Would I Lie To You?
17x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Saturday, 13 January 2024
Fiction
The Spider-Queen by Austin McConnell & Elizabeth McIvor
Chapters 6–8 + Epilogue [the end]
Ironically, this suffers from the same problem that blights 'real' superhero cinematic universes: it's mostly just origin story that teases something bigger and possibly more exciting — including a "credits" scene that, literally, teases something bigger and more exciting. It's not bad, but it could maybe have done with, structurally, making the climax the end of Act Two and having something bigger for Act Three, rather than just teasing.
Chapters 6–8 + Epilogue [the end]
Ironically, this suffers from the same problem that blights 'real' superhero cinematic universes: it's mostly just origin story that teases something bigger and possibly more exciting — including a "credits" scene that, literally, teases something bigger and more exciting. It's not bad, but it could maybe have done with, structurally, making the climax the end of Act Two and having something bigger for Act Three, rather than just teasing.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
This week, another whole TV series gets upgraded from DVD to BD, plus catching up on some recent releases (from December and earlier in January) means changes across the board.
Number of titles in collection: 3,219 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,017 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,202 [up 7]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 324 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 7,850 [up 9]
Number of films: 3,958 [up 5]
Number of additional cuts: 352 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,670 [down 1]
Number of short films: 1,110 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader.
This week, another whole TV series gets upgraded from DVD to BD, plus catching up on some recent releases (from December and earlier in January) means changes across the board.
Number of titles in collection: 3,219 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,017 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,202 [up 7]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 324 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 7,850 [up 9]
Number of films: 3,958 [up 5]
Number of additional cuts: 352 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,670 [down 1]
Number of short films: 1,110 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 12 January 2024
Audio Drama
Hell Cats 2
2x01 Home Coming
I greatly enjoyed the first series of Hell Cats when I listened to it last year, but I was getting to the point of deciding not to bother with series 2 — after all, the first run was based on history and told a complete story, whereas this spins off into semi-fantasy (I presume the stuff with the highwaymen is once again broadly historically accurate, but dragging pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read into it is, well, not). But just as I was about to cancel my Audible subscription, they offered me a cut rate to stay, which I took and, well, it seemed only right to take that as some kind of sign (not that I believe in such things) and actually listen to the series.
This first episode, then, is very much about setting the new scene, but describing highwaymen as "land pirates" feels a clear indicator of where things are headed.
[Listen to it (again) on Audible.]
2x01 Home Coming
I greatly enjoyed the first series of Hell Cats when I listened to it last year, but I was getting to the point of deciding not to bother with series 2 — after all, the first run was based on history and told a complete story, whereas this spins off into semi-fantasy (I presume the stuff with the highwaymen is once again broadly historically accurate, but dragging pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read into it is, well, not). But just as I was about to cancel my Audible subscription, they offered me a cut rate to stay, which I took and, well, it seemed only right to take that as some kind of sign (not that I believe in such things) and actually listen to the series.
This first episode, then, is very much about setting the new scene, but describing highwaymen as "land pirates" feels a clear indicator of where things are headed.
[Listen to it (again) on Audible.]
Thursday, 11 January 2024
TV
The Black Adder
1x02 Born to Be King
Already showing signs of improvement, but the elements are just not aligned correctly for what made Blackadder work to, well, work. At the moment, I'm mostly hopeful that series one will simply remain "bearable" until the genius of series two can arrive.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
1x02 Born to Be King
Already showing signs of improvement, but the elements are just not aligned correctly for what made Blackadder work to, well, work. At the moment, I'm mostly hopeful that series one will simply remain "bearable" until the genius of series two can arrive.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Wednesday, 10 January 2024
TV
The Black Adder
1x01 The Foretelling
Sometime in the late ’90s, a BBC Two repeat of Blackadder was like catnip to my teenage group of friends — probably the perfect age to be introduced to it. I didn’t get in on it until series 2, and — thanks to its lesser reputation — have never got round to going back to series 1. Well, I just bought the new Blu-ray set, so here we go.
And… yeah, it certainly lives down to that reputation. It’s remarkable how mediocre this is, given the genius that would follow. Maybe the quality improves across the first series? I hope so…
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
1x01 The Foretelling
Sometime in the late ’90s, a BBC Two repeat of Blackadder was like catnip to my teenage group of friends — probably the perfect age to be introduced to it. I didn’t get in on it until series 2, and — thanks to its lesser reputation — have never got round to going back to series 1. Well, I just bought the new Blu-ray set, so here we go.
And… yeah, it certainly lives down to that reputation. It’s remarkable how mediocre this is, given the genius that would follow. Maybe the quality improves across the first series? I hope so…
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Tuesday, 9 January 2024
TV
Jeopardy!
1x01 (1/1/24 edition)
I was curious about this ever since they announced it, because Jeopardy is an enduringly popular show in the US (as described in this episode, it's the TV show equivalent of a "national treasure") but no UK version has ever stuck long-term. So here we go trying again, with the wonderful Stephen Fry as host. But then I heard it wasn’t actually any good, plus I’m not sure I actually want to watch any game show every single day, hence why it’s taken me over a week to watch it.
They’ve obviously decided to copy the US version as closely as possible, which feels a bit weird on UK TV — we don’t do things the same as the yanks, after all. Part of that is it feels dated and dreadfully slow. You could easily condense the same content into 30 minutes and it wouldn’t feel like it was taking forever. Of course, it doesn’t help that watching it on catchup means unskippable ad breaks.
[Watch it (again) on ITVX.]
1x01 (1/1/24 edition)
I was curious about this ever since they announced it, because Jeopardy is an enduringly popular show in the US (as described in this episode, it's the TV show equivalent of a "national treasure") but no UK version has ever stuck long-term. So here we go trying again, with the wonderful Stephen Fry as host. But then I heard it wasn’t actually any good, plus I’m not sure I actually want to watch any game show every single day, hence why it’s taken me over a week to watch it.
They’ve obviously decided to copy the US version as closely as possible, which feels a bit weird on UK TV — we don’t do things the same as the yanks, after all. Part of that is it feels dated and dreadfully slow. You could easily condense the same content into 30 minutes and it wouldn’t feel like it was taking forever. Of course, it doesn’t help that watching it on catchup means unskippable ad breaks.
[Watch it (again) on ITVX.]
Monday, 8 January 2024
TV
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Neil Brand's fully-scored adaptation for orchestra and actors, which was first staged in December 2022, broadcast on radio in February, and finally aired on BBC Four on Christmas Day 2023. I enjoyed it a lot on radio (the Brand intro I mention in the above link sadly wasn't included on TV, though you can find it on YouTube) and enjoyed it again with visuals... not that they add a lot, considering it's a staged reading, but actors are actors and can't help inject at least some physicality. I also wrote more about it on Letterboxd.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Neil Brand's fully-scored adaptation for orchestra and actors, which was first staged in December 2022, broadcast on radio in February, and finally aired on BBC Four on Christmas Day 2023. I enjoyed it a lot on radio (the Brand intro I mention in the above link sadly wasn't included on TV, though you can find it on YouTube) and enjoyed it again with visuals... not that they add a lot, considering it's a staged reading, but actors are actors and can't help inject at least some physicality. I also wrote more about it on Letterboxd.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Fiction
The Spider-Queen by Austin McConnell & Elizabeth McIvor
Chapters 2–3
Some books have long chapters; some books have short chapters; and this book has long chapters that should be short chapters. "***" has its uses to mark a passage of time or change of scene or whatever, but here it's too often used when a new chapter would feel appropriate. (I guess there are no rules about these things, it's just a personal feeling about pace or structure or whatever, but still, that's how I feel about it.)
Chapters 2–3
Some books have long chapters; some books have short chapters; and this book has long chapters that should be short chapters. "***" has its uses to mark a passage of time or change of scene or whatever, but here it's too often used when a new chapter would feel appropriate. (I guess there are no rules about these things, it's just a personal feeling about pace or structure or whatever, but still, that's how I feel about it.)
Sunday, 7 January 2024
Games
The Leaf Riders of Wrenwood
1–7 January 2024
Having made sure to finish the 2021 calendar before the end of 2023, and having had my worries allayed when the 2024 calendar actually arrived before the end of 2023... I haven't actually got round to starting it on time. Oops. But here I go now, playing the whole first week of the year. They've obviously made improvements over the years, so while it's familiar it's also slightly different to the 2021 calendar. All to the good though, not least the way it gets going so quickly.
1–7 January 2024
Having made sure to finish the 2021 calendar before the end of 2023, and having had my worries allayed when the 2024 calendar actually arrived before the end of 2023... I haven't actually got round to starting it on time. Oops. But here I go now, playing the whole first week of the year. They've obviously made improvements over the years, so while it's familiar it's also slightly different to the 2021 calendar. All to the good though, not least the way it gets going so quickly.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
It's been all about 2023 on 100Films.co.uk this week, as I've spent the first week of the new year wrapping up the old one.
There are quite a lot of posts to get through, so let's get cracking. First up:
100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023: Final Standing
Next, my regular monthly posts: the review of December 2023...
...and all the films I failed to watch that month:
Next, my "review of the year" proper, across four posts...
Whew! Now, 2024 can begin. Will I be any better at regularly posting reviews this year than I was last year? Find out next Sunday.
There are quite a lot of posts to get through, so let's get cracking. First up:
100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023: Final Standing
As the challenge tracker page will soon be replaced with a version keeping tabs on 2024’s effort, here’s an archive of how it looked at the very end of 2023. Sadly, it’s incomplete...Read more here.
Next, my regular monthly posts: the review of December 2023...
...and all the films I failed to watch that month:
Next, my "review of the year" proper, across four posts...
Whew! Now, 2024 can begin. Will I be any better at regularly posting reviews this year than I was last year? Find out next Sunday.
Saturday, 6 January 2024
TV
The 1% Club
2x09 Christmas Special
[Watch it (again) on ITVX.]
Sarah Millican: Bobby Dazzler
[Watch it (again) on Channel 4.]
The Wheel
4x06 Christmas Wheel
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
2x09 Christmas Special
[Watch it (again) on ITVX.]
Sarah Millican: Bobby Dazzler
[Watch it (again) on Channel 4.]
The Wheel
4x06 Christmas Wheel
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
A fair few new additions this week; all titles that really should have shown up before the end of 2023, but for one reason or another slipped to this first week of 2024. Well, it would've been a dead one otherwise, so that's something I suppose. They include two box sets from Australia (one upgrading a BD to 4K, the other upgrading two DVDs to BD) and the latest batch of releases from Radiance and their partner labels.
Number of titles in collection: 3,214 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,019 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,195 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 322 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 7,841 [up 6]
Number of films: 3,953 [up 6]
Number of additional cuts: 351 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,671 [up 3]
Number of short films: 1,109 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
A fair few new additions this week; all titles that really should have shown up before the end of 2023, but for one reason or another slipped to this first week of 2024. Well, it would've been a dead one otherwise, so that's something I suppose. They include two box sets from Australia (one upgrading a BD to 4K, the other upgrading two DVDs to BD) and the latest batch of releases from Radiance and their partner labels.
Number of titles in collection: 3,214 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,019 [down 2]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,195 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 322 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 7,841 [up 6]
Number of films: 3,953 [up 6]
Number of additional cuts: 351 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,671 [up 3]
Number of short films: 1,109 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 5 January 2024
TV
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x24 Week 5: Thursday
7x25 Week 5: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
7x24 Week 5: Thursday
7x25 Week 5: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Podcasts
The Official Doctor Who Podcast
Christmas Special 2023 - The Church on Ruby Road
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Christmas Special 2023 - The Church on Ruby Road
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Thursday, 4 January 2024
TV
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x23 Week 5: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie: Feds
1x04 To Die For
I had no intention of watching this spinoff from The Rookie (last seasons's backdoor pilot did nothing to win me round), but they did a handful of direct crossovers throughout this season — four, to be precise (at least according to Wikipedia) — so of course I'm watching those. On the evidence of this episode, not watching it was the right decision. (Fortunately (for me), Feds was cancelled after just this one season, so I won't have to worry about keeping up with such crossovers after The Rookie season five.)
Slow Horses
3x05 Cleaning Up
3x06 Footprints [season finale]
7x23 Week 5: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie: Feds
1x04 To Die For
I had no intention of watching this spinoff from The Rookie (last seasons's backdoor pilot did nothing to win me round), but they did a handful of direct crossovers throughout this season — four, to be precise (at least according to Wikipedia) — so of course I'm watching those. On the evidence of this episode, not watching it was the right decision. (Fortunately (for me), Feds was cancelled after just this one season, so I won't have to worry about keeping up with such crossovers after The Rookie season five.)
Slow Horses
3x05 Cleaning Up
3x06 Footprints [season finale]
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