Collection Count

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

I didn't think I'd bought that much recently... until I noticed all the titles I hadn't yet entered running times for on my Big List. (Because it's that time again.) Still, the increase is only on a par with my regular jumps going back a few months, so it's not too bad.

Number of titles in collection: 1,479 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,153 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 326 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 3,678 [up 4]
Number of films in collection: 1,566 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,479 [no change]

And as I said, this week it's time for a running time update...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
263 days, 5 hours, and 38 minutes.
(Up 1 day, 6 hours, and 33 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Grandma's House
2x05 The day Simon found himself back on the path to fulfilment and joy
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Horrible Histories
4x08 Episode 8
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Maestro at the Opera
Episode 2 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Matt Lucas Awards
1x06 Episode 6
From what I've heard this series hasn't gone down especially well, so I'm not sure we'll be seeing any more. It certainly wasn't perfect but it did have enjoyable moments. And I must remember I've still got episode 3 to watch. (There's a seventh episode too, but it's just highlights.)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Mentalist
4x23 Red Rover, Red Rover
[Watch it on Demand 5 from Friday 25th May.]

Comics

Batman: The Dark Knight #8 by Joe Harris & Ed Benes
Hurrah, Finch and Jenkins are gone! Their story appears to live on though, based on the cover (one of the characters on it doesn't even appear), so I feel sorry for a new writer lumbered with that. It has OK points; maybe a good person will rescue it.
As for this one-and-done (presumably to fit with including Night of the Owls next issue, then getting on with its own stuff after that)... it was solid. Lots of blood and violence for a T-rated book. I imagine they don't actually pay much attention to those ratings...

Articles

The Before Watchmen Reviews Are In. From Some People.
by Rich Johnston (from Bleeding Cool)
A few sites have been allowed an advance look at a chunk of Before Watchmen and here Johnston rounds up their (100% spoiler-free) verdicts. It's sounding good to me, though the truest thought comes from Joey Esposito at IGN: "if you are dead-set against this project existing in the first place, the quality of these comics is irrelevant."

TV

House
8x21 Holding On
Oh, cliffhanger! Can't wait for next week's finale. Hope they don't bother with some facile "case of the week" stuff; or if they do, it's gonna have to be a bloody good one.

Pointless
4x25 (15/4/11 edition)

Films

Scre4m (2011)
[#45 in 100 Films in a Year 2012]
Despite seeming to hear nothing but bad things about this (though it has higher scores on IMDb than either of the previous two sequels), I enjoyed it.

Comics

Action Comics #8 by Grant Morrison, Rags Morales, Brad Walker, Rick Bryant & Bob McLeod
Morrison & co deliver a suitably exciting climax to their first tale. Against my expectations (as discussed last issue), I shall be continuing with a Superman comic.

Batman and Robin #8 by Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason
A fantastic epilogue to Batman and Robin's first arc. This book has definitely grown to be one of my favourites. I can't believe it's outsold by the woeful The Dark Knight -- I can only presume that's the power of movie titles for you (neither book has anything whatsoever to do with their namesake films).
Beautifully-rendered final page leading in to Night of the Owls, too.

Detective Comics #8 by Tony S. Daniel
A one-and-done? Well I never. Though as it guest stars a bunch of characters who have their own titles or have been popping up in others, it's hard to say how interconnected it is or isn't. Though the only thing footnoted as being from another title is a relatively minor aside from a months-old issue, so maybe it's more isn't... though I swear I spotted a reference to a Dark Knight storyline at least, so why didn't they flag that up? Oh, it doesn't really matter. The story works by itself and it's solid enough, and harks back to the back-up strip from #5... though not particularly overtly, so that still doesn't leave that with any real point.
This issue begins a back-up strip again written by Daniels with art by Szymon Kudranski, this time featuring Two-Face in the first of what seems to be an on-going tale. Still not very interesting though.

Wolverine and the X-Men #8 by Jason Aaron & Chris Bachalo
As ever, WatXM demonstrates superior comic book storytelling. Funny and exciting by turns, when appropriate, managing multiple plot threads simultaneously, telling a tale that is both one-and-done (the holy grail of mainstream comics in these days of decompression, it feels like) and vitally linked to the on-going story. Shame AvX looks like it's about to get in the way for anything up to half a year. (Unlike Uncanny, this one I won't be stopping.)

Articles

Skyfall poster: New James Bond movie unveils teaser image
by Simon Reynolds (from Digital Spy)
Trailer soon! Yay!

Click to enlarge.

TV

Archer
3x09 Bloody Ferlin
Will we get episode 11 next week? Or 12? Or some other? Who can tell! Not 5*, apparently.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Die Walküre
[2nd half]
Seven hours down, only nine to go...

Have I Got News For You
43x05 (11/5/12 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

House
8x20 Post Mortem
Another great episode, I thought. Which is good because there's only two more to go...

Comics

Uncanny X-Men #10 by Kieron Gillen, Carlos Pacheco & Paco Diaz

This was the last issue before Uncanny went all AvX-y, so it's the last one I intended to read until that great big six-month crossover finished. I'd been thinking about ditching this anyway so it didn't feel like a hardship. But it ends on an intriguing note, the whole issue building into a crossover that had felt exploitatively pointless but now is interesting -- and now I want to know what happens!

But God, AvX is going to be expensive: at £2.65 an issue (+ p&p) it's over £40 for the main series alone, never mind the extra issues of Uncanny involved (and that's ignoring any other tie-in series or one-shots, like the #0 issue and AvX: Vs). And after a bit of reading on some sites apparently it's not very good actually. So maybe I won't bother after all. Or just read it on the sly like a very naughty boy.

Articles

First Trailer For US Sherlock Holmes Show Elementary And Official Blurb
by Brendon Connelly (from Bleeding Cool)
It doesn't look bad, but that character isn't Sherlock Holmes, he's just Generic Autistic Spectrum Detective. But what can you really tell from a couple of minutes? We'll see.

TV

Die Walküre
[1st half]
La Fura dels Baus' 2007 staging of the second opera in Wagner's Ring Cycle (currently showing weekly on Sky Arts 2). I'm enjoying it, but I still can't handle 4½ hours of opera in a single sitting, hence only watching half.
Five hours down, only eleven to go...

Mad Men
5x08 Lady Lazarus
I laughed at this far more than it strictly deserved:

The Making of the Ring
2 Die Walküre (of 4)
Second of four half-hours looking behind the scenes of La Fura dels Baus' production.

Pointless
4x24 (14/4/11 edition)

TV

Castle
2x12 A Rose for Everafter
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Grandma's House
2x04 The day Simon was really determined to heal his Grandma's pain
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Matt Lucas Awards
1x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Not Going Out
5x05 Examination
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Once Upon a Time
1x06 The Shepherd
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

The Voice UK
1x12 Results Show 3
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
[#44 in 100 Films in a Year 2012]

Articles

Weekend Report: Avengers Shatters More Records, Shadows Mostly Sucks
by Ray Subers (from Box Office Mojo)

Marvel's superhero team-up fell 50 percent to an estimated $103.2 million, which is by-far the best second weekend ever... It also topped The Dark Knight for best second weekend hold for a movie that opened to more than $120 million. Other new records include fastest movie to $300 million and $350 million, and highest eight-day, nine-day, and ten-day grosses...

It's now inevitable that the movie will finish above $500 million, and it should also claim third place on the all-time [domestic] chart

this week on 100 Films

Two new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story (2010)

Stan “The Man” Lee is indeed The Man when it comes to the world of comic books. In the 1960s he revolutionised the medium in the US, introducing complex and realistic characters to a world that had previously focused on perfect super-humans. In a period of just two years he co-created the Fantastic Four, Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man and the X-Men, and after that rejuvenated Captain America (cancelled a decade earlier) for a modern audience. If there’s anyone in the comic world deserving of a dedicated feature-length documentary, it’s Stan Lee

Read more on my new blog or my classic blog.

X-Men: First Class (2011)

You need some pretty fine talent to replace two of our greatest actors — Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, of course — and in Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy you certainly have that. Fassbender carries much of the emotional weight of the film, but it’s thanks to McAvoy’s support that the film is lifted to a higher level. He provides calm, humour and fundamental decency to balance Fassbender’s rage and emotion.

Read more on my new blog or my classic blog.

More next Sunday.

TV

Episodes
2x01 Episode 1
Hurrah for the return of Episodes! I enjoyed the first series, in spite of the apparently endless criticism it got, and I enjoyed this very much too.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Voice UK
1x11 Live Show 3
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
6x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Horrible Histories
4x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Mentalist
4x22 So Long, and Thanks for All the Red Snapper
Nice Hitchhikers-referencing title. Shame the rest of the episode wasn't up to a great deal -- lots of good bits and ideas, actually, but somehow it came to much less than the sum of its parts.
[Watch it on Demand 5 from Friday 18th May.]

Collection Count

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

A few updates this week. I'd thought it would be a few more, but those three things were posted yesterday and will probably now populate next week's update. So there you go.

Number of titles in collection: 1,476 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,153 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 323 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 3,674 [up 7]
Number of films in collection: 1,563 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,479 [up 6]

See you next week, faithful reader.