' Should old acquaintances be forgot,?'
The true meaning of Auld Lang Syne, and the startling discovery (for me) that my ancestor Robbie Burns didn't write it. [via Metafilter]
That Day Time then to see how I did. Every year I make five predictions for the coming year. Here is what I thought last year with the results ...
A Starbucks will open closer to work
Sadly not. The Cafe Nero continues to pollute the atmosphere. There is some redevelopment happening though, so fingers crossed.
More crossover in music across Europe. French, Spanish and German music will start to appear in our pop charts as the kids finally start looking for something different.
Here is the top ten singles of 2004.
1. Band Aid 20 - 'Do They Know It's Christmas'
2. Eamon - 'F**K It (I Don't Want You Back)'
3. DJ Casper - 'Cha Cha Slide'
4. Eric Prydz - 'Call On Me'
5. Usher Ft Lil' Jon & Ludacris - 'Yeah'
6. Michelle - 'All This Time'
7. Anastacia - 'Left Outside Alone'
8. Peter Andre - 'Mysterious Girl'
9. Britney Spears - 'Toxic'
10. Frankee - 'F.U.R.B. (F U Right Back)'
How wrong could I be? But it really is a hideous list though. Two cover versions, a rerelease, a song that 'answers' another song, something by a reality tv show winner and something simply called 'Yeah'. I think the closest we got was Katie Melua. But she really doesn't count...
There will be new governments in the UK and US. Neither will actually be much better or worse than what we have now.
This is disturbing. I think the lack of good music and politics in 2004 may have been all my fault. Sorry.
A second e-commerce boom will begin, with entrepreneurs learning from the mistakes of the past
Hello Google, meet my friend Apple. So I predicted a good year for business. I got something right! (feels great about watching a fish float to the top of a barrel after a bullet wound)
Something really extraordinary is going to happen with long lasting consequences effecting all mankind in a good way for a change
I'm just going to give up on optimism. It makes you feel unhealthy. And judging by that list of predictions, I'm almost afraid to list anything for next year in case I make things even worse. So here we go...
It's going to be a good year for big and small screen science fiction epics.
Globally things are going to get worse before they get better.
A well known celebrity will get divorced in a very public way.
People will learn more about themselves.
My life is going to change in a big way.
I can't get those wrong, surely?
A Starbucks will open closer to work
Sadly not. The Cafe Nero continues to pollute the atmosphere. There is some redevelopment happening though, so fingers crossed.
More crossover in music across Europe. French, Spanish and German music will start to appear in our pop charts as the kids finally start looking for something different.
Here is the top ten singles of 2004.
1. Band Aid 20 - 'Do They Know It's Christmas'
2. Eamon - 'F**K It (I Don't Want You Back)'
3. DJ Casper - 'Cha Cha Slide'
4. Eric Prydz - 'Call On Me'
5. Usher Ft Lil' Jon & Ludacris - 'Yeah'
6. Michelle - 'All This Time'
7. Anastacia - 'Left Outside Alone'
8. Peter Andre - 'Mysterious Girl'
9. Britney Spears - 'Toxic'
10. Frankee - 'F.U.R.B. (F U Right Back)'
How wrong could I be? But it really is a hideous list though. Two cover versions, a rerelease, a song that 'answers' another song, something by a reality tv show winner and something simply called 'Yeah'. I think the closest we got was Katie Melua. But she really doesn't count...
There will be new governments in the UK and US. Neither will actually be much better or worse than what we have now.
This is disturbing. I think the lack of good music and politics in 2004 may have been all my fault. Sorry.
A second e-commerce boom will begin, with entrepreneurs learning from the mistakes of the past
Hello Google, meet my friend Apple. So I predicted a good year for business. I got something right! (feels great about watching a fish float to the top of a barrel after a bullet wound)
Something really extraordinary is going to happen with long lasting consequences effecting all mankind in a good way for a change
I'm just going to give up on optimism. It makes you feel unhealthy. And judging by that list of predictions, I'm almost afraid to list anything for next year in case I make things even worse. So here we go...
It's going to be a good year for big and small screen science fiction epics.
Globally things are going to get worse before they get better.
A well known celebrity will get divorced in a very public way.
People will learn more about themselves.
My life is going to change in a big way.
I can't get those wrong, surely?
Unfocused and on the rocks
Photography
Unfocused and on the rocks
Originally uploaded by feelinglistless.
As they no doubt said during the slide show, 'This is us by the sea.' This reminds me for no readily apparent reason of the promo for REM's song 'Imitation of Life'. I keep expecting the other people on the photo to turn and start miming. Althought that would be creepy. Notice that the old woman is almost smiling here for a change.
Unfocused and on the rocks
Originally uploaded by feelinglistless.
As they no doubt said during the slide show, 'This is us by the sea.' This reminds me for no readily apparent reason of the promo for REM's song 'Imitation of Life'. I keep expecting the other people on the photo to turn and start miming. Althought that would be creepy. Notice that the old woman is almost smiling here for a change.
Links for 2004-12-31 [del.icio.us]
Links for 2004-12-31 [del.icio.us]
How people see themselves
The 'me' tag at flickr Peter Davison dies
The poetry editor for The Atlantic magazine. I know. I thought the same thing when I saw the headline ... Peter Davison's poetry
A biography with samples of his work Joss Whedon's seasonal message
posted at Whedonesque. So Wonder Woman's a goer then?
The 'me' tag at flickr
The poetry editor for The Atlantic magazine. I know. I thought the same thing when I saw the headline ...
A biography with samples of his work
posted at Whedonesque. So Wonder Woman's a goer then?
'What day is this?'
Life Today for obvious reasons felt like a Sunday. So tomorrow will be the second Sunday of the weekend, and quite were that leaves Monday I'm not sure.
I'd do it for you...
Although I can't imagine anyone but Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio playing Maid Marion in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves according to Kevin Reynolds on the audio commentary to the dvd the part was originally going to be filled by Robin Wright Penn, but she became pregnant and was unable to do it, so Mastrantonio stepped into the breach (so to speak). If you want to see how the Wright version might have turned out she previously played Princess Buttercup in The Princess Bride. On reflection it might have been confusing to have two Robins on the set, even if one of them might have been fictional.
About
Why Hamlet? Because everyone should have a weblog.
Yes, that's an oversimplification, but really it's difficult to put into words why I'm writing this without it sounding mildly to maddeningly pretentious. So forgive me if I stray into that territory. Believe me you were lucky. I nearly tried to write this in blank verse.
I was watching a documentary the other night called 'Playing The Dane'. It was from the early nineties and featured the talking heads of a diverse series of actors from Stacey Keach to Kevin Kline to Christopher Walken talking about the time they appeared in a production. The closing To Be Or Not To Be montage is on the BBC website.
There was an excellent moment (a fragment which can be seen in this interview collection) were Sir Ian McKellan talked about the man who bounded in his dressing room at the Cambridge Theatre and said 'Congratulations, you're my sixty-eighth Hamlet, and I remember something about every one of them. When Maurice Evans played it, he had a little hole in his tights here.' McKellan ponders what he remembered about his.
There's something really quite epic about that. What would it have been like to have seen so many actors set out to play the same role. Would they really play it in so many different ways and could you really remember the remarkable performances over the average, and indeed something about all of them? How would you feel at the end of that? Would it put you off drama for life, gain a greater appreciation, or would you at the very least feel as though you understood what the play was actually about?
Being up to a challenge, I've decided to find out. I'm going to see as many productions of Hamlet as I can before I shuffle of this mortal coil. I'll be seeing and hearing him in the theatre, on film, on tv and radio, on cd and even vinyl or cassette. Since that man's sixty-eight is the highest number I've even heard of, I'm going to use that as a guide, a milestone. From there to a hundred and then who knows? There won't be any time limits though, sanity being a premium and money being an object. The only rule being that a performance will only count if I've seen or heard it from start to finish through a whole production. If the actor's going from ghost to jest to death, I'll be there with them. Also I've already seen about ten of them, and although I'll make a point of rewatching as many of those as I can, the theatre productions have come and gone, but I'll include them anyway.
I'll post reviews of each production as proof, and for memory, and keep a running tally.
Why Hamlet?
As Richard Briers said once when asked what Hamlet was about, he said 'It's about four hours.' That's the full text, with a quick intermission between for the actors to take a breather and for the audience to clear their bowels. Most productions are cut down to about two hours and it'll be interesting to see what ends up being cut most often.
Generally the only thing to stay in is the central story which runs thus, as told by the Wikipedia:
What it doesn't do is express what a exciting multi-faceted story, multi-genre, narrative, thing it is. It's a ghost story, revenge drama, a love story, detective story, comedy, psychological study, sports drama, all drowning in the kitchen sink. No one is entirely as they seem and no one walks away clean. No matter who plays him, Hamlet is a gut-wrenching central character who you just have to care for simply because of the number of faces he has to wear for so many people; he's unremittingly human, a man who makes mistakes but keeps bouncing back. None of William Shakespeare's plays pulls in so many direction or is open to so many different interpretations. Some sections can be played as out and out comedy, or deadly serious -- and it can work both ways.
It's also oft quoted but simply because there is so much great language. Time and again, especially if you're listening to the full text, every day phrases and aphorisms will pop up during the play's nuts and bolts dialogue. But there are also some section of heartbreaking poetry. The Yorik speech for example, whilst edging into cliche though over mis-quoting is a perfect evocation of nostalgia but also out existence in the memories of others after death.
It's also flexible -- I've heard it turned into everything from a dance track to a folk song. References appear, well everywhere and it's been translated into a hundred languages including Klingon. There just seems to be so many other things to write about.
Why Hamlet? Because everyone should have a weblog.
Yes, that's an oversimplification, but really it's difficult to put into words why I'm writing this without it sounding mildly to maddeningly pretentious. So forgive me if I stray into that territory. Believe me you were lucky. I nearly tried to write this in blank verse.
I was watching a documentary the other night called 'Playing The Dane'. It was from the early nineties and featured the talking heads of a diverse series of actors from Stacey Keach to Kevin Kline to Christopher Walken talking about the time they appeared in a production. The closing To Be Or Not To Be montage is on the BBC website.
There was an excellent moment (a fragment which can be seen in this interview collection) were Sir Ian McKellan talked about the man who bounded in his dressing room at the Cambridge Theatre and said 'Congratulations, you're my sixty-eighth Hamlet, and I remember something about every one of them. When Maurice Evans played it, he had a little hole in his tights here.' McKellan ponders what he remembered about his.
There's something really quite epic about that. What would it have been like to have seen so many actors set out to play the same role. Would they really play it in so many different ways and could you really remember the remarkable performances over the average, and indeed something about all of them? How would you feel at the end of that? Would it put you off drama for life, gain a greater appreciation, or would you at the very least feel as though you understood what the play was actually about?
Being up to a challenge, I've decided to find out. I'm going to see as many productions of Hamlet as I can before I shuffle of this mortal coil. I'll be seeing and hearing him in the theatre, on film, on tv and radio, on cd and even vinyl or cassette. Since that man's sixty-eight is the highest number I've even heard of, I'm going to use that as a guide, a milestone. From there to a hundred and then who knows? There won't be any time limits though, sanity being a premium and money being an object. The only rule being that a performance will only count if I've seen or heard it from start to finish through a whole production. If the actor's going from ghost to jest to death, I'll be there with them. Also I've already seen about ten of them, and although I'll make a point of rewatching as many of those as I can, the theatre productions have come and gone, but I'll include them anyway.
I'll post reviews of each production as proof, and for memory, and keep a running tally.
Why Hamlet?
As Richard Briers said once when asked what Hamlet was about, he said 'It's about four hours.' That's the full text, with a quick intermission between for the actors to take a breather and for the audience to clear their bowels. Most productions are cut down to about two hours and it'll be interesting to see what ends up being cut most often.
Generally the only thing to stay in is the central story which runs thus, as told by the Wikipedia:
"Prince Hamlet, the title character, is the son of the late King of Denmark, who was also named Hamlet. He is charged by the ghost of his father to avenge his murder, which he finally succeeds in doing, but only after the rest of the royal house has been wiped out and he himself has been mortally wounded with a poisoned rapier by Laertes."That's the arc of the character and it gives away the ending. But being a Shakespeare tragedy you knew everyone was going to die anyway so go with it.
What it doesn't do is express what a exciting multi-faceted story, multi-genre, narrative, thing it is. It's a ghost story, revenge drama, a love story, detective story, comedy, psychological study, sports drama, all drowning in the kitchen sink. No one is entirely as they seem and no one walks away clean. No matter who plays him, Hamlet is a gut-wrenching central character who you just have to care for simply because of the number of faces he has to wear for so many people; he's unremittingly human, a man who makes mistakes but keeps bouncing back. None of William Shakespeare's plays pulls in so many direction or is open to so many different interpretations. Some sections can be played as out and out comedy, or deadly serious -- and it can work both ways.
It's also oft quoted but simply because there is so much great language. Time and again, especially if you're listening to the full text, every day phrases and aphorisms will pop up during the play's nuts and bolts dialogue. But there are also some section of heartbreaking poetry. The Yorik speech for example, whilst edging into cliche though over mis-quoting is a perfect evocation of nostalgia but also out existence in the memories of others after death.
It's also flexible -- I've heard it turned into everything from a dance track to a folk song. References appear, well everywhere and it's been translated into a hundred languages including Klingon. There just seems to be so many other things to write about.
Why Hamlet? Because everyone should have a weblog.
Links for 2004-12-30 [del.icio.us]
Links for 2004-12-30 [del.icio.us]
Meldpunt Slachtoffers Francis Zwaneveld
Can anyone tell what's going on here? Real of fictional? World debates decency standards for TV
Fun US article pointing out the Europe's lberal attitude to sex and in particular how the Janet Jackson incident wouldn't have batted any eyelids over here ... Angelina Jolie interviewed by Reader's Digest
You'd think this would be a culture clash but it turns out to be a fairly unguarded interview with areas I haven't seen covered elsewhere. Doesn't make me want to sit through the Tomb Raider films again though. Customer Service: The Hunt for a Human
When I was working for the credit card company and we'd get calls from people asking if it was safe to use their credit card online we'd always tell them to check if they had a real world telephone number. Which is not longer the case. Tsunami account from Burning Man gate manager
Another upsetting story. I seem to have heard hundreds today. "If everything you had were taken away, who would you turn too? In the end it is each other, not the things, that make the world spin. I won't ever forget that." del.icio.us/tag/tsunami
First post on 09/12 describes a totally different Tsunami: " not positive yet how Tsunami justifies another data middleware layer, but will have to talk to them" Star Wars TV series a go project?
With Mark Hamill to return as Luke? And lo the fantasy continues... Save the Castro
"Anita Monga is a Bay Area treasure. Why was someone of her stature, influence, and reputation fired? The Theatre owners won’t say, but we can let them know they’ve made a big mistake." Ye Olde Star Wars
"Troopers!" Photos of the Castro prostest
Some of those banners are hilarious The ALT.MOVIES.KUBRICK Faq BBC NEWS Asian disaster: How to help
Handy set of links if you want to target your donation to a particular organisation.
Can anyone tell what's going on here? Real of fictional?
Fun US article pointing out the Europe's lberal attitude to sex and in particular how the Janet Jackson incident wouldn't have batted any eyelids over here ...
You'd think this would be a culture clash but it turns out to be a fairly unguarded interview with areas I haven't seen covered elsewhere. Doesn't make me want to sit through the Tomb Raider films again though.
When I was working for the credit card company and we'd get calls from people asking if it was safe to use their credit card online we'd always tell them to check if they had a real world telephone number. Which is not longer the case.
Another upsetting story. I seem to have heard hundreds today. "If everything you had were taken away, who would you turn too? In the end it is each other, not the things, that make the world spin. I won't ever forget that."
First post on 09/12 describes a totally different Tsunami: " not positive yet how Tsunami justifies another data middleware layer, but will have to talk to them"
With Mark Hamill to return as Luke? And lo the fantasy continues...
"Anita Monga is a Bay Area treasure. Why was someone of her stature, influence, and reputation fired? The Theatre owners won’t say, but we can let them know they’ve made a big mistake."
"Troopers!"
Some of those banners are hilarious
Handy set of links if you want to target your donation to a particular organisation.
'At the closing of the year...'
That Day Well look were I am on New Year's Eve. Frankly after decades of disappointments, it's the one holiday when I lay low. So instead I'm going to light a candle at midnight and think about the more important things.
"If I cannot bring you comfort
then at least I bring you hope
for nothing is more precious
than the time we have and so
we all must learn from small misfortune
count the blessings that are real
let the bells ring out for christmas
at the closing of the year
let the bells ring out for christmas
at the closing of the year"
Lyrics to Wendy & Lisa's song 'The Closing of the Year' written by Trevor Horn and Hans Zimmer (from: Toys: The Original Soundtrack)
"If I cannot bring you comfort
then at least I bring you hope
for nothing is more precious
than the time we have and so
we all must learn from small misfortune
count the blessings that are real
let the bells ring out for christmas
at the closing of the year
let the bells ring out for christmas
at the closing of the year"
Lyrics to Wendy & Lisa's song 'The Closing of the Year' written by Trevor Horn and Hans Zimmer (from: Toys: The Original Soundtrack)
Review 2004: What I Watched #6
November
01/11
Bubba-Hotep [film, dvd]
03/11
Identity [film, dvd]
The Mexican [film, dvd]
04/11
Alias: The Enemy Walks in [2.1/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Trust me [2.2/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Cipher [2.3/22] [tv, dvd]
05/11
Bad Santa [film, celluloid]
Have I Got News For You [28.4/8] [tv, broadcast]
06/11
Alias: Dead Drop [2.4/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Indicator [2.5/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Salvation [2.6/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Counteragent [2.7/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Passage Part I [2.8/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Passage Part 2 [2.9/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Abduction [2.10/22] [tv, dvd]
08/11
Fast Times At Ridgemont High [film, dvd]
09/11
Murder One: Twenty-One [21/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Twenty-Two [22/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Twenty-Three [23/23] [tv, dvd]
10/11
Alias: A Higher Echelon [2.11/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Getaway [2.12/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Phase One [2.13/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Double Agent [2.14/22] [tv, dvd]
11/11
Cabin Fever [film, dvd]
12/11
Alias: A Free Agent [2.15/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Firebomb [2.16/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: A Dark Turn [2.17/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Truth Takes Time [2.18/22] [tv, dvd]
Have I Got News For You [28.5/8] [tv, broadcast]
13/11
Alias: Endgame [2.19/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Countdown [2.20/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Second Double [2.21/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Telling [2.22/22] [tv, dvd]
Ten [film, broadcast]
14/11
Godzilla [film, dvd]
15/11
Chariots of Fire [film, dvd]
16/11
Doctor Who: The Last [62] [audio play, cd]
17/11
Drive [film, dvd]
19/11
24: Day 3: 1:00 P.M.-2:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 2:00 P.M.-3:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 3:00 P.M.-4:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 4:00 P.M.-5:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
20/11
24: Day 3: 5:00 P.M.-6:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 6:00 P.M.-7:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 7:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
21/11
24: Day 3: 9:00 P.M.-10:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 10:00 P.M.-11:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 11:00 P.M.-12:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 12:00 A.M.-1:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
22/11
Doctor Who: The Crusade [2.6.1-4/4] [tv, dvd]
23/11
24: Day 3: 1:00 A.M.-2:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 2:00 A.M.-3:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 3:00 A.M.-4:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 4:00 A.M.-5:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 5:00 A.M.-6:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 6:00 A.M.-7:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 7:00 A.M.-8:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24/11
24: Day 3: 8:00 A.M.-9:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
Doctor Who: Underworld [15.5.1-4/4] [tv, vhs]
25/11
24: Day 3: 9:00 A.M.-10:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 10:00 A.M.-11:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 11:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 12:00 P.M.-1:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
26/11
Have I Got News For You [28.6/8] [tv, broadcast]
27/11
I Heart Huckabees [film, celluloid]
28/11
The Ultimate Film [1/2] [tv, video]
The Honeymooners [film, dvd]
The Ultimate Film [2/2] [tv, video]
29/11
Sliding Doors [film, dvd]
30/11
In The Soup [film, dvd]
[I didn't Heart Huckabees as much as others seemed to -- it was fitfully funny in the way that some films based on British sitcoms usually are. Some good scenes but it didn't hang together for me. Spent most of the month catching up on the excellent third season of 24 and the even better second season of Alias with the jaw dropping episode Phase One which had me shouting -- "It's dream sequence! It's dream sequence!" only to find it really wasn't.]
December
01/12
Grosse Pointe Blank [film, dvd]
02/12
The Search for One-eye Jimmy [film, dvd]
03/12
The Incredibles [film, celluloid]
Have I Got News For You [28.7/8] [tv, broadcast]
04/12
Last Life In The Universe [film, dvd]
05/12
Brubaker [film, dvd]
Have I Got News For You [28.8/8] [tv, broadcast]
07/12
Doctor Who: Caerdroia [63] [audio play, cd]
08/12
Rear Window [film, dvd]
09/12
Cul-de-sac [film, dvd]
Cypher [film, dvd]
10/12
Shaun of the Dead [film, dvd]
Have I Got News For You [28.8/8] [tv, broadcast]
11/12
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Version) [film, dvd]
12/12
The Girl Next Door [film, dvd]
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Version) [film, dvd]
13/12
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King(Extended Version) [film, dvd]
14/12
The Station Agent [film, dvd]
18/12
Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure [theatre, dvd]
19/12
The Fog Of War [film, dvd]
20/12
Basil [film, dvd]
21/12
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter And Spring [film, dvd]
22/12
Doctor Who: The Next Life [64] [audio play, cd]
The Last Chancers [1/2] [tv, broadcast]
23/12
Outfoxed [film, dvd]
24/12
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments
25/12
The Queen's Speech
Dear Father Christmas
The Day After Tomorrow [film, dvd]
The Simpson's Christmas Message
Before They Were Famous VIII
26/12
Japanese Story
The 100 Greatest TV Treats of 2004
27/12
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Extended Version) [film, dvd]
Husbands and Wives [film, dvd]
28/12
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking [tv, video]
30/12
The Ring [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: Kinda [19.3.1-4/4] [tv, video]
31/12
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies [tv, dvd]
House of the Flying Daggers [film, celluloid]
Honogurai mizu no soko kara [film, dvd]
[A fairly lean month as Christmas gripped and so did the extended version of Return of the King which isn't just a special edition but a whole other film. Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking was genuinely fun on tv and I can recommend anything else listed here really. Except for House of the Flying Daggers which is full of sound and beauty and fury but in the end signified nothing.]
01/11
Bubba-Hotep [film, dvd]
03/11
Identity [film, dvd]
The Mexican [film, dvd]
04/11
Alias: The Enemy Walks in [2.1/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Trust me [2.2/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Cipher [2.3/22] [tv, dvd]
05/11
Bad Santa [film, celluloid]
Have I Got News For You [28.4/8] [tv, broadcast]
06/11
Alias: Dead Drop [2.4/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Indicator [2.5/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Salvation [2.6/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Counteragent [2.7/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Passage Part I [2.8/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Passage Part 2 [2.9/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Abduction [2.10/22] [tv, dvd]
08/11
Fast Times At Ridgemont High [film, dvd]
09/11
Murder One: Twenty-One [21/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Twenty-Two [22/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Twenty-Three [23/23] [tv, dvd]
10/11
Alias: A Higher Echelon [2.11/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Getaway [2.12/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Phase One [2.13/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Double Agent [2.14/22] [tv, dvd]
11/11
Cabin Fever [film, dvd]
12/11
Alias: A Free Agent [2.15/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Firebomb [2.16/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: A Dark Turn [2.17/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Truth Takes Time [2.18/22] [tv, dvd]
Have I Got News For You [28.5/8] [tv, broadcast]
13/11
Alias: Endgame [2.19/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Countdown [2.20/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Second Double [2.21/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Telling [2.22/22] [tv, dvd]
Ten [film, broadcast]
14/11
Godzilla [film, dvd]
15/11
Chariots of Fire [film, dvd]
16/11
Doctor Who: The Last [62] [audio play, cd]
17/11
Drive [film, dvd]
19/11
24: Day 3: 1:00 P.M.-2:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 2:00 P.M.-3:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 3:00 P.M.-4:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 4:00 P.M.-5:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
20/11
24: Day 3: 5:00 P.M.-6:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 6:00 P.M.-7:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 7:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 8:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
21/11
24: Day 3: 9:00 P.M.-10:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 10:00 P.M.-11:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 11:00 P.M.-12:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 12:00 A.M.-1:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
22/11
Doctor Who: The Crusade [2.6.1-4/4] [tv, dvd]
23/11
24: Day 3: 1:00 A.M.-2:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 2:00 A.M.-3:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 3:00 A.M.-4:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 4:00 A.M.-5:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 5:00 A.M.-6:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 6:00 A.M.-7:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 7:00 A.M.-8:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24/11
24: Day 3: 8:00 A.M.-9:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
Doctor Who: Underworld [15.5.1-4/4] [tv, vhs]
25/11
24: Day 3: 9:00 A.M.-10:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 10:00 A.M.-11:00 A.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 11:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
24: Day 3: 12:00 P.M.-1:00 P.M. [tv, dvd]
26/11
Have I Got News For You [28.6/8] [tv, broadcast]
27/11
I Heart Huckabees [film, celluloid]
28/11
The Ultimate Film [1/2] [tv, video]
The Honeymooners [film, dvd]
The Ultimate Film [2/2] [tv, video]
29/11
Sliding Doors [film, dvd]
30/11
In The Soup [film, dvd]
[I didn't Heart Huckabees as much as others seemed to -- it was fitfully funny in the way that some films based on British sitcoms usually are. Some good scenes but it didn't hang together for me. Spent most of the month catching up on the excellent third season of 24 and the even better second season of Alias with the jaw dropping episode Phase One which had me shouting -- "It's dream sequence! It's dream sequence!" only to find it really wasn't.]
December
01/12
Grosse Pointe Blank [film, dvd]
02/12
The Search for One-eye Jimmy [film, dvd]
03/12
The Incredibles [film, celluloid]
Have I Got News For You [28.7/8] [tv, broadcast]
04/12
Last Life In The Universe [film, dvd]
05/12
Brubaker [film, dvd]
Have I Got News For You [28.8/8] [tv, broadcast]
07/12
Doctor Who: Caerdroia [63] [audio play, cd]
08/12
Rear Window [film, dvd]
09/12
Cul-de-sac [film, dvd]
Cypher [film, dvd]
10/12
Shaun of the Dead [film, dvd]
Have I Got News For You [28.8/8] [tv, broadcast]
11/12
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Version) [film, dvd]
12/12
The Girl Next Door [film, dvd]
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Version) [film, dvd]
13/12
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King(Extended Version) [film, dvd]
14/12
The Station Agent [film, dvd]
18/12
Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure [theatre, dvd]
19/12
The Fog Of War [film, dvd]
20/12
Basil [film, dvd]
21/12
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter And Spring [film, dvd]
22/12
Doctor Who: The Next Life [64] [audio play, cd]
The Last Chancers [1/2] [tv, broadcast]
23/12
Outfoxed [film, dvd]
24/12
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments
25/12
The Queen's Speech
Dear Father Christmas
The Day After Tomorrow [film, dvd]
The Simpson's Christmas Message
Before They Were Famous VIII
26/12
Japanese Story
The 100 Greatest TV Treats of 2004
27/12
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Extended Version) [film, dvd]
Husbands and Wives [film, dvd]
28/12
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking [tv, video]
30/12
The Ring [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: Kinda [19.3.1-4/4] [tv, video]
31/12
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies [tv, dvd]
House of the Flying Daggers [film, celluloid]
Honogurai mizu no soko kara [film, dvd]
[A fairly lean month as Christmas gripped and so did the extended version of Return of the King which isn't just a special edition but a whole other film. Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking was genuinely fun on tv and I can recommend anything else listed here really. Except for House of the Flying Daggers which is full of sound and beauty and fury but in the end signified nothing.]
Fountain at night
Photography
Fountain at night
Originally uploaded by Peter.
Someone has already beaten me to the spectacular photo of the Williamson Square fountain at night. This is a rare moment when a hundred children aren't running underneath it.
Fountain at night
Originally uploaded by Peter.
Someone has already beaten me to the spectacular photo of the Williamson Square fountain at night. This is a rare moment when a hundred children aren't running underneath it.
HB RLB
On his death in 1894, writer Robert Louis Stevenson bequeathed his birthday on November 13th to a little girl who had been born on Christmas Day.
Links for 2004-12-29 [del.icio.us]
Links for 2004-12-29 [del.icio.us]
Oslo police make arrest in Scream theft inquiry
I love the arrestee thinks the police played a dirty trick on him by waiting for a few weeks before they arrested him.... Dicing with Dragons: BBC Radio doc on Dungeons and Dragons Introduced by genre expert Kim Newman. Features odd moment when Dominic (Gamesmaster Diamiond called D&D plays geeks. Err ...A year in the life of an obituary writer
Suprisingly upbeat Confirmed: Spielberg THE TRANSFORMERS!?
Steven to direct 'Transformers' with Tom Hanks in the lead (Spike's Dad?) Wild speculation? Jerry Orbach of 'Law & Order' Dies at 69 Christmas: a teetotaller's survival guide
"Sarfraz Manzoor has never tasted alcohol in his life - and it's at this time of year that he feels it most acutely. So he was delighted to discover that he's far from the only one." The Long Tail
"Forget squeezing millions from a few megahits at the top of the charts. The future of entertainment is in the millions of niche markets at the shallow end of the bitstream." Author and activist Susan Sontag dies in N.Y. at 71 Sirens - a photoset on Flickr
I love the arrestee thinks the police played a dirty trick on him by waiting for a few weeks before they arrested him....
Suprisingly upbeat
Steven to direct 'Transformers' with Tom Hanks in the lead (Spike's Dad?) Wild speculation?
"Sarfraz Manzoor has never tasted alcohol in his life - and it's at this time of year that he feels it most acutely. So he was delighted to discover that he's far from the only one."
"Forget squeezing millions from a few megahits at the top of the charts. The future of entertainment is in the millions of niche markets at the shallow end of the bitstream."
Review 2004: What I Watched #5
September
01/09
Master & Commander: Dark Side of the Moon [film, dvd]
03/09
Donnie Darko: The Directors Cut [film, celluloid]
Dodgeball [film, celluloid]
04/09
Measure for Measure: Live From The Globe [theatre, broadcast]
06/09
Trilogy: One: Cavale
07/09
Days of Heaven [film, dvd]
NY-LON: Something about Chemicals [1.1/7] [tv, video]
NY-LON: Something about Baggage [1.2/7] [tv, video]
NY-LON: Something about Commitment [1.3/7] [tv, video]
08/09
Trilogy: Two: Un Couple Epatant [film, dvd]
09/09
Trilogy: Three: Apres La Vie [film, dvd]
10/09
Shaun of the Dead [film, dvd]
14/09
The Motorcycle Diaries [film, celluloid]
16/09
People Like Us: The Police Officer [1.3/6] [tv, video]
People Like Us: The Solicitor [1.4/6] [tv, video]
17/09
Sweet Smell of Success [film, dvd]
Irreversible [film, dvd]
NY-LON: Something about Honesty [1.4/7] [tv, video]
18/09
The Princess And The Warrior [film, dvd]
20/09
Building Empires: The Story of Star Wars [film documentary, dvd]
21/09
Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope [film, dvd]
22/09
Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back [film, dvd]
23/09
Star Wars: Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi [film, dvd]
24/09
Can't Hardly Wait [film, dvd]
25/09
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl [film, dvd]
26/09
Belle Epoque [film, dvd]
27/09
NY-LON: Something about Family [1.5/7] [tv, video]
29/09
Le Petit Soldat [film, dvd]
30/09
Boudo Saved From Drowning [film, dvd]
[The latest version of Star Wars. As home entertainment passes from video to dvd there were always going to be certain landmark releases. It certainly lived up to the hype and even if the extras package suggested yet another release even further down the line (deleted scenes - where are you?) it was worth the wait. Trilogy was really interesting (even if it felt like a more intensive version of the Kieslowski's Three Colours films but if I'm being honest I don't remember watching Le Petit Soldat -- no, no hang on. Now I do. At the cinema, I caught Donnie Darko for the first time in it's director's cut (interesting) and loved The Motorcycle Diaries. On TV NY-LON began its six week attempt to infuriate me. What was it about that programme that I loved and hated in equal measures?]
October
01/10
Doctor Who: Faith Stealer [61] [audio play, cd]
02/10
American Pie: The Wedding [film, dvd]
03/10
NY-LON: Something about Friends [1.6/7] [tv, video]
04/10
Clerks: The First Cut [film, dvd]
The Snowball Effect: The Story of Clerks [film documentary, dvd]
05/10
The Governess [film, dvd]
The Stone Tape [tv, dvd]
06/10
Super Size Me [film, celluloid]
Collateral [film, celluloid]
NY-LON: Something about Love [1.7/7] [tv, video]
08/10
Five Obstructions [film, dvd]
09/10
Seabiscuit [film, dvd]
Clerks [film, dvd]
10/10
Heartbreakers [film, dvd]
11/10
Holidays in the Danger Zone: America Was Here [1/2] [tv, video]
12/10
Holidays in the Danger Zone: America Was Here [2/2] [tv, video]
Freaky Friday [film, dvd]
13/10
Sunrise [film, dvd]
14/10
Goodbye Lenin [film, dvd]
15/10
Himalaya with Michael Palin [1/6] [tv, video]
Bride and Prejudice [film, celluloid]
16/10
Have I Got News For You [28.1/8] [tv, broadcast]
The Claim [film, dvd]
17/10
In This World [film, dvd]
Stepmom [film, dvd]
18/10
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [film, dvd]
20/10
Dangerous Minds [film, dvd]
21/10
Farscape: Premiere [1.1/22] [tv, dvd]
22/10
Murder One: One [1/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Two [2/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Three [3/23] [tv, dvd]
Have I Got News For You [28.2/8] [tv, broadcast]
Murder One: Four [4/23] [tv, dvd]
23/10
Murder One: Five [5/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Six [6/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Seven [7/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Eight [8/23] [tv, dvd]
Tanner 88: The Dark Horse [1/11] [tv, broadcast]
24/10
City of God [film, dvd]
25/10
Alien Vs Predator [film, celluloid]
26/10
Murder One: Nine [9/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Ten [10/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Eleven [11/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Twelve [12/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Thirteen [13/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Fourteen [14/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Fifteen [15/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Sixteen [16/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Seventeen [17/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Eighteen [18/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Nineteen [19/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Twenty [20/23] [tv, dvd]
Tanner 88: Child's Play [6/11] [tv, broadcast]
Tanner 88: The Great Escape [7/11] [tv, broadcast]
27/10
Tanner 88: The Girlfriend Factor [8/11] [tv, broadcast]
Tanner 88: Something Borrowed, Something New [9/11] [tv, broadcast]
28/10
City Slickers [film, dvd]
Tanner 88: The Boiler Room [10/11] [tv, broadcast]
Tanner 88: The Reality Check [11/11] [tv, broadcast]
29/10
Amelie [film, dvd]
Have I Got News For You [28.3/8] [tv, broadcast]
30/10
Jewel - Live At Humphrey's By The Bay [music, dvd]
The Polyphonic Spree [music, live concert]
31/10
Tanner on Tanner [tv, vhs]
Un Coeur En Hiver [film, dvd]
[The 26th of the month is a perfect example of what can happen if you have free day and a dvd boxset (via screenselect) of a compelling series. Then I got to the end and realised I would have to wait for another disc to be sent. Filmwise I think the month is a perfect example of how sometimes you need to see the dreck to really enjoy the fried gold. Sat through Heartbreakers wanting to get one plane to ask Jason Lee what the hell he was thinking and through Bride and Prejudice want to run away as fast as I could. But in the same month I saw gems like Amelie, The Claim, Un Coeur En Hiver and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (yeah for dvd). Also at the cinema there is Super Size Me and Collateral (or Die Hard in a Taxi) as a double bill. Spritually similar?]
01/09
Master & Commander: Dark Side of the Moon [film, dvd]
03/09
Donnie Darko: The Directors Cut [film, celluloid]
Dodgeball [film, celluloid]
04/09
Measure for Measure: Live From The Globe [theatre, broadcast]
06/09
Trilogy: One: Cavale
07/09
Days of Heaven [film, dvd]
NY-LON: Something about Chemicals [1.1/7] [tv, video]
NY-LON: Something about Baggage [1.2/7] [tv, video]
NY-LON: Something about Commitment [1.3/7] [tv, video]
08/09
Trilogy: Two: Un Couple Epatant [film, dvd]
09/09
Trilogy: Three: Apres La Vie [film, dvd]
10/09
Shaun of the Dead [film, dvd]
14/09
The Motorcycle Diaries [film, celluloid]
16/09
People Like Us: The Police Officer [1.3/6] [tv, video]
People Like Us: The Solicitor [1.4/6] [tv, video]
17/09
Sweet Smell of Success [film, dvd]
Irreversible [film, dvd]
NY-LON: Something about Honesty [1.4/7] [tv, video]
18/09
The Princess And The Warrior [film, dvd]
20/09
Building Empires: The Story of Star Wars [film documentary, dvd]
21/09
Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope [film, dvd]
22/09
Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back [film, dvd]
23/09
Star Wars: Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi [film, dvd]
24/09
Can't Hardly Wait [film, dvd]
25/09
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl [film, dvd]
26/09
Belle Epoque [film, dvd]
27/09
NY-LON: Something about Family [1.5/7] [tv, video]
29/09
Le Petit Soldat [film, dvd]
30/09
Boudo Saved From Drowning [film, dvd]
[The latest version of Star Wars. As home entertainment passes from video to dvd there were always going to be certain landmark releases. It certainly lived up to the hype and even if the extras package suggested yet another release even further down the line (deleted scenes - where are you?) it was worth the wait. Trilogy was really interesting (even if it felt like a more intensive version of the Kieslowski's Three Colours films but if I'm being honest I don't remember watching Le Petit Soldat -- no, no hang on. Now I do. At the cinema, I caught Donnie Darko for the first time in it's director's cut (interesting) and loved The Motorcycle Diaries. On TV NY-LON began its six week attempt to infuriate me. What was it about that programme that I loved and hated in equal measures?]
October
01/10
Doctor Who: Faith Stealer [61] [audio play, cd]
02/10
American Pie: The Wedding [film, dvd]
03/10
NY-LON: Something about Friends [1.6/7] [tv, video]
04/10
Clerks: The First Cut [film, dvd]
The Snowball Effect: The Story of Clerks [film documentary, dvd]
05/10
The Governess [film, dvd]
The Stone Tape [tv, dvd]
06/10
Super Size Me [film, celluloid]
Collateral [film, celluloid]
NY-LON: Something about Love [1.7/7] [tv, video]
08/10
Five Obstructions [film, dvd]
09/10
Seabiscuit [film, dvd]
Clerks [film, dvd]
10/10
Heartbreakers [film, dvd]
11/10
Holidays in the Danger Zone: America Was Here [1/2] [tv, video]
12/10
Holidays in the Danger Zone: America Was Here [2/2] [tv, video]
Freaky Friday [film, dvd]
13/10
Sunrise [film, dvd]
14/10
Goodbye Lenin [film, dvd]
15/10
Himalaya with Michael Palin [1/6] [tv, video]
Bride and Prejudice [film, celluloid]
16/10
Have I Got News For You [28.1/8] [tv, broadcast]
The Claim [film, dvd]
17/10
In This World [film, dvd]
Stepmom [film, dvd]
18/10
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [film, dvd]
20/10
Dangerous Minds [film, dvd]
21/10
Farscape: Premiere [1.1/22] [tv, dvd]
22/10
Murder One: One [1/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Two [2/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Three [3/23] [tv, dvd]
Have I Got News For You [28.2/8] [tv, broadcast]
Murder One: Four [4/23] [tv, dvd]
23/10
Murder One: Five [5/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Six [6/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Seven [7/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Eight [8/23] [tv, dvd]
Tanner 88: The Dark Horse [1/11] [tv, broadcast]
24/10
City of God [film, dvd]
25/10
Alien Vs Predator [film, celluloid]
26/10
Murder One: Nine [9/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Ten [10/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Eleven [11/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Twelve [12/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Thirteen [13/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Fourteen [14/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Fifteen [15/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Sixteen [16/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Seventeen [17/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Eighteen [18/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Nineteen [19/23] [tv, dvd]
Murder One: Twenty [20/23] [tv, dvd]
Tanner 88: Child's Play [6/11] [tv, broadcast]
Tanner 88: The Great Escape [7/11] [tv, broadcast]
27/10
Tanner 88: The Girlfriend Factor [8/11] [tv, broadcast]
Tanner 88: Something Borrowed, Something New [9/11] [tv, broadcast]
28/10
City Slickers [film, dvd]
Tanner 88: The Boiler Room [10/11] [tv, broadcast]
Tanner 88: The Reality Check [11/11] [tv, broadcast]
29/10
Amelie [film, dvd]
Have I Got News For You [28.3/8] [tv, broadcast]
30/10
Jewel - Live At Humphrey's By The Bay [music, dvd]
The Polyphonic Spree [music, live concert]
31/10
Tanner on Tanner [tv, vhs]
Un Coeur En Hiver [film, dvd]
[The 26th of the month is a perfect example of what can happen if you have free day and a dvd boxset (via screenselect) of a compelling series. Then I got to the end and realised I would have to wait for another disc to be sent. Filmwise I think the month is a perfect example of how sometimes you need to see the dreck to really enjoy the fried gold. Sat through Heartbreakers wanting to get one plane to ask Jason Lee what the hell he was thinking and through Bride and Prejudice want to run away as fast as I could. But in the same month I saw gems like Amelie, The Claim, Un Coeur En Hiver and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (yeah for dvd). Also at the cinema there is Super Size Me and Collateral (or Die Hard in a Taxi) as a double bill. Spritually similar?]
Doing something
Tsunami I've just given to the Red Cross. It's not much but at least I feel like I'm doing something. According to BBC News another 5 million people could be at risk from disease, starvation and poor sanitation.
Review 2004: What I Watched #4
July
01/07
View From The Top [film, dvd]
The Mod Squad [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
02/07
Casablanca [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
03/07
Kundun [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: K-9 & Company [tv, video]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
Lost In Translation [film, dvd]
04/07
Doctor Who: Embrace The Darkness [31] [audio play, cd]
05/07
Art In The Sixties [1/3] [tv, dvd]
No. 17 Is Anonymous [film, video]
06/07
The Professionals [film, dvd]
07/07
Rosemary's Baby [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: The Leisure Hive [18.1.1-4] [tv, dvd]
08/07
Mississippi Mermaid [film, dvd]
09/07
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
10/07
Avril Lavigne: My World [concert, dvd]
Mitch Benn And The Distractions [concert, boat]
11/07
Firefly: Serenity Part One [1/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Serenity Part Two [2/15] [tv, dvd]
12/07
The Adventures of Robin Hood [film, dvd]
13/07
Firefly: The Train Job [3/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Bushwacked [4/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Shindig [5/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Safe [6/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Our Mrs. Reynolds [7/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Jaynestown [8/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Out of Gas [9/15] [tv, dvd]
14/07
Firefly: Ariel [10/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: War Stories [11/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Trash [12/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: The Message [13/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Heart of Gold [14/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Objects In Space [15/15] [tv, dvd]
15/07
Sum of All Fears [film, dvd]
16/07
The Man Who Loved Women [film, dvd]
Spiderman 2 [film, celluloid]
17/07
Henry IV [play, theatre]
18/07
Inventing The Abbots [film, dvd]
19/07
Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars [13.3.1-4] [tv, dvd]
20/07
The Story of the Weeping Camel [film, celluloid]
Partie De Campagne [film, dvd]
21/07
Cookie's Fortune [film, dvd]
22/07
Curse of the Jade Scorpion [film, dvd]
23/07
Before Sunset [film, celluloid]
24/07
La Peau Douce [film, dvd]
25/07
Doctor Who: Time Of The Daleks [32] [audio drama, cd]
Antz [film, dvd]
26/07
Doctor Who: Earthshock [19.6] [tv, dvd]
27/07
The Graduate [film, dvd]
28/07
Charade [film, dvd]
29/07
Intolerance [film, dvd]
31/07
The Story of Adele H [film, dvd]
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari [film, dvd]
[I was ill for a week or so in here which is why I watched the perfect chicken soup for the soul, Firefly again over two days. I didn't appear to watch any new television other than the odd episode of Big Brother V (which is probably right actually -- other than some news programmes which as will be explained in the appendix). It was during this month I really started to hit the Francois Truffaut filmograophy on dvd -- I ploughed through them and only really La Peau Douce stuck. Things like The Man Who Loved Women sounds good but only really succeeds in demonstrating how most men are animals. Lost In Translation is on dvd already I see. But this was really the month of Before Sunset which as you know I travelled to a whole other city to see. I hope when that appears on shiny disc it doesn't disappoint the idea I have of it being a great film. Sometimes second passes can be unkind.]
August
01/08
Doctor Who: Neverland [38] [audio play, cd]
Doctor Who: Zagreus [50] [audio play, cd]
Nathalie . . . [film, celluloid]
03/08
The Icicle Thief [film, video]
04/08
Doctor Who: The Visitation [19.4] [tv, dvd]
05/08
In Cold Blood [film, dvd]
The French Connection [film, dvd]
06/08
The Big Brother V Finale [tv, broadcast]
07/08
Fahrenheit 451 [film, dvd]
08/08
I, Robot [film, celluloid]
10/08
Doctor Who: The Three Doctors [10.1] [tv, dvd]
11/08
Midnight Cowboy [film, dvd]
The Anniversary Party [film, dvd]
12/08
The Wild Child [film, dvd]
13/08
The Olympics 2004: Opening Ceremony [sport, tv]
14/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 1 [muli-media, sport]
Hush [film, dvd]
15/08
Dr T and the Women [film, dvd]
The Olympics 2004: Day 2 [muli-media, sport]
16/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 3 [muli-media, sport]
17/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 4 [muli-media, sport]
18/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 5 [muli-media, sport]
19/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 6 [muli-media, sport]
20/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 7 [muli-media, sport]
21/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 8 [muli-media, sport]
22/08
The Last Metro [film, dvd]
One Night At McCools [film, dvd]
The Olympics 2004: Day 9 [muli-media, sport]
23/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 10 [muli-media, sport]
24/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 11 [muli-media, sport]
25/08
Sylvia [film, dvd]
The Olympics 2004: Day 12 [muli-media, sport]
26/08
Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Red, White And Blues [tv, dvd]
The Olympics 2004: Day 13 [muli-media, sport]
27/08
Phone Booth [film, dvd]
The Olympics 2004: Day 14 [muli-media, sport]
28/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 15 [muli-media, sport]
29/08
Rebecca [film, dvd]
The Olympics 2004: Day 16 [muli-media, sport]
[The Olympics. I've talked before about how it tends to take over my time and here is the proof. For two weeks I watched more television than I'd seen all year, trying to fit the rental dvds between the cracks. Finally two Traffaut films I could fall in love with, Fahrenheit 451 and . The Last Metro. Quite illuminating seeing Gérard Depardieu's performances in that and Nathalie ... -- he's busy because he's consistent. Who thought Joel Schumacher was still capable of something like Phone Booth? And really I Robot is a much better film than you'd expect.]
01/07
View From The Top [film, dvd]
The Mod Squad [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
02/07
Casablanca [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
03/07
Kundun [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: K-9 & Company [tv, video]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
Lost In Translation [film, dvd]
04/07
Doctor Who: Embrace The Darkness [31] [audio play, cd]
05/07
Art In The Sixties [1/3] [tv, dvd]
No. 17 Is Anonymous [film, video]
06/07
The Professionals [film, dvd]
07/07
Rosemary's Baby [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: The Leisure Hive [18.1.1-4] [tv, dvd]
08/07
Mississippi Mermaid [film, dvd]
09/07
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
10/07
Avril Lavigne: My World [concert, dvd]
Mitch Benn And The Distractions [concert, boat]
11/07
Firefly: Serenity Part One [1/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Serenity Part Two [2/15] [tv, dvd]
12/07
The Adventures of Robin Hood [film, dvd]
13/07
Firefly: The Train Job [3/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Bushwacked [4/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Shindig [5/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Safe [6/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Our Mrs. Reynolds [7/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Jaynestown [8/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Out of Gas [9/15] [tv, dvd]
14/07
Firefly: Ariel [10/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: War Stories [11/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Trash [12/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: The Message [13/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Heart of Gold [14/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Objects In Space [15/15] [tv, dvd]
15/07
Sum of All Fears [film, dvd]
16/07
The Man Who Loved Women [film, dvd]
Spiderman 2 [film, celluloid]
17/07
Henry IV [play, theatre]
18/07
Inventing The Abbots [film, dvd]
19/07
Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars [13.3.1-4] [tv, dvd]
20/07
The Story of the Weeping Camel [film, celluloid]
Partie De Campagne [film, dvd]
21/07
Cookie's Fortune [film, dvd]
22/07
Curse of the Jade Scorpion [film, dvd]
23/07
Before Sunset [film, celluloid]
24/07
La Peau Douce [film, dvd]
25/07
Doctor Who: Time Of The Daleks [32] [audio drama, cd]
Antz [film, dvd]
26/07
Doctor Who: Earthshock [19.6] [tv, dvd]
27/07
The Graduate [film, dvd]
28/07
Charade [film, dvd]
29/07
Intolerance [film, dvd]
31/07
The Story of Adele H [film, dvd]
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari [film, dvd]
[I was ill for a week or so in here which is why I watched the perfect chicken soup for the soul, Firefly again over two days. I didn't appear to watch any new television other than the odd episode of Big Brother V (which is probably right actually -- other than some news programmes which as will be explained in the appendix). It was during this month I really started to hit the Francois Truffaut filmograophy on dvd -- I ploughed through them and only really La Peau Douce stuck. Things like The Man Who Loved Women sounds good but only really succeeds in demonstrating how most men are animals. Lost In Translation is on dvd already I see. But this was really the month of Before Sunset which as you know I travelled to a whole other city to see. I hope when that appears on shiny disc it doesn't disappoint the idea I have of it being a great film. Sometimes second passes can be unkind.]
August
01/08
Doctor Who: Neverland [38] [audio play, cd]
Doctor Who: Zagreus [50] [audio play, cd]
Nathalie . . . [film, celluloid]
03/08
The Icicle Thief [film, video]
04/08
Doctor Who: The Visitation [19.4] [tv, dvd]
05/08
In Cold Blood [film, dvd]
The French Connection [film, dvd]
06/08
The Big Brother V Finale [tv, broadcast]
07/08
Fahrenheit 451 [film, dvd]
08/08
I, Robot [film, celluloid]
10/08
Doctor Who: The Three Doctors [10.1] [tv, dvd]
11/08
Midnight Cowboy [film, dvd]
The Anniversary Party [film, dvd]
12/08
The Wild Child [film, dvd]
13/08
The Olympics 2004: Opening Ceremony [sport, tv]
14/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 1 [muli-media, sport]
Hush [film, dvd]
15/08
Dr T and the Women [film, dvd]
The Olympics 2004: Day 2 [muli-media, sport]
16/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 3 [muli-media, sport]
17/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 4 [muli-media, sport]
18/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 5 [muli-media, sport]
19/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 6 [muli-media, sport]
20/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 7 [muli-media, sport]
21/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 8 [muli-media, sport]
22/08
The Last Metro [film, dvd]
One Night At McCools [film, dvd]
The Olympics 2004: Day 9 [muli-media, sport]
23/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 10 [muli-media, sport]
24/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 11 [muli-media, sport]
25/08
Sylvia [film, dvd]
The Olympics 2004: Day 12 [muli-media, sport]
26/08
Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Red, White And Blues [tv, dvd]
The Olympics 2004: Day 13 [muli-media, sport]
27/08
Phone Booth [film, dvd]
The Olympics 2004: Day 14 [muli-media, sport]
28/08
The Olympics 2004: Day 15 [muli-media, sport]
29/08
Rebecca [film, dvd]
The Olympics 2004: Day 16 [muli-media, sport]
[The Olympics. I've talked before about how it tends to take over my time and here is the proof. For two weeks I watched more television than I'd seen all year, trying to fit the rental dvds between the cracks. Finally two Traffaut films I could fall in love with, Fahrenheit 451 and . The Last Metro. Quite illuminating seeing Gérard Depardieu's performances in that and Nathalie ... -- he's busy because he's consistent. Who thought Joel Schumacher was still capable of something like Phone Booth? And really I Robot is a much better film than you'd expect.]
Review 2004: What I Watched #3
May
01/05
Friends: The One Where Joey Speaks French [10.13/18] [tv, broadcast]
Alias: Doppleganger [1.5/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Reckoning [1.6/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Color Blind [1.7/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Time Will Tell [1.8/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Mea Culpa [1.9/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Spirit [1.10/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Confession [1.11/22] [tv, dvd]
The Little Shop of Horrors [musical, stage]
02/05
Dawson's Creek: Love Bites [6.18/24] [tv, video]
Alias: The Box (Part 1) [1.12/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Box (Part 2) [1.13/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Coup [1.14/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Page 47 [1.15/22] [tv, dvd]
Gallifrey: The Inquiry [1.3/4] [audio drama, cd]
03/05
Doctor Who: The TV Movie [tv, dvd]
Downtime [video drama, video]
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball [film, dvd]
Shakespeare In Love [film, dvd]
04/05
The Stringer [film, video]
Oliver Twist [film, broadcast]
05/05
Independence Day [film, video]
Making the Video: Shakira Obsession (Tango) [documentary, dvd]
The Making of Zagreus [audio documentary, cd]
06/05
Alias: The Prophecy [1.16/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Q&A [1.17/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Masquerade [1.18/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Snowman [1.19/22] [tv, dvd]
e.r.: The Student [10.17/22] [tv, video]
07/05
Alias: The Solution [1.20/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Rendezvous [1.21/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Almost 30 Years [1.22/22] [tv, dvd]
08/05
Everyone Says I Love You [film, dvd]
Friends: The One With Princess Consuela [10.14/18] [tv, broadcast]
09/05
Dawson's Creek: Love Lines [6.19/24] [tv, video]
Have I Got News For You [27.4/8] [tv, broadcast]
People Like Us: The Managing Director [1.1/6] [tv, video]
People Like Us: The Estate Agent [1.2/6] [tv, video]
10/05
Possession [tv, video]
Angel: Tomorrow [3.22/22] [tv, video]
11/05
Angel: Deep Down [4.1/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Ground State [4.2/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: The House Always Wins [4.3/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Slouching Towards Bethlehem [4.4/22] [tv, dvd]
12/05
The Conversation [film, dvd]
13/05
e.r.: Where There's Smoke [10.18/22] [tv, video]
14/05
Doctor Who: Shada [audio play, cd]
Norah Jones: Live In New Orleans [music, dvd]
The First Time It Hits [short film, dvd]
Hard Labour [short film, dvd]
Job Street [short film, dvd]
Stripes [short film, dvd]
Lou-Lou Lives Here [short film, dvd]
Unreal City [short film, dvd]
Leila [short film, dvd]
Ice Cream Dream [short film, dvd]
Friends: The One Where Estelle Dies [10.15/18] [tv, broadcast]
Have I Got News For You [27.5/8] [tv, broadcast]
15/05
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 [music(?), broadcast]
Eurovision ... a little bit more [tv, broadcast]
16/05
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not [film, dvd]
17/05
Dawson's Creek: Catch-22 [6.20/24] [tv, video]
Broadcast News [film, dvd]
18/05
Van Helsing [film, celluloid]
La Jetee [short film, dvd]
19/05
Full Frontal [film, dvd]
20/05
e.r.: Just A Touch [10.19/22] [tv, video]
Magnum Force [film, dvd]
21/05
Friends: The One With Rachel's Going Away Party [10.16/18] [tv, broadcast]
Have I Got News For You [27.6/8] [tv, broadcast]
22/05
Interiors [film, dvd]
The Big Question: The Worldwide Web [radio documentary, broadcast]
Two Weeks Notice [film, dvd]
Shadows and Fog [film, dvd]
23/05
Doctor Who: Strangers in Space [1.7.1/6] [tv, video]
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But were afraid to ask [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: The Unwilling Warriors [1.7.2/6] [tv, video]
Dawson's Creek: Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road [6.21/24] [tv, video]
Sleeper [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: Hidden Danger [1.7.3/6] [tv, video]
24/05
Doctor Who: A Race Against Death [1.7.4/6] [tv, video]
One Fine Day [film, dvd]]
25/05
Doctor Who: Kidnap [1.7.5/6] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: A Desperate Venture [1.7.6/6] [tv, video]
The Others [film, video]
Doctor Who: The Watcher [2.9.1/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: The Meddling Monk [2.9.2/4] [tv, video]
26/05
Doctor Who: A Battle of Wits [2.9.3/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: Checkmate [2.9.4/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: A Holiday for the Doctor [3.8.1/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: Don't Shoot the Pianist [3.8.2/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: Johnny Ringo [3.8.3/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: The O K Corral [3.8.4/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: Storm Warning [16] [audio drama, cd]
27/05
Star Trek: The Original Series: Arena [1.19/29] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Supersymmetry [4.5/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Spin the Bottle [4.6/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Apocalypse, Nowish [4.7/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Habeas Corpses [4.8/22] [tv, dvd]
Star Trek: The Original Series: City On The Edge Of Forever [1.28/29] [tv, dvd]
The Peacemaker [film, video]
28/05
e.r.: Abby Normal[10.20/22] [tv, video]
e.r.: Midnight [10.21/22] [tv, video]
Catch-22 [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: Sword of Orion [17] [audio drama, cd]
Friends: The Last One, Part 1 [10.17/18] [tv, broadcast]
Friends: The Last One, Part 2 [10.18/18] [tv, broadcast]
Big Brother 5: Opening Programme [tv, broadcast]
29/05
Angel: Long Day's Journey [4.9/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Awakening [4.10/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Soulless [4.11/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Calvary [4.12/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Salvage [4.13/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Release [4.14/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Orpheus [4.15/22] [tv, dvd]
30/05
Have I Got News For You [27.7/8] [tv, broadcast]
Dawson's Creek: Joey Potter and the Capeside Redemption [6.22/24] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: Stones of Venice [18] [audio drama, cd]
31/05
Love And Death [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: Minuet In Hell [19] [audio drama, cd]
Love & Sex [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: Living Legend [audio drama, cd]
By Dawn's Early Light [film, video]
Fallen Angels: Red Wind [tv, dvd]
[Alias, Angel and Doctor Who. It hadn't occured to me how obsessive I can be at times. The first two were courtesy of screenselect, but there really isn't any excuse for this much of the timelord. Shocking, especially when you consider all the good television that was no doubt being broadcast at the time (not that I'd know that for certain because I wasn't watching obviously). The only film I saw at the cinema for that whole entire month was Van Helsing which proves that my mind was on other things. Of the movies I saw on the small screen, I was one of the few people to like Neil LeBute's Possession and was strangely drawn to The Conversation and Catch 22 both studies of the introverted male. Funny.]
June
01/06
Gallifrey: A Blind Eye [1.4/4] [audio drama, cd]
Another Woman [film, dvd]
02/06
e.r.: Drive [10.22/22] [tv, video]
Nightwatch [film, dvd]
03/06
Hulk [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
04/06
Have I Got News For You [27.8/8] [tv, broadcast]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
05/06
A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies [tv, dvd]
1967 News Bulletin [tv, broadcast]
06/06
Blue Crush [film, dvd]
08/06
Dawson's Creek: All Good Things ... [6.23/24] [tv, video]
Dawson's Creek: ... Must Come To An End [6.24/24] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: Invaders from Mars [28] [audio drama, cd]
September [film, dvd]
09/06
Angel: Players [4.16/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Inside Out [4.17/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Shiny, Happy People [4.18/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: The Magic Bullet [4.19/22] [tv, dvd]
10/06
Max [film, dvd]
12/06
The Work of Director Spike Jonze [music, dvd]
Following [film, dvd]
Heaven and Earth [concert, music]
13/06
Defence of the Realm [film, dvd]
14/06
Doctor Who: Chimes At Midnight [29] [audio drama, cd]
Kind Hearts and Coronets [film, video]
15/06
Punch Drunk Love [film, dvd]
16/06
Doctor Who: The Green Death [10.5.1-6] [tv, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
12/06
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
Angel: Sacrifice [4.20/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Peace Out [4.21/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Home [4.22/22] [tv, dvd]
12/06
Daemos Rising [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
19/06
Confidence [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
20/06
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
21/06
Jersey Girl [film, celluloid]
Euro 2004: England V Croatia [4-2] [sport, radio broadcast]
Doctor Who: Seasons of Fear [30]
22/06
The Importance of Being Ernest [film, broadcast]
An Evening With Kevin Smith [lecture, dvd]
Unfaithful [film, broadcast]
All New TV's Naughtiest Blunders 19 [tv, broadcast]
Have I Got News For You [23.1/8] [tv, broadcast]
23/06
Malena [film, dvd]
Game Over: Kasperov and the Machine [film, dvd]
Klute [film, video]
Antonia's Line [film, broadcast]
24/06
Clerks [film, video]
11/09/01 - September 11 [film, dvd]
Shakira Unplugged [music concert, dvd]
Euro 2004: England V Portugal [2-2, (7-6)] [sport, radio broadcast]
25/06
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
26/06
Party 2000 [film, dvd]
8 Women [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: Web of Fear [5.5.1] [tv, broadcast]
Time Shift: Fantasy Sixties [tv, broadcast]
27/06
Adam Adamant Lives!: The League Of Uncharitable Ladies [1.13/16] [tv, video]
Tori Amos Live 1997 [concert, video]
The Kneale Tapes [tv, video]
Here's A Piano I Prepared Earlier: Experimental Music In The 1960s [tv, video]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
28/06
Wimbledon 2004: Tim Henman v Philippoussis
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
29/06
Shanghai Knights [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
30/06
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
[That's better. I still think Kevin Smith's Jersey Girl is underated, but that the dvd is worth buying for the audio commentaries alome says something I suppose. There was a week's holiday in there which is why some days are really busy -- you can always tell when I had time off during the diary because the amount of things watched grows. I can pretty much recommend anything else on the list filmwise, although Unfaithful ends ludicrously and 11/09/01 - September 11 suffers some rough patches. The summer of sport began and as you can see I watched some football -- well a match. I also suffered Tim Henman v Philippoussis at Wimbledon 2004. I hadn't really thought I'd seen so much of Big Brother 5. I think it was about now I stopped watching.]
01/05
Friends: The One Where Joey Speaks French [10.13/18] [tv, broadcast]
Alias: Doppleganger [1.5/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Reckoning [1.6/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Color Blind [1.7/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Time Will Tell [1.8/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Mea Culpa [1.9/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Spirit [1.10/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Confession [1.11/22] [tv, dvd]
The Little Shop of Horrors [musical, stage]
02/05
Dawson's Creek: Love Bites [6.18/24] [tv, video]
Alias: The Box (Part 1) [1.12/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Box (Part 2) [1.13/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: The Coup [1.14/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Page 47 [1.15/22] [tv, dvd]
Gallifrey: The Inquiry [1.3/4] [audio drama, cd]
03/05
Doctor Who: The TV Movie [tv, dvd]
Downtime [video drama, video]
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball [film, dvd]
Shakespeare In Love [film, dvd]
04/05
The Stringer [film, video]
Oliver Twist [film, broadcast]
05/05
Independence Day [film, video]
Making the Video: Shakira Obsession (Tango) [documentary, dvd]
The Making of Zagreus [audio documentary, cd]
06/05
Alias: The Prophecy [1.16/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Q&A [1.17/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Masquerade [1.18/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Snowman [1.19/22] [tv, dvd]
e.r.: The Student [10.17/22] [tv, video]
07/05
Alias: The Solution [1.20/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Rendezvous [1.21/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Almost 30 Years [1.22/22] [tv, dvd]
08/05
Everyone Says I Love You [film, dvd]
Friends: The One With Princess Consuela [10.14/18] [tv, broadcast]
09/05
Dawson's Creek: Love Lines [6.19/24] [tv, video]
Have I Got News For You [27.4/8] [tv, broadcast]
People Like Us: The Managing Director [1.1/6] [tv, video]
People Like Us: The Estate Agent [1.2/6] [tv, video]
10/05
Possession [tv, video]
Angel: Tomorrow [3.22/22] [tv, video]
11/05
Angel: Deep Down [4.1/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Ground State [4.2/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: The House Always Wins [4.3/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Slouching Towards Bethlehem [4.4/22] [tv, dvd]
12/05
The Conversation [film, dvd]
13/05
e.r.: Where There's Smoke [10.18/22] [tv, video]
14/05
Doctor Who: Shada [audio play, cd]
Norah Jones: Live In New Orleans [music, dvd]
The First Time It Hits [short film, dvd]
Hard Labour [short film, dvd]
Job Street [short film, dvd]
Stripes [short film, dvd]
Lou-Lou Lives Here [short film, dvd]
Unreal City [short film, dvd]
Leila [short film, dvd]
Ice Cream Dream [short film, dvd]
Friends: The One Where Estelle Dies [10.15/18] [tv, broadcast]
Have I Got News For You [27.5/8] [tv, broadcast]
15/05
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 [music(?), broadcast]
Eurovision ... a little bit more [tv, broadcast]
16/05
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not [film, dvd]
17/05
Dawson's Creek: Catch-22 [6.20/24] [tv, video]
Broadcast News [film, dvd]
18/05
Van Helsing [film, celluloid]
La Jetee [short film, dvd]
19/05
Full Frontal [film, dvd]
20/05
e.r.: Just A Touch [10.19/22] [tv, video]
Magnum Force [film, dvd]
21/05
Friends: The One With Rachel's Going Away Party [10.16/18] [tv, broadcast]
Have I Got News For You [27.6/8] [tv, broadcast]
22/05
Interiors [film, dvd]
The Big Question: The Worldwide Web [radio documentary, broadcast]
Two Weeks Notice [film, dvd]
Shadows and Fog [film, dvd]
23/05
Doctor Who: Strangers in Space [1.7.1/6] [tv, video]
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But were afraid to ask [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: The Unwilling Warriors [1.7.2/6] [tv, video]
Dawson's Creek: Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road [6.21/24] [tv, video]
Sleeper [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: Hidden Danger [1.7.3/6] [tv, video]
24/05
Doctor Who: A Race Against Death [1.7.4/6] [tv, video]
One Fine Day [film, dvd]]
25/05
Doctor Who: Kidnap [1.7.5/6] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: A Desperate Venture [1.7.6/6] [tv, video]
The Others [film, video]
Doctor Who: The Watcher [2.9.1/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: The Meddling Monk [2.9.2/4] [tv, video]
26/05
Doctor Who: A Battle of Wits [2.9.3/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: Checkmate [2.9.4/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: A Holiday for the Doctor [3.8.1/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: Don't Shoot the Pianist [3.8.2/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: Johnny Ringo [3.8.3/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: The O K Corral [3.8.4/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: Storm Warning [16] [audio drama, cd]
27/05
Star Trek: The Original Series: Arena [1.19/29] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Supersymmetry [4.5/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Spin the Bottle [4.6/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Apocalypse, Nowish [4.7/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Habeas Corpses [4.8/22] [tv, dvd]
Star Trek: The Original Series: City On The Edge Of Forever [1.28/29] [tv, dvd]
The Peacemaker [film, video]
28/05
e.r.: Abby Normal[10.20/22] [tv, video]
e.r.: Midnight [10.21/22] [tv, video]
Catch-22 [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: Sword of Orion [17] [audio drama, cd]
Friends: The Last One, Part 1 [10.17/18] [tv, broadcast]
Friends: The Last One, Part 2 [10.18/18] [tv, broadcast]
Big Brother 5: Opening Programme [tv, broadcast]
29/05
Angel: Long Day's Journey [4.9/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Awakening [4.10/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Soulless [4.11/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Calvary [4.12/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Salvage [4.13/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Release [4.14/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Orpheus [4.15/22] [tv, dvd]
30/05
Have I Got News For You [27.7/8] [tv, broadcast]
Dawson's Creek: Joey Potter and the Capeside Redemption [6.22/24] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: Stones of Venice [18] [audio drama, cd]
31/05
Love And Death [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: Minuet In Hell [19] [audio drama, cd]
Love & Sex [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: Living Legend [audio drama, cd]
By Dawn's Early Light [film, video]
Fallen Angels: Red Wind [tv, dvd]
[Alias, Angel and Doctor Who. It hadn't occured to me how obsessive I can be at times. The first two were courtesy of screenselect, but there really isn't any excuse for this much of the timelord. Shocking, especially when you consider all the good television that was no doubt being broadcast at the time (not that I'd know that for certain because I wasn't watching obviously). The only film I saw at the cinema for that whole entire month was Van Helsing which proves that my mind was on other things. Of the movies I saw on the small screen, I was one of the few people to like Neil LeBute's Possession and was strangely drawn to The Conversation and Catch 22 both studies of the introverted male. Funny.]
June
01/06
Gallifrey: A Blind Eye [1.4/4] [audio drama, cd]
Another Woman [film, dvd]
02/06
e.r.: Drive [10.22/22] [tv, video]
Nightwatch [film, dvd]
03/06
Hulk [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
04/06
Have I Got News For You [27.8/8] [tv, broadcast]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
05/06
A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies [tv, dvd]
1967 News Bulletin [tv, broadcast]
06/06
Blue Crush [film, dvd]
08/06
Dawson's Creek: All Good Things ... [6.23/24] [tv, video]
Dawson's Creek: ... Must Come To An End [6.24/24] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: Invaders from Mars [28] [audio drama, cd]
September [film, dvd]
09/06
Angel: Players [4.16/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Inside Out [4.17/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Shiny, Happy People [4.18/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: The Magic Bullet [4.19/22] [tv, dvd]
10/06
Max [film, dvd]
12/06
The Work of Director Spike Jonze [music, dvd]
Following [film, dvd]
Heaven and Earth [concert, music]
13/06
Defence of the Realm [film, dvd]
14/06
Doctor Who: Chimes At Midnight [29] [audio drama, cd]
Kind Hearts and Coronets [film, video]
15/06
Punch Drunk Love [film, dvd]
16/06
Doctor Who: The Green Death [10.5.1-6] [tv, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
12/06
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
Angel: Sacrifice [4.20/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Peace Out [4.21/22] [tv, dvd]
Angel: Home [4.22/22] [tv, dvd]
12/06
Daemos Rising [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
19/06
Confidence [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
20/06
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
21/06
Jersey Girl [film, celluloid]
Euro 2004: England V Croatia [4-2] [sport, radio broadcast]
Doctor Who: Seasons of Fear [30]
22/06
The Importance of Being Ernest [film, broadcast]
An Evening With Kevin Smith [lecture, dvd]
Unfaithful [film, broadcast]
All New TV's Naughtiest Blunders 19 [tv, broadcast]
Have I Got News For You [23.1/8] [tv, broadcast]
23/06
Malena [film, dvd]
Game Over: Kasperov and the Machine [film, dvd]
Klute [film, video]
Antonia's Line [film, broadcast]
24/06
Clerks [film, video]
11/09/01 - September 11 [film, dvd]
Shakira Unplugged [music concert, dvd]
Euro 2004: England V Portugal [2-2, (7-6)] [sport, radio broadcast]
25/06
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
26/06
Party 2000 [film, dvd]
8 Women [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: Web of Fear [5.5.1] [tv, broadcast]
Time Shift: Fantasy Sixties [tv, broadcast]
27/06
Adam Adamant Lives!: The League Of Uncharitable Ladies [1.13/16] [tv, video]
Tori Amos Live 1997 [concert, video]
The Kneale Tapes [tv, video]
Here's A Piano I Prepared Earlier: Experimental Music In The 1960s [tv, video]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
28/06
Wimbledon 2004: Tim Henman v Philippoussis
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
29/06
Shanghai Knights [film, dvd]
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
30/06
Big Brother 5 [tv, broadcast]
[That's better. I still think Kevin Smith's Jersey Girl is underated, but that the dvd is worth buying for the audio commentaries alome says something I suppose. There was a week's holiday in there which is why some days are really busy -- you can always tell when I had time off during the diary because the amount of things watched grows. I can pretty much recommend anything else on the list filmwise, although Unfaithful ends ludicrously and 11/09/01 - September 11 suffers some rough patches. The summer of sport began and as you can see I watched some football -- well a match. I also suffered Tim Henman v Philippoussis at Wimbledon 2004. I hadn't really thought I'd seen so much of Big Brother 5. I think it was about now I stopped watching.]
The Tsunami
Life We're living through another one of those times when writing about anything seems pointless. The Tsunami (as people are descibing it as though no others ever happened) is another of those disasters of such a magnitude that it can't be put into words or crystalise in one sentence. It effects so many people, in so many countries, and the global effects will continue for years. But unlike certain recent other events there is no one to go off and blame or attack. It just happpened and humanity has to deal with it on its own terms. [Google News, Wiki]
It's all in the blend.
An easy way to tell Scotch from Irish whiskey is in the spelling. Scotch Whisky as you can see simply has a 'y' at the end, whereas Irish Whiskey boasts an 'ey'. Oddly enough though a girl from Ireland should be spelt Kelly but if she's from the Isle of Man she'll be Kelley.
Review 2004: What I Watched #2
March
01/03
The Oscars 2004 [tv, broadcast]
The Red Shoes [film, dvd]
What's Up Tiger Lily? [film, dvd]
Sunshine State [film, dvd]
Never Mind The Buzzcocks [14.7/10] [tv, video]
02/03
Chain Reaction [film, dvd]
Fallen Angels: Professional Man [film, dvd]
The Gingerbread Man [film, dvd]
03/03
Hustle [2/6] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: The Natural History of Fear [54] [audio play, cd]
The French Lieutenant's Woman [film, dvd]
04/03
Looney Tunes: Back In Action [film, celluloid]
05/03
e.r.: Freefall [10.8/22] [tv, video]
Kitchen Stories [film, celluloid]
21 Grams [film, celluloid]
06/03
Friends: The One Where Rachel's Sister Babysits [10.5/18] [tv, video]
The China Syndrome [film, dvd]
Roxanne [film, dvd]
Alice [film, dvd]
Mighty Aphrodite [film, dvd]
07/03
Bounce [film, dvd]
Pretty In Pink [film, dvd]
Breakfast at Tiffanys [film, dvd]
08/03
Hustle [3/6] [tv, video]
Dawson's Creek: Merry Mayhem [6.10/24] [tv, video]
09/03
The 400 Blows [film, dvd]
10/03
Les Enfants Du Paradis [film, dvd]
11/03
A Bout De Souffle [film, dvd]
12/03
Le Mepris [film, dvd]
Friends: The One Ross's Grant [10.6/18] [tv, video]
13/03
Three Colours White [film, dvd]
Dawson's Creek: Day Out of Days [6.11/24] [tv, video]
14/03
e.r.: Missing [10.9/22] [tv, video]
Zatoichi [film, celluloid]
Location, Location, Location [tv, broadcast]
K19: The Widowmaker [film, dvd]
15/03
Serendipity [film, video]
16/03
Three Colours Red [film, dvd]
Hustle [4/6] [tv, video]
17/03
Pleasure At Her Majesty's [theatre, dvd]
Mermaid Frolics [theatre, dvd]
Conspiracy Theory [film, dvd]
e.r.: Makemba [10.10/22] [tv, video]
18/03
Doctor Who: The Twilight Kingdom [55] [audio play, cd]
U-Turn [film, dvd]
19/03
Emma [film, dvd]
Three Colours Blue [film, dvd]
Friends: The One With The Home Study [10.7/18] [tv, video]
20/03
The Hunt For Red October [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child [1.1.1/4] [tv, video]
Dawson's Creek: All The Right Moves [6.12/24] [tv, video]
High Fidelity [film, dvd]
21/03
Doctor Who: The Cave of Skulls [1.1.2/4] [tv, video]
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy [film, dvd]
Radio Days [film, dvd]
22/03
Doctor Who: The Forest of Fear [1.1.3/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: The Firemaker [1.1.4/4] [tv, video]
P.R.O.B.E.: The Devil Of Winterborne [tv, video]
Hustle [5/6] [tv, video]
23/03
Doctor Who: The Dead Planet [1.2.1/7] [tv, video]
Bande a Part [film, dvd]
Duets [film, dvd]
24/03
Doctor Who: The Survivors [1.2.2/7] [tv, video]
Wild Strawberries [film, dvd]
e.r.: Touch and Go [10.11/22] [tv, video]
25/03
Doctor Who: The Escape [1.2.3/7] [tv, video]
Great Expectations [film, dvd]
26/03
Doctor Who: The Ambush [1.2.4/7] [tv, video]
Barry Lyndon [film, dvd]
Friends: The One With The Late Thanksgiving [11.8/18] [tv, broadcast]
27/03
Doctor Who: The Expedition [1.2.5/7] [tv, video]
Sheryl Crow: The Very Best of Videos [film, dvd]
28/03
Doctor Who: The Ordeal [1.2.6/7] [tv, video]
29/03
Doctor Who: The Rescue [1.2.7/7] [tv, video]
Cabaret [film, dvd]
30/03
Along Came Polly [film, celluloid]
Mona Lisa Smile [film, celluloid]
The Passion of the Christ [film, celluloid]
31/03
Gallifrey: Weapon of Choice [1.1/4] [audio drama, cd]
The Very Best of Have I Got News For You [tv, dvd]
Hustle [6/6] [tv, video]
e.r.: NICU [10.12/22] [tv, video]
[Look at all the Doctor Who. If I wasn't listening to the increasingly experimental Big Finish audios I was watching early Hartnell. I think it was around this time that all systems were go on the new series and I got the urge. Just to clear up that I've included some audio material in this list because although granted I haven't 'watched' it in the traditional sense the imagination is a pretty good place to screen things. I didn't watch much television otherwise, just the usual dates, although the e.r. episode 'NICU' was a highlight as Abby and Neela served a three-week rotation in the baby care unit and whole episode told the story of that time cleverly demonstrating the build up in confidence in the nurses, a credit to Maura Tierney and Parminder Nagra.
You'll notice it's in this month that the films I'm watching become somewhat more ecclectic. That's because this was when I signed up to the video-hire-by-post service ScreenSelect and started to fill the list with things I'd always wanted to get around to seeing. Although I was pretty film literate before this year my recognition has increased -- not to the point that I can't get swept up in the spectacle, but it's more interesting that I can see the influences in certain things more quickly. Of the cinema releases, the film of the month is between Zatoichi and Kitchen Stories -- both succeed in telling a non-conventional story in their own terms in magical ways. I think finally I found 21 Grams and The Passion Of The Christ to be a tiring experiences.]
April
01/04
The Thin Red Line [film, dvd]
02/04
Friends: The One With The Birth Mother [10.9/18] [tv, broadcast]
03/04
New York Stories [film, dvd]
Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Presentation [tv, vcd]
04/04
Dawson's Creek: Clean and Sober [6.14/24] [tv, video]
Holidays in the War Zone #1 [tv, video]
Grosse Pointe Blank [film, video]
05/04
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Lessons [7.1/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Beneath You [7.2/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Same Time, Same Place [7.3/22] [tv, dvd]
06/04
The Buena Vista Social Club [film, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Help [7.4/22] [tv, dvd]
07/04
Gallifrey: Weapon of Choice [1.1/4] [audio drama, cd]
The Moscow State Circus 2004 [circus, ring]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Selfless [7.5/22] [tv, dvd]
08/04
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Him [7.6/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Conversations With Dead People [7.7/22] [tv, dvd]
09/04
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Sleeper [7.8/22] [tv, dvd]
The Third Man [film, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Never Leave Me [7.9/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Bring on the Night [7.10/22] [tv, dvd]
Friends: The One Where Chandler Gets Caught [10.10/18] [tv, broadcast]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Showtime [7.11/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Potential [7.12/22] [tv, dvd]
10/04
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Killer in Me [7.13/22] [tv, dvd]
Arsenic and Old Lace [film, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: First Date [7.14/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Get it Done [7.15/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Storyteller [7.16/22] [tv, dvd]
Dirty Pretty Things [film, dvd]
11/04
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Lies My Parents Told Me [7.17/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Dirty Girls [7.18/22] [tv, dvd]
12/04
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Empty Places [7.19/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Touched [7.20/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: End of Days [7.21/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Chosen [7.22/22] [tv, dvd]
Dawson's Creek: Castaways [6.15/24] [tv, video]
e.r.: Get Carter [10.13/22] [tv, video]
Groundhog Day [film, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Wish [3.9/22] [tv, dvd]
13/04
Shaun of the Dead [film, celluloid]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Doppelgangland [3.16/22] [tv, dvd]
15/04
Serpico [film, dvd]
16/04
Welcome to Collinwood [film, dvd]
Friends: The One Where The Stripper Cries [10.11/18] [tv, broadcast]
Have I Got News For You [27.1/8] [tv, broadcast]
17/04
Eloge De L'Amour [film, dvd]
18/04
Dawson's Creek: That Was Then [6.16/24] [tv, video]
Star Trek: First Contact [film, dvd]
The Tall Guy [film, dvd]
19/04
Around The World In Eighty Days: Homeward Bound [tv, video]
20/04
Around The World In Eighty Days: Outward Bound [tv, video]
21/04
Jules et Jim [film, dvd]
A Hard Days Night [film, dvd]
22/04
e.r.: Blood Relations [10.15/22] [tv, video]
23/04
Mother Courage and Her Children [theatre, stage]
Have I Got News For You [27.2/8] [tv, video]
Firefly: Serenity Part One [1/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Serenity Part Two [2/15] [tv, dvd]
24/04
Firefly: The Train Job [3/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Bushwacked [4/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Shindig [5/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Safe [6/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Our Mrs. Reynolds [7/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Jaynestown [8/15] [tv, dvd]
25/04
Dawson's Creek: Sex and Violence [6.17/24] [tv, video]
Firefly: Out of Gas [9/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Ariel [10/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: War Stories [11/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Trash [12/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: The Message [13/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Heart of Gold [14/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Objects In Space [15/15] [tv, dvd]
26/04
Cambridge Spies [1/4] [tv, dvd]
Cambridge Spies [2/4] [tv, dvd]
Cambridge Spies [3/4] [tv, dvd]
Cambridge Spies [4/4] [tv, dvd]
27/04
Gallifrey: Square One [1.2/4] [audio drama, cd]
28/04
Friends: The One With Phoebe's Wedding [10.12/18] [tv, broadcast]
Alias: Truth be Told [1.1/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: So it Begins [1.2/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Parity [1.3/22] [tv, dvd]
29/04
e.r.: Forgive and Forget [13.16/22] [tv, video]
Office Space [film, video]
Happy Birthday BBC2 [tv, video]
30/04
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [film, celluloid]
Vol. 2 [film, celluloid]
Have I Got News For You [27.3/8] [tv, broadcast]
Alias: A Broken Heart [1.4/22] [tv, dvd]
[I suppose you could call this a Joss Whedon of a month. As well as rewatching the last season of Buffy I was turned into a jibbering wreck by the arrival of Firefly with all the incomprensible attempts to explain its appeal to others. That was a 'busy' weekend as you can tell. And I started on Alias for the first time and enjoyed that for different reasons -- an odd experience just after Cambridge Spies though. On reflection it's funny that so many of my best films of the year were released this early -- there's Shaun of the Dead and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind already. I'd forgotten I'd seen the latter in a double bill with the second helping of Kill Bill but kind of explains why I was so underwhelmed by that. I think I'll re-appraise when the two sections of the film are unified. Not having to sit through the disappointment of The Moscow State Circus 2004 could spoil a month like this.]
01/03
The Oscars 2004 [tv, broadcast]
The Red Shoes [film, dvd]
What's Up Tiger Lily? [film, dvd]
Sunshine State [film, dvd]
Never Mind The Buzzcocks [14.7/10] [tv, video]
02/03
Chain Reaction [film, dvd]
Fallen Angels: Professional Man [film, dvd]
The Gingerbread Man [film, dvd]
03/03
Hustle [2/6] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: The Natural History of Fear [54] [audio play, cd]
The French Lieutenant's Woman [film, dvd]
04/03
Looney Tunes: Back In Action [film, celluloid]
05/03
e.r.: Freefall [10.8/22] [tv, video]
Kitchen Stories [film, celluloid]
21 Grams [film, celluloid]
06/03
Friends: The One Where Rachel's Sister Babysits [10.5/18] [tv, video]
The China Syndrome [film, dvd]
Roxanne [film, dvd]
Alice [film, dvd]
Mighty Aphrodite [film, dvd]
07/03
Bounce [film, dvd]
Pretty In Pink [film, dvd]
Breakfast at Tiffanys [film, dvd]
08/03
Hustle [3/6] [tv, video]
Dawson's Creek: Merry Mayhem [6.10/24] [tv, video]
09/03
The 400 Blows [film, dvd]
10/03
Les Enfants Du Paradis [film, dvd]
11/03
A Bout De Souffle [film, dvd]
12/03
Le Mepris [film, dvd]
Friends: The One Ross's Grant [10.6/18] [tv, video]
13/03
Three Colours White [film, dvd]
Dawson's Creek: Day Out of Days [6.11/24] [tv, video]
14/03
e.r.: Missing [10.9/22] [tv, video]
Zatoichi [film, celluloid]
Location, Location, Location [tv, broadcast]
K19: The Widowmaker [film, dvd]
15/03
Serendipity [film, video]
16/03
Three Colours Red [film, dvd]
Hustle [4/6] [tv, video]
17/03
Pleasure At Her Majesty's [theatre, dvd]
Mermaid Frolics [theatre, dvd]
Conspiracy Theory [film, dvd]
e.r.: Makemba [10.10/22] [tv, video]
18/03
Doctor Who: The Twilight Kingdom [55] [audio play, cd]
U-Turn [film, dvd]
19/03
Emma [film, dvd]
Three Colours Blue [film, dvd]
Friends: The One With The Home Study [10.7/18] [tv, video]
20/03
The Hunt For Red October [film, dvd]
Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child [1.1.1/4] [tv, video]
Dawson's Creek: All The Right Moves [6.12/24] [tv, video]
High Fidelity [film, dvd]
21/03
Doctor Who: The Cave of Skulls [1.1.2/4] [tv, video]
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy [film, dvd]
Radio Days [film, dvd]
22/03
Doctor Who: The Forest of Fear [1.1.3/4] [tv, video]
Doctor Who: The Firemaker [1.1.4/4] [tv, video]
P.R.O.B.E.: The Devil Of Winterborne [tv, video]
Hustle [5/6] [tv, video]
23/03
Doctor Who: The Dead Planet [1.2.1/7] [tv, video]
Bande a Part [film, dvd]
Duets [film, dvd]
24/03
Doctor Who: The Survivors [1.2.2/7] [tv, video]
Wild Strawberries [film, dvd]
e.r.: Touch and Go [10.11/22] [tv, video]
25/03
Doctor Who: The Escape [1.2.3/7] [tv, video]
Great Expectations [film, dvd]
26/03
Doctor Who: The Ambush [1.2.4/7] [tv, video]
Barry Lyndon [film, dvd]
Friends: The One With The Late Thanksgiving [11.8/18] [tv, broadcast]
27/03
Doctor Who: The Expedition [1.2.5/7] [tv, video]
Sheryl Crow: The Very Best of Videos [film, dvd]
28/03
Doctor Who: The Ordeal [1.2.6/7] [tv, video]
29/03
Doctor Who: The Rescue [1.2.7/7] [tv, video]
Cabaret [film, dvd]
30/03
Along Came Polly [film, celluloid]
Mona Lisa Smile [film, celluloid]
The Passion of the Christ [film, celluloid]
31/03
Gallifrey: Weapon of Choice [1.1/4] [audio drama, cd]
The Very Best of Have I Got News For You [tv, dvd]
Hustle [6/6] [tv, video]
e.r.: NICU [10.12/22] [tv, video]
[Look at all the Doctor Who. If I wasn't listening to the increasingly experimental Big Finish audios I was watching early Hartnell. I think it was around this time that all systems were go on the new series and I got the urge. Just to clear up that I've included some audio material in this list because although granted I haven't 'watched' it in the traditional sense the imagination is a pretty good place to screen things. I didn't watch much television otherwise, just the usual dates, although the e.r. episode 'NICU' was a highlight as Abby and Neela served a three-week rotation in the baby care unit and whole episode told the story of that time cleverly demonstrating the build up in confidence in the nurses, a credit to Maura Tierney and Parminder Nagra.
You'll notice it's in this month that the films I'm watching become somewhat more ecclectic. That's because this was when I signed up to the video-hire-by-post service ScreenSelect and started to fill the list with things I'd always wanted to get around to seeing. Although I was pretty film literate before this year my recognition has increased -- not to the point that I can't get swept up in the spectacle, but it's more interesting that I can see the influences in certain things more quickly. Of the cinema releases, the film of the month is between Zatoichi and Kitchen Stories -- both succeed in telling a non-conventional story in their own terms in magical ways. I think finally I found 21 Grams and The Passion Of The Christ to be a tiring experiences.]
April
01/04
The Thin Red Line [film, dvd]
02/04
Friends: The One With The Birth Mother [10.9/18] [tv, broadcast]
03/04
New York Stories [film, dvd]
Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Presentation [tv, vcd]
04/04
Dawson's Creek: Clean and Sober [6.14/24] [tv, video]
Holidays in the War Zone #1 [tv, video]
Grosse Pointe Blank [film, video]
05/04
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Lessons [7.1/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Beneath You [7.2/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Same Time, Same Place [7.3/22] [tv, dvd]
06/04
The Buena Vista Social Club [film, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Help [7.4/22] [tv, dvd]
07/04
Gallifrey: Weapon of Choice [1.1/4] [audio drama, cd]
The Moscow State Circus 2004 [circus, ring]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Selfless [7.5/22] [tv, dvd]
08/04
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Him [7.6/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Conversations With Dead People [7.7/22] [tv, dvd]
09/04
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Sleeper [7.8/22] [tv, dvd]
The Third Man [film, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Never Leave Me [7.9/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Bring on the Night [7.10/22] [tv, dvd]
Friends: The One Where Chandler Gets Caught [10.10/18] [tv, broadcast]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Showtime [7.11/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Potential [7.12/22] [tv, dvd]
10/04
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Killer in Me [7.13/22] [tv, dvd]
Arsenic and Old Lace [film, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: First Date [7.14/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Get it Done [7.15/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Storyteller [7.16/22] [tv, dvd]
Dirty Pretty Things [film, dvd]
11/04
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Lies My Parents Told Me [7.17/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Dirty Girls [7.18/22] [tv, dvd]
12/04
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Empty Places [7.19/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Touched [7.20/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: End of Days [7.21/22] [tv, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Chosen [7.22/22] [tv, dvd]
Dawson's Creek: Castaways [6.15/24] [tv, video]
e.r.: Get Carter [10.13/22] [tv, video]
Groundhog Day [film, dvd]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Wish [3.9/22] [tv, dvd]
13/04
Shaun of the Dead [film, celluloid]
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Doppelgangland [3.16/22] [tv, dvd]
15/04
Serpico [film, dvd]
16/04
Welcome to Collinwood [film, dvd]
Friends: The One Where The Stripper Cries [10.11/18] [tv, broadcast]
Have I Got News For You [27.1/8] [tv, broadcast]
17/04
Eloge De L'Amour [film, dvd]
18/04
Dawson's Creek: That Was Then [6.16/24] [tv, video]
Star Trek: First Contact [film, dvd]
The Tall Guy [film, dvd]
19/04
Around The World In Eighty Days: Homeward Bound [tv, video]
20/04
Around The World In Eighty Days: Outward Bound [tv, video]
21/04
Jules et Jim [film, dvd]
A Hard Days Night [film, dvd]
22/04
e.r.: Blood Relations [10.15/22] [tv, video]
23/04
Mother Courage and Her Children [theatre, stage]
Have I Got News For You [27.2/8] [tv, video]
Firefly: Serenity Part One [1/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Serenity Part Two [2/15] [tv, dvd]
24/04
Firefly: The Train Job [3/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Bushwacked [4/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Shindig [5/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Safe [6/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Our Mrs. Reynolds [7/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Jaynestown [8/15] [tv, dvd]
25/04
Dawson's Creek: Sex and Violence [6.17/24] [tv, video]
Firefly: Out of Gas [9/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Ariel [10/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: War Stories [11/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Trash [12/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: The Message [13/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Heart of Gold [14/15] [tv, dvd]
Firefly: Objects In Space [15/15] [tv, dvd]
26/04
Cambridge Spies [1/4] [tv, dvd]
Cambridge Spies [2/4] [tv, dvd]
Cambridge Spies [3/4] [tv, dvd]
Cambridge Spies [4/4] [tv, dvd]
27/04
Gallifrey: Square One [1.2/4] [audio drama, cd]
28/04
Friends: The One With Phoebe's Wedding [10.12/18] [tv, broadcast]
Alias: Truth be Told [1.1/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: So it Begins [1.2/22] [tv, dvd]
Alias: Parity [1.3/22] [tv, dvd]
29/04
e.r.: Forgive and Forget [13.16/22] [tv, video]
Office Space [film, video]
Happy Birthday BBC2 [tv, video]
30/04
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [film, celluloid]
Vol. 2 [film, celluloid]
Have I Got News For You [27.3/8] [tv, broadcast]
Alias: A Broken Heart [1.4/22] [tv, dvd]
[I suppose you could call this a Joss Whedon of a month. As well as rewatching the last season of Buffy I was turned into a jibbering wreck by the arrival of Firefly with all the incomprensible attempts to explain its appeal to others. That was a 'busy' weekend as you can tell. And I started on Alias for the first time and enjoyed that for different reasons -- an odd experience just after Cambridge Spies though. On reflection it's funny that so many of my best films of the year were released this early -- there's Shaun of the Dead and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind already. I'd forgotten I'd seen the latter in a double bill with the second helping of Kill Bill but kind of explains why I was so underwhelmed by that. I think I'll re-appraise when the two sections of the film are unified. Not having to sit through the disappointment of The Moscow State Circus 2004 could spoil a month like this.]