Critical Role
2x111 New Homes and Old Friends [3rd hour]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#147 Discussing Up to 'New Homes and Old Friends' (with Liam & Ashley)
#148 Discussing up to 'New Homes and Old Friends' (with Marisha & Taliesin)
"We're all kinda used to talking to each other on Zoom so much that this is, sorta, just like one of those things, except that, um, this one lives on the internet forever." Well, it would have done… Except, of course, it still does, just in different, less official places, so I guess he was still correct. (Similarly, when Liam jokes about a restraining order... oof! I swear half the reason they took these down is not just because BWF's present, but because of all the jokes they make about how bad he is.)
Anyway: two episodes — whaaaat? Yeah, at this point Talks was supposed to be fortnightly (i.e. one after every other episode of CR), but, for reasons I haven't been able to unearth, between episodes 111 and 112 there were two episodes of Talks (I guess CR had to take an unexpected longer break? Maybe they mention it at the start of 112, because they didn't at the end of 111). Plus, from this point they seem to have abandoned the idea that episodes of the chat show are about an hour long. So, whereas pre-Covid there would've been c. one hour of Talks between episodes 111 and 112, in our reality there were three-and-a-quarter hours. And I watched it all today. Fun times.
[Watch #147 and #148 (again) on Internet Archive.]
Friday, 8 August 2025
Thursday, 7 August 2025
TV
Critical Role
2x111 New Homes and Old Friends [2nd hour]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x111 New Homes and Old Friends [2nd hour]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Games
Dungeons of Hinterberg
Got new batteries, played for two-and-a-half hours — yeah, I guess I'm enjoying it.
I say "guess" because in all that time I only actually played one dungeon, and the rest of the time indulged in exploring the overworld and town of Hinterberg. That's definitely part of the game too, but I guess it's also my point-and-click-adventure nature coming out: I mostly want to look around the locales and talk to people, not just solve button-pushing puzzles and fight monsters (although there are still semi-random fights outside of the dungeons, some of which would have proved fatal if I didn't have those difficulty-lowering options on — all games should have that for people like me!) I guess I'll go back into the actual dungeons at some point, still.
Got new batteries, played for two-and-a-half hours — yeah, I guess I'm enjoying it.
I say "guess" because in all that time I only actually played one dungeon, and the rest of the time indulged in exploring the overworld and town of Hinterberg. That's definitely part of the game too, but I guess it's also my point-and-click-adventure nature coming out: I mostly want to look around the locales and talk to people, not just solve button-pushing puzzles and fight monsters (although there are still semi-random fights outside of the dungeons, some of which would have proved fatal if I didn't have those difficulty-lowering options on — all games should have that for people like me!) I guess I'll go back into the actual dungeons at some point, still.
Wednesday, 6 August 2025
TV
Critical Role
2x111 New Homes and Old Friends [1st half]
“Well, that’s the easiest hour I’ve ever had to Dungeon Master.”
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x111 New Homes and Old Friends [1st half]
“Well, that’s the easiest hour I’ve ever had to Dungeon Master.”
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Games
Dungeons of Hinterberg
Because what I really needed was to start playing another game. Also: so many games I’ve bought and ought to get round to, but I keep going for free ones! Well, I say “free”: it’s free to Amazon Prime members (which I do pay for) via Luna, where it’s time-limited (until the start of next month), so we’ll see if I like it enough to stick at it and complete it by then.
I will say: I played for a little over an hour, and only stopped because my Luna controller ran out of batteries (and the spares I put in were actually flat), so that’s got to be a good sign. Especially as I’m not the greatest at this kind of game, in part because I’ve never really played a lot of them (and certainly not recently), but I gave this a go because I liked the art style and the setting/story piqued my interest.
Fortunately for me, it has a “story mode” which makes fights easier and means you can’t actually die (other than by running off a cliff or something, at which point it reloads where you left off), both of which are big plus points for me. I guess some people object to easy modes and the like because it’s not as challenging, but I don’t actually play games to be challenged — I find them entertaining in other ways — so nowadays I’m happy to plump for an easy setting. (Unless it’s a point-and-click adventure where a higher difficulty adds puzzles or something. That’s different.)
Because what I really needed was to start playing another game. Also: so many games I’ve bought and ought to get round to, but I keep going for free ones! Well, I say “free”: it’s free to Amazon Prime members (which I do pay for) via Luna, where it’s time-limited (until the start of next month), so we’ll see if I like it enough to stick at it and complete it by then.
I will say: I played for a little over an hour, and only stopped because my Luna controller ran out of batteries (and the spares I put in were actually flat), so that’s got to be a good sign. Especially as I’m not the greatest at this kind of game, in part because I’ve never really played a lot of them (and certainly not recently), but I gave this a go because I liked the art style and the setting/story piqued my interest.
Fortunately for me, it has a “story mode” which makes fights easier and means you can’t actually die (other than by running off a cliff or something, at which point it reloads where you left off), both of which are big plus points for me. I guess some people object to easy modes and the like because it’s not as challenging, but I don’t actually play games to be challenged — I find them entertaining in other ways — so nowadays I’m happy to plump for an easy setting. (Unless it’s a point-and-click adventure where a higher difficulty adds puzzles or something. That’s different.)
Tuesday, 5 August 2025
TV
Critical Role
2x110 Dinner with the Devil [2nd half]
“I wish for you, in the future, to find someone who will mourn you when you are gone.” Gotta be one of the coldest putdowns in the history of... everything.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x110 Dinner with the Devil [2nd half]
“I wish for you, in the future, to find someone who will mourn you when you are gone.” Gotta be one of the coldest putdowns in the history of... everything.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Monday, 4 August 2025
TV
Critical Role
2x110 Dinner with the Devil [1st half]
Following the announcement at the weekend, there's just 59 days until the start of Campaign IV. Once upon a time, me completing C2 by the start of October wouldn't have seemed impossible; but I've been a bit sluggish the last couple of months, including allowing time for Age of Umbra (and I've still got half of that to go) — at this point, I'd have to watch something like 2½ hours every single day to get through what I need to in time for the beginning of C4... and then I'd probably be left bereft because I'd bump right down to one episode a week! So, there may well be some intermingling come October.
(Not that literally anyone cares about this but me. But then, I don't believe anyone but me looks at this site, so it's ok.)
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Friends
9x09 The One with Rachel's Phone Number [6th or so watch]
2x110 Dinner with the Devil [1st half]
Following the announcement at the weekend, there's just 59 days until the start of Campaign IV. Once upon a time, me completing C2 by the start of October wouldn't have seemed impossible; but I've been a bit sluggish the last couple of months, including allowing time for Age of Umbra (and I've still got half of that to go) — at this point, I'd have to watch something like 2½ hours every single day to get through what I need to in time for the beginning of C4... and then I'd probably be left bereft because I'd bump right down to one episode a week! So, there may well be some intermingling come October.
(Not that literally anyone cares about this but me. But then, I don't believe anyone but me looks at this site, so it's ok.)
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Friends
9x09 The One with Rachel's Phone Number [6th or so watch]
Sunday, 3 August 2025
this week on 100Films.co.uk
Another month is over. What, already?! Yes, already! It feels like only the other day I was sharing the June reviews on 100Films.co.uk — in fact, I thought it was just last month that they'd been split across two weeks, but that was May's! — and now we have the July ones.
As usual, they begin with the overview of the whole month...
...and continue/conclude with a selection of my "failures"...
More next... Sunday? Probably not. Next month? For sure.
As usual, they begin with the overview of the whole month...
...and continue/conclude with a selection of my "failures"...
More next... Sunday? Probably not. Next month? For sure.
Saturday, 2 August 2025
TV
Friends
9x05 The One with Phoebe's Birthday Dinner [6th or so watch]
9x06 The One with the Male Nanny [6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x08 Shadow and Flame [season finale]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x33 Week 7: Wednesday
8x34 Week 7: Thursday
8x35 Week 7: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
9x05 The One with Phoebe's Birthday Dinner [6th or so watch]
9x06 The One with the Male Nanny [6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x08 Shadow and Flame [season finale]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x33 Week 7: Wednesday
8x34 Week 7: Thursday
8x35 Week 7: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Four brand-new titles this week — yes, I managed to avoid any sale purchases!
...apart from the stuff I've purchased in sales that should turn up next week, that is. Ah well.
Three of the four are 4K (yay!), and two are upgrades — one directly, so it replaces my older BD, but the other is Hearts of Darkness, the Apocalypse Now making-of that's included in the Apocalypse Now release. A new standalone 4K edition seemed indulgent for that reason but, in addition to the feature being restored in 4K, it comes with a copy of Eleanor Coppola's behind-the-scenes book Notes, and on disc there's a fairly large selection of special features, including (I believe) Eleanor's complete documentary filmography. Neat. On the bright side, it does replace an old DVD copy I was also hanging on to for special features, so that's a bonus.
Number of titles in collection: 3,588 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 986 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,602 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 451 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,626 [up 6]
Number of films: 4,553 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 451 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,160 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,259 [up 9]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Four brand-new titles this week — yes, I managed to avoid any sale purchases!
...apart from the stuff I've purchased in sales that should turn up next week, that is. Ah well.
Three of the four are 4K (yay!), and two are upgrades — one directly, so it replaces my older BD, but the other is Hearts of Darkness, the Apocalypse Now making-of that's included in the Apocalypse Now release. A new standalone 4K edition seemed indulgent for that reason but, in addition to the feature being restored in 4K, it comes with a copy of Eleanor Coppola's behind-the-scenes book Notes, and on disc there's a fairly large selection of special features, including (I believe) Eleanor's complete documentary filmography. Neat. On the bright side, it does replace an old DVD copy I was also hanging on to for special features, so that's a bonus.
Number of titles in collection: 3,588 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 986 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,602 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 451 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,626 [up 6]
Number of films: 4,553 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 451 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,160 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,259 [up 9]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 1 August 2025
TV
Friends
9x03 The One with the Pediatrician [6th or so watch]
9x04 The One with the Sharks [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x31 Week 7: Monday
8x32 Week 7: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
9x03 The One with the Pediatrician [6th or so watch]
9x04 The One with the Sharks [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x31 Week 7: Monday
8x32 Week 7: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Games
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Trick-Taking Game
Continuing our post-'campaign' game. It works pretty well; it's certainly welcome that the game remains playable without having to totally reset it and just play through 'story mode' again.
Continuing our post-'campaign' game. It works pretty well; it's certainly welcome that the game remains playable without having to totally reset it and just play through 'story mode' again.
Thursday, 31 July 2025
Games
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Trick-Taking Game
Chapter 18 Group 2
That completes the 'adventure'/'campaign' portion of the game, but it also provides rules to continue playing (basically by creating your own 'chapter' via a random selection of different card types), so we also started a game following those principles.
Chapter 18 Group 2
That completes the 'adventure'/'campaign' portion of the game, but it also provides rules to continue playing (basically by creating your own 'chapter' via a random selection of different card types), so we also started a game following those principles.
Wednesday, 30 July 2025
TV
Friends
9x01 The One Where No One Proposes [6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x06 Where Is He?
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x30 Week 6: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
9x01 The One Where No One Proposes [6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x06 Where Is He?
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x30 Week 6: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Tuesday, 29 July 2025
TV
Friends
8x23 The One Where Rachel Has a Baby Part 1 [6th or so watch]
8x24 The One Where Rachel Has a Baby Part 2 [season finale; 6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x05 Halls of Stone
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x29 Week 6: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
8x23 The One Where Rachel Has a Baby Part 1 [6th or so watch]
8x24 The One Where Rachel Has a Baby Part 2 [season finale; 6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x05 Halls of Stone
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x29 Week 6: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Monday, 28 July 2025
TV
Friends
8x21 The One with the Cooking Class [6th or so watch]
8x22 The One Where Rachel Is Late [6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x04 Eldest
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x28 Week 6: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
8x21 The One with the Cooking Class [6th or so watch]
8x22 The One Where Rachel Is Late [6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x04 Eldest
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x28 Week 6: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Sunday, 27 July 2025
TV
Friends
8x19 The One with Joey's Interview [6th or so watch]
8x20 The One with the Baby Shower [6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x03 The Eagle and the Sceptre
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x26 Week 6: Monday
8x27 Week 6: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
8x19 The One with Joey's Interview [6th or so watch]
8x20 The One with the Baby Shower [6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x03 The Eagle and the Sceptre
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x26 Week 6: Monday
8x27 Week 6: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Games
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Trick-Taking Game
Chapter 16
It took literally hours attempting it over and over, but we finally beat Chapter 16!
Chapter 16
It took literally hours attempting it over and over, but we finally beat Chapter 16!
Saturday, 26 July 2025
TV
Friends
8x17 The One with the Tea Leaves [6th or so watch]
8x18 The One in Massapequa [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x25 Week 5: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
8x17 The One with the Tea Leaves [6th or so watch]
8x18 The One in Massapequa [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x25 Week 5: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Games
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Trick-Taking Game
Chapters 15–16
Chapter 16 multiple times over, because it's hard and we couldn't win it. Try again another day.
Chapters 15–16
Chapter 16 multiple times over, because it's hard and we couldn't win it. Try again another day.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Just two new additions this week. Not 100% sure if this slow-down is due to fewer releases of interest or HMV cutting their 20% discount so I'm being more circumspect. Maybe it's a bit of both. Still, I have at least one or two titles preordered for next week... and the week after... and the week after that... and the week after that... So, yeah, there's no danger of my collection's growth stopping entirely.
Number of titles in collection: 3,586 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 987 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,599 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 488 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 8,620 [up 2]
Number of films: 4,550 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 451 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,160 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,250 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Just two new additions this week. Not 100% sure if this slow-down is due to fewer releases of interest or HMV cutting their 20% discount so I'm being more circumspect. Maybe it's a bit of both. Still, I have at least one or two titles preordered for next week... and the week after... and the week after that... and the week after that... So, yeah, there's no danger of my collection's growth stopping entirely.
Number of titles in collection: 3,586 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 987 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,599 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 488 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 8,620 [up 2]
Number of films: 4,550 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 451 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,160 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,250 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 25 July 2025
TV
Friends
8x16 The One Where Joey Tells Rachel [6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x02 Where the Stars are Strange
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x21 Week 5: Monday
8x22 Week 5: Tuesday
8x23 Week 5: Wednesday
8x24 Week 5: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
8x16 The One Where Joey Tells Rachel [6th or so watch]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
2x02 Where the Stars are Strange
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x21 Week 5: Monday
8x22 Week 5: Tuesday
8x23 Week 5: Wednesday
8x24 Week 5: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Thursday, 24 July 2025
TV
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.]
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.]
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 MartÃn
#8 Absolute Zero Part 2 by Scott Snyder & Marcos MartÃn
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 MartÃn
#8 Absolute Zero Part 2 by Scott Snyder & Marcos MartÃn
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)