Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask
2x02 Episode 2
Missed episode one. That's what happens with stuff on Dave. I imagine it'll be on again...
Anna & Katy
1x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Broadchurch
Part 1 (of 8)
ITV's much-lauded new thriller. Solid start, clearly plenty of untugged threads to fill the remaining seven episodes.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Monday, 11 March 2013
Comics
2000 AD #1785
Featuring...
• Judge Dredd Day of Chaos: Tea For Two by John Wagner & Edmund Bagwell
• Flesh Midnight Cowboys, Part Twelve by Pat Mills & James McKay
• Durham Red The 'Nobody Wants This Job' Job, Part 1 by Alan Grant & Carlos Ezquerra
• Grey Area One of Our Own, Part 1 by Dan Abnett & Lee Carter
• Cadet Anderson: Psi-Division Algol, Part Six by Alan Grant & Steve Yeowell
Flesh limps to an end... well, an 'end', because it's all a big setup for the next arc. Can't say as I care. Cadet Anderson also goes away, taking Yeowell's sketches with it. Durham Red is set in the character's past, taking a really dangerous job. Might she die then?! In her past? Oh, the palpable lack of tension.
Dredd was a nice aside and Grey Area still has promise though, so there's that.
Featuring...
• Judge Dredd Day of Chaos: Tea For Two by John Wagner & Edmund Bagwell
• Flesh Midnight Cowboys, Part Twelve by Pat Mills & James McKay
• Durham Red The 'Nobody Wants This Job' Job, Part 1 by Alan Grant & Carlos Ezquerra
• Grey Area One of Our Own, Part 1 by Dan Abnett & Lee Carter
• Cadet Anderson: Psi-Division Algol, Part Six by Alan Grant & Steve Yeowell
Flesh limps to an end... well, an 'end', because it's all a big setup for the next arc. Can't say as I care. Cadet Anderson also goes away, taking Yeowell's sketches with it. Durham Red is set in the character's past, taking a really dangerous job. Might she die then?! In her past? Oh, the palpable lack of tension.
Dredd was a nice aside and Grey Area still has promise though, so there's that.
Articles
Joss Whedon Q&A On Eve Of SXSW
by Jan Yamato (from Deadline)
Joss chats about Much Ado, Avengers 2, S.H.I.E.L.D., and various other things in that vein.
by Jan Yamato (from Deadline)
Joss chats about Much Ado, Avengers 2, S.H.I.E.L.D., and various other things in that vein.
Sunday, 10 March 2013
Films
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
[#27 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
(I also finished Battleship, in case you were wondering.)
[#27 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
(I also finished Battleship, in case you were wondering.)
Articles
JN-T: The Life And Scandalous Times Of John Nathan-Turner REVIEW
by Ian Berriman (from SFX)
This sounds very much like a must-read, I must say.
by Ian Berriman (from SFX)
This sounds very much like a must-read, I must say.
this week on 100 Films
Two new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Read more here.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Read more here.
And new to the new blog...
The Happening (2008)
Read more here.
Hitman: Unrated (2007)
Read more here.
In Bruges (2008)
Read more here.
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Read more here.
Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
early in Batman’s career Bruce falls in love and finds happiness, causing him to question whether to continue down the path he’s already dedicated his life to. The scene where he talks to his parents’ grave, expressing his guilt at potentially finding happiness after so much mourning, is one of the most powerful, emotional moments in all of Batman’s many iterations.
Read more here.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
It may not match the TV series in places, in my subjective opinion, but in its own right it shines. Gary Oldman does the impossible and offers a Smiley that is neither an imitation of Guinness’ nor a deliberate counterpoint, but stands apart as an equally proficient rendering of the character.
Read more here.
And new to the new blog...
The Happening (2008)
Shyamalan’s worst film to date. [Written before The Last Airbender.]
Read more here.
Hitman: Unrated (2007)
Hitman seems to be doing its best to blend in and go unnoticed — much like a good hired assassin would do, you’d imagine. Except in this film, all the assassins are bald and have barcodes tattooed on the back of their head — not at all conspicuous.
Read more here.
In Bruges (2008)
hilariously funny... The easily-offended might disagree, and some jokes are a tad too obvious, but it’s nice to genuinely laugh at a film rather than force the odd smirk so as to at least get something from an otherwise wasted 90 minutes
Read more here.
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
This all-star sequel to the 2001 Rat Pack re-make received a thorough slating from critics on release... it’s still a pretty enjoyable film. But it’s true that the first is better.
Read more here.
Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
Thirteen is Twelve with Eleven’s sheen. Its critical success relative to its immediate predecessor is, I think, another of the gang’s expertly executed cons.
Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 9 March 2013
TV
Let's Dance for Comic Relief 2013
Episode 4 (of 4)
An unsurprising and deserving winner, though there were several others I preferred.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The Mentalist
5x12 Little Red Corvette
The Volker thing ended sooner and more abruptly than I expected. Assuming it is over...
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Top Gear
19x06 Africa Special Part 1
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Episode 4 (of 4)
An unsurprising and deserving winner, though there were several others I preferred.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The Mentalist
5x12 Little Red Corvette
The Volker thing ended sooner and more abruptly than I expected. Assuming it is over...
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Top Gear
19x06 Africa Special Part 1
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Films
Battleship (2012)
[#26 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
This is so good that, just over an hour in, during an action sequence, I fell asleep. Will be trying to complete it tonight.
[#26 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
This is so good that, just over an hour in, during an action sequence, I fell asleep. Will be trying to complete it tonight.
Articles
When Bleeding Cool Met Sam Raimi For A Masterclass In Making Oz The Great And Powerful
by Brendon Connelly (from Bleeding Cool)
As someone in the comments section put it, "one of the most interesting insights into the 3D process that I've read". This is a real filmmaker-y insight into how 3D works for the film's benefit, when done well, as well as the technical challenges of making that happen.
by Brendon Connelly (from Bleeding Cool)
As someone in the comments section put it, "one of the most interesting insights into the 3D process that I've read". This is a real filmmaker-y insight into how 3D works for the film's benefit, when done well, as well as the technical challenges of making that happen.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
This week's main acquisitions are the oft-delayed DVD of This is Not a Film, which I've been waiting to see since Cannes 2011; Argo with Extended Cut, as the cover and spine insist it is called; and Game of Thrones season two, which was the most exciting of all, until...
The Hobbit!
10 days before the US release date and over four weeks before the UK, my import of the US Blu-ray arrived this morning. Hurrah for DVD World USA. OK, so it cost a bit more than buying the UK release would -- and that's already over-priced -- but... four weeks early! Four weeks! That's worth a few extra quid.
Number of titles in collection: 1,541 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,154 [up 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 387 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 3,867 [up 12]
Number of films in collection: 1,618 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,732 [up 10]
Number of short films in collection: 374 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
This week's main acquisitions are the oft-delayed DVD of This is Not a Film, which I've been waiting to see since Cannes 2011; Argo with Extended Cut, as the cover and spine insist it is called; and Game of Thrones season two, which was the most exciting of all, until...
The Hobbit!
10 days before the US release date and over four weeks before the UK, my import of the US Blu-ray arrived this morning. Hurrah for DVD World USA. OK, so it cost a bit more than buying the UK release would -- and that's already over-priced -- but... four weeks early! Four weeks! That's worth a few extra quid.
Number of titles in collection: 1,541 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,154 [up 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 387 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 3,867 [up 12]
Number of films in collection: 1,618 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,732 [up 10]
Number of short films in collection: 374 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 8 March 2013
TV
The Graham Norton Show
12x19 (1/3/13 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The Matt Lucas Awards
2x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Mayday
Part 4 (of 5)
Part 5 (of 5)
[Watch parts four and five (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
12x19 (1/3/13 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The Matt Lucas Awards
2x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Mayday
Part 4 (of 5)
Part 5 (of 5)
[Watch parts four and five (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Comics
2000 AD #1783-1784
Featuring...
• Judge Dredd Day of Chaos: Eve of Destruction, Parts 19-20 by John Wagner & Colin MacNeil
• Flesh Midnight Cowboys, Parts Ten - Eleven by Pat Mills & James McKay
• The Zaucer of Zilk Parts 9-10 by Brendan McCarthy & Al Ewing
• Time Twisters The Twitch by Simon Spurrier & Simon Gurr
• Cadet Anderson: Psi-Division Algol, Parts Four - Five by Alan Grant & Steve Yeowell
• Terror Tales Kitsuneland by Alec Worley & Mark Harrison
During Part Five of Algol I suddenly realised that one of the characters who had been in it throughout was in fact a man, not a woman. Yay Yeowell art.
Meanwhile, Flesh ends and I won't miss it, and so does Zaucer of Zilk, which I wouldn't say I like exactly but did strangely grow on me.
Featuring...
• Judge Dredd Day of Chaos: Eve of Destruction, Parts 19-20 by John Wagner & Colin MacNeil
• Flesh Midnight Cowboys, Parts Ten - Eleven by Pat Mills & James McKay
• The Zaucer of Zilk Parts 9-10 by Brendan McCarthy & Al Ewing
• Time Twisters The Twitch by Simon Spurrier & Simon Gurr
• Cadet Anderson: Psi-Division Algol, Parts Four - Five by Alan Grant & Steve Yeowell
• Terror Tales Kitsuneland by Alec Worley & Mark Harrison
During Part Five of Algol I suddenly realised that one of the characters who had been in it throughout was in fact a man, not a woman. Yay Yeowell art.
Meanwhile, Flesh ends and I won't miss it, and so does Zaucer of Zilk, which I wouldn't say I like exactly but did strangely grow on me.
Thursday, 7 March 2013
TV
Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe
1x05 (28/2/13 edition)
The Good Life
1x07 Backs to the Wall [season finale]
The Last Leg
2x06 (1/3/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Mayday
Part 2 (of 5)
Part 3 (of 5)
There's an intriguing supernatural-ish vibe creeping in as this serial passes the halfway point. Interesting to see if that's going anywhere...
[Watch parts two and three (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
1x05 (28/2/13 edition)
The Good Life
1x07 Backs to the Wall [season finale]
The Last Leg
2x06 (1/3/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Mayday
Part 2 (of 5)
Part 3 (of 5)
There's an intriguing supernatural-ish vibe creeping in as this serial passes the halfway point. Interesting to see if that's going anywhere...
[Watch parts two and three (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
TV
Arrow
1x12 Vertigo
The Good Life
1x06 The Pagan Rite
Mayday
Part 1 (of 5)
BBC One's new nightly mystery-drama about a missing girl and some very spooky woods gets off to a strong start. Properly chilling final shot too.
Disadvantage of nightly episodes: having to keep up. Advantage: not having to wait weeks to find out what happens.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
1x12 Vertigo
The Good Life
1x06 The Pagan Rite
Mayday
Part 1 (of 5)
BBC One's new nightly mystery-drama about a missing girl and some very spooky woods gets off to a strong start. Properly chilling final shot too.
Disadvantage of nightly episodes: having to keep up. Advantage: not having to wait weeks to find out what happens.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
TV
Elementary
1x16 Details
Heading Out
1x01 Episode 1
Sue Perkins delves into the world of writing and acting with her first sitcom, and it's largely very good too. Hurrah.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Starlings
1x06 Episode Six
1x16 Details
Heading Out
1x01 Episode 1
Sue Perkins delves into the world of writing and acting with her first sitcom, and it's largely very good too. Hurrah.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Starlings
1x06 Episode Six
Monday, 4 March 2013
TV
Arrow
1x11 Trust But Verify
The Mentalist
5x11 Days of Wine and Roses
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Pointless Celebrities
Comic Relief Special
With Ben Miller!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Stella
2x08 Episode 8
1x11 Trust But Verify
The Mentalist
5x11 Days of Wine and Roses
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Pointless Celebrities
Comic Relief Special
With Ben Miller!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Stella
2x08 Episode 8
Comics
2000 AD #1777-1782
Featuring...
• Judge Dredd Day of Chaos: Eve of Destruction, Parts 13-18 by John Wagner, Henry Flint & Colin MacNeil
• Flesh Midnight Cowboys, Parts Four - Nine by Pat Mills & James McKay
• The Zaucer of Zilk Parts 3-8 by Brendan McCarthy & Al Ewing
• Age of the Wolf II She is Legend, Parts Six - Ten by Alec Worley & Jon Davis-Hunt
• Nikolai Dante The Dante Gambit, Parts 4-6 by Robbie Morrison & John Burns
• Cadet Anderson: Psi-Division Algol, Parts One - Three by Alan Grant & Steve Yeowell
• Time Twisters Contractions by T.C. Eglington & Lee Carter
Colin MacNeil's art is a great fit for Dredd, while Wagner continues to throw everything but the kitchen sink at Mega-City One. One strip where a kitchen sink might be employed as some kind of apocalypse device is The Zaucer of Zilk, which warms on me despite itself. Can't say the same for Flesh, though.
Age of the Wolf is the kind of thing I wish I'd been reading since whenever it started. Cadet Anderson suffers from Steve Yeowell's undetailed style, though it's enlivened considerably by being coloured (here by Eva de la Cruz). The one-off Time Twister is rather good, including more consistent art by Lee Carter than was seen in his recent run on Grey Area.
Featuring...
• Judge Dredd Day of Chaos: Eve of Destruction, Parts 13-18 by John Wagner, Henry Flint & Colin MacNeil
• Flesh Midnight Cowboys, Parts Four - Nine by Pat Mills & James McKay
• The Zaucer of Zilk Parts 3-8 by Brendan McCarthy & Al Ewing
• Age of the Wolf II She is Legend, Parts Six - Ten by Alec Worley & Jon Davis-Hunt
• Nikolai Dante The Dante Gambit, Parts 4-6 by Robbie Morrison & John Burns
• Cadet Anderson: Psi-Division Algol, Parts One - Three by Alan Grant & Steve Yeowell
• Time Twisters Contractions by T.C. Eglington & Lee Carter
Colin MacNeil's art is a great fit for Dredd, while Wagner continues to throw everything but the kitchen sink at Mega-City One. One strip where a kitchen sink might be employed as some kind of apocalypse device is The Zaucer of Zilk, which warms on me despite itself. Can't say the same for Flesh, though.
Age of the Wolf is the kind of thing I wish I'd been reading since whenever it started. Cadet Anderson suffers from Steve Yeowell's undetailed style, though it's enlivened considerably by being coloured (here by Eva de la Cruz). The one-off Time Twister is rather good, including more consistent art by Lee Carter than was seen in his recent run on Grey Area.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)