Rosemary's Baby (1968)
[#82 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
Blindspot 2024 #9 — the first of two horror films on this year's Blindspot list that I've been saving for October.
Monday, 21 October 2024
Games
007: Everything or Nothing
Oh yeah, another new game. I'll spare you the details, but a perfect confluence of various different thoughts, impulses, and things I happened to see inspired me to get ahold of an emulation of this console game for my Mac (I actually own the GameCube version, so I can't say I feel too bad about 'pirating' this; also, it's 20 years old and not available in any form for a current-gen console nor on PC, so...)
Had a quick go at it, but the emulator doesn't seem to support using a mouse (beyond clicking) so it was a pain to control. I have old GameCube / GameCube-for-Wii controllers somewhere, but I'm sure there's no way to connect them up to a Mac (heck, if I was going to dig those out, I could just set up the console; though I think I'd need an adaptor to connect it to my TV nowadays).
I'd love to just dig into the game, but while the intro and tutorial were easy enough that I could take my time finding every single button I needed to press and slowly move my view around with random keys, etc, I doubt that would be sufficient for the game proper. Hopefully if I buy a controller it will be compatible with the emulator...
Oh yeah, another new game. I'll spare you the details, but a perfect confluence of various different thoughts, impulses, and things I happened to see inspired me to get ahold of an emulation of this console game for my Mac (I actually own the GameCube version, so I can't say I feel too bad about 'pirating' this; also, it's 20 years old and not available in any form for a current-gen console nor on PC, so...)
Had a quick go at it, but the emulator doesn't seem to support using a mouse (beyond clicking) so it was a pain to control. I have old GameCube / GameCube-for-Wii controllers somewhere, but I'm sure there's no way to connect them up to a Mac (heck, if I was going to dig those out, I could just set up the console; though I think I'd need an adaptor to connect it to my TV nowadays).
I'd love to just dig into the game, but while the intro and tutorial were easy enough that I could take my time finding every single button I needed to press and slowly move my view around with random keys, etc, I doubt that would be sufficient for the game proper. Hopefully if I buy a controller it will be compatible with the emulator...
Saturday, 19 October 2024
Games
Fortnite
Oh yeah, I am so Hip and With It and Down With The Kids that I just played Fortnite for the first time.
In truth, it's only because I discovered Amazon's Luna platform/service, which I have access to as a Prime member, and wanted to try it out. I don't think I'm about to become a regular Fortnite player, but it does open up other possibilities for gaming... though still only a relatively limited selection of titles work with it (so similar to film & TV streaming services, eh? Great idea; limited library), so I don't know how much there is I actually want to play.
Though, in investigating what I could play, it kinda reminded me that my Mac, while not brand-new or cutting edge, is hardly un-powerful; and while a lot of acclaimed PC games aren't released in Mac editions, there are ways to play them nonetheless. Point being: maybe I'm about to get back into computer gaming. Or not, who knows — it's not as if I don't already have more than enough hobbies.
Oh yeah, I am so Hip and With It and Down With The Kids that I just played Fortnite for the first time.
In truth, it's only because I discovered Amazon's Luna platform/service, which I have access to as a Prime member, and wanted to try it out. I don't think I'm about to become a regular Fortnite player, but it does open up other possibilities for gaming... though still only a relatively limited selection of titles work with it (so similar to film & TV streaming services, eh? Great idea; limited library), so I don't know how much there is I actually want to play.
Though, in investigating what I could play, it kinda reminded me that my Mac, while not brand-new or cutting edge, is hardly un-powerful; and while a lot of acclaimed PC games aren't released in Mac editions, there are ways to play them nonetheless. Point being: maybe I'm about to get back into computer gaming. Or not, who knows — it's not as if I don't already have more than enough hobbies.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
So, last week — when my collection swelled by 22 films across just four releases — I mentioned there was another big multi-film set due to arrive this week. That is Curzon's Lars von Trier collection, which boasts 15 features (plus several shorts) in a single box. I actually already own a fair few of those on a mix of DVD and Blu-ray, but all of my DVD editions includes special features that aren't in this box set (even though it boasts 18 hours of extras!), so I'm keeping them; but it does replace a couple of Blu-rays.
Also this week: an additional pair of multi-film sets (one a trio, one a duo), plus a regular ol' single film release (though even that contains an alternate cut), for a total of 21 features across four releases. Coincidencetastic! Would've been an even greater coincidence if it was 22 again, but it's still remarkably close. Nonetheless, with the replaced titles factored in too, my stats change thusly...
Number of titles in collection: 3,389 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,391 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 397 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,174 [up 20]
Number of films: 4,217 [up 18]
Number of additional cuts: 404 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,171 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader, when I thought things would be lower key, but there's a deluge of stuff I want coming out on the 28th, all of which might turn up in time for the 26th. Well, we'll see.
So, last week — when my collection swelled by 22 films across just four releases — I mentioned there was another big multi-film set due to arrive this week. That is Curzon's Lars von Trier collection, which boasts 15 features (plus several shorts) in a single box. I actually already own a fair few of those on a mix of DVD and Blu-ray, but all of my DVD editions includes special features that aren't in this box set (even though it boasts 18 hours of extras!), so I'm keeping them; but it does replace a couple of Blu-rays.
Also this week: an additional pair of multi-film sets (one a trio, one a duo), plus a regular ol' single film release (though even that contains an alternate cut), for a total of 21 features across four releases. Coincidencetastic! Would've been an even greater coincidence if it was 22 again, but it's still remarkably close. Nonetheless, with the replaced titles factored in too, my stats change thusly...
Number of titles in collection: 3,389 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,391 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 397 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,174 [up 20]
Number of films: 4,217 [up 18]
Number of additional cuts: 404 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,171 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader, when I thought things would be lower key, but there's a deluge of stuff I want coming out on the 28th, all of which might turn up in time for the 26th. Well, we'll see.
Friday, 18 October 2024
TV
Goblin Slayer
1x06 Goblin Slayer in the Water Town
1x07 Onward Unto Death
1x08 Whispers and Prayers and Chants
1x09 There and Back Again
I fully intended to watch a film this evening (because it's already looking like a struggle to hit my 100 Films goals for this month), but I decided I'd pop on an episode of Goblin Slayer first. I didn't count on it being a four-episode arc. If I'd known that, I might've stopped after two, but instead thought, "well, one more won't hurt if it's actually a three-parter". Oh well. I mean, I enjoyed it — these are some of the best episodes of the series so far — but this is how you end up feeling when you have film-viewing goals and choose to spend time doing something else.
1x06 Goblin Slayer in the Water Town
1x07 Onward Unto Death
1x08 Whispers and Prayers and Chants
1x09 There and Back Again
I fully intended to watch a film this evening (because it's already looking like a struggle to hit my 100 Films goals for this month), but I decided I'd pop on an episode of Goblin Slayer first. I didn't count on it being a four-episode arc. If I'd known that, I might've stopped after two, but instead thought, "well, one more won't hurt if it's actually a three-parter". Oh well. I mean, I enjoyed it — these are some of the best episodes of the series so far — but this is how you end up feeling when you have film-viewing goals and choose to spend time doing something else.
Games
Syberia
This point-and-click adventure game was released all the way back in 2002, but I don't remember hearing about it at the time, only coming across it when I got back into gaming a couple of years ago. It seems to have its fans, and a series of sequels thanks to that, so it seemed worth a go (helps that these older games are often dirt cheap nowadays).
I started by installing the Mac version (via ScummVM) because, well, I'm on a Mac. I played for about 45 minutes, and felt like I could easily see why I hadn't heard about it back in the day. Gameplay was shockingly linear, with everything signposted to the nth degree — icons on screen indicated every possible action or interaction, with little to no additional stuff clickable beyond the basics required. There were screens you have to move through that serve no purpose other than elongating your journey and thus your play time; the small handful of puzzles barely qualified for the name... It's also terribly dated — not just the graphics (which I can absolutely excuse, because you can't expect cutting-edge visuals from something made over 20 years ago), but things like the voice acting and pacing. And some of it's just bad, like the dialogue writing.
Then, for various reasons, I installed the PC version (via Porting Kit) and, while it's not a night-and-day difference, it's clearly superior. The graphics are less murky, which makes the whole thing look more appealing; and there are no unsightly icons highlighting everything — like a proper point-and-click, you have to search around for what to click on. Okay, options are still limited (you can't look at everything and hear the character's thoughts on it like you can in, say, Lucasarts games; which is a shame, because it's that kind of stuff that really helps you connect to the character, rather than them being a blank avatar going through the motions), but it feels less like you're on a limited railroad.
That said, some of the problems are universal enough that they remain whichever version you play. In fairness, some of the 'problems' might just be because I'm right at the start of the game and it's easing the player in... but, still, none of it bodes well. A lot of it is the kind of stuff reviewers would've been dismissive of back in the day (although Syberia received largely positive reviews, with some dissenters); and there were other games of a similar-ish vintage that certain circles were dismissive towards for similar aesthetic qualities (Myst comes to mind) that were beloved by others and have endured to become classics, at least with some audiences. Syberia might be a similar deal.
Honestly, if it were a demo, I would've abandoned it; but I've paid for it (even if it was only a couple of quid), and the PC version is that bit better that I don't feel so disinclined towards it. I'll stick with it for at least a bit longer, then, but I'm hoping the overall quality picks up, and soon.
This point-and-click adventure game was released all the way back in 2002, but I don't remember hearing about it at the time, only coming across it when I got back into gaming a couple of years ago. It seems to have its fans, and a series of sequels thanks to that, so it seemed worth a go (helps that these older games are often dirt cheap nowadays).
I started by installing the Mac version (via ScummVM) because, well, I'm on a Mac. I played for about 45 minutes, and felt like I could easily see why I hadn't heard about it back in the day. Gameplay was shockingly linear, with everything signposted to the nth degree — icons on screen indicated every possible action or interaction, with little to no additional stuff clickable beyond the basics required. There were screens you have to move through that serve no purpose other than elongating your journey and thus your play time; the small handful of puzzles barely qualified for the name... It's also terribly dated — not just the graphics (which I can absolutely excuse, because you can't expect cutting-edge visuals from something made over 20 years ago), but things like the voice acting and pacing. And some of it's just bad, like the dialogue writing.
Then, for various reasons, I installed the PC version (via Porting Kit) and, while it's not a night-and-day difference, it's clearly superior. The graphics are less murky, which makes the whole thing look more appealing; and there are no unsightly icons highlighting everything — like a proper point-and-click, you have to search around for what to click on. Okay, options are still limited (you can't look at everything and hear the character's thoughts on it like you can in, say, Lucasarts games; which is a shame, because it's that kind of stuff that really helps you connect to the character, rather than them being a blank avatar going through the motions), but it feels less like you're on a limited railroad.
That said, some of the problems are universal enough that they remain whichever version you play. In fairness, some of the 'problems' might just be because I'm right at the start of the game and it's easing the player in... but, still, none of it bodes well. A lot of it is the kind of stuff reviewers would've been dismissive of back in the day (although Syberia received largely positive reviews, with some dissenters); and there were other games of a similar-ish vintage that certain circles were dismissive towards for similar aesthetic qualities (Myst comes to mind) that were beloved by others and have endured to become classics, at least with some audiences. Syberia might be a similar deal.
Honestly, if it were a demo, I would've abandoned it; but I've paid for it (even if it was only a couple of quid), and the PC version is that bit better that I don't feel so disinclined towards it. I'll stick with it for at least a bit longer, then, but I'm hoping the overall quality picks up, and soon.
Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Videos
Critical Role
2x64 A Dangerous Chase [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#113 'A Dangerous Chase'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
2x64 A Dangerous Chase [2nd half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#113 'A Dangerous Chase'
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Monday, 14 October 2024
Videos
Stephen Colbert's D&D Adventure with Matthew Mercer
For Red Nose Day 2019, Matt Mercer ran this quick solo adventure for popular US chat show host Stephen Colbert.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#112 'Intervention'
Normally I'd've watched this sooner after the episode, but Internet Archive's recent issues prevented me from getting at it. I was going to watch some other CR stuff in the interim (like the above, which I watched anyway (obviously)), and, if I had to, eventually just move on with Campaign 2 and come back to Talks out of order... but then they got things online enough earlier this morning and I was able to access it. Hurrah!
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
For Red Nose Day 2019, Matt Mercer ran this quick solo adventure for popular US chat show host Stephen Colbert.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Talks Machina
#112 'Intervention'
Normally I'd've watched this sooner after the episode, but Internet Archive's recent issues prevented me from getting at it. I was going to watch some other CR stuff in the interim (like the above, which I watched anyway (obviously)), and, if I had to, eventually just move on with Campaign 2 and come back to Talks out of order... but then they got things online enough earlier this morning and I was able to access it. Hurrah!
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Sunday, 13 October 2024
TV
Goblin Slayer
1x01 The Fate of Particular Adventurers
1x02 Goblin Slayer
I've got multiple TV series on the go that I should be getting on with. If I wanted to add an anime one to that, I have dozens on disc to choose from (technically, I even have one of those on the go too, I just haven't watched any of it in over six years). But, y'know, sometimes you hear about something and, randomly, get immediately interested and just wanna watch it. Or I do, anyway. Thus it was with Gobin Slayer, which I only really heard about this afternoon; and rather than just outright buy the Blu-rays (the kind of thing I do all too often), I thought I'd watch the first couple of episodes free on Crunchyroll to try it out. I quite liked it. Now I've got to decide: do I give in to my usual Blu-ray buying, or do I just sub to Crunchyroll for a bit and continue it there?
1x01 The Fate of Particular Adventurers
1x02 Goblin Slayer
I've got multiple TV series on the go that I should be getting on with. If I wanted to add an anime one to that, I have dozens on disc to choose from (technically, I even have one of those on the go too, I just haven't watched any of it in over six years). But, y'know, sometimes you hear about something and, randomly, get immediately interested and just wanna watch it. Or I do, anyway. Thus it was with Gobin Slayer, which I only really heard about this afternoon; and rather than just outright buy the Blu-rays (the kind of thing I do all too often), I thought I'd watch the first couple of episodes free on Crunchyroll to try it out. I quite liked it. Now I've got to decide: do I give in to my usual Blu-ray buying, or do I just sub to Crunchyroll for a bit and continue it there?
Films
The Wages of Fear (1953)
[#81 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2024 #9
[#81 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2024]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2024 #9
Comics
The Uncanny X-Men #2 by Gail Simone & David Marquez
Back on my "reading X-Men comics on Sunday" accidental habit. Need to break that.
When I read issue one, I observed this felt like it was aimed at fans of the animated series, what with it starring Wolverine, Gambit, and Rogue and having plot connections to the (repurposed) X-Mansion and the current whereabouts of Professor Xavier. This issue, Jubilee turns up. I feel my point is further proved. (Sure, there are other animated series staples missing — Storm has a solo series now; Cyclops and Beast are in X-Men, where they're running a very traditional X-Men setup (team of mutants jetting around the world fighting bad guys) — but this book undoubtedly has the greatest concentration of them, and particular fan-favourite ones at that.)
Back on my "reading X-Men comics on Sunday" accidental habit. Need to break that.
When I read issue one, I observed this felt like it was aimed at fans of the animated series, what with it starring Wolverine, Gambit, and Rogue and having plot connections to the (repurposed) X-Mansion and the current whereabouts of Professor Xavier. This issue, Jubilee turns up. I feel my point is further proved. (Sure, there are other animated series staples missing — Storm has a solo series now; Cyclops and Beast are in X-Men, where they're running a very traditional X-Men setup (team of mutants jetting around the world fighting bad guys) — but this book undoubtedly has the greatest concentration of them, and particular fan-favourite ones at that.)
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Sontaran Games by Jacqueline Rayner
Chapters 7–16 [the end]
Well, I can't say the twist truly surprised me, but it is a pretty dark novel, especially by the standards of this era of Who (when it was being more kid-friendly again). It's partly thanks to how much the Sontarans were treated as humorous by the show — the very fact they're in it leads you to expect a light-ish romp, but instead they're vicious, murderous, and genuinely threatening. As one of the series' most-recurring villains, it's only appropriate, really.
Chapters 7–16 [the end]
Well, I can't say the twist truly surprised me, but it is a pretty dark novel, especially by the standards of this era of Who (when it was being more kid-friendly again). It's partly thanks to how much the Sontarans were treated as humorous by the show — the very fact they're in it leads you to expect a light-ish romp, but instead they're vicious, murderous, and genuinely threatening. As one of the series' most-recurring villains, it's only appropriate, really.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
1 new review was published to 100Films.co.uk this week...
Incendies (2010)
More next Sunday.
Incendies (2010)
Incendies is, on the surface, one of those films that can sound off-puttingly heavy: it’s about generational trauma caused by a long-running war in the Middle East. Sure, that kind of thing can be Worthy and Great filmmaking, but egads, hard going. But while Incendies is all those things, it’s also a compelling mystery, which leads to twists worthy of a great thriller.Read more here.
More next Sunday.
Saturday, 12 October 2024
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Sontaran Games by Jacqueline Rayner
Chapters 1–6
I haven't abandoned NPCs, but a tweet about this came up on my feed last night, talking about the shocking darkness of its ending. So, as it's a Quick Read (a series that, in my experience, lives up to its name), I thought I'd just dive through it and see what they were alluding to.
Chapters 1–6
I haven't abandoned NPCs, but a tweet about this came up on my feed last night, talking about the shocking darkness of its ending. So, as it's a Quick Read (a series that, in my experience, lives up to its name), I thought I'd just dive through it and see what they were alluding to.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
After nothing at all last week, my collecting returns with a bang thanks to several multi-film sets. In fact, only one of this week's four new additions is a single-film release. And there would've been even more, but a big Amazon Prime Day purchase is only due to arrive tomorrow. That'll be an interesting one for next week...
Number of titles in collection: 3,387 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,389 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 396 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,154 [up 14]
Number of films: 4,199 [up 22]
Number of additional cuts: 403 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,170 [up 3]
See you next week, faithful reader.
After nothing at all last week, my collecting returns with a bang thanks to several multi-film sets. In fact, only one of this week's four new additions is a single-film release. And there would've been even more, but a big Amazon Prime Day purchase is only due to arrive tomorrow. That'll be an interesting one for next week...
Number of titles in collection: 3,387 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 998 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,389 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 396 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,154 [up 14]
Number of films: 4,199 [up 22]
Number of additional cuts: 403 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,800 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,170 [up 3]
See you next week, faithful reader.
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