TV

Castle
3x08 Murder Most Fowl
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty
From everything I'd heard, I was expecting this to be a complete wash-out. Actually, it had its moments -- essentially, anything pre-recorded or pre-edited, including some magnificent montages; and the throw to Australia was quite sweet. The already-infamous bit with One Direction was truly appalling, though. I don't think I've ever seen something go so badly wrong in a live broadcast before.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Friends
5x09 The One with Ross's Sandwich [5th or so watch]
5x10 The One with the Inappropriate Sister [4th or so watch]

Was It Something I Said
1x06 Episode 6 (extended repeat)
[Watch only the shorter version on 4oD.]

TV

Friends
5x08 The One with All the Thanksgivings [5th or so watch]

Have I Got News For You
46x05 (8/11/2013 edition; extended repeat)

The Mentalist
6x04 Red Listed
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x08 Episode 8


This is my first Monday without Doctor Who for almost four months. I miss #bbbDW50, which of course has ended... but, the moment has been prepared for...

(Which, um, you'll find out about... in about a week...)

Articles

Steven Moffat is rewriting Doctor Who folklore to produce a Christmas cracker
by Mark Jefferies (from Radio Times)

Well this could've been made clearer in-show! Or I guess they're just going to explain it at Christmas for those only tuning in then. But there should be a liiiittle more hype to the idea that Matt Smith is The Last Ever Doctor. Shame.

Anyway, yes, you read that right: Matt Smith is the Doctor's 13, ergo final, regeneration. Peter Capaldi will be the impossible 14th. Even though I believe they're still calling him the Twelfth Doctor. Confused? So say we all.

Doctor Who is was 50...

The Doctor Who anniversary may be officially over, and the glut of programming not so much winding down as stopping dead (aside from repeats, all that's left is Radio 1's The Story of Trock later today), but there's a whole load of stuff I've not got round to yet:

BBC Three's Afterparty; the last Doctors Revisited; The Ultimate Guide to Doctor Who; the 12 Again special; Radio 2's Who is The Doctor? and Blagger's Guide to Doctor Who; eight audiobooks & full-cast plays from Radio 4 Extra; plus their Who Made Who marathon, and sundry other radio bits...

So for me, the celebrations are far from over -- hurrah!

TV

Arrow
2x05 League of Assassins

Doctor Who
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
As the 50th anniversary special approaches, the surviving Doctors decide they should be involved, in this comedy special written and directed by Peter Davison. I was worried this would be terribly self-indulgent, especially when I learnt it was half-an-hour long, but... well, I suppose it is in a way, because it's very much "for fans" -- but my goodness is it hilarious! And the array of cameos is astonishing, and everyone's having a whale of a time... We've been spoilt for highlights this anniversary, but this is definitely amongst the highest.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited
1x10 The Tenth Doctor

Friends
5x07 The One Where Ross Moves In [5th or so watch]

Poirot
13x03 Dead Man's Folly
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

The Sarah Millican Slightly Longer Television Programme
3x06 Episode 6 [season finale]

Articles

Cover of the Century: The making of the "Vote Dalek!" Radio Times cover
(from Radio Times)

I meant to share this a few days ago when I read it, but forgot. I think it's somewhat fascinating, because I'd always assumed that cover was simply Photoshopped from existing elements -- but ohhh no!

this week on 100 Films

Two new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...


Armored Car Robbery (1950)

A solid rather than exceptional film noir, Armoured Car Robbery is worth a look for fans of the genre if they get a chance.

Read more here.


Immortals (2011)

Trailers reminiscent of 300 belie a (slightly) higher degree of artiness: in the making-of, Tarsem espouses that there are many “comic strip” movies, but he wanted to make a “painted strip” movie; Henry Cavill calls it “Fight Club meets Caravaggio”.

Read more here.


And new to the new blog...


American Dreamz (2006)

This loosely satirical comedy sees Dennis Quaid’s Bush-growing-a-brain President agree to be a guest judge on Hugh Grant’s Simon-Cowell-with-looks TV talent show. It’s pretty much as loopy as that sounds, though not as clever as it thinks it is.

Read more here.


Point Break (1991)

Jock-tastic ’80s-style surfing-based crime thriller. If you’ve seen Hot Fuzz you’ll know of this — it’s the one where Keanu Reeves lies on his back and empties his gun into the air while screaming “nooo!”

Read more here.


Sabrina (1954)

My top note for Sabrina is “morally suspect”... a variety of character traits and actions that left me supporting no character and disliking what a number of them got up to.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Happy Birthday Doctor Who...


Blue Peter
Doctor Who Special
Doctor Who Party

A pair of live episodes to mark Doctor Who's 50th, featuring a look at some of The Day of the Doctor's special effects, interviews with Matt and Jenna, a new "design something that will be in the series" competition, and makes for exciting things like a cushion and a Dalek cake. Bless Blue Peter.

[Watch the Special and the Party (again) on iPlayer.]



The Culture Show
Me, You and Doctor Who

A lovely, insightful exploration of the series' history and its impact on culture.

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]



Doctor Who
33x15 The Day of the Doctor [50th anniversary special]

What's the 50th episode of #bbbDW50? It's the 50th anniversary episode, of course! What else would've been more appropriate?

And it was brilliant. Wasn't it? I thought so. I don't mind saying I've not always been the biggest fan of what Moffat's done as showrunner, especially over the last two series, but he absolutely nailed this. It was chock full of exciting new stuff and nods to the past, with everything from tiny subtle references for the true hardcore fan right up to big obvious "here are all the Doctors!" celebrations of the show's 50 year legacy. It was fabulous.

I look forward to watching it again in 3D. I reckon some of it will look grand. I fear the Christmas special can only be a letdown from here though, so we'll see...

But on a positive note: it's a feature-length episode that was released in cinemas alongside TV -- definitely counts for 100 Films, right? Well, does for me. I'll post a lengthier review there at some point.

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]



Friends
5x06 The One with the Yeti [4th or so watch]
Yes, this is the only non-Who thing today.



The Graham Norton Show
14x06 (22/11/13 edition)

Featuring Matt Smith and David Tennant, dropping in halfway through like the BBC had mandated their inclusion on the regularly-scheduled episode. Which they may well have.

Actually, it left a bit of a bitter taste for me -- lots of old-fashioned stuff about the show just being for geeks, who've never touched a girl; suggesting Matt is only in the special due to contractual obligation so why on Earth has David deigned to come back; David and Matt not quite knowing what to say when Jimmy Carr asked a daft question about how can they both be in the special; and so on and so forth. It felt rather like a nasty throwback, instead of being aware that, actually, Doctor Who is now one of the BBC's top brands, a massive earner, probably more significant to culture than anyone else on the episode this evening; while they treated it a little like it deserved a nice pat on the head, a ruffle of its hair, and a half-meant "well done".

Bah.

[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Collection Count

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

This week's purchases include Man of Steel, imported from the US for all the special features, and two copies of The Wolverine, which is a little more complicated.

See, there's a Sainsbury's exclusive bonus disc -- I like bonus discs. But there's also an Extended Cut, only available in the 3D edition. Sainsbury's don't do the 3D edition with the bonus disc, typically. I had decided just to settle for the 3D edition, but then my copy turned up with two 3D discs and no 2D disc. I could've just got a replacement direct from Fox, but I saw An Opportunity. So, I bought the Sainsbury's 2D exclusive and my spare 3D disc will go up on eBay. Huzzah!

Anyway, numbers:

Number of titles in collection: 1,640 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,197 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 443 [up 4]

Number of discs in collection: 4,073 [up 10]
Number of films in collection: 1,746 [up 5]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,030 [up 6]
Number of short films in collection: 406 [up 1]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

An Adventure in Space and Time

That was brilliant. And not just "for Doctor Who fans" brilliant, but a properly good drama. Magnificent performances all round, beautiful direction, stunning production design... And so packed with stuff, I honestly think it could've been twice as long (or even longer) and still not felt padded or too mired in minutiae. If it doesn't win all the awards there's no justice.

Followed by William Hartnell: The Original, a teeny tiny documentary that definitely would withstand being (significantly) longer.

[Watch them both (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


Doctor Who
33x14 The Name of the Doctor [season finale; 2nd watch]

Well well well now, here's a day I half expected we'd never see: the penultimate part of #bbbDW50. And in some respects that makes it The End, because the final part -- the 50th episode of the season's 50 episodes -- is tomorrow's anniversary special, and even if the rest of my celebratory viewing had faltered I'd still be watching that, wouldn't I? So yes, from that point of view, it ends here -- hurrah, I did it, etc.

But enough of that -- which episode is in this illustrious position? Well, it's one from earlier this year -- it is, in fact, the most recent full-length episode of nuWho, the previous season finale. Which probably doesn't have a huge bearing on the 50th special (as Moffat said himself somewhere, who'd be fool enough to make such an event "Part 2"?!), but is nonetheless a handy primer, I feel. Plus there's the double-bonus that (like the last episode), everyone else fawned over it relentlessly after it aired, whereas I was considerably more cautious.

I have to say, I'm still not wholly convinced. While there's a bit more of a plot than I remembered, I still feel like it's a collection of "bits" -- an explanation for Clara, a goodbye to River, kisses to the past, a cliffhanger tease, etc. Nonetheless, it's mostly entertaining, and almost emotional in places; but it's still... not even a season finale, really, and certainly not a story in itself... just a Big Episode.


Friends
5x05 The One with the Kips [4th or so watch]


The One Show
20/11/13 edition
A Doctor Who themed edition of the BBC magazine show... but still chock full of their usual features on Stuff, so if you want to watch, be prepared to do plenty of fast-forwarding to the scattered good bits.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


Was It Something I Said
1x05 Episode 5 (extended repeat)
[Watch only the shorter version on 4oD.]

TV

Doctor Who
33x14b The Last Day
You know if you watch someone else play a computer game, it's usually pretty rubbish? Yeah...

Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited
1x09 The Ninth Doctor

Elementary
2x04 Poison Pen

Friends
5x04 The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS [4th or so watch]

Person of Interest
2x04 Triggerman
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Films

The Wolverine: Extended Cut (2013)
[#101 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

TV

Castle
3x07 Almost Famous
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]


Doctor Who
32x04 The Doctor's Wife [2nd watch]

By chance rather than design, #bbbDW50 includes one episode from each of the Eleventh Doctor's series. This episode from 2011 (my God, is it really 2½ years old?!) was hailed as an instant classic by so many -- in part, let's be perfectly honest, because of the hype surrounding its writer. I'm not saying it wouldn't have garnered such love if it had been by anyone else, but... well, it wouldn't have garnered such love, would it?

I didn't fall for it quite so deeply. In fact, I thought it was interesting and fine, but held back by the level of expectation and the consequent, shall we say, "squee"ing over it. (I hate the 'word' "squee", making it perfect for this occasion.) Returning to it for the first time in 2½ years (my God, is it really 2½ years old?!) allows a chance for personal reappraisal.

...but not much has changed. It's a very good episode, and the conceit is a great one, but it's not flawless. House is not as effective an enemy as it feels he/it was imagined to be, and Amy and Rory basically run around corridors just so they have something to do. Similarly, the Doctor and Idris seem to fly their makeshift TARDIS for ages, again in a move that feels time-killing.

Still, the bits that work do work really well, and ultimately it's that sky-high expectation and overreaction from some quarters that can leave the episode to feel underwhelming.


Friends
5x03 The One Hundredth [4th or so watch]


Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x07 Episode 7
aka The One With Huey Morgan And The Mug.


The Newsroom
2x08 Election Night Part I
2x09 Election Night Part II [season finale]

Good in places, spectacularly mawkish in others. Apparently it is coming back, but this does have the feel of a series finale... while also leaving plenty of doors open.

TV

Doctor Who
31x07 Amy's Choice [3rd watch]

It's the final stages of #bbbDW50 now, as we reach the Eleventh Doctor.

First up, an episode I feel gets somewhat overlooked by the bigger, more attention-grabbing ones that have come about during the Eleventh's reign, but that I also feel is one of the very best to be produced under Moffat's stewardship. It's a shame they didn't focus on making more alternative, unusual, but still very Who-y, and unquestionably effective, episodes such as this one, rather than getting sidetracked into all those big, aimless, ultimately disappointing arc plots.

Seriously, if you're not aware of its brilliance, give this one another go. It has an awful lot going for it on a first watch, but it's almost even better second time round, when you know who the Dream Lord really is.


Friends
5x02 The One with All the Kissing [4th or so watch]


The Mentalist
6x03 Wedding in Red
Wow, that was a spectacularly bad episode. Did the writers take a holiday and let the cleaner have a go?
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

TV

Doctor Who
30x14 The Next Doctor [2nd watch]

The Tenth Doctor portion of #bbbDW50 concludes with the 2008 Christmas special, the last episode of Doctor Who to be made in standard definition (but, almost ironically, the first we're watching on Blu-ray).

Every episode in this viewing season was selected for a reason, be it to represent a certain monster, or as a gold-standard classic, or even for its notoriety. Why did The Next Doctor win out over the numerous RTD-era classics? Well, it's one of the least-regarded Christmas specials, and as I haven't seen it since it first went out (five years ago!) it seemed overdue a personal reappraisal. It also features the Cybermen, who are the most startling oversight in a run of stories that has included Daleks (twice), Ice Warriors, Autons, the Master (twice), Omega, Zygons, Sontarans, and the Kandy Man.

Finally, watching The Next Doctor right after an episode starring "the next Doctor" was too fun to miss. (There are plenty of other episodes from season four and the specials that I've yet to re-watch, so that's the real reason, isn't it?)

In the end, the best reason to watch was that reappraisal. The Next Doctor is really good, with a peerless performance by David Morrissey and a great turn from Dervla Kirwan too. The Cyberking is a bit much, but otherwise the Cybermen are great, particularly effective at a snow-bound funeral and when they betray -- or, as it turns out, attempt to betray -- Miss Hartigan. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the best Christmas special, but it's actually a very good one. Hurrah!


Elementary
2x03 We Are Everyone


Friends
5x01 The One After Ross Says Rachel [4th or so watch]
Really, it's Part 3.


Only Connect
Children in Need Special: Scrabblers v The Balding Team

Articles

Steven Moffat on The Night Of The Doctor
(from Doctor Who Official Site)

Missed this interview on Thursday, so you might've too. Intriguing final answer -- could we get a full set via The Day of the Doctor, I wonder?

TV

Doctor Who
30x02 The Fires of Pompeii [2nd watch]

#bbbDW50 sticks with the Tenth Doctor for a little longer -- we haven't exactly used proportional representation for the Doctors so far, and we're not really starting here (not with any great degree of accuracy, anyway), but when it came to increasing the number of episodes from the original 45 to a more appropriate 50, it seemed fairest to bung in a couple more for the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors rather than a whole extra multi-parter for any earlier one.

Fans will no doubt easily guess why Fires of Pompeii earns a coveted spot here: one of its main guest stars is none other than Peter Capaldi, the Twelfth Doctor himself! Except not the Twelfth Doctor. Probably. Who knows what kind of retconning Moffat will attempt. (Probably none. Hopefully none.) Surprisingly, he's barely in the thing.

The episode also features a pre-Pond Karen Gillan, caked in make-up as a glorified extra... and yet, after two-and-a-half seasons as the main companion, really obviously her. But that's not why I've chosen it; that's just a coincidence.


Have I Got News For You
46x05 (1/11/2013 edition; extended repeat)


Never Mind the Buzzcocks
23x12 The Doctor Who Special [2nd watch]
From Christmas 2009 and repeated last week as part of the anniversary celebrations. It's a great fun episode, actually... though four years on accompanied by, "wow, doesn't David Tennant look a surprising amount younger!" and "wow, doesn't Phill Jupitus look clean-shaven and therefore kind of chubbier!"
Bernard Cribbins is still just blinkin' marvellous though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]


Poirot
13x02 The Big Four
Poirot finished forever earlier in the week, but with shocking tardiness I'm only embarking on the final series now. Though there are tonnes of earlier episodes I've never seen, so one day, with a DVD (or Blu-ray) box set, there's still plenty of new-to-me Poirot to come.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

this week on 100 Films

Six brand-new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...


Make/Remake: The Daleks’ Invasions of Earth

There’s little doubting that The Dalek Invasion of Earth is a minor epic. Where The Daleks struggled a bit to fill its seven-episode order, in six instalments writer Terry Nation takes us from an occupied, bomb-blasted London, to an attack on the Dalek spaceship, to a mine in Bedfordshire that’s digging to the centre of the Earth. Although made on Doctor Who’s typically tiny budget, the TV serial shines.

Read more here.


Sean Connery as James Bond, Part 1

The name's Connery, Sean Connery, the star of the first five world-conquering James Bond movies...

Featuring reviews of Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice.

And new to the new blog...


The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

one of the forefathers of the modern spectacle-driven blockbuster, packed with innovative effects designed to dazzle the viewer. One can only imagine how incredible the special effects looked to a 1940 audience. Today the flaws are obvious, but, surprisingly, not by much.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Arrow
2x04 Crucible

Atlantis
1x08 The Furies
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Children in Need 2013
Midnight to 2am, featuring dregs and repeats... and a record-breaking total.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited
1x08 The Eighth Doctor
Half an hour on one story -- no mention of the books, audios, comic strips... And because it was made months ago, no mention of The Night of the Doctor either, which is a shame.

Friends
4x23 The One with Ross's Wedding Part 1 [5th or so watch]
4x24 The One with Ross's Wedding Part 2 [season finale; 5th or so watch]

The Science of Doctor Who
Prof. Brian Cox's lecture on the real-life science related to concepts from Doctor Who. Essentially, this means time travel, with a diversion into the possible existence of aliens. Interesting, but a shame there was nothing on uniquely Who concepts like something being bigger on the inside.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Comics

Dredd Underbelly: Part Three by Arthur Wyatt & Henry Flint
(from Judge Dredd Megazine #342)

Oh -- is that it?!

Well, bluntly, yes. After just three instalments, the story's over, rushing to a conclusion. In the US it'll be collected as a one-shot early next year. Not sure it was worth it.