TV

Game of Thrones
2x10 Valar Morghulis [season finale]

After Blackwater I was slightly concerned the season finale would be a let down, but nope, it was everything but. Shows how incredible GoT is, really. One of the best bits is that, yeah, there's a cliffhanger, but the real cliffhangers (plural) are the unresolved plot threads; all the storylines left dangling where you just want to know what happens next.

It really is one big long story that has to be divided up to be told, and one day, when it's all over, it might be fun to watch the entire thing back to back (not in one sitting -- it should be over 80 hours long by then), ignoring the season divides, to see the scope of it as a single tale.


The Good Life
2x06 Home Sweet Home

It's amazing how often classic TV series do plots mid-season that would definitely be finale material these days; and then, of course, just have "another episode" at the end. I wonder when the concept of a big climax became de rigueur for series television -- it seems so obvious, structurally.


Mad Men
6x01 The Doorway Part 1
6x02 The Doorway Part 2

Another double-length episode / two-parter (depending how you look at it) to kick off a season of Mad Men. I felt it was missing a certain something... and not just the last seven minutes that my hastily-uploaded copy didn't have. (I shall catch them tomorrow, when I've downloaded a fuller copy.)

For those waiting for it to come to Sky Atlantic, it begins on Wednesday at 10pm. Enjoy the wait.


Veronica Mars
1x04 The Wrath of Con

TV

Arrow
1x17 The Huntress Returns

Game of Thrones
2x09 Blackwater
This episode has been hyped since I-don't-know-when; certainly, long before season two even began airing. But it lives up to all expectations, because it's phenomenal. The action is quite incredible, but also the drama within the city's walls. It's a shame it cost them so much (a bonus on top of the season's regular budget) that we're not likely to see it repeated, because they can clearly pull off a battle incredibly well given the money.

Films

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Extended Version (2001/2004)
[#38a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
[3rd watch]

Beginning a re-watch of the Harry Potter series, which will hopefully continue weekly for the next couple of months.

This will be the first time I've seen most of the films for years -- this blog kicked off in the middle of 2008, and since then I've only watched the last four; and 100 Films started at the beginning of 2007, and I've only watched the final four since then too.

By my reckoning, it's at least 8 years since I last watched Philosopher's Stone. The view count therefore is a guess; but I can say with certainty that it's the first time I've seen the extended version. It's around 7 minutes longer, but, even though much of the film was incredibly familiar, after so many years I have no idea where those new minutes were.

this week on 100 Films

You may have noticed that it's been April for the past month, which means it's time for 100 Films in a Year to look back at March.

This month's top five list is "favourite fantasy films" -- what are yours?


Additionally, one new review was published this week...


The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

It may lack the epic world-changing grandeur of Lord of the Rings, but as an epically-scaled action-adventure fantasy I found if to be most entertaining. It treads a tricky path mixing action, humour, world-building, politicking, legend, and plot... For me, the balance worked.

Read more here.



Nextly, premiering on Channel 4 tonight at 9pm is...


The King's Speech (2010)

Even if directorially and cinematographically The King’s Speech isn’t the triumph a film lover might like their Oscar winners to be, it’s more than made up for by an exceptional screenplay and an array of highest-quality performances.

Read more here.



And finally, also new to the new blog were reviews of...


A Bunch of Amateurs (2008)

It’s thoroughly predictable — most viewers could probably map out the plot before the film even begins, so it’s certainly easy to guess what’s coming next as it trots along — but there’s also something reassuring about that predictability — it’s exactly the sort of Quaint British Movie you expect it to be.

Read more here.


Dark City (1998)

Reposted in memory of the great Roger Ebert, this was a film he championed and I adored.

Read more here.


Insomnia (1997)

It’s generally taken as a rule that an original film is better than the remake, particularly so if that original is in a language other than English and the remake is American. But there’ll always be something to buck the trend, and in my view that’s Insomnia.

Read more here.


Insomnia (2002)

this is not a “whodunnit”: the killer’s identity is revealed around the halfway mark (assuming you haven’t already guessed it from the opening credits) and from then on the film gradually moves into murky moral territory, quickly leaving behind those early trappings for a set of more complex noir-ish moral conundrums.

Read more here.


Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

when the director of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park says something is “one of the greatest adventure movies of all time”, one really ought to listen.

Read more here.



More next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
33x08 The Rings of Akhaten

Well that was disappointing. The concept had some potential, and I quite liked the early stuff exploring the alien world, but it all went off-piste...

I like Doctor Who to feel like you're getting a novel in 45 minutes (or, of course, 90 when it's a two-parter); something that could conceivably fill a Target novelisation, if they still did those. Most of the time it manages that, or something approaching it. The Rings of Akhaten was resolutely a short story. And, even then, not a particularly good one, with all the singing saving the world kind of nonsense, and a damp squib of a villain, and a giant head for big monster...

Shame.

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


Game of Thrones
2x07 A Man Without Honor
2x08 The Prince of Winterfell

Both of these episodes are of such tip-top quality that either one would suffice (as per what I was saying the other day)… but next up is Blackwater, which I've been anticipating for ever so long now, and what a splendiferous idea to be able to watch that on Saturday night. (I appreciate this post is going out on Saturday night, but that's because I wind up watching these a little after midnight.)


How I Met Your Mother
8x10 The Over-Correction
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]


The Voice UK
2x02 The Blind Auditions 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

LucasArts nostalgia: Remembering The Secret of Monkey Island
by Alex Hudson (from BBC News Magazine)

BBC News commemorate the end of LucasArts not with a look back at its obsessively endless production of Star Wars games, but with a bona fide classic, one of the greatest games of all time.

Collection Count

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

Last week there was a minor increase thanks to a Tom Baker Doctor Who DVD; this week, there's another. (Next week, there won't be. Unless I order another one, so, y'know, never say never.)

Also, in today's post, George A. Romero's Knightriders from Arrow Video. It's not officially out until the 22nd, so I really ought to try to watch and review it by then...

Number of titles in collection: 1,549 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,160 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 389 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,877 [up 4]
Number of films in collection: 1,666 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,746 [up 4]
Number of short films in collection: 377 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Game of Thrones
2x05 The Ghost of Harrenhal
2x06 The Old Gods and the New
Passing the halfway point -- I'll be done by the end of the weekend at this rate.
Despite my observation yesterday, The Ghost of Harrenhal is a rather important episode. Ho hum.

The Graham Norton Show
11x07 (25/5/12 edition)

The Great British Sewing Bee
1x01 Episode 1
It's OK, but it's no Bake Off.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Scott & Bailey
3x01 Episode 1
At the end of last series I said I "hope we get more of this", but now it seems to certifiably be a big hit, so there's no danger of not. It's mostly very good as ever, but a very abrupt ending for no good reason. Structural faux pas there.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

TV

Game of Thrones
2x04 Garden of Bones
Sometimes, you can't resist racing on to find out the result of a cliffhanger; and sometimes, an episode's so good it seems wrong to sully it by going straight on to another. This is definitely a case of the latter. It feels like some things must be coming to a head next episode, but it's the only one of the entire season without a commentary track -- if it is pivotal, what an odd choice to skip it.

The Last Leg
2x09 (29/3/13 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Pointless
6x46 (16/5/12 edition)
Yeah, if I watch a daily game show fortnightly, I'll catch up in no time!

Veronica Mars
1x03 Meet John Smith
I liked the first two episodes, but this one really clicked for me.

Articles

Roger Ebert dies at 70 after battle with cancer
by Neil Steinberg (from Chicago Sun-Times)

Thorough obituary from his paper.


Roger Ebert Hails Human Existence As 'A Triumph'
(from The Onion)

Sweet but still funny, possibly the best thing The Onion has ever run.


Vale Roger Ebert: your greatest crime was loving movies too much
by Luke Buckmaster (from Cinetology at Crikey)

Ebert’s passion for cinema can serve as a reminder that it is always OK to love, like or enjoy a film no matter what it is or what anybody else says.

Finally,

I do not fear death
by Roger Ebert (from Salon)

TV

Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask
2x06 Episode 6

Game of Thrones
2x02 The Night Lands
2x03 What is Dead May Never Die
I try to pace myself with Game of Thrones, but it's ever so tempting to just watch it in one great big nine-hour chunk. Still, two isn't too indulgent, especially when The Night Lands ends with the kind of cliffhanger that demands you find out what happens ASAP.

Starlings
1x08 Episode Eight [season finale]
It only took 8½ months, but I got there in the end. Weirdly, it sets up a number of will-they-won't-they-season-finale-ish dilemmas... only to completely forget about them. At least it's coming back.

Veronica Mars
1x02 Credit Where Credit's Due

TV

Broadchurch
Part 5 (of 8)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Game of Thrones
2x01 The North Remembers
Well, I said I'd leave "a bit of a break" before starting season two, and here I am a year later! As season three gets underway on the tellybox, the end of my Sky Movies subscription means I'm finally (as in "after having it for a couple of weeks") turning to my season two box set to get caught up. It's good to be back in Westeros, even if my commitment to watching it legally in full Blu-ray quality means I'm a year behind everyone else. (Well, I say "everyone else" -- the relatively small number of people who have HBO or Sky Atlantic.)

Veronica Mars
1x01 Pilot
I've been very vaguely aware of this for years, but the recent interest provoked by the Kickstarter made me decide it was finally time to give it a go. Hard to tell from episode one -- it's an awful lot of establishing stuff -- but it definitely has promise.

TV

Arrow
1x16 Dead to Rights

The Great British Bake Off
Easter Masterclass
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Heading Out
1x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
6x02 (30/3/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
[#38 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

Much to my surprise, all 3 hours and 40 minutes of it in one go. It didn't feel that long.

TV

The Good Life
2x05 Mutiny

The Mentalist
5x15 Red Lacquer Nail Polish
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

TV

The Debt (2010)
[#37 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

Or The Debt (2011), depending on your source. Why can no one agree on these things any more?

this week on 100 Films

One new review was published to 100 Films in a Year this week...


Prometheus (2012)

Ridley Scott’s not-an-Alien-prequel-honest Alien prequel is nothing if not divisive, with critics and fans alike declaring it to be a revelatory masterpiece, irredeemable faux-profound slop, and every point on the spectrum in between... It’s not a good film, but it’s kind of a fascinating one.

Read more here.



Also this week, a relatively massive 7 reviews were re-posted to the new blog...


Bringing Up Baby (1938)

it’s a little awkward to start with while one warms to Hepburn’s anarchic character, and it drags its heels a little through the middle, but by the time we reach the final act — when an array of characters and situations collide in a manic run-about too intricate to describe here — it all pays off marvellously.

Read more here.


My Neighbour Totoro (1988)

It doesn’t whack you round the head with its impressiveness, but instead sneaks up on you with the realisation that it’s a beautiful work.

Read more here.


Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

This used to be IMDb's 43rd best film ever. Now it's 112th. Even back in 2007 I thought it was a bit buzz-y...

Read more here.


Son of Rambow (2007)

The two pre-pubescent boys have to carry the film, but thankfully are up to the task (even if their names being Bill nd Will and one of the characters being called Will (the one that’s played by Bill) make remembering them outside of the film a bit of a minefield).

Read more here.


Tales of the Black Freighter (2009)

The story itself is a bit slight. It barely runs 20 minutes once you take off credits at either end, and even at this length feels a little drawn out.

Read more here.


Watchmen (2009)

incredibly faithful to its source material (some notable tweaks and omissions aside), but while some have loved it for this, others have viewed it as weak or pointless. Perhaps some of the complaints about faithfulness stem from the fact that we’re actually unused to seeing faithful superhero adaptations

Read more here.


Watchmen: Director's Cut (2009)

Whatever you thought of Watchmen after the theatrical cut, this extended version is likely to change your opinion no more than any other re-viewing would. That said... this is the superior cut of the film.

Read more here.



More next Sunday.

TV

Anna & Katy
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]


Doctor Who
33x07 The Bells of Saint John

So, here we go -- eight episodes of who the hell is Clara? And what's the Great Intelligence plotting? And who gave Clara the number of the police box? Well, that's going to be River, isn't it. This is Moffat-era Doctor Who -- it's always River.

Other than that, a good fun episode. Celia Imrie makes for a great villainess, of course, and there were plentiful exciting bits. The antigrav bike up the side of the Shard was particularly nice. The single-shot into-the-TARDIS-out-onto-the-plane was a nice idea that seemed quite poorly executed from a technical standpoint, like they didn't take quite enough time to get all the shots properly lined up, which was a shame because it was a really nice idea that could've been a defining moment.

Oh, and the title... why? I mean, I know why -- the phone ringing, the St John's sticker on the TARDIS -- but why is it the title? Hardly that central to the episode. Unless it comes back later. Which, with the River-I-presume thing, I suppose it might.

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


Plebs
1x01 The Orgy
1x02 The Gladiator
Wasn't sure about this at first, but it grew on me. And episode two has the bonus of featuring Danny Dyer being decapitated, so there's that.
[Watch The Orgy and The Gladiator (again) on ITV Player.]


Pointless Celebrities
3x04 (10/11/12 edition)


The Voice UK
2x01 The Blind Auditions 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

Number of titles in collection: 1,547 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,159 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 388 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,873 [up 2]
Number of films in collection: 1,664 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,742 [up 4]
Number of short films in collection: 377 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Broadchurch
Part 4 (of 8)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Doctor Who
33x06a The Bells of Saint John: A Prequel
Clearly someone really likes these prequels as they keep doing them. I mean, they're fine, but they're too short to really do much, and they're so inessential -- if they mattered, they'd be in the episode. There's another one about Strax, but it's currently US exclusive and BBC Worldwide have been quite thorough about blocking versions on YouTube, etc.
Ah, that British show Doctor Who...

How I Met Your Mother
8x09 Lobster Crawl
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Last Leg
2x08 (22/3/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]