Friends
7x17 The One with the Cheap Wedding Dress [4th or so watch]
Sunday, 26 January 2014
Comics
Velvet #1-2 by Ed Brubaker & Steve Epting
A Cold War-set espionage action-thriller with a kick-ass female hero? Thought this looked right up my street. Unfortunately, after two issues I'm not wholly sold. It's by no means bad, I'm just not quite on board with the characters or where the story's going; and there's always that query from mainstream comics: is there actually enough going on each issue to justify the $3 price tag?
Plus, it's an ongoing -- great for developing and paying off things long-term, but who knows how long you'll have to wait for those answers? A wait can be fine, but more of an issue is: I'm looking to cut my pull list, not keep expanding it -- something's gotta give. Question is, do I give it one more issue to sway me, or just ditch it now?
With such thoughts, this (along with practically-gone-already Satellite Sam) is on shaky ground.
A Cold War-set espionage action-thriller with a kick-ass female hero? Thought this looked right up my street. Unfortunately, after two issues I'm not wholly sold. It's by no means bad, I'm just not quite on board with the characters or where the story's going; and there's always that query from mainstream comics: is there actually enough going on each issue to justify the $3 price tag?
Plus, it's an ongoing -- great for developing and paying off things long-term, but who knows how long you'll have to wait for those answers? A wait can be fine, but more of an issue is: I'm looking to cut my pull list, not keep expanding it -- something's gotta give. Question is, do I give it one more issue to sway me, or just ditch it now?
With such thoughts, this (along with practically-gone-already Satellite Sam) is on shaky ground.
this week on 100 Films
Five new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
Tom Conway as the Falcon, Part II
A summary, linking to the following reviews:
The Falcon and the Co-eds (1943)
The Falcon Out West (1944)
The Falcon in Mexico (1944)
The Falcon in Hollywood (1944)
Also this week...
Macbeth (1948)
Plus, new to the new blog...
Air Force One (1997)
More next Sunday.
Tom Conway as the Falcon, Part II
A summary, linking to the following reviews:
The Falcon and the Co-eds (1943)
The twisty plot is engrossing and the humour entertaining, though I felt more could have been made of the potentially atmospheric remote cliff-top setting. It’s the kind of film where I began imagining how it might be remade to even greater effect.Read more here.
The Falcon Out West (1944)
provides all the Western action it can muster: runaway coaches, shootin’, horseback riding, gentle racism about Native Americans… This is the West of the 1940s, theoretically 50 years or whatever on from The Wild West, but conceptually almost unchanged.Read more here.
The Falcon in Mexico (1944)
“In our peaceful country, life is very seldom in danger,” states one character halfway through, just one of many instances that might make you think the film was co-funded by the Mexican tourist board. Oh sure, there’s the usual array of thefts and murders that you’d expect from a Falcon adventure, but they’re mostly committed by Americans.Read more here.
The Falcon in Hollywood (1944)
By this point you should know what you’re in for with a Falcon film: a solid murder mystery plot with some light fun and mischief on the way to its solution. In this one, the plot is actually quite simple to follow for quite a while, making a change from recent Falcons. It’s still an engrossing enough mystery, but clearly told.Read more here.
Also this week...
Macbeth (1948)
a compromised but interesting adaptation. Welles has chopped and changed the play, cutting scenes, transposing others, assigning speeches to different characters, even creating new ones. This array of modifications scandalised critics at the time, though nowadays it’s much more common, usually to make the works a manageable length. Macbeth is one of the more sensibly-sized plays, however, though I suppose this is the legacy of Welles’ short 23-day schedule.Read more here.
Plus, new to the new blog...
Air Force One (1997)
Harrison Ford stars as President Indiana Jones — sorry, Jack Ryan — no, James Marshall (that’s it) in this action-thriller from the Die Hard school of moviemaking. Yep, this is “Die Hard on a plane” — except it’s not any old plane, it’s Air Force frickin’ One; and the Bruce Willis character isn’t any old washed-up cop, it’s the frickin’ President of the U.S. frickin’ A. Hells yeah!Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 25 January 2014
TV
Friends
7x16 The One with the Truth About London ['Super-Sized' version; 5th or so watch]
The Voice UK
3x03 The Blind Auditions 3
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
7x16 The One with the Truth About London ['Super-Sized' version; 5th or so watch]
The Voice UK
3x03 The Blind Auditions 3
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Anyone familiar with how these numbers work might think the changes below indicate a DVD-to-Blu-ray upgrade, and normally they'd be right, but not so this week: it's one new Blu-ray, and a Zatoichi DVD I forgot to remove when I got the 25-film box set for Christmas. Oops!
Also this week, it's the running time update. I love that part.
Number of titles in collection: 1,652 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,197 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 455 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 4,131 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,779 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,102 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 406 [no change]
And the monthly running time update tells us...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
296 days, 7 hours, and 58 minutes.
(Up 13 hours and 8 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Anyone familiar with how these numbers work might think the changes below indicate a DVD-to-Blu-ray upgrade, and normally they'd be right, but not so this week: it's one new Blu-ray, and a Zatoichi DVD I forgot to remove when I got the 25-film box set for Christmas. Oops!
Also this week, it's the running time update. I love that part.
Number of titles in collection: 1,652 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,197 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 455 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 4,131 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,779 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,102 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 406 [no change]
And the monthly running time update tells us...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
296 days, 7 hours, and 58 minutes.
(Up 13 hours and 8 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 24 January 2014
TV
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
1x02 The Tagger
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Friends
7x15 The One with Joey's New Brain ['Super-Sized' version; 5th or so watch]
The Voice UK
3x02 The Blind Auditions 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
1x02 The Tagger
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Friends
7x15 The One with Joey's New Brain ['Super-Sized' version; 5th or so watch]
The Voice UK
3x02 The Blind Auditions 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Comics
Red Sonja #4-6 by Gail Simone & Walter Geovani
Great stuff; this one's definitely staying on my pull list. With A Voice in the Dark also earning its place, my uncertainty about Satellite Sam makes it look more shaky.
Great stuff; this one's definitely staying on my pull list. With A Voice in the Dark also earning its place, my uncertainty about Satellite Sam makes it look more shaky.
Thursday, 23 January 2014
TV
Death in Paradise
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
2x04 Episode 4 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
2x04 Episode 4 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Fiction
The Tale of Zatoichi by Kan Shimozawa
The short story that was adapted into The Tale of Zatoichi, translated here by Juliet Winters Carpenter for the Criterion box set of the film series. It's clear where bits of it became the film, but there's also significant differences.
The short story that was adapted into The Tale of Zatoichi, translated here by Juliet Winters Carpenter for the Criterion box set of the film series. It's clear where bits of it became the film, but there's also significant differences.
Wednesday, 22 January 2014
TV
Friends
7x13 The One Where Rosita Dies ['Super-Sized' version; 5th or so watch]
7x14 The One Where They All Turn Thirty ['Super-Sized' version; 4th or so watch]
When Friends finally came to DVD in the US, somewhere between "most" and "all" of its episodes were extended; controversially, the Blu-ray release only includes the shorter original TV versions... with the exception of four episodes from the middle of season seven. They're still the shorter versions when watched in HD, but the extended versions (in SD) can be found among the special features.
Have to say, nothing jumped out at me as new here, which led me to wonder if these were included on the UK DVDs too... but then goodness knows how long it's been since I last watched them, so it'd be no surprise if I just didn't notice.
The Illusionists
Although The Magicians barely limped to two series, and Penn & Teller: Fool Us only managed one, the main channels still boldly attempt to get magic on TV: BBC One have recently started airing Dynamo's Watch series, and around Christmas ITV had this one-off special. Very good it was, too. Shame this stuff doesn't seem to connect with a wider audience.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
7x13 The One Where Rosita Dies ['Super-Sized' version; 5th or so watch]
7x14 The One Where They All Turn Thirty ['Super-Sized' version; 4th or so watch]
When Friends finally came to DVD in the US, somewhere between "most" and "all" of its episodes were extended; controversially, the Blu-ray release only includes the shorter original TV versions... with the exception of four episodes from the middle of season seven. They're still the shorter versions when watched in HD, but the extended versions (in SD) can be found among the special features.
Have to say, nothing jumped out at me as new here, which led me to wonder if these were included on the UK DVDs too... but then goodness knows how long it's been since I last watched them, so it'd be no surprise if I just didn't notice.
The Illusionists
Although The Magicians barely limped to two series, and Penn & Teller: Fool Us only managed one, the main channels still boldly attempt to get magic on TV: BBC One have recently started airing Dynamo's Watch series, and around Christmas ITV had this one-off special. Very good it was, too. Shame this stuff doesn't seem to connect with a wider audience.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Comics
Red Sonja #2-3 by Gail Simone & Walter Geovani
Simone knows how to write a story that works as self-contained issues but also form part of a larger narrative -- I like this. Too many comics are just a graphic novel serialised, and with too little story for the price per issue, so it's nice to read something that gives you a satisfying chunk.
Satellite Sam #1-5 by Matt Fraction & Howard Chaykin
Another one I'm reading to decide whether to continue with or not (and it won't be the last of those).
I was going to do a simple "X meets Y" thing here, but it's a tad more complicated than that. It has the era and 'world' of The Hour, with the complex business speak of Mad Men at its densest, but the speed of Studio 60, mingled with the dark, seedy crime of L.A. Confidential... It's a heady brew, relayed in almost-sketchy black-and-white art.
Not so sure about this one, even after the entire first arc. Well, that's the first arc technically speaking -- although they've called it that, and collected these five issues as the first paperback, and it does come to a fairly big conclusion/twist at the end of #5, it's certainly not a finite story. What kind of long haul is it settling in for?
Simone knows how to write a story that works as self-contained issues but also form part of a larger narrative -- I like this. Too many comics are just a graphic novel serialised, and with too little story for the price per issue, so it's nice to read something that gives you a satisfying chunk.
Satellite Sam #1-5 by Matt Fraction & Howard Chaykin
Another one I'm reading to decide whether to continue with or not (and it won't be the last of those).
I was going to do a simple "X meets Y" thing here, but it's a tad more complicated than that. It has the era and 'world' of The Hour, with the complex business speak of Mad Men at its densest, but the speed of Studio 60, mingled with the dark, seedy crime of L.A. Confidential... It's a heady brew, relayed in almost-sketchy black-and-white art.
Not so sure about this one, even after the entire first arc. Well, that's the first arc technically speaking -- although they've called it that, and collected these five issues as the first paperback, and it does come to a fairly big conclusion/twist at the end of #5, it's certainly not a finite story. What kind of long haul is it settling in for?
Articles
Lupin III: The Story So Far
by Andrew Osmond (from Manga)
An interesting potted history of the star of The Castle of Cagliostro, which has the side effect of creating a 'wish list' of things I want to see...
by Andrew Osmond (from Manga)
An interesting potted history of the star of The Castle of Cagliostro, which has the side effect of creating a 'wish list' of things I want to see...
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
TV
The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
2x03 Episode 3 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Veronica Mars
3x11 Poughkeepsie, Tramps & Thieves
2x03 Episode 3 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Veronica Mars
3x11 Poughkeepsie, Tramps & Thieves
Comics
Red Sonja #1 by Gail Simone & Walter Geovani
The start of Batgirl writer Simone's acclaimed run on the swords-and-sorcery series, which recently completed its first arc. I enjoyed it, which is good because I've already got the next five issues.
A Voice in the Dark #1-2 by Larime Taylor
A 2-part opening story to this ongoing from new creator Larime Taylor, who writes, draws, colours -- indeed, everythings -- every issue by mouth. It's not just Worthy to support a disabled creator, though -- this is an interesting and, for comics, unusual book: almost every character is female, and they look like real women rather than the usual teenage boy's moronic fantasy that the medium usually offers in both art and characterisation. On top of that, it's the tale of a girl coping with thoughts of murder alongside the always-life-changing situation of moving away to university -- sorry, it's American: college.
Anyway, good stuff so far -- I'm looking to cut down the number of comics I buy (as you may have noticed, I've been doing an awful job at actually reading them), but this one I'll keep.
The start of Batgirl writer Simone's acclaimed run on the swords-and-sorcery series, which recently completed its first arc. I enjoyed it, which is good because I've already got the next five issues.
A Voice in the Dark #1-2 by Larime Taylor
A 2-part opening story to this ongoing from new creator Larime Taylor, who writes, draws, colours -- indeed, everythings -- every issue by mouth. It's not just Worthy to support a disabled creator, though -- this is an interesting and, for comics, unusual book: almost every character is female, and they look like real women rather than the usual teenage boy's moronic fantasy that the medium usually offers in both art and characterisation. On top of that, it's the tale of a girl coping with thoughts of murder alongside the always-life-changing situation of moving away to university -- sorry, it's American: college.
Anyway, good stuff so far -- I'm looking to cut down the number of comics I buy (as you may have noticed, I've been doing an awful job at actually reading them), but this one I'll keep.
Monday, 20 January 2014
Sunday, 19 January 2014
TV
Friends
7x12 The One Where They're Up All Night [4th or so watch]
To get lucky...?
Timeshift
13x07 How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective
A really good overview of the many actors who've played Holmes down the years. Not exhaustive -- there's not time in an hour -- but a good analysis of the major ones. If you missed it, it's on iPlayer until Wednesday night; there are also four web-exclusive extended interview clips, totalling 8½ minutes, on the episode's Programmes page.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
7x12 The One Where They're Up All Night [4th or so watch]
To get lucky...?
Timeshift
13x07 How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective
A really good overview of the many actors who've played Holmes down the years. Not exhaustive -- there's not time in an hour -- but a good analysis of the major ones. If you missed it, it's on iPlayer until Wednesday night; there are also four web-exclusive extended interview clips, totalling 8½ minutes, on the episode's Programmes page.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
this week on 100 Films
Two new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
Man of Steel (2013)
Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009)
More next Sunday.
Man of Steel (2013)
Produced by Christopher Nolan and other creatives behind the uber-successful Batman reboot The Dark Knight Trilogy, this is intended to do a similar thing for Superman: a present-day, real-world relaunch. Which begins with a huge sequence on a crazy alien world. Well done, chaps. And that’s before we get into the merits of grounding clean-cut Boy’s Own all-American hero Superman in our ideologically complex modern world. Is that what Superman is?Read more here.
Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009)
"From 1984 to 1994, a perfect storm of people and circumstances changed the face of animation forever."Read more here.
So declares the title card at the start of this documentary, which covers how in just a few years Disney went from nearly shutting down its animation division to a period of immense critical acclaim and box office success
More next Sunday.
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