The British Academy Film Awards 2010
Most of this year's awards went quite well -- very pleased for The Hurt Locker, Colin Firth, and in particular Carey Mulligan, as well as Avatar being justifiably overlooked. Shame, then, that the audience award became the Internet Fangirl Award For Rising Star. Blood Twilight.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Films
Deja Vu
[#24 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Despite the incessant insistence of my spellchecker, the film's not actually called Déjà Vu. (Except on posters and DVD covers and what have you. Oh, it's swings and roundabouts.)
Doctor Faustus (1967)
[final two-thirds; #23 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Yep, it's taken six weeks to get round to finishing this. (Six weeks?! Christ.) Not my fault, in fact; but still...
[#24 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Despite the incessant insistence of my spellchecker, the film's not actually called Déjà Vu. (Except on posters and DVD covers and what have you. Oh, it's swings and roundabouts.)
Doctor Faustus (1967)
[final two-thirds; #23 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Yep, it's taken six weeks to get round to finishing this. (Six weeks?! Christ.) Not my fault, in fact; but still...
Saturday, 20 February 2010
TV
Argumental
3x03 (16/2/10 edition)
The Bubble
1x01 (19/2/10 edition)
I had high hopes for this show... luckily, it lived up to them.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Doctor Who Series One/Five/31 Trailer
Looks to me like they got too obsessed with it being 3D in cinemas and forgot to produce something that was exciting in its own right. The clip-filled one from Christmas built anticipation better, if you ask me.
[Watch it (again) on the official site.]
How I Met Your Mother
4x18 Old King Clancy
[Watch it on 4oD from 8th April (probably).]
Let's Dance for Sport Relief
Episode 1 (of 4)
The chances of anyone beating Robert Webb's instant-comedy-classic dance from last year are slim, but... well, you never know...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Mentalist
2x01 Redemption
It's been a whole six months since The Mentalist was last on British screens, so it's nice to finally have it back. Plus, they've found a way to make the Red John case last a bit longer and be a bit different: give it to another unit who have no interest in Jane. I just hope they don't drag this out too long...
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]
3x03 (16/2/10 edition)
The Bubble
1x01 (19/2/10 edition)
I had high hopes for this show... luckily, it lived up to them.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Doctor Who Series One/Five/31 Trailer
Looks to me like they got too obsessed with it being 3D in cinemas and forgot to produce something that was exciting in its own right. The clip-filled one from Christmas built anticipation better, if you ask me.
[Watch it (again) on the official site.]
How I Met Your Mother
4x18 Old King Clancy
[Watch it on 4oD from 8th April (probably).]
Let's Dance for Sport Relief
Episode 1 (of 4)
The chances of anyone beating Robert Webb's instant-comedy-classic dance from last year are slim, but... well, you never know...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Mentalist
2x01 Redemption
It's been a whole six months since The Mentalist was last on British screens, so it's nice to finally have it back. Plus, they've found a way to make the Red John case last a bit longer and be a bit different: give it to another unit who have no interest in Jane. I just hope they don't drag this out too long...
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]
Films
Frankenstein, aka Dean Koontz's Frankenstein (2004)
[#22 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Speed Racer (2008)
[#21 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
[#22 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Speed Racer (2008)
[#21 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Articles
Review of American VI: Ain't No Grave by Johnny Cash by Andy Gill
(from The Independent)
Positive review of Johnny Cash's final studio album (that's what they said last time, but it looks like they mean it now), out on Monday. It dropped through my letterbox yesterday but I've not had a chance to listen yet.
(from The Independent)
Positive review of Johnny Cash's final studio album (that's what they said last time, but it looks like they mean it now), out on Monday. It dropped through my letterbox yesterday but I've not had a chance to listen yet.
Friday, 19 February 2010
DVD Extras
"Bogdanovich, Kaiser, Koerber & Lang" audio commentary on M (aka "Commentary #2")
Second of two audio commentaries on the new Masters of Cinema edition of M, featuring comments from filmmaker/filmfan Peter Bogdanovich, restoration expert (and restorer of M) Martin Koerber, and comments from director Fritz Lang recorded in 1965, all introduced by Torsten Kaiser (who also offers the odd comment of his own). It's an informative listen, with a good mix between Lang's thoughts/memories and Koerber's restoration notes, with a couple of asides from Kaiser and Bogdanovich
Zum Beispiel: Fritz Lang (1968)
[#20a in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Odd little short film/DVD extra that contains an interview (of sorts) with Lang. (Reviewed on 100 Films here.)
Second of two audio commentaries on the new Masters of Cinema edition of M, featuring comments from filmmaker/filmfan Peter Bogdanovich, restoration expert (and restorer of M) Martin Koerber, and comments from director Fritz Lang recorded in 1965, all introduced by Torsten Kaiser (who also offers the odd comment of his own). It's an informative listen, with a good mix between Lang's thoughts/memories and Koerber's restoration notes, with a couple of asides from Kaiser and Bogdanovich
Zum Beispiel: Fritz Lang (1968)
[#20a in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Odd little short film/DVD extra that contains an interview (of sorts) with Lang. (Reviewed on 100 Films here.)
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
This week, just one purchase... but the discovery of a DVD I'd sold that was left in the list, plus an error on the number of episodes in one TV box set, and more-or-less everything holds still... or even goes down. Don't expect to see that happen too often in the future.
Number of titles in collection: 1,146 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,076 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 70 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 2,798 [down 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,212 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 3,874 [down 8]
Statistic of the week:
With my Blu-ray collection hitting a nice round 70 this week (I wonder if it'll make 100 before I've had the thing a year. Probably; maybe I should wonder if it'll make 150?), I thought I'd echo the second half of the above statistics, but about BDs only. So...
Number of Blu-ray titles in collection: 70 (6.1% of the total)
Number of Blu-ray discs in collection: 137 (4.9% of the total)
Number of films on Blu-ray: 81 (6.7% of the total)
Number of TV episodes on Blu-ray: 129 (3.3% of the total)
This also includes a couple of films that are actually in SD, while excluding a couple of alternate versions of movies (such as the export cut of The Big Switch included on Man of Violence, or the British version of M). Nor does it include the odd episode of TV included as an extra (such as Doctor Who Confidential), which is true across the whole collection. And a couple of releases also include a DVD amongst their BDs, so that second number is technically inaccurate. Still, swings and roundabouts...
See you next week, faithful reader.
This week, just one purchase... but the discovery of a DVD I'd sold that was left in the list, plus an error on the number of episodes in one TV box set, and more-or-less everything holds still... or even goes down. Don't expect to see that happen too often in the future.
Number of titles in collection: 1,146 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,076 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 70 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 2,798 [down 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,212 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 3,874 [down 8]
Statistic of the week:
With my Blu-ray collection hitting a nice round 70 this week (I wonder if it'll make 100 before I've had the thing a year. Probably; maybe I should wonder if it'll make 150?), I thought I'd echo the second half of the above statistics, but about BDs only. So...
Number of Blu-ray titles in collection: 70 (6.1% of the total)
Number of Blu-ray discs in collection: 137 (4.9% of the total)
Number of films on Blu-ray: 81 (6.7% of the total)
Number of TV episodes on Blu-ray: 129 (3.3% of the total)
This also includes a couple of films that are actually in SD, while excluding a couple of alternate versions of movies (such as the export cut of The Big Switch included on Man of Violence, or the British version of M). Nor does it include the odd episode of TV included as an extra (such as Doctor Who Confidential), which is true across the whole collection. And a couple of releases also include a DVD amongst their BDs, so that second number is technically inaccurate. Still, swings and roundabouts...
See you next week, faithful reader.
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Non-Fiction / DVD Extras
"M": The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray Series #9 (DVD booklet), edited by Jess Fulton & Andrew Utterson
A typically informative booklet from MoC, accompanying their new release of M on DVD and Blu-ray (out Monday).
Writings include Fritz Lang himself discussing the film, once in 1931 and looking back in an interview from 1963; details on a missing scene from early in the film (the most complete surviving version, restored from numerous prints, is seven minutes short of the original running time); and a discussion of the French and English versions of the film, which as well as dubbing include some re-shot scenes, including Peter Lorre's first performance in English.
I suppose one might argue the booklet's short on analysis, but when the disc includes two full-length audio commentaries that feature two film scholars, a restoration expert, an historian, and filmmaker (and commentator extraordinaire) Peter Bogdanovich -- not to mention excerpts from interviews with Lang -- it's hard to justifiably complain, I think.
A typically informative booklet from MoC, accompanying their new release of M on DVD and Blu-ray (out Monday).
Writings include Fritz Lang himself discussing the film, once in 1931 and looking back in an interview from 1963; details on a missing scene from early in the film (the most complete surviving version, restored from numerous prints, is seven minutes short of the original running time); and a discussion of the French and English versions of the film, which as well as dubbing include some re-shot scenes, including Peter Lorre's first performance in English.
I suppose one might argue the booklet's short on analysis, but when the disc includes two full-length audio commentaries that feature two film scholars, a restoration expert, an historian, and filmmaker (and commentator extraordinaire) Peter Bogdanovich -- not to mention excerpts from interviews with Lang -- it's hard to justifiably complain, I think.
Articles
We're Watching: Green Screen Shatter Our TV
(from current)
A showreel for a visual effects company might sound a little dull, but this is pretty impressive. OK, some shots are obviously visual effects, and others obviously have to be, but what they pull off in others is nothing short of incredible. Who'd've thought there was so much fakery just to do city streets, for example, particularly in Ugly Betty -- in particular, the shot that begins 30 seconds in. It might look like nothing, but that's what makes it so impressive when you see the greenscreen replay.
(from current)
A showreel for a visual effects company might sound a little dull, but this is pretty impressive. OK, some shots are obviously visual effects, and others obviously have to be, but what they pull off in others is nothing short of incredible. Who'd've thought there was so much fakery just to do city streets, for example, particularly in Ugly Betty -- in particular, the shot that begins 30 seconds in. It might look like nothing, but that's what makes it so impressive when you see the greenscreen replay.
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
TV
How I Met Your Mother
4x14 The Possimpible
4x15 The Stinsons
[Watch these episodes on 4oD from 11th & 18th March (probably).]
Law & Order: UK
2x06 Honour Bound [season finale]
As with the mid-season finale -- sorry, season one finale -- this goes down the "this time it's personal" route. Better, though, the good guys finally actually win a case! Who'd've thunk it?
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
4x14 The Possimpible
4x15 The Stinsons
[Watch these episodes on 4oD from 11th & 18th March (probably).]
Law & Order: UK
2x06 Honour Bound [season finale]
As with the mid-season finale -- sorry, season one finale -- this goes down the "this time it's personal" route. Better, though, the good guys finally actually win a case! Who'd've thunk it?
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Articles
Time for a good laugh at Twilight...
Twilight trio "not close" to Dawn deals by Simon Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
And so on.
(Incidentally, apologies if anyone wanted those links to go to information on the actual things. And by "apologies" I mean "click on the links, I put some effort into making them mildly amusing".)
Twilight trio "not close" to Dawn deals by Simon Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
studio Summit Entertainment hasn't secured the trio past a fourth feature and is planning to split the [fourth] book... into two 3D films. Should Breaking Dawn be released in two parts, Summit will have to renegotiate Pattinson, Stewart and Lautner's contracts at considerable cost.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
And so on.
(Incidentally, apologies if anyone wanted those links to go to information on the actual things. And by "apologies" I mean "click on the links, I put some effort into making them mildly amusing".)
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
TV
24
7x19 2:00AM - 3:00AM
QI
7x12 Gravity (extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Survivors [2008]
2x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
7x19 2:00AM - 3:00AM
QI
7x12 Gravity (extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Survivors [2008]
2x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Monday, 15 February 2010
TV
24
7x18 1:00AM - 2:00AM
And so Main Plot #3 comes to an end -- after, what, five episodes? -- and it's time for Main Plot #4. One wonders how the first few seasons ever survived with just two or three -- and those were usually natural developments (like the progression of the virus in season three) rather than whole new Even Bigger Villain Behind The Last One restarts that the last few seasons have subsisted on.
Mock the Week
8x04 (11/2/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Tinga Tinga Tales
1x04 Why Owl's Head Turns All the Way Round
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
7x18 1:00AM - 2:00AM
And so Main Plot #3 comes to an end -- after, what, five episodes? -- and it's time for Main Plot #4. One wonders how the first few seasons ever survived with just two or three -- and those were usually natural developments (like the progression of the virus in season three) rather than whole new Even Bigger Villain Behind The Last One restarts that the last few seasons have subsisted on.
Mock the Week
8x04 (11/2/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Tinga Tinga Tales
1x04 Why Owl's Head Turns All the Way Round
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Films
Elektra (2005)
[#19 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
[#18 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
[#19 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
[#18 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Articles
Southwest Bosses Apologise To Smith
(from WENN)
Since when did Kevin Smith have anything at all to do with Gigli?
(from WENN)
Since when did Kevin Smith have anything at all to do with Gigli?
Sunday, 14 February 2010
TV
From the Earth to the Moon
Part Twelve Le Voyage Dans La Lune [final episode]
Every episode of this series has had its own distinct identity, but this is nonetheless an odd closing instalment. The documentary-style voiceover jars, even if it fits with the faked modern interviews with aged-up actors; and then there's the flashbacks to Georges Méliès making Le Voyage dans la lune, just to cement the half-thought-out juxtapositional weirdness. Strange.
Part Twelve Le Voyage Dans La Lune [final episode]
Every episode of this series has had its own distinct identity, but this is nonetheless an odd closing instalment. The documentary-style voiceover jars, even if it fits with the faked modern interviews with aged-up actors; and then there's the flashbacks to Georges Méliès making Le Voyage dans la lune, just to cement the half-thought-out juxtapositional weirdness. Strange.
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