Collection Count

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

Next week there's going to be loads of stuff popping onto this list (just in time for the running time update, too), but for now there's just one new title — which has landed me on exactly 5,000 discs. Five thousand. That's insane.

Number of titles in collection: 1,943 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,191 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 752 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 5,000 [up 6]
Number of films: 2,150 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 7,661 [up 27]
Number of short films: 530 [up 14]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

24: Legacy
1x05 4:00PM - 5:00PM

Films

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
[2nd watch]
I actually only watched the first 15 minutes and then my NOW TV subscription expired, but I think that may've been the universe saving me from myself.

The Monster Squad (1987)
[#43 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Films

Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
[#42 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Luther
4x01 Episode 1
4x02 Episode 2 [season finale]

Twin Peaks
1x08 Episode 7 aka The Last Evening [season finale; 3rd watch]

Films

Ghostbusters (2016)
[#41 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Twin Peaks
1x07 Episode 6 aka Realization Time [3rd watch]

Who Dares Wins
9x09 (11/3/17 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
[#40 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Broadchurch
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Films

Kong: Skull Island (2017)
[#39 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Warcraft (2016)
[#38 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]
aka Warcraft: The Beginning

TV

Twin Peaks
1x06 Episode 5 aka Cooper's Dreams [3rd watch]

Films

The Nice Guys (2016)
[2nd watch]

This was #156 in 100 Films 2016. I haven't got round to reviewing it yet, but hopefully will before it comes to Netflix UK in a couple of days.

this week on 100 Films

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


Deadpool: No Good Deed (2017)

Screened before Logan in the US but only available to us poor disadvantaged foreigners thanks to the magic of the interweb, No Good Deed could be regarded as nothing more than a teaser trailer...

Read more here.


Logan (2017)

Logan’s consistency of style and tone render it easily the best Wolvie solo movie... but for this X-fan it’s not enough to usurp the top-draw traditional superheroics to be found in the three or four genre classics produced by the main series.

Read more here.


Room (2015)

Inspired by the infamous Josef Fritzl case (but most decidedly not a a direct fictionalise thereof), Room is a drama about a horrific crime — at times it could even be said to be a crime thriller — but it’s not interested in dealing with the usual outcomes of such filmic narratives; namely, justice or revenge (or both). Rather, it has a goal both more realistic and humane: it’s about the victims, and the psychological toll the crime exerts upon them.

Read more here.


And my second round of 100 Favourites continued, this week counting down from #60 to #31...





More next Sunday.

TV

Arrow
5x14 The Sin-Eater

Let's Sing and Dance for Comic Relief
Episode 2 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Twin Peaks
1x05 Episode 4 aka The One-Armed Man [3rd watch]

Films

Room (2015)
[#37 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2017 #3

Collection Count

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

Number of titles in collection: 1,942 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,191 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 751 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 4,994 [up 1]
Number of films: 2,148 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 7,634 [no change]
Number of short films: 516 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

24: Legacy
1x04 3:00PM - 4:00PM

Twin Peaks
1x04 Episode 3 aka Rest in Pain [3rd watch]

Films

Money Monster (2016)
[#36 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Peaky Blinders
1x06 Episode 6 [season finale]

TV

Elementary
5x13 Over a Barrel

Not Going Out
8x06 Marriage Guidance
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Twin Peaks
1x03 Episode 2 aka Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer [3rd watch]

Films

Gattaca (1997)
[2nd watch]

TV

The Flash
3x13 Attack on Gorilla City

Peaky Blinders
1x05 Episode 5

Twin Peaks
1x02 Episode 1 aka Traces to Nowhere [3rd watch]

Films

The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
[#35 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Hotel Chevalier (2007)
[#34a in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Peaky Blinders
1x04 Episode 4

Room 101
6x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Twin Peaks
1x01 Pilot aka Northwest Passage [3rd watch]
Starting a (re-)watch ahead of season three in May. Sounds a long way off, but there are 29 more episodes, a movie, a feature-length lot of deleted scenes, and at least one novel to get through before then.

Films

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
[#34 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Long Way North (2015)
[#33 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

No Good Deed (2017)
[#32a in 100 Films in a Year 2017]
aka the first trailer for Deadpool 2. Watch it here.

this week on 100 Films

There were more special posts to mark the 10th anniversary of 100 Films in a Year this week. The main one was my 10th anniversary post itself...

1,337 Films in a Decade

There was also a final top 10...

10 Short Films

In more regular business, it was a new month, and that meant my regular monthly update...





And finally, I started a new series of 100 Favourites...





Phew!

Back to normal next Sunday.

TV

Let's Sing and Dance for Comic Relief
Episode 1 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Who Dares Wins
9x08 (4/3/17 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Demolition (2015)
[#32 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Collection Count

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

Absolutely nothing to report this week. I have a load of stuff on order though, so I'm sure this will remain as uncommon as it feels.

Number of titles in collection: 1,941 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,191 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 750 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,993 [no change]
Number of films: 2,147 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 7,634 [no change]
Number of short films: 516 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

24: Legacy
1x03 2:00PM - 3:00PM
You'd think after years away they'd come up with some new stuff, but this is already giving in to loads of 24's worst habits.

Broadchurch
3x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Elementary
5x12 Crowned Clown, Downtown Brown

Not Going Out
8x05 Charlie
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
[#31 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Arrow
5x13 Spectre of the Gun
"This week on a very special episode of Arrow..."

Peaky Blinders
1x03 Episode 3

TV

Death in Paradise
6x08 Episode 8 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Logan (2017)
[#30 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Peaky Blinders
1x02 Episode 2

Room 101
6x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The 89th Annual Academy Awards
aka the Oscars. Can't beat that ending for drama though, eh? And the whole ceremony had been pretty darn good before that, too. Best Oscars ever!

Peaky Blinders
1x01 Episode 1
Finally making a start on this. Definitely has potential.

TV

Oscars 2017: Nominations Special

Oscars 2017: Red Carpet Live

Who Dares Wins
9x07 (18/2/17 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
[#29 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

this week on 100 Films

The 10th anniversary celebrations continued this week over on 100 Films in a Year, with the following top tens...

10 Great Scenes


10 Most-Played Soundtracks


10 Favourite Film Series


10 Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes Films


10 Favourite TV Series of the Last 10 Years


10 Films I Shouldn't Have Wasted My
Precious Time On This Earth By Watching


10 Best Picture Winners of the Past Decade

More next Sunday.

TV

Let It Shine
1x10 The Final [series finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

Despite what I said last week, there was still something new to add this week. Next week... who knows?

Also this week: the monthly running time update.

Number of titles in collection: 1,941 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,191 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 750 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 4,993 [up 1]
Number of films: 2,147 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 7,634 [no change]
Number of short films: 516 [no change]

Total running time of collection (approx.):
369 days, 13 hours, and 43 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 12 hours, and 35 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Arrow
5x12 Bratva

Films

The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
[#28 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

24: Legacy
1x02 1:00PM - 2:00PM

Room 101
6x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Elementary
5x11 Be My Guest

Not Going Out
8x04 Hot Tub
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Death in Paradise
6x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Flash
3x12 Untouchable

TV

Let It Shine
1x08 Episode 7
1x09 Episode 7 Results
[Watch Episode 7 and the results (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Police Academy (1984)
[#27 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Films

Dances with Wolves: Special Edition (1990/1991)
[#26 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Blindspot 2017 #2

this week on 100 Films

It's that time of the month again: when 100 Films in a Year looks back at what telly I've watched recently...





Also this week, I launched a series of posts celebrating 10 years of 100 Films. Here are the first two...

10 Most Represented Directors


10 Most Effective Director’s Cuts

Finally, there were 3 brand-new reviews posted...


In a Valley of Violence (2016)

The spirit of the Spaghetti Western is alive and well in writer-director Ti West’s shoot ’em up; though where they once took inspiration from samurai movies, now Mr West has his sights set on modern-day gun-fu movies — specifically, here he retrofits John Wick into a familiar Old West narrative.

Read more here.


Love & Friendship (2016)

Kate Beckinsale is phenomenal — funny, dry, biting, witty, but also conveying that Susan is making it all up as she goes, despite pretending to be in control. The other standout is Tom Bennett as the dimwitted Sir James Martin. His knowledge of the commandments and opinion of peas are particularly delightful.

Read more here.


Mad Max: Fury Road - Black & Chrome Edition (2015/2016)

“Why do you need to buy it again? Why not just turn down the colour on your TV?” Well, you could, and you’d get an approximation of the effect; but if you have an appreciation for the fine details of film photography and colouring, that doesn’t cut it. The Black & Chrome version isn’t just the existing colour turned off — other things have been tweaked to heighten the experience

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Films

21 Jump Street (2012)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2017 #2
+ all the Blu-ray's special features, including half-an-hour of deleted scenes.

San Andreas (2015)
[#24 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie (2015)
[#25 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]
aka just The Peanuts Movie

Collection Count

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

Accidentally went on a bit of a spending spree this week, so there's a few new additions in spite of no new releases. Consequently expect things to be a little quieter for the next few weeks!

Number of titles in collection: 1,940 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,191 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 749 [up 5]

Number of discs in collection: 4,992 [up 12]
Number of films: 2,146 [up 7]
Number of TV episodes: 7,634 [up 12]
Number of short films: 516 [up 8]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Fandango (1985)
[#22 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Hail, Caesar! (2016)
[#23 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]
What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2017 #2

TV

24: Legacy
1x01 12:00PM - 1:00PM
The more things change, the more they stay the same: Jack Bauer may be gone, and all the on screen text has swishy modifications, including the famous clock, and said text is now blue rather than golden yellow, but in every other respect this is the same old 24.

Elementary
5x10 Pick Your Poison

TV

Arrow
5x11 Second Chances

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

Not Going Out
8x03 Car
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Death in Paradise
6x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
5x09 It Serves You Right to Suffer

Room 101
6x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Don't Breathe (2016)
[#21 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Elementary
5x08 How the Sausage is Made

The Flash
3x11 Dead or Alive

Films

In a Valley of Violence (2016)
[#20 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

The British Academy Film Awards 2017
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Insert Name Here
2x06 Steve [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Mad Max: Fury Road - Black & Chrome Edition (2015/2016)
[#19a in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Fury Road was #142 in 100 Films 2015, which I watched in October 2015. This is the black & white re-grade of the film.

this week on 100 Films

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


It Follows (2014)

It’s always fun when you come across a divisive movie — “which camp are you in?” It Follows is one of those. Some say it’s an instant horror classic, others that it’s slow, boring, unscary, and can’t even follow its own rules. I’m not qualified enough as a horror viewer to claim the former, but nor do I hold with the latter.

Read more here.


The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Humphrey Bogart is private dick and consummate bullshitter Sam Spade in this (re-)adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s novel, considered the first major film noir.

Read more here.


Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

I kind of didn’t want to like Me and Earl and the Dying Girl because I didn’t want to fall into the obvious trap of “this movie totally gets me because I love Criterion editions too!” But I thought it worked in spite of those pandering affectations. Or maybe I just couldn’t resist them on a subconscious level? In some respects it doesn’t matter how it achieved it: the film wanted to make me feel a certain way, and I did feel that way — success.

Read more here.


Tale of Tales (2015)

If you can stomach the contents, there’s a quality cast, and the locations, production design, and cinematography are simply gorgeous.

Read more here.


Also this week, I was given the Mystery Blogger Award. You can read more about that here:

More next Sunday.

TV

Let It Shine
1x06 Episode 6
1x07 Episode 6 Results
[Watch Episode 6 and the results (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

Six shiny new additions this week, all of them Blu-rays, but two of them DVD upgrades.

Number of titles in collection: 1,935 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,191 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 744 [up 6]

Number of discs in collection: 4,980 [up 5]
Number of films: 2,139 [up 5]
Number of TV episodes: 7,622 [no change]
Number of short films: 508 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Elementary
5x07 Bang Bang Shoot Chute

Who Dares Wins
9x06 (28/1/17 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Arrow
5x10 Who Are You?

Death in Paradise
6x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Flash
3x10 Borrowing Problems From the Future

Pointless
16x36 1,000th Episode
Turns out the last time I watched regular Pointless was 3½ years ago -- for the 500th episode.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Hell or High Water (2016)
[#19 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Elementary
5x06 Ill Tidings

The Missing
2x08 The Mountain [season finale]

Articles

Exclusive insights into The Missing series 2: What was cut, and one huge twist that almost didn't happen
by Morgan Jeffery (from Digital Spy)
As I finished the series tonight, I was able to read this piece I'd had saved for nearly two months. Very interesting.

TV

The Missing
2x07 1991

Films

Elstree 1976 (2015)
[#18 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

The Missing
2x06 Saint John

Films

It Follows (2014)
[#17 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

+ the Blu-ray's very meagre special features, and, in a spectacularly rare occurrence, the audio commentary. Sadly, it wasn't a good one.

this week on 100 Films

A new month started this week, so it was time to look back at the old one over on 100 Films in a Year...





Plus, there were 3 brand-new reviews...


London Has Fallen (2016)

It does just about pass muster as a brains-off actioner, in the truest sense of the term: you’ll need to switch your brain off to endure the rampant xenophobia and American flag-waving. God, I bet Trump loves this movie.

Read more here.


Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Miss Peregrine seems to have received a rather muted response, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It might be best to qualify that by reiterating that it’s playing with a lot of things I enjoy — “X-Men by way of Tim Burton” sounds fantastic to me, and that’s not a bad definition of this movie.

Read more here.


The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (1962)

The consensus seems to be that The Tale of Zatoichi Continues is a faster-paced and more action-packed movie than its predecessor, which is obviously to some viewers’ taste... However, I thought it lacked the artistry of the first film. It’s very focused on plot rather than digging into character, which is especially problematic when it comes to a subplot about a rogue who turns out to be Ichi’s brother.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Let It Shine
1x05 Episode 5
[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: 1,931 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,193 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 738 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 4,975 [up 3]
Number of films: 2,134 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 7,622 [no change]
Number of short films: 508 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Missing
2x05 Das Vergessen

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
9x05 (21/1/17 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
[#16 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

+ some of the Blu-ray's special features.

TV

The Missing
2x04 Statice

Not Going Out
8x02 Babysitting
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Elementary
5x05 To Catch a Predator Predator

Insert Name Here
2x05 Charlie
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Another Earth (2011)
[#15 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Death in Paradise
6x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Missing
2x03 A Prison Without Walls

Films

London Has Fallen (2016)
[#14 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Films

Sing Street (2016)
[#13 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Under the Shadow (2016)
[#12 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Insert Name Here
2x04 Ben
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Missing
2x02 The Turtle and the Stick

this week on 100 Films

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


Bridesmaids (2011)

Despite a rough start, there are some very, very funny parts later on; but, unexpectedly, it also works pretty well in more character-focused sections. You’re not going to mistake this for an emotional drama, but there’s more investment in the characters than you might anticipate given the cast and crew’s pedigree.

Read more here.


Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

The affable characters are quite delightful to get to know even as they’re getting to know each other, and there are some magical sequences. Plus it’s all beautifully designed and animated, as you’d expect from Studio Ghibli

Read more here.


iBoy (2017)

Where it comes unstuck is the tone. How many superhero films are going to feature gang rape? Well, somewhat appropriately, I guess the Netflix ones might. But the disjunct between iBoy’s daft premise and the grim world of inner city gangs (there are more acts of shocking violence) is a difficult one to negotiate.

Read more here.


Into the Wild (2007)

The true story of Christopher McCandless, who abandoned regular life after college to go hitchhiking and become one with nature or something, then accidentally killed himself by being a pretentious wanker.

Read more here.


The Pianist (2002)

It may not poke at your emotions quite so readily as, say, Schindler’s List, but that’s because Polanski and screenwriter Ronald Harwood dodge histrionics or an operatic envisioning of events. Instead this feels like a grounded relation of the facts, with everyday heroism (and cruelty) the order of the day — but, of course, there’s nothing “everyday” about it.

Read more here.


Wuthering Heights (2011)

Andrea Arnold’s earthy, plausible take on Emily Brontë’s beloved novel won’t be to all tastes — particularly anyone after an epic romance feel — but its sparse dialogue, Malickian attention to nature, and oppressive mood make for a benumbing work of cinematic art.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Let It Shine
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

iBoy (2017)
[#11 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Collection Count

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

As promised, a whole host of additions this week -- just in time for the running time update! In the mix we have new Blu-rays, new DVDs, DVD-to-Blu-ray upgrades, and a whole season of TV, making updates across the board. Huzzah!

Number of titles in collection: 1,930 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 1,193 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 737 [up 7]

Number of discs in collection: 4,972 [up 9]
Number of films: 2,132 [up 7]
Number of TV episodes: 7,622 [up 20]
Number of short films: 508 [no change]

Total running time of collection (approx.):
368 days, 1 hour, and 8 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 14 hours, and 31 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Missing
2x01 Come Home

Room 101
6x01 Episode 1
Seems I stopped watching Room 101 halfway through the last series. Not sure why. Weird.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Enemy of the State (1998)
[2nd watch]

Rewatchathon 2017 #1

TV

Elementary
5x04 Henny Penny the Sky is Falling
The 100th episode. An appropriate subplot for the occasion; not so much the title...

Not Going Out
8x01 Romance
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Arrow
5x09 What We Leave Behind

Films

The Conversation (1974)
[#10 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Blindspot 2017 #1

+ the alternate ending from the original screenplay, included among the Blu-ray's special features.

TV

Death in Paradise
6x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Insert Name Here
2x03 Mary
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Charlie Bartlett (2007)
[#9 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Let It Shine
1x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Eye in the Sky (2015)
[#8 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

this week on 100 Films

It was time for my monthly TV review over at 100 Films in a Year, with a bumper-sized crop of things to cover in-depth...





As well as that, I published 3 brand-new film reviews...


Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie (2016)

Considering its pedigree, it should come as no surprise that The Art of the Deal: The Movie plays like a very long, out of control sketch. Just like all sketch comedy, some jokes land better than others, and just like most sketch comedy, it begins to outstay its welcome by the end.

Read more here.


Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

the animation is genuinely stunning — beautiful to look at, as well as being technically audacious and consequently impressive. Some of it is so grand that several times I forgot that most of what we’re seeing on screen was built for real and animated by hand over several years. I say “most” because it is augmented with CGI [which] doesn’t detract from the technical workmanship on display. That included the largest stop-motion puppet ever built [of which] there’s a behind-the-scenes glimpse during the end credits that is breathtaking.

Read more here.


Raising Arizona (1987)

before now all I could have told you about Raising Arizona is that “it has the longest pre-titles ever (except it doesn’t)”. Well, that and it stars Nic Cage and was directed by the Coen brothers. But now I’ve watched it and, three months after the fact, …that’s still almost all I can tell you. I also remember there was a kinda-cool semi-fantastical thing going on with, like, a demon biker or something. Oh, and it’s quite funny.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.