The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
2x02 Episode 2 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Monday, 20 January 2014
Sunday, 19 January 2014
TV
Friends
7x12 The One Where They're Up All Night [4th or so watch]
To get lucky...?
Timeshift
13x07 How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective
A really good overview of the many actors who've played Holmes down the years. Not exhaustive -- there's not time in an hour -- but a good analysis of the major ones. If you missed it, it's on iPlayer until Wednesday night; there are also four web-exclusive extended interview clips, totalling 8½ minutes, on the episode's Programmes page.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
7x12 The One Where They're Up All Night [4th or so watch]
To get lucky...?
Timeshift
13x07 How to Be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective
A really good overview of the many actors who've played Holmes down the years. Not exhaustive -- there's not time in an hour -- but a good analysis of the major ones. If you missed it, it's on iPlayer until Wednesday night; there are also four web-exclusive extended interview clips, totalling 8½ minutes, on the episode's Programmes page.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
this week on 100 Films
Two new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...
Man of Steel (2013)
Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009)
More next Sunday.
Man of Steel (2013)
Produced by Christopher Nolan and other creatives behind the uber-successful Batman reboot The Dark Knight Trilogy, this is intended to do a similar thing for Superman: a present-day, real-world relaunch. Which begins with a huge sequence on a crazy alien world. Well done, chaps. And that’s before we get into the merits of grounding clean-cut Boy’s Own all-American hero Superman in our ideologically complex modern world. Is that what Superman is?Read more here.
Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009)
"From 1984 to 1994, a perfect storm of people and circumstances changed the face of animation forever."Read more here.
So declares the title card at the start of this documentary, which covers how in just a few years Disney went from nearly shutting down its animation division to a period of immense critical acclaim and box office success
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 18 January 2014
TV
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
5x03 (17/1/14 edition)
Hostages
1x01 Pilot
Channel 4's latest answer to Homeland, apparently, although I began to wonder if it was meant to be a spoof it made me laugh so much. But no, I think it was just daft. And yet you know me, I'm bound to keep watching it -- I mean, it took me almost 30 episodes to ditch Once Upon a Time, and this is only 15.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
7x02 (11/1/14 edition)
5x03 (17/1/14 edition)
Hostages
1x01 Pilot
Channel 4's latest answer to Homeland, apparently, although I began to wonder if it was meant to be a spoof it made me laugh so much. But no, I think it was just daft. And yet you know me, I'm bound to keep watching it -- I mean, it took me almost 30 episodes to ditch Once Upon a Time, and this is only 15.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
7x02 (11/1/14 edition)
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
This week's acquisitions include two titles that aren't out yet (Doctor Who: The Moonbase, out Monday; and Wings, out on the 27th), two recent-archive bargains (a big fancy US edition of Casablanca from a couple of years ago, replacing my old DVD; and Danny Boyle's Trance), and a missed Christmas present (The World's End). Shiny.
Number of titles in collection: 1,652 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,198 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 454 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 4,131 [up 7]
Number of films in collection: 1,779 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,102 [up 4]
Number of short films in collection: 406 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
This week's acquisitions include two titles that aren't out yet (Doctor Who: The Moonbase, out Monday; and Wings, out on the 27th), two recent-archive bargains (a big fancy US edition of Casablanca from a couple of years ago, replacing my old DVD; and Danny Boyle's Trance), and a missed Christmas present (The World's End). Shiny.
Number of titles in collection: 1,652 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,198 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 454 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 4,131 [up 7]
Number of films in collection: 1,779 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,102 [up 4]
Number of short films in collection: 406 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 17 January 2014
TV
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
1x01 Pilot
E4's latest US acquisition... which is also showing on Channel 4, albeit in a somewhat later slot the next day. Showing it on Channel 4 at all = confidence. Showing it on Channel 4 second and almost buried = wary. Well, I thought it was good -- and it just picked up two Golden Globes earlier this week, so I'm not alone.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Death in Paradise
3x01 Episode 1
Hm. Kris Marshall's character works, but it was a bit of an unceremonious dispatching of Ben Miller. Surely a couple of minutes with him and the gang before we went off to the fateful reunion would've been nice, at the very least?
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
1x01 Pilot
E4's latest US acquisition... which is also showing on Channel 4, albeit in a somewhat later slot the next day. Showing it on Channel 4 at all = confidence. Showing it on Channel 4 second and almost buried = wary. Well, I thought it was good -- and it just picked up two Golden Globes earlier this week, so I'm not alone.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Death in Paradise
3x01 Episode 1
Hm. Kris Marshall's character works, but it was a bit of an unceremonious dispatching of Ben Miller. Surely a couple of minutes with him and the gang before we went off to the fateful reunion would've been nice, at the very least?
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Thursday, 16 January 2014
Films
The Big Lebowski (1998)
[#4 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]
What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2014 #1!
[#4 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]
What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...? 2014 #1!
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
TV
Friends
7x11 The One with All the Cheesecakes [4th or so watch]
Veronica Mars
3x10 Show Me the Monkey
7x11 The One with All the Cheesecakes [4th or so watch]
Veronica Mars
3x10 Show Me the Monkey
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
TV
Celebrity Mastermind
2013-14 Episode 9 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Elementary
2x11 Internal Audit
Friends
7x10 The One with the Holiday Armadillo [5th or so watch]
Veronica Mars
3x09 Spit & Eggs
2013-14 Episode 9 (of 10)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Elementary
2x11 Internal Audit
Friends
7x10 The One with the Holiday Armadillo [5th or so watch]
Veronica Mars
3x09 Spit & Eggs
Monday, 13 January 2014
TV
Celebrity Mastermind
2013-14 Episode 10 (of 10)
Accidentally skipped episode 9. Oops. But then, according to the BBC Programmes page, this isn't on until Friday, whereas it was available on Virgin Media's iPlayer. Perhaps it wasn't my fault, then.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Friends
7x08 The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs [5th or so watch]
7x09 The One with All the Candy [5th or so watch]
aka The One with the 50 States Game and The One Where Rachel Writes a Silly Version of Tag's Personnel Assessment That He Nonetheless Sends to Human Resources.
Veronica Mars
3x08 Lord of the π's
2013-14 Episode 10 (of 10)
Accidentally skipped episode 9. Oops. But then, according to the BBC Programmes page, this isn't on until Friday, whereas it was available on Virgin Media's iPlayer. Perhaps it wasn't my fault, then.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Friends
7x08 The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs [5th or so watch]
7x09 The One with All the Candy [5th or so watch]
aka The One with the 50 States Game and The One Where Rachel Writes a Silly Version of Tag's Personnel Assessment That He Nonetheless Sends to Human Resources.
Veronica Mars
3x08 Lord of the π's
DVD Extras
No Time to Lose: The Making of Pelham 123
In several regards more interesting than the film itself, this half-hour making-of shows the extraordinary amount of research, planning, and complex filming that went into the production of what is, ultimately, quite a straightforward thriller. Waste of good effort? Maybe...
In several regards more interesting than the film itself, this half-hour making-of shows the extraordinary amount of research, planning, and complex filming that went into the production of what is, ultimately, quite a straightforward thriller. Waste of good effort? Maybe...
Articles
The Magnificent Forty-Seven
by Stephen Turnbull (from Manga)
A professor of Japanese Studies (and the film's historical advisor) on why 47 Ronin has been unfairly maligned by reviewers. "It must be a hard life being a film critic when you can’t just have fun!"
by Stephen Turnbull (from Manga)
A professor of Japanese Studies (and the film's historical advisor) on why 47 Ronin has been unfairly maligned by reviewers. "It must be a hard life being a film critic when you can’t just have fun!"
Sunday, 12 January 2014
TV
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
5x02 (10/1/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Sherlock
3x03 His Last Vow [season finale]
Well well well, that was neat: "ah, there's the cliffhanger... oh no, there's the cliffhanger... no, THERE'S the cliffhanger!"
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Veronica Mars
3x07 Of Vice and Men
5x02 (10/1/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Sherlock
3x03 His Last Vow [season finale]
Well well well, that was neat: "ah, there's the cliffhanger... oh no, there's the cliffhanger... no, THERE'S the cliffhanger!"
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Veronica Mars
3x07 Of Vice and Men
Fiction
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Volume I: Mr Norrell, Chapters 1-4
Been meaning to read this for years (I have a nice box set of the novel in its three volumes as individual paperbacks (apparently 'worth' over £450!) which is from 2005, so about 9 years to be precise), and the TV version that's on the way has inspired me to get started.
I'm only 61 pages into its 1,004-page length, but it's great so far -- enticing, intriguing, and surprisingly funny and witty, in a very dry way. The adaptation has a lot to live up to already, but if it can it will be very exciting.
Volume I: Mr Norrell, Chapters 1-4
Been meaning to read this for years (I have a nice box set of the novel in its three volumes as individual paperbacks (apparently 'worth' over £450!) which is from 2005, so about 9 years to be precise), and the TV version that's on the way has inspired me to get started.
I'm only 61 pages into its 1,004-page length, but it's great so far -- enticing, intriguing, and surprisingly funny and witty, in a very dry way. The adaptation has a lot to live up to already, but if it can it will be very exciting.
this week on 100 Films
Firstly, this week on 100 Films in a Year saw me announce a new year of What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?, my challenge-within-a-challenge to watch a film a month that I really should have seen by now.
You can learn about this year's selection here, including what the 12 films are, as well as the ridiculous process used to select them.
Otherwise, only archive reviews were (re-)published this week, but there were three of those...
Let the Right One In (2008)
Let Me In (2010)
Make/Remake: Let the Right Me In
More next Sunday.
You can learn about this year's selection here, including what the 12 films are, as well as the ridiculous process used to select them.
Otherwise, only archive reviews were (re-)published this week, but there were three of those...
Let the Right One In (2008)
Let the Right One In isn’t your typical vampire movie. If you’ve somehow managed to avoid hearing anything about it in that time, I encourage you to watch it before reading more — it’s hard to discuss any of it without spoiling at least some. Knowing it’s a vampire movie is too much, to be frank — it’d be grand to be able to see this completely cold.Read more here.
Let Me In (2010)
it’s so much the same that one’s thoughts naturally gravitate to the occasions where it does differ. This may be doing the film a disservice, but I’m tempted to say “serves them right” for remaking it so damn fast and making it so damn similar. Some have asserted that it’s the same film for those who can’t handle reading subtitles. It’s not that bad, but you can see where they’re coming from.Read more here.
Make/Remake: Let the Right Me In
The most recent example of this speedy-remake phenomenon is Swedish vampire drama Let the Right One In, remade by the recently-relaunched Hammer Films as Let Me In. Or, if you prefer, “re-adapted”, as they’re both based on a 2004 novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist. A film of a Swedish novel produced by a British company set in America with a US cast & crew? Globalised indeed.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
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