Barbie (2023)
[#4 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
Friday, 19 January 2024
Thursday, 18 January 2024
TV
The Black Adder
1x03 The Archbishop
It does seem to get better with each episode. Still nowhere near the level of later series at their best, though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
1x03 The Archbishop
It does seem to get better with each episode. Still nowhere near the level of later series at their best, though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Non-Fiction
A City on Mars by Kelly & Zach Weinersmith
Introduction
Subtitled Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?, this popular science book reportedly offers a thoroughly-researched alternative to the well-popularised view of certain tech bros that we're merrily off to colonise space in the next decade or two.
And yes, that's right: me, who barely manages to read anything most of the time (certainly a lot less than I'd like) is attempting a science book! Well, I heard good things, and the subject matter is up my street. Plus it's "popular science", so I figure it should be accessible and not, like, a textbook. Makes a change from fiction, too; in that, although I don't read as much fiction as I'd like, it is almost all I read when I do read. So there.
Introduction
Subtitled Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?, this popular science book reportedly offers a thoroughly-researched alternative to the well-popularised view of certain tech bros that we're merrily off to colonise space in the next decade or two.
And yes, that's right: me, who barely manages to read anything most of the time (certainly a lot less than I'd like) is attempting a science book! Well, I heard good things, and the subject matter is up my street. Plus it's "popular science", so I figure it should be accessible and not, like, a textbook. Makes a change from fiction, too; in that, although I don't read as much fiction as I'd like, it is almost all I read when I do read. So there.
Monday, 15 January 2024
Sunday, 14 January 2024
Games
The Leaf Riders of Wrenwood
8–14 January 2024
I don't seem to be doing a great job with playing this as intended (i.e. daily). However, each of the first few weeks (six, I think? Which would take us right into February!) is a sort of prequel mini-adventure with one of the possible heroes, at the end of which you choose which one you'll continue with for the rest of the year. So, after I played the first one in one sitting, I feel like I've set a precedent. Equally, if I do keep this up, I won't be playing the calendar 'properly' until mid-February. Hm.
Well, a couple of times this week I nearly just played the week up to that point, but then other entertainment options distracted me (it's not like I'm short of choice — so many films and TV series I want to watch, both old and new; books I want to read; audio dramas I want to listen to; comics I want to catch up on...) So, let's see what happens next week.
As for this second week, it seemed to go much quicker than the first. I don't know if it had less content or I'm just a little more familiar with the gameplay and whatnot than I was. I also didn't have much luck on my rolls. Can't see myself choosing this character to play for the rest of the year!
8–14 January 2024
I don't seem to be doing a great job with playing this as intended (i.e. daily). However, each of the first few weeks (six, I think? Which would take us right into February!) is a sort of prequel mini-adventure with one of the possible heroes, at the end of which you choose which one you'll continue with for the rest of the year. So, after I played the first one in one sitting, I feel like I've set a precedent. Equally, if I do keep this up, I won't be playing the calendar 'properly' until mid-February. Hm.
Well, a couple of times this week I nearly just played the week up to that point, but then other entertainment options distracted me (it's not like I'm short of choice — so many films and TV series I want to watch, both old and new; books I want to read; audio dramas I want to listen to; comics I want to catch up on...) So, let's see what happens next week.
As for this second week, it seemed to go much quicker than the first. I don't know if it had less content or I'm just a little more familiar with the gameplay and whatnot than I was. I also didn't have much luck on my rolls. Can't see myself choosing this character to play for the rest of the year!
this week on 100Films.co.uk
Having spent the first week of 2024 wrapping up my regular coverage of 2023 over on 100Films.co.uk (read all about that here), this week was all about kicking off my 2024 challenge.
First up: the overall challenge...
Then, posts dedicated to my Blindspot and "What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" challenges...
Blindspot 2024
What Do You Mean You Haven’t Seen All of the IMDb Top 250?
With that all out of the way, will there be more next Sunday? Only time will tell...
First up: the overall challenge...
Then, posts dedicated to my Blindspot and "What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" challenges...
Blindspot 2024
This is a challenge in which you pick 12 films you've never seen but should have (your blindspots) and watch them one per month over the next year. It's a great way of ensuring you watch films that you might otherwise not get round to. Or intending to get round to them, anyway, as I've failed to complete the list on various occasions... Below are my 12 picks for 2024, followed by an unnecessarily long-winded explanation of why I chose them.Read more here.
What Do You Mean You Haven’t Seen All of the IMDb Top 250?
Ever since I began my 100 Films in a Year Challenge all the way back in 2007, I've kept track of my progress in completing one of the best-known "best of" lists on the internet: the IMDb Top 250... Ultimately, over the first 17 years of this blog, my annual statistics say I've watched 211 films from the Top 250 — but films come and go from the list, and many of those 211 won't even be on there anymore. For example: since I had 119 films left to go, I've watched 145 more, but I still have 19 outstanding.Read more here.
With that all out of the way, will there be more next Sunday? Only time will tell...
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.]
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