TV

Derren Brown: Sacrifice
This is Derren Brown's third Netflix special... except the first two were just a Channel 4 special slightly re-edited, and a filmed stage show that I think had already aired on C4 (though I missed it then, so, er, I should watch that too). This is his first genuinely-original Netflix Original, though, and it's... not bad. Not his best special (it feels like a recombination of previous techniques to an ending that's only new in its specifics), but not a bad one either.
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Upstart Crow
3x06 Go On and I Will Follow [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Daredevil
3x07 Aftermath
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
[#218 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Unsane (2018)
[#219 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

TV

Daredevil
3x05 The Perfect Game
3x06 The Devil You Know
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

Rocky Balboa (2006)
[#217 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]
+ the audio commentary by writer/director/star Sylvester Stallone

TV

Daredevil
3x04 Blindsided
Including an impressive 11½-minute single-take fight scene, the creation of which is discussed in this article.
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Doctor Who
37x03 Rosa
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Producers (1967)
[#216 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

this week on 100 Films

It was already time for another TV roundup at 100 Films in a Year this week...





Plus, there were 6 brand-new film reviews...


Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)

enough cool costumes and bursts of ultra-violence to cut together a trailer that looks like a kinda-typical anime action-fest, but that’s really hiding a thoughtful, complicated (oh so complicated) drama about an unlikely romance and military conspiracies. If that sounds like a bizarre mix… well, it is. This is a film that likes to pull tricks on its audience, and one of the tricks it plays is to constantly wrongfoot you about what kind of movie it’s meant to be.

Read more here.


Mary and Max (2009)

It has an empathy for people who are disadvantaged and troubled, and for the importance of finding some measure of happiness in life, however small or awkward, that is quite touching. The heavily stylised designs, desaturated colour scheme, and stop-motion animation method suit the material well — there’s a lot of bleakness here, as both Mary and Max are battered by life, which juxtaposes effectively with the “kids’ picture book” visual aesthetic.

Read more here.


The Night Comes for Us (2018)

The whole storyline is quite perfunctory and rather something-and-nothing (and, considering that, gets a bit too much screen time), but it’s a sideshow because the real star is, of course, the action choreography. That’s as relentless and barmy as you’d expect given the pedigree of the cast and crew

Read more here.


Rocky V (1990)

I don’t quite see why Rocky V gets so reviled. It’s certainly not the best movie in the series — indeed, it’s probably the lowest point, lacking the realism of the early films, the entertaining ridiculousness of its immediate predecessors, and the feel-good zero-to-hero arc seen in all of those — but it’s a passable-enough drama in its own right.

Read more here.


Sartana’s Here… Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin (1970)

The third official Sartana movie is to this series what On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is to the Bond films: its one-shot leading man isn’t as good as the regular fella, but the film around him is a cut above.

Read more here.


Zatoichi's Vengeance (1966)

the action is the lesser element here, with some of it feeling almost perfunctory alongside the interesting ideas presented by the plot. It engages on multiple fronts. Firstly, there’s the young boy Taichi and Ichi’s potential influence on him. [...] Connected to this is the blind priest, a wise man who seems to see into Ichi’s very soul, and advises him on his interactions with the boy and, well, his lifestyle in general. [...] While both of these characters and their associated views of Ichi’s methods provide food for thought, perhaps my favourite part of the film is the subplot about a prostitute, Ocho, a kindhearted woman who’s revealed to have a tragic backstory

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Daredevil
3x03 No Good Deed
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

The Night Comes for Us (2018)
[#215 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Podcasts

The Empire Film Podcast
Mission: Impossible – Fallout Spoiler Special Part 3 ft. Christopher McQuarrie

Following on from parts one and two, another three hours of McQuarrie's priceless insights into the moviemaking process. Can't believe it's taken me this long to get round to finishing it, because it's so good.

Articles

Netflix Pulls The Plug On Luke Cage, No Season 3 For Marvel’s Harlem Hero
by Dominic Patten & Nellie Andrea (from Deadline)

Well, this is an unusual story. It's not like Iron Fist, which was cancelled presumably because of low ratings -- they've been working on Cage season 3 for months, apparently with the whole season plotted, half of it in detail, but creative disagreements between Marvel and Netflix have led to the latter just pulling the plug. Makes you wonder if a revival on Disney's forthcoming streaming service is on the cards, and also what the fate of the other Marvel/Netflix shows will be after their already-filming seasons are released.

Collection Count

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

A couple of new additions this week. Plus, it's once again that time of the month: the running time update! After the hu-uge one last month, it's only a lickle one this time; in fact, it's the smallest one since March.

Number of titles in collection: 2,155 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,153 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,002 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 2 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 5,527 [up 2]
Number of films: 2,404 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 8,294 [no change]
Number of short films: 636 [no change]

Total running time of collection (approx.):
408 days, 14 hours, and 8 minutes.
(Up 13 hours (exactly) from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Daredevil
3x01 Resurrection
3x02 Please
Two-and-a-half years since the end of season two, Daredevil's back! Of course, in between we've had The Defenders, which had a pretty significant impact on Daredevil -- any viewers who decided to skip that are gonna be confused!
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Upstart Crow
3x05 The Most Unkindest Cut of All
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Zatoichi's Pilgrimage (1966)
[#214 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Films

School of Rock (2003)
[3rd watch]
Rewatchathon 2018 #39. According to my records this was my third watch of School of Rock, which is weird because I only remember seeing it once. Are my records wrong, or my memory? Probably I saw it twice fairly close together or something. Anyhow, I've decided to trust past-me's record keeping.

TV

The Great Model Railway Challenge
1x01 Heat One: Classic Movies
1x02 Heat Two: British TV Shows
[Watch episodes one and two (again) on My5.]

Would I Lie To You?
12x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Matinee (1993)
[#213 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Films

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)
[#212 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Articles

LFF Review: They Shall Not Grow Old Honours Veterans But Not The Archive
by PH (from Silent London)
An interesting perspective on Peter Jackson's new World War I documentary, which is being positively talked-up most places.