this week on 100 Films

First up, a new feature I launched this week on 100 Films in a Year: a monthly TV review. Read more here:




In regular business, 2 brand-new reviews were published this week...


The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Extended Edition (2014/2015)

What, if anything, does extending the last one by 19½ minutes bring to the table? ... Most obvious, and most discussed, is the dwarves’ war chariot action scene, whose bloody decapitations saw the film earn an R in the US and 15 over here. A seven-minute action sequence in the middle of the battle, it’s by far the largest single addition, and is mainly notable for all that blood and its use of the word “jambags”.

Read more here.


Spectre (2015)

Regular readers will remember I shared my spoiler-free thoughts on Spectre when it came out. Consequently, this review contains major spoilers, of the “if you read this you will know every twist that happens in the movie” variety.

Read more here.


Finally, my 100 Favourites series continued with 2 more posts...


Blade (1998)

the story is pretty standard, and the dialogue is laughable or worse. But creative cinematography and non-stop, decently choreographed gratuitous violence make watching this comic-book movie (Blade is a minor, almost-forgotten Marvel comic) entertaining.

Read more here.


Blade Runner: The Director's Cut (1982/1992)

Visually, Blade Runner is a non-stop marvel: the noir cinematography, the vehicle and set design, the lived-in world, the believable effects… The entire thing is imaginatively conceived and magnificently realised with unwavering plausibility.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Dickensian
1x14 Episode 14
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x13 Dear Emily and Richard [2nd watch]
3x14 Swan Song [2nd watch]

The Voice UK
5x07 The Blind Auditions 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Noah (2014)
[#36 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Collection Count

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

This week: two new single-disc Blu-rays, one an upgrade from a two-disc DVD (hence the lack of change in total discs).

Number of titles in collection: 1,840 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,210 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 630 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,716 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 2,014 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,173 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

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

Total running time of collection (approx.):
345 days, 16 hours, and 12 minutes.
(Up 4 days, 17 hours, and 53 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Dickensian
1x13 Episode 13
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x11 I Solemnly Swear [2nd watch]
3x12 Lorelai Out of Water [2nd watch]

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

Films

Grand Piano (2013)
[#34 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Home (2015)
[#35 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
3x08 Ava
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Elementary
4x09 Murder Ex Machina

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
3x03 Episode 3 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Gilmore Girls
3x10 That'll Do, Pig [2nd watch]

The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story
1x01 From the Ashes of Tragedy
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Ripper Street
4x04 Men of Iron, Men of Smoke
[Watch it exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video.]

The X Files
10x02 Founder's Mutation
[Watch it (again) on My5.]

TV

Death in Paradise
5x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Dickensian
1x12 Episode 12
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x08 Let the Games Begin [2nd watch]
3x09 A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving [2nd watch]

Films

Crimson Peak (2015)
[#33 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Dickensian
1x11 Episode 11
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x07 They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They? [2nd watch]

Shetland
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Home on the Range (2004)
[#32 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

The British Academy Film Awards 2016
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The East (2013)
[#30 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Pillow Talk (1959)
[#31 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

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


Dressed to Kill (1946)

In the seven-and-a-bit years between 31st March 1939 and 7th June 1946, there were a total of 14 films released starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. By coincidence rather than design, I’ve spent nearly eight years viewing and reviewing them all... this entry takes loose inspiration from several tales. The use of secret codes is reminiscent of The Dancing Men, while the plot device of having to track down multiple identical items that hide something comes from The Six Napoleons.

Read more here.


Ex Machina (2015)

a sci-fi movie of the thoughtful variety. It’s a film that considers ideas of artificial life, how we test it and what it means to create it, and only gradually builds in thriller elements that pay off in its final twenty-or-so minutes. In truth, it’s not the most thorough deconstruction of what it means to be human and whether artificial intelligence can have that right, but it does touch on these issues and, in so doing, leaves them open for the viewer to mull over for themselves

Read more here.


Funny Games (1997)

The entire message is, “real-life violence is bad and you shouldn’t enjoy it in fiction, okay?” You don’t need to sit through a tough hour-and-a-half to know that.

Read more here.


The Martian (2015)

the latest in a growing subgenre of serious-minded near-future sci-fi adventures, following in the footsteps of 2013 Oscar winner Gravity and 2014 Oscar washout Interstellar. Where The Martian differs is in the element that tricked Golden Globes voters into thinking they could get away with giving it a comedy nomination (and win): rather than being stuffed to bursting with po-faced peril, it has a lightness of touch and regular doses of humour, making it probably the most feel-good serious sci-fi movie since ever.

Read more here.


Morning Glory (2010)

Rachel McAdams takes a break from time-jumping rom-coms to lead a film where the romantic subplot is merely tacked on, presumably for marketing purposes. Really, it’s about a woman in love with her job.

Read more here.


Also, my 100 Favourites series continued with 2 more posts...


Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Our Villain! No one’s slick as Gaston, no one’s quick as Gaston, no one’s got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston. Uses antlers in all of his decorating, my what a guy, that Gaston.

Read more here.


The Big Sleep (1946)

Bogie and Bacall’s chemistry in To Have and Have Not led the studio to want more of the same, and her agent was only too keen after the poor reviews of Confidential Agent threatened to sink her career before it had really begun. New sparky dialogue scenes took the place of exposition ones in the final cut, essentially creating the film’s reputation for confusion.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Gilmore Girls
3x05 Eight O'Clock at the Oasis [2nd watch]
3x06 Take the Deviled Eggs... [2nd watch]

The Voice UK
5x06 The Blind Auditions 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)
[#28 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

SuperBob (2015)
[#29 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Collection Count

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

After a busy few weeks, it's back to "no change" across the board. Don't expect that to last, not at all: it should be non-stop until at least the end of March from here.

Number of titles in collection: 1,839 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,211 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 628 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,716 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 2,012 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,173 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Gilmore Girls
3x04 One's Got Class and the Other One Dyes [2nd watch]

Room 101
5x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Vera
6x02 Tuesday's Child
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Films

Quigley Down Under (1990)
[#27 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Death in Paradise
5x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Dickensian
1x10 Episode 10
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x03 Application Anxiety [2nd watch]

TV

Dickensian
1x09 Episode 9
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x02 Haunted Leg [2nd watch]

Insert Name Here
1x06 Chris [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The X Files
10x01 My Struggle
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Films

Ex Machina (2015)
[#26 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Death in Paradise
5x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
3x02 Episode 2 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Room 101
5x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The X-Files Re-Opened
Behind-the-scenes special about the X-Files revival, which started airing in the UK last night. Next up: actually watch the actual programme.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

TV

Gilmore Girls
3x01 Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days [2nd watch]

Ripper Street
4x03 A White World Made Red
[Watch it exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video.]

Shetland
3x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
3x07 The Mattress
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Vera
6x01 Dark Road
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Films

The Martian (2015)
[#25 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

I know it's been February for a whole week already, but as the first day of that week was the 1st, it's time to look back at last month on 100 Films in a Year. So here's my January progress report:




Also this week, four brand-new reviews were published...


Happy Feet Two (2011)

Not as fun as the first, Happy Feet Two suffers from messy storytelling that can’t seem to settle on a narrative thread. For example: a massive subplot featuring a pair of Pythonesque philosophical krill, voiced by Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, is the film’s most fun element, but never significantly connects to anything else.

Read more here.


Predestination (2014)

a film that rewards knowing as little as possible, especially as the seasoned sci-fi viewer/reader has a fair chance of guessing a good number of its twists (possibly all of them) long before they’re revealed by the film. Fortunately that doesn’t really matter, because the tale remains an engaging and thought-provoking one, with many thematic points to consider, and not just of a science-fictional nature — there are human and historical issues in play here too, which is undoubtedly a rarity in modern screen SF.

Read more here.


Prisoners (2013)

While the basic format is straightforward, it’s realised in the form of a multi-stranded narrative full of well-drawn characters with complications of their own. Jackman and Gyllenhaal may be top billed and on the poster, but there’s actually a powerful ensemble cast here, and its their performances that help the film to stand out from the thriller crowd

Read more here.


Slow West (2015)

The Coens and Wes Anderson are common reference points in reviews of this slightly quirky Western [but] writer-director Maclean has his own variation on that voice, bringing an occasional comically askew perspective to underscore tense confrontations and well-crafted shootouts.

Read more here.


Finally, my 100 Favourites series continued with 2 superheroic entries...


Batman Begins (2005)

Nana-nana-nana-nana nana-nana-nana-nana Batman! But, y’know, serious. Important crimefighting jobs include getting hold of cool gadgets your company developed, messing around in restaurant fountains with models, and perfecting a ludicrously gruff voice to use when in costume.

Read more here.


Batman Returns (1992)

“Burton couldn’t play it safe if he wanted to, and he doesn’t want to. Entrusted with one of the most valuable franchises in movie history, he’s made a moody, grotesque, perversely funny $50 million art film.”

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Gilmore Girls
2x21 Lorelai's Graduation Day [2nd watch]
2x22 I Can't Get Started [season finale; 2nd watch]

Insert Name Here
1x05 Dave
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Voice UK
5x05 The Blind Auditions 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Daybreakers (2009)
[#24 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Collection Count

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

More new additions than I expected this week. Well, obviously I expected them all, because I ordered them all, but I thought things would quieten down after last week. I actually have at least one new release pre-ordered for every week throughout February and March, but next week's arrived early, today, so next week might be completely quiet... (Might.)

Number of titles in collection: 1,839 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,211 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 628 [up 4]

Number of discs in collection: 4,716 [up 4]
Number of films in collection: 2,012 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,173 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Dickensian
1x08 Episode 8
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
4x08 A Burden of Blood

Gilmore Girls
2x20 Help Wanted [2nd watch]
Resuming this after 14 months. That's better than last time, at least.

Films

Macbeth (2015)
[#23 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

+ all of the special features on the Blu-ray, which amount to about 25 minutes of featurettes. Shame there's not more, it was quite interesting.

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
3x05 Halloween III
3x06 Into the Woods
[Watch Halloween III and Into the Woods (again) on All 4.]

Death in Paradise
5x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Dickensian
1x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Ripper Street
4x02 Some Conscience Lost
[Watch it exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video.]

Would I Lie To You?
9x10 The Unseen Bits [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Prisoners (2013)
[#22 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Dickensian
1x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
3x01 Episode 1 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The One Show
A Tribute to Sir Terry
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Predestination (2014)
[#21 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Dickensian
1x05 Episode 5

Elementary
4x07 Miss Taken

Insert Name Here
1x04 Jo
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Adam (2009)
[#20 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

A Boy and His Dog (1975)
[#19 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

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


Begin Again (2013)

Once’s writer-director returns with a film that could’ve been dubbed Once 2: New York... The songs aren’t as catchy (though some are decent) and the shape of the story is overfamiliar

Read more here.


Come Drink with Me (1966)

The film features good swordplay action, for the era — i.e. it’s not as tightly choreographed as you’d expect today. There’s a mix of huge free-for-all clashes, and Leone-esque long pauses followed by short bursts of violence.

Read more here.


The Golem (1920)

Regarded as one of the first horror films, The Golem is more of a moderately-dark fantasy, or a fairytale-type myth... However, it does feature what I presume is one of first instances of that most daft of horror tropes: running upstairs to escape the monster. It goes as well here as it ever does, i.e. not very.

Read more here.


A Most Wanted Man (2014)

A typically complex plot requires the viewer to keep their attention level high. Some find the story a plod, but (one languorous interrogation sequence aside) I thought it relatively brisk, aided by accent-defying performances

Read more here.


The Two Faces of January (2014)

The storyline is pretty straightforward, but it’s driven by some interesting characters with complex motivations. You’re never entirely sure what’s driving Rydal and Chester, even if it may appear obvious; and sometimes it can be as much of a twist that a character didn’t have a better plan as it is when their implausibly-intricate machinations are unveiled

Read more here.


Also, my 100 Favourites series continued with 2 more posts...


Back to the Future Part II (1989)

Michael J. Fox is not only Marty McFly, but older Marty McFly, and his son, Marty McFly Jr., and also… his daughter, Marlene McFly. Just in case you’d forgotten these were comedy movies, I guess. Christopher Lloyd, meanwhile, is the one and only Doc.

Read more here.


Back to the Future Part III (1990)

Much like the second film, it can’t attain the perfection of the first movie... And even as I say “they’re not as good as the first one”, I don’t wholly believe it: to me, Back to the Future never has and never will be just one film, or one film and its two sequels — it’s a trilogy; a three-parter.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The Voice UK
5x04 The Blind Auditions 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

47 Ronin (2013)
[#18 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Collection Count

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

Seven additions to my collection this week bring big changes -- and as one of them's a "complete series" DVD set adding over 100 TV episodes, the next running time update should have a huge increase! Despite that humungous DVD addition, the number of DVDs goes down. How? That complete series set replaces one season I already had, and there's a DVD-to-BD upgrade in there too. Exciting.

Lost in the mix is that the number of films in my collection sailed past 2,000 this week (it was at 1,999 last week). I ought to downsize...

Number of titles in collection: 1,835 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 1,211 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 624 [up 7]

Number of discs in collection: 4,712 [up 40]
Number of films in collection: 2,008 [up 9]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,173 [up 109]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
[#17 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Dickensian
1x04 Episode 4

Room 101
5x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Amistad (1997)
[#16 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Death in Paradise
5x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Two Faces of January (2014)
[#15 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Films

Starman (1984)
[#14 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

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


About Time (2013)

Ostensibly another of Curtis’ oh-so-British rom-coms, it plays that way for a while, but long before it’s done develops into something deeper: Tim gets the girl (Rachel McAdams), then learns about life, family, and what you might really want to do with such power.

Read more here.


Dreamgirls (2006)

Oscar-winning adaptation of the stage musical that doesn’t tell the story of the Supremes in fictionalised form, no sir.

Read more here.


Ender's Game (2013)

you can actually believe Ender is learning to be a better leader. Normally when a movie features “an excellent military strategist” we’re told that and never shown it, but here we see how Ender’s skills as a strategist develop and are exhibited.

Read more here.


Lady of Burlesque (1943)

Stanwyck carries the film, both on stage and off. Her “will they/won’t they (of course they will)” romance with Michael O’Shea’s comic is kept aloft by her biting ripostes to his advances, and when a comedy sketch is interrupted by backstage noises she saves the day by breaking into song, doing the splits, a cartwheel, and the Cossack dance in quick succession. Not bad for a 36-year-old!

Read more here.


The Lone Ranger (2013)

Hated by Americans and loved (well, ok, “liked”) by everyone else (well, ok, “by lots, but by no means all, of people who reside outside America”), Disney’s attempt to pull a Pirates of the Caribbean on Western adventure IP The Lone Ranger is by no means as successful as the first instalment in their piratical franchise, but is at least the equal of its sequels — and, in some cases, their better.

Read more here.


Also, my 100 Favourites series continued with 2 more posts...


Apollo 13 (1995)

NASA Director: “This could be the worst disaster NASA’s ever faced.”
Gene Kranz: “With all due respect, sir, I believe this is gonna be our finest hour.”

Read more here.


Back to the Future (1985)

To some, the DeLorean is a failed automobile. To a generation (and, probably, every generation since) it’s one of the most iconic movie cars of all time. “Are you telling me that you built a time machine… out of a DeLorean?” “The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” Genius.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The Voice UK
5x03 The Blind Auditions 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Return to the 36th Chamber (1980)
[#13 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Collection Count

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

After a couple of quiet weeks, a few additions this time... and many, many more to come next week! Then a regular drip throughout February, too. Exciting times.

Number of titles in collection: 1,829 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,212 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 617 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 4,672 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 1,999 [up 6]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,064 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

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

Total running time of collection (approx.):
340 days, 22 hours, and 19 minutes.
(Up 10 hours and 12 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Insert Name Here
1x03 Kate
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

King Boxer (1972)
[#12 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]
aka Five Fingers of Death

White God (2014)
[#11 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
3x04 The Oolong Slayer
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Films

Hercules (Extended Cut) (2014)
[#10 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

The Graham Norton Show
18x14 (15/1/16 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Five Venoms (1978)
[#9 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

aka Five Deadly Venoms

TV

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

Films

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
[#8 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Super 8 (2011)
[#7 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

Firstly on 100 Films in a Year this week, a tribute to Alan Rickman:




Elsewise, 3 brand-new reviews were published:


The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

Widely regard as one of (if not the) greatest kung fu movies ever made... The chambers take the form of challenges, which San Te must overcome by either puzzling them out or developing some kind of physical or mental acuity. Their content is varied and innovative, which makes them engrossing to watch even as they make the film episodic

Read more here.


Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996)

It’ll come as no surprise that the biggest and best [bit] is Williams reprising his iconic performance, and consequently being responsible for most of the film’s humour. There are a couple of fun nods to some of Williams’ other best-remembered roles, and plenty to other Disney films too. The rest of the film offers a fast-paced, action-packed narrative, with a few musical numbers to boot.

Read more here.


What Dreams May Come (1998)

Director Vincent Ward and his team have created a rich, engrossing visual space here. It’s not just the Oscar-winning visual effects either, which create Chris’ initial realisation of Heaven as a kind of living painting, but also the locations, their decorations, and some fantastic sets. The design work is brilliant

Read more here.


Finally, as will hopefully be the case every week for the rest of 2016, my 100 Favourites series continued with 2 more posts:


Alien (1979)

Being a great of one genre is an achievement, but to be great in two at the same time (horror and sci-fi, of course) is something else.

Read more here.


Apocalypse Now Redux (1979/2001)

Adding some 49 minutes of footage to the praised theatrical version, Redux divides viewers and critics on whether the extensions make a classic even better or just dilute it. If there’s a consensus, it’s that in either version this is a great movie.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
3x03 Boyle's Hunch
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

The Voice UK
5x02 The Blind Auditions 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

Nowt this week. Lots on order, though, so soon...

Number of titles in collection: 1,826 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,212 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 614 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,667 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,993 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,064 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Derren Brown: Pushed to the Edge
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Ripper Street
4x01 The Strangers' Home
2 hours 11 minutes long and in 2.35:1? Why, it's Ripper Street: The Movie! It isn't, obviously, but it certainly feels different at that length and ratio. And, of course, it's really good.
[Watch it exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video.]

Would I Lie To You?
9x09 Episode 8
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
3x01 New Captain
3x02 The Funeral
[Watch New Captain and The Funeral (again) on All 4.]

Death in Paradise
5x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Dickensian
1x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Stephen Fry: A Life on Screen
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
[#6 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

aka Master Killer... not that anyone ever actually calls it that, it seems.

TV

The Big Fat Quiz of Everything
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Insert Name Here
1x02 William
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Lady of Burlesque (1943)
[#5 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Dickensian
1x01 Episode 1
This seems to have provoked a mixed response, but I thought it got off to a promising start.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
4x06 The Cost of Doing Business

Insert Name Here
1x01 Frank
No, that's not me forgetting to name the programme -- if you've not heard of it, that's what it's called.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 10 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
4x05 The Games Underfoot

Films

Funny Games (1997)
[#4 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

No reviews but lots of special posts this week on 100 Films in a Year.


First: I finished my look-back at 2015 with my bottom 5 and top 20 (yes, 20) films I watched last year:




Then: I announced a new series for 2016, detailing my 100 favourite movies:



(More on that in a moment.)


Penultimately: I kicked off a new year of my "What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen" series with my 12 choices:




Finally: not a review per se, but I posted the first of my 100 Favourites this morning:


Aladdin (1992)

Hailing from slap-bang in the middle of the Disney Renaissance, Aladdin may not be quite as strong as the films either side of it (Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King), but it’s the next best thing.

Read more here.


More favourites -- and, hopefully, some good old fashioned reviews -- next Sunday.

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 9 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Voice UK
5x01 The Blind Auditions 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

12 Years a Slave (2013)
[#3 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2016 #2

Collection Count

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

A two-disc release for a single TV episode? Well, it is the Sherlock special.

Number of titles in collection: 1,826 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,212 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 614 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 4,667 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,993 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,064 [up 1]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Arrow
4x09 Dark Waters

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 8 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
50x10 (11/12/2015 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Snatch. (2000)
[#2 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2016 #1

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 7 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 6 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 5 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

A new year means it's also a new month, so it was time to look back at December over at 100 Films in a Year this week:




Also, it's time to look back on the entire year. So, first up, my full list -- and the exciting statistics!




The final year-end post, featuring my top ten and bottom five, is imminent. Other than that, there was just 1 brand-new review published...


Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (2016)

the latest episode of the BBC’s modern-day Sherlock Holmes series is actually a standalone adventure set in the character’s original Victorian time period... if you’re someone who’s a Sherlock Holmes fan but not keen on Sherlock and are wondering if the changed temporal setting means this special might be of interest to you, then I think it’s fair to say it won’t.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Bruce's Hall of Fame with Alexander Armstrong
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 4 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
4x04 All My Exes Live in Essex

The Flash
2x09 Running to Stand Still

Collection Count

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

Nothing to add in the short time between Christmas and the New Year. Ho hum.

Number of titles in collection: 1,825 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,212 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 613 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,665 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,993 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,063 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 3 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Sherlock
4x00 The Abominable Bride [special]
I may count this as 100 Films 2016 #1, owing to its simultaneous cinema release. I'm undecided at the moment, though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2015
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

It'll Be Alright on the Night
(30/12/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Top Gear
From A-Z Part 2 (of 2)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
at Christmas [2015]
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Dressed to Kill (1946)
[#200 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Slow West (2015)
[#199 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

200!

TV

And Then There Were None
Part 3 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Miranda Hart: My, What I Call, Live Show
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Top Gear
From A-Z Part 1 (of 2)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

University Challenge
Christmas 2015 Exeter v Magdalen, Oxford
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

AfterDeath (2015)
[#197 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Heaven Can Wait (1943)
[#198 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

And Then There Were None
Part 2 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 2 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Detectorists
2x07 Christmas Special
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

A Gert Lush Christmas
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Nation's Favourite Disney Song
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Peter and Wendy
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Films

Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996)
[#196 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

And Then There Were None
Part 1 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Britain's Favourite Children's Books
Read the full list of 100 titles here.
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Celebrity Mastermind
2015/2016 Episode 1 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless Celebrities
8x14 Christmas Special
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Dreamgirls (2006)
[#195 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Collection Count

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

Not many additions this Christmas, but here they are nonetheless -- including how things have changed in the past year.

Number of titles in collection: 1,825 [up 2 this week; up 106 in 2015]
Of which DVDs: 1,212 [up 1 this week; up 7 in 2015]
Of which Blu-rays: 613 [up 1 this week; up 99 in 2015]

Number of discs in collection: 4,665 [up 5 this week; up 362 in 2015]
Number of films: 1,993 [up 1 this week; up 141 in 2015]
Number of TV episodes: 7,063 [up 12 this week; up 611 in 2015]
Number of short films: 465 [no change this week; up 27 in 2015]

Plus it's time for the final running time update of the year...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
340 days, 12 hours, and 7 minutes.

(Up 1 day, 10 hours, and 24 minutes from last month.)
(Up 29 days, 5 hours, and 8 minutes from last year.)

Last year the year-on-year increase was 15½ days, the year before it was 19 days, and now it's over 29 days! Madness! Though in 2014 I only added 75 titles and 354 episodes of TV, so several of this year's numbers are much bigger.

See you next week, faithful reader.

this week on 100 Films

7 brand-new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week...


Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

In terms of consumer advice, you’re not going to watch this sequel without having seen the first, and therefore “more of the same (more or less)” will suffice for a review. In terms of a more analytical mindset… well, what is there to analyse, really? I’m not sure this movie has anything to say.

Read more here.


Boyz n the Hood (1991)

John Singleton became the first African-American Best Director Oscar nominee, as well as the youngest, for this debut. 23 years on, his story of the lives and troubles of young black men in L.A. remains sadly pertinent.

Read more here.


Horns (2013)

Did Daniel Radcliffe murder his girlfriend? Sprouting devilish horns doesn’t help his case… Ostensibly a fantasy-horror murder-mystery, in execution this is mostly black comedy

Read more here.


Jurassic World (2015)

the plot is fundamentally a rehash of the first movie, but the devil is in the details, and in my book Jurassic World does enough new to shrug off any kind of “stealth remake” allegations. What it does definitely retain is a faithfulness to the Spielbergian tone of the first movie — a stated goal of director/co-writer Colin Trevorrow, and one I feel he’s absolutely pulled off. There’s adventure, humour, a sense of scale and wonder.

Read more here.


Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

You can certainly watch Fury Road as just a two-hour chase and (presuming you like action antics) get something out of it. The volume of action, the style with which it’s executed, and the impressive audacity of the stuntwork, all mean the film functions on a purely visceral level.

Read more here.


Terminator Genisys (2015)

some people will already be predisposed to hate the film. Why mess with a classic, etc. I can see where they’re coming from; at the same time, it’s an interesting idea. Time travel is a key part of the Terminator series, and John grows up with the knowledge that one day he will send Reese back to 1984 to save his mother — but what if Skynet knew that too?

Read more here.


The Wrestler (2008)

Mickey Rourke’s Oscar-robbed performance is the primary draw of this drama about a washed-up pro wrestler struggling to make ends meet.

Read more here.



Plus, Merry Christmas!




More next Sunday.

TV

Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
14x13 Christmas Special
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Happy Feet Two (2011)
[#193 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Morning Glory (2010)
[#194 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]