Films

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
[#67 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
4x05 Episode 5

Films

Blair Witch (2016)
[#66 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Elementary
5x21 Fly Into a Rage, Make a Bad Landing

Our Friend Victoria
1x03 Sex
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Twin Peaks
2x21 Episode 28 aka Miss Twin Peaks, aka The Night of the Decision
2x22 Episode 29 aka Beyond Life and Death [series finale]
Or "season finale", depending how you want to count the imminent revival.

Films

Four Lions (2010)
[#65 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Articles

'Peak' Performance
by Maureen Ryan (from Variety)
Talking of the Twin Peaks revival, here's a good piece on how it came about and how it was done (kinda).

TV

Arrow
5x19 Dangerous Liaisons

Elementary
5x20 The Art of Sleights and Deception

Films

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
[#64 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

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

Our Friend Victoria
1x02 People
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Twin Peaks
2x20 Episode 27 aka The Path to the Black Lodge

TV

Our Friend Victoria
1x01 Age
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Twin Peaks
2x19 Episode 26 aka Variations on Relations

Vera
7x04 The Blanket Mire [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

this week on 100 Films

It may be nearly a week ago now, but the past seven days saw the start of a new month, so it was time to look back on April at 100 Films in a Year...





After that, 4 brand-new reviews were published...


Elstree 1976 (2015)

In a studio near London in the summer of 1976, filming took place for a movie that the crew regarded as a children's flick and several cast members assumed would be a flop. They couldn't've been more wrong, because that film was Star Wars, probably the most influential movie of the last 40 years. You know the names of many of the people who were there: George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness… But there was also an army of supporting actors and extras. This is their story.

Read more here.


Green Room (2015)

The main point everyone seems to make about Green Room is how unbearably tense it is. Well, I can imagine it might’ve been pretty tense if I hadn’t spent the whole time struggling to work out what was going on from all the mumbled dialogue. It’s not helped by much of the early chatter being music scene gobbledegook. Is this what watching sci-fi feels like to normal people?

Read more here.


Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

The franchise that some thought might kill the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but which actually turned out to be one of its most popular successes, is back for the difficult second album. And difficult it is, because Guardians 2 takes a lot of what made that first movie work and ramps it up to 11, consequently slipping over into bouts of self-indulgence.

Read more here.


Nightcrawler (2014)

the film belongs to Jake Gyllenhaal. Wild-eyed, eager to please, but not quite right in how he interacts with other human beings, and with a real thirst for the gory profession he lands upon, Bloom has a sense of morality that is quite removed from the norm. From the start we’re in no doubt that this is a guy prepared to take relatively extreme measures to secure what he wants, but how far will he go?

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Collection Count

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

A slightly delayed update this week, due to some last-minute shenanigans with late arrivals, including one that needs to be returned.

In the end there were four additions this week, three new and one an identical (for the purposes of these stats) DVD-to-Blu-ray upgrade. But there's some additional jiggery-pokery too, because it seems I completely forgot to include a disc I received as a present months ago. Most unlike me.

I also did some overdue updates to my disc count, and discovered the version I had here was seven discs higher than in my other records. Not 100% sure which is right and which is wrong, but I'm going to side with the other one, so have updated this accordingly.

Number of titles in collection: 1,973 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,185 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 788 [up 5]

Number of discs in collection: 5,040 [down 1]
Number of films: 2,180 [up 7]
Number of TV episodes: 7,697 [no change]
Number of short films: 531 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Doctor Who
36x04 Knock Knock
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Flash
3x19 The Once and Future Flash

Twin Peaks
2x18 Episode 25 aka On the Wings of Love

TV

24: Legacy
1x12 11:00PM - 12:00PM [season finale]

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
4x04 Episode 4

Twin Peaks
2x17 Episode 24 aka Wounds and Scars

Films

Nightcrawler (2012)
[#63 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2017 #5

+ the Blu-ray's single featurette, which is quite interesting but sadly only five minutes long.

TV

24: Legacy
1x11 10:00PM - 11:00PM

TV

Twin Peaks
2x16 Episode 23 aka The Condemned Woman

TV

Twin Peaks
2x14 Episode 21 aka Double Play
2x15 Episode 22 aka Slaves and Masters

Vera
7x03 Broken Promise

Who Dares Wins
10x02 (29/4/17 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Car Share
2x04 Episode 4 [season finale]
Ooh, there'll be clamour for a third series after that!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Elementary
5x19 High Heat

Films

Back to the Future (1985)
[4th or so watch]
Rewatchathon 2017 #9. Finally playing the Blu-ray set I bought almost seven years ago! Man, time flies.

Split (2016)
[#62 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

24: Legacy
1x10 9:00PM - 10:00PM

Car Share
2x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Twin Peaks
2x13 Episode 20 aka Checkmate

Films

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
[#61 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2017 #4

this week on 100 Films

A new feature debuted on 100 Films in a Year this week. Called "review round-up", it aims to help race through some of my massive backlog of reviews. The first edition covers Dazed and Confused, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and Under the Shadow. Here's the link:





Additionally, there was 1 brand-new regular review...


The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Despite sharing a title and setting, this second Western remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is almost as different from The Magnificent Seven (1960 version) as that was from the original. Maybe that’s over-egging the point, but The Magnificent Seven (2016 version) is certainly not just a straight-up do-over of the popular Western classic.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
36x03 Thin Ice
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

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

Twin Peaks
2x12 Episode 19 aka The Black Widow

Films

The 39 Steps (1935)
[#60 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Blindspot 2017 #4

Collection Count

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

Except for last week, when I was away from home, so this actually counts the last fortnight -- all the more Blu-rays to factor in to the monthly running time update, then!

It would've been a big week by any measure, but when you add in the week before as well... Well, there were 12 additions to my collection this fortnight (so much for "11 additions by the end of May"!), including one BD-to-BD upgrade, as well as the Ultimate Edition of Peter Jackson's King Kong, a single two-disc set that replaces the content previously held across three titles and seven discs(!)

And what all that jiggery-pokery does to the numbers is...

Number of titles in collection: 1,969 [up 8]
Of which DVDs: 1,186 [down 3]
Of which Blu-rays: 783 [up 11]

Number of discs in collection: 5,041 [up 17]
Number of films: 2,173 [up 11]
Number of TV episodes: 7,697 [no change]
Number of short films: 531 [up 1]

Total running time of collection (approx.):
372 days, 14 hours, and 42 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 8 hours, and 7 minutes from last month.)

Despite the mass of titles this fortnight (and a busy week last time, too), that's actually the smallest running time increase for six months!

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Car Share
2x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Flash
3x18 Abra Kadabra

Twin Peaks
2x11 Episode 18 aka Masked Ball

Vera
7x02 Dark Angel

Films

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
[#59 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

24: Legacy
1x09 8:00PM - 9:00PM

Twin Peaks
2x10 Episode 17 aka Dispute Between Brothers

Who Dares Wins
10x01 (15/4/17 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Car Share
2x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who
36x02 Smile
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

Over at 100 Films in a Year this week, it was time for my monthly TV review...





...and 2 brand-new reviews were also published...


Guardians of the Galaxy 3D (2014)

I commented in my original review that some sequences seemed to have been designed with 3D in mind — specifically the chase through Knowhere, which I described as “little more than a blur.” I feel like past-me was correct, because I had no such issues with the sequence this time out. Even though I enjoy it, I’m still one of those people who regard 3D as fundamentally little more than a gimmick, but it does lend a scope, scale, and pizzazz throughout the movie that’s a lot of fun

Read more here.


The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

When it works, The Legend of Tarzan® is a straight-up old-fashioned adventure movie, albeit with slicker action sequences and created with lashings of CGI. When it doesn’t, it comes across as oddly muddled. As with so many blockbusters last year (Suicide Squad and Rogue One spring immediately to mind), it feels like it was chopped and changed a lot in the edit.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Films

Sully (2016)
[#58 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

aka Sully: Miracle on the Hudson

TV

The Graham Norton Show
21x03 (21/4/17 edition)
I'm away for a few days and haven't really watched anything (hence no updates), but I did happen to catch this.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Arrow
5x18 Disbanded

Broadchurch
3x08 Episode 8 [series finale]
In which Hardy and Miller catch whodunnit.
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Twin Peaks
2x08 Episode 15 aka Drive with a Dead Girl
2x09 Episode 16 aka Arbitrary Law
In which Coop and Harry catch whodunnit.

TV

24: Legacy
1x08 7:00PM - 8:00PM

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
4x03 Episode 3

Twin Peaks
2x06 Episode 13 aka Demons
2x07 Episode 14 aka Lonely Souls
Got a bit off schedule with this lately. With the new season coming next month, I need to stay on track.

TV

Elementary
5x18 Dead Man's Tale

Unforgotten
1x06 Episode 6 [season finale]

Films

The Magnificent Seven (2016)
[#57 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

this week on 100 Films

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


Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009)

You surely know the story of A Christmas Carol, so what matters is which particular adaptation this is and if it’s any good. Well, this is the one made by Robert Zemeckis back when he was obsessed with motion-captured computer animation, following the financial (though, I would argue, not artistic) success of The Polar Express and Beowulf. Fortunately A Christmas Carol seemed to kill off this diversion in his career, because it’s the worst of that trilogy.

Read more here.


The Russia House (1990)

Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer are on fine form in this romantic spy thriller adapted from a John le Carré novel... I’m not sure Connery, playing against type as a washed-up ageing no-name, has ever been better. There’s a top-notch supporting cast too, including Roy Scheider as a CIA agent, James Fox as Connery’s MI6 handler, plus Michael Kitchen, Klaus Maria Brandauer, David Threlfall, and even Ken Russell.

Read more here.


Star Trek Beyond (2016)

The cover of Star Trek Beyond’s Blu-ray proudly proclaims that it’s “the best reviewed action movie of the year”. I don’t think that’s true, but it does indicate the mindset producing these films nowadays: they’re not the serious-minded sci-fi the Trek franchise was once known for, but action-orientated summer blockbusters. As that, Beyond is pretty entertaining.

Read more here.


Swiss Army Man (2016)

If you’ve heard of Swiss Army Man, it’s likely for one thing and one thing only: this is the movie where Daniel “Harry Potter” Radcliffe plays a farting corpse with an erection. But rather than the childish super-gross-out comedy that short pitch would seem to suggest, Swiss Army Man is actually quite a sweet indie comedy-drama. With some super-gross-out comedy thrown in, natch.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
36x01 The Pilot
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Unforgotten
1x05 Episode 5

Films

The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
[#56 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Or, as the film's multiple title cards would have it, The Legend of Tarzan®.

Collection Count

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

As promised, this is a pretty busy week. I should rein myself in... but I haven't, because the next few weeks are all looking busy too: there'll be at least 11 further additions before May is over. Well, at least those are spread out!

Number of titles in collection: 1,961 [up 7]
Of which DVDs: 1,189 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 772 [up 7]

Number of discs in collection: 5,024 [up 13]
Number of films: 2,162 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes: 7,697 [up 10]
Number of short films: 530 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Unforgotten
1x04 Episode 4

Who Dares Wins
9x13 (8/4/17 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Twin Peaks
2x05 Episode 12 aka The Orchid's Curse

Unforgotten
1x03 Episode 3

Films

Guardians of the Galaxy 3D (2014)
[2nd watch]

Rewatchathon 2017 #8

In preparation for the sequel. Also, to try out my new 3D TV -- so technically this is the first time I've seen the 3D version, with its shifting aspect ratio (which is very effective).

TV

Broadchurch
3x05 Episode 5
3x06 Episode 6
3x07 Episode 7
Catching up again. It's kinda weird to suddenly watch almost half the series in one sitting, but there you go.
[Watch episodes five, six, and seven (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Unforgotten
1x02 Episode 2

TV

Elementary
5x17 The Ballad of Lady Frances

Twin Peaks
2x04 Episode 11 aka Laura's Secret Diary

Unforgotten
1x01 Episode 1

Films

Nocturnal Animals (2016)
[#55 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
4x02 Episode 2

The Flash
3x17 Duet
I get why they wanted to do a musical episode, but that felt half-arsed.

Twin Peaks
2x03 Episode 10 aka The Man Behind the Glass

TV

Arrow
5x17 Kapiushon

Vera
7x01 Natural Selection
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Films

Now You See Me 2 (2016)
[#54 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

this week on 100 Films

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


The BFG (2016)

The writer/director team behind E.T. reunite for another tale of a young kid befriending a strangely-proportioned otherworldly creature who can’t quite speak English properly and has an acronym for a name. This one, of course, is adapted from Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book, here rendered into live-action — or, for a large part, realistic computer animation — by director Steven Spielberg.

Read more here.


War on Everyone (2016)

There are broad similarities to another irreverent comedy thriller from 2006 about a pair of not-so-nice fellas investigating a somewhat-complicated crime plot, but War on Everyone just serves to demonstrate how hard it is to do what Shane Black makes look effortless in The Nice Guys.

Read more here.


The Witch (2015)

aka The VVitch: A New-England Folktale
It’s not a horror movie that suits all tastes, but I thought it was v.v. creepy and v.v. good.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

24: Legacy
1x07 6:00PM - 7:00PM

Twin Peaks
2x02 Episode 9 aka Coma

Who Dares Wins
9x12 (1/4/17 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Dazed and Confused (1993)
[#53 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Collection Count

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

Just one new thing this week -- and that turned up early because it's due out Monday. Next week will still be a relative big'un, though, with various things currently winging their way to me. Good times.

Number of titles in collection: 1,954 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,189 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 765 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 5,011 [up 2]
Number of films: 2,158 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 7,687 [no change]
Number of short films: 530 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Crown
1x10 Gloriana [season finale]

Elementary
5x16 Fidelity

Twin Peaks
2x01 Episode 8 aka May the Giant Be with You

TV

The Crown
1x09 Assassins

TV

The Crown
1x08 Pride & Joy

Films

War on Everyone (2016)
[#52 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

The Crown
1x07 Scientia Potentia Est

Films

The BFG (2016)
[#51 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

+ all the Blu-ray's special features

TV

The Crown
1x06 Gelignite

Room 101
6x08 Episode 8
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Flash
3x16 Into the Speed Force

Films

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
[#50 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

this week on 100 Films

A new month has begun this weekend, which means it was time for 100 Films in a Year to look back at the old one...





Additionally, 4 brand-new reviews were published this week...


Don't Breathe (2016)

Don’t Breathe is perhaps the movie equivalent of a theme park attraction: designed to thrill you and scare you during its brief duration, not withstand plot and character scrutiny when dissected afterwards.

Read more here.


Ghost in the Shell (2017)

this iteration of Ghost in the Shell creates a new narrative, but builds it out of liberally repurposed imagery, sequences, character traits, and more from the popular 1995 anime adaptation and its sequel, and apparently from the Stand Alone Complex TV series too... Though to say “new narrative” is something of a kindness because, intricacies aside, the story isn’t new at all.

Read more here.


Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

with technical advancements that aren’t necessarily beneficial, grander but less memorable action sequences, and less coherent thematic underpinnings, it’s clear that Hollywood doesn’t have the monopoly on sequel-y sequels.

Read more here.


Tokyo Tribe (2014)

the mix of battle rap, comic grotesques, ultra violence, gratuitous nudity, more barmy notions than you can shake a stick at, and probably the kitchen sink too, makes it possibly the most batshit-crazy movie I’ve ever seen.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The Crown
1x05 Smoke and Mirrors

Films

Jackie Brown (1997)
[#49 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Blindspot 2017 #3

Collection Count

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

Three new additions this week, though the disc count goes down because one's a three-disc Blu-ray set that replaces a seven-disc DVD set.

Number of titles in collection: 1,953 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,189 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 764 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 5,009 [down 1]
Number of films: 2,157 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 7,687 [no change]
Number of short films: 530 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Arrow
5x16 Checkmate

The Crown
1x04 Act of God

Films

Hook (1991)
[2nd or so watch]

Rewatchathon 2017 #7

TV

The Crown
1x03 Windsor

Room 101
6x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Black Dynamite (2009)
[#47 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Ghost in the Shell (2017)
[#48 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Broadchurch
3x03 Episode 3
3x04 Episode 4
Catching up.
[Watch episodes three and four (again) on the ITV Hub.]

The Crown
1x02 Hyde Park Corner

TV

The Crown
1x01 Wolferton Splash

Films

Young Frankenstein (1974)
[#46 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Articles

The Disc at 20: Packaged Media Resonates in a Digital Age
by Stephanie Prange & Erik Gruenwedel (from Home Media Magazine)

"a staggering 93 percent of movie buyers are still active in the disc format today" ... "For the last 10 years, people have been saying there are two years left in DVD and it’s going to drop off a cliff. Here we are 10 years later and it is still going strong" ... "The DVD business is going to be around a lot longer than people think. It’s still a massive business for us. It’s not going away" ...

"The desire for ownership is strong, and many consumers who value ownership — those who are collectors of movies, television shows, and special-edition packages — and gift-givers prefer the disc format. We anticipate that will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future, meaning the future of the disc remains shiny."

TV

24: Legacy
1x06 5:00PM - 6:00PM

The Flash
3x15 The Wrath of Savitar

Films

Big Game (2014)
[#45 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Line of Duty
2x06 Episode 6 [season finale]

Who Dares Wins
9x11 (25/3/17 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

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


Cold in July (2014)

People often call for more originality in their stories, then criticise a film like this for jumping around in genre and tone. Personally, I didn’t think it changed much in either. The plot is far from straightforward — twists take the story in unexpected directions with each act (if not even more often) — but as a whole it remains a neo-noir crime thriller.

Read more here.


Demolition (2015)

Jake Gyllenhaal is a high-flying banker struggling with the grief of his wife’s death by taking his life apart — literally — in this slightly strange drama

Read more here.


Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Master movie spoofer Mel Brooks’ penultimate work as director was this riff on the Robin Hood legend... Although generally regarded as one of Brooks’ lesser movies, its deeply silly style tickles

Read more here.


Finally, my second 100 Favourites series came to an end with both my top 10...





...and, of course, some statistics:





That's it for 100 Favourites, but there'll be more reviews next Sunday.

TV

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

Line of Duty
2x05 Episode 5

Films

Ghost in the Shell (1995)
[3rd watch]
Rewatchathon 2017 #6

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
[#44 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 bunch of new additions this week -- new films, new TV series, DVD-to-Blu-ray upgrades, and even a couple of Blu-rays of things which I also own on DVD but that won't be replacing the DVD for one reason or another (mostly to do with booklets and/or other special features). Which is actually kind of annoying, but there you go. I'll just sell them later if I ever change my mind.

Number of titles in collection: 1,951 [up 8]
Of which DVDs: 1,190 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 761 [up 9]

Number of discs in collection: 5,010 [up 10]
Number of films: 2,155 [up 5]
Number of TV episodes: 7,687 [up 26]
Number of short films: 530 [no change]

And all of that just in time for the monthly running time update...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
371 days, 6 hours, and 35 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 16 hours, and 52 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
4x01 Episode 1
Managed to record a repeat run of the series I missed.

Iron Fist
1x12 Bar the Big Boss
1x13 Dragon Plays with Fire [season finale]

Line of Duty
2x04 Episode 4

TV

Elementary
5x15 Wrong Side of the Road

Line of Duty
2x03 Episode 3

TV

Iron Fist
1x10 Black Tiger Steals Heart
1x11 Lead Horse Back to Stable

Line of Duty
2x02 Episode 2

Room 101
6x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Iron Fist
1x07 Felling Tree with Roots
1x08 The Blessing of Many Fractures
1x09 The Mistress of All Agonies

Line of Duty
2x01 Episode 1

Not Going Out
8x07 Enough [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Elementary
5x14 Rekt in Real Life

TV

Arrow
5x15 Fighting Fire with Fire

Iron Fist
1x04 Eight Diagram Dragon Palm
1x05 Under Leaf Pluck Lotus
1x06 Immortal Emerges from Cave

Who Dares Wins
9x10 (18/3/17 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

A busy TV review this month on 100 Films in a Year...





Also, 3 brand-new reviews were published this week...


Ghostbusters (2016)

while parts are pretty funny, others are just as lazy as the trailer implied. Considering the volume of alternate lines included in the film’s special features, you have to wonder how some glaring duds, overfamiliar ‘jokes’, and flat-out clichés were left in. Of the lead cast, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, and Leslie Jones are all equally affected by this sometimes good / sometimes bad oscillation, though Chris Hemsworth as their pretty-but-dim receptionist manages to escape unscathed in a bubble of, if not hilarity, then definite amusement.

Read more here.


The Nice Guys (2016)

Writer-director Shane Black has been doing this kind of action-thriller buddy comedy for decades now, but he’s still got it where it counts — there are quotable lines galore, and visual gags that would be just as quotable if you could quote a visual.

Read more here.


San Andreas (2015)

San Andreas is a most amusing movie. It’s not a comedy, just a generic effects-driven disaster movie in exactly the same style Hollywood has been producing for about 20 years.

Read more here.


Finally, the penultimate part of my new 100 Favourites series counted down #30 to #11...





More next Sunday.

TV

The Flash
3x14 Attack on Central City

Iron Fist
1x01 Snow Gives Way
1x02 Shadow Hawk Takes Flight
1x03 Rolling Thunder Cannon Punch
Funny old show. The first episode is as bad as the critics implied, treaclishly slow, poorly written and acted. Episode 2 does pick up a bit, and the third episode is actually quite good. There are good bits throughout too, promising characters and mysteries, but there's always a weak part around the corner. Hopefully it'll continue to improve over the next 10 parts...

Let's Sing and Dance for Comic Relief
Episode 3 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

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