TV

Dexter
3x01 Our Father
Welcome back, Dexter Morgan, you have been missed! And I'm only starting it 8 weeks later than FX, but at least they were speedy on picking up from the US this year (only seven months since season two ended) so it's not been as long in total. I don't get FX, but the advantage of having acquired this season via, uh, other means is that I'm watching it in HD. Oo-ooh.
Not the show's greatest-ever episode, but a solid start to a new story. I admire Dexter's ability to come up with a new primary narrative while also managing ongoing character-based plots, something even the almighty Wire fumbled with in its second season.

Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire
1x03 Our Bounties Ourselves
Not as good as the first two, but it had its moments.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Mentalist
1x13 Paint it Red
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Films

The Apartment (1960)
[#36 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Articles

Ghostbusters 3 to avoid Indy problems by Simon Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
"...they hope" ends that headline, because it's not like they have a specific plan.

House movie heads up season six by Dan French
(from Digital Spy)
Be warned: huge spoilers for UK-pace viewers.

Mission: Impossible IV confirmed for 2011 by Simon Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
For all their faults I like the Mission: Impossible films, so I welcome this news.

Nolan 'won't return for more Batman'
and
Nolan 'may still direct Batman 3'
by Tim Parks (from Digital Spy)
"Chris Nolan probably isn't directing another Batman!"
"He might be!"
Proof you can spin many news stories out of... well, nothing.

Films

The Call of Cthulhu Trailer
Just received this on DVD and it looks great -- a faithful H.P. Lovecraft adaptation (a rare thing, I'm told) done in the style of early silent cinema by a group of die-hard fans. You can watch the trailer online here, or read more about it from this very site.

The Knack ...And How to Get It (1965)
[#34 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Son of Rambow (2007)
[#35 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]

Articles

Brand New Inglourious Basterds Poster by Emily Phillips
(from Empire)
That is cool. Click to see it super-large.

Is Michael Sheen Blofeld In Bond 23? by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire)
"No," basically, but it amazes me how many people went around reporting it as fact -- it originated in a tabloid for crying out loud!

TV

Friday Night With Jonathan Ross
16x19 (12/6/09 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

10 reasons gamers should be excited about iPhone 3.0 by Stuart Dredge
(from Pocket Gamer.co.uk)
I couldn't care less about most of their main reasons, but that little "oh, and also" bit at the bottom -- those are all the best bits for me.

MacLachlan to resurrect Twin Peaks? by Tim Parks
(from Digital Spy)
I love Twin Peaks, but I'm not sure this sounds like a great idea.
Also, Digital Spy is a British site, yet casually state that "Twin Peaks ran on ABC from 1990 to 1991" -- an American network which your average British reader may very well not be familiar with; and how about which channel and timespan it was on in the UK, eh? DS is far, far too desperate to be American-esque (their headlines are the same, frequently using commas when British style would be to use "and").

Science Friction by Jason Arnopp
(from Doctor Who Magazine #407)
aka "That Bidmead Interview" -- yep, I finally got round to reading it. It was certainly very interesting, and while he's clearly up himself and arguably wrong about what makes good Doctor Who, he also has some very good and well-reasoned points to make about the relaunched series' flaws.

Sheen to play next Bond villain? by Tim Parks
(from Digital Spy)
Sounds like a load of tabloid rumour-mongering to me, though Michael Sheen is excellent and would be a benefit to any film.

Shia LaBeouf talks Indy 5! by Owen Williams
(from Empire)
Looks like it's happening. Though it took Lucas decades to agree with anyone else last time (throwing out lots of apparently great scripts in the process), so we'll see.

new review at 100 Films

The Great Dictator (1940)

The style of humour can date, but The Great Dictator remains funny — arguably the real test of a good comedy. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but that’s a problem comedy faces whenever it’s made. Chaplin loads the film with inventive and timeless routines, like the upside-down-plane, the coin-in-the-pudding, or the classic dance with an inflatable globe.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 15 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats
8x02 (12/6/09 edition)

Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
1x02 Manchester
Nearly everyone on this is brilliant! A fantastically entertaining show.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Robin Hood
3x11 The Enemy of My Enemy
A decent enough episode -- though Lara Pulver's Isabella, who the writers now seem to be trying to make like Prince John, is a weak link -- but it was thoroughly overshadowed by the stonking trailer for next week's Season Finale Part 1. Looks ace.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

20 Mainstream Films Banned Around The World
(from Total Film)
Not really as exciting as it might sound -- they are, of course, all banned for no good reason by countries with ludicrous regimes.

Coldplay 'very likely' for New Moon by Lara Martin
(from Digital Spy)
Another reason to hate Twilight.

If Finding Nemo and WALL-E had human characters
(from Live For Films)
Mostly quite good, though not sure of the rendition of WALL-E himself. The Finding Nemo ones are great though.

Primeval dropped by ITV by Mark Sweney
(from guardian.co.uk)
No surprise considering its steady drop in quality (and audiences). Interesting that even suggestions of a co-production couldn't save it though. Normally I hate when a show is cancelled on a cliffhanger, however bad the show itself, but Primeval's was so weak I think we can all easily imagine how it was resolved.

Review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen by Nick de Semlyen
(from Empire)
See here for more.

Six new Red Dwarf episodes a possibility by Narin Bahar
(from SFX)
Great news (on the day the Back to Earth DVD hits shops).

Empire slates Transformers 2

Review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen by Nick de Semlyen
(from Empire)

I quite liked the first Transformers, but it sounds like this sequel might be a typically Bayian step too far.

It all looks good on paper, as does the added-value 150-minute run time. But it’s a case of same meal, bigger portion, with the flaws of the first not only present but accentuated. You’ll be even more hard pressed at the end of this one to remember which robot’s which...

Long before the final minute it’s become a numbing, wearying viewing experience... the novelty factor and some of the charm’s gone.

TV

Have I Got News For You
37x08 (12/6/09 edition; uncut repeat) [season finale]
Though it went by without fanfare, this is apparently the last episode of HIGNFY for now. Shame.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Stephen Tompkinson's African Balloon Adventure
Part 2 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Articles

3:10 to Yuma by Livius
(from Riding the High Country)
Excellent comparative criticism of the 1957 original and 2007 remake of 3:10 to Yuma.

Torchwood has succumbed to the story arc craze by Jonathan Wright
(from TV & Radio Blog at guardian.co.uk)
An hilariously poorly argued and thought-through article. The comments quickly become the best bit, especially when they get on to costume dramas. The ease with which the article's stupidity can be identified almost makes you feel sorry for its author... except, of course, it's his own damn fault.

TV

A lot of Grand Designs and Grand Designs Revisited. I have no idea which episodes, but I wound up sitting through quite a few.

Two snippets of Primeval 'news' though:

New star Jason Flemyng thinks the show is "sort of silly, but after the wedding...needs must!" And, posting on a fan forum, he adds, "guess you guys will be pleased though, its 10 eps....quality is sorta ok...think i just about get away with it... Its a bit silly,but it paid for the wedding!" High opinions there. (Sourced from here.)

Secondly, Ben Miller yesterday mentioned via his twitter that the show had been cancelled. There's been no other confirmation though.

Articles

Stay tuned for the first Transformers 2 review I've seen, at the end of this post...

7 Remakes That Should Be Remade by Sam Ashurst
(from Total Film)
A fairly amusing feature, notable for including the complete 90-minute Turkish Star Wars as an embedded video (on this page).

Neal Purvis, Robert Wade And Peter Morgan To Write Bond 23 by Matt Weston
(from CommanderBond.net)
The first official bit of news about the next Bond film. Hurrah!

Review: Jude Law in Hamlet by Caroline Briggs
(from BBC News)
The BBC's review, plus a summary of the papers'. Consensus seems to be he's not as good as David Tennant -- no surprises there. My favourite comes in the last review quoted however:
"The knives were out for Law from the moment it was announced that he was taking on the title role. Now they can be sheathed... Law's performance is detailed and powerful."
Amusing, because most of the other critics seem to be sticking those knives in...

Review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen by Mark Samuels
(from Total Film)
"Before a single reel of film had unspooled on the original Transformers, executive producer Steven Spielberg was confident enough to predict there would be “many, many more” adventures for Hasbro’s clanking ensemble of robots in disguise. “But,” he added, “we’re going to make the best one first...” Two years on... Revenge Of The Fallen proves the Beard right."
Keep up with Transformers 2 reviews here.

new review at 100 Films

Another new review at 100 Films today. Only having three FilmJournal links on the DVD Times front page now certainly spurs my posting on.

Solaris (2002)

A slow pace and obtuse storytelling that leaves plenty of gaps for the audience to fill is not the experience implied by an advertising campaign showing a Space Movie starring Movie Star Heartthrob George Clooney. Obviously it doesn’t fulfill these expectations, and will likely have still been too slow and difficult for even more viewers.

Read the full review at 100 Films.

There are currently 16 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

TV

Friday Night With Jonathan Ross
16x18 (5/6/09 edition)
Last week's edition, which caused such a stir on twitter.

Stephen Tompkinson's African Balloon Adventure
Part 1 (of 3)
Never has a title so succinctly summarised a series.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Articles

I Stole Your Images and Now I'm Suing You by Mike Lynch
(from Mike Lynch Cartoons)
Possibly the most ludicrous email you will ever read (and you have to read it, it's brilliant).

Manson: 'Columbine lost me everything' by David Balls
(from Digital Spy)
"Marilyn Manson has insisted that being associated with the Columbine massacre has significantly damaged his career... 'Blaming me for [Columbine] was ridiculous,' he told Kerrang." And he's right, really.

A pair of shorts for summer

Two new reviews of short films have been posted over at 100 Films today...

The Wraith of Cobble Hill (2005)

there’s no reason that any story shouldn’t be told in animated form… but sometimes, you have to wonder if it’s the best choice for the job. The Wraith of Cobble Hill is a perfect example for this debate as its modern, urban story seems to clash with the cartoonish style employed to bring it to the screen.

The Lunch Date (1990)

to attempt to describe the plot would be to give too much away, which would be a mistake because this is a beautifully shot (in grainy black & white) and performed tale with a distinct, yet subtle, character arc and an important, but not over-egged, moral message.

Read the full reviews at 100 Films.

There are currently 17 new films in the review pipeline at 100 Films. As ever, updates here as and when they're posted.

Poem of the Week: Limerick

by Roger McGough

Apologies for missing Poem of the Week last week. We're back on track with this:

Back in April I featured a poem from McGough's latest collection, Slapstick, called Gateway to the Atlantic. Here's another from that collection, which in part provided the inspiration for a couple of poems in my recently-submitted-for-assessment collection. I may share those here when the marks come back.

Anyway, back to McGough:

A poet passing through Limerick
Determined to write a fine limerick
He worked day and night
But try as he might
He never got the hang of the limerick.

Clever, eh? Though some won't be impressed. Just wait 'til you see mine...

As mentioned above, Limerick is taken from Slapstick (aka Slapstick Poems), McGough's 2008 collection published by Puffin.