Films

Charlie Bartlett (2007)
[#9 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

Let It Shine
1x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Eye in the Sky (2015)
[#8 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

this week on 100 Films

It was time for my monthly TV review over at 100 Films in a Year, with a bumper-sized crop of things to cover in-depth...





As well as that, I published 3 brand-new film reviews...


Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie (2016)

Considering its pedigree, it should come as no surprise that The Art of the Deal: The Movie plays like a very long, out of control sketch. Just like all sketch comedy, some jokes land better than others, and just like most sketch comedy, it begins to outstay its welcome by the end.

Read more here.


Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

the animation is genuinely stunning — beautiful to look at, as well as being technically audacious and consequently impressive. Some of it is so grand that several times I forgot that most of what we’re seeing on screen was built for real and animated by hand over several years. I say “most” because it is augmented with CGI [which] doesn’t detract from the technical workmanship on display. That included the largest stop-motion puppet ever built [of which] there’s a behind-the-scenes glimpse during the end credits that is breathtaking.

Read more here.


Raising Arizona (1987)

before now all I could have told you about Raising Arizona is that “it has the longest pre-titles ever (except it doesn’t)”. Well, that and it stars Nic Cage and was directed by the Coen brothers. But now I’ve watched it and, three months after the fact, …that’s still almost all I can tell you. I also remember there was a kinda-cool semi-fantastical thing going on with, like, a demon biker or something. Oh, and it’s quite funny.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Films

Into the Wild (2007)
[#7 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2017 #1

Fiction

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Dismal Dinner by Lemony Snicket

So, while reading some stuff about Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events, one of the lists of stuff they could adapt mentioned this in passing. Being the only ASoUE work I'd not heard of, I looked it up. Turns out it's just a short 'story' that was given away with kids' snacks as part of the promotion for the 2004 film, and you can even read it all online here. Which I did. It was as pointless as its provenance suggests, but hey-ho, that's free gifts with kids' snacks for you.

Collection Count

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

Nothing to report this week, but there's plenty on order so I imagine things will get lively soon.

Number of titles in collection: 1,924 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,194 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 730 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,963 [no change]
Number of films: 2,125 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 7,602 [no change]
Number of short films: 508 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

A Series of Unfortunate Events
1x07 The Miserable Mill Part One
1x08 The Miserable Mill Part Two [season finale]

TV

Elementary
5x03 Render, and Then Seize Her

TV

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Part 4 Fall

A Series of Unfortunate Events
1x05 The Wide Window Part One
1x06 The Wide Window Part Two

TV

A Series of Unfortunate Events
1x03 The Reptile Room Part One
1x04 The Reptile Room Part Two

Films

Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie (2016)
[#6 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

TV

The Flash
3x09 The Present

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Part 3 Summer

TV

Celebrity Mastermind
2016/2017 Episode 10 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

DC's Legends of Tomorrow
2x07 Invasion!
Concluding the crossover.

Sherlock
4x03 The Final Problem [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
[#5 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

+ all of the Blu-ray's special features.

this week on 100 Films

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


Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

The most recent feature from the director of the very-different-to-each-other What We Do in the Shadows and Thor: Ragnarok, this very-different-again adventure-comedy-drama was a surprise hit in its native New Zealand, then around the rest of the world, before it wound up as Empire magazine’s pick for the best film of 2016.

Read more here.


Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future (1973)

maybe it’s a kind of Stockholm syndrome, but I ended up rather enjoying it. It’s not genius, but it’s a fairly amusing farce once it gets going. Very of its time as an early-’70s mainstream-style silly comedy, but what’s wrong with being of your time?

Read more here.


Ninja Scroll (1993)

One of the films credited with helping to popularise anime in the West in the wake of Akira (reportedly it has had a greater and more enduring impact in the US than in Japan), Ninja Scroll is a fast-paced fantastical action flick full of gratuitous swordplay, gratuitous gore, and gratuitous nudity.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Part 2 Spring

Let It Shine
1x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

A Series of Unfortunate Events
1x01 A Bad Beginning Part One
1x02 A Bad Beginning Part Two

Collection Count

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

Number of titles in collection: 1,924 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,194 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 730 [up 4]

Number of discs in collection: 4,963 [up 11]
Number of films: 2,125 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes: 7,602 [up 23]
Number of short films: 508 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
[#4 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]

Ninja Scroll (1993)
[#3 in 100 Films in a Year 2017]
+ the first half-ish of the audio commentary.

TV

Arrow
5x08 Invasion!
Part 2 (aka 3) of the crossover. Also Arrow's 100th episode, so it's handy they had those aliens to provide a way to bring back lots of dead characters.

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Part 1 Winter