Videos

Critical Role
2x86 The Cathedral [1st half]
For what it's worth, with this episode I've switched to watching on Beacon. They've cut the ad break out there, as well as the fan art galleries, so the episodes are shorter than their usually-listed running time (which is based on YouTube), whereas on Twitch they were longer (because that also includes the pre-stream, which was cut from the YouTube version). All of which is immaterial to most people, but somewhat interesting to stat-nerd types like me.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Articles

‘A New Age Begins’ for Critical Role. Let’s hope it’s one for actual play and TTRPGs, too
by Em Friedman (from Polygon)

An interesting analysis of the Critical Role Campaign 3 finale, and what it might signify not only for the future of CR, but for the actual-play genre as a whole.

Videos

Talks Machina
#133 'The Threads Converge'
The three-year anniversary of Talks is about the 200th episode of Critical Role, and no one noticed? Tsk.
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

TV

The BAFTA Film Awards 2025
Well, they listened to me and brought David Tennant back. Good thing too, because he was very good again.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Fiction

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Chapters 7–14

Videos

Critical Role
2x85 The Threads Converge
The 200th episode of Critical Role! Not that they mention it, I just read it on the wiki. It's my... 85th, obviously. Apart from one-shots. So... yeah, whatever.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Films

Snake Eyes (1998)
[2nd watch]
[#18 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

When I first watched this (link above) it was an "old film", because it was from the '90s and I watched it in 2010. Well, the time between my first and second viewings is longer than that gap between original release and my first viewing, and I've been meaning to rewatch it for most of that time, so... I don't really know what that says, other than that I'm getting old and time is slipping by.

Anyway, I got to watch it in 4K, and it's good.

Fiction

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Prologue
Chapters 1–6

Not my normal kind of thing, but I recently learnt this author is a friend of a work colleague; and apparently this (her debut novel) has an incredible twist, and I do love a great twist.

Collection Count

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

When I mentioned last week that I had 12 titles on the way, you kind of envision them arriving all at once. But I did say it was over "the next couple of weeks", and so here we have the first volley of five.

Number of titles in collection: 3,474 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 989 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,485 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 434 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 8,372 [up 6]
Number of films: 4,405 [up 5]
Number of additional cuts: 439 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,220 [no change]

The remaining seven might turn up next week, but some are preorders for the week after, so we'll see. Whenever they arrive, I guess they're mostly (possibly all) destined to end up on my never-ending pile of "future watches", because I certainly don't watch as many films each week as I buy.

Not gonna stop, though. See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Róise & Frank (2022)
[#17 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Videos

Critical Role
2x84 Titles and Tattoos [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#132 'Titles and Tattoos'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

Videos

Critical Role
2x84 Titles and Tattoos [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Theatre

The Merchant of Venice 1936
at Theatre Royal Bath

Videos

Talks Machina
#131 'Dark Bargains'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

Videos

Critical Role
2x83 Dark Bargains [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

TV

Friends
5x17 The One with Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss [5th or so watch]
5x18 The One Where Rachel Smokes [5th or so watch]
5x19 The One Where Ross Can't Flirt [6th or so watch]

Films

Long Story Short (2021)
[#16 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

Silver Blaze (1937)
[#15 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
aka Murder at the Baskervilles in the US, to cash in on the success of the Rathbone Hound. The original UK title is more accurate.

TV

Friends
5x14 The One Where Everybody Finds Out [5th or so watch]
5x15 The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey [5th or so watch]
5x16 The One with the Cop [5th or so watch]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
32x09 Episode 9

Strike
5x03 The Ink Black Heart Part 3
5x04 The Ink Black Heart Part 4 [season finale]
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Vendetta for the Saint (1969)
[#14 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

Collection Count

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

After last week's deluge, the pendulum swings to just one little title this week. However, I've already got 12 titles on order that will arrive across the next couple of weeks, so it's looking like a substantial month overall.

Number of titles in collection: 3,469 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 989 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,480 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 433 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 8,366 [up 1]
Number of films: 4,400 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 437 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,220 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
32x08 Never Mind the Buzzcocks Does the 00s

Richard Osman's House of Games
8x57 Week 12: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

The Rookie
6x05 The Vow

Strike
5x01 The Ink Black Heart Part 1
5x02 The Ink Black Heart Part 2
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
32x07 Episode 7

Richard Osman's House of Games
8x56 Week 12: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Macbeth (2025)
[#13 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

The filmed stage production starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo. Counting it as a film because, well, I saw it in a cinema, so...

Videos

Critical Role
2x83 Dark Bargains [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#130 'The Beat of the Permaheart'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

Videos

Critical Role
2x82 The Beat of the Permaheart [2nd half]

In game: We better not stay here too long, we might miss TravelerCon!

External knowledge from watching years later: There are 25 episodes before TravelerCon. In the players' real lives, it won't be for another 10 months.

Makes their worrying about it kind of comical, really.

[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

TV

X-Men
3x18 Orphan's End
3x19 The Juggernaut Returns
Right, after a four-and-a-half-month break, it's more than overdue that I have another crack at this. (It's not that I don't enjoy it anymore or something, it's just I'm terrible at sticking at anything 'long' without concerted effort.)

(Also: I seem to have stopped putting "2nd watch" on these by accident; but as I was never sure how many of them I actually saw on their original broadcast, I've decided to just leave those and carry on without it.)

Videos

Critical Role
2x82 The Beat of the Permaheart [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Comics

Exceptional X-Men
#2 by Eve L. Ewing & Carmen Carnero

The Uncanny X-Men
#6 The Change in Ourselves by Gail Simone & Javier Garrón
Caught up for the crossover, hence why I've restarted Exceptional too.

Non-Fiction

You Don't Have to Have a Dream by Tim Minchin
You've Always Wanted to Be an Actor [the end]

Videos

Critical Role
2x81 From Door to Door
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#129 'From Door to Door'
They keep telling me to watch Undeadwood, which is no longer available on YouTube but I have acquired another way because I was already interested... so I guess I will watch it, probably soon. Only question is: how much do I interrupt my regular CR viewing for it?
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

this week on 100Films.co.uk

2025 has started like most months at 100Films.co.uk: with no new film reviews posted. Oh dear.

But, this week, there was something else: the first two regular monthly posts of the year. Hurrah! It began, as ever, with the review of last month...





...and continued, as ever, with my list of last month's failures...





More, perhaps, next Sunday.

Films

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
[#12 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

Skipping over 7 films, 12 TV seasons, and 2 TV specials to get to an MCU entry that interests me more than any of them, mainly because it's also a legacy 'FoX-Men' film.

Collection Count

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

17 new titles made their way into my collection this month, with 29 films across them — a pretty hefty week by anyone's standards. "Ludicrously hefty", some might say. Not a record-breaker, though — that still stands at 21; although, as there are often upgrades, the largest title increase (to date) is +17. Even though this week didn't set any records, it's clearly a big'un.

Among those 17 were two DVD-to-4K upgrades and a few BD-to-4K upgrades, with the latter including a real rarity: a formerly-single title now split in two. It's not something that never happens, but upgrades are more likely to condense into fewer sets than expand into more. That said, with the way the market is nowadays, things that were bundled into box sets in the DVD era seem more likely to be spread across multiple releases to claw back money invested. Indeed, just this week Arrow announced they'll be releasing the Man with No Name trilogy (aka the Dollars trilogy) in three lavish editions across three months later this year, rather than a single set like they received in the DVD and early Blu-ray eras. This strikes me as a trend that's only likely to become more common in the futureemen.

Number of titles in collection: 3,468 [up 13]
Of which DVDs: 989 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,479 [up 15]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 432 [up 7]

Number of discs in collection: 8,364 [up 35]
Number of films: 4,399 [up 24]
Number of additional cuts: 436 [up 6]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,220 [up 11]

So, every category changed except TV. One of my acquisitions this week was Masters of Cinema's release of Cloak and Dagger, which includes as a special feature the complete radio series — that's 22 half-hour episodes! If that had been a TV series, it surely would've been a release of its own — and would have counted, as I almost feel it should when it's so significant. I actually have quite a lot of audio drama on DVD and Blu-ray thanks to special features — innumerable radio adaptations of Hollywood classics, plus various inclusions on classic Doctor Who sets. In fact, there are so many, maybe I should count them; but going back over almost 3,500 titles (most of which won't actually have any) is a daunting prospect. But now that I've thought of it...
See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Oliver & Company (1988)
[2nd or so watch]
[#11 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

I haven't seen this since I was a little kid — probably over 30 years ago — so I've no idea if I only watched it once or multiple times. (Thoughts on the film itself on Letterboxd.)

Videos

Critical Role
2x80 The Folding Halls [2nd half]
Happy Fun Ball, Part 2. It's neither as happy nor as fun without Twiggy, but it does make a change from all the Very Serious story threads the Nein have been pursuing for quite some time.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#128 'The Folding Halls'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

Videos

Critical Role
2x80 The Folding Halls [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#127 'Through the Trees'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

Plus...

State of the Role: Campaign 3 Finale and What’s Next for 2025!
The latest update on Critical Role's status revealed (to no surprise to anyone who's been following things) that Campaign 3 ends next week. But then there's going to be a miniseries and such shenanigans, so the campaign wrap-up won't air until mid March — and who knows when Campaign 4 will start after that? (I presume they're saving that announcement for later, because various other things are tied up in it (which system will they play?!) and, well, this is quite enough news to be going on with.) So, maybe I'll have time to finish Campaign 2 before C4 after all... maybe...?

Videos

Critical Role
2x79 Through the Trees [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Videos

Critical Role
2x79 Through the Trees [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Videos

Critical Role
2x78 Between the Lines [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#126 'Between the Lines'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

Films

Fist of Fury (1972)
[#10 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2025 #1

Non-Fiction

You Don't Have to Have a Dream by Tim Minchin
The Trick

Comics

The Uncanny X-Men
#5 Red Wave, Conclusion: Thunder in Our Hearts by Gail Simone & David Marquez

X-Men
#7 The Iron Night by Jed MacKay & Netho Diaz

Videos

Critical Role
2x78 Between the Lines [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

TV

Michael McIntyre's Big Show
8x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Empire of Light (2022)
[#9 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

Comics

The Uncanny X-Men
#4 Red Wave, Part Four: The Eye of a Hurricane by Gail Simone & David Marquez

X-Men
#6 Bark by Jed MacKay & Netho Diaz

Videos

Critical Role
2x77 A Tangled Web [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#125 'Refjorged', 'Dalen's Closet' & 'A Tangled Web'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

Collection Count

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

Nothing to add this week, because preorders are still on their way. Next week should be busier... and, actually, I've got another bulk US order on the way too, so it might be a pretty big'un.

In the meantime, this week it's time for the latest monthly running time update.

Number of titles in collection: 3,455 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 991 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,464 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 425 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 8,329 [no change]
Number of films: 4,375 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 430 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,209 [no change]

Total running time of collection (approx.):
584 days, 18 hours, and 11 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 2 hours, and 1 minute from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Ice Age: Collision Course 3D (2016)
[#8 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

Videos

Critical Role
2x77 A Tangled Web [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Videos

Critical Role
2x76 Refjorged [2nd half]
"This is peak Dungeons & Dragons right here."
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Fiction

The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Chapter 12 [the end]

Non-Fiction

You Don't Have to Have a Dream by Tim Minchin
Prologue
Nine Life Lessons

Videos

Critical Role
2x76 Refjorged [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Videos

Critical Role
2x75 Rime and Reason [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#124 'Rime and Reason'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

TV

Blackadder II
2x04 Money [2nd watch]
2x05 Beer [2nd watch]
2x06 Chains [season finale; 2nd watch]
From one extreme (i.e. a nine-month pause) to the other (watching half the series in one sitting), I guess.

Videos

Critical Role
2x75 Rime and Reason [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Films

Milano Calibro 9 (1972)
[#7 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
+ featurette Italia Violenta, in which Matthew Holness (yes, the Garth Marenghi guy) talks about his love of the poliziotteschi and this film in particular

Fiction

The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Chapters 10–11

Comics

X-Men
#5 Psychic Rescue in Progress by Jed MacKay & Ryan Stegman

Videos

Talks Machina
#123 'Manifold Morals'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

TV

The Wheel
5x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger (2025)
[#6 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

Comics

The Uncanny X-Men
#3 Red Wave, Part Three: The Inside Man by Gail Simone & David Marquez

X-Men
#4 Upstarts by Jed MacKay & Netho Diaz

I've failed spectacularly at my goal of keeping up with my X-reading, so I've totally lost track of which issue is 'next' in publication order across the various books. But I do know that X-Men and Uncanny X-Men have a four-issue crossover coming up ("coming up" for me — it's finished publication), and that I have four issues of each book to go before said crossover, so if I just alternate issues between those two it will work out fine.

(I've still only read one issue of Exceptional X-Men, which has published up to #5, so I need to get a wriggle on with that separately.)

And attentive-eyed regular readers (not that I think I have any of those) will notice I've decided to change the way I list comics titles/issues. I liked acknowledging that individual issues have titles (as I do with TV episodes, for example), and it better reflects that the creative team might only be in effect for that one issue (something that definitely needs amending, based on the slightly awkward way I've listed the authors of collected volumes in the past).

Fiction

The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Chapters 8–9

Videos

Critical Role
2x74 Manifold Morals [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Collection Count

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

Three additions this week — all new releases, all 4K. Two are Arrow catalogue titles — The Cell and Inglourious Basterds (slightly begrudgingly replacing my old Blu-ray — "begrudging" purely because it has some postcards I quite like but I have nowhere else convenient to store them. I may yet solve this problem before I sell it on) — and the other a brand-new release (The Wild Robot).

Number of titles in collection: 3,455 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 991 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,464 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 425 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 8,329 [up 4]
Number of films: 4,375 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 430 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,209 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Eraserhead (1977)
[#5 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Blindspot 2025 #1

Premonitions Following an Evil Deed (1995)
[3rd or so watch]

RIP David Lynch

Fiction

The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Chapter 7

Videos

Critical Role
2x74 Manifold Morals [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Fiction

The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Chapter 6

Videos

Critical Role
2x73 Uthodurn
Yay, a live show! These are such fun, even to watch from home.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#122 'Uthodurn'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

Fiction

The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Chapters 3–5

Videos

Critical Role
2x72 Clay and Dust [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#121 'Clay and Dust'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

Fiction

The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Chapters 1–2

Back in 2020, I started trying to read more of the original Sherlock Holmes stories that I've never read (because there are quite a few of them, actually). It looks like I made it through six before stopping again, for whatever reason. I always intended to continue… it's just that, me being me, it's taken over four years to get back on that horse. Anyway, here I go again, diving in with what some regard as the best of the four Doyle Holmes novels.

Videos

Critical Role
2x72 Clay and Dust [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Theatre

Hamilton
UK & Ireland Tour at Wales Millennium Centre
I was due to see this back in early December, but a storm happened to blow through that weekend and travelling wasn't worth the risk — especially as we were able to re-book for today in (slightly) better seats at a lower price.

Videos

Critical Role
2x71 Family Gathering [2nd half]
I'm gonna guess some people don't like episodes like this, because they're not action-packed (not even a vague intimation of a fight), nor full of plot developments, nor big emotional scenes; but they're also where we get to just hang out with the characters a bit, and feel like they're people rather than just 'adventurers'. It's a worthwhile thing for any long-running series to invest in, but I also feel like it's the heart of roleplaying — i.e. fully embodying being someone else.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#120 SDCC 2019 Panel
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

Films

Run Lola Run (1998)
[#4 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

Videos

Critical Role
2x71 Family Gathering [1st half]
This episode marks the pivot point of Campaign 2: 70 episodes watched before it, 70 episodes to go after it... although the campaign finale is basically double-length, so it wouldn't be unfair to call the end of this episode the halfway point. (Unless we're talking about running time, of course.)
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

this week on 100Films.co.uk

It was, in a way, a week of two halves at 100Films.co.uk. In the first, I wrapped up last year with the final post of my annual review...


The Best of 2024

this is a ‘top ten’ in the sense that it’s the top 10% of my 2024 viewing. I watched 131 films for the first time last year, which means this time it’s a top thirteen. I’ve called this “best films” because I always have, but this year I’ve definitely leant more into “favourites” in my decision-making.

Read more here.


Then, a trio of posts kicked off my 2025 Challenge...





Blindspot 2025

Regular readers will know that my Blindspot selection process is often tortuously complicated. I don’t just pick twelve films I feel like watching, but compile various “great films” lists and use them to concoct some kind of ranking. Not so this year...

Read more here.


What Do You Mean You Haven’t Seen These Films You’ve Bought Multiple Times?

I want to make a confession: sometimes I buy new copies of films I already own but have never seen. Never mind blind buying, I blind upgrade. It's stupid, I know... Nonetheless, the theme of this year’s WDYMYHS was provoked by my relatively recent purchase of Le Samouraï in 4K... I wanted a selection methodology that would force me to finally watch Le Samouraï, so what better than the very reason I wanted to be forced to watch it?

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The Big Fat Quiz of Everything 2025
[Watch it (again) on Channel 4.]

Films

The Six Triple Eight (2024)
[#3 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

Videos

Critical Role
2x70 Causatum [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#119 'Causatum'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

Collection Count

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

The 2025 new releases kick off this week with Se7en on 4K — although it supplements my old Blu-ray rather than replacing it, owing to the changes made by director David Fincher and the omission of some old restoration-related special features.

Also this week: some sale titles, including a couple I ordered back in December that finally arrived, and a couple more 4Ks (including an upgrade from DVD for Chinatown — which, coincidentally, features Fincher on its commentary track).

Number of titles in collection: 3,453 [up 7]
Of which DVDs: 991 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,462 [up 8]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 422 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 8,325 [up 13]
Number of films: 4,373 [up 7]
Number of additional cuts: 428 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,209 [up 12]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Videos

Critical Role
2x70 Causatum [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Videos

Critical Role
2x69 The King's Cage [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Talks Machina
#118 'The King's Cage'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]

TV

Blackadder II
2x03 Potato [2nd watch]
After an unintended nine-month hiatus, my Blackadder rewatch resumes with the one guest starring Doctor Who and Arthur Dent.

Videos

Critical Role
2x69 The King's Cage [1st half]
Alright, time to try to renew my commitment to getting through Critical Role. It's rumoured Campaign 3 is coming to an end imminently, so me finishing Campaign 2 in time to go straight into Campaign 4 seems unlikely now, but you never know.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]

Articles

Our culture isn't fantasy - so stop misusing it for mystical books
by Catriona Aitken (from BBC News)
Thought this — about the (mis)treatment of Welsh heritage by fantasy authors — was very interesting.

this week on 100Films.co.uk

A new year began this week (did you notice?) and so 100Films.co.uk has been full of end-of-the-year business.

But first: it was also the end of a month (December, obv), so there was the usual December review...





And my monthly "failures"...





Those end-of-year posts went as follows...


100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024: Final Standing

As the challenge tracker page will soon be replaced with a version keeping tabs on 2025’s effort, here’s an archive of how it looked at the very end of 2024.

Read more here.


2024: The List

Throughout the year, my monthly reviews keep you up-to-date on my progress with the 100 Films in a Year Challenge; what they no longer record is all my first-time watches. Fortunately, to rectifying that omission we have The List: every film I watched for the first time in 2024

Read more here.


2024 Statistics!

When Andy Williams sang “it’s the most wonderful time of the year”, he was on about Christmastime; but ’round these parts, the real most wonderful time of the year comes a little later: in early January, with the annual statistics post. And, friends, that time is here again.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Friends
5x11 The One with All the Resolutions [5th or so watch]
5x12 The One with Chandler's Work Laugh [5th or so watch]
5x13 The One with Joey's Bag [5th or so watch]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
32x06 Episode 6

Films

Here we go again...

Anna Karenina (2012)
[#2 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

Death Goes to School (1953)
[#1 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]

Collection Count

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

After the busy end to last year, the new year begins with... nothing. Well, it's always a quiet time of the year for new releases; but it's a busy one for sales, but still, nowt for me... yet: there's stuff in the post.

Number of titles in collection: 3,446 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 992 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,454 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 419 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 8,312 [no change]
Number of films: 4,366 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 426 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,197 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Friends
5x08 The One with All the Thanksgivings [6th or so watch]
5x09 The One with Ross's Sandwich [6th or so watch]
5x10 The One with the Inappropriate Sister [5th or so watch]

Richard Osman's Festive House of Games
3x10 Week 2: Friday [season finale]
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Vera
14x02 The Dark Wives [series finale]
[Watch it (again) on ITVX.]

Vera, Farewell Pet
[Watch it (again) on ITVX.]

TV

Friends
5x07 The One Where Ross Moves In [6th or so watch]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
32x05 Never Mind the Buzzcocks Does Girl Groups & Boy Bands

Richard Osman's Festive House of Games
3x09 Week 2: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

Vera
14x01 Inside
I haven't watched Vera since 2018 — I find crime dramas too samey to watch too many of them (that's partly why I'm over a year behind on Death in Paradise), and I just didn't feel like more Vera at the time. But it's a pretty good show, really, and these are the final episodes, so it felt right to come back for them.
[Watch it (again) on ITVX.]

TV

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2024
The 20th year of the Big Fat Quiz, apparently. Sometimes I really do think culture has just stood still since the early 2000s.
[Watch it (again) on Channel 4.]

Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell
A rather nice behind-the-scenes special / celebration, which reminds you just how special and successful this funny little show has been.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

New Year's Eve Fireworks
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Richard Osman's Festive House of Games
3x07 Week 2: Tuesday
3x08 Week 2: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

The Rookie
6x04 Training Day

Sophie Ellis-Bextor's NYE Disco
Part 2 (of 2)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Box of Delights
Part 6 Leave Us Not Little, Nor Yet Dark [finale]
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]

Sophie Ellis-Bextor's NYE Disco
Part 1 (of 2)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Carol for Another Christmas (1964)
This TV movie — written by Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling — becomes my final film of 2024.

Fiction

A Book for Christmas by Selma Lagerlöf
The Animals' New Year's Night (translated by Peter Graves)
[the end]