TV

Desperate Romantics
Part 2 (of 6)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Kevin Bishop Show
2x01 Episode 1
I decided to give this ago because, a) I'd heard good things, and b) it also features Karen Gillan, the new Doctor Who companion. It's a sketch show, which these days is short hand for "at least some of it is entirely unfunny and goes on far too long", but overall it's relatively fast with some well-observed sketches (Gritty BAFTA is excellent) -- though it occasionally can't avoid the well-mined easy targets (when Top Gear itself has made jokes about how they're always on Dave it's a bit late to still be trying it on a sketch show).
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Mentalist
1x20 Red Sauce
A rather ludicrous episode... but then this is The Mentalist, so that makes it one of the best episodes. The show's really seen a return to form as the series heads towards its climax (only three more episodes to go).
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

You Have Been Watching
1x05 (4/8/09 edition)
As beautifully cutting as ever, especially about the dreadful Casualty season finale that I happened to mention the other day. Iron Chef America looks like pure genius though.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Articles

Mad Men: So Wrong It's Right by Helen O'Hara
(from the Empire Blog)
A nice piece on what makes Mad Men so brilliant (beyond the surface niceties of "good writing, good acting", etc).

The Top 10 Ridiculous Movie Face-Off Titles by Kim Newman
(from Empire)
Make sure to read the "Kim Newman explains his choices..." sidebar too. I always miss those bits.

TV

Arena
Harold Pinter: Celebration
Concluding part of Arena's acclaimed 2002 documentary/biography of the famous playwright.
Although it's very much a Part Two, not a second programme on the same subject, a shift in focus explains why it's not just one two-hour piece: it continues the first's chronological run through Pinter's life and works, but it is less straightforwardly biographical and a little more analytical, and turns away from Pinter's inspirations and internal life to discuss his public persona and the perception of him -- ironically, this in turn perhaps reveals more about the man than the first half managed.
It's an unusual documentary -- almost self-conscious, certainly more complex than an average biography or surface analysis -- but all the better for it. Certainly, I have a greater understanding of and interest in Pinter and his works than I did before viewing.

Dragons' Den
7x04 Episode 4
Clearly they've run out of Exciting Final Pitches, at least for now.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Wildest Dreams
Part 2 (of 7)
I fell asleep a couple of times during this. I blame Nick Knowles. Though, to be fair, bees and bats hold absolutely no interest for me.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Lovely Bones Trailer
This looks brilliant -- a great director, a great cast, and stunningly beautiful too. Can't wait.

Articles

How is Merlin faring in America? by Ben Rawson-Jones
(from Digital Spy)
Interesting. Well, almost.

How the euro crept into Britain by Marie Jackson
(from BBC News)
Bloody Europe.

How vital were Cold War spies? by Gordon Corera
(from BBC News)
Answer: "Quite. Well, maybe. Depending on your point of view." So, definitive then.

And one piece that doesn't begin "How"...

Radiohead: Harry Patch (In memory of)
(from Today at BBC News)
"World War I veteran Harry Patch will be buried tomorrow. The former plumber, who fought at the battle of Passchendaele in 1917, gave a memorable interview to Today in 2005. Thom Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead, was moved by the interview to write a tribute to the veteran. The song can be downloaded from the Radiohead website -- all profits will go to the Royal British Legion."
Surprising. But good.

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.