Articles

Video screens hit paper magazines
(from BBC News)
On the one hand, "ooh cool". On the other, it's far from perfect -- read the full article to see all the various flaws with this particular form of video-in-print.

new review at 100 Films

The Right Stuff (1983)

Kaufman leaves the technical aspect of proceedings alone. The various test flights and rocket launches we do see are undoubtedly important set pieces, but they’re not a thorough catalogue of events. Attention is only lavished on the scientific and engineering challenges when it has some direct impact on the characters, and just as often Kaufman is concerned with the family — specifically, the wife — behind the astronaut.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 15 films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

Derren Brown: The Events - Live
1x02 How to Control the Nation
A Toy's Story was classic Derren, the kind of stunt I always enjoy (and by "classic" mean "have seen him do before", of course), while The Giveaway certainly provided its share of amusement -- especially the "particularly suggestible" guy who donated his shoes. And Subject 5 -- whose arms mysteriously floated upwards, to Derren's apparent bemusement -- was most amusing
As for the event itself... well, I didn't get stuck, sadly. Did you?
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

How I Met Your Mother
1x10 The Pineapple Incident
Either I've missed an episode or E4 have skipped an episode. Either way, "oops".

Films

The Right Stuff (1983)
[#49 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

TV

Desperate Romantics
Part 6 (of 6)
An unusually serious episode to end the series. The final scene's return to comedy, however, may've been misjudged.

How I Met Your Mother
1x07 Matchmaker
1x08 The Duel

Later Live... with Jools Holland
35x01 (15/9/09 edition)
Watched this primarily for Muse (who were great, of course, especially doing United States of Eurasia), but unsurprisingly discovered all sorts of other greatness in the process. Hurrah!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Tudors
3x05 Problems in the Reformation
3x06 Search for a New Queen
[Watch Episode 6 (or, as the BBC insists, '4') (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Harper's Island
1x03 Ka-Blam
1x04 Bang
...except my recording decided to cut out before the end of Bang, so I'll have to wait 'til Friday's repeat to find out who saved Trish from drowning.
Oh, wait -- I can follow my very own Handy Link and watch it now. (Excluding credits, I missed literally 30 seconds. Wow.)
[Watch Ka-Blam and Bang (again) on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
3x06 (14/9/09 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Choir: Unsung Town
Part 3 (of 4)
So whoever announced this as a three-parter was wrong.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Desperate Romantics
Part 5 (of 6)
Four weeks to the day since I watch the preceding installment of this. That's the problem I have when a series ends -- less incentive to keep up. Still utterly barmy, but fun with it.

How I Met Your Mother
1x06 Slutty Pumpkin

Mock the Week
7x10 (10/9/09 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

new review at 100 Films

Sherlock (2002)

Holmes is recast as a kind of Victorian James Bond, both in terms of his character and the plot structure. It begins with the end of the previous mission, before progressing through various familiar beats, like the villain helpfully explaining his plan and a climactic big shoot-out... except on a much, much, much smaller scale. To add to the effect, Dr Watson is revealed to be “a bit of an inventor” — a Q in the making? Even Holmes himself is not immune: young, dashing, and womanising. Yes, womanising.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 15 films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

Doctor Who: Greatest Moments
Part 3 The Enemies [final episode]

How I Met Your Mother
1x05 Okay Awesome
I never did find out if the late-night repeats were uncut, but this is where I switch to watching them, just in case. Good timing though, because this episode was easily the best one yet: cleverly written, with Character Development and A Message to boot, and, most importantly, very funny.

Articles

Great Movies: The First 100 by Roger Ebert
(from rogerebert.com)
For those who don't know, Ebert does a weekly series of reviews where he highlights the Greatest Movies Ever Made (in his opinion, obviously). Here's a piece he published on reaching the 100th entry in this series, which is actually a beautiful argument for why we should all broaden our filmic horizons. Such things can often be preachy or held back by the author clearly hating the mainstream too much, but not so Ebert, who is well-reasoned and acknowledges that "some of the big hits are good, and a few of them are great". He's simply evangelical about film and a great writer. An inspiring read.

Pirates 4 Sails Stranger Tides by Owen Williams
(from Empire)
I knew the title On Stranger Tides rang a bell -- I'd heard of it being one of the inspirations for The Secret of Monkey Island before. This news makes me a great deal more excited about the film, I must say.

The importance of punctuation 2

TV

Marple
4x02 Murder is Easy
Helluva cast, as always. Not originally a Marple story this, but she was so well integrated you'd never guess. When Marple began, however many years ago now, I wasn't certain it was up to snuff, but it's rather good these days. This was a particularly good one.

Wildly Popular Iron Man Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film
Spoof news item from the Onion that can't have failed to escape your attention at some point in the past 18 months or so. I actually watched it in full for the first time today, believe it or not in research for an essay.

Music

The Resistance by Muse
[up to 7th listen]
I don't normally play an album (old or new) this much in such a short period of time, but The Resistance is certainly growing on me. It helps that it starts so well -- by the time I've listened to all the great opening tracks, it's not too hard to just keep going. And, like I say, those ones are growing too. Hurrah!

Articles

De Burgh hits back at gig critic
(from BBC News)
Initially this makes Chris de Burgh sound like an idiot (as usual), but if you read on he becomes quite witty and capable of defending himself. I certainly like him more now.

TV

How I Met Your Mother
1x03 Sweet Taste of Liberty
1x04 Return of the Shirt

Proms 2009
Prom 76 Last Night of the Proms
Don't normally watch the last night of the Proms, but there's a wonderfulness about its pomp & circumstance. I only caught the last half hour and might not have mentioned it, but this year's conductor, David Robertson, an American, made a brilliant speech -- as well as conducting beautifully, of course.
The full programme for this Prom can be read online, for free, here.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Secret Millionaire
4x03 Jennifer Cheyne [season finale]

Music

The Resistance by Muse

Muse's new album, out Monday over here, but thanks to hmv.com's speediness I have it today (hurrah!)

I've avoided listening to any of this 'til I got the album, so despite early track releases, a single last week and televised live gigs featuring some of the tracks, I'd not heard any of it until now. Some of the hype was warranted: album opener and first single Uprising is a stompingly great number, perhaps the disc's best track, though it would have to be run a close second by the Queen-alike United States of Eurasia. Unnatural Selection and Undisclosed Desires also felt strong to me, especially after a couple of listens, as did a lot of the rest that felt likable but oddly lacklustre initially.

However, most hyped of all were the closing tracks, a three-part symphony entitled Exogenesis. So praised are these that some reviews have resorted to giving the album two scores -- one for the whole work, and a higher one just for Exogenesis. Maybe it's a grower, because I found it interesting but middling. A shame, because I often like the pomp of such grand exercises.

Still, I've already listened to the whole CD a couple of times through -- more than I do for most albums so quickly -- and I'm sure I will more, but it's not yet a Black Holes & Revelations-beater as far as I'm concerned.

Articles

Disney announces new Pirates film by Catriona Wightman
(from Digital Spy)
No surprises, but nice to be confirmed. The title -- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides -- is disappointingly weak though. Thus far only the first one has had a decent subtitle -- ironic, considering they only added one late in the game so that sequels wouldn't just be numbered. Look for On Stranger Tides (the fourth film, in case you'd forgotten the two weaker sequels) in cinemas during Summer 2011.

I Will Not Read Your F***ing Script by Josh Olson
(from Runnin' Scared at The Village Voice)
This has caused quite a stir in certain circles -- not least for the rudeness inherent in the way it's presented (and the original article doesn't censor the swearing in the way I have so helpfully for this ever-family-friendly blog, so be warned) -- but if you stop to read it, Olson (writer of A History of Violence: The Movie) presents his argument very well and, actually, is generally quite right.

TV

Culloden (1964)
[#48 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Derren Brown: The Events - Live
1x01 How to Win the Lottery
So, which method do you believe? It seems unlikely that if he really had fixed it he'd explain it on TV. Not only is it a fairly incredible method, but he's just helped the inevitable legal investigation by explaining it in full. But equally, the other method is unlikely to produce such accurate results. Split screen then? It may be so...
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Would I Lie To You?
3x05 (7/9/08 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Broadway goes macho as Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman open their gritty two-man cop play
(from Mail Online)
A Steady Rain, in which a Brit and an Aussie play an Irish-American and an Italian-American. Ah, acting.

new review at 100 Films

The Knack …and How to Get It (1965)

From the DVD art, the bright and breezy title, and that it stars Frank Spencer, you’d be forgiven for thinking The Knack was a colourful Swinging Sixties sex-com romp. Upon watching it, however, it’s immediately clear it’s nothing of the sort: it begins with a dream/nightmare sequence, complete with horror-esque music, before settling into a style and rhythm more reminiscent of Breathless than Confessions of a Window Cleaner.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 16 films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.