Podcasts

Toby Hadoke's Who's Round
59 Russell T Davies Part 3
99 Russell T Davies Part 4
124 Russell T Davies Part 5
[Listen via Big Finish.]

Films

Defending Your Life (1991)
[#113 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
+ the half-hour interview of writer/director/star Albert Brooks by critic Robert Weide on the Criterion Blu-ray

Collection Count

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

I was going to say it had been a fairly quiet month for my collection, but then I realised I had nine titles turn up in a single week just a fortnight ago — that's a fairly large pile for a single week by almost any standard. But around that, there were zero additions the week before it and just one last week, and this week there's only two. Still, that's a fairly steady amount, all things considered.

I'm reflecting on the whole month like this because it's that time again: the monthly running time update. Exciting days.

Number of titles in collection: 2,603 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,073 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,530 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 102 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 6,600 [up 2]
Number of films: 3,030 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 221 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,075 [no change]
Number of short films: 867 [no change]

Total running time of collection (approx.):
477 days, 22 hours, and 56 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 9 hours, and 15 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Have I Got News For You
61x08 (28/5/21 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Tom Allen's Quizness
1x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Podcasts

Toby Hadoke's Who's Round
50 Russell T Davies Part 1
54 Russell T Davies Part 2
I could listen to RTD talk about Doctor Who for hours... which is good, because this multi-part interview (it's spread across seven episodes) lasts over 3½ hours in total.
[Listen to Part 1 and Part 2 via Big Finish.]

TV

Simon Bird: Debrief
Wrote a bit of a review on Letterboxd.
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

TV

Eurovision Song Contest: Rotterdam 2021
Watching the next day, just like last time (i.e. two years ago), because I wasn't able to watch it live and iPlayer takes forever to put such a long, live show up after broadcast. It's not the same as being able to follow along on Twitter, but oh well. Anyway, I thought it was mostly a good final this year — a surprisingly strong lineup of songs — although the eventual winner was one of the few underwhelming ones, which was a shame.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)
[#112 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

this week on 100 Films

1 new review was published to 100 Films in a Year this week...


Psycho Goreman (2020)

Those who grew up on that stuff may get the biggest kick out of the film, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t delight its gonzo joys. I won’t be surprised if Psycho Goreman has a bright future ahead as a new cult staple.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Films

Official Secrets (2019)
[#111 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Collection Count

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

Just a single addition this week: Zack Snyder's Justice League on 4K. Maybe now I'll finally get round to watching it...

Number of titles in collection: 2,601 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,073 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,528 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 102 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 6,598 [up 2]
Number of films: 3,028 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 221 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,075 [no change]
Number of short films: 867 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Crank (2006)
[#110 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

No, there hasn't been some mistake: this is my first "cultural experience" of the week. I just started a new job, see, and I haven't got my new schedule down quite yet to keep doing things I enjoy. Hopefully, more films, TV, books, and all the rest, to come regularly from now onwards.

Films

Good Boys (2019)
[#109 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

this week on 100 Films

4 new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week...


Devil's Cargo (1948)

It all unfolds as a surprisingly decent little mystery — no great head-scratcher, but it offers enough twists and turns to keep it lively. The conclusion may stretch credibility, and our hero more chances upon the identity of the killer than actually deduces it, but it suffices for a short B-movie.

Read more here.


Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

Where the first film was a riff on something like Assault on Precinct 13, this sequel turns its attention to another John Carpenter classic, clearly trying to be a version of Escape from New York... It’s a perfectly serviceable storyline, and I have no problem with movies broadly borrowing storylines and whatnot in homage to other flicks. The problem is, Apocalypse is an awfully written and produced film.

Read more here.


The 100-Week Roundup XXXII

Featuring...
- The Saint (2017)
- Hairspray (1988)

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Murder, They Hope
1x03 Dales of the Unexpected [season finale]
Best one of the series. The run definitely picked up as it went along (even over just three episodes) — I hope there's more.

Films

The Aeronauts (2019)
[#108 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Drop Zone (1994)
[#107 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Collection Count

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

After dropping to 0 last week, it's back up to 60 this week. Not 60 new titles, obviously (that would be insane), but between new releases and a couple of cut-price bargains, there's a hefty load of new additions to report: nine titles with 15 films across.

Number of titles in collection: 2,600 [up 9]
Of which DVDs: 1,073 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,527 [up 9]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 101 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 6,596 [up 15]
Number of films: 3,027 [up 15]
Number of additional cuts: 221 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,075 [no change]
Number of short films: 867 [up 13]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
[#105 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Stuart Little (1999)
[#106 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Films

Spontaneous (2020)
[#104 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

TV

Murder, They Hope
1x02 Evil Under the Bun

Films

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
[4th or so watch]
Rewatchathon 2021 #16
Continuing my Indiana Jones rewatch. This is actually my first time seeing it fully uncut: in 1984, the UK release was edited to get a PG from the BBFC, and that version persisted even until the DVD release — the Blu-ray was the first version to be uncut here. Conventional wisdom has always held it to be the worst film, at least of the original trilogy, although it's had vocal fans for years. I'm sure I saw it less often than Raiders or Last Crusade when I was a kid; it definitely stuck in my mind less.

Films

Twister (1996)
[#103 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Films

Strange Confession (1945)
[#102 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
The fifth Inner Sanctum Mystery.
+ commentary by authors and film experts C. Courtney Joyner and Peter Atkins.

this week on 100 Films

5 new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week...


The Secret Life of Pets 1&2

[The first] mostly reheats, remixes, and recombines stuff you’ve seen done in other movies, but it manages just enough charm to tick over as entertaining rather than irritatingly derivative. [The second] is a step down, but it has its moments

Read more here.


The 100-Week Roundup XXXI

Featuring...
- Cosmopolis
- The Kennel Murder Case
- Widows

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

MST3K: The Return of the Final Countdown
So, I popped on this telethon finale for the MST3K Kickstarter just to see if anything interesting was going on with it… and ended up having enough fun that I stuck with it for the whole five-hour shebang. It's all available to replay, though I suspect it's less fun not watching live — I mean, you can't join in with the Jackbox game, for one thing.

Murder, They Hope
1x01 The Bunny Trap
First episode of a spinoff/continuation series (whatever you wanna call it) from the TV movie trilogy of Murder on the Blackpool Express, Death on the Tyne, and Dial M for Middlesbrough. I thought the hour format might tighten things up a bit, but if anything it feels even less focused and more ridiculous. Maybe future episodes will be better.

Films

I Care a Lot (2020)
[#101 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Collection Count

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

For once, there's absolutely nothing to report this week! But there's already more stuff in the post, so it won't be this way for long...

Number of titles in collection: 2,591 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,073 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,518 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 101 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 6,581 [no change]
Number of films: 3,012 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 221 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,075 [no change]
Number of short films: 854 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Mystery Science Theater 3000
11x02 Cry Wilderness

“I’m afraid this movie might not be very good...”

So, I said I'd jump ahead to better-regarded episodes, but it turned out I didn't have to jump at all: Cry Wilderness seems to be widely regarded as the best episode of MST3K: The Return (aka season 11), and it also happens to be episode 2, so I haven't had to watch anything out of sequence. Hurrah! Unlike the first episode, this one hits the ground running and maintains a pretty consistent level from there. It was enough to convince me to back the Kickstarter.

Films

Cinema Paradiso (1988)
[#100 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Blindspot 2021 #5
I watched the shorter theatrical cut, because that's the one in 4K UHD on Arrow's release. Also, while the 50-minutes-longer Director's Cut does have its fans, there seems to be a consensus that the shorter cut is better.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
[5th or so watch]
Rewatchathon 2021 #15
I've been meaning to rewatch the Indiana Jones movies for ages (I've owned the Blu-ray set for 8½ years now and never watched it), but I've finally been spurred on by them hitting 4K next month (as I said: watching those discs I bought almost a decade ago before I inevitably buy the new ones!) I have no idea how many times I've seen Raiders — the above count is a total punt.

TV

Mystery Science Theater 3000
11x01 Reptilicus

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark... and it’s this movie!”

With a new MST3K Kickstarter underway, I figured I should finally watch episode(s) from the last one, (a) because I should've got round to them ages ago, and (b) to see if I want to back this new Kickstarter. This one... left me unsure. You see, I always really like the idea of MST3K in theory, but I feel like whenever I actually watch it I’m less convinced. There’s a sense of “throw anything at the wall and hope some of it sticks” about the jokes, rather than the constant barrage of zingers that you’d ideally find. But some of it does stick, so...

Anyway, apparently this is one of the weaker episodes of the revival season, so I might jump ahead to some I've heard are better, to let it put its best foot forward.

Films

An American Pickle (2020)
[#99 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

TV

Not Going Out
11x05 War [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Rookie
3x04 Sabotage

Films

Baby Done (2020)
[#98 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Carefree (1938)
[#97 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

TV

Line of Duty
6x06 Episode 6
6x07 Episode 7 [season finale]
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]

Richard Osman's House of Games
3x84 Episode 84
3x85 Episode 85
[Watch these episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2021 #14

this week on 100 Films

Another month gone, another monthly review over at 100 Films in a Year...





Also this week, there was 1 new film review...


Nomadland (2020)

at times the film arguably slips into documentary: most of the supporting cast are real people, playing themselves or versions thereof, so when these people Fern encounters tell their stories, it not only feels real, it is real. There’s a lot of sadness — in the events that have brought people to this place, and in the struggle to live this lifestyle — but a lot of happiness in what it’s given them, too. The net result is a dignified, deeply humane portrait of people who we might describe with negative words like “homeless” or “dispossessed”, but who in reality are free, in their way. It makes for a powerful, quietly moving experience.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Collection Count

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

This week's biggest release, in just about every sense, is Arrow's 4K box set of Battle Royale, which includes the sequel on regular Blu-ray. I already own Arrow's previous Blu-ray release of BR from over a decade ago, and shamefully have never watched it. This new set should replace that, but the old one has a couple of physical extras that have gone walkabout from the new edition, and it's rather nice in and of itself, so I'm loathe to part with it. I also own both films on DVD and I really should get rid of them now; indeed, I'm not sure why I didn't just get rid of my DVD of the first film last time. It's going now. But my DVD of the second edition comes in a limited edition tin, and so, as a limited edition in fancy packaging, I am once again loathe to say goodbye to it. Sometimes I think I need help...

Speaking of which, I gave in and bought the pretty Curzon Artificial Eye Bong Joon-Ho box set a lot of people have been chatting about. This is now the third edition of Parasite I own, and the second editions for Parasite: Black & White, The Host, and Snowpiercer. That leaves three films in the set I don't have, although none have special features, which bugs me, especially as two of them (Mother and Memories of Murder) have been released in English-friendly editions with extras. Why the hell did I buy it, then? Well, three films I don't own at all isn't that bad a hit rate; this edition of Parasite does have a couple of extras I don't own elsewise; and the transfer of Memories of Murder has a better colour palette than the Criterion edition... although I'd still like to pick that up sometime for its special features.

Yeah, maybe I do need help...

Number of titles in collection: 2,591 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,073 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,518 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 101 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 6,581 [up 12]
Number of films: 3,012 [up 10]
Number of additional cuts: 221 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes: 9,075 [down 5]
Number of short films: 854 [no change]

Oh, and after all that, it's also time for the monthly running time update...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
476 days, 13 hours, and 41 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 17 hours, and 8 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Line of Duty
6x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Awful Truth (1937)
[#95 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Page Eight (2011)
[#96 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

TV

Line of Duty
6x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Richard Osman's House of Games
3x82 Episode 82
3x83 Episode 83
[Watch these episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

The Rookie
3x03 La Fiera

TV

Death in Paradise
10x05 Episode 5
10x06 Episode 6
[Watch series 10 (again) on iPlayer.]

Line of Duty
6x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Line of Duty
6x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Not Going Out
11x04 Old Acquaintance
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Line of Duty
6x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Richard Osman's House of Games
3x81 Episode 81
The week where the contestants were Jamelia, Susan Calman, Gareth Malone, and Paul Martin.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Rookie
3x02 In Justice

TV

The 93rd Annual Academy Awards
aka the Oscars. I thought it was quite a good ceremony this year, actually — the differences to normal may have been forced by COVID, but it seemed to make it an actual celebration of the films and filmmakers rather than attemps to please the imagined viewing audience with sketches, etc. Well, until the final few minutes, anyway, when the brazen rearrangement of categories led to a damp squib of a finale. Shame.

The Rookie
3x01 Consequences

Films

A Single Man (2009)
[#94 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

TV

Live from E! Oscars 2021

Films

Going My Way (1944)
[#93 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Collection Count

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

Having just last week noted the slow increase of my UHD titles this year, this week I got two more and hit that century. It was a mix of all the possibilities I listed: something definitely coming later this month, that I was very likely to order, and caving to a multibuy.

Number of titles in collection: 2,587 [up 8]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,512 [up 8]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 100 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 6,569 [up 12]
Number of films: 3,002 [up 7]
Number of additional cuts: 217 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,080 [up 26]
Number of short films: 854 [up 4]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Leverage
2x14 The Three Strikes Job
2x15 The Maltese Falcon Job [season finale]

Films

The Coldest Game (2019)
[#92 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

TV

Death in Paradise
10x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Leverage
2x13 The Future Job

Films

Beginners (2010)
[#91 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Stowaway (2021)
[#90 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Films

Primary Colors (1998)
[#89 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Films

Spielberg (2017)
[#88 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Audio Drama

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures
Dalek Universe 1x01 Buying Time

Films

Warning from Space (1956)
[#87 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
+ the audio commentary by Stuart Galbraith IV (it’s billed as a “select scene” commentary, but what that means here is that Galbraith just doesn’t have enough material to cover the full feature, tapping out before the 65 minute mark). Also the two trailers, which (aside from the alternate US version of the film and a booklet) are all the extras the disc has to offer.

Films

Taken 2 (2012)
[#86 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Fiction

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Pages 185–216

this week on 100 Films

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


The 100-Week Roundup XXX

Featuring...
- Everybody Wants Some!!
- The Eyes of Orson Welles
- Eyes Wide Shut

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Films

Palm Springs (2020)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2021 #13

Collection Count

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

This week's additions include only my fifth UHD title this year. That might not sound like a particularly tiny number — it's more than one per month average, and certainly more than I've bought DVDs — but, considering my overal Blu-ray count has gone up by 75 in that same time, it's fewer than you might've expected. Nonetheless, I'm sure it'll hit the magic 100 soon. I've already got one definitely coming later this month, and a couple more I'm very likely to order; plus there's always the chance I'll cave to some multibuy offer or other. (I dread to think how quickly I've got to 100 UHDs compared to how long it took me to amass 100 DVDs back in the day...)

Also this week: a haul from the recent UK Criterion sale, which pushes my Blu-ray collection past the 1,500-title mark, and gets my film count ever so close to 3,000...

Number of titles in collection: 2,579 [up 9]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,504 [up 9]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 98 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 6,557 [up 11]
Number of films: 2,995 [up 10]
Number of additional cuts: 215 [down 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,054 [up 2]
Number of short films: 850 [up 2]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Would I Lie To You?
14x07 Episode 7
14x08 Episode 8
[Watch these episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Detective Conan: The Phantom of Baker Street (2002)
[#85 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Fiction

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Pages 144–184

Films

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978)
[#84 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
This being the comedy one starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.

Fiction

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Pages 118–143

TV

For All Mankind
1x04 Prime Crew

Fiction

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Pages 71–117

Films

Nomadland (2020)
[#83 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

TV

The British Academy Film Awards 2021
Part 1 Opening Night
Part 2 Awards Ceremony
I thought splitting the usual awards in two might be a bit pointless, but the "Opening Night" part was rather good — it took awards that are normally dumped in an “also awarded” montage and did a complete 180 on that, not only presenting them but taking time to discuss them. Nicely done.
[Watch both parts (again) on iPlayer.]


The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes

This TV special was made to tie-in to the release of Young Sherlock Holmes in 1985, but nowadays can be found on Arrow's Blu-ray release of the Hammer Hound of the Baskervilles, the link being it's presented by Christopher Lee. Lee is a consummate pro — you feel like the first time he ever saw his script for this was as he read it off cue cards on camera, but he still gives a good go of injecting some personality. The disdain with which he says “Star Trek’s William Shatner” is magnificent.

Sadly, that can’t be said of much else in this perfunctory overview of Holmes on stage and screen, which plays like someone reading out a Wikipedia entry. At times it takes its title too literally, devolving into no more than a list of names. There are some interesting clips from very early and obscure films and TV adaptations, which is nice, but the long section devoted to excerpts from the Basil Rathbone films feels unnecessary nowadays when you can easily watch the whole films (and you should, most of them are really good).

Fiction

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Pages 42–70

this week on 100 Films

6 new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week...


King Kong (1933)

Beauty and the Beast is reimagined as a monster movie in this iconic classic. Obviously some of it has aged (not just the effects, but some broadly racist attitudes around Pacific islanders and the ship’s Chinese cook), although its pre-Code roots allow it some unexpected liberties (from gruesome deaths to an unmistakable sexuality around Fay Wray — all within PG levels, but still). Take all that in your stride, and King Kong absolutely holds up as an adrenaline-fuelled spectacle.

Read more here.


Palm Springs (2020)

it’s definitely a funny, likeable, surprisingly romantic (but not twee) film. Indeed, even without the time loop USP, Palm Springs would be welcomed because it hits a really good tone on the romance angle. It doesn’t dive into full romcom cheesiness, but it’s also not that kind of “tacked on love story that the filmmakers clearly wish they didn’t have to bother with”

Read more here.


The 100-Week Roundup XXIX

Featuring...
- Click
- The Help
- Mortal Engines
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Films

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
[#82 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
+ the half-hour making-of on Arrow's Blu-ray, Release the Hound!

Fiction

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Pages 1–41

I normally prefer to log books by chapter numbers, as page numbers can vary between editions, but sometimes books just don’t have chapters. The Midnight Library does... sort of. They’re not numbered, only named, and it looks like most are only a page or two long (there are 14 in these first 41 pages alone), so numbering them myself doesn't seem much use. So, page count it is.

Collection Count

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

This week's three adds come courtest of Arrow's ongoing Easter sale. And talking of sales, next week should see the arrival of a big pile of purchases from Criterion's 2-for-£25 (which ends this weekend, hence the big last-minute grab).

Number of titles in collection: 2,570 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,495 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 97 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 6,546 [up 3]
Number of films: 2,985 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 216 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,052 [no change]
Number of short films: 848 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

The Fly (1986)
[#81 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

The Frozen Ghost (1945)
[#80 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
The fourth Inner Sanctum Mystery.

Films

Captain Phillips (2013)
[#79 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Articles

My Heart Belongs to the MonsterVerse
by Matt Zoller Seitz (from Vulture)
An eloquent love letter to / defence of the Godzilla/Kong franchise.

Films

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)
[#78 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
The US version, this time.

Films

Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
[#76 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
[#77 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
That's the original Japanese version (on disc 8 in Criterion's Showa set), not the US re-jig (the one on disc 2).

Films

Godzilla (1954)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2021 #12

Sátántangó (1994)
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Finally, concluding with parts 10–12.

Films

Sátántangó (1994)
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Continuing with parts 7–9.

The Son of Kong (1933)
[#75 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

this week on 100 Films

A new month means a new monthly review over at 100 Films in a Year...





And there were 3 new film reviews, too...


Godzilla (1954)

more than just the blockbuster entertainment of its day, Godzilla is a serious-minded work. A giant monster stomping on cities — or, if you prefer, a man in a rubber suit stomping on models — may have soon become fodder for the kind of movie fans who enjoy pulp entertainment, but, in its original incarnation, it’s an analogy for the terror of the nuclear bomb. Released just nine years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it’s one of the first films to deal with that scar on the Japanese national psyche

Read more here — including my thoughts on the US re-edit: Godzilla, King of the Monsters!


Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

feels like a combination of the two previous MonsterVerse films. As a direct sequel to Godzilla (2014), it brings in plot threads and a couple of supporting characters from that movie. It also adopts the dark visual style of Gareth Edwards’ movie, eschewing the colourfulness that was part of Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ contribution in Kong: Skull Island. But what director Michael Dougherty does retain is that film's pulpiness in the storyline.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Films

King Kong (1933)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2021 #11
I also watched the "lost spider pit sequence" recreation, created by Peter Jackson and Weta while they were working on his 2005 remake. The making of their clip is covered in a half-hour segment of the main feature's 2.5-hour making-of documentary, and that behind-the-scenes glimpse is even more impressive than the finished piece. The amount of time and effort and skill that Jackson & Weta put into creating such a short sequence — something they themselves describe as “just a bit of fun” — is phenomenal.

Sátántangó (1994)
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Continuing with parts 4–6.

Collection Count

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

Just one new addition this week. Not even a new release or a sale title, like you might expect, but something I heard recommended and decided to pick up.

It's also time for the monthly running time update, so let's see what difference was made by all those sale acquisitions last month...

Number of titles in collection: 2,567 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,492 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 97 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 6,543 [up 1]
Number of films: 2,981 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 215 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,052 [no change]
Number of short films: 848 [no change]

Total running time of collection (approx.):
473 days, 20 hours, and 33 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 4 hours, and 25 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Sátántangó (1994)
[#74 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Blindspot 2021 #4
A seven-hour black-and-white 'slow cinema' Hungarian art drama? Crikey! Thankfully, it’s split into 12 parts, so I’m going to watch it in chunks (if all goes to plan, I'll finish it over the long Easter weekend). Today: parts 1–3.

Films

Wonder Woman 3D (2017)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2021 #10

Films

Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972)
[#72 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Blindspot 2021 #3

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
[#73 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

TV

Doctor Who
39x00 Revolution of the Daleks [New Year's Day special; 2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Leverage
2x12 The Zanzibar Marketplace Job

Unforgotten
4x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

TV

Death in Paradise
10x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Unforgotten
4x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Films

Midnight in Paris (2011)
[#71 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

TV

Leverage
2x11 The Bottle Job

Unforgotten
4x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Who Dares Wins
12x10 (7/9/19 edition) [season finale]
After being behind on Who Dares Wins for years, I'm finally all caught up! Now I just hope they make some more...

Films

Bachelor Knight (1947)
[#70 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
aka The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer

this week on 100 Films

5 new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week...


Eighth Grade (2018)

if you look past the modern milieu to the fundamental feelings underneath, they’re universal and speak across the generations. This is the most truthful movie about what it’s actually like to be a teenager I think I’ve ever seen. It really captures the uncomfortableness of being a not-popular teen, both for good (well done filmmakers, you conveyed your point) or ill (it can be as squirm-inducing as living the real thing).

Read more here.


The Man Who Reviewed Some Films

Featuring...
- The Man Who Knew Infinity
- The Man Who Knew Too Much
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
- The Man Who Sleeps

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Unforgotten
4x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Films

The Prom (2020)
[#69 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Vivacious Lady (1938)
[#68 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Collection Count

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

No new releases this week, but, once again, sales got me: there's a Criterion offer across most UK retailers right now, and that's hard to resist. Only two titles so far, but I expect I'll cave to some more (there's around 10–12 from my wish list still in the sale).

Number of titles in collection: 2,566 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,075 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,491 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 97 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 6,542 [up 2]
Number of films: 2,980 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 215 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,052 [no change]
Number of short films: 848 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2020/2021 Episode 8 (of 14)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Leverage
2x10 The Runaway Job

Not Going Out
11x03 Carol
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Unforgotten
4x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Audio Drama

Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures
275x04 The End of the Beginning Part 4: The Lost Moon [series finale]

TV

Leverage
2x09 The Lost Heir Job

Unforgotten
4x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]