Sunday, 27 October 2024
Saturday, 26 October 2024
TV
Friends
4x09 The One Where They're Going to Party! [5th or so watch]
4x10 The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie [5th or so watch]
The Rookie
5x21 Going Under
The Rookie: Feds
1x21 Bloodline
The final Rookie / Rookie: Feds crossover — which was barely that, more two scenes in Going Under that led into Bloodline, and gave them an excuse to feature Nolan in the latter. Anyway, the show got cancelled, so this is the last episode of Feds I'll ever have to watch.
Slow Horses
4x03 Penny for Your Thoughts
4x04 Returns
4x09 The One Where They're Going to Party! [5th or so watch]
4x10 The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie [5th or so watch]
The Rookie
5x21 Going Under
The Rookie: Feds
1x21 Bloodline
The final Rookie / Rookie: Feds crossover — which was barely that, more two scenes in Going Under that led into Bloodline, and gave them an excuse to feature Nolan in the latter. Anyway, the show got cancelled, so this is the last episode of Feds I'll ever have to watch.
Slow Horses
4x03 Penny for Your Thoughts
4x04 Returns
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
I alluded last week to a deluge of stuff turning up this week. Well, it didn't. Fair enough — it was all preorders due out on Monday, anyway. So, next week should have a pile of stuff (just in time for the monthly running time update, which means I've got one week to work out how long the Lars von Trier box set runs — unusually, it doesn't say on the packaging).
This week does have one new title: Doctor Who Season 25. We've reached something of a tipping point in the Doctor Who Blu-ray range at last: as well as upgrading DVDs of stories from season 25 itself, this allows me to also officially pass on stories from seasons 12 and 24. How? Those seasons are already out on Blu-ray, but the DVD editions are in box sets with stories from season 25, so I'd been hanging on to them. There should be more of this kind of thing going forward; as well as, hopefully, special features that have gone walkabout turning up again, meaning even more DVDs can officially be 'removed'.
Number of titles in collection: 3,387 [down 2]
Of which DVDs: 995 [down 3]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,392 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 397 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 8,177 [up 3]
Number of films: 4,217 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 404 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,797 [down 3]
Number of short films: 1,171 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
I alluded last week to a deluge of stuff turning up this week. Well, it didn't. Fair enough — it was all preorders due out on Monday, anyway. So, next week should have a pile of stuff (just in time for the monthly running time update, which means I've got one week to work out how long the Lars von Trier box set runs — unusually, it doesn't say on the packaging).
This week does have one new title: Doctor Who Season 25. We've reached something of a tipping point in the Doctor Who Blu-ray range at last: as well as upgrading DVDs of stories from season 25 itself, this allows me to also officially pass on stories from seasons 12 and 24. How? Those seasons are already out on Blu-ray, but the DVD editions are in box sets with stories from season 25, so I'd been hanging on to them. There should be more of this kind of thing going forward; as well as, hopefully, special features that have gone walkabout turning up again, meaning even more DVDs can officially be 'removed'.
Number of titles in collection: 3,387 [down 2]
Of which DVDs: 995 [down 3]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,392 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 397 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 8,177 [up 3]
Number of films: 4,217 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 404 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,797 [down 3]
Number of short films: 1,171 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 25 October 2024
TV
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x71 Week 15: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Slow Horses
4x01 Identity Theft
4x02 A Stranger Comes to Town
7x71 Week 15: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Slow Horses
4x01 Identity Theft
4x02 A Stranger Comes to Town
Thursday, 24 October 2024
Wednesday, 23 October 2024
TV
Goblin Slayer
1x11 A Gathering of Adventurers
1x12 The Fate of an Adventurer [season finale]
Great two-part finale. Glad I stumbled across this show.
1x11 A Gathering of Adventurers
1x12 The Fate of an Adventurer [season finale]
Great two-part finale. Glad I stumbled across this show.
Tuesday, 22 October 2024
TV
Goblin Slayer
1x10 Dozing
1x10a Adventure Sheet aka Recap: Adventurer's Record
The second episode here is a summary of the main story so far, retold in mostly chronological order (i.e. some flashbacks from later episodes are moved to the start), which aired between episodes 10 and 11 during the series' original run. It's not been dubbed into English (even though it's 100% clips from previous episodes, so presumably they could've just edited the existing soundtracks) and I don't think it's included on any DVD/Blu-ray releases. Which is fair enough, really — I thought it might have a new framing device to link the clips or something, but no. It's entirely skippable.
1x10 Dozing
1x10a Adventure Sheet aka Recap: Adventurer's Record
The second episode here is a summary of the main story so far, retold in mostly chronological order (i.e. some flashbacks from later episodes are moved to the start), which aired between episodes 10 and 11 during the series' original run. It's not been dubbed into English (even though it's 100% clips from previous episodes, so presumably they could've just edited the existing soundtracks) and I don't think it's included on any DVD/Blu-ray releases. Which is fair enough, really — I thought it might have a new framing device to link the clips or something, but no. It's entirely skippable.
Monday, 21 October 2024
Films
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
[#82 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
Blindspot 2024 #9 — the first of two horror films on this year's Blindspot list that I've been saving for October.
[#82 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
Blindspot 2024 #9 — the first of two horror films on this year's Blindspot list that I've been saving for October.
Games
007: Everything or Nothing
Oh yeah, another new game. I'll spare you the details, but a perfect confluence of various different thoughts, impulses, and things I happened to see inspired me to get ahold of an emulation of this console game for my Mac (I actually own the GameCube version, so I can't say I feel too bad about 'pirating' this; also, it's 20 years old and not available in any form for a current-gen console nor on PC, so...)
Had a quick go at it, but the emulator doesn't seem to support using a mouse (beyond clicking) so it was a pain to control. I have old GameCube / GameCube-for-Wii controllers somewhere, but I'm sure there's no way to connect them up to a Mac (heck, if I was going to dig those out, I could just set up the console; though I think I'd need an adaptor to connect it to my TV nowadays).
I'd love to just dig into the game, but while the intro and tutorial were easy enough that I could take my time finding every single button I needed to press and slowly move my view around with random keys, etc, I doubt that would be sufficient for the game proper. Hopefully if I buy a controller it will be compatible with the emulator...
Oh yeah, another new game. I'll spare you the details, but a perfect confluence of various different thoughts, impulses, and things I happened to see inspired me to get ahold of an emulation of this console game for my Mac (I actually own the GameCube version, so I can't say I feel too bad about 'pirating' this; also, it's 20 years old and not available in any form for a current-gen console nor on PC, so...)
Had a quick go at it, but the emulator doesn't seem to support using a mouse (beyond clicking) so it was a pain to control. I have old GameCube / GameCube-for-Wii controllers somewhere, but I'm sure there's no way to connect them up to a Mac (heck, if I was going to dig those out, I could just set up the console; though I think I'd need an adaptor to connect it to my TV nowadays).
I'd love to just dig into the game, but while the intro and tutorial were easy enough that I could take my time finding every single button I needed to press and slowly move my view around with random keys, etc, I doubt that would be sufficient for the game proper. Hopefully if I buy a controller it will be compatible with the emulator...
Saturday, 19 October 2024
Games
Fortnite
Oh yeah, I am so Hip and With It and Down With The Kids that I just played Fortnite for the first time.
In truth, it's only because I discovered Amazon's Luna platform/service, which I have access to as a Prime member, and wanted to try it out. I don't think I'm about to become a regular Fortnite player, but it does open up other possibilities for gaming... though still only a relatively limited selection of titles work with it (so similar to film & TV streaming services, eh? Great idea; limited library), so I don't know how much there is I actually want to play.
Though, in investigating what I could play, it kinda reminded me that my Mac, while not brand-new or cutting edge, is hardly un-powerful; and while a lot of acclaimed PC games aren't released in Mac editions, there are ways to play them nonetheless. Point being: maybe I'm about to get back into computer gaming. Or not, who knows — it's not as if I don't already have more than enough hobbies.
Oh yeah, I am so Hip and With It and Down With The Kids that I just played Fortnite for the first time.
In truth, it's only because I discovered Amazon's Luna platform/service, which I have access to as a Prime member, and wanted to try it out. I don't think I'm about to become a regular Fortnite player, but it does open up other possibilities for gaming... though still only a relatively limited selection of titles work with it (so similar to film & TV streaming services, eh? Great idea; limited library), so I don't know how much there is I actually want to play.
Though, in investigating what I could play, it kinda reminded me that my Mac, while not brand-new or cutting edge, is hardly un-powerful; and while a lot of acclaimed PC games aren't released in Mac editions, there are ways to play them nonetheless. Point being: maybe I'm about to get back into computer gaming. Or not, who knows — it's not as if I don't already have more than enough hobbies.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
So, last week — when my collection swelled by 22 films across just four releases — I mentioned there was another big multi-film set due to arrive this week. That is Curzon's Lars von Trier collection, which boasts 15 features (plus several shorts) in a single box. I actually already own a fair few of those on a mix of DVD and Blu-ray, but all of my DVD editions includes special features that aren't in this box set (even though it boasts 18 hours of extras!), so I'm keeping them; but it does replace a couple of Blu-rays.
Also this week: an additional pair of multi-film sets (one a trio, one a duo), plus a regular ol' single film release (though even that contains an alternate cut), for a total of 21 features across four releases. Coincidencetastic! Would've been an even greater coincidence if it was 22 again, but it's still remarkably close. Nonetheless, with the replaced titles factored in too, my stats change thusly...
Number of titles in collection: 3,389 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,391 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 397 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,174 [up 20]
Number of films: 4,217 [up 18]
Number of additional cuts: 404 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,171 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader, when I thought things would be lower key, but there's a deluge of stuff I want coming out on the 28th, all of which might turn up in time for the 26th. Well, we'll see.
So, last week — when my collection swelled by 22 films across just four releases — I mentioned there was another big multi-film set due to arrive this week. That is Curzon's Lars von Trier collection, which boasts 15 features (plus several shorts) in a single box. I actually already own a fair few of those on a mix of DVD and Blu-ray, but all of my DVD editions includes special features that aren't in this box set (even though it boasts 18 hours of extras!), so I'm keeping them; but it does replace a couple of Blu-rays.
Also this week: an additional pair of multi-film sets (one a trio, one a duo), plus a regular ol' single film release (though even that contains an alternate cut), for a total of 21 features across four releases. Coincidencetastic! Would've been an even greater coincidence if it was 22 again, but it's still remarkably close. Nonetheless, with the replaced titles factored in too, my stats change thusly...
Number of titles in collection: 3,389 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,391 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 397 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,174 [up 20]
Number of films: 4,217 [up 18]
Number of additional cuts: 404 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,171 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader, when I thought things would be lower key, but there's a deluge of stuff I want coming out on the 28th, all of which might turn up in time for the 26th. Well, we'll see.
Friday, 18 October 2024
TV
Goblin Slayer
1x06 Goblin Slayer in the Water Town
1x07 Onward Unto Death
1x08 Whispers and Prayers and Chants
1x09 There and Back Again
I fully intended to watch a film this evening (because it's already looking like a struggle to hit my 100 Films goals for this month), but I decided I'd pop on an episode of Goblin Slayer first. I didn't count on it being a four-episode arc. If I'd known that, I might've stopped after two, but instead thought, "well, one more won't hurt if it's actually a three-parter". Oh well. I mean, I enjoyed it — these are some of the best episodes of the series so far — but this is how you end up feeling when you have film-viewing goals and choose to spend time doing something else.
1x06 Goblin Slayer in the Water Town
1x07 Onward Unto Death
1x08 Whispers and Prayers and Chants
1x09 There and Back Again
I fully intended to watch a film this evening (because it's already looking like a struggle to hit my 100 Films goals for this month), but I decided I'd pop on an episode of Goblin Slayer first. I didn't count on it being a four-episode arc. If I'd known that, I might've stopped after two, but instead thought, "well, one more won't hurt if it's actually a three-parter". Oh well. I mean, I enjoyed it — these are some of the best episodes of the series so far — but this is how you end up feeling when you have film-viewing goals and choose to spend time doing something else.
Games
Syberia
This point-and-click adventure game was released all the way back in 2002, but I don't remember hearing about it at the time, only coming across it when I got back into gaming a couple of years ago. It seems to have its fans, and a series of sequels thanks to that, so it seemed worth a go (helps that these older games are often dirt cheap nowadays).
I started by installing the Mac version (via ScummVM) because, well, I'm on a Mac. I played for about 45 minutes, and felt like I could easily see why I hadn't heard about it back in the day. Gameplay was shockingly linear, with everything signposted to the nth degree — icons on screen indicated every possible action or interaction, with little to no additional stuff clickable beyond the basics required. There were screens you have to move through that serve no purpose other than elongating your journey and thus your play time; the small handful of puzzles barely qualified for the name... It's also terribly dated — not just the graphics (which I can absolutely excuse, because you can't expect cutting-edge visuals from something made over 20 years ago), but things like the voice acting and pacing. And some of it's just bad, like the dialogue writing.
Then, for various reasons, I installed the PC version (via Porting Kit) and, while it's not a night-and-day difference, it's clearly superior. The graphics are less murky, which makes the whole thing look more appealing; and there are no unsightly icons highlighting everything — like a proper point-and-click, you have to search around for what to click on. Okay, options are still limited (you can't look at everything and hear the character's thoughts on it like you can in, say, Lucasarts games; which is a shame, because it's that kind of stuff that really helps you connect to the character, rather than them being a blank avatar going through the motions), but it feels less like you're on a limited railroad.
That said, some of the problems are universal enough that they remain whichever version you play. In fairness, some of the 'problems' might just be because I'm right at the start of the game and it's easing the player in... but, still, none of it bodes well. A lot of it is the kind of stuff reviewers would've been dismissive of back in the day (although Syberia received largely positive reviews, with some dissenters); and there were other games of a similar-ish vintage that certain circles were dismissive towards for similar aesthetic qualities (Myst comes to mind) that were beloved by others and have endured to become classics, at least with some audiences. Syberia might be a similar deal.
Honestly, if it were a demo, I would've abandoned it; but I've paid for it (even if it was only a couple of quid), and the PC version is that bit better that I don't feel so disinclined towards it. I'll stick with it for at least a bit longer, then, but I'm hoping the overall quality picks up, and soon.
This point-and-click adventure game was released all the way back in 2002, but I don't remember hearing about it at the time, only coming across it when I got back into gaming a couple of years ago. It seems to have its fans, and a series of sequels thanks to that, so it seemed worth a go (helps that these older games are often dirt cheap nowadays).
I started by installing the Mac version (via ScummVM) because, well, I'm on a Mac. I played for about 45 minutes, and felt like I could easily see why I hadn't heard about it back in the day. Gameplay was shockingly linear, with everything signposted to the nth degree — icons on screen indicated every possible action or interaction, with little to no additional stuff clickable beyond the basics required. There were screens you have to move through that serve no purpose other than elongating your journey and thus your play time; the small handful of puzzles barely qualified for the name... It's also terribly dated — not just the graphics (which I can absolutely excuse, because you can't expect cutting-edge visuals from something made over 20 years ago), but things like the voice acting and pacing. And some of it's just bad, like the dialogue writing.
Then, for various reasons, I installed the PC version (via Porting Kit) and, while it's not a night-and-day difference, it's clearly superior. The graphics are less murky, which makes the whole thing look more appealing; and there are no unsightly icons highlighting everything — like a proper point-and-click, you have to search around for what to click on. Okay, options are still limited (you can't look at everything and hear the character's thoughts on it like you can in, say, Lucasarts games; which is a shame, because it's that kind of stuff that really helps you connect to the character, rather than them being a blank avatar going through the motions), but it feels less like you're on a limited railroad.
That said, some of the problems are universal enough that they remain whichever version you play. In fairness, some of the 'problems' might just be because I'm right at the start of the game and it's easing the player in... but, still, none of it bodes well. A lot of it is the kind of stuff reviewers would've been dismissive of back in the day (although Syberia received largely positive reviews, with some dissenters); and there were other games of a similar-ish vintage that certain circles were dismissive towards for similar aesthetic qualities (Myst comes to mind) that were beloved by others and have endured to become classics, at least with some audiences. Syberia might be a similar deal.
Honestly, if it were a demo, I would've abandoned it; but I've paid for it (even if it was only a couple of quid), and the PC version is that bit better that I don't feel so disinclined towards it. I'll stick with it for at least a bit longer, then, but I'm hoping the overall quality picks up, and soon.
Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Videos
Critical Role
2x64 A Dangerous Chase [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#113 'A Dangerous Chase'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x64 A Dangerous Chase [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#113 'A Dangerous Chase'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Monday, 14 October 2024
Videos
Stephen Colbert's D&D Adventure with Matthew Mercer
For Red Nose Day 2019, Matt Mercer ran this quick solo adventure for popular US chat show host Stephen Colbert.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#112 'Intervention'
Normally I'd've watched this sooner after the episode, but Internet Archive's recent issues prevented me from getting at it. I was going to watch some other CR stuff in the interim (like the above, which I watched anyway (obviously)), and, if I had to, eventually just move on with Campaign 2 and come back to Talks out of order... but then they got things online enough earlier this morning and I was able to access it. Hurrah!
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
For Red Nose Day 2019, Matt Mercer ran this quick solo adventure for popular US chat show host Stephen Colbert.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#112 'Intervention'
Normally I'd've watched this sooner after the episode, but Internet Archive's recent issues prevented me from getting at it. I was going to watch some other CR stuff in the interim (like the above, which I watched anyway (obviously)), and, if I had to, eventually just move on with Campaign 2 and come back to Talks out of order... but then they got things online enough earlier this morning and I was able to access it. Hurrah!
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Sunday, 13 October 2024
TV
Goblin Slayer
1x01 The Fate of Particular Adventurers
1x02 Goblin Slayer
I've got multiple TV series on the go that I should be getting on with. If I wanted to add an anime one to that, I have dozens on disc to choose from (technically, I even have one of those on the go too, I just haven't watched any of it in over six years). But, y'know, sometimes you hear about something and, randomly, get immediately interested and just wanna watch it. Or I do, anyway. Thus it was with Gobin Slayer, which I only really heard about this afternoon; and rather than just outright buy the Blu-rays (the kind of thing I do all too often), I thought I'd watch the first couple of episodes free on Crunchyroll to try it out. I quite liked it. Now I've got to decide: do I give in to my usual Blu-ray buying, or do I just sub to Crunchyroll for a bit and continue it there?
1x01 The Fate of Particular Adventurers
1x02 Goblin Slayer
I've got multiple TV series on the go that I should be getting on with. If I wanted to add an anime one to that, I have dozens on disc to choose from (technically, I even have one of those on the go too, I just haven't watched any of it in over six years). But, y'know, sometimes you hear about something and, randomly, get immediately interested and just wanna watch it. Or I do, anyway. Thus it was with Gobin Slayer, which I only really heard about this afternoon; and rather than just outright buy the Blu-rays (the kind of thing I do all too often), I thought I'd watch the first couple of episodes free on Crunchyroll to try it out. I quite liked it. Now I've got to decide: do I give in to my usual Blu-ray buying, or do I just sub to Crunchyroll for a bit and continue it there?
Films
The Wages of Fear (1953)
[#81 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2024 #9
[#81 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2024 #9
Comics
The Uncanny X-Men #2 by Gail Simone & David Marquez
Back on my "reading X-Men comics on Sunday" accidental habit. Need to break that.
When I read issue one, I observed this felt like it was aimed at fans of the animated series, what with it starring Wolverine, Gambit, and Rogue and having plot connections to the (repurposed) X-Mansion and the current whereabouts of Professor Xavier. This issue, Jubilee turns up. I feel my point is further proved. (Sure, there are other animated series staples missing — Storm has a solo series now; Cyclops and Beast are in X-Men, where they're running a very traditional X-Men setup (team of mutants jetting around the world fighting bad guys) — but this book undoubtedly has the greatest concentration of them, and particular fan-favourite ones at that.)
Back on my "reading X-Men comics on Sunday" accidental habit. Need to break that.
When I read issue one, I observed this felt like it was aimed at fans of the animated series, what with it starring Wolverine, Gambit, and Rogue and having plot connections to the (repurposed) X-Mansion and the current whereabouts of Professor Xavier. This issue, Jubilee turns up. I feel my point is further proved. (Sure, there are other animated series staples missing — Storm has a solo series now; Cyclops and Beast are in X-Men, where they're running a very traditional X-Men setup (team of mutants jetting around the world fighting bad guys) — but this book undoubtedly has the greatest concentration of them, and particular fan-favourite ones at that.)
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Sontaran Games by Jacqueline Rayner
Chapters 7–16 [the end]
Well, I can't say the twist truly surprised me, but it is a pretty dark novel, especially by the standards of this era of Who (when it was being more kid-friendly again). It's partly thanks to how much the Sontarans were treated as humorous by the show — the very fact they're in it leads you to expect a light-ish romp, but instead they're vicious, murderous, and genuinely threatening. As one of the series' most-recurring villains, it's only appropriate, really.
Chapters 7–16 [the end]
Well, I can't say the twist truly surprised me, but it is a pretty dark novel, especially by the standards of this era of Who (when it was being more kid-friendly again). It's partly thanks to how much the Sontarans were treated as humorous by the show — the very fact they're in it leads you to expect a light-ish romp, but instead they're vicious, murderous, and genuinely threatening. As one of the series' most-recurring villains, it's only appropriate, really.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
1 new review was published to 100Films.co.uk this week...
Incendies (2010)
More next Sunday.
Incendies (2010)
Incendies is, on the surface, one of those films that can sound off-puttingly heavy: it’s about generational trauma caused by a long-running war in the Middle East. Sure, that kind of thing can be Worthy and Great filmmaking, but egads, hard going. But while Incendies is all those things, it’s also a compelling mystery, which leads to twists worthy of a great thriller.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 12 October 2024
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Sontaran Games by Jacqueline Rayner
Chapters 1–6
I haven't abandoned NPCs, but a tweet about this came up on my feed last night, talking about the shocking darkness of its ending. So, as it's a Quick Read (a series that, in my experience, lives up to its name), I thought I'd just dive through it and see what they were alluding to.
Chapters 1–6
I haven't abandoned NPCs, but a tweet about this came up on my feed last night, talking about the shocking darkness of its ending. So, as it's a Quick Read (a series that, in my experience, lives up to its name), I thought I'd just dive through it and see what they were alluding to.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
After nothing at all last week, my collecting returns with a bang thanks to several multi-film sets. In fact, only one of this week's four new additions is a single-film release. And there would've been even more, but a big Amazon Prime Day purchase is only due to arrive tomorrow. That'll be an interesting one for next week...
Number of titles in collection: 3,387 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,389 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 396 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,154 [up 14]
Number of films: 4,199 [up 22]
Number of additional cuts: 403 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,170 [up 3]
See you next week, faithful reader.
After nothing at all last week, my collecting returns with a bang thanks to several multi-film sets. In fact, only one of this week's four new additions is a single-film release. And there would've been even more, but a big Amazon Prime Day purchase is only due to arrive tomorrow. That'll be an interesting one for next week...
Number of titles in collection: 3,387 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,389 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 396 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,154 [up 14]
Number of films: 4,199 [up 22]
Number of additional cuts: 403 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,170 [up 3]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 11 October 2024
Thursday, 10 October 2024
Videos
Critical Role
2x63 Intervention [2nd half]
"A small translucent cat appears hovering just above the horse... for a split second, then there is a giant orange claw floating just above them."
"Alrighty."
"I love the 'alrighty'. 'Yep, course there is.'"
...
"She's running as hard as she can because her horse just got killed by a giant floating ethereal arcane cat claw. That'll make you run. And maybe piss yourself a little."
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x63 Intervention [2nd half]
"A small translucent cat appears hovering just above the horse... for a split second, then there is a giant orange claw floating just above them."
"Alrighty."
"I love the 'alrighty'. 'Yep, course there is.'"
...
"She's running as hard as she can because her horse just got killed by a giant floating ethereal arcane cat claw. That'll make you run. And maybe piss yourself a little."
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Wednesday, 9 October 2024
Tuesday, 8 October 2024
Monday, 7 October 2024
Sunday, 6 October 2024
this week on 100Films.co.uk
No new film reviews at 100Films.co.uk this week, but the week did begin with a new month, so it was time for my review of September...
...as well as my September "failures"...
More, hopefully, next Sunday.
...as well as my September "failures"...
More, hopefully, next Sunday.
Saturday, 5 October 2024
TV
Death in Paradise
12x08 Episode 8 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x69 Week 14: Thursday
7x70 Week 14: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
12x08 Episode 8 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x69 Week 14: Thursday
7x70 Week 14: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
It's one of those rare weeks with absolutely no new additions. But it is time for the monthly running time update, so that's something.
Number of titles in collection: 3,383 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,385 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 395 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 8,140 [no change]
Number of films: 4,177 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 401 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,167 [no change]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
570 days, 20 hours, and 29 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 1 hour, and 27 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
It's one of those rare weeks with absolutely no new additions. But it is time for the monthly running time update, so that's something.
Number of titles in collection: 3,383 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,385 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 395 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 8,140 [no change]
Number of films: 4,177 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 401 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,167 [no change]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
570 days, 20 hours, and 29 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 1 hour, and 27 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 4 October 2024
TV
A Perfect Spy
Episode Six (of 7)
Episode Seven (of 7)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x68 Week 14: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Episode Six (of 7)
Episode Seven (of 7)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x68 Week 14: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Thursday, 3 October 2024
TV
A Perfect Spy
Episode Four (of 7)
Episode Five (of 7)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x65 Week 13: Friday
7x66 Week 14: Monday
7x67 Week 14: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Episode Four (of 7)
Episode Five (of 7)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x65 Week 13: Friday
7x66 Week 14: Monday
7x67 Week 14: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Wednesday, 2 October 2024
TV
A Perfect Spy
Episode Two (of 7)
Episode Three (of 7)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x63 Week 13: Wednesday
7x64 Week 13: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Episode Two (of 7)
Episode Three (of 7)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x63 Week 13: Wednesday
7x64 Week 13: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Tuesday, 1 October 2024
TV
A Perfect Spy
Episode One (of 7)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x61 Week 13: Monday
7x62 Week 13: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Episode One (of 7)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x61 Week 13: Monday
7x62 Week 13: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Monday, 30 September 2024
Videos
Critical Role
2x61 Agreements
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#110 'Agreements'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x61 Agreements
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#110 'Agreements'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Sunday, 29 September 2024
Comics
X-Men #2 by Jed MacKay & Ryan Stegman
I'm not deliberately reading these one each Sunday, it's just how it happens to be panning out. I am still a total of four issues behind across all three books, but considering what US comics publishing schedules are like, I'd still probably catch up in a month or two even if I maintained this pace.
As well as the feature story, this issue includes the eighth and concluding part of Deadpool/Wolverine crossover Weapon X-Traction. It looks like the first seven parts were to be found in random other comics ("random" in the sense that, for example, no other X-Men books featured an instalment). I guess it was all about promoting Deadpool & Wolverine as widely as possible rather than telling a story in a reasonably accessible manner. Anyway, I didn't read it. What would be the point?
I'm not deliberately reading these one each Sunday, it's just how it happens to be panning out. I am still a total of four issues behind across all three books, but considering what US comics publishing schedules are like, I'd still probably catch up in a month or two even if I maintained this pace.
As well as the feature story, this issue includes the eighth and concluding part of Deadpool/Wolverine crossover Weapon X-Traction. It looks like the first seven parts were to be found in random other comics ("random" in the sense that, for example, no other X-Men books featured an instalment). I guess it was all about promoting Deadpool & Wolverine as widely as possible rather than telling a story in a reasonably accessible manner. Anyway, I didn't read it. What would be the point?
Articles
10 Years In, Critical Role is Still Just Getting Started
by Casey Epstein-Gross (from Paste)
Nice piece based around an interview with Travis, Marisha and Sam about the current state of CR and its future.
by Casey Epstein-Gross (from Paste)
Nice piece based around an interview with Travis, Marisha and Sam about the current state of CR and its future.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
3 new reviews were published to 100Films.co.uk this week...
Cecil M. Hepworth shorts
See you next Sunday for the monthly reviews.
Cecil M. Hepworth shorts
Featuring...Read more here.
- Alice in Wonderland (1903)
- Explosion of a Motor Car (1900)
- The Indian Chief and the Seidlitz Powder (1901)
See you next Sunday for the monthly reviews.
Saturday, 28 September 2024
TV
The 1% Club
3x10 Episode 10
[Watch it (again) on ITVX.]
The Hollow Crown
1x02 Henry IV Part 1
[Watch the entire series (again) on iPlayer.]
3x10 Episode 10
[Watch it (again) on ITVX.]
The Hollow Crown
1x02 Henry IV Part 1
[Watch the entire series (again) on iPlayer.]
Fiction
NPCs by Drew Hayes
Prologue
Chapters 1–3
Someone recommended this in a thread I was reading on Twitter — I forget who or the exact context, but it appealed to me so I bought it. So far... not wholly convinced. It definitely has some clear markers/faults of being self published, which is unfortunate, but it also has some neat-enough ideas.
Prologue
Chapters 1–3
Someone recommended this in a thread I was reading on Twitter — I forget who or the exact context, but it appealed to me so I bought it. So far... not wholly convinced. It definitely has some clear markers/faults of being self published, which is unfortunate, but it also has some neat-enough ideas.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
4K-a-go-go this week, with five new additions and every one of them UHD — and they all turned up this afternoon!
Number of titles in collection: 3,383 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,385 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 395 [up 5]
Number of discs in collection: 8,140 [up 11]
Number of films: 4,177 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 401 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,167 [up 2]
See you next week, faithful reader.
4K-a-go-go this week, with five new additions and every one of them UHD — and they all turned up this afternoon!
Number of titles in collection: 3,383 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,385 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 395 [up 5]
Number of discs in collection: 8,140 [up 11]
Number of films: 4,177 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 401 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,167 [up 2]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 27 September 2024
Films
Cutthroat Island (1995)
[3rd watch]
[#74 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
After I last watched this back in 2008, I disliked it so much I thought I'd never watch it again. I'm not even sure what changed my mind. But I'm glad I did, because I actually really enjoyed it, and feel like a lot of what I wrote last time is poppycock. I don't know what changed, but there we go. It's far from a perfect film, but as a piratical action-adventure it hits most of the right beats and is a lot of fun. Plus, it's nice to see a film that truly looks and feels like a Film nowadays, rather than aggrandised digital video — that's a bonus a lot of '90s flicks benefit from when watched now, I think.
[3rd watch]
[#74 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
After I last watched this back in 2008, I disliked it so much I thought I'd never watch it again. I'm not even sure what changed my mind. But I'm glad I did, because I actually really enjoyed it, and feel like a lot of what I wrote last time is poppycock. I don't know what changed, but there we go. It's far from a perfect film, but as a piratical action-adventure it hits most of the right beats and is a lot of fun. Plus, it's nice to see a film that truly looks and feels like a Film nowadays, rather than aggrandised digital video — that's a bonus a lot of '90s flicks benefit from when watched now, I think.
Music
Yesterwynde
by Nightwish
[2nd listen]
My copy of the official store exclusive edition turned up yesterday, which includes a Blu-ray copy with the whole album mixed in Dolby Atmos (along with versons in 5.1 and uncompressed stereo), so I listened to that today. I don't know much difference it made, to be honest, other than that listening to stuff through high-quality sound equipment is always good (and I did notice a few definite surround elements).
by Nightwish
[2nd listen]
My copy of the official store exclusive edition turned up yesterday, which includes a Blu-ray copy with the whole album mixed in Dolby Atmos (along with versons in 5.1 and uncompressed stereo), so I listened to that today. I don't know much difference it made, to be honest, other than that listening to stuff through high-quality sound equipment is always good (and I did notice a few definite surround elements).
Thursday, 26 September 2024
Fiction
Doctor Who: The New Adventures
Timewyrm: Apocalypse by Nigel Robinson
Chapters 16–21
Epilogue [the end]
Well, this wasn't as terrible as I'd been led to believe, but nor is it much cop. It's not fundamentally flawed — there are some decent ideas here, especially with the reveal of how the Timewyrm is involved this time (a writer like Steven Moffat could probably work wonders with that storyline) — but there are myriad lesser issues that add up to an unsatisfying whole. It's not outright bad, it's just aggressively adequate.
Timewyrm: Apocalypse by Nigel Robinson
Chapters 16–21
Epilogue [the end]
Well, this wasn't as terrible as I'd been led to believe, but nor is it much cop. It's not fundamentally flawed — there are some decent ideas here, especially with the reveal of how the Timewyrm is involved this time (a writer like Steven Moffat could probably work wonders with that storyline) — but there are myriad lesser issues that add up to an unsatisfying whole. It's not outright bad, it's just aggressively adequate.
Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Videos
Critical Role
2x59 Perspective [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#108 'Perspective'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x59 Perspective [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#108 'Perspective'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Tuesday, 24 September 2024
Videos
Critical Role
2x59 Perspective [1st half]
This episode was on the night their Kickstarter campaign finished, so it's like Nerd² as Sam does a parody of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 theme and MST3k creator Joel Hodgson pops by.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x59 Perspective [1st half]
This episode was on the night their Kickstarter campaign finished, so it's like Nerd² as Sam does a parody of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 theme and MST3k creator Joel Hodgson pops by.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Monday, 23 September 2024
Videos
Critical Role
Critical Role Creates Characters in Daggerheart aka Daggerheart Open Beta: Session Zero
Critical Role Plays Daggerheart aka Daggerheart Open Beta: Live One-Shot [2nd half]
Session Zero not being on their Twitch channel meant I missed it before diving into the one-shot proper, but I'm glad I went back to it. You might think two hours of watching seven people fill out gaming paperwork sounds boring, but this is anything but: it's a nice insight into the system and how it works, and these guys are just fun to hang out with.
As for the one-shot itself, I wasn't sure about the Menagerie as a team at first (it all seemed a bit too whimsical for my personal taste), but once I settled into it, it was a lot of fun. The team seemed really energised by the new system and new story, too. I'm glad there are at least two more of these (though I'll have to think about when to fit them in around my regular Campaign 2 viewing, because I don't want to slip on that — I'm still so far behind...)
[Watch Session Zero on YouTube or Beacon, and the Live One-Shot on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talking of not dropping behind on Campaign 2...
Talks Machina
#107 'Wood and Steel'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Critical Role Creates Characters in Daggerheart aka Daggerheart Open Beta: Session Zero
Critical Role Plays Daggerheart aka Daggerheart Open Beta: Live One-Shot [2nd half]
Session Zero not being on their Twitch channel meant I missed it before diving into the one-shot proper, but I'm glad I went back to it. You might think two hours of watching seven people fill out gaming paperwork sounds boring, but this is anything but: it's a nice insight into the system and how it works, and these guys are just fun to hang out with.
As for the one-shot itself, I wasn't sure about the Menagerie as a team at first (it all seemed a bit too whimsical for my personal taste), but once I settled into it, it was a lot of fun. The team seemed really energised by the new system and new story, too. I'm glad there are at least two more of these (though I'll have to think about when to fit them in around my regular Campaign 2 viewing, because I don't want to slip on that — I'm still so far behind...)
[Watch Session Zero on YouTube or Beacon, and the Live One-Shot on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talking of not dropping behind on Campaign 2...
Talks Machina
#107 'Wood and Steel'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Sunday, 22 September 2024
Comics
Exceptional X-Men #1 by Eve L. Ewing & Carmen Carnero
Here's the third (and final) main series in the "From the Ashes" X-relaunch. (I'm not picking up most of the other books — there's way too many to go in for all that. The exception is Wolverine: Revenge, which is a limited series from great creators. I say "exception" — not sure it's even really part of the new range, per se.)
All of which sort of raises an interesting point, because whereas X-Men and Uncanny X-Men both feel like cornerstone major titles for the range (what with both featuring variant teams of X-Men and most of the best-known characters split between them), Exceptional feels more like one of those low-key additional titles. It's very much about Kitty Pryde (more comic-famous than general-famous, having not appeared in the animated series and only in a couple of the films), with complications from Emma Frost (similarly, better known to comic fans than those who, like me, have come to X-Men more from other media) and then three brand-new characters rounding out the main cast (two of whom are on the cover of this issue but haven't even been introduced yet).
None of which is a criticism. Indeed, being notably different to the other two 'main' books works in its favour. It feels very much like how an X-universe TV series might've begun in the '00s or '10s (these days, an X-Men series would have Marvel throwing movie-level money at it, so wouldn't need the 'grounded'-ness of this).
Here's the third (and final) main series in the "From the Ashes" X-relaunch. (I'm not picking up most of the other books — there's way too many to go in for all that. The exception is Wolverine: Revenge, which is a limited series from great creators. I say "exception" — not sure it's even really part of the new range, per se.)
All of which sort of raises an interesting point, because whereas X-Men and Uncanny X-Men both feel like cornerstone major titles for the range (what with both featuring variant teams of X-Men and most of the best-known characters split between them), Exceptional feels more like one of those low-key additional titles. It's very much about Kitty Pryde (more comic-famous than general-famous, having not appeared in the animated series and only in a couple of the films), with complications from Emma Frost (similarly, better known to comic fans than those who, like me, have come to X-Men more from other media) and then three brand-new characters rounding out the main cast (two of whom are on the cover of this issue but haven't even been introduced yet).
None of which is a criticism. Indeed, being notably different to the other two 'main' books works in its favour. It feels very much like how an X-universe TV series might've begun in the '00s or '10s (these days, an X-Men series would have Marvel throwing movie-level money at it, so wouldn't need the 'grounded'-ness of this).
Videos
Critical Role
Critical Role Plays Daggerheart aka Daggerheart Open Beta: Live One-Shot [1st half]
With CR having recently announced the opening of preorders for their own TTRPG system, Daggerheart, I decided to take a break from my regular Campaign 2 viewing and check out the test play they did earlier this year. (They actually did several in the end, but this is, naturally, the first.) Partly I'm curious about the game and how it plays; partly there's reasonable speculation that CR proper will switch systems from D&D to Daggerheart (probably when Campaign 4 begins, whenever that may be) so I was curious how that might look.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's still watching other people roleplay — broadly speaking, it feels the same. Of course, when dice rolls come in — most notably during combat — then it gets a bit different, at least mechnically. A mixture of feelings about that. It can make you think "why change, then?", but there are lots of reasons for that. It's also reassuring, in the sense that it's not going to radically alter the show. But it also looks like it might be quite a fun system, once the initial learning curve is complete and you're tackling it properly.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Critical Role Plays Daggerheart aka Daggerheart Open Beta: Live One-Shot [1st half]
With CR having recently announced the opening of preorders for their own TTRPG system, Daggerheart, I decided to take a break from my regular Campaign 2 viewing and check out the test play they did earlier this year. (They actually did several in the end, but this is, naturally, the first.) Partly I'm curious about the game and how it plays; partly there's reasonable speculation that CR proper will switch systems from D&D to Daggerheart (probably when Campaign 4 begins, whenever that may be) so I was curious how that might look.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's still watching other people roleplay — broadly speaking, it feels the same. Of course, when dice rolls come in — most notably during combat — then it gets a bit different, at least mechnically. A mixture of feelings about that. It can make you think "why change, then?", but there are lots of reasons for that. It's also reassuring, in the sense that it's not going to radically alter the show. But it also looks like it might be quite a fun system, once the initial learning curve is complete and you're tackling it properly.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Saturday, 21 September 2024
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Six additions this week, all new releases that are officially out on Monday. Those include three films from Japan (including the latest Miyazaki), two from Italy, and a box set of five from the UK. Half of them are Radiance titles — I always want basically everything Radiance puts out, and sometimes I have to force myself to find places to cut back (their last cycle of releases), and other times I can only give in and buy them all. (I'd save some money if I waited for sales and offers, but I'd also miss out on titles because their limited editions don't always last until they're on offer. I find it next to impossible to predict which will be speedy sell-outs and which will linger.)
Number of titles in collection: 3,378 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,380 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 390 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,129 [up 8]
Number of films: 4,173 [up 10]
Number of additional cuts: 397 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,165 [up 2]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Six additions this week, all new releases that are officially out on Monday. Those include three films from Japan (including the latest Miyazaki), two from Italy, and a box set of five from the UK. Half of them are Radiance titles — I always want basically everything Radiance puts out, and sometimes I have to force myself to find places to cut back (their last cycle of releases), and other times I can only give in and buy them all. (I'd save some money if I waited for sales and offers, but I'd also miss out on titles because their limited editions don't always last until they're on offer. I find it next to impossible to predict which will be speedy sell-outs and which will linger.)
Number of titles in collection: 3,378 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,380 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 390 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,129 [up 8]
Number of films: 4,173 [up 10]
Number of additional cuts: 397 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,165 [up 2]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 20 September 2024
TV
X-Men
3x16 The Dark Phoenix, Part III The Dark Phoenix
3x17 The Dark Phoenix, Part IV The Fate of the Phoenix
3x16 The Dark Phoenix, Part III The Dark Phoenix
3x17 The Dark Phoenix, Part IV The Fate of the Phoenix
Music
Yesterwynde
by Nightwish
It's almost four-and-a-half years since the last Nightwish album — as I wrote back then, I'll always buy a new one, though how many times I'll listen to it is another matter. For example, the one before last I've still only listened to twice in full, though a pair of standout tracks have received almost 350 plays between them. The last one, though... three times in full (four times for CD1, but only three for the multipart 'single piece' on CD2), and no standout tracks, apparently. But the last time I listened to any of it was back in May 2020, the month after it came out, so I ought to give it another go.
Anyway, for now, back to the new one — which, based on another bit of trivia I observed last time, is the first Nightwish album in 24 years where none of the tracks are over ten minutes long! One is nine-and-a-half, though, and most are over five minutes (which, I dunno, doesn't sound long in isolation, but apparently radio-friendly music is getting shorter and shorter; Eurovision still caps tracks at three minutes; and 'back in the day' Queen were warned Bohemian Rhapsody wouldn't get any play because it was over five minutes — so, y'know, it's still moderately long as songs go).
Anyway, first impressions are that it's broadly typical Nightwish fare, for good or ill — no tracks particularly stood out to me, but none were remarkably terrible either (and, to be honest, Nightwish have often offered an immediately-spotted slightly-embarrassing dud or two per album before now, so it's nice there's nothing of that nature).
by Nightwish
It's almost four-and-a-half years since the last Nightwish album — as I wrote back then, I'll always buy a new one, though how many times I'll listen to it is another matter. For example, the one before last I've still only listened to twice in full, though a pair of standout tracks have received almost 350 plays between them. The last one, though... three times in full (four times for CD1, but only three for the multipart 'single piece' on CD2), and no standout tracks, apparently. But the last time I listened to any of it was back in May 2020, the month after it came out, so I ought to give it another go.
Anyway, for now, back to the new one — which, based on another bit of trivia I observed last time, is the first Nightwish album in 24 years where none of the tracks are over ten minutes long! One is nine-and-a-half, though, and most are over five minutes (which, I dunno, doesn't sound long in isolation, but apparently radio-friendly music is getting shorter and shorter; Eurovision still caps tracks at three minutes; and 'back in the day' Queen were warned Bohemian Rhapsody wouldn't get any play because it was over five minutes — so, y'know, it's still moderately long as songs go).
Anyway, first impressions are that it's broadly typical Nightwish fare, for good or ill — no tracks particularly stood out to me, but none were remarkably terrible either (and, to be honest, Nightwish have often offered an immediately-spotted slightly-embarrassing dud or two per album before now, so it's nice there's nothing of that nature).
Thursday, 19 September 2024
TV
X-Men
3x14 Dark Phoenix, Part I Dazzled
3x15 Dark Phoenix, Part II The Inner Circle
I'm finding this to be superior to the original Phoenix arc, even with "kiddie TV show" changes (they had to rename the Hellfire Club to the Inner Circle).
3x14 Dark Phoenix, Part I Dazzled
3x15 Dark Phoenix, Part II The Inner Circle
I'm finding this to be superior to the original Phoenix arc, even with "kiddie TV show" changes (they had to rename the Hellfire Club to the Inner Circle).
Videos
Critical Role
2x57 In Love and War [2nd half]
"Chemistry's good, baby, but killin's better."
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#106 'In Love and War'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x57 In Love and War [2nd half]
"Chemistry's good, baby, but killin's better."
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#106 'In Love and War'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Wednesday, 18 September 2024
Videos
Critical Role
2x57 In Love and War [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#105 'The Favor'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x57 In Love and War [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#105 'The Favor'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Tuesday, 17 September 2024
Monday, 16 September 2024
Sunday, 15 September 2024
Audio Drama
Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor Adventures
The Stuff of Legend Part 1
The Stuff of Legend Part 2
This is the Big Finish 25th anniversary production that was performed live in London this weekend (twice yesterday, twice today — an expanded number of performances because of demand). Obviously I didn't go, but they released the studio-recorded version simultaneously for those who preordered it, so I thought I'd give it a listen in... solidarity? Not quite the right concept, but anyway.
The Stuff of Legend Part 1
The Stuff of Legend Part 2
This is the Big Finish 25th anniversary production that was performed live in London this weekend (twice yesterday, twice today — an expanded number of performances because of demand). Obviously I didn't go, but they released the studio-recorded version simultaneously for those who preordered it, so I thought I'd give it a listen in... solidarity? Not quite the right concept, but anyway.
Comics
2000 AD #2390
The Uncanny X-Men #1 by Gail Simone & David Marquez
The next part in the "From the Ashes" X-relaunch is volume 6 of Uncanny. (Random point: this comic is always referred to as just Uncanny X-Men, including by Marvel themselves, but there's a The at the front of the title; it's right there on all the covers. Hardly a big deal, I know, but it's still kinda weird that even the official listings by the publisher don't acknowledge that, when they're the ones who put it there.)
Anyway, these issues have the same problem faced by so many in-continuity relaunches: having to acknowledge the previous events that were so affecting they caused enough change to provoke a renumbering, while also trying to keep things simple and appealing enough for new readers. The two I've read so far have handled that reasonably well — it's clear Stuff Has Happened, but I still enjoyed what I read.
That said: absolute beginners would be completely lost — you still need some idea of who the X-Men and the main characters are to even attempt these books. Indeed, this one feels aimed specifically at fans of the animated series, as it stars most of the fan-favourite characters from that show. I don't know if that was deliberate, but with X-Men '97 launching recently too, it does feel like a conscious choice.
The Uncanny X-Men #1 by Gail Simone & David Marquez
The next part in the "From the Ashes" X-relaunch is volume 6 of Uncanny. (Random point: this comic is always referred to as just Uncanny X-Men, including by Marvel themselves, but there's a The at the front of the title; it's right there on all the covers. Hardly a big deal, I know, but it's still kinda weird that even the official listings by the publisher don't acknowledge that, when they're the ones who put it there.)
Anyway, these issues have the same problem faced by so many in-continuity relaunches: having to acknowledge the previous events that were so affecting they caused enough change to provoke a renumbering, while also trying to keep things simple and appealing enough for new readers. The two I've read so far have handled that reasonably well — it's clear Stuff Has Happened, but I still enjoyed what I read.
That said: absolute beginners would be completely lost — you still need some idea of who the X-Men and the main characters are to even attempt these books. Indeed, this one feels aimed specifically at fans of the animated series, as it stars most of the fan-favourite characters from that show. I don't know if that was deliberate, but with X-Men '97 launching recently too, it does feel like a conscious choice.
Games
Fighting Fantasy
Shadow of the Giants by Ian Livingstone
Continuing my second attempt — and, this time, completing it. I didn't actually expect to finish: I'd been waiting for a good place to pause, and suddenly I found myself in the finale and I thought I might as well finish. All in, it took me about two-and-a-half hours to complete. I know I missed some sections (there's a whole optional fight with a dragon, for example), but I guess that's in the nature of these types of books — you don't see everything in one go-through (well, I could've, but I didn't).
What does continue to slightly bug me is how I only won because I happened to make the correct arbitrary choice in some moments. I looked at some alternate pathways later, and some of them end your adventure prematurely 'just because'. Again, I get that it's a limitation of the format (otherwise the books would probably spiral out of control to hundreds or thousands of pages), but if you don't have space to write a convincing alternative pathway, maybe don't bother?
Example: at one point you're meant to team up with another character as you head out on a mission. I did, and so was able to complete the book. What if you don't team up with him? Can you still complete it, but it's more challenging? No. Can you have a crack at it but, ultimately, you need his support? No. Instead, with in a choice or two, the book has your character either do something stupid or encounter a random event that kills you. To me, that's not playing fair. You're punished and lose because the book doesn't have time/room to provide an alternative pathway, not thanks to the consequences of your actions. No wonder they emphasise the "one true path" thing — the only way you can spin that as fair is via some fate-esque "you must make all the right choices at key moments to bring the good outcome" ideology.
That said, it's still fun — it just makes me think it's less "cheating" and more "how you have to play to succeed" to do that thing where you remember paragraph numbers and flip back a bit if you get an unfavourable outcome. After all, if the book isn't playing fair with you, why should you play fair with it?
Shadow of the Giants by Ian Livingstone
Continuing my second attempt — and, this time, completing it. I didn't actually expect to finish: I'd been waiting for a good place to pause, and suddenly I found myself in the finale and I thought I might as well finish. All in, it took me about two-and-a-half hours to complete. I know I missed some sections (there's a whole optional fight with a dragon, for example), but I guess that's in the nature of these types of books — you don't see everything in one go-through (well, I could've, but I didn't).
What does continue to slightly bug me is how I only won because I happened to make the correct arbitrary choice in some moments. I looked at some alternate pathways later, and some of them end your adventure prematurely 'just because'. Again, I get that it's a limitation of the format (otherwise the books would probably spiral out of control to hundreds or thousands of pages), but if you don't have space to write a convincing alternative pathway, maybe don't bother?
Example: at one point you're meant to team up with another character as you head out on a mission. I did, and so was able to complete the book. What if you don't team up with him? Can you still complete it, but it's more challenging? No. Can you have a crack at it but, ultimately, you need his support? No. Instead, with in a choice or two, the book has your character either do something stupid or encounter a random event that kills you. To me, that's not playing fair. You're punished and lose because the book doesn't have time/room to provide an alternative pathway, not thanks to the consequences of your actions. No wonder they emphasise the "one true path" thing — the only way you can spin that as fair is via some fate-esque "you must make all the right choices at key moments to bring the good outcome" ideology.
That said, it's still fun — it just makes me think it's less "cheating" and more "how you have to play to succeed" to do that thing where you remember paragraph numbers and flip back a bit if you get an unfavourable outcome. After all, if the book isn't playing fair with you, why should you play fair with it?
Videos
Critical Role
2x55 Duplicity [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#104 'Duplicity'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x55 Duplicity [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#104 'Duplicity'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
this week on 100Films.co.uk
Oh my God, it's finally happened — for the first time since May, a new review was published to 100Films.co.uk this week! And it was of something I watched recently too, which is a first since April. And it was...
The Swordsman of All Swordsmen (1968)
More next Sunday? You never know!
The Swordsman of All Swordsmen (1968)
The film runs a tight 85 minutes, and in that time manages to pack in seven sword fights and still find room for some honour-based moral conflict. The action comes thick and fast (that’s an average of a fresh duel starting every 12 minutes, maths fans) but remains thrilling throughout.Read more here.
More next Sunday? You never know!
Saturday, 14 September 2024
Videos
Critical Role
2x55 Duplicity [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#103 'Well Beneath'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x55 Duplicity [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#103 'Well Beneath'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Only two new additions this week, and one is a DVD-to-4K upgrade at that (always feels like a fun jump, probably because I'm glad I didn't spend money on a Blu-ray that I don't seem to have watched 99% of the time). But I also took a look at the actual contents of some previous purchases (as opposed to what the listings / online info said) and reclassified some shorts as TV episodes. Not really important, just wanted to explain that change at the bottom of the list.
Number of titles in collection: 3,372 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 998 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,374 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 389 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,121 [up 3]
Number of films: 4,163 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 397 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [up 9]
Number of short films: 1,163 [down 8]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Only two new additions this week, and one is a DVD-to-4K upgrade at that (always feels like a fun jump, probably because I'm glad I didn't spend money on a Blu-ray that I don't seem to have watched 99% of the time). But I also took a look at the actual contents of some previous purchases (as opposed to what the listings / online info said) and reclassified some shorts as TV episodes. Not really important, just wanted to explain that change at the bottom of the list.
Number of titles in collection: 3,372 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 998 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,374 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 389 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,121 [up 3]
Number of films: 4,163 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 397 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [up 9]
Number of short films: 1,163 [down 8]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 13 September 2024
Games
Fighting Fantasy
Shadow of the Giants by Ian Livingstone
Began a second attempt. It's going a lot better so far.
If I had one criticism (and I don't know if this applies to all books in the series or just this one volume) it's that it relies too much on luck — not the luck of a dice roll (that's fine; that's games for you), but in terms of what choices you make. This is partly a limitation of the format (unless the book were huge, only so many choices can be meaningful), but there don't seem to be any overriding principles to help decisionmaking.
For example, it could be that you should always talk to people because it will always lead somewhere, or that you should never talk to people because they'll always scam you — but both of those things happen, and it's pure luck which choice will benefit you at any moment. I'd be ok with that if there was always a 'save', but quite often an incorrect choice either hobbles you or leads to permadeath.
I can see why "most people" (anecdotally) resort to marking points of divergence and going back a step or two (or three or four, maybe) if things go sour. It's no worse than saving in a computer game, really, and a lot less time consuming than starting the whole thing over because you made one wrong decision deep, deep into the story.
Shadow of the Giants by Ian Livingstone
Began a second attempt. It's going a lot better so far.
If I had one criticism (and I don't know if this applies to all books in the series or just this one volume) it's that it relies too much on luck — not the luck of a dice roll (that's fine; that's games for you), but in terms of what choices you make. This is partly a limitation of the format (unless the book were huge, only so many choices can be meaningful), but there don't seem to be any overriding principles to help decisionmaking.
For example, it could be that you should always talk to people because it will always lead somewhere, or that you should never talk to people because they'll always scam you — but both of those things happen, and it's pure luck which choice will benefit you at any moment. I'd be ok with that if there was always a 'save', but quite often an incorrect choice either hobbles you or leads to permadeath.
I can see why "most people" (anecdotally) resort to marking points of divergence and going back a step or two (or three or four, maybe) if things go sour. It's no worse than saving in a computer game, really, and a lot less time consuming than starting the whole thing over because you made one wrong decision deep, deep into the story.
Thursday, 12 September 2024
Videos
Critical Role
2x54 Well Beneath [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#102 'Cornered'
Talking about the previous episode of CR, of course, but this Talks aired the day after the Kickstarter for the Vox Machina animated special launched — for those who don't know, it reached its target in the first hour and sailed past all planned stretch goal points before they even had the chance to do the launch day live Q&A that was meant to help drum up interest (with hindsight: lol; it's a great watch in itself), and went on to become the most successful film/TV Kickstarter of all time — so of course they have to talk about that too. Plus the guests are Matt and Sam, two of the best for talking about the show anyway, so it's a great episode all round. (Shame it's "not available" anymore, but I get why.)
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x54 Well Beneath [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#102 'Cornered'
Talking about the previous episode of CR, of course, but this Talks aired the day after the Kickstarter for the Vox Machina animated special launched — for those who don't know, it reached its target in the first hour and sailed past all planned stretch goal points before they even had the chance to do the launch day live Q&A that was meant to help drum up interest (with hindsight: lol; it's a great watch in itself), and went on to become the most successful film/TV Kickstarter of all time — so of course they have to talk about that too. Plus the guests are Matt and Sam, two of the best for talking about the show anyway, so it's a great episode all round. (Shame it's "not available" anymore, but I get why.)
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)