Films

David Byrne's American Utopia (2020)
[#55 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Films

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway (2019)
[#54 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
+ the audio commentary on Arrow's Blu-ray, which was very academically-minded but not without interest

TV

The Twilight Zone
3x35 I Sing the Body Electric
+ commentary by Twilight Zone expert Marc Scott Zicree

Films

Frankenstein (1931)
[#53 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]
Blindspot 2021 #2
+ commentary by film historian Sir Christopher Frayling

this week on 100 Films

Time flies: this week, it was already time for a new monthly TV column at 100 Films in a Year...





Plus 2 new film reviews...


Creed II (2018)

The film’s title is, obviously, meant to be read “Creed 2” because it’s a follow-up to “Creed 1”, but if you chose to read it as “Creed the 2nd” it wouldn’t be inappropriate to the movie’s themes. This is a movie all about parents and children, what they owe to each other, and how they live up to that — or fail to. It’s a meaty subject to chew on, and [the film] examines it from almost every conceivable angle.

Read more here.


Zatoichi in Desperation (1972)

The 24th and penultimate film in the original Zatoichi series is also the first to be directed by star Shintarô Katsu. Despite such fundamental creative control by the man who arguably knew the character best, it's widely regarded as one of the series’ worst instalments, and yet you’ll find some people full of praise for it. It’s one of the series’ darkest entries, and I suspect it’s unpopular overall because it’s so grim; but for those who do like it, they love it.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Dial M for Middlesbrough
Sequel to Murder on the Blackpool Express and Death on the Tyne. I thought it was the best one yet.

Films

Radioactive (2019)
[#52 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983)
[#51 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Collection Count

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

It was supposed to be a new running time update this week, but it's been a busy month and a bunch of titles arrived just this morning, so I haven't found time to add it all up. That's bumped to next week, then. In the meantime, this week's pile of new arrivals: one recent release, and four sale pickups.
Number of titles in collection: 2,549 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,081 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,468 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 96 [no change]

Number of discs in collection: 6,532 [up 6]
Number of films: 2,956 [up 6]
Number of additional cuts: 209 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,048 [no change]
Number of short films: 843 [up 2]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

WandaVision
Part 8 Previously On

Films

Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
[#50 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

TV

Would I Lie To You?
14x05 Episode 5
14x06 Episode 6
[Watch these episodes (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

For All Mankind
1x01 Red Moon

The Twilight Zone
3x27 Person or Persons Unknown

TV

The Twilight Zone
1x10 Judgment Night
2x11 The Night of the Meek
+ commentary on The Night of the Meek by Twilight Zone expert Marc Scott Zicree and comic book author Len Wein.

These episodes see me pass the halfway mark of watching the whole series: I've now seen 79 episodes, and I've got 77 to go...

Films

Vampyr (1932)
[#49 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Xchange (2001)
[#48 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

Articles

What Peter Jackson’s original two-movie Lord of the Rings almost looked like
by Drew McWeeny (from Polygon)
I don't share any articles for ages and then two really good ones come along almost at once...

Films

Apollo 13 (1995)
[3rd or so watch]
Rewatchathon 2021 #6. Plus a few bits from the audio commentaries by Jim & Marilyn Lovell and director Ron Howard, which were quite interesting.

Articles

Justice League: The Shocking, Exhilarating, Heartbreaking True Story of #TheSnyderCut
by Anthony Breznican (from Vanity Fair)
As someone put it on Twitter, "this is possibly the most well-rounded, thoughtful, and genuinely informative articles about the Snyder Cut I've ever had the pleasure to read... An uncommonly good piece."

Films

The ’Burbs (1989)
[#47 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]

this week on 100 Films

Just 1 new review on 100 Films in a Year this week...


Muse: Simulation Theory (2020)

Often cited as one of the best live acts around, for their latest concert movie British rock band Muse have attempted something a bit different: rather than just footage of them performing songs in front of a massive audience, Simulation Theory attempts to tell a sci-fi narrative… driven by and/or interspersed with the band performing songs in front of a massive audience, natch.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

Films

News of the World (2020)
[#46 in 100 Films in a Year 2021]