Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
[#67 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
Blindspot 2026 #7
Sunday, 4 October 2026
Fiction
The Legend of Drizzt: The Dark Elf Trilogy Book 1
Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
Chapters 14–16
End of Part Three.
Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
Chapters 14–16
End of Part Three.
Video Games
Aperture Desk Job
Nearly two weeks after it arrived, I finally actually played something on my Steam Machine. And I started the same way as on my Deck: with Aperture Desk Job. Despite all Valve's talk of the Steam Controller having input parity with the Deck, this shows it's not true: it shows the wrong command for taking a screenshot (it timed out and auto-completed before I could remember the button combination); there's a bit that requires a microphone (the Controller doesn't have one and, again, it autocompletes in silence); there's a bit where you have to sign your name that I guess used the touchscreen on Deck but says to use the mouse with the Controller, only the trackpads don't work like they should (I'm not even sure how I managed to force my way past that bit in the end); and the gyro only works if you enable a user-created control scheme, not the official one from Valve themselves.
Bright Memory
I picked this because it's also short, listed as being an hour or less. Took me an hour-and-a-half. It's really my first experience of more modern-style combat in games, which involves dodging and using multipe types of attack with timed refresh, rather than just running around and shooting. I tried the latter a lot at first, and died a lot. Once I got the hang of dodging all the time I didn't die again to combat, only struggling with some awkward platforming sections (I maintain that first-person platforming is dumb), but I was still mostly button-mashing rather than really using my attacks in a planned way. Still, only my first hour-or-so with this style, so maybe I'll get used to it. I mean, I guess I'll have to, as I think a lot of more recent games are more like that, which is why some people complain about the older-style combat in games like Skyrim. I quite enjoyed it in the end, though its story is nonsensical (I'd say nonexistent, but I think it thinks it has one), and it kind of just stops and tells you you need to play the sequel. I do already have that, so I guess I'll try it at some point.
Nearly two weeks after it arrived, I finally actually played something on my Steam Machine. And I started the same way as on my Deck: with Aperture Desk Job. Despite all Valve's talk of the Steam Controller having input parity with the Deck, this shows it's not true: it shows the wrong command for taking a screenshot (it timed out and auto-completed before I could remember the button combination); there's a bit that requires a microphone (the Controller doesn't have one and, again, it autocompletes in silence); there's a bit where you have to sign your name that I guess used the touchscreen on Deck but says to use the mouse with the Controller, only the trackpads don't work like they should (I'm not even sure how I managed to force my way past that bit in the end); and the gyro only works if you enable a user-created control scheme, not the official one from Valve themselves.
Bright Memory
I picked this because it's also short, listed as being an hour or less. Took me an hour-and-a-half. It's really my first experience of more modern-style combat in games, which involves dodging and using multipe types of attack with timed refresh, rather than just running around and shooting. I tried the latter a lot at first, and died a lot. Once I got the hang of dodging all the time I didn't die again to combat, only struggling with some awkward platforming sections (I maintain that first-person platforming is dumb), but I was still mostly button-mashing rather than really using my attacks in a planned way. Still, only my first hour-or-so with this style, so maybe I'll get used to it. I mean, I guess I'll have to, as I think a lot of more recent games are more like that, which is why some people complain about the older-style combat in games like Skyrim. I quite enjoyed it in the end, though its story is nonsensical (I'd say nonexistent, but I think it thinks it has one), and it kind of just stops and tells you you need to play the sequel. I do already have that, so I guess I'll try it at some point.
Articles
‘Goodbye Whoniverse. God, that was fun!’: Russell T Davies on writing the end of Doctor Who
by Russell T Davies (from the Guardian)
More details about what went down as RTD2 came to an end, which is interesting.
by Russell T Davies (from the Guardian)
More details about what went down as RTD2 came to an end, which is interesting.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
Another month has passed us by, and so 100Films.co.uk pops up with a review of my September film viewing...
...as well as some of the things I didn't view...
More next month.
...as well as some of the things I didn't view...
More next month.
Saturday, 3 October 2026
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
I thought there was going to be a fair bit of stuff this week, but then some release dates were pushed back and some sale purchases didn't arrive as quickly as expected, and so there's only two additions — one of which is a very welcome DVD-to-4K upgrade (because apparently the Blu-ray was poor) for Interview with the Vampire.
Number of titles in collection: 3,743 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 959 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,784 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 566 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,987 [up 4]
Number of films: 4,835 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 518 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 10,145 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,337 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
I thought there was going to be a fair bit of stuff this week, but then some release dates were pushed back and some sale purchases didn't arrive as quickly as expected, and so there's only two additions — one of which is a very welcome DVD-to-4K upgrade (because apparently the Blu-ray was poor) for Interview with the Vampire.
Number of titles in collection: 3,743 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 959 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,784 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 566 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,987 [up 4]
Number of films: 4,835 [up 1]
Number of additional cuts: 518 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 10,145 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,337 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 2 October 2026
Fiction
The Legend of Drizzt: The Dark Elf Trilogy Book 1
Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
Chapters 6–11
End of Part Two.
Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
Chapters 6–11
End of Part Two.
Thursday, 1 October 2026
Fiction
The Legend of Drizzt: The Dark Elf Trilogy Book 1
Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
Chapters 3–5
End of Part One.
Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
Chapters 3–5
End of Part One.
Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Fiction
The Legend of Drizzt: The Dark Elf Trilogy Book 1
Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
Foreword by Matt Chapman
Prelude
Chapters 1–2
As if I don't already have more than enough books to read or hobbies to spend my limited income on, I've subscribed to the new Dungeons & Dragons Novel Collection partwork. Rather than just let up to 100 more novels accumulate on my shelves, I decided to actually start reading them immediately (what a shocking idea!) With a new one out every fortnight, it remains to be seen if I'll keep up, but at least I'm starting with good intentions.
Partworks being the way they are, the release schedule is jumping around throughout the series (this is issue #1 but volume 18), which could get a bit annoying in terms of completing trilogies and whatnot. Luckily, I'm not averse to having multiple series on the go (at this point, I probably need to write a list of which book series I'm in the middle of, like I have for films), but I hope they don't spread them out too thinly. The first three issues all start trilogies, and issues 4 and 5 (at least) continue them, so that bodes well, I hope. At least there's no need to start reading with volume 1! (It would be a pretty dumb release schedule if that was necessary.)
As for this particular book, it's the chronologically-first adventure for popular character Drizzt and (as the intro explains) the recommended starting point for the character, so that's good.
Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
Foreword by Matt Chapman
Prelude
Chapters 1–2
As if I don't already have more than enough books to read or hobbies to spend my limited income on, I've subscribed to the new Dungeons & Dragons Novel Collection partwork. Rather than just let up to 100 more novels accumulate on my shelves, I decided to actually start reading them immediately (what a shocking idea!) With a new one out every fortnight, it remains to be seen if I'll keep up, but at least I'm starting with good intentions.
Partworks being the way they are, the release schedule is jumping around throughout the series (this is issue #1 but volume 18), which could get a bit annoying in terms of completing trilogies and whatnot. Luckily, I'm not averse to having multiple series on the go (at this point, I probably need to write a list of which book series I'm in the middle of, like I have for films), but I hope they don't spread them out too thinly. The first three issues all start trilogies, and issues 4 and 5 (at least) continue them, so that bodes well, I hope. At least there's no need to start reading with volume 1! (It would be a pretty dumb release schedule if that was necessary.)
As for this particular book, it's the chronologically-first adventure for popular character Drizzt and (as the intro explains) the recommended starting point for the character, so that's good.
Monday, 28 September 2026
Sunday, 27 September 2026
TV
How I Met Your Mother
2x17 Arrivederci, Fiero [2nd watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
4x66 Episode 66 [2nd watch]
Couldn't remember which episode we needed to jump to next, so just watched the first one we came across that we didn't remember. Still didn't remember it by the end. Turns out we watched it four years ago. Oh well!
2x17 Arrivederci, Fiero [2nd watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
4x66 Episode 66 [2nd watch]
Couldn't remember which episode we needed to jump to next, so just watched the first one we came across that we didn't remember. Still didn't remember it by the end. Turns out we watched it four years ago. Oh well!
Films
The Set up (1963)
[#61 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
That's not a typo — "up" doesn't have a capital U on the title card. Stickler for accuracy, me.
Topper (1937)
[#60 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
[#61 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
That's not a typo — "up" doesn't have a capital U on the title card. Stickler for accuracy, me.
Topper (1937)
[#60 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
Saturday, 26 September 2026
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