Game of Thrones
2x05 The Ghost of Harrenhal
2x06 The Old Gods and the New
Passing the halfway point -- I'll be done by the end of the weekend at this rate.
Despite my observation yesterday, The Ghost of Harrenhal is a rather important episode. Ho hum.
The Graham Norton Show
11x07 (25/5/12 edition)
The Great British Sewing Bee
1x01 Episode 1
It's OK, but it's no Bake Off.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Scott & Bailey
3x01 Episode 1
At the end of last series I said I "hope we get more of this", but now it seems to certifiably be a big hit, so there's no danger of not. It's mostly very good as ever, but a very abrupt ending for no good reason. Structural faux pas there.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Friday, 5 April 2013
Thursday, 4 April 2013
TV
Game of Thrones
2x04 Garden of Bones
Sometimes, you can't resist racing on to find out the result of a cliffhanger; and sometimes, an episode's so good it seems wrong to sully it by going straight on to another. This is definitely a case of the latter. It feels like some things must be coming to a head next episode, but it's the only one of the entire season without a commentary track -- if it is pivotal, what an odd choice to skip it.
The Last Leg
2x09 (29/3/13 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Pointless
6x46 (16/5/12 edition)
Yeah, if I watch a daily game show fortnightly, I'll catch up in no time!
Veronica Mars
1x03 Meet John Smith
I liked the first two episodes, but this one really clicked for me.
2x04 Garden of Bones
Sometimes, you can't resist racing on to find out the result of a cliffhanger; and sometimes, an episode's so good it seems wrong to sully it by going straight on to another. This is definitely a case of the latter. It feels like some things must be coming to a head next episode, but it's the only one of the entire season without a commentary track -- if it is pivotal, what an odd choice to skip it.
The Last Leg
2x09 (29/3/13 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Pointless
6x46 (16/5/12 edition)
Yeah, if I watch a daily game show fortnightly, I'll catch up in no time!
Veronica Mars
1x03 Meet John Smith
I liked the first two episodes, but this one really clicked for me.
Articles
Roger Ebert dies at 70 after battle with cancer
by Neil Steinberg (from Chicago Sun-Times)
Thorough obituary from his paper.
Roger Ebert Hails Human Existence As 'A Triumph'
(from The Onion)
Sweet but still funny, possibly the best thing The Onion has ever run.
Vale Roger Ebert: your greatest crime was loving movies too much
by Luke Buckmaster (from Cinetology at Crikey)
Finally,
I do not fear death
by Roger Ebert (from Salon)
by Neil Steinberg (from Chicago Sun-Times)
Thorough obituary from his paper.
Roger Ebert Hails Human Existence As 'A Triumph'
(from The Onion)
Sweet but still funny, possibly the best thing The Onion has ever run.
Vale Roger Ebert: your greatest crime was loving movies too much
by Luke Buckmaster (from Cinetology at Crikey)
Ebert’s passion for cinema can serve as a reminder that it is always OK to love, like or enjoy a film no matter what it is or what anybody else says.
Finally,
I do not fear death
by Roger Ebert (from Salon)
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
TV
Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask
2x06 Episode 6
Game of Thrones
2x02 The Night Lands
2x03 What is Dead May Never Die
I try to pace myself with Game of Thrones, but it's ever so tempting to just watch it in one great big nine-hour chunk. Still, two isn't too indulgent, especially when The Night Lands ends with the kind of cliffhanger that demands you find out what happens ASAP.
Starlings
1x08 Episode Eight [season finale]
It only took 8½ months, but I got there in the end. Weirdly, it sets up a number of will-they-won't-they-season-finale-ish dilemmas... only to completely forget about them. At least it's coming back.
Veronica Mars
1x02 Credit Where Credit's Due
2x06 Episode 6
Game of Thrones
2x02 The Night Lands
2x03 What is Dead May Never Die
I try to pace myself with Game of Thrones, but it's ever so tempting to just watch it in one great big nine-hour chunk. Still, two isn't too indulgent, especially when The Night Lands ends with the kind of cliffhanger that demands you find out what happens ASAP.
Starlings
1x08 Episode Eight [season finale]
It only took 8½ months, but I got there in the end. Weirdly, it sets up a number of will-they-won't-they-season-finale-ish dilemmas... only to completely forget about them. At least it's coming back.
Veronica Mars
1x02 Credit Where Credit's Due
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
TV
Broadchurch
Part 5 (of 8)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Game of Thrones
2x01 The North Remembers
Well, I said I'd leave "a bit of a break" before starting season two, and here I am a year later! As season three gets underway on the tellybox, the end of my Sky Movies subscription means I'm finally (as in "after having it for a couple of weeks") turning to my season two box set to get caught up. It's good to be back in Westeros, even if my commitment to watching it legally in full Blu-ray quality means I'm a year behind everyone else. (Well, I say "everyone else" -- the relatively small number of people who have HBO or Sky Atlantic.)
Veronica Mars
1x01 Pilot
I've been very vaguely aware of this for years, but the recent interest provoked by the Kickstarter made me decide it was finally time to give it a go. Hard to tell from episode one -- it's an awful lot of establishing stuff -- but it definitely has promise.
Part 5 (of 8)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Game of Thrones
2x01 The North Remembers
Well, I said I'd leave "a bit of a break" before starting season two, and here I am a year later! As season three gets underway on the tellybox, the end of my Sky Movies subscription means I'm finally (as in "after having it for a couple of weeks") turning to my season two box set to get caught up. It's good to be back in Westeros, even if my commitment to watching it legally in full Blu-ray quality means I'm a year behind everyone else. (Well, I say "everyone else" -- the relatively small number of people who have HBO or Sky Atlantic.)
Veronica Mars
1x01 Pilot
I've been very vaguely aware of this for years, but the recent interest provoked by the Kickstarter made me decide it was finally time to give it a go. Hard to tell from episode one -- it's an awful lot of establishing stuff -- but it definitely has promise.
Monday, 1 April 2013
TV
Arrow
1x16 Dead to Rights
The Great British Bake Off
Easter Masterclass
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Heading Out
1x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
6x02 (30/3/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
1x16 Dead to Rights
The Great British Bake Off
Easter Masterclass
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Heading Out
1x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
6x02 (30/3/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Films
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
[#38 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
Much to my surprise, all 3 hours and 40 minutes of it in one go. It didn't feel that long.
[#38 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
Much to my surprise, all 3 hours and 40 minutes of it in one go. It didn't feel that long.
Sunday, 31 March 2013
TV
The Good Life
2x05 Mutiny
The Mentalist
5x15 Red Lacquer Nail Polish
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
2x05 Mutiny
The Mentalist
5x15 Red Lacquer Nail Polish
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
TV
The Debt (2010)
[#37 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
Or The Debt (2011), depending on your source. Why can no one agree on these things any more?
[#37 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]
Or The Debt (2011), depending on your source. Why can no one agree on these things any more?
this week on 100 Films
One new review was published to 100 Films in a Year this week...
Prometheus (2012)
Read more here.
Also this week, a relatively massive 7 reviews were re-posted to the new blog...
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Read more here.
My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
Read more here.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Read more here.
Son of Rambow (2007)
Read more here.
Tales of the Black Freighter (2009)
Read more here.
Watchmen (2009)
Read more here.
Watchmen: Director's Cut (2009)
Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Prometheus (2012)
Ridley Scott’s not-an-Alien-prequel-honest Alien prequel is nothing if not divisive, with critics and fans alike declaring it to be a revelatory masterpiece, irredeemable faux-profound slop, and every point on the spectrum in between... It’s not a good film, but it’s kind of a fascinating one.
Read more here.
Also this week, a relatively massive 7 reviews were re-posted to the new blog...
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
it’s a little awkward to start with while one warms to Hepburn’s anarchic character, and it drags its heels a little through the middle, but by the time we reach the final act — when an array of characters and situations collide in a manic run-about too intricate to describe here — it all pays off marvellously.
Read more here.
My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
It doesn’t whack you round the head with its impressiveness, but instead sneaks up on you with the realisation that it’s a beautiful work.
Read more here.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
This used to be IMDb's 43rd best film ever. Now it's 112th. Even back in 2007 I thought it was a bit buzz-y...
Read more here.
Son of Rambow (2007)
The two pre-pubescent boys have to carry the film, but thankfully are up to the task (even if their names being Bill nd Will and one of the characters being called Will (the one that’s played by Bill) make remembering them outside of the film a bit of a minefield).
Read more here.
Tales of the Black Freighter (2009)
The story itself is a bit slight. It barely runs 20 minutes once you take off credits at either end, and even at this length feels a little drawn out.
Read more here.
Watchmen (2009)
incredibly faithful to its source material (some notable tweaks and omissions aside), but while some have loved it for this, others have viewed it as weak or pointless. Perhaps some of the complaints about faithfulness stem from the fact that we’re actually unused to seeing faithful superhero adaptations
Read more here.
Watchmen: Director's Cut (2009)
Whatever you thought of Watchmen after the theatrical cut, this extended version is likely to change your opinion no more than any other re-viewing would. That said... this is the superior cut of the film.
Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 30 March 2013
TV
Anna & Katy
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Doctor Who
33x07 The Bells of Saint John
So, here we go -- eight episodes of who the hell is Clara? And what's the Great Intelligence plotting? And who gave Clara the number of the police box? Well, that's going to be River, isn't it. This is Moffat-era Doctor Who -- it's always River.
Other than that, a good fun episode. Celia Imrie makes for a great villainess, of course, and there were plentiful exciting bits. The antigrav bike up the side of the Shard was particularly nice. The single-shot into-the-TARDIS-out-onto-the-plane was a nice idea that seemed quite poorly executed from a technical standpoint, like they didn't take quite enough time to get all the shots properly lined up, which was a shame because it was a really nice idea that could've been a defining moment.
Oh, and the title... why? I mean, I know why -- the phone ringing, the St John's sticker on the TARDIS -- but why is it the title? Hardly that central to the episode. Unless it comes back later. Which, with the River-I-presume thing, I suppose it might.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Plebs
1x01 The Orgy
1x02 The Gladiator
Wasn't sure about this at first, but it grew on me. And episode two has the bonus of featuring Danny Dyer being decapitated, so there's that.
[Watch The Orgy and The Gladiator (again) on ITV Player.]
Pointless Celebrities
3x04 (10/11/12 edition)
The Voice UK
2x01 The Blind Auditions 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Doctor Who33x07 The Bells of Saint John
So, here we go -- eight episodes of who the hell is Clara? And what's the Great Intelligence plotting? And who gave Clara the number of the police box? Well, that's going to be River, isn't it. This is Moffat-era Doctor Who -- it's always River.
Other than that, a good fun episode. Celia Imrie makes for a great villainess, of course, and there were plentiful exciting bits. The antigrav bike up the side of the Shard was particularly nice. The single-shot into-the-TARDIS-out-onto-the-plane was a nice idea that seemed quite poorly executed from a technical standpoint, like they didn't take quite enough time to get all the shots properly lined up, which was a shame because it was a really nice idea that could've been a defining moment.
Oh, and the title... why? I mean, I know why -- the phone ringing, the St John's sticker on the TARDIS -- but why is it the title? Hardly that central to the episode. Unless it comes back later. Which, with the River-I-presume thing, I suppose it might.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Plebs
1x01 The Orgy
1x02 The Gladiator
Wasn't sure about this at first, but it grew on me. And episode two has the bonus of featuring Danny Dyer being decapitated, so there's that.
[Watch The Orgy and The Gladiator (again) on ITV Player.]
Pointless Celebrities
3x04 (10/11/12 edition)
The Voice UK
2x01 The Blind Auditions 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Number of titles in collection: 1,547 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,159 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 388 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 3,873 [up 2]
Number of films in collection: 1,664 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,742 [up 4]
Number of short films in collection: 377 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Number of titles in collection: 1,547 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,159 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 388 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 3,873 [up 2]
Number of films in collection: 1,664 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 5,742 [up 4]
Number of short films in collection: 377 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 29 March 2013
TV
Broadchurch
Part 4 (of 8)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Doctor Who
33x06a The Bells of Saint John: A Prequel
Clearly someone really likes these prequels as they keep doing them. I mean, they're fine, but they're too short to really do much, and they're so inessential -- if they mattered, they'd be in the episode. There's another one about Strax, but it's currently US exclusive and BBC Worldwide have been quite thorough about blocking versions on YouTube, etc.
Ah, that British show Doctor Who...
How I Met Your Mother
8x09 Lobster Crawl
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
The Last Leg
2x08 (22/3/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Part 4 (of 8)
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]
Doctor Who
33x06a The Bells of Saint John: A Prequel
Clearly someone really likes these prequels as they keep doing them. I mean, they're fine, but they're too short to really do much, and they're so inessential -- if they mattered, they'd be in the episode. There's another one about Strax, but it's currently US exclusive and BBC Worldwide have been quite thorough about blocking versions on YouTube, etc.
Ah, that British show Doctor Who...
How I Met Your Mother
8x09 Lobster Crawl
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
The Last Leg
2x08 (22/3/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Magazines
Entertainment Weekly #1252
With a Doctor Who cover feature, hence why I bothered to get hold of a copy. You can find most of the pertinent quotes re-reported online, though it was nice to read Peter Jackson's tribute in full. There were also a few other interesting features in the issue (one on Arrow, for instance), which was a bonus.
If you're in the UK and want a copy, I don't know how easy it is to get generally, but here's a handy site that sell it. Issue in question is the 29/03/2013 one.
With a Doctor Who cover feature, hence why I bothered to get hold of a copy. You can find most of the pertinent quotes re-reported online, though it was nice to read Peter Jackson's tribute in full. There were also a few other interesting features in the issue (one on Arrow, for instance), which was a bonus.
If you're in the UK and want a copy, I don't know how easy it is to get generally, but here's a handy site that sell it. Issue in question is the 29/03/2013 one.
Thursday, 28 March 2013
TV
Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask
2x05 Episode 5
The Good Life
2x04 The Day Peace Broke Out
The Matt Lucas Awards
2x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Starlings
1x07 Episode Seven
2x05 Episode 5
The Good Life
2x04 The Day Peace Broke Out
The Matt Lucas Awards
2x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Starlings
1x07 Episode Seven
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
TV
Arrow
1x15 Dodger
Heading Out
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The Hour
2x05 Episode 5
The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
6x01 (23/3/13 edition)
A National Lottery game show that's lasted six series! I believe, statistically, they've done well if they get a second, so that's testament to how simply addictive and play-along-at-home-able this format is.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
1x15 Dodger
Heading Out
1x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
The Hour
2x05 Episode 5
The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
6x01 (23/3/13 edition)
A National Lottery game show that's lasted six series! I believe, statistically, they've done well if they get a second, so that's testament to how simply addictive and play-along-at-home-able this format is.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
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