TV

Crimes of Passion
1x06 Tragedy in a Country Churchyard [season finale]
This hasn't been to everyone's taste (there was at least one moany letter in the Radio Times, not to mention a 'pick of the day' review for this episode by a writer who even said they hadn't watched most of the series), but I've enjoyed it and hope to see more.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
[#99 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

this week on 100 Films

This week saw the start of October, meaning it was time for the regular 100 Films in a Year monthly update...




As well as that, three brand-new reviews were published this week...


A Beautiful Mind (2001)

There’s a Big Twist that they skilfully kept out of the advertising, and which many people have done a fair job of keeping quiet for the past 13 years; but, unlike most Big Twists, this one isn’t at the end of the film — in fact, it’s pretty early on, and the bulk of the movie is spent dealing with its fall-out.

Read more here.


Clear and Present Danger (1994)

The plot isn’t exactly inspiring, sadly, but it does allow for a few more memorable sequences: an alleyway ambush on an American convoy, with Ryan in the thick of the action, which is apparently still used to train real troops; and, in a very modern twist, a sequence where Ryan hacks into a corrupt colleague’s computer, while the colleague tries to delete the files Ryan is looking for.

Read more here.


Patriot Games (1992)

a sprawling tale. Although most of the major characters start off connected by a failed assassination, they soon splinter to go about their business in unconnected sequences, which finally come back together towards the end. To describe it as “novelistic” might be obvious, but it’s not been streamlined for the big screen.

Read more here.


Finally, this week's archive re-posts had a bit of a one-track mind...


David Fincher Week

With Fincher's latest in cinemas this week, it seems a good time to repost my 2011 'week'. Starting with this somewhat-self-indulgent introduction...

Read more here.


The end of David Fincher Week

...and continuing with my summary post from the week's end.

Read more here.


Se7en (1995)

The quality of a crime thriller is often so tied to its mystery that the film can only sustain so many viewings — sometimes, only one — before you know it too well. I have seen Se7en at least seven times now, which for me is a lot — a helluva lot, even — and yet I still get something from it every time. That’s a rarity, that’s a reason to love it, and that is why it may well be my favourite film.

Read more here.


Fight Club (1999)

At one point consensus seemed to have it that Fight Club was easily Fincher’s best movie, a generation-defining statement, “the first great film of the 21st Century” despite being released in 1999... I’ve always preferred Se7en myself. I still do. But Fight Club is nonetheless an exceptional film.

Read more here.


Panic Room (2002)

stands out as (arguably) Fincher’s most atypical film. Whereas his others are all epic, in one way or another, this is the exact opposite. It’s very contained, virtually the entire running time spent on one night in one house, alleviated only by brief outside bookends and a guided tour of the house at the start. Fortunately, it’s still an outstanding little thriller.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
34x07 Kill the Moon
This may well be the first classic of the Capaldi era. Not everyone on Twitter agreed though, so we'll see... but it felt great to me.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who Extra
1x07 Kill the Moon
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless Celebrities
6x18 (4/10/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978)
[#98 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Articles

Lost ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Film Discovered After Almost a Century
by Kevin Noonan (from Variety)

A nearly 100-year-old silent film version of “Sherlock Holmes” starring famed Holmes thespian and American actor William Gillette has been discovered at the Cinémathèque Française

Exciting! Lord knows how us normal people who don't attend silent film festivals will ever get to see it, but, y'know, we'll see.

What It's like to Fly the $23,000 Singapore Airlines Suites Class
by Derek Low
This looks amazing! Definitely sits high on the list of "things to do if I win an insane amount on the Lottery".

Collection Count

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

Nothing again -- again! -- this week. I imagine it'll be quite a small monthly running time update, then...

Number of titles in collection: 1,697 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,203 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 494 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,232 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,830 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,242 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

Plus this week it's time for a running time update, so...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
304 days, 18 hours, and 3 minutes.
(Up 10 hours and 13 minutes from last month.)

It's approaching the time when all of the summer's big blockbusters hit disc, and as I skipped them all at the cinema I'll be buying a fair few. Hopefully these updates will get a bit livelier then, then.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Detectorists
1x01 Episode 1
BBC Four sitcom about metal detector users -- aka detectorists -- not incompetent police detectives, or something.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
1x09 Episode 9
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
28x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
8x03 Episode 3

TV

Doctor Who
25x04 Remembrance of the Daleks Part Four [3rd watch]

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
3x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Two Tribes
1x30 (26/9/14 edition) [season finale]
Hope this is coming back.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
25x03 Remembrance of the Daleks Part Three [3rd watch]

The Great British Bake Off
5x09 Semi-final - Patisserie
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
13x09 (26/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Two Tribes
1x29 (25/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
25x02 Remembrance of the Daleks Part Two [3rd watch]

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
2x05 Episode 5

Two Tribes
1x28 (24/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

This is Not a Film (2011)
[#97 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Doctor Who
25x01 Remembrance of the Daleks Part One [3rd watch]
After Saturday's Doctor Who took us to Coal Hill School, here's what happened the last time the Doctor visited that esteemed educational establishment. Also, a belated Dalek story, something felt owing ever since I didn't pick one to follow Into the Dalek.

Pioneers of Television
4x05 Robin Williams Remembered

Scott & Bailey
4x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Two Tribes
1x27 (23/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Crimes of Passion
1x05 Dangerous Dreams
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

No (2012)
[#96 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

this week on 100 Films

Four brand-new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...


Alter Egos (2012)

You might not think superheroes lend themselves to the ultra-low-budget indie treatment, but where there’s a will there’s a way, and clearly writer-director Jordan Galland had a will.

Read more here.


American Hustle (2013)

“Don’t put metal in the science oven!” If you’ve seen that bit, you’ve seen the most successful thing American Hustle has to offer. Possibly a victim of hype, it’s an over-long disappointment.

Read more here.


Touch of Evil (1958/1998)

This is not film noir as many think they know it. Instead of a doggedly determined wisecracking PI solving a slightly seedy case, Touch of Evil is suffused with a sweaty and disquieting atmosphere. It’s like a terrible fever dream, with events and characters that sometimes seem disconnected, but nonetheless interweave through a dense plot.

Read more here.


Up (2009)

You know Up: it's the Pixar movie where everyone talks about how amazing the first 10 minutes are, and never seems to have anything to say about the rest of the film. Which sums it up pretty well, to be honest.

Read more here.


Plus seven were new to the new blog...


The Blues Brothers (1980)

Cult comedy musical, with a more-than-healthy dose of the surreal... its insistence at being random, crazy, and incessantly silly throughout is beautifully anarchic.

Read more here.


Children of Heaven (1997)

a charming little number, with a simple story about a brother and sister that nonetheless runs itself on inventive incident — the amount of (pleasingly light-hearted) drama it can ring from one missing pair of shoes is, in many ways, quite extraordinary.

Read more here.


Field of Dreams (1989)

it’s almost unremittingly pleasant. The lack of anything hard-hitting is no doubt why some have such a dim view of the film... [it] won’t shock you, it likely won’t make you think very hard, and any moral message or meaning it has is positive and reassuring… but what’s so wrong with that?

Read more here.


The Game (1997)

Having seen it a few times over the years, I've come to the conclusion that The Game is by far at its best on your first viewing, when you don't know how it will end and it's stuffed with mysteries and twists... a lot of the film's enjoyment comes from being played with, the back-and-forth of what the truth is.

Read more here.


The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

Even more attractive are the skills Welles brings directorially, on display throughout... the cruise offers many of the best bits — the hot, sweaty foreign climes are conveyed brilliantly, aided by sumptuous location photography, and these sunny scenes contrast nicely with the noir plot.

Read more here.


Lethal Weapon (1987)

my mind frequently wandered during Lethal Weapon — often to Die Hard. This may predate the Bruce Willis franchise by several years, but it’s a testament to the fame of that film’s Christmas setting that my first thought was they’d ripped it off

Read more here.


The Woodsman (2004)

recently released paedophile struggles to fit back into the world and avoid recommitting former crimes... Kevin Bacon manages the tricky task of eliciting sympathy and understanding as the paedophile

Read more here.



More next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
34x06 The Caretaker
Very much enjoyed that. OK, there are similarities to previous episodes, but that almost seems to be the theme this season. It was likeable, both fun and funny, and most importantly of all, entertaining. Best of the season so far? Certainly the most easily enjoyable, I'd say.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who Extra
1x06 The Caretaker
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless Celebrities
6x17 (27/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
[#95 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Collection Count

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

Nothing again this week! I know, it's so unlike me.

Number of titles in collection: 1,697 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,203 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 494 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,232 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,830 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,242 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

Maybe there'll be something next week... but maybe not... See you here either way, faithful reader.

TV

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
2x04 Episode 4

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
3x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Pointless Celebrities
6x16 (20/9/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]