Have I Got News For You
43x04 (4/5/12 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]
Maestro at the Opera
Episode 1 (of 3)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Noel's Are You Smarter Than Your 10 Year Old?
3x04 Episode 4
3x05 Episode 5
I... well... yeah.
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
TV
The Graham Norton Show
11x01 (13/4/12 edition)
Not Going Out
5x04 Running
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
11x01 (13/4/12 edition)
Not Going Out
5x04 Running
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Articles
Weekend Report: Avengers Smashes Records
by Ray Subers (from Box Office Mojo)
Wow.
by Ray Subers (from Box Office Mojo)
The superhero team-up got off to an unprecedented $207.4 million start this weekend, which obliterates the previous all-time weekend record set by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 last Summer ($169.2 million)…
It was the fastest movie ever to reach $100 million, $150 million, and $200 million, and it set new records for Saturday ($69.6 million) and Sunday ($57.1 million) grosses…
[It] has already grossed more than Thor ($181 million), Captain America: The First Avenger ($176.6 million) and The Incredible Hulk ($134.8 million). It's still behind Iron Man and Iron Man 2 ($318.4 million and $312.4 million, respectively), though it should pass those movies next weekend.
Wow.
Monday, 7 May 2012
TV
Castle
2x11 The Fifth Bullet
Guest starring Buffy's Marc Blucas, House's Anne Dudek and 24's Carlo Rota. Why so many recognisable faces all at once? Who knows.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Das Rheingold
La Fura dels Baus' 2007 staging of the first opera in Wagner's Ring Cycle (currently showing weekly on Sky Arts 2). I'm no opera expert (far from it), but this is a pretty amazing spectacle, full of giant robot-like creatures and sci-fi imagery on huge video screens, amongst other incredible feats. Plus highly dramatic music and an engrossing fantasy/mythical story. I really enjoyed it.
Three hours down, only 13 to go...
Grandma's House
2x03 The day Simon attempted to express actual feelings just like a person
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Mad Men
5x07 At the Codfish Ball
The Making of the Ring
1 Das Rheingold (of 4)
First of four half-hours looking behind the scenes of La Fura dels Baus' production. Worth it for the look at the incredible free live show staged outside their stunning opera house during performances of the operas.
Pointless
4x23 (13/4/11 edition)
I got all 12 in round two! Woo!
2x11 The Fifth Bullet
Guest starring Buffy's Marc Blucas, House's Anne Dudek and 24's Carlo Rota. Why so many recognisable faces all at once? Who knows.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Das Rheingold
La Fura dels Baus' 2007 staging of the first opera in Wagner's Ring Cycle (currently showing weekly on Sky Arts 2). I'm no opera expert (far from it), but this is a pretty amazing spectacle, full of giant robot-like creatures and sci-fi imagery on huge video screens, amongst other incredible feats. Plus highly dramatic music and an engrossing fantasy/mythical story. I really enjoyed it.
Three hours down, only 13 to go...
Grandma's House
2x03 The day Simon attempted to express actual feelings just like a person
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Mad Men
5x07 At the Codfish Ball
The Making of the Ring
1 Das Rheingold (of 4)
First of four half-hours looking behind the scenes of La Fura dels Baus' production. Worth it for the look at the incredible free live show staged outside their stunning opera house during performances of the operas.
Pointless
4x23 (13/4/11 edition)
I got all 12 in round two! Woo!
Sunday, 6 May 2012
TV
Once Upon a Time
1x05 That Still Small Voice
Oh, a daft real-world plot and a decent fairy-tale-world one! Makes a change.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Pointless Celebrities
2x04 (5/5/12 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Vera
2x02 Silent Voices
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
The Voice UK
1x10 Live Show 2 Results
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
1x05 That Still Small Voice
Oh, a daft real-world plot and a decent fairy-tale-world one! Makes a change.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Pointless Celebrities
2x04 (5/5/12 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Vera
2x02 Silent Voices
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
The Voice UK
1x10 Live Show 2 Results
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
this week on 100 Films
Just one new review was posted to 100 Films in a Year this week...
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
But also this week was the look back at April, and I added reviews for four of the Avengers lead-in movies (well, three and Ang Lee's Hulk) to my new blog. So that's some stuff.
More next Sunday.
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
It’s not as funny... nor is it as exciting... it’s not as beautiful to look at... That’s my overriding impression of Kung Fu Panda 2: it’s not bad, but it’s not a patch on the first one.Read more on my new blog or my classic blog.
But also this week was the look back at April, and I added reviews for four of the Avengers lead-in movies (well, three and Ang Lee's Hulk) to my new blog. So that's some stuff.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 5 May 2012
TV
The Mentalist
4x21 Ruby Slippers
One of the best for a while, I think. Not that I've disliked recent episodes, but this is a particularly good one.
[Watch it on Demand 5 from Friday 11th May.]
QI
9x14 Idleness
The Jeremy Clarkson-featuring episode they skipped in December after his widely misunderstood 'controversial' comments on The One Show. I don't think he said anything offensive on this; I guess they just didn't want him on TV much that week.
The XL version, which was released on to some versions of iPlayer by mistake back in December (and I missed), doesn't seem to be forthcoming this time round. How daft.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Voice UK
1x09 Live Show 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Would I Lie To You?
6x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
4x21 Ruby Slippers
One of the best for a while, I think. Not that I've disliked recent episodes, but this is a particularly good one.
[Watch it on Demand 5 from Friday 11th May.]
QI
9x14 Idleness
The Jeremy Clarkson-featuring episode they skipped in December after his widely misunderstood 'controversial' comments on The One Show. I don't think he said anything offensive on this; I guess they just didn't want him on TV much that week.
The XL version, which was released on to some versions of iPlayer by mistake back in December (and I missed), doesn't seem to be forthcoming this time round. How daft.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Voice UK
1x09 Live Show 2
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Would I Lie To You?
6x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Films
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
[2nd watch]
The last time I saw this was in the cinema (has it really been six years? Six?!) I remembered quite liking it, but watching it again now I think it's actually a rather good action-thriller. The Vatican mission and bridge action sequence in particular are excellent.
And I love how things keep going wrong. Everything from big stuff (like jumping off a building several storeys too low or getting the identity of the mole wrong), to little things (like not getting phone signal or our hero alerting the enemy to his presence by knocking some stuff over), goes wrong at some point. Sure, the heroes still win, and sure, some stuff goes fine, but normally the only time things go significantly wrong for the good guys in a movie is when it turns out to be a bluff as part of the plan -- not so here. I liked that.
I may be alone in this, but I've actually really enjoyed every Mission: Impossible film. It often seems like people who like the first hate the second, or people who like the second hated the first, or they just dislike all of them: on IMDb the first has 6.9, the third 6.8, and the second a measly 5.8! I vehemently disagree with all that -- I like all three films, and one of the reasons is how different they all are.
But I've not seen Ghost Protocol yet. I hope it's just as good, and just as different again. It looked similar in tone and style to M:i:III though (whereas the first three differ from each other quite wildly, I'd say), so we'll see. It has 7.5 on IMDb though, so that might bode well...
[2nd watch]
The last time I saw this was in the cinema (has it really been six years? Six?!) I remembered quite liking it, but watching it again now I think it's actually a rather good action-thriller. The Vatican mission and bridge action sequence in particular are excellent.
And I love how things keep going wrong. Everything from big stuff (like jumping off a building several storeys too low or getting the identity of the mole wrong), to little things (like not getting phone signal or our hero alerting the enemy to his presence by knocking some stuff over), goes wrong at some point. Sure, the heroes still win, and sure, some stuff goes fine, but normally the only time things go significantly wrong for the good guys in a movie is when it turns out to be a bluff as part of the plan -- not so here. I liked that.
I may be alone in this, but I've actually really enjoyed every Mission: Impossible film. It often seems like people who like the first hate the second, or people who like the second hated the first, or they just dislike all of them: on IMDb the first has 6.9, the third 6.8, and the second a measly 5.8! I vehemently disagree with all that -- I like all three films, and one of the reasons is how different they all are.
But I've not seen Ghost Protocol yet. I hope it's just as good, and just as different again. It looked similar in tone and style to M:i:III though (whereas the first three differ from each other quite wildly, I'd say), so we'll see. It has 7.5 on IMDb though, so that might bode well...
Free Comic Book Day 2012
Free Comic Book Day – $7,000 we probably don’t see again
by Kenny (from Forbidden Planet International blog)
Today is Free Comic Book Day, which sounds marvellous but is actually a little dubious for various reasons.
I don't approve of publishers releasing new or "essential" (to quote Bleeding Cool's review of one FCBD title) content in a way that can only be accessed if you can, a) make it to a comic shop (which I imagine loads of people can't, especially in the UK), b) if that comic shop is participating (by no means guaranteed, especially in the UK), and c) you can get enough free comics to get the one you want.
The latter is related to another reason I dislike it: the retailer pays. Yep, they're not actually free to the shop; so understandably most shops limit how much you can take, one way or another (only one free, only with a purchase, you get a set-size "goodie bag", etc). Which is fair enough -- they're basically giving money away -- but can't be great if you're after multiple titles. The latter is what this article from 2007 is about. Being five years old might make you think it's now factually inaccurate, but FPI's blog about FCBD 2012 says it's "still valid now".
I'm not saying everyone should be able to get free comics without having to go to a shop or without someone paying. If it was "any comic free" or reprints, I wouldn't mind; if you could purchase it at a later date, maybe even have to wait a month or two for the privilege, then I wouldn't mind. But it's new content, some of it "essential" to the series, which not everyone can get hold of! That's insane.
And can you imagine another industry in which a shop would be forced to pay for a publishers' marketing exercise, and be criticised by customers if they didn't? (Comic shops are regularly accused of "not supporting the industry", etc, if they don't join in with FCBD.) The FP article notes that "it isn’t unusual for us to be given 500 of a 36 page sampler of a novel to give away to our customers" -- that's FCBD, except the difference with FCBD is FP would have to pay for those 500 samplers. Madness.
Doesn't look like such a great industry-boosting event after all, does it?
by Kenny (from Forbidden Planet International blog)
Today is Free Comic Book Day, which sounds marvellous but is actually a little dubious for various reasons.
I don't approve of publishers releasing new or "essential" (to quote Bleeding Cool's review of one FCBD title) content in a way that can only be accessed if you can, a) make it to a comic shop (which I imagine loads of people can't, especially in the UK), b) if that comic shop is participating (by no means guaranteed, especially in the UK), and c) you can get enough free comics to get the one you want.
The latter is related to another reason I dislike it: the retailer pays. Yep, they're not actually free to the shop; so understandably most shops limit how much you can take, one way or another (only one free, only with a purchase, you get a set-size "goodie bag", etc). Which is fair enough -- they're basically giving money away -- but can't be great if you're after multiple titles. The latter is what this article from 2007 is about. Being five years old might make you think it's now factually inaccurate, but FPI's blog about FCBD 2012 says it's "still valid now".
I'm not saying everyone should be able to get free comics without having to go to a shop or without someone paying. If it was "any comic free" or reprints, I wouldn't mind; if you could purchase it at a later date, maybe even have to wait a month or two for the privilege, then I wouldn't mind. But it's new content, some of it "essential" to the series, which not everyone can get hold of! That's insane.
And can you imagine another industry in which a shop would be forced to pay for a publishers' marketing exercise, and be criticised by customers if they didn't? (Comic shops are regularly accused of "not supporting the industry", etc, if they don't join in with FCBD.) The FP article notes that "it isn’t unusual for us to be given 500 of a 36 page sampler of a novel to give away to our customers" -- that's FCBD, except the difference with FCBD is FP would have to pay for those 500 samplers. Madness.
Doesn't look like such a great industry-boosting event after all, does it?
Friday, 4 May 2012
TV
House
8x19 The C-Word
The Matt Lucas Awards
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Pointless
4x22 (12/4/11 edition)
Would I Lie To You?
6x03 Episode 3
8x19 The C-Word
The Matt Lucas Awards
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Pointless
4x22 (12/4/11 edition)
Would I Lie To You?
6x03 Episode 3
Articles
Ricky Gervais: Why I’m an Atheist
by Ricky Gervais (from Speakeasy at the Wall Street Journal)
This article was published nearly 18 months ago, but Stephen Fry mentioned it on twitter so I came to read it today. It's so full of Truth I thought I'd share it. It's very good.
by Ricky Gervais (from Speakeasy at the Wall Street Journal)
This article was published nearly 18 months ago, but Stephen Fry mentioned it on twitter so I came to read it today. It's so full of Truth I thought I'd share it. It's very good.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Despite last week's prediction, there's still a couple of small boosts this week. And not even everything I was expecting, so there'll definitely be more again next time.
Number of titles in collection: 1,473 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,152 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 321 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 3,667 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 1,561 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,473 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Despite last week's prediction, there's still a couple of small boosts this week. And not even everything I was expecting, so there'll definitely be more again next time.
Number of titles in collection: 1,473 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,152 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 321 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 3,667 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 1,561 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,473 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Thursday, 3 May 2012
TV
Archer
3x10 Crossing Over
Looks like 5* mucked up and showed the wrong episode again, skipping two when they should've skipped one. And clearly there was a moderately major development in the last one that meant this doesn't even vaguely work out of sequence. Grr.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Castle
2x10 One Man's Treasure
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Not Going Out
5x03 Camping
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Pointless Celebrities
2x03 (28/4/12 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
3x10 Crossing Over
Looks like 5* mucked up and showed the wrong episode again, skipping two when they should've skipped one. And clearly there was a moderately major development in the last one that meant this doesn't even vaguely work out of sequence. Grr.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Castle
2x10 One Man's Treasure
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Not Going Out
5x03 Camping
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Pointless Celebrities
2x03 (28/4/12 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Articles
BBC3 to make zombie drama In the Flesh
(from RadioTimes)
So BBC Three had to cancel SF/F drama The Fades because (reportedly) they couldn't afford both it and more-established Being Human, but they can afford SF/F drama In the Flesh? Still, supporting new talent is good, and it does sound like it might be a solid twist on the zombie format. Irritating for Fades fans though.
Of even greater interest in this story (in my opinion) is news of BBC One commission The Musketeers, a 10-part modern-day re-working of The Three Musketeers. Be interesting to see how that works out -- it's not as obviously adaptable as Sherlock. If it's a hit too, I can well imagine us seeing a swathe of these modern-set re-imaginings of classic literature.
Downton, Walking Dead, How I Met Your Mother: Tube Talk Q&A
by Morgan Jeffery & Daniel Sperling (from Digital Spy)
A bunch of handy answers/updates to questions I've been curious about on series I'm interested in: Damages season four (and presumably five) will go straight to DVD in the UK; How I Met Your Mother season seven is finally resuming on E4 in a couple of weeks; The Hour season two is on in late June (has it really been a year since the first series? A British series can't be returning in under 12 months, surely); Episodes returns to UK screens nearly two months before the US; and a few other things too.
Sherlock series three details revealed by Mark Gatiss
by Morgan Jeffery (from Digital Spy)
Gatiss confirms that the first episode will be a version of The Adventure of the Empty House. Absolutely no surprise, but exciting to have it confirmed.
(from RadioTimes)
So BBC Three had to cancel SF/F drama The Fades because (reportedly) they couldn't afford both it and more-established Being Human, but they can afford SF/F drama In the Flesh? Still, supporting new talent is good, and it does sound like it might be a solid twist on the zombie format. Irritating for Fades fans though.
Of even greater interest in this story (in my opinion) is news of BBC One commission The Musketeers, a 10-part modern-day re-working of The Three Musketeers. Be interesting to see how that works out -- it's not as obviously adaptable as Sherlock. If it's a hit too, I can well imagine us seeing a swathe of these modern-set re-imaginings of classic literature.
Downton, Walking Dead, How I Met Your Mother: Tube Talk Q&A
by Morgan Jeffery & Daniel Sperling (from Digital Spy)
A bunch of handy answers/updates to questions I've been curious about on series I'm interested in: Damages season four (and presumably five) will go straight to DVD in the UK; How I Met Your Mother season seven is finally resuming on E4 in a couple of weeks; The Hour season two is on in late June (has it really been a year since the first series? A British series can't be returning in under 12 months, surely); Episodes returns to UK screens nearly two months before the US; and a few other things too.
Sherlock series three details revealed by Mark Gatiss
by Morgan Jeffery (from Digital Spy)
Gatiss confirms that the first episode will be a version of The Adventure of the Empty House. Absolutely no surprise, but exciting to have it confirmed.
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
TV
Grandma's House
2x02 The day Simon thought it may be a good idea to find new living arrangements
I don't like most squirm-inducing comedy, even when favourite shows play at it for an episode, or even a scene; but this is endlessly brilliant. And I love the episode titles.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Mad Men
5x06 Far Away Places
Well that was weird, but cool. Feels like Mad Men's being more experimental this season, and that can only be a good thing.
Onion News Network
2x10 Year in Review [series finale]
That's that then. I loved ONN at first, but somehow feel it hasn't been working as well recently. Too much emphasis on the presenters/characters and not enough on the actual satirical news stories, maybe. Sadly, I won't particularly miss it now it's been cancelled.
Pointless
4x21 (11/4/11 edition)
2x02 The day Simon thought it may be a good idea to find new living arrangements
I don't like most squirm-inducing comedy, even when favourite shows play at it for an episode, or even a scene; but this is endlessly brilliant. And I love the episode titles.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Mad Men
5x06 Far Away Places
Well that was weird, but cool. Feels like Mad Men's being more experimental this season, and that can only be a good thing.
Onion News Network
2x10 Year in Review [series finale]
That's that then. I loved ONN at first, but somehow feel it hasn't been working as well recently. Too much emphasis on the presenters/characters and not enough on the actual satirical news stories, maybe. Sadly, I won't particularly miss it now it's been cancelled.
Pointless
4x21 (11/4/11 edition)
Articles
Marvel's Avengers torpedoes Battleship at UK box office
by Simon Reynolds (from Digital Spy)
Avengers Assemble "has already outperformed the entire box office runs of earlier Marvel films The Incredible Hulk (£8.2 million), Captain America (£9.5 million) and Thor (£14 million)." Crikey!
by Simon Reynolds (from Digital Spy)
Avengers Assemble "has already outperformed the entire box office runs of earlier Marvel films The Incredible Hulk (£8.2 million), Captain America (£9.5 million) and Thor (£14 million)." Crikey!
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
TV
Have I Got News For You
43x03 (27/4/12 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]
Scott & Bailey
2x08 Episode 8 [season finale]
Great final episode. Hope we get more of this.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
43x03 (27/4/12 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]
Scott & Bailey
2x08 Episode 8 [season finale]
Great final episode. Hope we get more of this.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Films
The Dark Knight Rises Trailer #3
Wow. Bold trailer. Can't wait for this.
The Return of the Musketeers (1989)
[#42 in 100 Films in a Year 2012]
Sequel to The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers.
Wow. Bold trailer. Can't wait for this.
The Return of the Musketeers (1989)
[#42 in 100 Films in a Year 2012]
Sequel to The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers.
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