Ambulance (2022)
[#44 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]
Easy A (2010)
Saturday, 2 July 2022
Games
Tales of Monkey Island
Chapter 5 Rise of the Pirate God
Another hour played, and that's that — I'm all caught up on Monkey Island!
I enjoyed Tales overall, even if it had some bits that could stand improvement (an over-reliance on cut scenes at times; some puzzles that were made tedious by having to trek back and forth). It's a shame Telltale didn't make a second season; in fact, I'm not sure why they didn't: Tales was a critical and commercial hit (it's said to have been their biggest financial success until Back to the Future); and, while they eventually went bankrupt, that was nine years later. Mysterious.
Anyway, at least now we have Return to look forward to. Can't wait!
Chapter 5 Rise of the Pirate God
Another hour played, and that's that — I'm all caught up on Monkey Island!
I enjoyed Tales overall, even if it had some bits that could stand improvement (an over-reliance on cut scenes at times; some puzzles that were made tedious by having to trek back and forth). It's a shame Telltale didn't make a second season; in fact, I'm not sure why they didn't: Tales was a critical and commercial hit (it's said to have been their biggest financial success until Back to the Future); and, while they eventually went bankrupt, that was nine years later. Mysterious.
Anyway, at least now we have Return to look forward to. Can't wait!
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
I ended last week's count by noting that there was nothing on the schedule for this week. Unsurprisingly, that changed. Four titles may not look like much compared to some recent weeks, but, if you think about it, it's more than enough for a single week!
Unusually, they're all 4K titles — I don't think that's happened before. And they include what I believe is the first anime TV series to be released in 4K, Hayao Miyazaki's directorial debut, Future Boy Conan. So that's exciting then.
Number of titles in collection: 2,871 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,051 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,820 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 182 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 7,148 [up 10]
Number of films: 3,435 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 268 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,323 [up 13]
Number of short films: 993 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
I ended last week's count by noting that there was nothing on the schedule for this week. Unsurprisingly, that changed. Four titles may not look like much compared to some recent weeks, but, if you think about it, it's more than enough for a single week!
Unusually, they're all 4K titles — I don't think that's happened before. And they include what I believe is the first anime TV series to be released in 4K, Hayao Miyazaki's directorial debut, Future Boy Conan. So that's exciting then.
Number of titles in collection: 2,871 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,051 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 1,820 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 182 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 7,148 [up 10]
Number of films: 3,435 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 268 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,323 [up 13]
Number of short films: 993 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 1 July 2022
Games
Tales of Monkey Island
Chapter 5 Rise of the Pirate God
Another hour played... though quite a tedious one, to be honest, involving a lot of old-fashioned back-and-forthing to achieve anything. Shame, because it makes this episode feel a little anti-climactic. Still, I've got the final stretch to go yet, so maybe that will pick up.
Chapter 5 Rise of the Pirate God
Another hour played... though quite a tedious one, to be honest, involving a lot of old-fashioned back-and-forthing to achieve anything. Shame, because it makes this episode feel a little anti-climactic. Still, I've got the final stretch to go yet, so maybe that will pick up.
Thursday, 30 June 2022
TV
Doctor Who
3x33 The Final Test [2nd watch]
aka The Celestial Toymaker Part 4. Thank goodness this was only a four-parter — it feels drawn-out as it is.
Well, apparently the scripts for this serial were compromised by being in production at a time of changeover in the team running the show, which perhaps explains why there are nice ideas here that unfortunately don’t land very well. Parts of the episode feel like they were written on the spot, going round over the same points to little end. Shame.
Equally, it’s no wonder several writers have tried to have a second crack at the Toymaker down the years — there’s unexplored potential there, even if it were to just involve rehashing this storyline but executing it better.
3x33 The Final Test [2nd watch]
aka The Celestial Toymaker Part 4. Thank goodness this was only a four-parter — it feels drawn-out as it is.
Well, apparently the scripts for this serial were compromised by being in production at a time of changeover in the team running the show, which perhaps explains why there are nice ideas here that unfortunately don’t land very well. Parts of the episode feel like they were written on the spot, going round over the same points to little end. Shame.
Equally, it’s no wonder several writers have tried to have a second crack at the Toymaker down the years — there’s unexplored potential there, even if it were to just involve rehashing this storyline but executing it better.
Films
My Name Is Julia Ross (1945)
[#43 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]
Plus the video extras on Arrow's Blu-ray, which include the original theatrical trailer and a 22-minute critical analysis.
[#43 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2022]
Plus the video extras on Arrow's Blu-ray, which include the original theatrical trailer and a 22-minute critical analysis.
Wednesday, 29 June 2022
Games
Tales of Monkey Island
Chapter 5 Rise of the Pirate God
Here we go, the final instalment. Gets off to a nicely spooky start, although the actual gamplay all feels fairly straightforward — there may be a few rooms to explore, but there's not a great deal to do in each of them, so it all feels (dare I say it) a little easy. Still, it kept me engrossed for an hour and a quarter, so I'm not really complaining.
Chapter 5 Rise of the Pirate God
Here we go, the final instalment. Gets off to a nicely spooky start, although the actual gamplay all feels fairly straightforward — there may be a few rooms to explore, but there's not a great deal to do in each of them, so it all feels (dare I say it) a little easy. Still, it kept me engrossed for an hour and a quarter, so I'm not really complaining.
Tuesday, 28 June 2022
TV
Doctor Who
3x32 The Dancing Floor
aka The Celestial Toymaker Part 3. The Toymaker feels like a really good idea (I guess that’s why there have been so many attempts to bring him back), but the middle episodes of this story suggest it’s harder than you’d think to find something interesting to do with the concept. Or maybe the games just needed someone with more imagination. I mean, half this episode is taken up by Steven and Dodo needing to find a key, which they do by… looking around a kitchen until they find it. Hardly the stuff thrilling adventures are made of, is it?
3x32 The Dancing Floor
aka The Celestial Toymaker Part 3. The Toymaker feels like a really good idea (I guess that’s why there have been so many attempts to bring him back), but the middle episodes of this story suggest it’s harder than you’d think to find something interesting to do with the concept. Or maybe the games just needed someone with more imagination. I mean, half this episode is taken up by Steven and Dodo needing to find a key, which they do by… looking around a kitchen until they find it. Hardly the stuff thrilling adventures are made of, is it?
Games
Tales of Monkey Island
Chapter 4 The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood
25 minutes and that's this chapter wrapped up, with a helluvan ending. Just one final part to go...
Oh, and in case you missed the news, here's the just-released full trailer for Return to Monkey Island. It looks awesome — I can't wait!
Chapter 4 The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood
25 minutes and that's this chapter wrapped up, with a helluvan ending. Just one final part to go...
Oh, and in case you missed the news, here's the just-released full trailer for Return to Monkey Island. It looks awesome — I can't wait!
Monday, 27 June 2022
Games
Tales of Monkey Island
Chapter 4 The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood
Another hour-and-a-quarter played and not quite at the end of this chapter, though I presume I'm almost there.
Chapter 4 The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood
Another hour-and-a-quarter played and not quite at the end of this chapter, though I presume I'm almost there.
Sunday, 26 June 2022
Games
Tales of Monkey Island
Chapter 4 The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood
Another 50 minutes or so played, not that I can get an accurate time on this chapter now. It was, once again, a little too reliant on a couple of lengthy cut scenes in the middle to advance the plot. I read somewhere that, because this game was released as a series of downloadable chapters, each one had file size limits and so some decisions were made to keep sizes down. I wonder if the cut scenes were one of them — perhaps, without such limits, they would have been able to make those sections playable. It's not the end of the world, just unfortunate.
Chapter 4 The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood
Another 50 minutes or so played, not that I can get an accurate time on this chapter now. It was, once again, a little too reliant on a couple of lengthy cut scenes in the middle to advance the plot. I read somewhere that, because this game was released as a series of downloadable chapters, each one had file size limits and so some decisions were made to keep sizes down. I wonder if the cut scenes were one of them — perhaps, without such limits, they would have been able to make those sections playable. It's not the end of the world, just unfortunate.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
4 new reviews were published to 100Films.co.uk this week...
Frances Ha (2012)
2022 | Weeks 18–20
More next Sunday.
Frances Ha (2012)
Being a ditzy twentysomething in New York, hanging out with friends and going to parties, having a job as a dancer and earning just enough to get by, and nothing quite going to plan but it all kinda being ok anyway — all in black & white? I see why some people love this film. It’s a kind of obvious fantasy life for certain Artsy people. Of course, there’s not much drama in that (not that that would stop some filmmakers), and so Frances’s messy life begins to get messier. It may stop being a fantasy, but it’s certainly relatable to any of us who’ve failed at the things we’d dreamed of doing.Read more here.
2022 | Weeks 18–20
Featuring...Read more here.
- The Monolith Monsters (1957)
- Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
- Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022)
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 25 June 2022
Games
Tales of Monkey Island
Chapter 4 The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood
Onward! Forgot to set a timer going or note when I started, so not sure how long I played for today. Somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour, roughly. Again, this is shaping up to a fun episode with some different kinds of gameplay. I'm appreciating the variety.
Chapter 4 The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood
Onward! Forgot to set a timer going or note when I started, so not sure how long I played for today. Somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour, roughly. Again, this is shaping up to a fun episode with some different kinds of gameplay. I'm appreciating the variety.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)