Films

Scanners (1981)
[#93 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

Family Guy
13x01 The Simpsons Guy
Family Guy returned to BBC Two last night for the first time in yonks (before it heads to ITV2 later this year), beginning with this crossover episode that aired in the US last September. It was quite good.

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x08 (3/7/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

this week on 100 Films

This week over at 100 Films in a Year saw a new-look monthly update, packed with far more goodies than ever before. Check it out here:




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


The Eagle (2011)

Adapted from Rosemary Sutcliff’s children’s adventure novel, director Kevin Macdonald’s film is, perhaps surprisingly, almost leisurely paced, as much about mood as it is about action. Big fights and battles clearly aren’t the film’s goal or forte, though an early sequence where Roman forces battle druids outside the fort Tatum commands is excellently done.

Read more here.


Fury (2014)

In some respects it's a bit “seen it all before”. The desaturated photography, muddy landscape and slightly-ramshackle military campaign are all very post-Saving Private Ryan, though writer-director David Ayer lends enough of his own directorial flair that it feels more visually distinctive than most Ryan rip-offs.

Read more here.


The Guest (2014)

I loved The Guest. I loved Dan Stevens’ character and his performance. I loved each and every one of the perfectly-placed supporting cast. I loved the wit and the action scenes. I loved the ’80s-inspired plotting. I loved the score. Indeed, I loved pretty much everything about it.

Read more here.


The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer’s French-produced silent movie depicts the last hours in the life of Joan of Arc, a nineteen-year-old who is on trial by the Church for claiming God instructed her to fight to free France from British rule. You probably know it doesn’t turn out well for her.

Read more here.


Plus six archive reviews were reposted on the new blog...


Breathless (1960)

Godard's first and most famous film; part of the beginning of the nouvelle vague, a French movement defining a particular youth culture at the time... This is definitely what most people would call an 'arthouse' film, though is decidedly less so than the one other Godard film I've seen

Read more here.


The Crowd (1928)

Late silent-era drama — though you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a comedy until halfway, when the light antics of a young couple in ’20s New York give way to some increasingly dark drama (interesting trivia: seven endings were shot for distributors to choose from, some happy and some sad; all chose sad ones.)

Read more here.


Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005)

The plot is more or less suitably movieised — a more-epic-than-usual tale of Stewie’s origins (sort of) — though it seems slightly held back by its genesis as three TV episodes and the need for it ultimately to be split back up. With subplots that begin and end within each half-hour(-ish) segment, it plays about as well as watching a three-parter back to back

Read more here.


Fantômas: In the Shadow of the Guillotine (1913)

The first of the silent Fantômas films. It's interestingly structured: there's no 'origin story' for Fantômas, he just is an infamous master criminal, who's introduced in what would undoubtedly be a pre-titles sequence today

Read more here.


Fantômas: Juve Versus Fantômas (1913)

Second instalment... full of crazy schemes and action set pieces, which means it’s actually a great deal of fun, relatively fast-paced and densely plotted, exciting and deliberately amusing

Read more here.


The Good German (2006)

is this a case of style over substance? Some critics accuse it of just that, saying it concentrates more on the look & feel than the characters. They do have a point, but the style is, if not incidental, then still not the sole purpose. The tale is more about the mystery — indeed, mysteries — than the characters.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Collection Count

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

Should've been stuff this week; wasn't. Should definitely be next week, then.

Number of titles in collection: 1,777 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,210 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 567 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,403 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,916 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,508 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics (2013)
[#92 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Films

Returning to Jedi (2007)
[#91 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Completing the fan documentary trilogy, after Star Wars Begins and Building Empire. You can watch it on Vimeo.

Films

Fury (2014)
[#90 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x07 (26/6/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

Vicious
2x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Films

Apollo 13 (1995)
[2nd or so watch]

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
[2nd watch]

this week on 100 Films

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


21 Jump Street (2012)

the film’s best material revolves around the changing face of high school. Tatum and Hill’s characters grew up in an era of the traditional mould, where jocks ruled and nerds were bullied. When they return undercover, the tables have turned: getting good grades and caring about the environment is cool.

Read more here.


Hummingbird (2013)

might sound like your standard Statham action-thriller. It really isn’t. Knight’s focus is primarily on the relationship between Joey and Cristina, two people who are both lost, struggling with events from their past, trying to help people, in search of something. It’s a bigger acting challenge than Statham usually has to face. To be honest, he’s probably not wholly up to the task, but he makes a good fist of it.

Read more here.


The Interview (2014)

As with so many comedies, your mileage will vary on whether what follows is indeed hilarity or merely inanity. For me, it contained a weight of obvious ‘gags’ and crass ‘humour’, but also enough genuinely amusing bits to keep it ticking over.

Read more here.


The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Katharine Hepburn is the high society heiress getting re-married to someone dull from daddy’s company. Cary Grant is the husband from her tempestuous first marriage. When he turns up uninvited, screwball hijinks ensue.

Read more here.


Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

The debut feature from the director of all-conquering box office behemoth Jurassic World, Safety Not Guaranteed is a small-scale indie comedy that may or may not have a sci-fi twist. Inspired by a real newspaper ad (actually written by a bored editor), this fictional version sees three journalists from a Seattle magazine tracking down the guy who placed the ad in order to find out the true story behind it.

Read more here.


Plus nine archive reviews were reposted on the new blog...


Bringing Out the Dead (1999)

The storyline, which follows Nicolas Cage's paramedic across three nights in New York, is a mixture of short episodic medical incidents with longer threads that continue throughout. These connect and fall apart, feeling as episodic as the rest, and most of them don't really lead anywhere.

Read more here.


Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone. (2007/2009)

The pace is surprisingly good throughout, a well-considered balance between action, character and mysteries. Anno and co have retained some of the original’s light and shade — this isn’t just a plot recap, but includes some of the humour and character-based subplots.

Read more here.


Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance. (2009/2010)

This is very clearly a second part. It hits the ground running, with no thought for those not up to speed on the characters and events so far. Indeed, there’s perhaps little regard for those who may be familiar with it anyway: certain significant events rattle past, the storyline spewing mysteries via dialogue we barely understand, so dense is it with references and allusions.

Read more here.


Garden State (2004)

Zach Braff of Scrubs fame writes, directs and stars in this coming-of-age-style comedy-drama, his first feature as writer and director.

Read more here.


Gigi (1958)

a film about largely horrid people doing morally dubious things. But of course it’s a musical from the ’50s, so it all has a veneer of loveliness and respectability.

Read more here.


Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth (1997)

There are answers, revelations, some great sequences, and a great cliffhanger! Unfortunately this is also the start of the next film, which ultimately renders this as just one thing: a fan-only curio.

Read more here.


Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)

don't even attempt this if you haven't seen all of the (excellent) TV series -- it won't even vaguelly make sense. Sadly, if you have seen the series, it's a disappointing climax. Promising a clearer ending than the original arty philosophical one, it winds up delivering something that's almost as bad.

Read more here.


On the Town (1949)

Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra lead the cast in this musical comedy about three sailors who have 24 hours of shore leave in New York. The plot is sometimes predictable, but at least it's not as standardised as many. Equally, none of the songs are truly memorable but most are fun while they last.

Read more here.


Play Time (1967)

I know some people love the work of Tati, just like there’s always someone who loves everything; personally, I find his films largely dull. His character, Monsieur Hulot, is like Mr Bean but less funny

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2x19 Sabotage

Person of Interest
3x12 Aletheia
[Watch it on Demand 5 from 9th July.]

Films

John Wick (2014)
[#89 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Collection Count

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

Number of titles in collection: 1,777 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,210 [up 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 567 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,403 [up 6]
Number of films in collection: 1,916 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,508 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Raging Bull (1980)
[#88 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2015 #4

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x06 (19/6/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Films

The Guest (2014)
[#87 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Films

Before Dawn (2012)
[#86 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

Episodes
4x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
49x08 (5/6/2015 edition; extended repeat) [season finale]
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]