TV

Downton Abbey
2x08 Episode 8 [season finale]
Cliffhangertastic! I wonder if we can look forward to a resolution in the Christmas special or if they'll make us wait until series three?
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Junior Bake Off
Episode 9 (of 13)
The first semi-final, and suddenly two kids get to go through. I guess we can look forward to a three-part final then? Odd.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Jury
2x05 Part 5 (of 5)
I can't say I buy everything that happened here -- the clunky political subplot, for instance; or how the yob and, actually, most of the jurors were ultimately convinced to vote "not guilty" (an 11-1 or even 10-2 split would've been more plausible). It's also interesting how many little things were similar to the first series, for instance how the jurors chose their foreman -- either there is actually some evidence of what goes on inside jury rooms and, by some weird coincidence, most behave the same way, or screenwriter Peter Morgan knows what he'd do and keeps applying it to other people.
Still, overall it was very good.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Pointless
3x40 (8/11/10 edition)
The 100th edition! Oo-ooh.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Cars (2006)
[#90 in 100 Films in a Year 2011]
This is renowned as Pixar's weakest film and, while I haven't quite seen all of them, I can certainly see why. It's distinctly average; when the rest of their output ranges from "very good" to "exceptional", that makes it seem especially poor.

DVD Extras

The Inspiration for Cars
A short featurette (only around 7 minutes long) on the Cars DVD, in which director John Lasseter discusses the various things from his personal life that led to the film's creation. I think it gives some insight into why the finish project feels a little self-indulgent.

Articles

Doctor Who Series Six DVD REVIEW by Ian Berriman
(from SFX)
It's a REVIEW. A REVIEW!
Silly title capitalisation aside, this is a refreshingly balanced take on Who's past season. "Remember when watching Doctor Who was fun?" I did enjoy the season overall, but crikey I know what Berriman means.
Plus, criticism for the slightly lackadaisical treatment the new series DVD releases get these days; criticism with which I wholeheartedly agree.

A daily dose of sci-fi - Day 7

Best non-human character

As "best robot" is coming up tomorrow and "best villain" was yesterday, this is essentially "best alien character"; who could be a villain, I suppose, but isn't just a monster.

Yoda

I could've had the Doctor again here, of course, but including him twice might be a bit much. Or I could have gone slightly less obvious and had Zaphod Beeblebrox from Hitchhiker's.

But the thing is, despite his obviousness, Yoda is brilliant. He's wise. He's funny. He's surprisingly handy with a lightsaber. He's just cool.

And everyone's tried to speak like Yoda -- you can say that about how many characters, hmm?


Read about a daily dose of sci-fi, with links to the rest of the series, here.

this week on 100 Films

2 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

Clash of the Titans (2010)

It’s massively flawed in many areas, but good bits occasionally shine through. Unlike most blockbusters of the past few years, which tend to be bloated affairs in need of a good chop down, it would actual benefit from being a bit longer — some plot elements could do with greater clarity, most of the characters could do with some depth.

Magicians (2007)

If you like people saying rude words, particularly in relation to sexual activities, then you’ll find lots to laugh at here. If you don’t like that kind of thing, there’ll be lots to cringe at. If you don’t mind it… well, you won’t mind it. There are other funny bits, mind. None of it’s particularly big or clever, but it elicited laughs regularly enough to keep it entertaining.

More next Sunday.

TV

Children in Need 2011
Being the post-midnight stuff, of course, which this year was back to being mostly repeats unfortunately. Great total though -- the highest ever by over £5 million!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Family Guy
It's a Trap!
Family Guy complete their run through the original Star Wars trilogy with this spoof of Return of the Jedi, released on DVD & Blu-ray last December and later aired (in an edited form) as the end of season nine back in May.
And that's it, because they're not bothering with the prequels. Unless they change their minds, of course. Which I doubt.

House
8x05 The Confession
Some people have been really laying into this series of House, but I've liked it. However, I do agree that getting the old team back in this episode gives it a real boost.

The Jury
2x04 Part 4 (of 5)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Merlin
4x08 Lamia
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Pointless
3x39 (5/11/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Spy
1x04 Codename: Bookclub
I think this is the best comedy on TV right now. Love it.

In the unlikely event anyone is curious, I've now decided to give up on Wilfred. Having watched the first four episodes a while ago, I just don't care enough to spend another three-and-a-bit hours of my life watching the rest.

A daily dose of sci-fi - Day 6

Best sci-fi villain

Science fiction is one of those genres that finds itself full of moustache-twirling megalomaniacs. While it may be fun to watch the scenery-chewing antics of the likes of the Master or Agent Smith, the best villain is one who's a little more complicated.

Apologies, because if you haven't read or seen Watchmen I'm about to massively spoil it.

Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias

Despite the fact "comic book villain" would likely be used as an insult to name an obviously villainous villain, there are actually a couple of great ones in that medium. Take Magneto, for instance, the primary villain in much of X-Men: he's the former best friend of heroic leader Charles Xavier and does what he does because he thinks it's the best thing for his maligned, oppressed race. Not exactly a villain for the sake of it, is he?

Ozymandias goes even further, perhaps. He starts the film as one of the gang of heroes; indeed, as far as we know, he is one for most of the story. But behind the scenes he's being A Bit Naughty, murdering people and plotting to change the world. Like all the best villains, he has a genuine goal he thinks is the right thing to do.

Unlike most, he wins.

How many villains can you think of that win? And not just "win for a bit... until the heroes defeat them", but win-win; win so that a new status quo is set up in which they have won; win so that the heroes except it and move on, rather than constantly plotting to overthrow the villain. And win cleverly, too: he doesn't describe his plot to the heroes while they have a chance of stopping it -- it's enacted 35 minutes before they even arrive.

That's why Veidt wins this -- because he succeeds; or, to put it another; is the best at it.


Read about a daily dose of sci-fi, with links to the rest of the series, here.

TV

Children in Need 2011
More CiN tomorrow (because of the post-midnight stuff, obv.).
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
42x05 (11/11/11 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

QI
9x10 Inland Revenue (XL edition)
[Watch QI XL (again) on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

Precisely no new titles again this week, but it is time for the always-exciting running time update, so at least there's that. There's a handful of DVDs and Blu-rays winging their way to me across the Atlantic, so maybe they'll be here for next time.

Number of titles in collection: 1,399 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,141 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 258 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 3,476 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,488 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,270 [no change]

As I said, time for the running time update...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
251 days, 6 hours, and 36 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 8 hours, and 5 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

A daily dose of sci-fi - Day 5

Best sci-fi hero

If I'm not careful this will become a catchphrase for this series, but... there are many great heroes in sci-fi (just insert topic of the day instead of "heroes"), but one stands out as the best choice...

The Doctor

I know, I said I'd try not to have too much Doctor Who, and that's 60% of answers so far, but hush, it's right.

The thing is, the Doctor's the most heroic of all heroes, because he doesn't need a weapon or an army or any of that palaver to win the day -- he just uses his brain. And often his mouth. He always fights for what's right, he's never selfish or cowardly, and he's prepared to lay down his life for his friends... or even people he barely knows. He's funny, too. Jokes are cool.

There are many great heroes in sci-fi, and at least a few that can boast most of the above traits... but I can't think of anyone else who has them all.


Read about a daily dose of sci-fi, with links to the rest of the series, here.

TV

Argumental
4x02 Episode 2

Life's Too Short
1x01 Episode 1
This seems to have had quite a mixed reception. It wasn't great -- a bit too much "The Office + Extras" -- but it had its moments.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Graham Norton Show
10x04 (11/11/11 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Pointless
3x38 (4/11/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Rev.
2x01 Episode 1
Time flies: the first series of Rev. ended 15 months ago! There I was wondering if it had just been on earlier this year. Anyway, great to have it back.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Fiction

Wikihistory by Desmond Warzel
I'd never heard of this story before, but apparently it's "beloved" and "oft-quoted". It's only a short'un, which is nice, and takes the form of a series of message board postings for a group of time travellers, who have to keep fixing each other's mistakes. Neat.

Articles

Bafta must recognise wordsmiths by James Moran
(from the pen is mightier than the spork)
They've just added an award for reality TV to the BAFTAs. Not necessarily surprising or bad in itself, but this is an awards ceremony that has (to quote the article) "six acting awards in total. Drama and comedy shows are rightly split into single drama, drama series, mini-series, continuing drama, comedy and situation comedy. Directing... gets three categories – factual, fiction and multi-camera. Sound and editing get two each." How many writing awards? One. It's not even split into Drama and Comedy. And that's ridiculous, as Moran outlines.

eBay to open UK high street store by Mark Langshaw
(from Digital Spy)

The internet retailer will open its first brick and mortar shop on London's Dean Street as part of a five-day experiment during the Christmas period...

eBay's store will not have tills or any products that customers can take away with them. Display models of the website's 200 most popular items will be affixed with a QR code that shoppers can scan with a smartphone to gain access to eBay's online checkout. Eight table computers will be readily available on site for customers to browse the eBay website and purchase their goods online.

Well, that's certainly... something that will be happening...

How good is the Friends pilot? by Andrew Ellard
(from Storify)
More on TV writing. Here, script editor Ellard demonstrates how the first episode of Friends is "so good that you know 4 characters after 7 LINES." That's some impressive writing.

A daily dose of sci-fi - Day 4

Best sci-fi heroine

I think this is the first day I've really struggled with, mainly because I kept thinking of fantasy heroines, for whatever reason. But sticking to a decidedly sci-fi universe, I'll choose...

Sarah Jane Smith

She might not go round wielding huge weapons like a James Cameron or Joss Whedon heroine*, but -- much like the Doctor -- that's part of what makes Sarah Jane so amazing.

Over 30 years after her first appearance in a classic kids' TV series, she was given the starring role in her own kids' series, the lead hero. But she was a hero before that, too, being arguably the first sustainable modern female companion in Doctor Who (previous attempts at Independent Modern Women, like Liz Shaw, floundered and were dropped).

And that makes her an even better choice, because before she was the lead in her own series she wasn't just the Doctor's chum along for the ride, she was a hero in her own right.


Read about a daily dose of sci-fi, with links to the rest of the series, here.

* P.S. I apologise for dragging Whedon characters down to a Cameron level like that. It was wrong of me.

TV

It's Children in Need on Friday, which means there won't be time for me to catch up on last Friday's shows as I usually do; which means today and tomorrow will be filled with all their usual stuff, plus Friday's... hence this long list:

Ask Rhod Gilbert
2x08 Episode 8 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Frozen Planet
Part 3 Summer
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

How I Met Your Mother
7x02 The Naked Truth
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
3x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Live at the Apollo
7x02 Episode 2
I am shocked to discover Lee Nelson can actually be funny. I mean, the character is still fundamentally annoying, but some of his material was quite good.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Mentalist
4x01 Scarlet Ribbons
Well, that was fairly obviously what was going to happen. Shame in many ways, it would've been interesting for the show to move on beyond its never-ending Red John constraint. Ah well.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Pointless
3x37 (3/11/10 edition)
I love it whenever I get a pointless answer, but particularly when I do it in the final, and I was particularly particularly pleased to do it in the final on a tricky Sherlock Holmes question. Yay for me.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Spy
1x03 Codename: Grades
This might be the best comedy on TV right now. And it's on Sky. What?

Articles

Is Rogue Trooper Heading to Hollywood? by Karl Keily
(from Comic Book Resources)
Looks like 2000 AD might be hitting the big screen big-style -- as well as next year's Dredd, they currently have two other movies in development/discussions. Exciting times.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 – review by Author
(from the Guardian)
I couldn't care less about The Twilight Saga, but this one-star review is rather amusing. The best bit is at the end:

The vampire drama of Twilight is all about the romantic agony of eternity, and this franchise feels like it's going on for ever.

A daily dose of sci-fi - Day 3

Favourite sci-fi book/story

I don't read as much as I watch TV or films, certainly not these days, so this category is a bit tougher for me. A few different things spring to mind, especially once I started trying to think of a Proper Serious Book to nominate. But this is "favourite", so I went back round to my original thought...

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams

It's a comedy sci-fi book, this is true, and so not as obviously Important as something like, say, The War of the Worlds or Dune (both of which I also loved). But as well as writing things that are really very funny indeed, Adams packs his text full of ideas and concepts, wittily explained. I mean, what is the titular guide if not an intergalactic Wikipedia on an iPad?

And this is from a novel (originally a radio series, true) written in 1979!

That's why, as well as for being really very funny indeed, Hitchhiker's deserves its place as a classic of the genre.


Read about a daily dose of sci-fi, with links to the rest of the series, here.

TV

Death in Paradise
1x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Pointless
3x36 (2/11/10 edition)
I do wish some contestants didn't feel the need to give their life story before each answer.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Romanzo Criminale
1x01 Episode 1
Having just discovered I actually get both Sky Arts channels on my TV package now (I certainly didn't before -- I know, because I wanted them), I'm catching up on this vaunted Italian crime drama (described as "the Italian Killing" by Radio Times), which fortunately they repeated the first half of in two triple bills last weekend. It's quite grim and complex, but what else would you expect from a European drama about '70s Italian gangsters?

Comics

Animal Man #3 by Jeff Lemire & Travel Foreman

Lemire's story continues to be excellent, balancing Buddy and his daughter inside The Red with a substantial storyline for his wife and son out in the 'real world'. This role for Buddy's family remains Animal Man's strongest point, in my opinion, and based on the plot I imagine it's going to stay that way -- there are certainly some interesting developments this issue.

Foreman's art I'm less sure of. It's disgusting -- I mean, it's meant to be, but wow those beasts and deformed people are horrid. I don't know much about the comics rating system but I'm surprised this passes for Teen+ -- surely there's a Mature category, and this belongs in it? Nonetheless, while it's not pleasant, it's at least meant to be; but as the issue goes on I get the sense the art's becoming hurried -- there are less detailed backgrounds, a much less clean style (one of the defining characteristics in the first issue, I'd say), a kind of grubbiness that suggests it's not been tidied up. Maybe it's deliberate, but the fact it seems to slide throughout the issue also makes me wonder if he's struggling with DC's newly strict deadlines.


Batman and Robin #3 by Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason
I found the first two issues of this to be middling, but I felt it hit its stride a bit more here. That might just be because, after two issues leaning on the crutch of backstory, this builds on that a little more. Still certainly not the best Batman book, but I enjoyed it.

Detective Comics #3 by Tony S. Daniel
Still going fairly strong, this one. Not as great as Batman is turning out to be, but a good tale nonetheless -- being "the second best Batman book" when there are four on the market isn't too bad.

Resurrection Man #3 by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning & Fernando Dagnino
After the slight blip of the second issue, really enjoyed this one again -- putting its great core concept to inventive use. And an excellent cliffhanger, calling back to a throwaway line from issue 2. Wonderful.