, two brand-new reviews were published. They were...


Gone Girl (2014)

“Horrible people do horrible things to each other” is the Post-it Note summary of this dark drama-thriller from director David Fincher, adapted by screenwriter Gillian Flynn from her own novel, which is short on heroes and overloaded with villains. An alternative brief summation is, “modern society is shit.”

Read more here.


Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

With Bond going “real world” and gadget free in the Daniel Craig era, and the Bourne series having blazed a trail of “we shot it all handheld and shaky and grainy so it must be real” veracity, it seems the task of providing audiences with a contemporary version of the spy action, just-ahead-of-reality gadgets, and larger-than-life spectacle that the Bond movies specialised in during the ’60s and ’70s, has fallen upon the Mission: Impossible franchise. For my money, it’s taken the baton with aplomb.

Read more here.


Finally, three archive reviews were reposted...


1945-1998 (2003)

Is 1945-1998 actually a film? Or is it a piece of video Art? Or just another online video? Its setup is quite simple: it charts every nuclear explosion between the titular years; the total, by-the-way, is 2,053. These explosions play out as flashing dots on a world map; different colours indicate which country was responsible for the explosion, accompanied by running totals.

Read more here.


Easy Virtue (2008)

it’s frequently hilariously funny. You’d expect nothing less from a work taken from Noel Coward, I suppose... There’s a decidedly wicked streak to the humour at times (a subplot about the fate of the family Chihuahua; lots of double entendres), which is welcome. The overall tone is light, largely, but not light in the head.

Read more here.


Fargo (1996)

the latest film to have been inducted into the United States National Film Registry, donchaknow. It’s also 105th on the IMDb Top 250 [it’s now 153rd], and the 21st film from the 1990s. So it’s pretty much a modern classic then.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Episodes
4x09 Episode 9 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Person of Interest
3x15 Last Call
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Would I Lie To You?
9x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

This week, nothing. Next week, hopefully something.

Number of titles in collection: 1,782 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,208 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 574 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,436 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,926 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,632 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Ripper Street
3x05 Heavy Boots
[Watch it now on Amazon Instant Video, or on BBC One (edited) in a few weeks.]

Two Tribes
2x36 (22/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Yonderland
2x01 Panic in the Streets of Yonderland

TV

The Last Leg
7x02 (3/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Mock the Week
14x04 (2/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
8x08 (18/7/15 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

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

Salvation Boulevard (2011)
[#101 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

Episodes
4x08 Episode 8
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Ripper Street
3x04 Your Father. My Friend
[Watch it now on Amazon Instant Video, or on BBC One (edited) soon.]

Two Tribes
2x31 (21/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

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

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2015 #6

There's oh so much to say about reaching #100 this early... and say it I shall on Saturday, in the monthly update.

TV

Gotham
1x22 All Happy Families Are Alike [season finale]

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
8x07 (11/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x11 (24/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Mock the Week
14x03 (25/06/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Person of Interest
3x14 Provenance
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Two Tribes
2x30 (20/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

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


Before Dawn (2012)

Directed by Emmerdale actor and zombie aficionado Dominic Brunt (who also stars), from a screenplay by Emmerdale writer Mark Illis based on a story by Brunt’s wife, Joanne Mitchell (who also co-stars), Before Dawn is a mash-up between remote-farmhouse zombie horror and kitchen-sink relationship drama.

Read more here.


The General (1926)

Poorly reviewed and a box office flop on its release, Buster Keaton’s The General has undergone a stark re-evaluation since: the United States National Film Registry deemed it so “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” that it was added to the registry in its first year... these days, it rates on both public-voted popular lists (the IMDb Top 250 at #133) and critics’ polls (34th on Sight & Sound’s 2012 poll).

Read more here.


Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Despite strong and relatively mature thematic notes, it doesn’t quite break free of the family-movie trappings to achieve the kind of insight or age-group transcendence that, say, Pixar movies routinely manage. For kids, though, especially ones who are feeling like misunderstood outsiders, there might be a lot to take from it.

Read more here.


Superman vs. The Elite (2012)

How much humanity is humanity willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of conflict resolution? Are Superman’s high morals a thing of the past? You might not expect such moral quandaries from a superhero narrative, but, well, that’s what flashy blockbusters will do to your impressions — comic books have long tackled more complex themes and debates, just wrapped in the veneer of colourful costumes and abundant fights. That’s transported to the realm of animation here, to an extent.

Read more here.


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


Chocolat (2000)

Judi Dench once again revels in playing an old lady who can say what she likes, in this pleasant adaptation of Joanne Harris’ novel.

Read more here.


Inside-Out (1999)

This charming little short stars Simon McBurney as a hapless market researcher on a busy London street, failing to get a single passerby to complete his survey -- perhaps the film's greatest achievement is making a market researcher sympathetic. Anyway, he's quietly observed by a woman, played by Lena Heady... She notices his failed attempts, which amuse her; he notices her laughing, and begins to muck around to entertain her.

Read more here.


Madagascar (2005)

the humour is above average. Large laughs may be sporadic but are there, particularly in a few moments that nicely spoof other films. Standouts include Planet of the Apes and American Beauty — clearly aimed at the adult audience who have been dragged along by the kids

Read more here.


Pixels (2010)

characters and graphics from old 8-bit computer games escape and run riot over New York City. We’re talking Space Invaders firing on real streets, Tetris blocks crashing onto buildings, Donkey Kong hurling barrels from the top of the Empire State Building, Frogger hopping across a road of real traffic… For people of A Certain Age it’s an explosion of nostalgia

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Ripper Street
3x03 Ashes and Diamonds
[Watch it now on Amazon Instant Video, or on BBC One (edited) soon.]

Two Tribes
2x29 (14/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

A few more additions this week -- including an entire TV series. That'll boost the running time update next month...

Number of titles in collection: 1,782 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,208 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 574 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,436 [up 25]
Number of films in collection: 1,926 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,632 [up 124]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Gotham
1x21 The Anvil or the Hammer

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
8x06 (27/6/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2x23 Johnny and Dora [season finale]

Person of Interest
3x13 4C
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

TV

Episodes
4x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Vicious
2x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

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.