Friends
8x14 The One with the Secret Closet [6th or so watch]
8x15 The One with the Birthing Video [6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x01 Elven Kings Under the Sky
11 months late (has it really been so long?!), finally getting round to this.
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x20 Week 4: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Thursday, 24 July 2025
Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Tuesday, 22 July 2025
TV
Friends
8x12 The One Where Joey Dates Rachel [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x19 Week 4: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
8x12 The One Where Joey Dates Rachel [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x19 Week 4: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Monday, 21 July 2025
TV
Friends
8x10 The One with Monica's Boots [6th or so watch]
8x11 The One with Ross's Step Forward [6th or so watch]
Leverage: Redemption
1x08 The Mastermind Job
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x17 Week 4: Tuesday
8x18 Week 4: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
8x10 The One with Monica's Boots [6th or so watch]
8x11 The One with Ross's Step Forward [6th or so watch]
Leverage: Redemption
1x08 The Mastermind Job
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x17 Week 4: Tuesday
8x18 Week 4: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Sunday, 20 July 2025
TV
Friends
8x07 The One with the Stain [6th or so watch]
8x08 The One with the Stripper [6th or so watch]
8x09 The One with the Rumor [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x16 Week 4: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
8x07 The One with the Stain [6th or so watch]
8x08 The One with the Stripper [6th or so watch]
8x09 The One with the Rumor [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x16 Week 4: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Saturday, 19 July 2025
Films
The Wolf Man (1941)
[#63 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2025 #7
[#63 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2025 #7
Fiction
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
11 The Adventure of the Naval Treaty
"The end" of Memoirs, for me right now. There is one more story, The Final Problem, but I've already read it — not that it doesn't merit revisiting, but as I'm currently on a mission to finally have read all the Holmes stories at least once, and I've still got 27 short stories and a novel to go, my time is better spent elsewhere at present.
11 The Adventure of the Naval Treaty
"The end" of Memoirs, for me right now. There is one more story, The Final Problem, but I've already read it — not that it doesn't merit revisiting, but as I'm currently on a mission to finally have read all the Holmes stories at least once, and I've still got 27 short stories and a novel to go, my time is better spent elsewhere at present.
Comics
Absolute Batman
#7 Absolute Zero Part 1 by Scott Snyder & Marcos Martín
#8 Absolute Zero Part 2 by Scott Snyder & Marcos Martín
I made a bit of an (ultimately abortive) effort to catch up on 2000 AD last month, but I've also fallen (further) behind on my US comics reading (let's not mention all the books I've been buying for ages and not even started). I'd like to say reading this two-parter is the beginning of a turnaround, but I know I've got a summer ahead where my time is not wholly my own, so I imagine it will instead be a one-off before I next attempt to get back into the swing of things in September. But hey, you never know!
#7 Absolute Zero Part 1 by Scott Snyder & Marcos Martín
#8 Absolute Zero Part 2 by Scott Snyder & Marcos Martín
I made a bit of an (ultimately abortive) effort to catch up on 2000 AD last month, but I've also fallen (further) behind on my US comics reading (let's not mention all the books I've been buying for ages and not even started). I'd like to say reading this two-parter is the beginning of a turnaround, but I know I've got a summer ahead where my time is not wholly my own, so I imagine it will instead be a one-off before I next attempt to get back into the swing of things in September. But hey, you never know!
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
A bit of a quieter week, although my shelves would hardly think so because, while every addition is a single-film release, two of them are still big ol' collector's edition box sets (Hammer's Quatermass 2 and the new edition of Akira Kurosawa's Ran).
Plus, a rare increase for DVD: I've long thought about getting the Master and Commander 2-disc set for all the special features that are missing from the Blu-ray (hours of documentaries), and with the 4K just announced — but still missing all those extras — I finally got round to it. A second-hand copy for £1.99 doesn't feel too high a price, I must say.
Number of titles in collection: 3,584 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 987 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,597 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 488 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,618 [up 9]
Number of films: 4,548 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 451 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 10,160 [up 6]
Number of short films: 1,250 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
A bit of a quieter week, although my shelves would hardly think so because, while every addition is a single-film release, two of them are still big ol' collector's edition box sets (Hammer's Quatermass 2 and the new edition of Akira Kurosawa's Ran).
Plus, a rare increase for DVD: I've long thought about getting the Master and Commander 2-disc set for all the special features that are missing from the Blu-ray (hours of documentaries), and with the 4K just announced — but still missing all those extras — I finally got round to it. A second-hand copy for £1.99 doesn't feel too high a price, I must say.
Number of titles in collection: 3,584 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 987 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,597 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 488 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,618 [up 9]
Number of films: 4,548 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 451 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 10,160 [up 6]
Number of short films: 1,250 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 18 July 2025
TV
Talks Machina
#146 Episodes 99 through 109
Hey, Talks is back! (Not in our present time, obviously, but at the point I've reached in my C2 watch. Anyway...) The first three episodes of its return are tasked with covering everything missed during its hiatus, which is a lot — the peace talks that ended the war (arguably the most major overarching storyline of the campaign), plus the entire Rumblecusp/Traveler Con arc. No wonder there's nearly 5 hours' worth of episodes tasked with covering that entire period (almost an hour-and-a-half here, then over three hours across the next two episodes, which both aired between episodes 111 and 112).
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
#146 Episodes 99 through 109
Hey, Talks is back! (Not in our present time, obviously, but at the point I've reached in my C2 watch. Anyway...) The first three episodes of its return are tasked with covering everything missed during its hiatus, which is a lot — the peace talks that ended the war (arguably the most major overarching storyline of the campaign), plus the entire Rumblecusp/Traveler Con arc. No wonder there's nearly 5 hours' worth of episodes tasked with covering that entire period (almost an hour-and-a-half here, then over three hours across the next two episodes, which both aired between episodes 111 and 112).
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Films
Stargate (1994)
[2nd watch]
[#62 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Pretty sure I've only seen this once before, because I'm also sure I haven't seen it since the mid-'90s — and I've been meaning to rewatch it for 20+ years! With no urgency, clearly.
This time I watched the longer version (whether it's a director's cut or just an extended cut, sources vary), which I'm sure I've never seen before, but the differences are minor enough (though, I hasten to add, not worthless) that I wouldn't have noticed the difference after all this time, so I don't think it merits counting as a 'new film' for 100 Films purposes.
[2nd watch]
[#62 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Pretty sure I've only seen this once before, because I'm also sure I haven't seen it since the mid-'90s — and I've been meaning to rewatch it for 20+ years! With no urgency, clearly.
This time I watched the longer version (whether it's a director's cut or just an extended cut, sources vary), which I'm sure I've never seen before, but the differences are minor enough (though, I hasten to add, not worthless) that I wouldn't have noticed the difference after all this time, so I don't think it merits counting as a 'new film' for 100 Films purposes.
Thursday, 17 July 2025
TV
Critical Role
2x109 Frigid Propositions [remainder]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x109 Frigid Propositions [remainder]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Fiction
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
10 The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
This felt very familiar for a story I don't think I've read before — not in an "I might have seen an adaptation way", but in a "maybe I have actually read this one" way. No matter, it's a good one, and now I know I've read it for future reference.
10 The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
This felt very familiar for a story I don't think I've read before — not in an "I might have seen an adaptation way", but in a "maybe I have actually read this one" way. No matter, it's a good one, and now I know I've read it for future reference.
Wednesday, 16 July 2025
TV
Critical Role
2x109 Frigid Propositions [1st hour]
Wanted to keep my hand in with C2, as I said, but it did feel a bit weird returning to it while halfway through Age of Umbra. Does call into question my plan to watch C4 while continuing to catch up on C1 or C3, but we'll see.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x109 Frigid Propositions [1st hour]
Wanted to keep my hand in with C2, as I said, but it did feel a bit weird returning to it while halfway through Age of Umbra. Does call into question my plan to watch C4 while continuing to catch up on C1 or C3, but we'll see.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Tuesday, 15 July 2025
Fiction
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
7 The Adventure of the Reigate Squire
aka The Adventure of the Reigate Squires. Both titles fit, so it's understandable but still kinda ridiculous that the discrepancy exists and persists.
7 The Adventure of the Reigate Squire
aka The Adventure of the Reigate Squires. Both titles fit, so it's understandable but still kinda ridiculous that the discrepancy exists and persists.
Games
Gray Matter
Another hour-and-a-quarter gets me to the end of Chapter 2. Good thing it's quite an engaging story, with some solid puzzles (not exceptional, but I've endured worse), because otherwise some of the 'gameplay' is rather railroaded. The conversation trees, for example — they barely merit the term. One in this chapter gives you literally one option, repeatedly, without even the alternative to abandon the conversation. At that point, which isn't it just playing as a cutscene?
Another hour-and-a-quarter gets me to the end of Chapter 2. Good thing it's quite an engaging story, with some solid puzzles (not exceptional, but I've endured worse), because otherwise some of the 'gameplay' is rather railroaded. The conversation trees, for example — they barely merit the term. One in this chapter gives you literally one option, repeatedly, without even the alternative to abandon the conversation. At that point, which isn't it just playing as a cutscene?
Monday, 14 July 2025
TV
Age of Umbra
1x04 The Rampart and Beyond [2nd half]
Halfway through this miniseries now, and it's been almost a whole month since I watched any of Campaign 2, so I probably ought to check back in on that next.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Age of Umbra Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Level Up! | Age of Umbra
After the cooldown, the cast's Age of Umbra characters increase from Level 1 to Level... 2, obvs.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
1x04 The Rampart and Beyond [2nd half]
Halfway through this miniseries now, and it's been almost a whole month since I watched any of Campaign 2, so I probably ought to check back in on that next.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Age of Umbra Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Level Up! | Age of Umbra
After the cooldown, the cast's Age of Umbra characters increase from Level 1 to Level... 2, obvs.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Sunday, 13 July 2025
Fiction
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
5 The Adventure of the Gloria Scott
This seems to be regarded as a sort of "lower middle"-quality Holmes tale, based on rankings I've compiled, which is interesting because it probably speaks to what people want from these stories. As a detective tale, it's a bit rubbish — there's a mystery, but Holmes only solves a minor part of it before he's literally handed a letter with the explanation (even if he hadn't solved anything, that letter would have come into his possession). But as a story in its own right, it's got some nice atmosphere and some exciting piracy-esque elements. And so I think we see how it ends up in the middle, because I imagine some must dislike it for being a poor detective story, while others simply enjoy it for what it is.
5 The Adventure of the Gloria Scott
This seems to be regarded as a sort of "lower middle"-quality Holmes tale, based on rankings I've compiled, which is interesting because it probably speaks to what people want from these stories. As a detective tale, it's a bit rubbish — there's a mystery, but Holmes only solves a minor part of it before he's literally handed a letter with the explanation (even if he hadn't solved anything, that letter would have come into his possession). But as a story in its own right, it's got some nice atmosphere and some exciting piracy-esque elements. And so I think we see how it ends up in the middle, because I imagine some must dislike it for being a poor detective story, while others simply enjoy it for what it is.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
A few new additions again this week (next week looks to be a quiet one, with only one new title expected), but it's also time for the monthly running time update...
Number of titles in collection: 3,581 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 986 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,595 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 485 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,609 [up 6]
Number of films: 4,545 [up 6]
Number of additional cuts: 449 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,154 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,250 [no change]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
604 days, 5 hours, and 17 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 11 hours, and 56 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
A few new additions again this week (next week looks to be a quiet one, with only one new title expected), but it's also time for the monthly running time update...
Number of titles in collection: 3,581 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 986 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,595 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 485 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,609 [up 6]
Number of films: 4,545 [up 6]
Number of additional cuts: 449 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,154 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,250 [no change]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
604 days, 5 hours, and 17 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 11 hours, and 56 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Saturday, 12 July 2025
TV
Age of Umbra
1x04 The Rampart and Beyond [remainder of 1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Live Aid at 40: The Concert
Didn't watch anything like all of this, but had a significant chunk of it on in the later evening.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
1x04 The Rampart and Beyond [remainder of 1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Live Aid at 40: The Concert
Didn't watch anything like all of this, but had a significant chunk of it on in the later evening.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Friday, 11 July 2025
Thursday, 10 July 2025
TV
Cobra Kai
3x09 Feel the Night
3x10 December 19 [season finale]
Having spent most of the season on a post mortem for the previous finale, this finale seems to primarily set up what the next season will be about! Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh, because it's actually a very satisfying episode in its own right thanks to an impressively-staged centrepiece brawl between the students, followed by a long-awaited punchup involving the adults. That might sound a little slap-happy, but this is a show all about karate: of course the fights are a highlight.
Nonetheless, a negative reading of this season would be that it treads water, dealing with the aftermath of season two before setting up the next leg in season four. A kinder reading would be that it's a necessary bridge, moving characters and situations from where they were to where they want them to be for the next leg. I think a bit of both might be true.
On the bright side, at least season four exists — this is where YouTube cancelled the show, before Netflix came in and saved it. It scarcely bears thinking about that this could have been where it ended!
3x09 Feel the Night
3x10 December 19 [season finale]
Having spent most of the season on a post mortem for the previous finale, this finale seems to primarily set up what the next season will be about! Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh, because it's actually a very satisfying episode in its own right thanks to an impressively-staged centrepiece brawl between the students, followed by a long-awaited punchup involving the adults. That might sound a little slap-happy, but this is a show all about karate: of course the fights are a highlight.
Nonetheless, a negative reading of this season would be that it treads water, dealing with the aftermath of season two before setting up the next leg in season four. A kinder reading would be that it's a necessary bridge, moving characters and situations from where they were to where they want them to be for the next leg. I think a bit of both might be true.
On the bright side, at least season four exists — this is where YouTube cancelled the show, before Netflix came in and saved it. It scarcely bears thinking about that this could have been where it ended!
Non-Fiction
Oscar Wars by Michael Schulman
Introduction
Chapter 1
Subtitled "A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears", this book examines 11 significant events or trends in the history of the Oscars, exploring how those have shaped and changed the insitution, and through that Hollywood movies in general. So, for example, this first chapter is all about how and why the Academy and their associated awards were founded — a sequence of events with their own dramas and controversies to rival any that would follow. Despite beginning at the beginning with a fairly narrative chapter, this is billed as something more analytical, and with a wider overview, than just "a history of the Oscars". Based on all the positive reviews, I expect it to be very interesting.
Introduction
Chapter 1
Subtitled "A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears", this book examines 11 significant events or trends in the history of the Oscars, exploring how those have shaped and changed the insitution, and through that Hollywood movies in general. So, for example, this first chapter is all about how and why the Academy and their associated awards were founded — a sequence of events with their own dramas and controversies to rival any that would follow. Despite beginning at the beginning with a fairly narrative chapter, this is billed as something more analytical, and with a wider overview, than just "a history of the Oscars". Based on all the positive reviews, I expect it to be very interesting.
Wednesday, 9 July 2025
Games
Gray Matter
The problem with 'save game' time is if you, I dunno, say, miss some optional goals so reload a previous save to complete them, then perhaps skip over a lengthy cutscene that you watched before said reload but didn't need to see again. (Yeah, that isn't just a random hypothetical example.) Anyway, the clock says I played for just over an hour today, but the repetition makes it more like an hour and a quarter. I minor difference, at least.
The problem with 'save game' time is if you, I dunno, say, miss some optional goals so reload a previous save to complete them, then perhaps skip over a lengthy cutscene that you watched before said reload but didn't need to see again. (Yeah, that isn't just a random hypothetical example.) Anyway, the clock says I played for just over an hour today, but the repetition makes it more like an hour and a quarter. I minor difference, at least.
Tuesday, 8 July 2025
TV
Cobra Kai
3x07 Obstáculos
3x08 The Good, the Bad, and the Badass
This is still a good show, but man, they've spent nearly the entire season on the fallout from the season 2 finale. It was a major event that definitely deserved some focus and 'dealing with', and some of the repercussions are right to be longer-lasting, but to dwell on it for the whole season? In fairness, that's not all this season has done, thank goodness, but it has been quite dominant. I feel like there must have been a better balance to have been struck between giving it due significance and making it feel like the story was progressing.
Critical Role Cooldown
Age of Umbra Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
3x07 Obstáculos
3x08 The Good, the Bad, and the Badass
This is still a good show, but man, they've spent nearly the entire season on the fallout from the season 2 finale. It was a major event that definitely deserved some focus and 'dealing with', and some of the repercussions are right to be longer-lasting, but to dwell on it for the whole season? In fairness, that's not all this season has done, thank goodness, but it has been quite dominant. I feel like there must have been a better balance to have been struck between giving it due significance and making it feel like the story was progressing.
Critical Role Cooldown
Age of Umbra Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Games
Smurfs Kart
Got a medal on every track in Time Trial at Hyperspeed, my first time trying that faster version — and, in fact, my overall medal tally is better than at the slower Fun speed. So that’s an achievement… of a sort.
Got a medal on every track in Time Trial at Hyperspeed, my first time trying that faster version — and, in fact, my overall medal tally is better than at the slower Fun speed. So that’s an achievement… of a sort.
Monday, 7 July 2025
Games
Gray Matter
The save games on this tell you exactly how long you've been playing for, which is great for someone like me — it means I can tell you not that "I played for about an hour", but that "I played for 57 minutes". Vital information.
The save games on this tell you exactly how long you've been playing for, which is great for someone like me — it means I can tell you not that "I played for about an hour", but that "I played for 57 minutes". Vital information.
Sunday, 6 July 2025
Audio Drama
Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures
1.1 Vampire Weekend
Jodie Whittaker's Doctor comes to Big Finish — I'd say "finally", but this has to be quickest turnaround from TV to BF ever. No surprise: Jodie was talking about doing them before her time on TV had even finished. Anyway, here begins 12 new adventures released over the next couple of years (the final one is scheduled for May 2027). Can Big Finish do for the 13th Doctor what they've done for the 6th and, arguably, 8th and turn an underwhelming TV era into a fan favourite? Time will tell. This first instalment... isn't that.
But it's not bad, either. It feels very much like it's laying the groundwork. This is a light-weight romp-ish season opener; a reminder of all the different tones Who does, all at once (not a bad thing), with a breakneck pace and a focus on just being a bit of fun. In that sense, it's more successful than many of her TV episodes were.
Jodie and Mandip slip back into their roles as if they'd never been away, and there are some nice scenes between the Doctor and Yaz. That goes some way to make up for the supporting cast being a mite too large — there's not enough time for this many characters, so they're all quite vaguely sketched. It doesn't help that several sound quite similar, meaning it can get a bit confusing in fast-paced scenes with everyone present.
Still, a solid start to the 13th Doctor's adventures on audio. Hopefully future episodes will deliver on the promise of what Big Finish can do to positively transform an era's reputation.
1.1 Vampire Weekend
Jodie Whittaker's Doctor comes to Big Finish — I'd say "finally", but this has to be quickest turnaround from TV to BF ever. No surprise: Jodie was talking about doing them before her time on TV had even finished. Anyway, here begins 12 new adventures released over the next couple of years (the final one is scheduled for May 2027). Can Big Finish do for the 13th Doctor what they've done for the 6th and, arguably, 8th and turn an underwhelming TV era into a fan favourite? Time will tell. This first instalment... isn't that.
But it's not bad, either. It feels very much like it's laying the groundwork. This is a light-weight romp-ish season opener; a reminder of all the different tones Who does, all at once (not a bad thing), with a breakneck pace and a focus on just being a bit of fun. In that sense, it's more successful than many of her TV episodes were.
Jodie and Mandip slip back into their roles as if they'd never been away, and there are some nice scenes between the Doctor and Yaz. That goes some way to make up for the supporting cast being a mite too large — there's not enough time for this many characters, so they're all quite vaguely sketched. It doesn't help that several sound quite similar, meaning it can get a bit confusing in fast-paced scenes with everyone present.
Still, a solid start to the 13th Doctor's adventures on audio. Hopefully future episodes will deliver on the promise of what Big Finish can do to positively transform an era's reputation.
Fiction
Doctor Who: The New Adventures
Timewyrm: Revelation by Paul Cornell
Chapters 12–13
Epilogue [the end]
This seems to be regarded as among the best of the Timewyrm quartet — okay, we're only talking about four books, so there's not much room for manoeuvre in ordering them, but the rankings I've seen consistently place it first or second, and I've seen it ranked in the top ten of all New Adventures novels..
Well, I've found it a bit of a slog. I mean, it's taken me almost two months to get through it, compared to under two weeks for each of the previous parts (that's partly real-life events disrupting my reading rhythm, but also partly me finding it tough going). It's got some great ideas, actually, but they take a while to show up. Part of what makes them great is that they're reveals and reveals require setup, but obviously it didn't do that pre-work engagingly enough for me. Ah well, it's done now.
Not sure where I'll go next with the New Adventures — I own a bunch, but not the followup Cat's Cradle trilogy (because it's not meant to be very good); although I do have the entire 61-book run as ebooks, so I could continue there… or maybe I should stick to ones I actually own and paid money for, and just progress in order of release. Either way, I've spent the better part of two years just getting through these first four, so I either need to pick up the pace or accept I'm going to spend the rest of my life reading the NAs.
Timewyrm: Revelation by Paul Cornell
Chapters 12–13
Epilogue [the end]
This seems to be regarded as among the best of the Timewyrm quartet — okay, we're only talking about four books, so there's not much room for manoeuvre in ordering them, but the rankings I've seen consistently place it first or second, and I've seen it ranked in the top ten of all New Adventures novels..
Well, I've found it a bit of a slog. I mean, it's taken me almost two months to get through it, compared to under two weeks for each of the previous parts (that's partly real-life events disrupting my reading rhythm, but also partly me finding it tough going). It's got some great ideas, actually, but they take a while to show up. Part of what makes them great is that they're reveals and reveals require setup, but obviously it didn't do that pre-work engagingly enough for me. Ah well, it's done now.
Not sure where I'll go next with the New Adventures — I own a bunch, but not the followup Cat's Cradle trilogy (because it's not meant to be very good); although I do have the entire 61-book run as ebooks, so I could continue there… or maybe I should stick to ones I actually own and paid money for, and just progress in order of release. Either way, I've spent the better part of two years just getting through these first four, so I either need to pick up the pace or accept I'm going to spend the rest of my life reading the NAs.
Games
Gray Matter
I've got literally dozens of point-and-click adventure games I've bought over the last few years waiting to be played (not to mention a selection of various other types of game I've either bought on sale or got free through Prime, not least a few high-acclaimed and very long RPGs), and yet I wound up playing this, which I just saw recommended and, more or less on a whim, thought "let's play that!"
And then I spent way too much of my day trying to get it to work properly on my Mac (it's only available for PC — the basic port worked easily enough, but there was no audio, and that took ages to fix, and even now it doesn't work properly; but I can hear it, even if it's constantly glitchy, and that's better than nothing). So, I got there in the end, and therefore played... for 10 minutes.
Well, I've started it now, at least.
I've got literally dozens of point-and-click adventure games I've bought over the last few years waiting to be played (not to mention a selection of various other types of game I've either bought on sale or got free through Prime, not least a few high-acclaimed and very long RPGs), and yet I wound up playing this, which I just saw recommended and, more or less on a whim, thought "let's play that!"
And then I spent way too much of my day trying to get it to work properly on my Mac (it's only available for PC — the basic port worked easily enough, but there was no audio, and that took ages to fix, and even now it doesn't work properly; but I can hear it, even if it's constantly glitchy, and that's better than nothing). So, I got there in the end, and therefore played... for 10 minutes.
Well, I've started it now, at least.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
It feels like just the other day I was writing about May on 100Films.co.uk, but a whole 'nother month has flown by and it's time to look back at June.
First up, the overall review...
...accompanied by my list of "failures"...
More next Sunday? More likely it'll be August before I know it.
First up, the overall review...
...accompanied by my list of "failures"...
More next Sunday? More likely it'll be August before I know it.
Saturday, 5 July 2025
TV
The 1% Club
3x09 Episode 9
[Watch all episodes (again) on ITVX.]
Have I Got News for You
69x10 (6/6/2025 edition; extended repeat) [season finale]
[Watch the extended episode (again) on iPlayer.]
3x09 Episode 9
[Watch all episodes (again) on ITVX.]
Have I Got News for You
69x10 (6/6/2025 edition; extended repeat) [season finale]
[Watch the extended episode (again) on iPlayer.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
I thought this week was going to be dominated by Radiance, mostly sale pickups, but I guess those are coming on Monday now. Instead, there's a new Radiance box set, a title I missed in the sale so nabbed elsewhere (still with a discount, at least, but a few quid more than in the sale); plus a selection of Deaf Crocodile titles I ordered a while back but had to wait for them all to be released (it's a US label, gotta order multiple to make the p&p worthwhile).
Number of titles in collection: 3,575 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 986 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,589 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 483 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,603 [up 10]
Number of films: 4,539 [up 8]
Number of additional cuts: 449 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,154 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,250 [up 2]
See you next week, faithful reader.
I thought this week was going to be dominated by Radiance, mostly sale pickups, but I guess those are coming on Monday now. Instead, there's a new Radiance box set, a title I missed in the sale so nabbed elsewhere (still with a discount, at least, but a few quid more than in the sale); plus a selection of Deaf Crocodile titles I ordered a while back but had to wait for them all to be released (it's a US label, gotta order multiple to make the p&p worthwhile).
Number of titles in collection: 3,575 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 986 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,589 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 483 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,603 [up 10]
Number of films: 4,539 [up 8]
Number of additional cuts: 449 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,154 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,250 [up 2]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 4 July 2025
Thursday, 3 July 2025
Wednesday, 2 July 2025
Games
Smurfs Kart
It's growing on me a little, but I really wish you could remap the controls. I'm also beginning to see why "steering assist" is on by default — I turned it off, but perhaps that was unwise.
It's growing on me a little, but I really wish you could remap the controls. I'm also beginning to see why "steering assist" is on by default — I turned it off, but perhaps that was unwise.
Tuesday, 1 July 2025
Games
Garfield Kart: Furious Racing
Got in a few more races and achievements before it did actually leave the free-with-Prime tier on Luna. And then I tried to find a replacement...
Smurfs Kart
Very similar on the surface, but a few changes to controls and difficulty made it much less satisfying. I did a few races, but I'm not sure I'll be going back.
Trackmania
A different kind of racing game — still a bit wacky, definitely not a sim (there's also a monster truck game on Luna that sounded altogether too serious), but not a kart racer either. I didn't care for the way it's not always clear where you should drive, and if you go wrong it will just let you wander around, which is irritatingly pointless. Also not really built for the levels of input lag you get on cloud gaming.
Oh well. At least it doesn't cost me anything to try these. Imagine if I got a Switch 2 right now and hated Mario Kart...
Got in a few more races and achievements before it did actually leave the free-with-Prime tier on Luna. And then I tried to find a replacement...
Smurfs Kart
Very similar on the surface, but a few changes to controls and difficulty made it much less satisfying. I did a few races, but I'm not sure I'll be going back.
Trackmania
A different kind of racing game — still a bit wacky, definitely not a sim (there's also a monster truck game on Luna that sounded altogether too serious), but not a kart racer either. I didn't care for the way it's not always clear where you should drive, and if you go wrong it will just let you wander around, which is irritatingly pointless. Also not really built for the levels of input lag you get on cloud gaming.
Oh well. At least it doesn't cost me anything to try these. Imagine if I got a Switch 2 right now and hated Mario Kart...
Monday, 30 June 2025
Games
Garfield Kart: Furious Racing
This was supposed to be leaving Luna tomorrow morning*, so tonight I did a sort of “farewell tour” around all 16 tracks. I don’t know if I’m going to miss it, per se, but it scratched an itch for a bit.
* checked on Tuesday morning and it's still there, so who knows!
This was supposed to be leaving Luna tomorrow morning*, so tonight I did a sort of “farewell tour” around all 16 tracks. I don’t know if I’m going to miss it, per se, but it scratched an itch for a bit.
* checked on Tuesday morning and it's still there, so who knows!
Sunday, 29 June 2025
TV
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x14 Week 3: Thursday
8x15 Week 3: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
8x14 Week 3: Thursday
8x15 Week 3: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Saturday, 28 June 2025
TV
Friends
8x05 The One with Rachel's Date [6th or so watch]
8x06 The One with the Halloween Party [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x12 Week 3: Tuesday
8x13 Week 3: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
8x05 The One with Rachel's Date [6th or so watch]
8x06 The One with the Halloween Party [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x12 Week 3: Tuesday
8x13 Week 3: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
After last week turned out to be so much smaller than expected, it's this week that's ended up as a bumper bonus one, with 17 new titles arriving. That includes six upgrades (five of them BD to 4K), although one doesn't replace the previous edition. It could have, if they'd bothered to carry forward all the extras. That makes it a bit of a punt to buy the Rocky series on 4K right now, because there are several areas for improvement if they decide to do another edition someday (as well as reinstating those extras that have gone missing, a major new documentary included in the set is actually available in a longer version on YouTube). Basically, I've bet on them not bothering with such a reissue. Time will tell.
Number of titles in collection: 3,569 [up 12]
Of which DVDs: 986 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,583 [up 12]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 481 [up 5]
Number of discs in collection: 8,593 [up 25]
Number of films: 4,531 [up 18]
Number of additional cuts: 449 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes: 10,154 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,248 [up 8]
See you next week, faithful reader.
After last week turned out to be so much smaller than expected, it's this week that's ended up as a bumper bonus one, with 17 new titles arriving. That includes six upgrades (five of them BD to 4K), although one doesn't replace the previous edition. It could have, if they'd bothered to carry forward all the extras. That makes it a bit of a punt to buy the Rocky series on 4K right now, because there are several areas for improvement if they decide to do another edition someday (as well as reinstating those extras that have gone missing, a major new documentary included in the set is actually available in a longer version on YouTube). Basically, I've bet on them not bothering with such a reissue. Time will tell.
Number of titles in collection: 3,569 [up 12]
Of which DVDs: 986 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,583 [up 12]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 481 [up 5]
Number of discs in collection: 8,593 [up 25]
Number of films: 4,531 [up 18]
Number of additional cuts: 449 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes: 10,154 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,248 [up 8]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 27 June 2025
Films
The White Trap (1959)
This is included in the Edgar Wallace Mysteries DVD set, but isn't properly part of the series, so I decided not to count it for the "Series Progression" part of my Challenge. Also because it's a bit rubbish.
This is included in the Edgar Wallace Mysteries DVD set, but isn't properly part of the series, so I decided not to count it for the "Series Progression" part of my Challenge. Also because it's a bit rubbish.
Thursday, 26 June 2025
TV
Friends
8x01 The One After 'I Do' [6th or so watch]
8x02 The One with the Red Sweater [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x11 Week 3: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
8x01 The One After 'I Do' [6th or so watch]
8x02 The One with the Red Sweater [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x11 Week 3: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Wednesday, 25 June 2025
TV
Critical Role Live Show: Melbourne || LIVE Beacon Backstage Pass
Where the Sydney pre-show was defined by Vegemite, this one is mostly stories of their trip to Melbourne zoo. So that's... nice.
These backstage livestreams are kinda pointless, but also kinda fun. I guess they know there's a chunk of their audience that just likes hanging out with the cast, even if they're not really doing anything, and this plays to that demographic.
The only thing approaching 'genuine information' was they said they're planning to announce/reveal a bunch of stuff at San Diego Comic-Con, which is only about a month away, so that's exciting. In fact, it's the weekend after the Age of Umbra finale — could we finally get some Campaign 4 news?
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Where the Sydney pre-show was defined by Vegemite, this one is mostly stories of their trip to Melbourne zoo. So that's... nice.
These backstage livestreams are kinda pointless, but also kinda fun. I guess they know there's a chunk of their audience that just likes hanging out with the cast, even if they're not really doing anything, and this plays to that demographic.
The only thing approaching 'genuine information' was they said they're planning to announce/reveal a bunch of stuff at San Diego Comic-Con, which is only about a month away, so that's exciting. In fact, it's the weekend after the Age of Umbra finale — could we finally get some Campaign 4 news?
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Games
Garfield Kart: Furious Racing
Still bothering to unlock stuff, just because, well, that's what you're incentivised to do, I guess. I believe the game is leaving Luna at the end of the month, so will all the stuff I've achieved then get lost forever? If so, that makes it really pointless.
Still bothering to unlock stuff, just because, well, that's what you're incentivised to do, I guess. I believe the game is leaving Luna at the end of the month, so will all the stuff I've achieved then get lost forever? If so, that makes it really pointless.
Articles
Letterboxd is the Gen Z fad that might just save cinema
by Louis Chilton (from Independent)
I've been a Letterboxd user for a number of years (I can't even remember when I started now, and I've back-filled it with data from here and 100 Films so I can't just see when my logs began*), so it's interesting to read this about how popular it's become, and how significant it might yet be.
* Turns out, I can tell from reviews — not by looking at my diary, but on my stats pages. The review count at the top of those pages is for reviews posted that year, not for films logged in my diary that year. So I can't tell exactly when I started (because, as mentioned, I've back-dated some reviews), but I know I posted 0 reviews in 2012 and 67 in 2013. So, yeah, I've been using Letterboxd for 12+ years. Madness.
by Louis Chilton (from Independent)
I've been a Letterboxd user for a number of years (I can't even remember when I started now, and I've back-filled it with data from here and 100 Films so I can't just see when my logs began*), so it's interesting to read this about how popular it's become, and how significant it might yet be.
* Turns out, I can tell from reviews — not by looking at my diary, but on my stats pages. The review count at the top of those pages is for reviews posted that year, not for films logged in my diary that year. So I can't tell exactly when I started (because, as mentioned, I've back-dated some reviews), but I know I posted 0 reviews in 2012 and 67 in 2013. So, yeah, I've been using Letterboxd for 12+ years. Madness.
Tuesday, 24 June 2025
TV
Age of Umbra
1x02 The Lost Monastery [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Age of Umbra Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
1x02 The Lost Monastery [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Age of Umbra Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Games
Garfield Kart: Furious Racing
Actually tried to unlock stuff by racing at harder difficulty levels. Didn't get on as well. A reminder, I guess, that though I used to like to while away some time on games like this, I was never that good at them.
Actually tried to unlock stuff by racing at harder difficulty levels. Didn't get on as well. A reminder, I guess, that though I used to like to while away some time on games like this, I was never that good at them.
Monday, 23 June 2025
Sunday, 22 June 2025
Games
Garfield Kart: Furious Racing
Yep.
I have a feeling I'm going to get bored with it quite soon, but until I do, hey, why not.
Yep.
I have a feeling I'm going to get bored with it quite soon, but until I do, hey, why not.
Saturday, 21 June 2025
Films
28 Weeks Later (2007)
[#56 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
I've been meaning to watch this for about 18 years. Whatever my intentions, there's a non-zero chance I take the title of 28 Years Later literally.
[#56 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
I've been meaning to watch this for about 18 years. Whatever my intentions, there's a non-zero chance I take the title of 28 Years Later literally.
Comics
Judge Dredd Megazine
#472
Okay, I went back and read the interviews and two strips that were standalone. I liked the latter; the former ended up adding books to my to-buy list. So, that's good, I guess.
#472
Okay, I went back and read the interviews and two strips that were standalone. I liked the latter; the former ended up adding books to my to-buy list. So, that's good, I guess.
Games
Garfield Kart: Furious Racing
Of all the games I've given a 'quick spin' since I got my Luna controller — a gorgeous-looking well-regarded action-adventure with one of my favourite superheroes; an acclaimed James Bond outing I've wanted to play for over 20 years; an RPG regarded as one of the greatest games of all time — this stupid little rip-off kart racer is the only one I've so far returned to. But sometimes you just want a bit of dumb, easily-winnable racing fun, right? Well, I do, and this is my only (free) option at the moment, so on it went.
Of all the games I've given a 'quick spin' since I got my Luna controller — a gorgeous-looking well-regarded action-adventure with one of my favourite superheroes; an acclaimed James Bond outing I've wanted to play for over 20 years; an RPG regarded as one of the greatest games of all time — this stupid little rip-off kart racer is the only one I've so far returned to. But sometimes you just want a bit of dumb, easily-winnable racing fun, right? Well, I do, and this is my only (free) option at the moment, so on it went.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
I thought this was going to be a big ol' week, but a couple of packages taking longer than expected means that's deferred 'til next week (they should arrive on Monday, unless something goes terribly wrong). Instead, just two additions this week, and one of those a BD-to-4K upgrade.
Number of titles in collection: 3,557 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 986 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,571 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 476 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,568 [up 2]
Number of films: 4,513 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 446 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,154 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,240 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader.
I thought this was going to be a big ol' week, but a couple of packages taking longer than expected means that's deferred 'til next week (they should arrive on Monday, unless something goes terribly wrong). Instead, just two additions this week, and one of those a BD-to-4K upgrade.
Number of titles in collection: 3,557 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 986 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,571 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 476 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,568 [up 2]
Number of films: 4,513 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 446 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,154 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,240 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 20 June 2025
Comics
2000 AD
Prog 2400
First half of a multiverse-spanning crossover event, finishing up in that month's issue of Judge Dredd Megazine. It's a good thing they make a big fuss of these whenever they happen, otherwise I'd now be faced with sourcing a back issue — whereas instead, I can just go right on...
Judge Dredd Megazine
#472
The first 50-ish pages of this are the second half of the aforementioned crossover, and that's what I read. The rest is unrelated other stuff: a trio of interviews and several additional comic stories. Honestly, most of those don't interest me, so I don't intend to go back to them — not even the other Judge Dredd strip that's included, because it's a Part One and I don't have the following issues to finish it.
Prog 2400
First half of a multiverse-spanning crossover event, finishing up in that month's issue of Judge Dredd Megazine. It's a good thing they make a big fuss of these whenever they happen, otherwise I'd now be faced with sourcing a back issue — whereas instead, I can just go right on...
Judge Dredd Megazine
#472
The first 50-ish pages of this are the second half of the aforementioned crossover, and that's what I read. The rest is unrelated other stuff: a trio of interviews and several additional comic stories. Honestly, most of those don't interest me, so I don't intend to go back to them — not even the other Judge Dredd strip that's included, because it's a Part One and I don't have the following issues to finish it.
Thursday, 19 June 2025
TV
Age of Umbra
1x01 Desperloch [remainder]
It's been fairly widely commented upon, but combat really does flow so much more smoothly in Daggerheart than D&D. The latter makes it feel like a minigame: you stop, roll initiative, then everyone takes it in turn to do their combo of action / bonus action / movement. In Daggerheart, it just... starts. Okay, here Matt goes off to get a map, so it is still demarked in that sense, but it's only a slight pause. I can see how a less respectful or controlled table could turn it into chaos and/or one or two people dominating, but when played as intended, there's an ebb and flow that keeps it more engaging. Coupled with the different damage system in Daggerheart, which makes every strike more impactful, and I think overall it works much better, certainly as a viewer.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Critical Role
Tag Team at the Teeth: Prologue
A nine-minute setup for their two Australian live shows. Watching this now feels a bit like taunting myself, because who knows how long it’s going to be before I can actually watch the shows proper? (I’m not in Australia, so can’t see them live. I’m not in the US or Canada, so can’t see them in a cinema later this week / next week. Presumably they'll be on Beacon shortly afte Age of Umbra, but they’re set after Campaign 3, so really I’m a couple of hundred episodes off getting to them.)
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Age of Umbra Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Critical Role Live Show: Sydney || LIVE Beacon Backstage Pass
So, while it's going to be a while before the show itself is on Beacon, they did do this backstage livestream beforehand. It's just hanging out with the cast, doing things like improv warmup and eating Vegemite for the first time, but that's fun in its own way (for some us, at least).
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
1x01 Desperloch [remainder]
It's been fairly widely commented upon, but combat really does flow so much more smoothly in Daggerheart than D&D. The latter makes it feel like a minigame: you stop, roll initiative, then everyone takes it in turn to do their combo of action / bonus action / movement. In Daggerheart, it just... starts. Okay, here Matt goes off to get a map, so it is still demarked in that sense, but it's only a slight pause. I can see how a less respectful or controlled table could turn it into chaos and/or one or two people dominating, but when played as intended, there's an ebb and flow that keeps it more engaging. Coupled with the different damage system in Daggerheart, which makes every strike more impactful, and I think overall it works much better, certainly as a viewer.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Critical Role
Tag Team at the Teeth: Prologue
A nine-minute setup for their two Australian live shows. Watching this now feels a bit like taunting myself, because who knows how long it’s going to be before I can actually watch the shows proper? (I’m not in Australia, so can’t see them live. I’m not in the US or Canada, so can’t see them in a cinema later this week / next week. Presumably they'll be on Beacon shortly afte Age of Umbra, but they’re set after Campaign 3, so really I’m a couple of hundred episodes off getting to them.)
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Age of Umbra Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Critical Role Live Show: Sydney || LIVE Beacon Backstage Pass
So, while it's going to be a while before the show itself is on Beacon, they did do this backstage livestream beforehand. It's just hanging out with the cast, doing things like improv warmup and eating Vegemite for the first time, but that's fun in its own way (for some us, at least).
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Games
Garfield Kart: Furious Racing
Not the kind of thing I normally play, obviously, but I've seen so much stuff online going on and on about the Switch 2, it's making me want one; but the main (some might say "only", but let's not get into that) game currently is Mario Kart, and I've never been a huge kart racing game fan. Nonetheless, it put the idea in my head so much that I decided to try to scratch the itch by seeing what was free to play on Luna — and this was the only option.
Is it a good game? Probably not. I'm sure gamers would say it's not even close to Mario Kart (which it's clearly designed to emulate). But did it scratch that itch, as a free version of something I only really want to play because there's so much chatter about it? Yes, it did.
Not the kind of thing I normally play, obviously, but I've seen so much stuff online going on and on about the Switch 2, it's making me want one; but the main (some might say "only", but let's not get into that) game currently is Mario Kart, and I've never been a huge kart racing game fan. Nonetheless, it put the idea in my head so much that I decided to try to scratch the itch by seeing what was free to play on Luna — and this was the only option.
Is it a good game? Probably not. I'm sure gamers would say it's not even close to Mario Kart (which it's clearly designed to emulate). But did it scratch that itch, as a free version of something I only really want to play because there's so much chatter about it? Yes, it did.
Wednesday, 18 June 2025
TV
Age of Umbra
1x01 Desperloch [1st hour]
As I've reached a very convenient end-of-story-arc point in my Campaign 2 viewing, I'm making a start on their currently-running Daggerheart-based miniseries. It's still the same players and GM playing a story-focused TTRPG, and yet the system switchup somehow makes it feel fresh and exciting. Interesting.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Ever since I started watching Critical Role, I’ve debated where to categorise it. Some would just say it’s TV, but I started watching it on YouTube — that’s not really TV, that’s just online video slop, right? (I get that this is a generational thing, and I’m definitely of a generation that doesn’t respect “YouTubers”.) I don’t even watch CR on my TV, but on my computer or tablet, something I would never dream of doing with real TV (this is less generational, more just being a purist — or, if you prefer, snob). But it sits uncomfortably under the “Video” heading too — that was created more for short-form disposable stuff.
Anyway, after (too) much reflection, I’ve decided to ‘upgrade’ CR and its associated content, and the start of their newest miniseries seemed as good a changeover point as any. Funnily enough, tomorrow this will include their backstage pre-show livestream from Sydney, which immediately threw me into a conundrum: a livestream is definitely more “Video” than “TV”. But I don’t want to split their stuff up like that, so I guess it’s all TV now!
Maybe I should just call it “Content”. My Content Experience. Ugh.
1x01 Desperloch [1st hour]
As I've reached a very convenient end-of-story-arc point in my Campaign 2 viewing, I'm making a start on their currently-running Daggerheart-based miniseries. It's still the same players and GM playing a story-focused TTRPG, and yet the system switchup somehow makes it feel fresh and exciting. Interesting.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Ever since I started watching Critical Role, I’ve debated where to categorise it. Some would just say it’s TV, but I started watching it on YouTube — that’s not really TV, that’s just online video slop, right? (I get that this is a generational thing, and I’m definitely of a generation that doesn’t respect “YouTubers”.) I don’t even watch CR on my TV, but on my computer or tablet, something I would never dream of doing with real TV (this is less generational, more just being a purist — or, if you prefer, snob). But it sits uncomfortably under the “Video” heading too — that was created more for short-form disposable stuff.
Anyway, after (too) much reflection, I’ve decided to ‘upgrade’ CR and its associated content, and the start of their newest miniseries seemed as good a changeover point as any. Funnily enough, tomorrow this will include their backstage pre-show livestream from Sydney, which immediately threw me into a conundrum: a livestream is definitely more “Video” than “TV”. But I don’t want to split their stuff up like that, so I guess it’s all TV now!
Maybe I should just call it “Content”. My Content Experience. Ugh.
Monday, 16 June 2025
Sunday, 15 June 2025
Podcasts
The Empire Spoiler Special Film Podcast
Christopher McQuarrie on Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Part One
Christopher McQuarrie on Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Part One
Videos
Critical Role
2x108 Traveler Con [1st half]
Just 77 episodes (that's over half the campaign) after it was first mentioned (even at my accelerated pace, it's been a whole year since I watched that episode; in real life, it was over two years) — and after many, many episodes of steadily increasing mentions and preparations as it got closer and closer — Traveler Con is finally here!
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x108 Traveler Con [1st half]
Just 77 episodes (that's over half the campaign) after it was first mentioned (even at my accelerated pace, it's been a whole year since I watched that episode; in real life, it was over two years) — and after many, many episodes of steadily increasing mentions and preparations as it got closer and closer — Traveler Con is finally here!
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Saturday, 14 June 2025
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Three new purchases this week, all new releases — two from this week, one ahead of next week — with two of them being splashy UHD Collector's Editions, and one of those an upgrade to an existing Blu-ray.
Number of titles in collection: 3,556 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 986 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,570 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 475 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,566 [up 7]
Number of films: 4,512 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 446 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 10,154 [up 2]
Number of short films: 1,239 [up 1]
It's also time for the monthly running time update, which passes a milestone...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
601 days, 17 hours, and 21 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 20 hours, and 37 minutes from last month.)
Yes, I've now passed 600 days! I passed 500 days back in March 2022 (with no fanfare). That's 3 years and 3 months ago, fact fans. I'd passed 400 days in July 2018, which was 3 years and 8 months before 500 — so the speed at which my collection increases is increasing. That doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
Purely in running time terms, my collection has doubled in size in just under 11 years. The number of titles has more than doubled in that time (makes sense, as the amount of TV thats gets released/bought by me has steadily decreased, and that has much higher running times per title). My DVD colleciton has shrunk by 17.9% in that time, while my Blu-rays have increased five-fold. I now own almost as many UHDs as I did Blu-rays back then. Considering I described 300 days as "madness" and I now have doubled that, I do have to wonder when (if) it will ever stop... Well, if I continue as I have been, logically I'll reach 700 hours around March 2028 — so let's see!
On a more immediate scale: I'll see you next week, faithful reader.
Three new purchases this week, all new releases — two from this week, one ahead of next week — with two of them being splashy UHD Collector's Editions, and one of those an upgrade to an existing Blu-ray.
Number of titles in collection: 3,556 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 986 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,570 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 475 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,566 [up 7]
Number of films: 4,512 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 446 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 10,154 [up 2]
Number of short films: 1,239 [up 1]
It's also time for the monthly running time update, which passes a milestone...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
601 days, 17 hours, and 21 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 20 hours, and 37 minutes from last month.)
Yes, I've now passed 600 days! I passed 500 days back in March 2022 (with no fanfare). That's 3 years and 3 months ago, fact fans. I'd passed 400 days in July 2018, which was 3 years and 8 months before 500 — so the speed at which my collection increases is increasing. That doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
Purely in running time terms, my collection has doubled in size in just under 11 years. The number of titles has more than doubled in that time (makes sense, as the amount of TV thats gets released/bought by me has steadily decreased, and that has much higher running times per title). My DVD colleciton has shrunk by 17.9% in that time, while my Blu-rays have increased five-fold. I now own almost as many UHDs as I did Blu-rays back then. Considering I described 300 days as "madness" and I now have doubled that, I do have to wonder when (if) it will ever stop... Well, if I continue as I have been, logically I'll reach 700 hours around March 2028 — so let's see!
On a more immediate scale: I'll see you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 13 June 2025
Thursday, 12 June 2025
Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Games
Batman: Arkham Knight
It's over six months since I got my Luna controller — crikey, so long? Yeah, I've barely used it. To be honest, I didn't have the greatest experience with A Plague Tale — it was ok, but I've never really felt like going back to it. Things went better with Everything or Nothing, but I think my iffiness with the analogue sticks prevented me from revisiting it beyond the tutorial stages (I do still want to, though). And then I tried Final Fantasy VII, which... I sort of didn't get on with? The lack of free saving annoyed me, especially as I ended up having to play for hours when I didn't actually want to just to get to another save point. Maybe that's because I was still early in tutorial-esque bits and it gets better? It is a revered classic, after all.
Anyway, I finally whipped the controller out again today, to have a go at this Batman game that's currently available through Luna to regular Amazon Prime members (there's also an additional Luna+ sub that gets you even more, but I don't use it enough for that — evidently). This was the fourth in the series of 'Arkham' Batman games. I don't normally like I starting with the last, but this is the one that's free, so...
I ended up playing for about two hours — not because a lack of save points forced me to, but because I was actually enjoying it. I can certainly feel I'm out of practice at this type of gaming (aside from the aforementioned tests at the end of last year, I guess the last time I properly picked up a controller was pushing 20 years ago? Jesus, time flies...), but the game wasn't so punishing that I couldn't get somewhere (I did put it on 'easy' mode, but I feel no shame about that — like I said, I'm terribly out of practice. And, frankly, dying over and over and getting nowhere has never been part of the fun of gaming for me). Also, it looked pretty great. It's 10 years old, but when I haven't really played games since the GameCube / original Xbox (I did dabble with the Wii, but not enough give the amount of stuff I bought for it), I guess I feel the jump more! Imagine what I'd think of a new game...
Anyway, I can't promise I'll stick at this too much, because there are plenty of other demands on my free time (films, books, comics, podcasts, audio dramas, self-learning, card games, board games... eesh!), but I'm definitely more inclined to return now. The only possible downside is, the game is due to expire on Luna on the 1st of July — there's no way I'm going to play it enough to finish it by then. It's listed as being about 17 hours just for the main story, but I'm so out of practice that I suspect it will take me longer; and I'm always a completist, so the 31-hour-plus higher estimates seem more like it.
It's over six months since I got my Luna controller — crikey, so long? Yeah, I've barely used it. To be honest, I didn't have the greatest experience with A Plague Tale — it was ok, but I've never really felt like going back to it. Things went better with Everything or Nothing, but I think my iffiness with the analogue sticks prevented me from revisiting it beyond the tutorial stages (I do still want to, though). And then I tried Final Fantasy VII, which... I sort of didn't get on with? The lack of free saving annoyed me, especially as I ended up having to play for hours when I didn't actually want to just to get to another save point. Maybe that's because I was still early in tutorial-esque bits and it gets better? It is a revered classic, after all.
Anyway, I finally whipped the controller out again today, to have a go at this Batman game that's currently available through Luna to regular Amazon Prime members (there's also an additional Luna+ sub that gets you even more, but I don't use it enough for that — evidently). This was the fourth in the series of 'Arkham' Batman games. I don't normally like I starting with the last, but this is the one that's free, so...
I ended up playing for about two hours — not because a lack of save points forced me to, but because I was actually enjoying it. I can certainly feel I'm out of practice at this type of gaming (aside from the aforementioned tests at the end of last year, I guess the last time I properly picked up a controller was pushing 20 years ago? Jesus, time flies...), but the game wasn't so punishing that I couldn't get somewhere (I did put it on 'easy' mode, but I feel no shame about that — like I said, I'm terribly out of practice. And, frankly, dying over and over and getting nowhere has never been part of the fun of gaming for me). Also, it looked pretty great. It's 10 years old, but when I haven't really played games since the GameCube / original Xbox (I did dabble with the Wii, but not enough give the amount of stuff I bought for it), I guess I feel the jump more! Imagine what I'd think of a new game...
Anyway, I can't promise I'll stick at this too much, because there are plenty of other demands on my free time (films, books, comics, podcasts, audio dramas, self-learning, card games, board games... eesh!), but I'm definitely more inclined to return now. The only possible downside is, the game is due to expire on Luna on the 1st of July — there's no way I'm going to play it enough to finish it by then. It's listed as being about 17 hours just for the main story, but I'm so out of practice that I suspect it will take me longer; and I'm always a completist, so the 31-hour-plus higher estimates seem more like it.
Tuesday, 10 June 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x107 Devoutness and Dicks [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x107 Devoutness and Dicks [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Monday, 9 June 2025
Videos
Critical Role
2x107 Devoutness and Dicks [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x107 Devoutness and Dicks [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Sunday, 8 June 2025
Films
The Untouchables (1987)
[#52 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2025 #6
[#52 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2025 #6
Podcasts
The Empire Spoiler Special Film Podcast
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One — The Live Spoiler Interview with Christopher McQuarrie
I didn't listen to this fifth and final part of Empire's epic deep dive into M:I-7 back when it came out because it took so bloody long to be released: it was recorded in July, Part Four came out in September, and this last instalment wasn't released until Christmas Day — that's almost four months later. The Empire spoiler podcast costs money — I would've wasted three or four months of sub fees just waiting for this to turn up. Anyway, I've just re-subbed to listen to the new Final Reckoning episode(s), so before that I've gone back for this one.
More importantly: what McQ has to say is fascinating and insightful, so this is as brilliant as usual.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One — The Live Spoiler Interview with Christopher McQuarrie
I didn't listen to this fifth and final part of Empire's epic deep dive into M:I-7 back when it came out because it took so bloody long to be released: it was recorded in July, Part Four came out in September, and this last instalment wasn't released until Christmas Day — that's almost four months later. The Empire spoiler podcast costs money — I would've wasted three or four months of sub fees just waiting for this to turn up. Anyway, I've just re-subbed to listen to the new Final Reckoning episode(s), so before that I've gone back for this one.
More importantly: what McQ has to say is fascinating and insightful, so this is as brilliant as usual.
Videos
Age of Umbra
Session Zero Creating Characters Matt Wants to Kill
You feel like a Session Zero should be a great tool for players, but probably not much fun to actually watch. Not so here — it's a delightful mix of learning about the background to the world of the miniseries (whether or not, and how much, that will also be covered in the series proper, who knows) and just getting to hang out with these guys. Yeah, I'm one of those people who enjoys that.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Fireside Chat LIVE With Matthew Mercer and Elise Rezendes!
Answering questions about Daggerheart — or, quite often, not being able to answer them while clearly being excited for what they can't reveal yet.
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Session Zero Creating Characters Matt Wants to Kill
You feel like a Session Zero should be a great tool for players, but probably not much fun to actually watch. Not so here — it's a delightful mix of learning about the background to the world of the miniseries (whether or not, and how much, that will also be covered in the series proper, who knows) and just getting to hang out with these guys. Yeah, I'm one of those people who enjoys that.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Fireside Chat LIVE With Matthew Mercer and Elise Rezendes!
Answering questions about Daggerheart — or, quite often, not being able to answer them while clearly being excited for what they can't reveal yet.
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
this week on 100Films.co.uk
Continuing where last week left off, I completed my look back at May on 100Films.co.uk by listing my "failures"...
More next Sunday? One day it'll happen.
More next Sunday? One day it'll happen.
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