TV

Island of Dreams
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

A Series of Unfortunate Events
3x03 The Grim Grotto Part One
3x04 The Grim Grotto Part Two
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

University Challenge
Christmas 2018 Semi-Final 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

A Series of Unfortunate Events
3x01 The Slippery Slope Part One
3x02 The Slippery Slope Part Two
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

The Twinstitute
1x01 Get Thin Fast
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

University Challenge
Christmas 2018 Semi-Final 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
37x11 Resolution [New Year's Day special]
The first Doctor Who episode of 2019! ...and the last, with the next series announced for 2020. At least it was a really good one.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Madness Rocks Big Ben Live
Part 2 (of 2)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
17x13 Christmas Special
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mrs Brown's Boys
Mammy's Motel [New Year's Day special]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

New Year's Eve Fireworks
2018/2019
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

University Challenge
Christmas 2018 St Catherine's, Oxford v Peterhouse, Cambridge
Christmas 2018 Edinburgh University v LSE
[Watch these episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Gogglesprogs
Christmas Special 2018
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

Madness Rocks Big Ben Live
Part 1 (of 2)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Les Misérables
Part 1 (of 6)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

University Challenge
Christmas 2018 Sheffield University v Manchester University
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The ABC Murders
Part 1 (of 3)
Part 2 (of 3)
Part 3 (of 3)
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer.]

Travel Man
8x00 96 Hours in Jordan [Christmas special]
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

this week on 100 Films

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


Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)

The latest addition to Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror universe is the kind of work that pushes at the boundaries of form and medium — and therefore is the kind of work that challenges how I count things at 100 Films. Is it a film? An episode of TV? A video game? Or is it genuinely something new? Well, it’s not really a video game — it’s not interactive enough to qualify as that. So is it a TV episode, then? It carries the Black Mirror branding, and that is a TV series. Plus it’s not a theatrical release… but then, neither are most Netflix films. It's promoted by Netflix as an “interactive film”. So, taking them at their word, I’ve decided that means it counts as a film.

Read more here.


Christine (2016)

The true, tragic story of newswoman Christine Chubbuck is told in this affecting drama. For those that don’t know, it’s the ending that is why her story is famous: Christine was the first person to commit suicide live on television. The film attempts to help us understand Christine’s life and mental state, and what led her to that moment.

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, it's time for the delayed running time update (as mentioned here), as well as all the whole-year stats increases. Of course, there are actually a couple of days left in 2018, and some titles that should have arrived but haven't could still turn up on Monday... but, eh, they'll just have to count towards 2019.

Number of titles in collection: 2,178 [up 3 this week; up 103 in 2018]
Of which DVDs: 1,145 [no change this week; down 21 in 2018]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,033 [up 3 this week; up 124 in 2018]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 9 [no change this week; up 9 in 2018]

Number of discs in collection: 5,622 [up 34; up 297 in 2018]
Number of films: 2,486 [up 42; up 172 in 2018]
Number of TV episodes: 8,328 [up 16; up 323 in 2018]
Number of short films: 651 [up 2; up 52 in 2018]

I don't think I've bought any short film collections this year, and yet the odd one or two here and there do mount up.

Total running time of collection (approx.):
414 days, 23 hours, and 23 minutes.
(Up 5 days, 2 hours, and 9 minutes from last month.)
(Up 21 days, 5 hours, and 43 minutes from last year.)

That's my smallest year-on-year running time increase since 2014! It's good, really, because I shouldn't buy so much stuff... but I'm gonna keep doing it!

And so, as ever, see you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Black Mirror
5x00 Bandersnatch
The interactive Black Mirror "movie", as many sites/articles are calling it. Netflix call it an "event", which feels more accurate; though they also go with "interactive film", which, y'know, is also accurate. I thought about it a lot, because it's also 'just' an episode of Black Mirror. That's how I'm listing it for now, though I have a suspicion I'll change that imminently.
But whatever you call it, I thought it was superb throughout. There's a great article on how it was made from Wired, and another interesting (and slightly less techy) piece about its creation from The Hollywood Reporter.
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

University Challenge
Christmas 2018 Exeter University v Birmingham University
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Upstart Crow
3x03 If You Prick Us, Do We Not Bleed? [2nd watch]
3x04 Sigh No More [2nd watch]
[Watch If You Prick Us, Do We Not Bleed? and Sigh No More (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
[2nd watch]
Rewatchathon 2018 #50

Articles

The BBC's crazy scheduling may have killed off the Film Show, but movie criticism is more alive than ever
by Robbie Collin (from The Telegraph)

A good article on the ignominious demise of the BBC's Film programme.

TV

Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema
1x06 Christmas [special]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

A Christmas Carol (2018)
[#260 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2018
[Watch it (again) on All 4.]

University Challenge
Christmas 2018 Pembroke College, Cambridge v King's College, London
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
[2nd or so watch]
Rewatchathon 2018 #49. I rewatched the first film last Christmas, and intended to get round to this sequel too. Well, it's only taken me 371 days…

TV

The Dead Room
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mrs Brown's Boys
Exotic Mammy [Christmas special]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

University Challenge
Christmas 2018 Westminster University v University of East Anglia
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Upstart Crow
3x07 A Crow Christmas Carol [Christmas special]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Click & Collect
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Not Going Out
10x00 Ding Dong Merrily on Live [Christmas special]
10x00 Ding Dong Merrily on Live [Christmas special; 2nd watch]
So good I watched it twice.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

University Challenge
Christmas 2018 Brasenose, Oxford v Bristol
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)
[#259 in 100 Films in a Year 2018]

TV

The Chase
The Bloopers
[Watch it (again) on the ITV Hub.]

Have I Got News For You
56x11 Have I Got 2018 News For You [special]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
1x01 Edinburgh [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on Netflix.]

Murder on the Blackpool Express
[2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on UKTV Play.]

Watership Down
Part 3 The Escape
Part 4 The Siege
[Watch parts three and four (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

Not too much to report in the past week at 100 Films in a Year, but it did include the monthly TV review...





...and just 1 new film review...


Ready Player One (2018)

Steven Spielberg’s latest foray into the style of popular moviemaking he helped create in the ‘70s and ’80s — the summer tentpole action-adventure mega-blockbuster — is an adaptation of a novel so bedded in the popular movies of the ‘70s and ‘80s that the whole thing is a bit too meta: it’s a movie obsessed with the brilliance of ‘80s pop culture, made by one of the primary creators of that culture. At least Spielberg insisted that all references to his own work be cut, otherwise it could’ve become a mite self-congratulatory. Though it does mean that Spielberg becomes conspicuous by his absence in a Spielberg movie. Oh, it’s enough to make your head spin…

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Goodness Gracious Me
Christmas Special
20 Years Innit!
A documentary marking the sketch show's 20th anniversary by discussing some of its landmark sketches, and the Christmas special from 1998.
[Watch the Christmas special and 20 Years Innit! (again) on iPlayer.]

Watership Down
Part 1 The Journey
Part 2 The Raid
Some thoughts here.
[Watch parts one and two (again) on iPlayer.]