TV

Argumental
4x03 Episode 3

House
8x06 Parents

Pointless
3x44 (12/11/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

QI
9x11 Infantile (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.

A couple of deals from Amazon UK's Black Friday deals are the sole boosters this week. Today is said Friday if you fancy a look at the remaining deals.

Number of titles in collection: 1,401 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,142 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 259 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 3,487 [up 11]
Number of films in collection: 1,493 [up 5]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,315 [up 45]

See you next week, faithful reader.

A daily dose of sci-fi - Day 12

What's your "yeah I know it's rubbish but I love it" sci-fi film?

I don't actually think this film is rubbish, but as I can't think of one that is but I love anyway, this is the next best thing:

Flash Gordon

Y'see, some people (a lot of people? I dunno) think is one of a multitude of cheap Star Wars knock-offs from the late '70s/early '80s. I'm certain that was what inspired them to make it, but it's actually far better than that.

I'm not going to go into a full description of why I love it because I've already done that here, but suffice to say it's very deliberately camp, silly and B-movie-esque, the very things it often gets criticised for. Once you accept that's the filmmakers' aim, you begin to see how well they've pulled it off, and how much fun it is.

Plus the Queen score is solid gold. Dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum FLASH! Ah-ah! etc.

(The '30s Flash Gordon cinema serials are brilliant too, incidentally. Grew up watching those on Saturday mornings on the BBC and loved every minute of it.)


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

TV

How I Met Your Mother
7x03 Ducky Tie
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Life's Too Short
1x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Pointless
3x43 (11/11/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Rev.
2x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

A daily dose of sci-fi - Day 11

Favourite space film/series

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy...

Firefly

If you've still not enjoyed the delights of Firefly, what in God's name is wrong with you?! This is a perfect TV series. It's exciting, it's hilarious, and so much more -- all things I said about its big screen spin-off, but they're even more true of the small screen version because it was longer.

What's most impressive, really, is how quickly you come to care for these characters. There are only 14 episodes total, but long before that you love them and dread that all-too-soon end. But the time you get to spend with them until then is to be savoured, again and again and again. And again.


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

TV

Frozen Planet
Part 4 Autumn
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
3x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless
3x42 (10/11/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

A daily dose of sci-fi - Day 10

Which sci-fi universe/reality would you most like to live in?

The apparent explosion in popularity of MMORPGs in the last decade suggests many universes that masses of people would like to live in.

But there's a difference between wanting to spend far too many of your waking hours gaming in that world and actually living in that world. The universe of The Matrix may look cool, but if you were actually there you wouldn't be Neo, you'd be some lowly chump. Blade Runner may be massively popular and influential, with a huge amount of visual Cool, but would you really want to live in that dark, downtrodden world? Really?

So where might I actually like to live?

X-Men (Marvel) Universe

You might be a mutant with some amazingly cool superpower! Or you might just be a regular bloke -- but hey, it wouldn't be any worse than the world you currently live in.

Except for the insane levels of jealousy, I suppose.

Still, better than somewhere that looks cool but is actually miserable to exist in.


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

TV

Dave's One Night Stand
3x01 Ardal O'Hanlon
I gave up on this last series due to not really finding it funny and an increasingly rubbish roster. This series had some good previews however, and there are good people on it too, so here we go.
It's still just "Live at the Apollo On Tour, With a Rubbish Sketch at the Start" though, isn't it.

Death in Paradise
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Junior Bake Off
Episode 10 (of 13)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Romanzo Criminale
1x02 Episode 2
Gonna need to watch this more often than once a week if I want to catch up with Sky Arts' airings (and I do) (and they're on episode eight).

Spy
1x05 Codename: Blood
After a run of great episodes, this wasn't so hot. Some clever movie spoofs in there, but a lot of it just felt like being overly cruel to poor Tim. Perhaps if he uses his Glock to mortally wound that police officer chap in the next episode, that might redeem this one a bit...

A daily dose of sci-fi - Day 9

No.1 sci-fi hottie

This is not the kind of thing I would usually blog about, obviously, but it's on the list, so, I guess, here we are.

The problem is compounded by the fact that one person's "hottie" is another's "ew, really?!" (and vice versa, of course), and no one wants the latter reaction.

Zooey Deschanel
Trillian in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film

I said I'd need to avoid picking too much Doctor Who, but clearly I need to be wary of Hitchhiker's too.

Though, while I've mentioned it a few times, this is only the third I've actually chosen it. So there.

And in fairness, I haven't really picked Trillian, I've picked Zooey Deschanel, who's only contribution to sci-fi is that one. (And The Happening, but who wants to mention that?) So it does feel like kind of a cop-out, what with her not being that well known for her sci-fi-y role, whereas you kinda think this ought to be going to someone who is at least largely, if not wholly, known for their contribution to sci-fi.

But c'mon, it's only the "hottie" "award" -- the "contribution" being assessed here isn't intellectual, is it?

So hush, it's done now, let's all just move on.


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

TV

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
25x07 Episode 7
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Only Connect
Children in Need Special: Great Believers vs Free Speakers
Apparently they make this notoriously-difficult quiz slightly easier for the celebrity/special editions. Which probably explains how I did moderately well at it.

Pointless
3x41 (9/11/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Articles

Come together this Christmas with the BBC
(from BBC Media Centre)
All sorts of great stuff on the Beeb this Christmas. And a Jim'll Fix It special presented by Shane Richie. Seriously. Ugh.

Matt Smith On Doctor Who 50th Anniversary & Series Seven by Dave Golder
(from SFX)

Matt Smith told BBC Breakfast this morning that filming starts in February for 14 new episodes of Doctor Who, including a full series, a Christmas special and a 50th anniversary special, which will be a one-off.

Unless he's done his maths wrong, sounds like we're only getting a regular compliment of episodes in 2012/13... and that months later than usual. But we'll see.
I didn't mind this year's split season, and I don't mind them shifting the series to be broadcast in Autumn/Spring instead of this year's Spring/Autumn, but it would be a shame if we only got 14 episodes throughout 2012 and 2013 instead of the 28 we would normally have got. A 2012-13 season, anniversary special and 2013-14 season was more what I was hoping for; to put that another way, 8 episodes in 2012 (including Christmas), 15 in 2013 (including Christmas and an anniversary special) and then on into 2014. Maybe that was wishful thinking. Maybe 2014 will actually return us to the regular 13-episodes-in-Spring/Summer.
Time will tell.

A daily dose of sci-fi - Day 8

Best robot/android

I had quite a long short list on the go for this one -- R2-D2, Kryten, WALL-E, the Terminator, Maria, and more -- but then I suddenly remembered...

Marvin the Paranoid Android

Marvin is probably the best character in Hitchhiker's. As Wikipedia puts it, he "is afflicted with severe depression and boredom", which makes all of his very dry comments hilariously funny. It also makes him feel very identifiable, despite the fact he's a robot who's much more intelligent than you.

Bless 'im.


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

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.