Baking Made Easy
1x01 So Easy
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
How TV Ruined Your Life
1x03 Aspiration
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Outcasts
1x02 Episode 2
Well, that wasn't any better that the first. Still, at least it's not as unremittingly dire as The Deep.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Yes Minister
2x04 The Greasy Pole
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Monday, 14 February 2011
TV
Due South
2x14 All the Queen's Horses [2nd watch]
Episodes
1x05 Episode Five
I think I may be saying it every week now, but this just keeps improving. Hurrah!
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Glee
2x05 The Rocky Horror Glee Show
I don't normally watch Glee -- and on the strength of this, I don't intend to start. What a horrible way to ruin an excellent musical; all High School Musical-y and sanitised. Only an X Factor theme week version could possibly have been worse.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Outcasts
1x01 Episode 1
Well that was a bit disappointing. Too much blatant exposition, too much blatant mystery establishing, not to mention all the instances of weak dialogue and weak acting. Plus, of course the mentally ill character turns out to be a villain. Ugh. There's so much potential in the basic idea -- not to mention a fairly good cast and clearly a big budget -- but it looks likely to be squandered here. Shame. Huge shame, actually.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
2x14 All the Queen's Horses [2nd watch]
Episodes
1x05 Episode Five
I think I may be saying it every week now, but this just keeps improving. Hurrah!
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Glee
2x05 The Rocky Horror Glee Show
I don't normally watch Glee -- and on the strength of this, I don't intend to start. What a horrible way to ruin an excellent musical; all High School Musical-y and sanitised. Only an X Factor theme week version could possibly have been worse.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Outcasts
1x01 Episode 1
Well that was a bit disappointing. Too much blatant exposition, too much blatant mystery establishing, not to mention all the instances of weak dialogue and weak acting. Plus, of course the mentally ill character turns out to be a villain. Ugh. There's so much potential in the basic idea -- not to mention a fairly good cast and clearly a big budget -- but it looks likely to be squandered here. Shame. Huge shame, actually.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Sunday, 13 February 2011
TV
The British Academy Film Awards 2011
In case you didn't fancy totting up the numbers, The King's Speech unsurprisingly dominated this years BAFTAs with 7 wins, followed by The Social Network and Inception with 3 each (the former including two big'uns; latter all technical) and then, would you believe, Alice in Wonderland with 2.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Mentalist
3x12 Bloodhounds
The Tudors
4x02 Sister
In case you didn't fancy totting up the numbers, The King's Speech unsurprisingly dominated this years BAFTAs with 7 wins, followed by The Social Network and Inception with 3 each (the former including two big'uns; latter all technical) and then, would you believe, Alice in Wonderland with 2.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Mentalist
3x12 Bloodhounds
The Tudors
4x02 Sister
Films
Pocahontas (1995)
[2nd watch]
Shame about being massively historically inaccurate, because the songs are quite good (only quite good, mind) and it looks quite beautiful, especially in HD.
[2nd watch]
Shame about being massively historically inaccurate, because the songs are quite good (only quite good, mind) and it looks quite beautiful, especially in HD.
this week on 100 Films
7 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, all thanks to my David Fincher Week. They were...
Alien³: Special Edition (1992/2003)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Fight Club (1999)
The Game (1997)
Panic Room (2002)
Se7en (1995)
Zodiac: Director's Cut (2007/2008)
And tonight I'll post my review of his latest, The Social Network.
More -- including that -- next Sunday.
Alien³: Special Edition (1992/2003)
Despite this extended version being 26% longer, I still found it hard to spot much of the additional material... to an extent, it’s “a longer version with more of the same”, but I found it more coherent too. While the major plot beats still occur at the same time and in fundamentally the same way, perhaps the myriad tweaks have made it clearer just what’s going on?
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
a lot of Benjamin’s story might just as well be imagined with a life that runs forwards. The fact that he’s ageing backwards colours events, certainly; it gives it the surface sheen of a more unusual story; it gives motivations for some of his actions... but if he was a regular orphaned boy, it wouldn’t take much extra creativity to see the same tale work.
Fight Club (1999)
the twist works. It makes sense. “Sense” in the sense that the characters are mentally ill and we’ve been let into their experience — quite literally, an unreliable Narrator — but that fits. Clues are littered throughout. You can argue they’re not fundamental to the story — most are lines or asides that hint at it — but I don’t think it’s a nonsensical turn of events.
The Game (1997)
I’d intended for this review to be a defence — I’ve always really liked it, but it tends to get lost amongst Fincher’s more provocative and, yes, better films. [But] after a couple of watches it becomes like a holiday photo album: a nice record and reminder of good times had, rather than ones experienced anew.
Panic Room (2002)
Panic Room stands out as (arguably) Fincher’s most atypical film. Whereas his others are all epic, in one way or another, this is the exact opposite. It’s very contained, virtually the entire running time spent on one night in one house, alleviated only by brief outside bookends and a guided tour of the house at the start. Fortunately, it’s still an outstanding little thriller.
Se7en (1995)
Some claim that Se7en is no more than a standard murder thriller... In some respects they’re right, but in enough respects they’re wrong... It’s really the execution that makes it so much more. It’s in the performances, the way the characters are written, their subplots, the story’s pace, the cinematography, the music, individual sequences that rise not only to the top of the genre but to the top of the very medium itself.
Zodiac: Director's Cut (2007/2008)
What’s different? Very little. It’s not just because I haven’t watched it for so long that the changes passed by unnoticed: five minutes of new material comes mostly in 15-second-ish snippets of dialogue... this material wasn’t missed in the theatrical version, but it all brings something to the film, be that a spot of humour, a character beat or added clarity to the investigation.
And tonight I'll post my review of his latest, The Social Network.
More -- including that -- next Sunday.
Saturday, 12 February 2011
TV
Faulks on Fiction
Part 1 The Hero
An interesting look at the history of the novel. Faulks makes for a good presenter, especially in the way he's able to stay still (as opposed to flapping his arms around and jiggling his head all over the place) when he talks, something some of his interviewees would benefit from learning. That said, someone needs to buy the cameraman a tripod -- why must the image wobble and vibrate when someone's just being interviewed?! And it all gets a bit too up itself and Literary toward the end. But that aside, quite good.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The Great Outdoors
1x03 Episode 3 [season finale]
Series finale? Not sure. Would be nice if they made more.
House
7x09 Larger Than Life
How I Met Your Mother
6x08 Natural History
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Not Going Out
4x06 Life on Mars Bars [season finale]
Looks like Not Going Out might be over -- again -- because apparently Tim Vine wants to leave. Considering how central he is to the series, that may well be the end. Again.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Part 1 The Hero
An interesting look at the history of the novel. Faulks makes for a good presenter, especially in the way he's able to stay still (as opposed to flapping his arms around and jiggling his head all over the place) when he talks, something some of his interviewees would benefit from learning. That said, someone needs to buy the cameraman a tripod -- why must the image wobble and vibrate when someone's just being interviewed?! And it all gets a bit too up itself and Literary toward the end. But that aside, quite good.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The Great Outdoors
1x03 Episode 3 [season finale]
Series finale? Not sure. Would be nice if they made more.
House
7x09 Larger Than Life
How I Met Your Mother
6x08 Natural History
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Not Going Out
4x06 Life on Mars Bars [season finale]
Looks like Not Going Out might be over -- again -- because apparently Tim Vine wants to leave. Considering how central he is to the series, that may well be the end. Again.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Friday, 11 February 2011
TV
Due South
2x13 White Men Can't Jump to Conclusions [2nd watch]
The Graham Norton Show
8x15 (4/2/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
2x13 White Men Can't Jump to Conclusions [2nd watch]
The Graham Norton Show
8x15 (4/2/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Films
The Social Network (2010)
[#18 in 100 Films in a Year 2011]
Concluding my David Fincher Week with his latest, out on UK DVD and Blu-ray this coming Monday. It's up for a total of eight Oscars, the ceremony for which is in just over a fortnight.
[#18 in 100 Films in a Year 2011]
Concluding my David Fincher Week with his latest, out on UK DVD and Blu-ray this coming Monday. It's up for a total of eight Oscars, the ceremony for which is in just over a fortnight.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
One new thing this time: The Social Network (out on Monday), just in time for the end of David Fincher Week.
Number of titles in collection: 1,265 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,100 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 165 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 3,161 [up 2]
Number of films in collection: 1,340 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,660 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
One new thing this time: The Social Network (out on Monday), just in time for the end of David Fincher Week.
Number of titles in collection: 1,265 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,100 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 165 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 3,161 [up 2]
Number of films in collection: 1,340 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,660 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
TV
10 O'Clock Live
1x03 (3/2/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
The Killing [aka Forbrydelsen]
1x06 Day 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Yes Minister
2x03 The Death List
1x03 (3/2/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
The Killing [aka Forbrydelsen]
1x06 Day 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Yes Minister
2x03 The Death List
Films
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
[#17 in 100 Films in a Year 2011]
The first of two new films to close out my David Fincher Week. I don't quite know why it's taken me so long to get round to this one, but it certainly has been a (relatively) long time -- the UK theatrical release was two years ago this week!
[#17 in 100 Films in a Year 2011]
The first of two new films to close out my David Fincher Week. I don't quite know why it's taken me so long to get round to this one, but it certainly has been a (relatively) long time -- the UK theatrical release was two years ago this week!
Articles
Sky News facing Sky Atlantic probe by Andrew Laughlin
(from Digital Spy)
Will Shane Black Direct Iron Man 3? by Borys Kit & Pamela McClintock
(from Heat Vision at The Hollywood Reporter)
I didn't even know Jon Favreau had stepped down. Black's a good choice though -- he wrote and directed the excellent Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which would seem to have more or less the right tone for an Iron Man film. He also wrote Lethal Weapon, but that was 24 years ago so let's not hold it against him.
(from Digital Spy)
Ofcom is to investigate whether Sky News broke broadcasting regulations governing editorial independence by giving "undue prominence" to the launch of the Sky Atlantic channel.Ha.
Will Shane Black Direct Iron Man 3? by Borys Kit & Pamela McClintock
(from Heat Vision at The Hollywood Reporter)
I didn't even know Jon Favreau had stepped down. Black's a good choice though -- he wrote and directed the excellent Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which would seem to have more or less the right tone for an Iron Man film. He also wrote Lethal Weapon, but that was 24 years ago so let's not hold it against him.
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
TV
The Killing [aka Forbrydelsen]
1x05 Day 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Top Gear
16x03 (6/2/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
1x05 Day 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Top Gear
16x03 (6/2/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Films
Zodiac: Director's Cut (2007)
[#16c in 100 Films in a Year 2011]
Continuing my David Fincher Week. I watched the theatrical cut of Zodiac as #64 in 2008 (on 25th September, to be precise; getting on for 2½ years ago -- Christ, time flies!) This Director's Cut adds around five minutes of footage, which in this case isn't enough to earn it a new number.
[#16c in 100 Films in a Year 2011]
Continuing my David Fincher Week. I watched the theatrical cut of Zodiac as #64 in 2008 (on 25th September, to be precise; getting on for 2½ years ago -- Christ, time flies!) This Director's Cut adds around five minutes of footage, which in this case isn't enough to earn it a new number.
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
TV
Fast and Loose
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
How TV Ruined Your Life
1x02 The Lifecycle
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
No Ordinary Family
1x06 No Ordinary Visitors
It was all going so well, until the dramatically implausible final few minutes. If only awkward people had such total personality changes so easily in real life.
Yes Minister
2x02 Doing the Honours
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
How TV Ruined Your Life
1x02 The Lifecycle
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
No Ordinary Family
1x06 No Ordinary Visitors
It was all going so well, until the dramatically implausible final few minutes. If only awkward people had such total personality changes so easily in real life.
Yes Minister
2x02 Doing the Honours
Films
Panic Room (2002)
[#16b in 100 Films in a Year 2011; 3rd watch]
Continuing my David Fincher Week. This is another 'lesser Fincher', and yet still a fantastic little thriller.
[#16b in 100 Films in a Year 2011; 3rd watch]
Continuing my David Fincher Week. This is another 'lesser Fincher', and yet still a fantastic little thriller.
Articles
Boyle's Frankenstein to screen in cinemas by Simon Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
I just hope they release it on DVD (preferably, Blu-ray) as the chances of my making it to one of the screenings is very slim, and to both nigh impossible -- and it's the same for plenty of other interested viewers too, I'm sure, not least those seeing the play only once who'd like to see it 'the other way round', as t'were.
Don't Look Now named best British film by Mayer Nissim
(from Digital Spy)
Well there's an unusual choice then.
(from Digital Spy)
I just hope they release it on DVD (preferably, Blu-ray) as the chances of my making it to one of the screenings is very slim, and to both nigh impossible -- and it's the same for plenty of other interested viewers too, I'm sure, not least those seeing the play only once who'd like to see it 'the other way round', as t'were.
Don't Look Now named best British film by Mayer Nissim
(from Digital Spy)
Well there's an unusual choice then.
Monday, 7 February 2011
TV
Due South
2x12 Some Like It Red [2nd watch]
BBC Two didn't show episode 11, Starman, due to tennis overrunning, but rather than just do the sensible thing -- show it in the next Due South slot -- they just skipped it and kept going. Common sense, sadly, does not prevail.
Episodes
1x04 Episode Four
While I enjoyed this from the outset, I feel it improves as it goes on.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
2x12 Some Like It Red [2nd watch]
BBC Two didn't show episode 11, Starman, due to tennis overrunning, but rather than just do the sensible thing -- show it in the next Due South slot -- they just skipped it and kept going. Common sense, sadly, does not prevail.
Episodes
1x04 Episode Four
While I enjoyed this from the outset, I feel it improves as it goes on.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
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