Friends
8x10 The One with Monica's Boots [6th or so watch]
8x11 The One with Ross's Step Forward [6th or so watch]
Leverage: Redemption
1x08 The Mastermind Job
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x17 Week 4: Tuesday
8x18 Week 4: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Monday, 21 July 2025
Sunday, 20 July 2025
TV
Friends
8x07 The One with the Stain [6th or so watch]
8x08 The One with the Stripper [6th or so watch]
8x09 The One with the Rumor [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x16 Week 4: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
8x07 The One with the Stain [6th or so watch]
8x08 The One with the Stripper [6th or so watch]
8x09 The One with the Rumor [6th or so watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
8x16 Week 4: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Saturday, 19 July 2025
Films
The Wolf Man (1941)
[#63 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2025 #7
[#63 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2025 #7
Fiction
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
11 The Adventure of the Naval Treaty
"The end" of Memoirs, for me right now. There is one more story, The Final Problem, but I've already read it — not that it doesn't merit revisiting, but as I'm currently on a mission to finally have read all the Holmes stories at least once, and I've still got 27 short stories and a novel to go, my time is better spent elsewhere at present.
11 The Adventure of the Naval Treaty
"The end" of Memoirs, for me right now. There is one more story, The Final Problem, but I've already read it — not that it doesn't merit revisiting, but as I'm currently on a mission to finally have read all the Holmes stories at least once, and I've still got 27 short stories and a novel to go, my time is better spent elsewhere at present.
Comics
Absolute Batman
#7 Absolute Zero Part 1 by Scott Snyder & Marcos Martín
#8 Absolute Zero Part 2 by Scott Snyder & Marcos Martín
I made a bit of an (ultimately abortive) effort to catch up on 2000 AD last month, but I've also fallen (further) behind on my US comics reading (let's not mention all the books I've been buying for ages and not even started). I'd like to say reading this two-parter is the beginning of a turnaround, but I know I've got a summer ahead where my time is not wholly my own, so I imagine it will instead be a one-off before I next attempt to get back into the swing of things in September. But hey, you never know!
#7 Absolute Zero Part 1 by Scott Snyder & Marcos Martín
#8 Absolute Zero Part 2 by Scott Snyder & Marcos Martín
I made a bit of an (ultimately abortive) effort to catch up on 2000 AD last month, but I've also fallen (further) behind on my US comics reading (let's not mention all the books I've been buying for ages and not even started). I'd like to say reading this two-parter is the beginning of a turnaround, but I know I've got a summer ahead where my time is not wholly my own, so I imagine it will instead be a one-off before I next attempt to get back into the swing of things in September. But hey, you never know!
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
A bit of a quieter week, although my shelves would hardly think so because, while every addition is a single-film release, two of them are still big ol' collector's edition box sets (Hammer's Quatermass 2 and the new edition of Akira Kurosawa's Ran).
Plus, a rare increase for DVD: I've long thought about getting the Master and Commander 2-disc set for all the special features that are missing from the Blu-ray (hours of documentaries), and with the 4K just announced — but still missing all those extras — I finally got round to it. A second-hand copy for £1.99 doesn't feel too high a price, I must say.
Number of titles in collection: 3,584 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 987 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,597 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 488 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,618 [up 9]
Number of films: 4,548 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 451 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 10,160 [up 6]
Number of short films: 1,250 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
A bit of a quieter week, although my shelves would hardly think so because, while every addition is a single-film release, two of them are still big ol' collector's edition box sets (Hammer's Quatermass 2 and the new edition of Akira Kurosawa's Ran).
Plus, a rare increase for DVD: I've long thought about getting the Master and Commander 2-disc set for all the special features that are missing from the Blu-ray (hours of documentaries), and with the 4K just announced — but still missing all those extras — I finally got round to it. A second-hand copy for £1.99 doesn't feel too high a price, I must say.
Number of titles in collection: 3,584 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 987 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,597 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 488 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,618 [up 9]
Number of films: 4,548 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 451 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 10,160 [up 6]
Number of short films: 1,250 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 18 July 2025
TV
Talks Machina
#146 Episodes 99 through 109
Hey, Talks is back! (Not in our present time, obviously, but at the point I've reached in my C2 watch. Anyway...) The first three episodes of its return are tasked with covering everything missed during its hiatus, which is a lot — the peace talks that ended the war (arguably the most major overarching storyline of the campaign), plus the entire Rumblecusp/Traveler Con arc. No wonder there's nearly 5 hours' worth of episodes tasked with covering that entire period (almost an hour-and-a-half here, then over three hours across the next two episodes, which both aired between episodes 111 and 112).
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
#146 Episodes 99 through 109
Hey, Talks is back! (Not in our present time, obviously, but at the point I've reached in my C2 watch. Anyway...) The first three episodes of its return are tasked with covering everything missed during its hiatus, which is a lot — the peace talks that ended the war (arguably the most major overarching storyline of the campaign), plus the entire Rumblecusp/Traveler Con arc. No wonder there's nearly 5 hours' worth of episodes tasked with covering that entire period (almost an hour-and-a-half here, then over three hours across the next two episodes, which both aired between episodes 111 and 112).
[Watch it (again) on Internet Archive.]
Films
Stargate (1994)
[2nd watch]
[#62 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Pretty sure I've only seen this once before, because I'm also sure I haven't seen it since the mid-'90s — and I've been meaning to rewatch it for 20+ years! With no urgency, clearly.
This time I watched the longer version (whether it's a director's cut or just an extended cut, sources vary), which I'm sure I've never seen before, but the differences are minor enough (though, I hasten to add, not worthless) that I wouldn't have noticed the difference after all this time, so I don't think it merits counting as a 'new film' for 100 Films purposes.
[2nd watch]
[#62 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2025]
Pretty sure I've only seen this once before, because I'm also sure I haven't seen it since the mid-'90s — and I've been meaning to rewatch it for 20+ years! With no urgency, clearly.
This time I watched the longer version (whether it's a director's cut or just an extended cut, sources vary), which I'm sure I've never seen before, but the differences are minor enough (though, I hasten to add, not worthless) that I wouldn't have noticed the difference after all this time, so I don't think it merits counting as a 'new film' for 100 Films purposes.
Thursday, 17 July 2025
TV
Critical Role
2x109 Frigid Propositions [remainder]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x109 Frigid Propositions [remainder]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Fiction
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
10 The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
This felt very familiar for a story I don't think I've read before — not in an "I might have seen an adaptation way", but in a "maybe I have actually read this one" way. No matter, it's a good one, and now I know I've read it for future reference.
10 The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
This felt very familiar for a story I don't think I've read before — not in an "I might have seen an adaptation way", but in a "maybe I have actually read this one" way. No matter, it's a good one, and now I know I've read it for future reference.
Wednesday, 16 July 2025
TV
Critical Role
2x109 Frigid Propositions [1st hour]
Wanted to keep my hand in with C2, as I said, but it did feel a bit weird returning to it while halfway through Age of Umbra. Does call into question my plan to watch C4 while continuing to catch up on C1 or C3, but we'll see.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
2x109 Frigid Propositions [1st hour]
Wanted to keep my hand in with C2, as I said, but it did feel a bit weird returning to it while halfway through Age of Umbra. Does call into question my plan to watch C4 while continuing to catch up on C1 or C3, but we'll see.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, Twitch, or Beacon.]
Tuesday, 15 July 2025
Fiction
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
7 The Adventure of the Reigate Squire
aka The Adventure of the Reigate Squires. Both titles fit, so it's understandable but still kinda ridiculous that the discrepancy exists and persists.
7 The Adventure of the Reigate Squire
aka The Adventure of the Reigate Squires. Both titles fit, so it's understandable but still kinda ridiculous that the discrepancy exists and persists.
Games
Gray Matter
Another hour-and-a-quarter gets me to the end of Chapter 2. Good thing it's quite an engaging story, with some solid puzzles (not exceptional, but I've endured worse), because otherwise some of the 'gameplay' is rather railroaded. The conversation trees, for example — they barely merit the term. One in this chapter gives you literally one option, repeatedly, without even the alternative to abandon the conversation. At that point, which isn't it just playing as a cutscene?
Another hour-and-a-quarter gets me to the end of Chapter 2. Good thing it's quite an engaging story, with some solid puzzles (not exceptional, but I've endured worse), because otherwise some of the 'gameplay' is rather railroaded. The conversation trees, for example — they barely merit the term. One in this chapter gives you literally one option, repeatedly, without even the alternative to abandon the conversation. At that point, which isn't it just playing as a cutscene?
Monday, 14 July 2025
TV
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.]
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.]
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.
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