Vote for 'Obsessed With Film' as 'Best Overall Blog' for Total Film magazine!

Total Film magazine are running some polls to find the best movie-related sites for 2011. Obsessed With Film has been shortlisted as one of the candidates for Blog Of The Year --which is a great achievement in itself. Now, I've been writing TV news pieces for OWF, and that site gets my TV premiere reviews as exclusives, so I'm obviously hopeful they win this award...

So, I thought I'd draw your attention to Total Film's Best Overall Blog poll. Please vote for Obsessed With Film! Otherwise, a blog with more name recognition, that's already pretty successful (hence its many votes), will get the accolade. And I think that's a pity, because it would be great if a lesser-known blog like OWF won this award, as it would give the site a huge boost of interest and traffic, which in turns leads to more advertising revenue. And with more cash flowing in, via ads and sponsorships, OWF stands a chance of becoming a profitable online business, and its staff can be paid for their efforts.

See what I mean? This kind of thing may look like a silly poll that doesn't really matter, but it can have a real impact on real people trying to make a living online. So PLEASE vote for Obsessed With Film. It will only take, like, five seconds of your valuable time. I promise.

Also, it would be fantastic if you could promote this poll online, via Facebook, Twitter, and suchlike. Maybe coerce a few people to give OWF a vote, too? If you'd like to help further, send people a link to http://polldaddy.com/poll/4347388/ -- with a "nudge, nudge" towards OWF.

The blog to beat seems to be Ultra Culture, which is run by the "kid" who appears on Film 2011 with Claudia Winkleman. So, naturally, he has a TV presence to help him snaffle votes. Is that really fair? Let's see if OWF can't give his site a run for its money, with a little help from DMD's reliable and helpful readership.

Thanks everyone!

Poll: Vote for the Best Overall Blog

Poll: What was the best TV treat for Christmas 2010?

British TV culture is clever enough to realize that most people are at home over the Christmas period (sometimes for a whole fortnight, given the school holidays), and subsequently demand brand new TV entertainment because it's cold outside and the shops are closed. I give up trying to understand why other countries don't bother and just give their populations repeats and movies. Maybe foreigners just have less time off work, or their TV industries want a break, too.

But which of this year's seasonal treats did you enjoy the most? Below is a list of the most prominent shows created specifically for Christmas/New Year. Just select the THREE you most enjoyed. You can also add your own, if you think I've missed something crucial.

While I understand a few of these TV show may have been seen by foreign audiences (like Doctor Who and Top Gear), it's perhaps only fair to vote if you're British and had the opportunity to see these on broadcast television.

The poll will close on Friday 7 January @5pm (GMT). The results will be revealed that weekend.

Poll Result: What did you think of this year's 'Doctor Who' Christmas special?

Earlier this week I asked you what you thought of the annual Doctor Who festive special, "A Christmas Carol". There were 88 votes, with the results below:

51.1% Fantastic!

37.5% It was okay.

9.0% Disappointing.

2.2% Terrible!

I was in the "okay" demographic, but more than half of you thought it was "fantastic", and only about 10% of voters had a negative reaction. Seems like it went down well!

Poll: What did you think of this year's 'Doctor Who' Christmas special?

You've hopefully read my review of Doctor Who's festive special "A Christmas Carol" by now, and many of you have left some interesting comments, but what's the broader feeling out there? Was this a great seasonal treat, a disappointment, or a terrible mess? Vote in my poll below:


The poll closes on New Year's Eve @5pm (GMT). I will reveal the result at the weekend.

Poll Result: Is 'Misfits' the greatest TV superhero show ever?

Last week I asked you all a simple question: is Misfits the greatest (live action) TV superhero show ever? We had 160 votes, with the result below:

66% Yes, definitely!

23% It's too early to say

10% No, absolutely not!

The result wasn't terribly surprising, but there's definitely a lot of love for Misfits out there. Catch the fifth episode on E4 tonight @10pm!

Poll: Is 'Misfits' the greatest TV superhero show ever?

E4's Misfits is turning in a superlative second series right now. Its greatness is evident and deservedly being celebrated by UK critics. The show won a BAFTA for "Best Drama" this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if it made it a double next year. Unfortunately, Misfits doesn't have the overseas reach of other British "geek-friendly" shows (Doctor Who, Merlin, Primeval, Sherlock), so it's still something of a native phenomenon, because it has no connection to BBC Worldwide. And that's a shame, as I'd love to see it appreciated in other countries. The few Americans I've managed to steer its way have been blown away.

So, is Misfits the greatest (live-action) TV superhero show ever made? Better than The Incredible Hulk, The Greatest American Hero, Smallville, Lois & Clark, Heroes, The Middleman, No Ordinary Family, et al? I'm not counting cartoons.

Vote in my poll below:

The poll closes on Wednesday 8 December 2010 @5pm (GMT). I'll post the result short after. Feel free to share this poll on Facebook/Twitter, etc. Thank you.

Poll Result: do you have/watch HD?

The results of last week's poll are now up (see above). Despite inspiring some argument about the specificity of the question, I think 99% of you understood what I was getting at. The results show that the majority of readers have a HDTV and access to HD content these days, but there were no early adopters of a 3DTV set.

Poll: Do you have/watch HD?

Now that 3D-enabled TVs are available to buy, HD TVs are yesterday's news -- right? Well, no. While there's evidence to suggest wealthy buyers are seeking out 3D over high-definition (to future-proof themselves), HD TVs are cheaper and there's more broadcast content available. Plus you don't need special glasses that cost around £100 each. But we're living in a time when "outdated" HD hasn't permeated every home yet...

So how many of you are actually watching HD right now? Vote below:




The poll closes on Thursday 16 September @5pm GMT, with results revealed on Friday.

Poll Result: which TV reviews are you interested in?

E4's Misfits: the most anticipated TV show of DMD readers

Last week I asked you to vote for the TV shows you're most interested in watching -- but also, more importantly, spend time reading reviews of here. The response was excellent with 404 votes, and the results are below:

Click for larger image

What do you make of those results? I was surprised but delighted to see Misfits top the poll! Also interesting to see some support for Treme (still not sure I'll be watching, though) and The Inbetweeners, which was unexpected. And it looks like Walking Dead, The Event and Boardwalk Empire are the new shows people are already psyched for. The bottom chunk of shows also gives a good indication of what might flop this year. That said, most of those are brand new shows, so people are basing their judgement on publicity and buzz more than anything. I suspect Hawaii Five-O, Undercovers and No Ordinary Family will attract some fans.

Poll: Which TV reviews are you interested in?

NBC's The Event; one of your most-anticipated shows this year?

To help me prioritize, which of this autumn's TV shows are you most interested in reading reviews of here? Below is a poll where you can register your interest (in as many shows as you like) by click-and-vote:

Please be honest. If you watch a show, but don't really care about reading reviews about it, don't vote for it. I just want to know what everyone is up for reading this year. The results will be posted Friday 10 September, just as the new TV season gets underway. And this isn't a pointless exercise; I do take note of what people like/dislike and prioritize reviews accordingly.

Poll Result: Which season of 24 was the best?

Last week I asked you to vote for your favourite season of 24, now the popular action-thriller series has come to an end. Here are the results in ascending order:

6th place: Day 6 (0%)
Inevitably, the woeful sixth season received no votes and consequently wound up at the bottom of the heap. The frustrating thing about Day 6 is that it had exciting ideas and definite potential, what with a suburb of Los Angeles being obliterated by a nuke in only the fourth episode and the rise of Jack Bauer's family as the season's villains. But it never managed to find its footing, the new characters were tedious duds (why bring back Milo?), and it very quickly became clear that even the writers were struggling to keep themselves interested in the plot they were spewing out every week. Thus was a real nadir of 24, and quite possibly a mistake the show never fully recovered from.

5th place: Day 4 & 8 (5%)
In joint-place, the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach of Day 4, and the concluding Day 8. Day 4 tried to shakeup 24's formula by having the year's villain (Arnold Vosloo's Marwan) perpetrate a ridiculous amount of terrorist attacks every six episodes or so. It all became rather laughable, with Marwain's gang appearing to have a contingency plan for every failure, but it undeniably gave us a rollercoaster ride of zany action. As for Day 8, I personally don't think it deserved to be ranked this low in the poll, but I can understand why people didn't vote for it: the first half was rather dull.

4th place: Day 3 & 7 (10%)
The "comeback year" of Day 7 and Day 3 tied for fourth place, surprisingly. Day 7 was certainly a very decent return to form after the execrable Day 6, helped by the fact the writers' strike meant the staff had time to plan and develop their story from start to finish. It's a shame the rigours of US TV never allowed them that freedom every year. Day 3 was the season when fans began to doubt 24 had the legs to continue for much longer, partly because the Mexican-set first half was deemed a tedious failure, but since then there have been arguably two worse years (Day 6 and 8), so its reputation has been cleaned-up a bit.

3rd place: Day 2 (15%)
For a long time I thought Day 2 was the best season of 24, simply because the formula was still fresh, the writers had learned valuable lessons from the trial-by-fire of its debut year, and the series found a style it would largely stick to from hereon in. Plus, I think the wonderful President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) was at his commanding best in this season, and the moment the terrorist's nuke "safely" detonated in the desert was a haunting television moment I'll always remember seeing happen. It may seem quite passe these days, but at the time that was a real jaw-dropper and something I'd never seen done on the smallscreen before.

2nd place: Day 1 (25%)
The year that started it all. I can see why fans think the first year was 24's best. It definitely had the purest storyline, with Jack's family in jeopardy and an assassination plot to foil. Every season since got steadily less realistic in its attempts to keep getting Jack embroiled in the action. But for all its pioneering freshness and impact on TV, I think we can all agree that the second-half was noticeably poorer (the show was only picked up for 12 episodes by Fox, so the writers plotted for that, then struggled to make the story continue twice as long). Also, it may have been a memorably brilliant twist at the time, but Nina Meyers being "a mole" makes zero sense when you rewatch this season!

1st place: Day 5 (30%)
Everyone's favourite season, which I agree wholeheartedly with, was Day 5. How many television shows produce their best year five seasons into its run? Not many! I think the reason this season worked so brilliantly is very simple: it may not have had a storyline that felt unique (poison gas, yawn), and it definitely ended on a spluttering note, but this was perhaps the only season of 24 where the goings-on at the White House were just as exciting as Jack Bauer's adventures. If not moreso. In giving us a corrupt President and a slightly deranged First Lady, it didn't feel like there was any slack or filler when the plot left Jack's perspective. And, of course, Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart were both so great that the show picked up twelve Emmy nominations and won four ("Best Drama Series", "Best Lead Actor", "Best Directing", "Best Editing", and "Best Music") Itzin's oily character of Charles Logan was even invited back twice, such was his impact and appeal as a boo-hiss antagonist.

Poll: Which was the best season of 24?

2010's becoming the graveyard for some of my favourite shows, with 24 now joining Lost in airing its series finale. Over 8 seasons, Jack Bauer's been saving the world precisely 24-hours after first hearing about any given crisis, but which year was his greatest day? Please vote for your favourite season here, or by clicking one of the images below:

Day 1: Assassination

It gave us: sweet Teri Bauer - imperiled Kim Bauer - sly Nina Meyers - Mandy the lesbian assassin - jobsworth George Mason - honourable David Palmer - ambitious Cheri Palmer - Mike Novick - the Drazens - eye-rolling amnesia - guest-star Dennis Hopper

Day 2: Nuclear Bomb

It gave us: hacksaw decapitation - loyal Tony Almeida - CTU bombed - sexy Kate Warner - mushroom cloud in a desert - a wedding - a cougar - Jack's heart-stopper - guest-star Tobin Bell

Day 3: Killer Virus

It gave us: a trip to Mexico - Jack's easily-beaten heroine addiction - Russian Roulette in a prison - professional Michelle Dessler - dependable Chase Edmunds - Chapelle's sacrifice - misfit Chloe O'Brian - confident Wayne Palmer

Day 4: Power Plant Meltdown

It gave us: geeky Edgar Styles - career-minded Audrey Raines -Air Force One's attack - Vice-President Charles Logan - macho Curtis Manning - EMP blackout - a Stealth Fighter - strong-willed Bill Buchanan - the nuclear football - the Chinese - B-movie guest-star Arnold Vosloo

Day 5: Poison Gas

It gave us: Evil President Logan - crazy First Lady Martha Logan - Russian President Suvarov - CTU gassed - affable Morris - a Russian submarine - L.A martial law - guest-stars Julian Sands, Sean Astin and Peter Weller as Jack's mentor

Day 6: Suitcase Nukes

It gave us: L.A nuked - Chinese gangsters - Jack's evil brother - CTU takeover - unctuous Tom Lennox - dimwit Mike Doyle - guest-stars Powers Boothe and James Cromwell as Papa Bauer

Day 7: Bio-weapon

It gave us: Bad Tony - idealistic President Taylor - capable Renee Walker - White House siege - Ethan Kanin - by-the-book Larry Moss - African warlords - grouchy Janis Gold - guest-star Jon Voight as patriot Jonas Hodges

Day 8: Presidential Assassination

It gave us: Jack fan Agent Cole Ortiz - duplicitous Dana Walsh - EMP attack - gruff Brian Hastings - anti-nuke peace treaty - austere Dalia Hassan - Jack goes rogue - guest-star Anil Kapoor as President Hassan

The poll will close on Sunday 13 June @5pm (GMT)

Poll Result: Which was the best season of Lost?

Last week I asked you to vote for the best season of Lost, in honour of the mystery drama completing its run by splitting fan reaction rather painfully. The results are below, in ascending order of popularity:

6th place:

Season 6

Only 5% of voters thought the final year of Lost was its pinnacle, rather depressingly. Not that I disagree, but it's a shame the final chapter of the series appears to be very unpopular (with good reason). I guess it was always more fun asking questions than having them answered. Well, some questions.

5th place:

Season 3

A widely-hated season of Lost, but more accurately it was the first six episode "mini-season" (where half the cast were stuck in cages) that was memorably bad. The latter half was actually very strong, but this was undoubtedly the season where the diehard fans and casual viewers parted company. Just 10% of you voted this Lost's best year.

4th place:

Season 5

The "time travel season" was popular with 14% of you, although in retrospect I think this was the year when cracks started to appear more noticeably. But it was still a decent season with some great moments. In fact, when you-know-who is rolled out of that coffin, is it best to imagine that was The End?

3rd place:

Season 2

The second season is a curious beast that split audiences at the time, with some enjoying the way Lost spreads its wings and created a deeper mythology, while others disliked the move away from the simpler castaway scenario. Personally, I always really enjoyed season 2, although it would certainly benefit from being a half-dozen episodes shorter. 15% of you seem to agree.

2nd place:

Season 4

My personal favourite, so I was glad to see it do well in this poll. Season 4 attracted 16% of the total vote, probably because its flashforward plot-device was the best post-season 1 method to tie Island events with off-Island events. It was also a mid-series year when the mix of questions and answers was more balaced. This was the year when it really felt possible, even likely, that the writers knew what they were doing and we were in safe hands.

1st place:

Season 1

I was surprised to read anti-season 1 sentiments in comments, but that didn't carry over into the actual voting. The season deemed Lost's greatest by 37% of voters was the debut year from 2004. This was Lost at its simplest, tackling the core concept of strangers stuck on a spooky island, at a time when the flashback-device wasn't irritating, and they could afford to ask lots of compelling questions (What are the whispers? Who's the French Lady? What are the numbers? Is there a monster? What's the Black Rock? Why are people kidnapping children? What's down the hatch?) without needing to provide answers.

And that's it. The first season was the best, the last season was the worse, according to you guys. Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote.

Poll: Which was the best season of Lost?

Lost has come to an end, but now we can look back and gauge which season was the best. Was the purist first season the pinnacle? Did season 2's expansion of the mythology fire your imagination? Was season 3 unfairly derided, in your opinion? Did season 4's flashforwards offer the best narrative device? Did time-travel swell your geek heart in season 5? Or did you enjoy the culmination of season 6?

You can vote by clicking any of the images below, or voting directly in the Flash-driven poll at the bottom of this post:

Season 1: The Survivors
(The Numbers, The Black Rock, The Hatch)

Season 2: The Hatch
(DHARMA, The Tailies, The Others)

Season 3: The Others
(The Hydra, The Barracks, The Cabin)

Season 4: The Freighter
(The Rescuers, The Orchid, The Donkey Wheel)

Season 5: The 1970s
(The Plane, The Bomb, The Four-Toed Statue)

Season 6: The Man In Black
(The Temple, The Candidates, The Cave)

The poll closes on 3 June @5PM (GMT)

Poll Result: Which TV show would you SAVE from possible cancellation?

Last week I asked: which TV show would you save from possible cancellation? There was a choice of six endangered shows (Caprica, Chuck, FlashForward, Human Target, Stargate Universe, V) and the result in ascending order is below:

4. FlashForward (5%)
3. Human Target, Stargate Universe, V (6%)
2. Caprica (26%)
1. Chuck (50%)

It was perhaps inevitable that FlashForward would come last, and perhaps highly likely that Chuck would be first (considering its huge fan support), so I think this poll was mostly a good indicator that plenty of people liked and enjoyed Caprica.

Poll: Which TV show would you SAVE from possible cancellation?

A quick poll for Easter weekend, asking a simple question: which ONE television show would you SAVE from possible cancellation? The choices are: Caprica, Chuck, FlashForward, Human Target, Stargate Universe and V. All are shows whose futures aren't certain or look dire, but which one would you most like to see back for 2010/11? Vote below:

The poll closes midday on Monday 5 April (GMT).

Face-Off Result: The Mothers [Poll]

Last weekend, I asked you to vote for your favourite TV mother, between The Simpsons' Marge Simpson and Malcolm In The Middle's Lois. After a week of voting, the winner was: Lois with 58% of the vote, to Marge's 42%.

Face-Off: The Mothers [Poll]

Today is Mother's Day (only in the UK, don't panic!), so this week's Face-Off battle is between two famous television mothers: The Simpsons' Marge Simpson vs. Malcolm In The Middle's Lois. Both are the long-suffering matriarch's of a dysfunctional family, married to idiots... but which is your favourite? Register your vote in the poll below, which ends on 20 March. The results will be revealed next Sunday.

As an added bit of fun for the comments; does anyone know the last name of the family in Malcolm In The Middle? It was a running joke that it was never mentioned, but it was accidentally given away in an early episode.

Poll Result: What is your favourite Tim Burton movie?

Last weekend, as a spur of the moment thing to celebrate the release of Alice In Wonderland, I asked you to vote for your favourite Tim Burton movie. The poll received a decent 50 votes, although the downside of big polls like this is how you tend to get a lot of joint-placings. Anyway, the results are below, in ascending order of popularity:

6. Planet Of The Apes (0%)

A little predictably, there was no love for Burton's ill-advised Apes remake. I remember quite enjoying elements of it, actually, and managed to untangle its convoluted timeline. Don't ask me to explain it now, though.

5. Ed Wood, Beetlejuice, Pee Wee's
Big Adventure (4%)

I'm astonished Beetlejuice didn't do much better than this, as I class it as prime Burton. Ed Wood is arguably his best film for many reasons, too, so it was disappointing it didn't get many votes. The lack of love for Pee Wee? I can understand that entirely because I never did understad that irritating manchild's appeal.

4. Corpse Bride, Big Fish, Batman
Returns, Sweeney Todd (6%)

I enjoyed Big Fish, but have no intention or desire to ever see it again, while nothing in this group deserved to be placed higher than Beetlejuice or Ed Wood.

3. Mars Attacks!, Batman, Charlie &
The Chocolate Factory (8%)

I was surprised there was so much love for Mars Attacks! (often cited as one of Burton's indulgent follies), and likewise Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. Are these becoming more popular in hindsight? Or do we have a young(ish) crowd voting here, so the earlier Burton flicks aren't so fondly remembered because, gasp, so many voters were born post-1990?

2. Sleepy Hollow (10%)

I agree that Sleep Hollow is a very underrated effort from Burton (his fun ode to Hammer Horror), but I'm not convinced it's Burton's second best movie ever. But, hey, that's how your votes went.

1. Edward Scissorhands (30%)

At least we can all agree the winner deserves to be #1. Edward Scissorhands is certainly amongst Burton's best, on par with Beetlejuice in my mind. A worthy winner.

If you're interested, my Top 12 would be ordered thus:

1. Beetlejuice
2. Edward Scissorhands
3. Batman Returns
4. Batman
5. Ed Wood
6. Mars Attacks!
7. Sweeney Todd
8. Big Fish
9. Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
10. Corpse Bride
11. Planet Of The Apes
12. Pee Wee's Big Adventure