Age of Umbra
1x04 The Rampart and Beyond [2nd half]
Halfway through this miniseries now, and it's been almost a whole month since I watched any of Campaign 2, so I probably ought to check back in on that next.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Age of Umbra Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Level Up! | Age of Umbra
After the cooldown, the cast's Age of Umbra characters increase from Level 1 to Level... 2, obvs.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Monday, 14 July 2025
Sunday, 13 July 2025
Fiction
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
5 The Adventure of the Gloria Scott
This seems to be regarded as a sort of "lower middle"-quality Holmes tale, based on rankings I've compiled, which is interesting because it probably speaks to what people want from these stories. As a detective tale, it's a bit rubbish — there's a mystery, but Holmes only solves a minor part of it before he's literally handed a letter with the explanation (even if he hadn't solved anything, that letter would have come into his possession). But as a story in its own right, it's got some nice atmosphere and some exciting piracy-esque elements. And so I think we see how it ends up in the middle, because I imagine some must dislike it for being a poor detective story, while others simply enjoy it for what it is.
5 The Adventure of the Gloria Scott
This seems to be regarded as a sort of "lower middle"-quality Holmes tale, based on rankings I've compiled, which is interesting because it probably speaks to what people want from these stories. As a detective tale, it's a bit rubbish — there's a mystery, but Holmes only solves a minor part of it before he's literally handed a letter with the explanation (even if he hadn't solved anything, that letter would have come into his possession). But as a story in its own right, it's got some nice atmosphere and some exciting piracy-esque elements. And so I think we see how it ends up in the middle, because I imagine some must dislike it for being a poor detective story, while others simply enjoy it for what it is.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
A few new additions again this week (next week looks to be a quiet one, with only one new title expected), but it's also time for the monthly running time update...
Number of titles in collection: 3,581 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 986 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,595 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 485 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,609 [up 6]
Number of films: 4,545 [up 6]
Number of additional cuts: 449 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,154 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,250 [no change]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
604 days, 5 hours, and 17 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 11 hours, and 56 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
A few new additions again this week (next week looks to be a quiet one, with only one new title expected), but it's also time for the monthly running time update...
Number of titles in collection: 3,581 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 986 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,595 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 485 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,609 [up 6]
Number of films: 4,545 [up 6]
Number of additional cuts: 449 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,154 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,250 [no change]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
604 days, 5 hours, and 17 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 11 hours, and 56 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Saturday, 12 July 2025
TV
Age of Umbra
1x04 The Rampart and Beyond [remainder of 1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Live Aid at 40: The Concert
Didn't watch anything like all of this, but had a significant chunk of it on in the later evening.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
1x04 The Rampart and Beyond [remainder of 1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or Beacon.]
Live Aid at 40: The Concert
Didn't watch anything like all of this, but had a significant chunk of it on in the later evening.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Friday, 11 July 2025
Thursday, 10 July 2025
TV
Cobra Kai
3x09 Feel the Night
3x10 December 19 [season finale]
Having spent most of the season on a post mortem for the previous finale, this finale seems to primarily set up what the next season will be about! Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh, because it's actually a very satisfying episode in its own right thanks to an impressively-staged centrepiece brawl between the students, followed by a long-awaited punchup involving the adults. That might sound a little slap-happy, but this is a show all about karate: of course the fights are a highlight.
Nonetheless, a negative reading of this season would be that it treads water, dealing with the aftermath of season two before setting up the next leg in season four. A kinder reading would be that it's a necessary bridge, moving characters and situations from where they were to where they want them to be for the next leg. I think a bit of both might be true.
On the bright side, at least season four exists — this is where YouTube cancelled the show, before Netflix came in and saved it. It scarcely bears thinking about that this could have been where it ended!
3x09 Feel the Night
3x10 December 19 [season finale]
Having spent most of the season on a post mortem for the previous finale, this finale seems to primarily set up what the next season will be about! Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh, because it's actually a very satisfying episode in its own right thanks to an impressively-staged centrepiece brawl between the students, followed by a long-awaited punchup involving the adults. That might sound a little slap-happy, but this is a show all about karate: of course the fights are a highlight.
Nonetheless, a negative reading of this season would be that it treads water, dealing with the aftermath of season two before setting up the next leg in season four. A kinder reading would be that it's a necessary bridge, moving characters and situations from where they were to where they want them to be for the next leg. I think a bit of both might be true.
On the bright side, at least season four exists — this is where YouTube cancelled the show, before Netflix came in and saved it. It scarcely bears thinking about that this could have been where it ended!
Non-Fiction
Oscar Wars by Michael Schulman
Introduction
Chapter 1
Subtitled "A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears", this book examines 11 significant events or trends in the history of the Oscars, exploring how those have shaped and changed the insitution, and through that Hollywood movies in general. So, for example, this first chapter is all about how and why the Academy and their associated awards were founded — a sequence of events with their own dramas and controversies to rival any that would follow. Despite beginning at the beginning with a fairly narrative chapter, this is billed as something more analytical, and with a wider overview, than just "a history of the Oscars". Based on all the positive reviews, I expect it to be very interesting.
Introduction
Chapter 1
Subtitled "A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears", this book examines 11 significant events or trends in the history of the Oscars, exploring how those have shaped and changed the insitution, and through that Hollywood movies in general. So, for example, this first chapter is all about how and why the Academy and their associated awards were founded — a sequence of events with their own dramas and controversies to rival any that would follow. Despite beginning at the beginning with a fairly narrative chapter, this is billed as something more analytical, and with a wider overview, than just "a history of the Oscars". Based on all the positive reviews, I expect it to be very interesting.
Wednesday, 9 July 2025
Games
Gray Matter
The problem with 'save game' time is if you, I dunno, say, miss some optional goals so reload a previous save to complete them, then perhaps skip over a lengthy cutscene that you watched before said reload but didn't need to see again. (Yeah, that isn't just a random hypothetical example.) Anyway, the clock says I played for just over an hour today, but the repetition makes it more like an hour and a quarter. I minor difference, at least.
The problem with 'save game' time is if you, I dunno, say, miss some optional goals so reload a previous save to complete them, then perhaps skip over a lengthy cutscene that you watched before said reload but didn't need to see again. (Yeah, that isn't just a random hypothetical example.) Anyway, the clock says I played for just over an hour today, but the repetition makes it more like an hour and a quarter. I minor difference, at least.
Tuesday, 8 July 2025
TV
Cobra Kai
3x07 Obstáculos
3x08 The Good, the Bad, and the Badass
This is still a good show, but man, they've spent nearly the entire season on the fallout from the season 2 finale. It was a major event that definitely deserved some focus and 'dealing with', and some of the repercussions are right to be longer-lasting, but to dwell on it for the whole season? In fairness, that's not all this season has done, thank goodness, but it has been quite dominant. I feel like there must have been a better balance to have been struck between giving it due significance and making it feel like the story was progressing.
Critical Role Cooldown
Age of Umbra Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
3x07 Obstáculos
3x08 The Good, the Bad, and the Badass
This is still a good show, but man, they've spent nearly the entire season on the fallout from the season 2 finale. It was a major event that definitely deserved some focus and 'dealing with', and some of the repercussions are right to be longer-lasting, but to dwell on it for the whole season? In fairness, that's not all this season has done, thank goodness, but it has been quite dominant. I feel like there must have been a better balance to have been struck between giving it due significance and making it feel like the story was progressing.
Critical Role Cooldown
Age of Umbra Episode 3
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Games
Smurfs Kart
Got a medal on every track in Time Trial at Hyperspeed, my first time trying that faster version — and, in fact, my overall medal tally is better than at the slower Fun speed. So that’s an achievement… of a sort.
Got a medal on every track in Time Trial at Hyperspeed, my first time trying that faster version — and, in fact, my overall medal tally is better than at the slower Fun speed. So that’s an achievement… of a sort.
Monday, 7 July 2025
Games
Gray Matter
The save games on this tell you exactly how long you've been playing for, which is great for someone like me — it means I can tell you not that "I played for about an hour", but that "I played for 57 minutes". Vital information.
The save games on this tell you exactly how long you've been playing for, which is great for someone like me — it means I can tell you not that "I played for about an hour", but that "I played for 57 minutes". Vital information.
Sunday, 6 July 2025
Audio Drama
Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures
1.1 Vampire Weekend
Jodie Whittaker's Doctor comes to Big Finish — I'd say "finally", but this has to be quickest turnaround from TV to BF ever. No surprise: Jodie was talking about doing them before her time on TV had even finished. Anyway, here begins 12 new adventures released over the next couple of years (the final one is scheduled for May 2027). Can Big Finish do for the 13th Doctor what they've done for the 6th and, arguably, 8th and turn an underwhelming TV era into a fan favourite? Time will tell. This first instalment... isn't that.
But it's not bad, either. It feels very much like it's laying the groundwork. This is a light-weight romp-ish season opener; a reminder of all the different tones Who does, all at once (not a bad thing), with a breakneck pace and a focus on just being a bit of fun. In that sense, it's more successful than many of her TV episodes were.
Jodie and Mandip slip back into their roles as if they'd never been away, and there are some nice scenes between the Doctor and Yaz. That goes some way to make up for the supporting cast being a mite too large — there's not enough time for this many characters, so they're all quite vaguely sketched. It doesn't help that several sound quite similar, meaning it can get a bit confusing in fast-paced scenes with everyone present.
Still, a solid start to the 13th Doctor's adventures on audio. Hopefully future episodes will deliver on the promise of what Big Finish can do to positively transform an era's reputation.
1.1 Vampire Weekend
Jodie Whittaker's Doctor comes to Big Finish — I'd say "finally", but this has to be quickest turnaround from TV to BF ever. No surprise: Jodie was talking about doing them before her time on TV had even finished. Anyway, here begins 12 new adventures released over the next couple of years (the final one is scheduled for May 2027). Can Big Finish do for the 13th Doctor what they've done for the 6th and, arguably, 8th and turn an underwhelming TV era into a fan favourite? Time will tell. This first instalment... isn't that.
But it's not bad, either. It feels very much like it's laying the groundwork. This is a light-weight romp-ish season opener; a reminder of all the different tones Who does, all at once (not a bad thing), with a breakneck pace and a focus on just being a bit of fun. In that sense, it's more successful than many of her TV episodes were.
Jodie and Mandip slip back into their roles as if they'd never been away, and there are some nice scenes between the Doctor and Yaz. That goes some way to make up for the supporting cast being a mite too large — there's not enough time for this many characters, so they're all quite vaguely sketched. It doesn't help that several sound quite similar, meaning it can get a bit confusing in fast-paced scenes with everyone present.
Still, a solid start to the 13th Doctor's adventures on audio. Hopefully future episodes will deliver on the promise of what Big Finish can do to positively transform an era's reputation.
Fiction
Doctor Who: The New Adventures
Timewyrm: Revelation by Paul Cornell
Chapters 12–13
Epilogue [the end]
This seems to be regarded as among the best of the Timewyrm quartet — okay, we're only talking about four books, so there's not much room for manoeuvre in ordering them, but the rankings I've seen consistently place it first or second, and I've seen it ranked in the top ten of all New Adventures novels..
Well, I've found it a bit of a slog. I mean, it's taken me almost two months to get through it, compared to under two weeks for each of the previous parts (that's partly real-life events disrupting my reading rhythm, but also partly me finding it tough going). It's got some great ideas, actually, but they take a while to show up. Part of what makes them great is that they're reveals and reveals require setup, but obviously it didn't do that pre-work engagingly enough for me. Ah well, it's done now.
Not sure where I'll go next with the New Adventures — I own a bunch, but not the followup Cat's Cradle trilogy (because it's not meant to be very good); although I do have the entire 61-book run as ebooks, so I could continue there… or maybe I should stick to ones I actually own and paid money for, and just progress in order of release. Either way, I've spent the better part of two years just getting through these first four, so I either need to pick up the pace or accept I'm going to spend the rest of my life reading the NAs.
Timewyrm: Revelation by Paul Cornell
Chapters 12–13
Epilogue [the end]
This seems to be regarded as among the best of the Timewyrm quartet — okay, we're only talking about four books, so there's not much room for manoeuvre in ordering them, but the rankings I've seen consistently place it first or second, and I've seen it ranked in the top ten of all New Adventures novels..
Well, I've found it a bit of a slog. I mean, it's taken me almost two months to get through it, compared to under two weeks for each of the previous parts (that's partly real-life events disrupting my reading rhythm, but also partly me finding it tough going). It's got some great ideas, actually, but they take a while to show up. Part of what makes them great is that they're reveals and reveals require setup, but obviously it didn't do that pre-work engagingly enough for me. Ah well, it's done now.
Not sure where I'll go next with the New Adventures — I own a bunch, but not the followup Cat's Cradle trilogy (because it's not meant to be very good); although I do have the entire 61-book run as ebooks, so I could continue there… or maybe I should stick to ones I actually own and paid money for, and just progress in order of release. Either way, I've spent the better part of two years just getting through these first four, so I either need to pick up the pace or accept I'm going to spend the rest of my life reading the NAs.
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