Friends
8x10 The One with Monica's Boots [5th or so watch]
aka The One Where Ross Can.
Game of Thrones
3x02 Dark Wings, Dark Words
The Mentalist
6x10 Green Thumb
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Tuesday, 4 March 2014
TV
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
5x06 (28/2/14 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Arrow
2x11 Blind Spot
Friends
8x09 The One with the Rumor [5th or so watch]
aka The One with Brad Pitt.
Game of Thrones
3x01 Valar Dohaeris
A slightly earlier Blu-ray release than before means it's only 11 months (as opposed to a full year) since the last season of Game of Thrones for me. OK, this also means I'm watching it almost a year after "everyone" else — but I've remained largely unspoiled, and I get to watch it all in about a week (or even less) rather than having to wait over two months as it gradually unfurls. I've criticised Netflix for premiering their original series in "box set"-esque chunks (it hampers episode-by-episode audience discussion and therefore the creation of a community/fanbase), but golly if it isn't a better way to watch.
11 months is still an awfully long time to remember all of this show's complex on-going plots though, so thank goodness for the Blu-ray: there's both a 10-minute "previously on" covering both seasons one & two, and a 14-minute featurette recapping last season in a little more detail. And I thought Dexter's routine five-minute recap at the start of each season was crazily long! But, for a show that relies so heavily on its on-going storylines, it's very handy to so thoroughly refresh the memory.
That said, a lot of this premiere is about reestablishing characters and setting up where things will be heading this season. And there are so many characters and threads that it doesn't even touch base with everyone! Not necessarily a great episode in itself, then, but with some good scenes and interesting balls set in motion, it has places to go...
Room 101: Extra Storage
14x06 Episode 6
First edition this series that's had an extended repeat.
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]
5x06 (28/2/14 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
Arrow
2x11 Blind Spot
Friends
8x09 The One with the Rumor [5th or so watch]
aka The One with Brad Pitt.
Game of Thrones
3x01 Valar Dohaeris
A slightly earlier Blu-ray release than before means it's only 11 months (as opposed to a full year) since the last season of Game of Thrones for me. OK, this also means I'm watching it almost a year after "everyone" else — but I've remained largely unspoiled, and I get to watch it all in about a week (or even less) rather than having to wait over two months as it gradually unfurls. I've criticised Netflix for premiering their original series in "box set"-esque chunks (it hampers episode-by-episode audience discussion and therefore the creation of a community/fanbase), but golly if it isn't a better way to watch.
11 months is still an awfully long time to remember all of this show's complex on-going plots though, so thank goodness for the Blu-ray: there's both a 10-minute "previously on" covering both seasons one & two, and a 14-minute featurette recapping last season in a little more detail. And I thought Dexter's routine five-minute recap at the start of each season was crazily long! But, for a show that relies so heavily on its on-going storylines, it's very handy to so thoroughly refresh the memory.
That said, a lot of this premiere is about reestablishing characters and setting up where things will be heading this season. And there are so many characters and threads that it doesn't even touch base with everyone! Not necessarily a great episode in itself, then, but with some good scenes and interesting balls set in motion, it has places to go...
Room 101: Extra Storage
14x06 Episode 6
First edition this series that's had an extended repeat.
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]
Monday, 3 March 2014
TV
The 86th Annual Academy Awards
aka the Oscars, obviously. Despite all the (justified) talk about how this was the closest and most unpredictable awards for years, pretty much everything went where it was expected to go. Which is what happens when you have an entire industry built up around predicting the results, plus half a dozen other awards ceremonies with many of the same voters.
Duck Quacks Don't Echo
1x04 Episode 4
Outnumbered
5x05 The Chinese Horde
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
aka the Oscars, obviously. Despite all the (justified) talk about how this was the closest and most unpredictable awards for years, pretty much everything went where it was expected to go. Which is what happens when you have an entire industry built up around predicting the results, plus half a dozen other awards ceremonies with many of the same voters.
Duck Quacks Don't Echo
1x04 Episode 4
Outnumbered
5x05 The Chinese Horde
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Sunday, 2 March 2014
TV
The Culture Show
Forget the Oscars, Here Are the Kermodes [2014]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Oscar 2014 Nominations Special
Oscar 2014: Red Carpet Live
As last year was Sky's ninth with the Oscars, that must make this year the tenth. Nice round number, back to terrestrial next year, yeah?
Silk
3x01 Episode 1
Has it really been over 18 months since the last series?! No wonder I struggled to remember the on-going plot threads.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Top Gear
21x03 (16/2/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Forget the Oscars, Here Are the Kermodes [2014]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Oscar 2014 Nominations Special
Oscar 2014: Red Carpet Live
As last year was Sky's ninth with the Oscars, that must make this year the tenth. Nice round number, back to terrestrial next year, yeah?
Silk
3x01 Episode 1
Has it really been over 18 months since the last series?! No wonder I struggled to remember the on-going plot threads.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Top Gear
21x03 (16/2/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Films
Gravity (2013)
[#13 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]
Loved it. Will definitely be backing it at the Oscars tonight.
[#13 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]
Loved it. Will definitely be backing it at the Oscars tonight.
this week on 100 Films
Three things to report from 100 Films in a Year this week...
Firstly, it's now March, so there's the February update. It wasn't a great month, but that doesn't mean there isn't something to read about.
Secondly, one shiny new review:
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
And finally, one re-posted archive review:
Throne of Blood (1957)
More next Sunday.
Firstly, it's now March, so there's the February update. It wasn't a great month, but that doesn't mean there isn't something to read about.
Secondly, one shiny new review:
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
The goal is clearly to present an objective, fact-driven account of how the CIA eventually found their most-wanted target, but how successfully it does that has been called in to question multiple times: there were those who felt it justified the use of torture, and those who claimed its facts were all wrong. On both these facts, any one viewer’s mileage might vary.Read more here.
And finally, one re-posted archive review:
Throne of Blood (1957)
Kurosawa moves Macbeth from Scotland to 16th Century Japan in this retelling of Shakespeare’s infamous Scottish Play... It works well in the new setting, with some of the themes — honour, respect, betrayal — perhaps becoming more understandable when placed in samurai culture.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 1 March 2014
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
A couple of new releases (one out last Monday, one out next) and a couple of long-awaited US imports (oh, transatlantic post can be slow!) make for... well, the following.
(Note, in particular, that three of the releases contain a short film. Highly unusual, that.)
Number of titles in collection: 1,660 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,198 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 462 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 4,147 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 1,785 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,118 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 409 [up 3]
See you next week, faithful reader.
A couple of new releases (one out last Monday, one out next) and a couple of long-awaited US imports (oh, transatlantic post can be slow!) make for... well, the following.
(Note, in particular, that three of the releases contain a short film. Highly unusual, that.)
Number of titles in collection: 1,660 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,198 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 462 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 4,147 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 1,785 [up 4]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,118 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 409 [up 3]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 28 February 2014
TV
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
1x07 48 Hours
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
How I Met Your Mother
9x04 The Broken Code
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
The Last Leg
4x04 (21/2/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
The Mentalist
6x09 My Blue Heaven
After Patrick Jane (spoilers!) murdered Red John in the previous episode, the series just continued the very next week in America, even though the entire series seemed to be over ("seemed" being the operative word) and this episode presents a "two years later" format reboot. Here in the UK, however, we've had a more respectful couple-of-months break, and I think it works better for it.
It's a relatively genteel way in, dealing with where the characters have been for the last couple of years and setting up why they might return (or won't) to something akin to their old way of life), rather than diving right in with "here's the new setup". Even by the end that isn't wholly clear: there's a kind-of-cliffhanger rather than fully establishing how the show will work from now on. Even though I know where it must be going, I wanna see what happens next now.
So the show still works, then.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
1x07 48 Hours
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
How I Met Your Mother
9x04 The Broken Code
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
The Last Leg
4x04 (21/2/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]
The Mentalist
6x09 My Blue Heaven
After Patrick Jane (spoilers!) murdered Red John in the previous episode, the series just continued the very next week in America, even though the entire series seemed to be over ("seemed" being the operative word) and this episode presents a "two years later" format reboot. Here in the UK, however, we've had a more respectful couple-of-months break, and I think it works better for it.
It's a relatively genteel way in, dealing with where the characters have been for the last couple of years and setting up why they might return (or won't) to something akin to their old way of life), rather than diving right in with "here's the new setup". Even by the end that isn't wholly clear: there's a kind-of-cliffhanger rather than fully establishing how the show will work from now on. Even though I know where it must be going, I wanna see what happens next now.
So the show still works, then.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Comics
She-Hulk #1 by Charles Soule & Javier Pulido
Not a title I'd pay any attention to normally, but I happened to read such good reviews that it seemed worth a go. Paid off too, because I thought it was good fun.
The titular Hulk-relative is a lawyer by day, and this series (or at least this issue, but by extension I presume the series) is concerned with that rather than the usual superhero activities of "punching things". Writer Soule (a practising attorney himself) keeps things fun but also detailed, and moving too -- even though it's only 20 pages, there's a decent chunk of story here; indeed, a whole tale. Why can't more comics manage that?! Pulido's art isn't popular with everyone, but I liked his clean, chunky, retro style for this title, especially when ably supported by Muntsa Vincente's colours.
This could well be a keeper.
Not a title I'd pay any attention to normally, but I happened to read such good reviews that it seemed worth a go. Paid off too, because I thought it was good fun.
The titular Hulk-relative is a lawyer by day, and this series (or at least this issue, but by extension I presume the series) is concerned with that rather than the usual superhero activities of "punching things". Writer Soule (a practising attorney himself) keeps things fun but also detailed, and moving too -- even though it's only 20 pages, there's a decent chunk of story here; indeed, a whole tale. Why can't more comics manage that?! Pulido's art isn't popular with everyone, but I liked his clean, chunky, retro style for this title, especially when ably supported by Muntsa Vincente's colours.
This could well be a keeper.
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
TV
Friends
8x08 The One with the Stripper [5th or so watch]
Which one with the stripper, you may ask? Well, it's the one with the stripper who isn't a stripper. Also, the one where Rachel tells her dad.
Suspects
1x02 Episode 2
I was giving this a second chance, but it's often laughably bad -- literally: some of it was very (unintentionally) amusing. Whether it's funny enough to keep me watching, I've yet to decide.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
8x08 The One with the Stripper [5th or so watch]
Which one with the stripper, you may ask? Well, it's the one with the stripper who isn't a stripper. Also, the one where Rachel tells her dad.
Suspects
1x02 Episode 2
I was giving this a second chance, but it's often laughably bad -- literally: some of it was very (unintentionally) amusing. Whether it's funny enough to keep me watching, I've yet to decide.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]
Audio Drama
Doctor Who [Big Finish]
18x01 The Stones of Venice Part One [2nd listen]
18x02 The Stones of Venice Part Two
I'm getting stuck in to the massive pile of Big Finish dramas I own by listening to them on dog walks. Well, that's the plan -- it worked for this first day, so, y'know, we'll see.
Before Big Finish 'officially' started doing seasons with the BBC7-initiated New Eighth Doctor Adventures, the 8th Doctor's adventures in their main range nonetheless appeared in season-esque clumps. A nice idea: he was still the incumbent Doctor when they started, with an unfilled gap between his sole TV appearance and his regeneration (which, of course, we finally got to see last year), so why not treat him to TV-style on-going adventures rather than occasional one-offs?
Still, they weren't officially demarcated as seasons, so as I listen I won't be number them in season terms, as some fans do (that would just become confusing when they eventually abandoned the idea). But I will try to make note of where the stories come, and this is the third story in his first 'season' of adventures. The most striking thing now is how "classic Who" it feels. Makes sense -- it was released a good four years before the series returned to TV -- but with the 8th Doctor leading Big Finish's way in becoming more new series-like, it's striking now. An intriguing tale nonetheless, once it settles in, with a nice quirky edge.
Finally for now, it's funny to look back and see that the 8th Doctor's initial stories spanned releases 16 to 19 (his first two, Storm Warning and Sword of Orion, I listened to many years ago. I might return to them, but as I've already tried that a couple of times down the years I wanted to forge on into new stuff). When Big Finish began the 8th Doctor was conspicuous by his absence, and it felt like an age before they finally got McGann on board. As they're in sight of story #200 (out June 2015), with dozens (hundreds?) of other Who productions along the way, #16 seems hardly into the range at all.
18x01 The Stones of Venice Part One [2nd listen]
18x02 The Stones of Venice Part Two
I'm getting stuck in to the massive pile of Big Finish dramas I own by listening to them on dog walks. Well, that's the plan -- it worked for this first day, so, y'know, we'll see.
Before Big Finish 'officially' started doing seasons with the BBC7-initiated New Eighth Doctor Adventures, the 8th Doctor's adventures in their main range nonetheless appeared in season-esque clumps. A nice idea: he was still the incumbent Doctor when they started, with an unfilled gap between his sole TV appearance and his regeneration (which, of course, we finally got to see last year), so why not treat him to TV-style on-going adventures rather than occasional one-offs?
Still, they weren't officially demarcated as seasons, so as I listen I won't be number them in season terms, as some fans do (that would just become confusing when they eventually abandoned the idea). But I will try to make note of where the stories come, and this is the third story in his first 'season' of adventures. The most striking thing now is how "classic Who" it feels. Makes sense -- it was released a good four years before the series returned to TV -- but with the 8th Doctor leading Big Finish's way in becoming more new series-like, it's striking now. An intriguing tale nonetheless, once it settles in, with a nice quirky edge.
Finally for now, it's funny to look back and see that the 8th Doctor's initial stories spanned releases 16 to 19 (his first two, Storm Warning and Sword of Orion, I listened to many years ago. I might return to them, but as I've already tried that a couple of times down the years I wanted to forge on into new stuff). When Big Finish began the 8th Doctor was conspicuous by his absence, and it felt like an age before they finally got McGann on board. As they're in sight of story #200 (out June 2015), with dozens (hundreds?) of other Who productions along the way, #16 seems hardly into the range at all.
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
TV
Duck Quacks Don't Echo
1x03 Episode 3
The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
7x08 (22/2/14 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Person of Interest
2x10 Shadow Box
Gave up on waiting for Channel 5 to re-start this and just got on with it by... my own means.
1x03 Episode 3
The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
7x08 (22/2/14 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Person of Interest
2x10 Shadow Box
Gave up on waiting for Channel 5 to re-start this and just got on with it by... my own means.
Films
The House of Fear (1945)
[#11 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]
The 10th movie starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes.
[#11 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]
The 10th movie starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes.
Monday, 24 February 2014
TV
Arrow
2x10 Blast Radius
Elementary
2x15 Corpse de Ballet
Outnumbered
5x04 The Gap Year
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Room 101
14x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
2x10 Blast Radius
Elementary
2x15 Corpse de Ballet
Outnumbered
5x04 The Gap Year
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
Room 101
14x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]
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