TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
4x02 (2/8/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]


The Americans
1x12 The Oath
It's nice to have a penultimate episode that doesn't feel like "Part 1 of 2" these days. Nonetheless, it builds things up to a suitably tense/exciting point for next week's time's finale.
[Watch it from 17th August on ITV Player.]


Doctor Who
1x05 The Dead Planet

Beginning a 'season' of viewing to mark the show's 50th anniversary. 39 episodes of classic Who, 5 of nuWho, and the TV Movie, all precisely spaced out over the next 16 weeks to lead up to the 50th anniversary special as the season's climax. Very neat, if I do say so myself.

Much like last time (five years ago! God!), I'm joined on my viewing by a relative classic-Who-newbie (the same one, indeed), so I've tried to pick stories of interest for various reasons. Well, it's meant to be a celebration, so that makes sense regardless. I'll introduce them as we go.

So, my choice for the First Doctor is, I think, a fairly obvious one: his second serial, known now as The Daleks. Only right to celebrate them in the show's 50th year too, no? And how better than with their first story. Well, with a better story, maybe; but none more fitting. I have a dim memory of seeing The Daleks once before, years and years ago, late at night on UK Gold or something, so other than the familiarity of reading the novel, seeing the Cushing film, and generally reading tonnes about the serial down the years, it felt 'new' to me.

It also felt surprisingly slow. I don't think that's because I'm out of pace with '60s Who, because when I watched Reign of Terror in January I was fine with it, I just think writer Terry Nation needed to give things a bigger oomph. No wonder they were able to cut all seven episodes down to just 80 minutes for the movie. But you never know, maybe it all picks up once the Daleks arrive...


Miranda
1x06 Dog [season finale; 2nd watch]

TV

The Americans
1x11 Covert War
And now I'm ahead.
[Watch it from 10th August on ITV Player.]


Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor

Excellent news! And, thank God, they didn't cast another 20-something. Indeed, I believe Capaldi is technically the joint oldest Doctor ever. Win.

And, in case you've not seen it, the official image is to the right (if you want, you can click it to enlarge a bit; or you can find it super-large here).

[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]


The Last Leg
3x01 (31/7/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]


Veronica Mars
2x05 Blast from the Past

Films

Immortals (2011)
[#64 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

this week on 100 Films

It's August (did you notice?), which means that the big news this week on 100 Films in a Year is the July update. This month's top 5: significant directors whose films I've never seen.


Back to regular business: two new reviews were published this week, including...


Animalympics (1980)

Originally commissioned as a pair of specials for US TV, Animalympics was repurposed by its makers as a feature film. You might be able to guess the plot from the title: various animals compete in an Animal Olympics. It’s a series of sketches, essentially

Read more here.


The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

Time has arguably blunted it slightly, however: a meeting of anti-American leaders is tinged by most since dying. Era-specific jokes are few, instead offering the usual Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker mix of slapstick, visual puns and wordplay.

Read more here.


And also, new to the new blog were...


Kick-Ass (2010)

as Watchmen was to superhero comics, so Kick-Ass is to superhero films... it doesn’t “examine and deconstruct” quite as methodically — or, if you prefer, “as coldy” — as both Moore and Snyder did; but it still takes its cues as much, if not more, from fellow superhero films and TV series

Read more here.


Right at Your Door (2006)

L.A. is hit by a series of ‘dirty bombs’ in this indie suspense thriller, that follows the story of what happens to one man in the suburbs, as well as the various people whose paths cross his.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The Americans
1x10 Only You
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Veronica Mars
2x04 Green-Eyed Monster

You Saw Them Here First
Episode 1 (of 2)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Films

Bicycle Thieves (1948)
[#63 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

For my "What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" project. I think the first time I've watched one at a time other than right at the end of the month!

Collection Count

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

Two additions this week: the first half of Cowboy Bebop looking beautiful on Blu-ray; and the beautifully packaged Fourth Doctor Time Capsule, complete with an early release of Terror of the Zygons.

Number of titles in collection: 1,587 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,169 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 418 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,958 [up 4]
Number of films in collection: 1,699 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,803 [up 17]
Number of short films in collection: 383 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Americans
1x09 Safe House
Finally caught up with ITV! Though they've another one on tomorrow, so, y'know.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Law & Order: UK
7x03 Paternal
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Suburgatory
2x03 Ryan's Song
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Top Gear
20x05 (28/7/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

The Americans
1x08 Mutually Assured Destruction
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Starlings
2x03 Episode Three

Veronica Mars
2x03 Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang

TV

The Americans
1x07 Duty and Honor
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Family Tree
1x03 The Austerity Games
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Veronica Mars
2x02 Driver Ed

TV

The Americans
1x06 Trust Me
Getting close to ITV now...
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

The Good Life
4x08 Silly, But It's Fun... [Christmas special]

Veronica Mars
2x01 Normal is the Watchword
I'd heard season one was by far the best, but the second certainly kicks off to an intriguing start.

Articles

BBC Worldwide to include Widow on Series Seven Box Set
by Marcus (from Doctor Who News)

Well thank goodness for common sense! Though even while fixing a point of stupidity, they still come across as moronic:

Originally the decision was taken not to include this release on the box set as it had previously been released as a standalone product.

Which previous specials had been released as a standalone product before being included in the subsequent box set? Only all of them. But hey, if something's gone down without complaint for six years in a row, why not do the complete opposite on the seventh?

Morons.

Oh, and it looks like the US set has quite a few more special features. The UK listing released so far wasn't as thoroughly broken down as that in fairness, but nonetheless there are several things there that aren't even hinted at being on the UK set. Boo, Worldwide -- BOO.

TV

The Americans
1x05 COMINT

Family Tree
1x02 Treading the Boards
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Hoff's Best Film ...Ever!
1x05 The Hoff's Best Sci-Fi Film ...Ever!
After a month-long break, they resumed these while I was away -- and I nearly missed it! Now that would've been a tragedy.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Starlings
2x02 Episode Two

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
4x01 (26/7/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Americans
1x04 In Control

Once Upon a Time
2x05 The Doctor
See again my comments on origin episodes from last time. This time, it's that traditional fairytale character Dr. Frankenstein.

Suburgatory
2x02 The Witch of East Chatswin
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Articles

Doctor Who - Complete Seventh Series boxset [UPDATE]
(from Blogtor Who)

Confirmation that the 'complete' series seven set will not include the 2011 Christmas special -- in the UK. The US set will get it just fine.

If you think this is moronic (which it is), you can let BBC Worldwide know that here.

this fortnight on 100 Films

I was away last weekend (and there wasn't much to report anyway), so here's a look back at the last two weeks on 100 Films in a Year.


Firstly, earlier this week I was accepted as a member of the LAMB -- or, the Large Association of Movie Blogs, to give its full title. So that's nice, isn't it? Read more here.


Secondly (and finally), there was just one brand-new review published in the last fortnight...


Broken Arrow (1996)

In his second Hollywood outing, Hong Kong action maestro John Woo (over-)directs his little heart out: there’s an endless array of slightly hilarious slow-mo, crash zooms, etc.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Law & Order: UK
7x02 Tremors
Not sure whether it was the writing, the directing, or the acting -- or a combination of all three -- but I thought this episode was actually pretty awful. Stick to the straight procedural stuff, L&O!
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Starlings
2x01 Episode One

Collection Count

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

This week's only acquisition is the rather-pretty Zavvi-exclusive Close Encounters Steelbook. Though it includes all three cuts of the film (in HD, obv.), it doesn't appear to include any of the extras from the three-disc DVD I have, so I guess I keep both. Annoyingly, the three-disc DVD is missing some of the extras from the 2-disc BD. Why that second disc isn't in the Steelbook, Sony only knows.

Number of titles in collection: 1,585 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,168 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 417 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,954 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,699 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,786 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 383 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Americans
1x03 Gregory

Top Gear
20x04 (21/7/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

Complete Series Seven Boxed Set announced
by Chuck Foster (from Doctor Who News)

Once upon a time, Doctor Who DVDs came with commentaries on every single episode. Sometimes there were additional commentaries online, meaning there are a good few episodes with two of the things. Now, we get a 15-episode set with just four tracks. To rub salt in the wound, none are on any of Amy & Rory's final episodes. Not a one.

Oh, wait, did I say "15-episode set"? Because apparently the 2011 Christmas special isn't included. 'Complete' my whatsit! But the set does include the prequel to that special, just to make sure you know the episode itself isn't there.

And to top it off, it looks as though we may be missing an extra from the US release. I don't know if I care about seeing "Doctor Who on The Nerdist" -- I probably don't, in fact -- but it's the principle.