Desperado (1995)
[#69 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Fiction
Doctor Who: The New Adventures
Timewyrm: Apocalypse by Nigel Robinson
Prologue
Chapters 1–2
The third book in the opening tetralogy of the New Adventures — you can read my concluding thoughts on books one and two there. According to GoodReads users, this is clearly the worst of the bunch (the only one to drop below a 3.0 rating); indeed, it's considered one of the worst in the entire NA series: the retired Doctor Who Novel Rankings puts it second to last, while community reviews site The Time Scales currently has it 'beaten' by only four others from the 61-book range. But you've gotta get through this to get to book four, which some say is one of the very best, so...
Timewyrm: Apocalypse by Nigel Robinson
Prologue
Chapters 1–2
The third book in the opening tetralogy of the New Adventures — you can read my concluding thoughts on books one and two there. According to GoodReads users, this is clearly the worst of the bunch (the only one to drop below a 3.0 rating); indeed, it's considered one of the worst in the entire NA series: the retired Doctor Who Novel Rankings puts it second to last, while community reviews site The Time Scales currently has it 'beaten' by only four others from the 61-book range. But you've gotta get through this to get to book four, which some say is one of the very best, so...
Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Fiction
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
The Sword in the Stone Chapters 19–24
That's the end of The Sword in the Stone, though far from the end of The Once and Future King — four more books to go (though I think Sword is the longest part).
I must say, it's been a bit of a slog at times (there's a reason it's taken me four months to get through this relatively slim section, and it's not just "been busy with other things" (which, of course, I have to some extent)), but there are also some fantastic passages, not least in this final stretch. So, though it's somewhat frustrating as a book unto itself, I'm hoping it will ultimately sit better as the opening salvo in a grander story. Indeed, I enjoyed this final stretch enough that I considered going straight on to the second part, but my plan all along has been to take a break after each volume* to read something else (or maybe a couple of somethings, we'll see) before I continue.
* I am very, very bad at reading long books, but pretty successful at reading short ones; so five books averaging under 200 pages each seems much, much more achievable than an 844-page epic.
The Sword in the Stone Chapters 19–24
That's the end of The Sword in the Stone, though far from the end of The Once and Future King — four more books to go (though I think Sword is the longest part).
I must say, it's been a bit of a slog at times (there's a reason it's taken me four months to get through this relatively slim section, and it's not just "been busy with other things" (which, of course, I have to some extent)), but there are also some fantastic passages, not least in this final stretch. So, though it's somewhat frustrating as a book unto itself, I'm hoping it will ultimately sit better as the opening salvo in a grander story. Indeed, I enjoyed this final stretch enough that I considered going straight on to the second part, but my plan all along has been to take a break after each volume* to read something else (or maybe a couple of somethings, we'll see) before I continue.
* I am very, very bad at reading long books, but pretty successful at reading short ones; so five books averaging under 200 pages each seems much, much more achievable than an 844-page epic.
Games
Fighting Fantasy
Shadow of the Giants by Ian Livingstone
Er, does this belong in Games or Books? Because it's a book, but, like, it's a game book... I've gone with Games because, really, it's a game in book form: it requires a pencil (to keep track of your stats, etc) and a pair of dice (though it has a clever alternative if you don't have any to hand), and you jump around as you make decisions rather than progressing in a linear fashion like a novel — I wouldn't be able to cite a chapter or page count for where I'm up to, for example (I suppose I could count how many pages I'd read along the way, but that would be a bit sad — and if the guy who runs this blog thinks that would be sad...)
Anyway, I played for about an hour, and made a right hash of it: I died twice, without feeling like I’d got very far into the narrative (whether I had or not, it's hard to tell with all the flipping back and forth). The first time I made a bad choice so just went back a step, like reloading a save game; the second time, the sum of my poor decisions caused me to lose an (apparently) unavoidable combat. At that point, it only made sense to start over. But I know a bunch of pitfalls to avoid next time! And there will be a next time, because I did enjoy it. I would’ve enjoyed it more if I’d done better at it, but that’s sort of on me, isn’t it?
Shadow of the Giants by Ian Livingstone
Er, does this belong in Games or Books? Because it's a book, but, like, it's a game book... I've gone with Games because, really, it's a game in book form: it requires a pencil (to keep track of your stats, etc) and a pair of dice (though it has a clever alternative if you don't have any to hand), and you jump around as you make decisions rather than progressing in a linear fashion like a novel — I wouldn't be able to cite a chapter or page count for where I'm up to, for example (I suppose I could count how many pages I'd read along the way, but that would be a bit sad — and if the guy who runs this blog thinks that would be sad...)
Anyway, I played for about an hour, and made a right hash of it: I died twice, without feeling like I’d got very far into the narrative (whether I had or not, it's hard to tell with all the flipping back and forth). The first time I made a bad choice so just went back a step, like reloading a save game; the second time, the sum of my poor decisions caused me to lose an (apparently) unavoidable combat. At that point, it only made sense to start over. But I know a bunch of pitfalls to avoid next time! And there will be a next time, because I did enjoy it. I would’ve enjoyed it more if I’d done better at it, but that’s sort of on me, isn’t it?
Videos
Critical Role
2x53 Cornered [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
I've decided to remove the Games tag from all previous and future Critical Role posts (unless I'm actually playing a Critical Role game (which do exist, but I don't own any (yet))). This is because I recently tried to look up some previous posts for when I had actually played games and had to wade through hundreds of CR posts, which seemed counterproductive. The Games tag does sort of make sense (these aren't 'just' Videos, they're Videos of Games) but, in practice, it gets in the way of what the Games tag is supposed to be for (i.e. when I play games). I doubt this actually affects anyone (because I presume no one actually reads this blog), but I mention it just in case.
2x53 Cornered [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
I've decided to remove the Games tag from all previous and future Critical Role posts (unless I'm actually playing a Critical Role game (which do exist, but I don't own any (yet))). This is because I recently tried to look up some previous posts for when I had actually played games and had to wade through hundreds of CR posts, which seemed counterproductive. The Games tag does sort of make sense (these aren't 'just' Videos, they're Videos of Games) but, in practice, it gets in the way of what the Games tag is supposed to be for (i.e. when I play games). I doubt this actually affects anyone (because I presume no one actually reads this blog), but I mention it just in case.
Monday, 9 September 2024
Films
Incendies (2010)
[#68 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2024 #8
[#68 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2024 #8
Sunday, 8 September 2024
Audio Drama
Doctor Who: The Third Doctor Adventures
13x06 Revolution in Space Episode Six [finale]
+ the final behind-the-scenes featurette on CD3
I really didn't intend to wait a whole month between the penultimate and final episodes of this serial (indeed, if I'd had complete freedom, I'd've listened to it the next day), but sometimes life just gets in the way.
It's certainly no reflection on the quality of the story, which was very good. Originally I ignored Big Finish's releases with recast Doctors (surely half the point of what BF do is to bring back the original actors?), but I heard Tim Treloar's Third Doctor in one of their anniversary anthology stories and was impressed. Nonetheless, I only bought this particular story because it was offered in a bundle with October's Third Doctor release, The Quintessence (billed as a gothic story featuring the Cybermen, it could scarcely be more up my street), and the bundles are always better value than a single release, and this sounded good enough to be worth a punt. I'm glad I did.
13x06 Revolution in Space Episode Six [finale]
+ the final behind-the-scenes featurette on CD3
I really didn't intend to wait a whole month between the penultimate and final episodes of this serial (indeed, if I'd had complete freedom, I'd've listened to it the next day), but sometimes life just gets in the way.
It's certainly no reflection on the quality of the story, which was very good. Originally I ignored Big Finish's releases with recast Doctors (surely half the point of what BF do is to bring back the original actors?), but I heard Tim Treloar's Third Doctor in one of their anniversary anthology stories and was impressed. Nonetheless, I only bought this particular story because it was offered in a bundle with October's Third Doctor release, The Quintessence (billed as a gothic story featuring the Cybermen, it could scarcely be more up my street), and the bundles are always better value than a single release, and this sounded good enough to be worth a punt. I'm glad I did.
Comics
X-Men #1 by Jed MacKay & Ryan Stegman
I've been (supposedly) getting back into reading regular comics for a while now — my first post about it was in February 2023, and that acknowledges I'd already been buying for about five months. My initial plan was to get caught up on 2000 AD, then start on my literal pile of US comics (as referenced in June 2023). The fact I'm filling in this backstory now probably indicates how well that's gone — i.e. not very. But, today, I'm finally starting... with a new(-ish) release, rather than any of my two-year-ish backlog. At least I'll be up-to-date on something.
Why this one, then? Well, Volume 7 or 8 of X-Men (sources vary, but either way: crikey! That's the perceived need for constant renumbering for you) begins the line-wide "From the Ashes" relaunch. Relaunches are really about attracting new/lapsed readers by indicating a new era or starting point in the narrative. I guess it's worked this time, in the sense that it's got me picking up various X-books. And that's why I intended to start reading straight away: because I've signed up for three or four of these titles, and rather than let them pile up for years, I'm gonna find out if I actually enjoy them now (you know, like a normal person would: actually reading the stuff I've bought. What a shocking concept).
That hasn't quite gone to plan: this series is already up to #3 (although I've only just received my copies of #2 and #3), but it's sort of ok, because the third of the three main series only began this week, so I'm not that far behind... so long as I do actually start them all soon, and keep them up...
I've been (supposedly) getting back into reading regular comics for a while now — my first post about it was in February 2023, and that acknowledges I'd already been buying for about five months. My initial plan was to get caught up on 2000 AD, then start on my literal pile of US comics (as referenced in June 2023). The fact I'm filling in this backstory now probably indicates how well that's gone — i.e. not very. But, today, I'm finally starting... with a new(-ish) release, rather than any of my two-year-ish backlog. At least I'll be up-to-date on something.
Why this one, then? Well, Volume 7 or 8 of X-Men (sources vary, but either way: crikey! That's the perceived need for constant renumbering for you) begins the line-wide "From the Ashes" relaunch. Relaunches are really about attracting new/lapsed readers by indicating a new era or starting point in the narrative. I guess it's worked this time, in the sense that it's got me picking up various X-books. And that's why I intended to start reading straight away: because I've signed up for three or four of these titles, and rather than let them pile up for years, I'm gonna find out if I actually enjoy them now (you know, like a normal person would: actually reading the stuff I've bought. What a shocking concept).
That hasn't quite gone to plan: this series is already up to #3 (although I've only just received my copies of #2 and #3), but it's sort of ok, because the third of the three main series only began this week, so I'm not that far behind... so long as I do actually start them all soon, and keep them up...
this week on 100Films.co.uk
No new film reviews on 100Films.co.uk again this week — but, hanging over from last week, there was the second part of my August monthly review: the "failures"...
More, hopefully, next Sunday.
More, hopefully, next Sunday.
Saturday, 7 September 2024
Videos
Talks Machina
#100 'Xhorhas'
This show is always A Bit Weird if you ever stop to remember what happened later, but it's especially weird here, where the whole cast of Critical Role turn up to celebrate the 100th episode and begin by cheering Foster en masse. If what went down later was big enough to be TV news, that clip would definitely get used in coverage.
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
#100 'Xhorhas'
This show is always A Bit Weird if you ever stop to remember what happened later, but it's especially weird here, where the whole cast of Critical Role turn up to celebrate the 100th episode and begin by cheering Foster en masse. If what went down later was big enough to be TV news, that clip would definitely get used in coverage.
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Two big bulk orders this week, the latter of which only arrived this morning. The first: a bunch of pre-orders from 88 Films. Well, they were pre-orders when I placed them, but some have been out for a couple of weeks now as my order waited for the final title(s) to be released. (I don't mind — I got a discount, and it's not like I race to watch stuff anyway.)
The second: another large order of US titles. Again, prompted by a discount code and a couple of new releases I really wanted... but then you get an even better discount ordering in bulk, and somehow I always find even more stuff I want, and so my initial plan to order two, maybe three, titles ended up at... um, ten.
Also of note, my DVD collection increases by two this week. After finally dropping below 1,000 titles, it's perilously close to going back over! And it wasn't supposed to be: one of those US titles, I ordered the DVD instead of the Blu-ray by mistake. I wasn't even aware there was a DVD version (looking online, the only reviews are for the Blu-ray), so I wasn't being circumspect. Quite frustrating... but also, they're very old films in quite a poor state — every review acknowledges the weak PQ — so I decided I may as well keep the DVD, rather than having to pay extra money for a not-free return and upgrade.
So, might my DVDs actually go back up above 1,000? Nah, probably not — I very rarely buy any, and next week they'll drop again anyway. That's good, in the sense that I didn't want to be hokey-kokey-ing around with the 1,000 mark.
Number of titles in collection: 3,371 [up 15]
Of which DVDs: 999 [up 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,372 [up 13]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 387 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,118 [up 23]
Number of films: 4,162 [up 23]
Number of additional cuts: 397 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,791 [up 12]
Number of short films: 1,171 [up 3]
As you can see, every category increased this week — a truly rare occurence (even on the rare occasion they all change, it's usually with DVD going down). And it's a completely full set of changed stats too, because it's time for the latest monthly running time update...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
569 days, 19 hours, and 2 minutes.
(Up 3 days, 1 hour, and 18 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Two big bulk orders this week, the latter of which only arrived this morning. The first: a bunch of pre-orders from 88 Films. Well, they were pre-orders when I placed them, but some have been out for a couple of weeks now as my order waited for the final title(s) to be released. (I don't mind — I got a discount, and it's not like I race to watch stuff anyway.)
The second: another large order of US titles. Again, prompted by a discount code and a couple of new releases I really wanted... but then you get an even better discount ordering in bulk, and somehow I always find even more stuff I want, and so my initial plan to order two, maybe three, titles ended up at... um, ten.
Also of note, my DVD collection increases by two this week. After finally dropping below 1,000 titles, it's perilously close to going back over! And it wasn't supposed to be: one of those US titles, I ordered the DVD instead of the Blu-ray by mistake. I wasn't even aware there was a DVD version (looking online, the only reviews are for the Blu-ray), so I wasn't being circumspect. Quite frustrating... but also, they're very old films in quite a poor state — every review acknowledges the weak PQ — so I decided I may as well keep the DVD, rather than having to pay extra money for a not-free return and upgrade.
So, might my DVDs actually go back up above 1,000? Nah, probably not — I very rarely buy any, and next week they'll drop again anyway. That's good, in the sense that I didn't want to be hokey-kokey-ing around with the 1,000 mark.
Number of titles in collection: 3,371 [up 15]
Of which DVDs: 999 [up 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,372 [up 13]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 387 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,118 [up 23]
Number of films: 4,162 [up 23]
Number of additional cuts: 397 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,791 [up 12]
Number of short films: 1,171 [up 3]
As you can see, every category increased this week — a truly rare occurence (even on the rare occasion they all change, it's usually with DVD going down). And it's a completely full set of changed stats too, because it's time for the latest monthly running time update...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
569 days, 19 hours, and 2 minutes.
(Up 3 days, 1 hour, and 18 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 6 September 2024
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