TV

Arena
Harold Pinter: The Room
The first of a two-part documentary/biography of the famous playwright, originally screened in 2002 and recently repeated as part of a 'theme night' on BBC Four. While I can't say I've ever got on with Pinter's work, it is interesting, and this documentary is occasionally enlightening, and occasionally just as frustratingly obtuse as the man's plays.

As Seen on TV
1x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Top Gear
13x07 (2/8/09 edition) [season finale]
I've been put off Volkswagens for life by how irritatingly humourless those two ad men were. Jeremy's car ads, however, were among the best I've ever, ever seen.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Music

Torchwood: Children of Earth - Original Television Soundtrack by Ben Foster
Tracks 26 - 40

Articles

David Twohy Talks Riddick 3 by Owen Williams
(from Empire)
Vin Diesel's super-duper keen to star, apparently, but the size of his salary is one of the biggest potential problems. About as bright as he looks then, eh?

Review of Comrades DVD by Gary Couzens
(from DVD Times)
A nice review of the BFI's new DVD, mainly for the interesting perspective and history on the film and director Bill Douglas.

TV

Elementary My Dear Viewer
Documentary examining the history of Sherlock Holmes. Nothing too revelatory, but it has its moments of interest.

The Mentalist
1x19 A Dozen Red Roses
The Mentalist takes aim at Hollywood in another particularly good episode. OK, the actual mystery plot wasn't that amazing, but that's only half the fun in a series like this.
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

The Secret Millionaire
4x01 Kevin Morley
The true state our country is in can be really shocking. At the same time, when people like Morley do something to make a difference, it's incredibly heartwarming. Perhaps that's the charm of The Secret Millionaire: it makes you thoroughly depressed at how awful the world is for half the programme, then spends the second half building to a momentous and uplifting finale. Which I suppose is rather cynical of me, actually...
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Articles

Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series Blu-ray UK Release Detailed by Brenden
(from the Blu-ray Blog)
It's been confirmed (elsewhere) that the UK release will contain the same extras as the US (and there are loads), but it now seems the little Cylon action figure -- available with all DVD and Blu-ray copies in the US -- will only be available here with the DVD as an online exclusive. I don't care about it being online-only -- with prices being the way they are, online is by and large the only sensible way to buy DVD/Blu-ray -- but it's very frustrating that it's only available with the DVD. Why not a Blu-ray exclusive version too, eh?

Watchmen powers Blu-ray sales, studios to favour BD releasing for selected movies by HCC News Time
(from Home Cinema Choice)
I mentioned the story of Watchmen's home video success the other day, so it's the second part of this article that's caught my attention.
"Both Paramount and Disney are giving further emphasis to Blu-ray by releasing selected titles on the format before DVD versions ship in the US. The first Paramount movie to benefit... will debut on Blu-ray September 8. The DVD edition will initially only be available for rental, eventually appearing for sale between four to eight weeks later... ‘We have been strategically evaluating new and innovative ways to maximize retail opportunities for each individual title. We believe that a DVD rental window will increase revenue in that channel and that releasing a Blu-ray exclusively for sell-through will help drive adoption of the format, so it's a win-win scenario.’"
Win-win for them, yes, but not for DVD consumers. On the other hand, as someone who's now adopted Blu-ray, I can't say I'm complaining too much.

TV

The Mentalist
1x18 Russet Potatoes
A distinctly above-average episode, which managed to avoid some of the early traps I thought it might fall into (regarding the potential uses of hypnotism). Hurrah all round!
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

The Secret Millionaire
3x05 Carl Hopkins
A surprisingly uplifting programme, giving a new perspective on both millionaires (not all so self-obsessed after all) and deprived areas (not all full of worthless chavs after all).
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Tim Minchin: Live
aka Tim Minchin: So F***ing Rock Live
Highly intelligent and incredibly funny, Tim Minchin is a slightly different kind of stand-up. Not just because he's both intelligent and funny -- there are plenty like that around, most notably in this case Eddie Izzard, who Minchin is pleasantly reminiscent of -- but because of the style of his act.
For one, he does lots of comic songs. Minchin is clearly a gifted musician and lyricist, which makes these a proper musical/comedy joy, not just a brief aside now and then.
For another, the actual stand-up part of his act is... awkward. Yes, it's funny, but he takes time to warm into it and offers a lot of faintly philosophical observations rather than a stream of gags or humourous stories. It makes him atypical, but certainly worth the effort with the right frame of mind.

Films

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
[#39 in 100 Films in a Year 2009]
Marking out big gaps of time for me, this film: it's over a month since I last watched a film, and it's almost two years since I saw the companion film to this.

Articles

Review of Kagemusha (1980) by Cal
(from Heroes of the East)
It's rare to ever hear a bad word written about a Kurosawa film (in fact, I'm not sure I ever have), so it makes an interesting change to see one criticised. Still, if anyone could do it and retain my respect and interest, Heroes of the East is near the top of the list.

TV

Casualty
23x48 No Fjords in Finland Part 2 [season finale]
I didn't actually watch this, I happened to see the last 10 minutes. Normally I wouldn't mention such a minor happenstance, but I felt compelled to, because my God is it dreadful! I swear it wasn't as bad when I used to watch it (probably about 15 years ago now), but then maybe I just didn't have the critical faculties to assess it. I don't want to lay the blame at everyone's door -- the directing is adequate, the performances too (I've certainly seen a lot worse on prime time TV), but the writing is appalling, each scene and line of dialogue seemingly dragged wholesale from The Big Book Of Drama Cliches. What a pile of tosh.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Outnumbered
2x03 Episode 3 [2nd watch]
Came across this in the same way as last week, funnily enough, but it really does stand up to repeated viewings.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Proms 2009
Prom 22 A Celebration of Classic MGM Film Musicals
Live on BBC HD, with 5.1 Surround Sound -- lovely! The story behind this prom is pretty incredible (see today's Articles post for more) and the music was suitably glorious. I'm not a great one for the Proms (as you'll've noticed by their lack of mention here before now), though I often feel I should give them more of a go, but this filmy one appealed to me and it was certainly worth it. It was a huge surprise to hear Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane was performing at it, and perhaps even more surprising how right he was -- if you didn't know better you'd believe he was just a professional musicals performer.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

May starts building Lego house
(from BBC News)
Those Top Gear lads have the best ideas. I sincerely hope this is being filmed for a TV special sometime soon (I mean, it must be, surely).

Technicolor for the Ears: Reconstructing Hollywood's Musical Past by John Wilson
and
The Making of Make Believe and Programme Notes by David Benedict
(from BBC Proms - Prom 22: A Celebration of MGM Film Musicals)
Liner notes to accompany the 22nd 2009 Prom (read more about that in today's TV post).
The first piece is by the conductor, discussing the lengths he had to go to in preparing this concert -- unbelievably, all of the sheet music for MGM musicals was destroyed in 1969 -- while the second piece discusses the history of musicals more generally. Finally, the Programme Notes discuss each piece performed in more detail, though sadly (but unsurprisingly) skip the encore.
All three (and a bit more) can be read in a full digital version of the programme available here, while just the track-by-track programme notes are also available as a normal webpage here.

Watchmen Dominates Video Charts
(from WatchmenComicMovie.com)
"Watchmen shot to the top of the [US] home video sales and rental charts in its first week in stores, with 36% of the total unit sales coming from the high-definition edition. The 36% Blu-ray sales number is a record-breaking figure... The previous BD percentage record was for Quantum of Solace, released March 24, 2009, which got 28%...
Coraline snagged the No. 2 spot... A solid 18% of the cartoon's unit sales came from Blu-ray Discs, a surprisingly strong showing that indicates the format is fast moving out of the early adopter phase and into the mainstream."
Hurrah for Watchmen (follow the link for info on how it did in rental charts), but also interesting commentary on the rise of Blu-ray.

TV

Lee Mack Live
I didn't realise until about three-quarters of the way through this that I'd actually seen it before. I thought most of the jokes seemed familiar...

Top Gear
13x06 (26/7/09 edition)
Ooh, dinosaurs! I saw them live.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

You Have Been Watching
1x04 Weird TV Special
While The Jeremy Kyle Show is undeniably fowl, I think The Swan has to take the 'honours' as the worst TV programme in the history of the medium. It appears to be utterly depraved, lacking even one redeeming quality, and is enough to make you weep for the state of humanity. It's so horrendous that it is literally (as far as I'm concerned) not even funny.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

The Mentalist
1x17 Carnelian Inc.
I'm not sure if this was a really good episode or a surprisingly middling one. There were certainly too many similarities in its initial setup to an earlier episode, not to mention a good few inconsistencies when you really think about it. It can be quite nice that The Mentalist is even more lightweight than the likes of CSI, but sometimes you do wish for a bit more meat on its bones.
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Mock the Week
7x04 (30/7/09 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

DVD / Blu-ray

DVE Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics
If you've got a Blu-ray player or are serious about high-quality home entertainment, you may well have heard of this. Essentially, it's a Blu-ray Disc (formerly available in a DVD version) that helps you calibrate your system to get the best possible quality out of it (it focuses on the image quality, but also includes audio tests and some information).

As well as tests, guides and demo materials, it also includes a 97-minute documentary on these areas. I haven't watched that, but jumped straight to the calibration bits to get my display going. I checked out some bits however -- it seems a bit dry, certainly extremely technical, and in both these respects is definitely not for everyone. Some will be interested though -- me, for example, though I'm not sure how much I could handle in one sessions!

The disc is widely available from online retailers, plus there's a dedicated and information-packed website here.

Music

Torchwood: Children of Earth - Original Television Soundtrack by Ben Foster
Tracks 1 - 25

Articles

...but is it art? by Graham Kibble-White
(from Doctor Who Magazine #411, p.24-33)
In which Proper TV Critics give their view on where Doctor Who sits in the wider world of television. Perhaps not as comprehensive as it could have been, but then it's a subject you could probably write a whole book on, so for a magazine article (and a sizable one at that) it does a fine job.

Gibbons: 'Superman needs to be reimagined' by Simon Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
""Perhaps it would be a good idea to reimagine it the way that the Batman franchise was reimagined," he said [but] stressed that he felt it would be unwise to make the next Superman dark like Christopher Nolan's reconceived Batman series. "I've always thought of Superman and Batman as yin and yang. One is dark and mysterious and the other is bright and adventurous... my personal view is that they should make it lighter, with that sense of wonder that Superman has always had. Not to make it childish or puerile but to make it something that has a bright sense of adventure and possibility.""
Couldn't agree more.

Review of The Bill Douglas Trilogy Blu-ray
and
Review of Comrades Blu-ray
by Noel Megahey (from DVD Times)
Insightful reviews on two related and widely-recommended new releases.

the Virgin Media HD rip-off... is no surprise.

After months -- perhaps even years, depending how you look at it -- of promises, Virgin Media have finally launched some HD channels today (besides BBC HD, that is).

To get HD via Virgin you have to pay a £69 installation fee and £5 a month. Actually, no -- that's only if you argue with them on the phone, because otherwise they'll charge you either £99 or £150 for that.

But still, once that's set up you get all four current HD channels, with two more announced on the way. Right?

Wrong.

You get BBC HD, and rumour has it C4HD will be free when it arrives, but for their other channels you need to take out their more-expensive XL package. Yes, despite paying £5 every month for the privilege of having an HD box, you then need to pay however-much-more to actually get most of the HD content. Incidentally, there's no mention of this on their HD info page -- it just names the available channels -- and in the 'complete' list of channel-by-package, it conveniently doesn't list any of the HD ones.

It's a rip-off, but it shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, this is the company who insist on you taking an £11 monthly line rental for most (all? I didn't check) of their services... but don't include this £11 in the quotes slapped all over their site -- so when you sign up your monthly bill will always by £11 more than that nice low number advertised in such a big font. Yes there's a footnote to the effect of "when you take £11 line rental", but if it's always the case then why isn't it just included in the quote? To make the price look smaller, obviously.

Getting a vaguely equivalent package on Sky still works out more expensive... but, actually, not that much more -- and what you get for your extra cash is a massive load of extra HD channels and a more upfront approach to them. I don't say this as a Sky advocate, but as someone who took Virgin because they'd be cheaper and is now stuck in a long contract for a less-than-impressive service.

As you can tell, I'm not best pleased.

TV

Dragons' Den
7x03 Episode 3
Someone who goes to my Uni! Whoo!
Otherwise, not the most exciting episode.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats
8x08 Best Bits [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Desperate Romantics
Part 1 (of 6)
Desperate Romantics has come in for some criticism over its historical accuracy, but I found it to be rather fun.
Incidentally, the BBC's series website is actually worth checking out for once -- unlike most series, there's actually content there beyond press release episode summaries and iPlayer links.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Wildest Dreams
Part 1 (of 7)
Ah Nick Knowles, never knowingly saying something that isn't a cliche stating the bleedin' obvious. As for the series, it has a good heart -- helping wannabes become wildlife cameraman -- but is actually a huge con -- the prize, according to a recent Radio Times, is actually a much more lowly job in the BBC's wildlife department. So the contestants go through all this hardship to become something like a runner? Makes you feel kinda sorry for them...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Cox 'asked Fincher for directing advice' by Lara Martin
(from Digital Spy)
"Former Friends star Courteney Cox has revealed that she turned to Fight Club filmmaker David Fincher for advice about making her directorial debut."
Well, he did appear in an episode of (the underrated) Dirt, maybe he exec produced it as well or somesuch (I could look it up to find out, but I won't).

Jon Favreau 'confirms Iron Man 3' by Tim Parks
(from Digital Spy)
"He said: "There's an Iron Man 3. Here's how I know. When they make the option deals, they include Iron Man 3. So I know they're planning on 3.""
What non-news! I can't really believe Favreau really thinks optioning your cast & crew for future potential films confirms a franchise. Of course, only the second one flopping at the box office would keep it from happening, and that's not likely, but still...

Review: Watchmen Director’s Cut
(from WatchmenComicMovie.com)
Good coverage of the extended cut, and a relatively complete list of its changes can be found here. My Blu-ray copy is still making its way to me from Amazon US.

Tom Felton rejection 'really upsets' fan by Daniel Kilkelly
(from Digital Spy)
Headline makes it sound mean; truth is, fan was a bit loopy. Ah fans, you are a mad lot.

Wogan backs Norton at Eurovision
(from BBC News)
A tiny aside in the new Radio Times prompted this, BBC News' #1 entertainment story for some of today. Madness. Still, Norton was very good.

TV

Crip on a Trip
This is one of those Channel 4 documentaries that has a mildly offensive/outrageous title but hides a programme with some genuine worth and serious thought. Not normally the kind of thing I bother with, to be honest, but I happened to see the start of a repeat on teachers.tv and became engrossed.
[Watch it (again) on teachers.tv or 4oD.]

Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars Trailer
The San Diego Comic-Con trailer, as mentioned in the panel reports. Looks fantastic.