Films

Sorry to Bother You (2018)
[#250 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

TV

Great News
2x04 Award Show
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Films

Torment (1944)
[#249 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

TV

Doctor Who
37x09 It Takes You Away
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
[#248 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

A perfect way to start the festive season.

this week on 100 Films

A new month began this weekend, and so it was time for 100 Films in a Year to look back at the last one...





Also this week, 4 brand-new reviews...


Creed (2015)

I feel wrong enjoying Creed the most out of the Rocky movies — like I’m just going for the most recent one, as if new = best — but the major reason I loved it so much is the way it has reverence for and builds on the past. As a standalone movie, it’s more-or-less equal to the best of the original Rocky films; but as specifically the seventh film in the Rocky series, it stands atop that 40-year history to add extra weight to everything.

Read more here.


The Greatest Showman (2017)

I can see why The Greatest Showman was unpopular with critics but a huge hit with audiences — it’s a proper crowd-pleaser; a big, cheesy, easy extravaganza, similar to its pop-style music. That’s not the sort of thing critics are enamoured of, but it is the kind of thing that tickles the fancy of the masses. On the whole, it didn’t appeal to me... but it did have its moments.

Read more here.


Have a Good Funeral, My Friend... Sartana Will Pay (1970)

Gianni Garko's back in the saddle as the titular roguish hero for the fourth official Sartana movie, which is apparently regarded as the best one — that's what the guys on Arrow's commentary track say, anyway, and it's borne out by viewer ratings on websites like IMDb. I can't say I felt similarly, though after listening to that audio commentary, their enthusiasm and highlighting of the good stuff did help increase my enjoyment.

Read more here.


RoboCop (2014)

It should be cutting and provocative, but it’s just bland. That’s the biggest shame, because if there’s a movie 2018 needs it’s one about corrupt businessmen hijacking the government’s decision-making while right-wing TV chatterers cheer them on and police officers are replaced by an ultimate-killing-machine robot.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Films

Ant-Man and the Wasp 3D (2018)
[#247 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Collection Count

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

This week's update includes all sorts: a DVD to 4K UHD Blu-ray upgrade, a Blu-ray to Blu-ray upgrade, a Blu-ray to 4K UHD Blu-ray upgrade, and two plain ol' new additions, too.

Number of titles in collection: 2,167 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,148 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,019 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 8 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 5,560 [up 9]
Number of films: 2,427 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes: 8,294 [no change]
Number of short films: 641 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

Films

Justice League 3D (2017)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2018 #45

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018)
[#246 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

TV

Great News
2x03 Honeypot!
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Would I Lie To You?
12x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Dad's Army (2016)
[#245 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

TV

Crisis on Earth-X
Supergirl 3x08 Part 1
Arrow 6x08 Part 2
The Flash 4x08 Part 3
Legends of Tomorrow 3x08 Part 4

I gave up on Arrow and The Flash almost a whole year ago, just before this big four-show crossover arrived (I stopped with episode 6 and the crossover was, as you can see, in episode 8). I'd aimed to at least make it through this event before maybe stopping, but my interest just petered out before that. Anyway, I've been intending to watch the crossover anyway for the best part of a year now (even though I didn't think much of the last one), and with a new one imminent it was about bloody time I got round to it.

On the whole, it was a lot better than the last one -- this actually felt like it was conceived as one long story, rather than three separate-but-connected episodes with a rushed conclusion -- but I'd forgotten how soapy these shows can be. I'm not going to be starting to watch them again regularly.

Films

Boy (2010)
[#244 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

Films

Danger: Diabolik (1968)
[#243 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

TV

Doctor Who
37x08 The Witchfinders
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Creed (2015)
[#242 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]
+ the Blu-ray's short selection of special features (a commentary would've been nice)

this week on 100 Films

It was already time for another TV roundup at 100 Films in a Year this week...





Plus, there were 2 brand-new film reviews...


Rocky Balboa (2006)

Writer-director-star Sylvester Stallone returns to his boxing saga to give it the ending he fluffed 16 years earlier. Even as someone who didn’t dislike Rocky V, I don’t think it’s a great send-off for the character. Stallone felt the same, which is why he conceived this as a proper capstone for the series.

Read more here.


Zatoichi's Pilgrimage (1966)

the ‘lost’ Zatoichi movie: at some point the Weinsteins bought the rights to it because Quentin Tarantino was considering a remake, with the side effect of making it unavailable legally for years. Clearly it was felt to be worth the wait, because it’s a highly-regarded instalment in the series... As Bill Hunt and Todd Doogan of The Digital Bits put it, Zatoichi’s Pilgrimage is “one of the crown jewels of the series.” It’s little wonder Tarantino was considering a remake.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Collection Count

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

Absolutely nothing to report this week. Various things on their way for next time, though.

Number of titles in collection: 2,165 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,149 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,016 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 5 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 5,551 [no change]
Number of films: 2,424 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 8,294 [no change]
Number of short films: 641 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Graham Norton Show
24x08 (23/11/18 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Great News
2x02 Squad Feud
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

TV

Great News
2x01 Boardroom Bitch
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]