A Thousand and One Nights (1969)
[#137 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]
Sunday, 24 June 2018
Non-Fiction
Space Helmet for a Cow: The Mad, True Story of Doctor Who - Volume 1: 1963-1989 by Paul Kirkley
Chapter 6 (pages 204-217)
Chapter 6 (pages 204-217)
this week on 100 Films
7 brand-new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
The Death of Stalin (2017)
Rocky II (1979)
Victoria & Abdul (2017)
Yojimbo (1961)
Review Roundup
More next Sunday.
The Death of Stalin (2017)
I’m sure some viewers must find the irreverence with which the film treats serious matters to be a turn-off. Personally, I think its perspective is more profound: these are silly men playing silly power games, but the end results are often unthinkable and horrific. You only have to look at the recent news headlines to see similar situations playing out to this day.Read more here.
Rocky II (1979)
this is as much an underdog fairytale as the first movie was, and so events transpire to finally give Rocky his motivation, culminating in a triumphant revisit to the first film’s famous running-up-the-steps bit. The finale is, naturally, the big boxing rematch, where Stallone really shows off his directing chops: it’s a tense, drag-out duel that easily exceeds the first film’s for visceral impact.Read more here.
Victoria & Abdul (2017)
I read someone else assess that it’s not as good as its individual parts, and I think that’s fair. Most of the scenes, moments, and performances are strong — there are notably funny bits, dramatic bits, emotional bits; even unexpected complications in how it handles some of the characters — but when it’s all put together, it doesn’t quite coalesce.Read more here.
Yojimbo (1961)
Alexander Sesonske argues that Kurosawa is actually combining “two typically American genres”. So we have “a classic Western setting, with dust and leaves blowing across the wide, empty street that runs the length of a village, a lone stranger passes as frightened faces peer from behind shutters”, mixed with the morals (or lack thereof) of a gangster movie, with everyone a crook hoping to merely outgun the others. That all comes wrapped in the milieu of a samurai movie, meaning instead of pistol duels or scattershot machine-gun fire we get flashing blades.Read more here.
Review Roundup
Quick reviews of:Read more here.
'71
That's Entertainment!
and Russia's answer to The Avengers, Guardians.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 23 June 2018
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Three new titles this week include a complete TV series (Steven Soderbergh's The Knick) and a pair of anime movies that complete the Animerama series (A Thousand & One Nights and Cleopatra, with the third, Belladonna of Sadness, previously released).
Number of titles in collection: 2,118 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,157 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 961 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 5,407 [up 10]
Number of films: 2,362 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 8,066 [up 20]
Number of short films: 614 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Three new titles this week include a complete TV series (Steven Soderbergh's The Knick) and a pair of anime movies that complete the Animerama series (A Thousand & One Nights and Cleopatra, with the third, Belladonna of Sadness, previously released).
Number of titles in collection: 2,118 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,157 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 961 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 5,407 [up 10]
Number of films: 2,362 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 8,066 [up 20]
Number of short films: 614 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 22 June 2018
Non-Fiction
Space Helmet for a Cow: The Mad, True Story of Doctor Who - Volume 1: 1963-1989 by Paul Kirkley
Chapter 4 (pages 162-176)
Chapter 4 (pages 162-176)
Thursday, 21 June 2018
Films
Not quite sure where the past few days have gone, but now I'm back culturally experiencing stuff.
Zatoichi's Revenge (1965)
[#135 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]
Zatoichi's Revenge (1965)
[#135 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]
Non-Fiction
Space Helmet for a Cow: The Mad, True Story of Doctor Who - Volume 1: 1963-1989 by Paul Kirkley
Chapter 4 (pages 143-162)
Chapter 4 (pages 143-162)
Sunday, 17 June 2018
this week on 100 Films
7 brand-new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
Lupin the Third: The Secret of Mamo (1978)
Almost Oscar-Worthy Review Roundup
Gangster Review Roundup
More next Sunday.
Lupin the Third: The Secret of Mamo (1978)
One of the major inspirations behind Lupin the 3rd’s creation was James Bond, and so, appropriately enough, this is a globetrotting adventure that takes in Transylvania, Egypt, France, Spain, the Caribbean, and Colombia. Similarly, it also showcases some great action scenes, particularly an extended car chase through Paris and then the mountains. Unlike Bond, there’s a definite cartoonishness to many of the antics, and the third act takes a turn into outright science-fiction that gets a bit crazy.Read more here.
Almost Oscar-Worthy Review Roundup
Each of these films was nominated for multiple Oscars… but failed to win a single one. Featuring Big, Frost/Nixon, and Lion.Read more here.
Gangster Review Roundup
Featuring City of God, RocknRolla, and Scarface.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 16 June 2018
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
This week: absolutely nothing to report.
Number of titles in collection: 2,115 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,157 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 958 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 5,397 [no change]
Number of films: 2,360 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,046 [no change]
Number of short films: 614 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
This week: absolutely nothing to report.
Number of titles in collection: 2,115 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,157 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 958 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 5,397 [no change]
Number of films: 2,360 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,046 [no change]
Number of short films: 614 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Thursday, 14 June 2018
Non-Fiction
Space Helmet for a Cow: The Mad, True Story of Doctor Who - Volume 1: 1963-1989 by Paul Kirkley
Chapter 4 (pages 117-142)
Chapter 4 (pages 117-142)
Wednesday, 13 June 2018
Non-Fiction
Space Helmet for a Cow: The Mad, True Story of Doctor Who - Volume 1: 1963-1989 by Paul Kirkley
Chapter 4 (pages 105-116)
A chapter longer than those on the First and Second Doctors combined, and almost twice as long as the Third Doctor's — which makes sense, really, given how long Tom Baker was in the role. But that's why I've only read a fraction of it so far.
Chapter 4 (pages 105-116)
A chapter longer than those on the First and Second Doctors combined, and almost twice as long as the Third Doctor's — which makes sense, really, given how long Tom Baker was in the role. But that's why I've only read a fraction of it so far.
Articles
David Lynch Refuses To Explain Twin Peaks: The Return: “Ideas Came, And This Is What They Presented”
by Damon Wise (from Deadline)
Pulling Triple-Duty For Twin Peaks Revival, Kyle MacLachlan On The Prospect Of Another Return
by Damon Wise (from Deadline)
I wasn't sure why these interviews were popping up, but I think it's a US awards season thing. Whatever, it's always good to hear more about Twin Peaks.
by Damon Wise (from Deadline)
Pulling Triple-Duty For Twin Peaks Revival, Kyle MacLachlan On The Prospect Of Another Return
by Damon Wise (from Deadline)
I wasn't sure why these interviews were popping up, but I think it's a US awards season thing. Whatever, it's always good to hear more about Twin Peaks.
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