TV

Dickensian
1x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
3x01 Episode 1 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The One Show
A Tribute to Sir Terry
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Predestination (2014)
[#21 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Dickensian
1x05 Episode 5

Elementary
4x07 Miss Taken

Insert Name Here
1x04 Jo
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Adam (2009)
[#20 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

A Boy and His Dog (1975)
[#19 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

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


Begin Again (2013)

Once’s writer-director returns with a film that could’ve been dubbed Once 2: New York... The songs aren’t as catchy (though some are decent) and the shape of the story is overfamiliar

Read more here.


Come Drink with Me (1966)

The film features good swordplay action, for the era — i.e. it’s not as tightly choreographed as you’d expect today. There’s a mix of huge free-for-all clashes, and Leone-esque long pauses followed by short bursts of violence.

Read more here.


The Golem (1920)

Regarded as one of the first horror films, The Golem is more of a moderately-dark fantasy, or a fairytale-type myth... However, it does feature what I presume is one of first instances of that most daft of horror tropes: running upstairs to escape the monster. It goes as well here as it ever does, i.e. not very.

Read more here.


A Most Wanted Man (2014)

A typically complex plot requires the viewer to keep their attention level high. Some find the story a plod, but (one languorous interrogation sequence aside) I thought it relatively brisk, aided by accent-defying performances

Read more here.


The Two Faces of January (2014)

The storyline is pretty straightforward, but it’s driven by some interesting characters with complex motivations. You’re never entirely sure what’s driving Rydal and Chester, even if it may appear obvious; and sometimes it can be as much of a twist that a character didn’t have a better plan as it is when their implausibly-intricate machinations are unveiled

Read more here.


Also, my 100 Favourites series continued with 2 more posts...


Back to the Future Part II (1989)

Michael J. Fox is not only Marty McFly, but older Marty McFly, and his son, Marty McFly Jr., and also… his daughter, Marlene McFly. Just in case you’d forgotten these were comedy movies, I guess. Christopher Lloyd, meanwhile, is the one and only Doc.

Read more here.


Back to the Future Part III (1990)

Much like the second film, it can’t attain the perfection of the first movie... And even as I say “they’re not as good as the first one”, I don’t wholly believe it: to me, Back to the Future never has and never will be just one film, or one film and its two sequels — it’s a trilogy; a three-parter.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The Voice UK
5x04 The Blind Auditions 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

47 Ronin (2013)
[#18 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Collection Count

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

Seven additions to my collection this week bring big changes -- and as one of them's a "complete series" DVD set adding over 100 TV episodes, the next running time update should have a huge increase! Despite that humungous DVD addition, the number of DVDs goes down. How? That complete series set replaces one season I already had, and there's a DVD-to-BD upgrade in there too. Exciting.

Lost in the mix is that the number of films in my collection sailed past 2,000 this week (it was at 1,999 last week). I ought to downsize...

Number of titles in collection: 1,835 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 1,211 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 624 [up 7]

Number of discs in collection: 4,712 [up 40]
Number of films in collection: 2,008 [up 9]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,173 [up 109]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
[#17 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Dickensian
1x04 Episode 4

Room 101
5x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Amistad (1997)
[#16 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Death in Paradise
5x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Two Faces of January (2014)
[#15 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Films

Starman (1984)
[#14 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

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


About Time (2013)

Ostensibly another of Curtis’ oh-so-British rom-coms, it plays that way for a while, but long before it’s done develops into something deeper: Tim gets the girl (Rachel McAdams), then learns about life, family, and what you might really want to do with such power.

Read more here.


Dreamgirls (2006)

Oscar-winning adaptation of the stage musical that doesn’t tell the story of the Supremes in fictionalised form, no sir.

Read more here.


Ender's Game (2013)

you can actually believe Ender is learning to be a better leader. Normally when a movie features “an excellent military strategist” we’re told that and never shown it, but here we see how Ender’s skills as a strategist develop and are exhibited.

Read more here.


Lady of Burlesque (1943)

Stanwyck carries the film, both on stage and off. Her “will they/won’t they (of course they will)” romance with Michael O’Shea’s comic is kept aloft by her biting ripostes to his advances, and when a comedy sketch is interrupted by backstage noises she saves the day by breaking into song, doing the splits, a cartwheel, and the Cossack dance in quick succession. Not bad for a 36-year-old!

Read more here.


The Lone Ranger (2013)

Hated by Americans and loved (well, ok, “liked”) by everyone else (well, ok, “by lots, but by no means all, of people who reside outside America”), Disney’s attempt to pull a Pirates of the Caribbean on Western adventure IP The Lone Ranger is by no means as successful as the first instalment in their piratical franchise, but is at least the equal of its sequels — and, in some cases, their better.

Read more here.


Also, my 100 Favourites series continued with 2 more posts...


Apollo 13 (1995)

NASA Director: “This could be the worst disaster NASA’s ever faced.”
Gene Kranz: “With all due respect, sir, I believe this is gonna be our finest hour.”

Read more here.


Back to the Future (1985)

To some, the DeLorean is a failed automobile. To a generation (and, probably, every generation since) it’s one of the most iconic movie cars of all time. “Are you telling me that you built a time machine… out of a DeLorean?” “The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” Genius.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

The Voice UK
5x03 The Blind Auditions 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Return to the 36th Chamber (1980)
[#13 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Collection Count

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

After a couple of quiet weeks, a few additions this time... and many, many more to come next week! Then a regular drip throughout February, too. Exciting times.

Number of titles in collection: 1,829 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,212 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 617 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 4,672 [up 5]
Number of films in collection: 1,999 [up 6]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,064 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

Plus this week it's time for a running time update, so...

Total running time of collection (approx.):
340 days, 22 hours, and 19 minutes.
(Up 10 hours and 12 minutes from last month.)

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Insert Name Here
1x03 Kate
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

King Boxer (1972)
[#12 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]
aka Five Fingers of Death

White God (2014)
[#11 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]