this week on 100 Films

Can you believe it's already been a month since my inaugural "Past Month on TV" post? I can't. Anyway, this week on 100 Films in a Year saw the second volume:




Back in the blog's raison d'être, 3 brand-new reviews were published...


47 Ronin (2013)

Blighted by behind-the-scenes difficulties, 47 Ronin wound up among the biggest box office bombs of all time — a fate not entirely undeserved.

Read more here.


Amistad (1997)

Despite being “a slavery drama”, most of the film functions as a legal drama: though it begins with the slave uprising, and later has an extended flashback showing their kidnap and transportation, the thrust of the film lies in the courtroom arguments about who owns the ship’s ‘cargo’ and consequently what should be done with them.

Read more here.


Return to the 36th Chamber (1980)

follows the shape of its forebear, but with less inventiveness and more comedy, both intentional and not: the villain’s weapon of choice is a collapsible stool. Each to their own.

Read more here.


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


Conspiracy (2001)

“A group of men have an administrative meeting” is possibly the least exciting logline for a movie you could ever read, but when those men are Nazis, at the height of the Third Reich’s pomp and opulence, and the businesslike meeting is to plot one of the greatest atrocities ever committed by mankind, it becomes horrendously fascinating.

Read more here.


Daredevil (2003)

The runt of the litter when it comes to the (first) modern explosion of superhero movies, Daredevil has, believe it or not, always had its fans. [...] Okay, the Netflix series has now easily surpassed it, but the Daredevil movie is still a moderately underrated film for its era.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Daredevil
2x01 Bang
2x02 Dogs to a Gunfight

Gilmore Girls
4x21 Last Week Fights, This Week Tights [2nd watch]
4x22 Raincoats and Recipes [season finale; 2nd watch]

Person of Interest
4x06 Pretenders
[Watch it (again) on My5.]

The Voice UK
5x10 The Knockouts 1
The second half (Ricky's team), of course.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

Number of titles in collection: 1,845 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,210 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 635 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 4,731 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 2,017 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,197 [up 10]
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.):
346 days, 19 hours, and 42 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 3 hours, and 30 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

DC's Legends of Tomorrow
1x01 Pilot Part 1

Gilmore Girls
4x19 Afterboom [2nd watch]
4x20 Luke Can See Her Face [2nd watch]

The Voice UK
5x10 The Knockouts 1
Only the first half (Paloma's team), because after that I'd had enough for one sitting.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Boxer from Shantung (1972)
[#56 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
[#55 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Gilmore Girls
4x18 Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom! [2nd watch]

Person of Interest
4x04 Brotherhood
4x05 Prophets
[Watch Brotherhood and Prophets (again) on My5.]

TV

Arrow
4x10 Blood Debts

Gilmore Girls
4x16 The Reigning Lorelai [2nd watch]
4x17 Girls in Bikinis, Boys Doin' the Twist [2nd watch]

The X Files
10x06 My Struggle II [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on My5.]

TV

Elementary
4x13 A Study in Charlotte

Gilmore Girls
4x15 Scene in a Mall [2nd watch]

Grantchester
2x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

TV

Elementary
4x12 A View with a Room

Gilmore Girls
4x14 The Incredible Sinking Lorelais [2nd watch]

this week on 100 Films

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


Daybreakers (2009)

offers an original and imaginative world (how would mankind cope if we couldn’t go out in daylight? Maybe like this). It’s somewhat let down by a few campy performances and a sensibility that reverts to action sequences, but originality counts for a lot

Read more here.


Kill List (2011)

mixes in its genre elements — and they’re elements from a couple of different genres at that — so gradually that it’s hard to discuss them without spoiling the film... It’s kind of a compilation of traditional British movie genres: we begin with kitchen sink, then discover we’re actually watching a crime film, before the final act swerves (though not without foreshadowing) into folk horror.

Read more here.


Macbeth (2015)

The text is heavily cut (a copy & paste & delete-bits job that somehow took three screenwriters), to the displeasure of some critics, though this is primarily because Kurzel chose to supplant some of the dialogue with Filmmaking. In a film?! How very dare he! What I mean, more specifically, is that he’s visualised parts of the text; applied the old rule of “show don’t tell”.

Read more here.


The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Guy Ritchie is a self-confessed non-fan of the classic ’60s spy-fi series, so he seems a somewhat odd choice to helm this long-gestating big-screen reboot... Unsurprisingly, he gives it a bit of the Sherlock Holmeses (namely, a semi-comedic tone and appropriately swish, ’60s-ish direction)

Read more here.


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


Casino Royale (2006)

Bourne happened, shifting the playing field of the spy-action genre... What Casino Royale does skilfully is acknowledge the changes brought by Bourne, but adapt them to Bond’s slightly more classical style (something Quantum of Solace fumbled). At the same time, it acknowledges and frequently subverts that Bond formula

Read more here.


Children of Men (2006)

Cuarón mixes intelligent near-future sci-fi with exciting, and excitingly-realised, action sequences to create an action-thriller of a movie that stimulates both the mind and the adrenal glands. A fantastic film in every respect.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The X Files
10x05 Babylon
[Watch it (again) on My5.]

Collection Count

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

As predicted, nothing this week. Next week: something.

Number of titles in collection: 1,844 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,210 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 634 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,726 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 2,017 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,187 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Office Space (1999)
[#54 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Elementary
4x11 Down Where the Dead Delight

Gilmore Girls
4x13 Nag Hammadi is Where They Found the Gnostic Gospels [2nd watch]

Penn & Teller: Fool Us
2x01 Phone-y Business
Remember this ITV series from nearly six years ago? Well, it aired in the US in 2014 and was a hit for the network, so they commissioned a new run (now in Las Vegas with US magicians) which Channel 5 have bought over here. There's going to be a third season, too.
[Watch it (again) on My5.]

Films

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
[#53 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Gilmore Girls
4x11 In the Clamor and the Clangor [2nd watch]
4x12 A Family Matter [2nd watch]

Person of Interest
4x03 Wingman
[Watch it (again) on My5.]

Films

Fast & Furious 7 (2015)
[#52 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]
aka Furious Seven

TV

Dickensian
1x20 Episode 20 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Flash
2x10 Potential Energy

Gilmore Girls
4x09 Ted Koppel's Big Night Out [2nd watch]
4x10 The Nanny and the Professor [2nd watch]

Films

Kill List (2011)
[#51 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Gilmore Girls
4x08 Die, Jerk [2nd watch]

Person of Interest
4x02 Nautilus
[Watch it (again) on My5.]

Shetland
3x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The X Files
10x04 Home Again
[Watch it (again) on My5.]

Films

The Book of Life (2014)
[#50 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Gilmore Girls
4x07 The Festival of Living Art [2nd watch]

Shetland
3x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Barely Lethal (2015)
[#49 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
[#48 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

A new month (nearly a week ago, I know) means it's time for a look back at the past month over at 100 Films in a Year, and February was a good'un:




Around that, three brand-new reviews were published to this week...


12 Years a Slave (2013)

[Chiwetel Ejiofor gives] an incredible lead performance — restrained most of the time, evoking Solomon’s internal life subtly rather than showily, but with carefully executed break-outs of emotion.

Read more here.


Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo. (2012/2013)

I’ve read more than one review bemoaning the confusion at the opening of the film [...] for me this was the most engaging and exciting segment of the movie. As well as a couple of thrilling action scenes, it juggles character relationships in interesting ways, establishing a new status quo unlike that we’ve seen before in the franchise. It culminates in a fantastic stand-off between former allies — indeed, former friends.

Read more here.


Snatch. (2000)

Guy Ritchie’s second feature met with relative indifference 16 years ago, consensus deeming it Lock Stock Mk.2 and finding Ritchie needed to branch out if he was to meet his debut’s promise... The consensus is very different today: taking IMDb’s Top 250 as a bellwether, Snatch is #94 and Lock Stock is #138.

Read more here.


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


The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

Technical Wizardry: The cinematography and editing, according to some.
Letting the Side Down: The cinematography and editing, according to some.

Read more here.


Casablanca (1942)

remembered now as much for its selection of ever-quotable lines as for anything else — you don’t have to have seen the film to know that if you go walking into all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world and someone’s looking at you, kid, then maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon you should round up all the usual suspects again, Sam, for the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Or something.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Gilmore Girls
4x06 An Affair to Remember [2nd watch]

The Voice UK
5x09 The Battles 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
[#47 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 this week's new release arrived early last week, next week's new release arrives early this week. Probably nothing at all next week, then.

Number of titles in collection: 1,844 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,210 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 634 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,726 [up 7]
Number of films in collection: 2,017 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,187 [up 14]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Gilmore Girls
4x05 The Fundamental Things Apply [2nd watch]

Shetland
3x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Blackhat (2015)
[#46 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Dickensian
1x19 Episode 19
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
4x04 Chicken or Beef? [2nd watch]

Grantchester
2x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

TV

Gilmore Girls
4x03 The Hobbit, the Sofa, and the Digger Stiles [2nd watch]

Person of Interest
4x01 Panopticon
[Watch it (again) on My5.]

Films

Chappie (2015)
[#45 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Death in Paradise
5x08 Episode 8 [season finele]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
4x10 Alma Matters

Films

Lucy (2014)
[#44 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

The 88th Annual Academy Awards
aka the Oscars. One of the best ceremonies for quite a while, with a few good surprises too. Great that Mad Max did so well.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
3x10 Yippie Kayak
A sitcom doing a Die Hard riff in a department store for its 2015 Christmas special? Never seen that before.
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Dickensian
1x18 Episode 18
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
4x02 The Lorelais' First Day at Yale [2nd watch]

Ripper Street
4x06 Edmund Reid Did This [season finale]
Cliffhangertastic! Hope we don't have to wait too long for the next (presumably final) series.
[Watch it exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video.]

TV

Oscars 2016: Nominations Special

Oscars 2016: Preview Live

Films

Cinderella (2015)
[#43 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo. (2012/2013)
[#42 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

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


AfterDeath (2015)

A low-budget British single-location thriller with a mostly unknown cast... mainly trades on the mystery established by its situation. The characters are quickly sketched and somewhat archetypal, and the twists in their storylines aren’t all that surprising, but combined with the relatively brisk running time this means they crack on with trying to solve what’s going on.

Read more here.


Heaven Can Wait (1943)

It starts brilliantly: the bookend scenes are excellent, and the early parts of the plot are buoyed by consistent wit and enjoyable characters, particularly Charles Coburn as a slyly raucous grandfather. As it heads into its second half, it loses momentum and focus

Read more here.


Paddington (2014)

a fine example of why you can’t judge a film by its marketing, because the critics were right: this is a joyous, funny movie; a delight for all ages. It also shows that sometimes euphemistic PR phrases like “creative differences” or “we agreed he wasn’t right for the part” aren’t actually euphemistic at all: Firth would’ve been all wrong for Paddington [...] Whishaw, on the other hand, nails it

Read more here.


Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

at this point, one or two other people on the internet have written the odd word about The Force Awakens — you have to really go looking, but trust me, there are some articles out there. [So,] for an angle of moderate uniqueness, I’ll talk about the five elements of the film that have been singled out for recognition by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Read more here.


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


Bloody Sunday (2002)

The British Army don’t come across in the best light, with Tim Piggot-Smith’s Major General Robert Ford issuing hostile orders, and the troops eager for a fight. The depiction is tempered by Nicholas Farrell as Brigadier Patrick MacLellan, battling his conscious even as he must carry out his orders.

Read more here.


The Bourne Identity (2002)

Perhaps the Paul Greengrass-helmed sequels have been even more influential... but for me this first film is still the best of the bunch: an engaging mystery-thriller adrenalised by excellent action sequences.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Gilmore Girls
4x01 Ballrooms and Biscotti [2nd watch]

The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story
1x02 The Run of His Life
So, turns out this is a comedy (I guess)...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Voice UK
5x08 The Battles 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The X Files
10x03 Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster
This is definitely a comedy. And so good for it.
[Watch it (again) on My5.]

Collection Count

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

As I mentioned a while ago, I'm currently getting one new release a week. This week: next week's arrives early.

Number of titles in collection: 1,842 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,210 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 632 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,719 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 2,016 [up 2]
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
3x22 Those Are Strings, Pinocchio [season finale; 2nd watch]

Room 101
5x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Vera
6x04 The Sea Glass [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Films

Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance. (2009/2010)
[2nd watch]

This was #65 in 100 Films 2011. As with 1.11, re-watched in preparation for the release of 3.33, my copy of which is in the post as I type.

I also watched all of the special features this time. Some interesting deleted scenes, but crikey do they have a lot of near-identical trailers.

TV

Dickensian
1x17 Episode 17
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x21 Here Comes the Son [2nd watch]

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
3x04 Episode 4 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
3x09 The Swedes
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Gilmore Girls
3x20 Say Goodnight, Gracie [2nd watch]

Films

Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone. (2007/2009)
[2nd watch]

This was #41 in 100 Films 2010. Re-watched in preparation for the long-awaited release of Evangelion 3.33 within the next week.

Articles

The man who made 'the worst video game in history'
by Richard Hooper (from BBC News Magazine)

Interesting profile about the guy who programmed the infamous E.T. game in 1982.

TV

Death in Paradise
5x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Dickensian
1x16 Episode 16
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x18 Happy Birthday, Baby [2nd watch]
3x19 Keg! Max! [2nd watch]

Films

Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
[#41 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Gilmore Girls
3x16 The Big One [2nd watch]
3x17 A Tale of Poes and Fire [2nd watch]

Ripper Street
4x05 No Wolves in Whitechapel
[Watch it exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video.]

Films

Big Eyes (2014)
[#39 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

The Hangover (2009)
[#40 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Dickensian
1x15 Episode 15
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x15 Face-Off [2nd watch]

Vera
6x03 The Moth Catcher
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Films

The Equalizer (2014)
[#37 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)
[#38 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

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.