Blackadder's Christmas Carol
My Blackadder (re)watch fell over for no particular reason back in March (I've been meaning to resume it ever since, but without serious-enough intent to ever make it happen), but I'm jumping out of sequence now because otherwise, if/when I do resume the rewatch, when I get to this special I'll likely feel the need to pause again until whenever next Christmas is (at least a year from now, obv). Besides, it doesn't really matter if I watch them out of order. And this is one of the few episodes I'd never seen, so finally ticking it off was part of the purpose of the rewatch anyway.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Casualty
39x07 All I Want for Christmas [Christmas special]
Didn't intend to watch this, but the TV was still on (see The Wheel) and I ended up half-watching enough of it that I stuck with it even after I finished wrapping.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman
Been meaning to watch this since it first aired in 2015. It's ridiculous how long it takes me to get round to things... Anyway, it's a lovely overview of a great British institution, with plenty to cover so that its hour-long running time never runs out of steam. If anything, a little more detail in some places wouldn't hurt; and, of course, it's now nearly a decade out of date — an update bringing us into Aardman's "Netflix era" wouldn't hurt. Though maybe it should wait until that ends, which it surely will, similar to the Dreamworks period...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Wheel
5x10 Episode 10 [season finale]
Didn't actually intend to watch this — and I only half-watched it, really — because I put the TV on to find some music to wrap presents by, this was just starting, and I got somewhat sucked in. But, as I say, I only half-watched it, so it'l be interesting to see if I can still remember the answers when I watch it 'properly'.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Saturday, 21 December 2024
Films
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
[3rd watch]
[#100 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
For the first time since I initiated my new-style 100 Films in a Year Challenge in 2022, I've completed it! Hurrah! And what a quality note to end on. Can't wait for Vengeance Most Fowl on Christmas Day.
[3rd watch]
[#100 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
For the first time since I initiated my new-style 100 Films in a Year Challenge in 2022, I've completed it! Hurrah! And what a quality note to end on. Can't wait for Vengeance Most Fowl on Christmas Day.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
The final pre-Christmas update of 2024 sees seven new titles added to my collection, but you wouldn't immediately know it from the numbers below. That's because there's a DVD-to-BD upgrade (of a box set that previously contained nine films, but now has 12) and two BD-to-4K upgrades (one of which adds a pile of discs, an alternate cut, and a bonus feature film).
Number of titles in collection: 3,440 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 992 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,448 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 417 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,303 [up 17]
Number of films: 4,357 [up 13]
Number of additional cuts: 425 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,195 [no change]
Once upon a time, Christmas would've been one of my busiest disc weeks of the year. Nowadays, I might not even get any. Find out which way the pendulum has swung next week, faithful reader.
The final pre-Christmas update of 2024 sees seven new titles added to my collection, but you wouldn't immediately know it from the numbers below. That's because there's a DVD-to-BD upgrade (of a box set that previously contained nine films, but now has 12) and two BD-to-4K upgrades (one of which adds a pile of discs, an alternate cut, and a bonus feature film).
Number of titles in collection: 3,440 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 992 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,448 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 417 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,303 [up 17]
Number of films: 4,357 [up 13]
Number of additional cuts: 425 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,195 [no change]
Once upon a time, Christmas would've been one of my busiest disc weeks of the year. Nowadays, I might not even get any. Find out which way the pendulum has swung next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 20 December 2024
Fiction
A Book for Christmas by Selma Lagerlöf
The Princess of Babylon (translated by Peter Graves)
The Rat Trap (translated by Linda Schenck)
In Nazareth (translated by Peter Graves)
Redbreast (translated by Sarah Death)
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 20th: The Bordello Endemic (Conclusion)
The Princess of Babylon (translated by Peter Graves)
The Rat Trap (translated by Linda Schenck)
In Nazareth (translated by Peter Graves)
Redbreast (translated by Sarah Death)
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 20th: The Bordello Endemic (Conclusion)
Videos
Critical Role
A Daggerheart Critmas Story
CR's "Christmas special" is this entirely standalone live one-shot — which means I've actually been able to watch it rather than catch up on years of other stuff first. Hurrah!
Anyway, this was really good fun; even more so than the Session Zero led me to expect (and I enjoyed that too). It comes over like a great '80s Christmas/fantasy movie... or probably more like a modern '80s-set throwback-style Christmas/fantasy movie. Either way, it would've been a pretty fun movie, but with that not existing, it's super entertaining as what it is.
[Watch it (again) if you're a Member on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon. (Free to non-members on YouTube from Monday.)]
A Daggerheart Critmas Story
CR's "Christmas special" is this entirely standalone live one-shot — which means I've actually been able to watch it rather than catch up on years of other stuff first. Hurrah!
Anyway, this was really good fun; even more so than the Session Zero led me to expect (and I enjoyed that too). It comes over like a great '80s Christmas/fantasy movie... or probably more like a modern '80s-set throwback-style Christmas/fantasy movie. Either way, it would've been a pretty fun movie, but with that not existing, it's super entertaining as what it is.
[Watch it (again) if you're a Member on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon. (Free to non-members on YouTube from Monday.)]
Thursday, 19 December 2024
Fiction
A Book for Christmas by Selma Lagerlöf
The Legend of Saint Lucia's Day
(translated by Linda Schenck)
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 19th: The Bordello Endemic
The Legend of Saint Lucia's Day
(translated by Linda Schenck)
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 19th: The Bordello Endemic
Games
Syberia
After just over another hour of play, it's finally finished! Honestly, good riddance. I think if I hadn't chosen to play this, I probably would've completed more games this year — I've had this on the go since October, which might not sound like a huge amount of time (it's two months almost to the day), but the game's only about 10 hours long. If I'd been enjoying it, I probably would've burnt through that in a week. Instead, I've never felt much desire to return to it; I always had to force myself a little bit — including today. It's a month since I last played it, and I've started or toyed with several games since then, and now I just wanted it done. Quite how it's got so many positive reviews is beyond me.
Previously I mused that I'd probably end up wanting to play the sequels anyway (the same thing that happened with NPCs, essentially); but, even though the game ends on a tease for what comes next, the story just isn't interesting enough — especially when coupled with all the other flaws (atrocious dialogue, dull characters, boring gameplay) — to compel me to carry on. Unless I forget myself someday, I'm done with the world of Syberia.
After just over another hour of play, it's finally finished! Honestly, good riddance. I think if I hadn't chosen to play this, I probably would've completed more games this year — I've had this on the go since October, which might not sound like a huge amount of time (it's two months almost to the day), but the game's only about 10 hours long. If I'd been enjoying it, I probably would've burnt through that in a week. Instead, I've never felt much desire to return to it; I always had to force myself a little bit — including today. It's a month since I last played it, and I've started or toyed with several games since then, and now I just wanted it done. Quite how it's got so many positive reviews is beyond me.
Previously I mused that I'd probably end up wanting to play the sequels anyway (the same thing that happened with NPCs, essentially); but, even though the game ends on a tease for what comes next, the story just isn't interesting enough — especially when coupled with all the other flaws (atrocious dialogue, dull characters, boring gameplay) — to compel me to carry on. Unless I forget myself someday, I'm done with the world of Syberia.
Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Films
A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008)
[2nd watch]
The fourth and final (for now?) Wallace & Gromit short didn't blow me away as much as it did when I first saw it, but back then I watched it in isolation whereas now it's coming straight off the first three. It may not quite reach their heights, but it's damn close; in any other series, this would be a comfortable high watermark, but those others are just so good.
[2nd watch]
The fourth and final (for now?) Wallace & Gromit short didn't blow me away as much as it did when I first saw it, but back then I watched it in isolation whereas now it's coming straight off the first three. It may not quite reach their heights, but it's damn close; in any other series, this would be a comfortable high watermark, but those others are just so good.
Fiction
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 18th: The Cudgeled Constable (Conclusion)
December 18th: The Cudgeled Constable (Conclusion)
Games
Final Fantasy VII
What's this? Starting another game?! Yeah.
Well, here's the thing: I've recently discovered (or remembered, because I did know about some of these methods before) more ways of being able to play computer games (the disadvantage of owning a Mac is it's not always straightforward, though nowadays it's almost always possible; if you're machine's up to running a game, of course (I won't be playing Baldur's Gate 3 anytime soon)). And I've become more interested in gaming again since playing through the Monkey Islands (which was back in 2022 — these are the kind of timescales I operate on!) And older games are so cheap nowadays — I picked up this revered classic for under £4! New games cost an arm and a leg, I know, but diving into the back catalogue of games I've wanted to play for years (in some cases, for decades) has never been more affordable.
So that's why I'm trying multiple things out right now — different platforms; different games. And quite a few of these games I've been acquiring require dozens of hours to complete (FF7 is cited at 36–50 hours of gameplay for the main story, rising to 80+ if you're a completionist. I also recently got Baldur's Gate 1&2 and Neverwinter Nights for free via Amazon, which together are clocked at anything from 120 to 365 hours, depending on play style (and I err towards the latter, which is Completionist)), so it's a more pronounced choice which to devote my time to next (I've got dozens of games awaiting and I want to dive into them all at once!)
So, I'm not committing to 80+ hours of FF7 right now (although I did play for the best part of two hours today, mainly thanks to having to find a save point — it would've been considerably less if the game just let me save whenever I want!), but I'm giving it a go and, well, maybe.
Though, yeah, I do need to finish off that last bit of Syberia.
What's this? Starting another game?! Yeah.
Well, here's the thing: I've recently discovered (or remembered, because I did know about some of these methods before) more ways of being able to play computer games (the disadvantage of owning a Mac is it's not always straightforward, though nowadays it's almost always possible; if you're machine's up to running a game, of course (I won't be playing Baldur's Gate 3 anytime soon)). And I've become more interested in gaming again since playing through the Monkey Islands (which was back in 2022 — these are the kind of timescales I operate on!) And older games are so cheap nowadays — I picked up this revered classic for under £4! New games cost an arm and a leg, I know, but diving into the back catalogue of games I've wanted to play for years (in some cases, for decades) has never been more affordable.
So that's why I'm trying multiple things out right now — different platforms; different games. And quite a few of these games I've been acquiring require dozens of hours to complete (FF7 is cited at 36–50 hours of gameplay for the main story, rising to 80+ if you're a completionist. I also recently got Baldur's Gate 1&2 and Neverwinter Nights for free via Amazon, which together are clocked at anything from 120 to 365 hours, depending on play style (and I err towards the latter, which is Completionist)), so it's a more pronounced choice which to devote my time to next (I've got dozens of games awaiting and I want to dive into them all at once!)
So, I'm not committing to 80+ hours of FF7 right now (although I did play for the best part of two hours today, mainly thanks to having to find a save point — it would've been considerably less if the game just let me save whenever I want!), but I'm giving it a go and, well, maybe.
Though, yeah, I do need to finish off that last bit of Syberia.
Tuesday, 17 December 2024
Films
A Close Shave (1995)
[3rd or so watch]
More Wallace & Gromit, of course. Gotta wait til Saturday for Curse of the Were-Rabbit to be on TV (I could watch my DVD, but why when an HD version is imminent?), so I'll probably go out of order and watch A Matter of Loaf and Death before then. I don't think it really matters.
[3rd or so watch]
More Wallace & Gromit, of course. Gotta wait til Saturday for Curse of the Were-Rabbit to be on TV (I could watch my DVD, but why when an HD version is imminent?), so I'll probably go out of order and watch A Matter of Loaf and Death before then. I don't think it really matters.
Fiction
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 17th: The Cudgeled Constable
Dr. Watson Takes the Case
This book also includes the latter as a bonus story, after the end of the 'advent calendar' part (I skipped ahead). I assumed it would be something seasonally appropriate, but aside from a one-sentence mention of winter at the start, the tale has nothing to do with Christmas or even winter. Ho hum.
December 17th: The Cudgeled Constable
Dr. Watson Takes the Case
This book also includes the latter as a bonus story, after the end of the 'advent calendar' part (I skipped ahead). I assumed it would be something seasonally appropriate, but aside from a one-sentence mention of winter at the start, the tale has nothing to do with Christmas or even winter. Ho hum.
Monday, 16 December 2024
Films
A Grand Day Out (1989)
[3rd or so watch]
The Wrong Trousers (1993)
[3rd or so watch]
The first two Wallace & Gromit films, which I've seen I-don't-know-how-many times, but not at all recently (never in this blog's lifetime, and it's been running for almost 17 years!); which also probably means I haven't seen them anything like as often as I think I have. It's a moot point anyway, because however many times I've seen them, their brilliance is seared into my brain.
[3rd or so watch]
The Wrong Trousers (1993)
[3rd or so watch]
The first two Wallace & Gromit films, which I've seen I-don't-know-how-many times, but not at all recently (never in this blog's lifetime, and it's been running for almost 17 years!); which also probably means I haven't seen them anything like as often as I think I have. It's a moot point anyway, because however many times I've seen them, their brilliance is seared into my brain.
Fiction
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes for Christmas by Derrick Belanger
December 16th: The Mysterious Violinist (Conclusion)
December 16th: The Mysterious Violinist (Conclusion)
Sunday, 15 December 2024
Videos
Talks Machina
#117 'Reflections'
As I mentioned last time, this episode isn't available via Internet Archive, but you can find torrents for Brian W Foster-related content here.
#117 'Reflections'
As I mentioned last time, this episode isn't available via Internet Archive, but you can find torrents for Brian W Foster-related content here.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
A grand total of seven new titles this week, but three of them were upgrades so don't really show below.
Number of titles in collection: 3,436 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 993 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,443 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 414 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,286 [up 7]
Number of films: 4,324 [up 7]
Number of additional cuts: 423 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,195 [no change]
You might think next week would be quiet, what with it being the final update before Christmas, but nope, I'm expecting plenty of stuff — including yet more multi-film box sets. See you next week for all that, faithful reader.
A grand total of seven new titles this week, but three of them were upgrades so don't really show below.
Number of titles in collection: 3,436 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 993 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,443 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 414 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,286 [up 7]
Number of films: 4,324 [up 7]
Number of additional cuts: 423 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,856 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,195 [no change]
You might think next week would be quiet, what with it being the final update before Christmas, but nope, I'm expecting plenty of stuff — including yet more multi-film box sets. See you next week for all that, faithful reader.
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