TV

Doctor Who
2x02 Dangerous Journey
Whoever thought a man draining a sink of water could be a cliffhanger?

Forever
1x03 The Fountain of Youth

Have I Got News For You
48x03 (17/10/2014 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Pointless Celebrities
6x20 (18/10/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

La Belle et la Bête (1946)
[#104 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

aka Beauty and the Beast, of course.

TV

Doctor Who
2x01 Planet of Giants
This week's tie-in story also sees the TARDIS getting miniaturised -- the but the crew are too! It has quite a poor reputation, but I thought this was a strong opening episode, with a good sense of mystery, some nice cross-cutting between scenes, and some solid special effects. Guess it all goes downhill from now...

Pioneers of Television
2x01 Science Fiction

Scott & Bailey
4x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

TV

Doctor Who Extra
1x09 Flatline
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Grantchester
1x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Not Going Out
7x01 Mugging
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Dead Poets Society (1989)
[#103 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

this week on 100 Films

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


After Earth (2013)

There are some good ideas here, albeit undermined by frequent plot and logic holes, often stilted acting, and a chronic need to over-explain things. There’s nice design work, even if its plausibility is suspect, but bonus points for creating a far-future humanity that feels weird and suitably distant

Read more here.


Legends of the Knight (2013)

Heartwarming crowdfunded documentary about the power of Batman — not to beat supervillains, but his positive influence on real people.

Read more here.


The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

When someone says “100-million-dollar epic”, you probably don’t imagine a film about a swindling stockbroker; but, with a three-hour running time and a nine-figure budget, that’s exactly what Martin Scorsese’s black comedy biopic is.

Read more here.


This week, my old blogging site FilmJournal seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth. This is a pain for my reposting plans (I have versions of all old posts on my computer, but not with all the formatting, categories, pictures, etc, that were on the old blog).

I guess using those back-ups is the status quo going forward, but for now, just two reviews were new to the new blog this week...


Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

They're young... they're in love... and they kill people.

Read more here.


I Am Legend: Alternate Theatrical Version (2007/2008)

this cut only has minimal differences: there are a couple of very short new scenes in the third act, which were presumably excised because they primarily feed into the different ending, the main attraction of this version. Personally, I prefer it.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Detectorists
1x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who
34x09 Flatline
Another episode I really enjoyed -- that's a few in a row now! Excellent special effects, many wonderful moments; perhaps a little too long, ran out of places to go with the concept, but on the whole brilliant.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
1x10 Episode 10 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
28x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Would I Lie To You?
8x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Weird coincidence: last time I watched Detectorists and An Extra Slice, I also watched Buzzcocks and WILTY! Seriously!

Films

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
[#102 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

Collection Count

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

Well, almost every week -- I didn't bother last week because there was nothing to report again. This week, however, things kick off...

Number of titles in collection: 1,699 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,203 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 496 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,234 [up 2]
Number of films in collection: 1,832 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,242 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 438 [no change]

...and wind up just one away from 1,700 titles! That barrier may be crossed next week, post willing. See you then, faithful reader.

TV

Gotham
1x01 Pilot
This received a lot of mixed reviews, but I liked it. The cop show/superhero show mash-up does mean it doesn't really feel like either, but it also means it doesn't feel quite like anything else either -- and that's a good thing. It looks gorgeous too, with great production design and cinematography. Overall: not perfect, but has promise.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

The Great British Bake Off
5x11 The Class of 2013 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Have I Got News For You
48x02 (10/10/2014 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Whose Line is it Anyway?
2x06 (22/12/89 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

Doctor Who
13x12 Pyramids of Mars Part Four [2nd watch]

Forever
1x02 Look Before You Leap

Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
3x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Whose Line is it Anyway?
2x05 (15/12/89 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

Doctor Who
13x11 Pyramids of Mars Part Three [2nd watch]

Pioneers of Television
2x03 Crime Dramas

Pointless Celebrities
6x19 (11/10/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
13x10 Pyramids of Mars Part Two [2nd watch]
aka "The One Where the Doctor Takes Sarah Jane to an Alternate 1980". Excellent story, this.

Mock the Week
13x11 (9/10/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Scott & Bailey
4x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Films

The Tourist (2010)
[#101 in 100 Films in a Year 2014]

TV

Doctor Who
13x09 Pyramids of Mars Part One [2nd watch]
After the Doctor faced down a Mummy on Saturday, what better choice for this week's tie-in classic story than the last time he faced such a creature? Bit different, these ones, though...

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
2x06 Episode 6

this week on 100 Films

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


Darkman (1990)

Before he made the insanely successful Spider-Man trilogy, horror auteur Sam Raimi helmed this cinema-original superhero-esque fable, about a scientist caught in the crossfire between a corrupt developer and the mob who sets out for revenge.

Read more here.


The Tournament (2009)

the kind of film where its relative quality is entirely dependent on what you want from a movie. Is it original? Not terribly. Is it clever? Not really. Is it action-packed and kinda fun? Yessir.

Read more here.


Plus six were new to the new blog...


24: Redemption (Extended Edition) (2008)

Everything you need to know for this story is contained herein... On the other hand, it fails as a standalone movie. While the main plot — Jack defends school — is kicked off and wrapped up in the space between the title and the credits, there are several US-based plot threads that aren’t even close to being resolved. These are clearly designed to flow on into season seven

Read more here.


The Condemned (2007)

one keeps expecting it to degenerate into rubbish, but it never quite does. This is partly due to lowered expectations, true, and I’m not claiming it’s a piece of philosophical art — it’s still essentially a straight-up action movie — but there’s more to the story and its inherent issues than one has any reason to expect.

Read more here.


Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005)

the main point is clearly the action, which is pretty spectacular. If you can bear the dense, plot-heavy first half (which does also contain several good sequences), the second is non-stop action, only occasionally marred by overactive camerawork.

Read more here.


I Am Legend (2007)

Things go very well for the first half. It’s nicely paced, concentrating on a depiction of one man’s loneliness taken to the extreme. The script, and Smith’s acting, handle the material well... Sadly, things begin to go down hill...

Read more here.


The Kite Runner (2007)

it feels like it’s part biography (though it’s fiction) and part moral fable. By the end, we’re presumably meant to leave with the feeling that some justice has been done at last. But while one boy has been saved from the horrors of his captors... there are hundreds left behind with the still-active villain.

Read more here.


Stand By Me (1986)

Irrespective of age, generation, or being able to remember the kinds of experiences suggested by the film, Stand By Me is still an effective and affecting little film. The level of enjoyment for some may depend on how much they can stomach child actors, though as kids go they’re mostly very good.

Read more here.



More next Sunday.

TV

Doctor Who
34x08 Mummy on the Orient Express
Really enjoyed that, which makes a good few in a row for me now. Opinion seems very divided on this season: my Twitter feed is full of hatred for it, comments sections on websites see plenty of others declaring it the best run ever, and commenters regularly disagreeing with reviewers about which episodes are great and which are weak. There's a range of opinions on everything, of course, and especially Who, but it feels more pronounced this year.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who Extra
1x08 Mummy on the Orient Express
The series rarely builds extensive sets (as far as I'm aware), more often using location filming, so it would've been nice to learn a bit more about the process behind the Orient Express. Still, between the impressive monster, a big-name guest star and a big-name cameo, I guess there was more than enough to discuss.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Panel-show-tastic!

Have I Got News For You
48x01 (3/10/2014 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

Whose Line is it Anyway?
2x04 (8/12/89 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Would I Lie To You?
8x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
21x16 Planet of Fire Part Four

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
28x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Whose Line is it Anyway?
2x03 (24/11/89 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

TV

Doctor Who
21x15 Planet of Fire Part Three
This seems to have turned into a fairly aimless runaround, but at least the cliffhanger was good.

Grantchester
1x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

The Great British Bake Off
5x10 The Final
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
13x10 (2/10/14 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]