TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2x17 Boyle-Linetti Wedding
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Critical
1x11 Episode 11

TV

Mad Men
7x11 Time & Life

Films

Fitzcarraldo (1982)
[1st hour]

Couldn't keep my eyes open for any more. Not yet sure if I'll return to it, start it again, or just give up on it for Another Day (hence why there's no 100 Films number yet).

TV

Arrow
3x21 Al Sah-Him
He's good! He's bad! He's dead! He's not! He is! He isn't! This season has gone round in circles far too many times. At least we're nearly at the end. I hope next year is better plotted-out, though.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold
2x17 The Mask of Matches Malone!
2x23 The Knights of Tomorrow!
The next two episodes flagged as the best by my survey. I enjoyed the first (an episode so risqué it wasn't actually aired in the US), and while the second wasn't bad I didn't love it as much as some seem to (note the very high score on at TV.com).

Forever
1x18 Dead Men Tell Long Tales

Films

Telling Lies (2001)
[2nd watch]

Brilliant short animation, #127a in 100 Films 2007, which you can nowadays watch online (for free) here.

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
9x01 (3/5/15 edition)
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Elementary
3x19 One Watson, One Holmes

The Flash
1x19 Who is Harrison Wells?

Game of Thrones
5x04 Sons of the Harpy

Outnumbered
4x07 The Broken Santa [Christmas special; 2nd watch]

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2x16 The Wednesday Incident
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Critical
1x10 Episode 10

Have I Got News For You
49x03 (24/4/2015 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Vera
5x04 Shadows in the Sky [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

this week on 100 Films

You may have noticed it's a new month, but I'm currently away and so the 100 Films in a Year April update will have to keep until next week.


Nonetheless, two brand-new reviews were still published this week...


The Sugarland Express (1974)

Largely overlooked these days, I guess because it doesn’t obviously fit with Spielberg’s renowned sci-fi, adventure, and worthy-historical pictures, The Sugarland Express merits more attention. Tonally, and in terms of the level of directorial skill it exhibits, it fits right amongst the pack of his better-remembered works.

Read more here.


Valkyrie (2008)

There's no point beating about the bush: they don't succeed [in killing Hitler]. We all know that. The film's marvel, really, is in making us believe they might... Singer has crafted a proper thriller here, replete with scenes of edge-of-your-seat tension. Many a filmmaker can't manage that with a fictional storyline, never mind one where we know exactly how it turns out.

Read more here.


Additionally, I added five archive reviews to the new blog...


Ghost Town (2008)

It's a gently amusing affair, with little that's especially memorable but is absolutely fine while it goes about its business. Many scenes may raise a smile or a giggle, but little more than that.

Read more here.


The Great Dictator (1940)

one of Chaplin's most widely-known films thanks to setting its sights on the Nazi regime and Adolf Hitler in particular... the real-world targets make his work satirical as well. I'm sure this made for great propaganda when it was released just a year into the war, but Chaplin's skill and accuracy mean it works beyond that: like all good impersonations or spoofs it doesn't make its objects silly for no reason, but instead takes what's inherently laughable about them and exploits it.

Read more here.


Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)

adaptation of Patrick Süskind's popular novel, often considered unfilmable because of its focus on the sense of smell. Tykwer covers for that with strong cinematography, with sumptuously rich visuals and a judicious use of close-ups to evoke beauty or disgust as appropriate

Read more here.


Superhero Movie (2008)

Superhero Movie is mainly a spoof of Spider-Man... a film that [at the time of making was] six years old. Unfortunately, this means that most of the best jokes have already been done in numerous other sketch-length spoofs... Superhero Movie takes all this sketchery to the next level, however, crafting its story simply by reworking the first Spider-Man film almost scene by scene, inserting jokes (and, more often, 'jokes') where it can -- which is about once per scene.

Read more here.


Wilde (1997)

Stephen Fry is perfectly cast as Wilde and Jude Law is suitably horrid as the spoilt, stroppy and thoroughly dislikeable Bosie, whose selfishness brings about Wilde's downfall. Also worthy of note is the ever-excellent Michael Sheen in a smaller but vital role

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Collection Count

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

This week: nowt.

Number of titles in collection: 1,762 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,208 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 554 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,378 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 1,903 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,482 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Car Share
1x02 Episode 2
Even funnier than the first. Glad I've bothered now.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Car Share
1x01 Episode 1
I wasn't going to watch this. Then I did, and it was actually quite good.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Game of Thrones
5x03 High Sparrow

The Mentalist
7x11 Byzantium
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Pointless Celebrities
7x02 Morning TV
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (1959)
[#59 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2x15 Windbreaker City
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Daredevil
1x12 The Ones We Leave Behind
1x13 Daredevil [season finale]
The MCU may have offered us several well-liked films at this point, but I think this is my favourite thing that shared universe has produced so far. Ever so glad it's got a second season, and I can't wait to see what the other Marvel/Netflix series have to offer.

Gotham
1x17 Red Hood
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Person of Interest
3x05 Razgovor
Ugh, HR. When will they let that crap die?
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

TV

Daredevil
1x11 The Path of the Righteous
Great final scene, even if I'm gutted to have that character leave the show.

Vera
5x03 Muddy Waters
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

this week on 100 Films

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


Bernie (2011)

Richard Linklater tells this story in a docu-drama style, mixing talking head interviews with dramatic recreations. Many (most) of the interviewees are real-life Carthage residents, presumably giving their real recollections and opinions. It fits this narrative to a T, lending veracity to the unbelievable-if-it-weren’t-true story.

Read more here.


Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)

the sense that enough of the truth remains keeps the film inherently captivating. That’s handy for the film, which almost leans on the “it’s all true!” angle as a crutch to help the viewer through its own production. Eastwood’s direction might kindly be described as “workmanlike” — it’s strikingly unremarkable. Cusack is as blank as he ever seems to be

Read more here.


Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008)

there’s the son of Captain America and Black Widow; the daughter of Thor and Sif; the son of Hank Pym and Wasp; the son of Hawkeye and Mockingbird; and the son of Black Panther. These kids must work with the still-living members of the original Avengers to fight… Ultron, the villain of this summer’s Live-Action Avengers 2! (Do you ever feel like the Marvel universe goes round in circles?)

Read more here.


Pain & Gain (2013)

For his first non-sci-fi movie in a decade, divisive action director Michael Bay channels Tarantino (kinda) for this based-on-a-true-story crime comedy. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Mark “Marky Mark” Wahlberg and Anthony “The Falcon” Mackie star as a gang of dimwitted Florida bodybuilders who come up with a ‘foolproof’ plan to rob a rich gym client.

Read more here.


Plus five archive reviews were reposted on the new blog...


The Big Heat (1953)

It’s rather grim and very violent, to be blunt. Even if most of the violence is off screen, it’s still described in fair detail — and most of it’s against women too. Lang adds intensity to this mix, a quiet sort of tension. It becomes clear that this is a tale where anything could — and does — happen; where it is, for once, genuinely true that no one is safe.

Read more here.


Roman Holiday (1953)

the cast work well together. The film is often painted as a Peck/Hepburn two-hander — easier to sell the romance angle that way — and I’m sure it would work as that, but Albert’s in it enough to qualify for attention, and is fairly essential to what makes it quite so likeable in my opinion. He and Peck carry much of the humour while Hepburn charms as a sweet girl finally allowed to be herself.

Read more here.


Snake Eyes (1998)

Let's start with the opening take. It's a fake (there are eight cuts), which is pretty obvious, but it's still a nifty way of starting the film... it sets up nearly everything we need to know for the rest of the film. Almost every element of the conspiracy is tucked away in there somewhere, from the blatantly obvious to the tiniest detail we won't even notice.

Read more here.


Ultimate Avengers (2006)

The primary problem is balance. [It] spends the entire first half assembling the team, the story crawling along at a snail’s pace; consequently, there’s nothing like enough time to do the remaining plot justice, leaving much of it to feel rushed. However, the tale itself retains an appropriately comic-book feel

Read more here.


Ultimate Avengers II (2006)

yes, it’s a modern genre sequel, so yes, it’s ‘darker’. In this case that means “more adult”, touching on issues you might not expect in superhero animation with such a low certificate — marital problems, survivor’s guilt, political isolationism, even vague allusions to alcoholism. None are dealt with in any great depth I should add, but it will likely please adult fans wishing for something more “grown-up”.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Arrow
3x20 The Fallen

Daredevil
1x10 Nelson v. Murdock

Elementary
3x18 The View from Olympus

Outnumbered
4x06 The Exchange Student [season finale; 2nd watch]
Some people say Outnumbered lost it as it went on, but this is a really great episode. The "kids say the funniest things" element definitely faded a bit with time, but the writing and plot construction could still be sharp. The titular German kid is the best bit of the episode, too.

Films

Blitz (2011)
[#58 in 100 Films in a Year 2015]

Collection Count

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

After the crazy month, just one addition this week. There are very few pre-orders on the horizon right now, actually, so any additions in the immediate future will be spur-of-the-moment purchases.

Number of titles in collection: 1,762 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,208 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 554 [up 1]

Number of discs in collection: 4,378 [up 1]
Number of films in collection: 1,903 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,482 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 448 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.