TV

Death in Paradise
5x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Dickensian
1x12 Episode 12
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x08 Let the Games Begin [2nd watch]
3x09 A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving [2nd watch]

Films

Crimson Peak (2015)
[#33 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Dickensian
1x11 Episode 11
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x07 They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They? [2nd watch]

Shetland
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Home on the Range (2004)
[#32 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

The British Academy Film Awards 2016
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The East (2013)
[#30 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

Pillow Talk (1959)
[#31 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

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


Dressed to Kill (1946)

In the seven-and-a-bit years between 31st March 1939 and 7th June 1946, there were a total of 14 films released starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. By coincidence rather than design, I’ve spent nearly eight years viewing and reviewing them all... this entry takes loose inspiration from several tales. The use of secret codes is reminiscent of The Dancing Men, while the plot device of having to track down multiple identical items that hide something comes from The Six Napoleons.

Read more here.


Ex Machina (2015)

a sci-fi movie of the thoughtful variety. It’s a film that considers ideas of artificial life, how we test it and what it means to create it, and only gradually builds in thriller elements that pay off in its final twenty-or-so minutes. In truth, it’s not the most thorough deconstruction of what it means to be human and whether artificial intelligence can have that right, but it does touch on these issues and, in so doing, leaves them open for the viewer to mull over for themselves

Read more here.


Funny Games (1997)

The entire message is, “real-life violence is bad and you shouldn’t enjoy it in fiction, okay?” You don’t need to sit through a tough hour-and-a-half to know that.

Read more here.


The Martian (2015)

the latest in a growing subgenre of serious-minded near-future sci-fi adventures, following in the footsteps of 2013 Oscar winner Gravity and 2014 Oscar washout Interstellar. Where The Martian differs is in the element that tricked Golden Globes voters into thinking they could get away with giving it a comedy nomination (and win): rather than being stuffed to bursting with po-faced peril, it has a lightness of touch and regular doses of humour, making it probably the most feel-good serious sci-fi movie since ever.

Read more here.


Morning Glory (2010)

Rachel McAdams takes a break from time-jumping rom-coms to lead a film where the romantic subplot is merely tacked on, presumably for marketing purposes. Really, it’s about a woman in love with her job.

Read more here.


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


Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Our Villain! No one’s slick as Gaston, no one’s quick as Gaston, no one’s got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston. Uses antlers in all of his decorating, my what a guy, that Gaston.

Read more here.


The Big Sleep (1946)

Bogie and Bacall’s chemistry in To Have and Have Not led the studio to want more of the same, and her agent was only too keen after the poor reviews of Confidential Agent threatened to sink her career before it had really begun. New sparky dialogue scenes took the place of exposition ones in the final cut, essentially creating the film’s reputation for confusion.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Gilmore Girls
3x05 Eight O'Clock at the Oasis [2nd watch]
3x06 Take the Deviled Eggs... [2nd watch]

The Voice UK
5x06 The Blind Auditions 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)
[#28 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

SuperBob (2015)
[#29 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 busy few weeks, it's back to "no change" across the board. Don't expect that to last, not at all: it should be non-stop until at least the end of March from here.

Number of titles in collection: 1,839 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,211 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 628 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 4,716 [no change]
Number of films in collection: 2,012 [no change]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 7,173 [no change]
Number of short films in collection: 465 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Gilmore Girls
3x04 One's Got Class and the Other One Dyes [2nd watch]

Room 101
5x03 Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Vera
6x02 Tuesday's Child
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Films

Quigley Down Under (1990)
[#27 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Death in Paradise
5x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Dickensian
1x10 Episode 10
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x03 Application Anxiety [2nd watch]

TV

Dickensian
1x09 Episode 9
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Gilmore Girls
3x02 Haunted Leg [2nd watch]

Insert Name Here
1x06 Chris [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The X Files
10x01 My Struggle
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Films

Ex Machina (2015)
[#26 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

TV

Death in Paradise
5x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
3x02 Episode 2 (of 4)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Room 101
5x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The X-Files Re-Opened
Behind-the-scenes special about the X-Files revival, which started airing in the UK last night. Next up: actually watch the actual programme.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

TV

Gilmore Girls
3x01 Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days [2nd watch]

Ripper Street
4x03 A White World Made Red
[Watch it exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video.]

Shetland
3x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
3x07 The Mattress
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Vera
6x01 Dark Road
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Films

The Martian (2015)
[#25 in 100 Films in a Year 2016]

this week on 100 Films

I know it's been February for a whole week already, but as the first day of that week was the 1st, it's time to look back at last month on 100 Films in a Year. So here's my January progress report:




Also this week, four brand-new reviews were published...


Happy Feet Two (2011)

Not as fun as the first, Happy Feet Two suffers from messy storytelling that can’t seem to settle on a narrative thread. For example: a massive subplot featuring a pair of Pythonesque philosophical krill, voiced by Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, is the film’s most fun element, but never significantly connects to anything else.

Read more here.


Predestination (2014)

a film that rewards knowing as little as possible, especially as the seasoned sci-fi viewer/reader has a fair chance of guessing a good number of its twists (possibly all of them) long before they’re revealed by the film. Fortunately that doesn’t really matter, because the tale remains an engaging and thought-provoking one, with many thematic points to consider, and not just of a science-fictional nature — there are human and historical issues in play here too, which is undoubtedly a rarity in modern screen SF.

Read more here.


Prisoners (2013)

While the basic format is straightforward, it’s realised in the form of a multi-stranded narrative full of well-drawn characters with complications of their own. Jackman and Gyllenhaal may be top billed and on the poster, but there’s actually a powerful ensemble cast here, and its their performances that help the film to stand out from the thriller crowd

Read more here.


Slow West (2015)

The Coens and Wes Anderson are common reference points in reviews of this slightly quirky Western [but] writer-director Maclean has his own variation on that voice, bringing an occasional comically askew perspective to underscore tense confrontations and well-crafted shootouts.

Read more here.


Finally, my 100 Favourites series continued with 2 superheroic entries...


Batman Begins (2005)

Nana-nana-nana-nana nana-nana-nana-nana Batman! But, y’know, serious. Important crimefighting jobs include getting hold of cool gadgets your company developed, messing around in restaurant fountains with models, and perfecting a ludicrously gruff voice to use when in costume.

Read more here.


Batman Returns (1992)

“Burton couldn’t play it safe if he wanted to, and he doesn’t want to. Entrusted with one of the most valuable franchises in movie history, he’s made a moody, grotesque, perversely funny $50 million art film.”

Read more here.


More next Sunday.