Professor

In my seemingly never ending attempt to get rid of this huge stack of VHS cassettes, I watched a World's Greatest Magic special from 96ish (based on the commercials). I love magic. I really do. But I have no idea how or why, if these were the specials I watched. So many lame stage acts and so, so, so many mullets. At least I have Penn & Teller's Fool Us these days. Better quality all around.

Watched Nancy Drew. I figured it would much the same as Riverdale. Kinda is, maybe leaning into the spooky more. It tries to be horror at times, but their version of trying is jump scares. It got old. Slightly hurt by the shutdown (cut from 22 to 18), but with I'm sure was a bit of extra editing, the finale works as a decent enough cliffhanger. I will say, for a show bases on a character who solves mysteries, the two main mysteries of the seasons had really weak reveals. And now I await the Encyclopedia Brown series. He will be in a fight against an alien invasion with the help of his single parent (played by someone from Melrose Place this time (and maybe a single mom this time, to shake things up)).

The Crow: Salvation - Missed this when I thought I watched the sequels. I mean, why would you put 2 & 4 on a combo DVD and not 3? I'll give it this: it tried something new. It failed, but it tired. Also felt oddly unsure if it wanted to be an R for violence (with many violent acts off-screen), but went full R with the random boobs for no reason. The Great Sasuke - A documentary about The Great Sasuke. Shocking. It is a weird one. Felt like two mini docs slammed together. First half is about the old man wrestler who cannot seem to give it up. The generic wrestling doc sad tale. Then, jump cut, time skip, Great Sasuke is running for political office again. I could have done with better focus. It is free on the YouTubes if you are so inclined. I will give the Great Sasuke this: his skill of taking off his mask while simultaneously putting on a new mask is fascinating.

Which State/Province do you live in/come from? I've lived in Ohio my entire life. Columbus (the capital city) for the first five years (of which I remember nothing). Then we all moved to the village of Baltimore, OH. Small & rural. Lots of farms. Three stop lights. (And I just googled why it is a village, because I had no idea. Apparently in Ohio, populations under 5,000 are villages. Baltimore has ~3,000. The more you know.) What makes your state special/different to others? That is a bit tough for me to say. Ohio generally gets looped into the 'flyover country' label. Which I don't entirely get. Columbus is the 2nd largest city in the midwest. Maybe Will can think of something, but I cannot. What local foods is your state known for? Wendy's founded in Columbus. Skyline Chili founded in Cincinnati. Famous for the 3-Way (Spaghetti covered with chili & cheese). I personally find it horrible and just plain wrong to in any way call what they sell as chili, but I'm in the minority. Maybe not as famous, but the Sweet Corn Festival as well as the Pumpkin Show are highly popular around us folk in our villages. What special buildings do you have? Ohio Stadium (aka The Horseshoe (aka The Shoe)). The home of the Ohio State Buckeyes. 4th largest stadium in football (college or NFL). And I'd wager one of the most iconic from an design standpoint. While it is kinda a shithole (and about to be replaced), Crew Stadium. The first soccer specific stadium built by an MLS team. And while not buildings per say, but Cedar Point has some pretty well known roller coasters.

Robocop (The Shit Remake) - I don't think I've actively hated a movie this much in a long time.

Falling into a YouTube wormhole of 'people seeing color for the first time' really makes me want to get a pair of the glasses. But, then I wonder why? See normally would be the answer, but I'm not gonna wear them 24/7. Thus, I fail to see the allure.

DC Comics ended its relationship with Diamond. Can't speak to the industry as a whole, but my local shops are pissed. Not so much that they have to get their comics elsewhere, but rather they have to order from what they feel is their competition (aka DCBS). One shop (as of now, given a few hours heads up) will now longer have DC books on the wall and DC will be pull list only. The other shop has yet to say anything today, but was very critical of the information he was asked to provide when DC started using non-Diamond distribution.

Finally got around to the second half of the season. I feel like the break hurt my enjoyment. I barely remembered where things had left off. And the first few back didn't do it for me. I'm not sure if it is the show, or my absolute lack of bandwidth for political intrigue these day. I did enjoy things better as the episodes went by. But it felt like we got the season climax, and then still had two more episodes. Odd choice.

Has there been any 'news' on DC Universe, specifically any sort of plan for the shows? With Stargirl being broadcast on The CW & Doom Patrol going on HBO Max I am a little confused. Airing Swamp Thing on The CW I understand: Bringing a finished product that is new to most people when new programming with be lean. Makes sense.

How much can/do director's cuts change things? I ask this because I can only think of a few and only seen both versions of one (Daredevil).

I think comedy (in general) does not have the highest degree of repeatability, once the punchline is given. The initial visceral laughter is gone. I can't remember the last one I rewatched. And that extends to stand up as well. I have piles of albums, but beyond Mitch Hedberg, I don't revisit.

It's not the swag that impresses me. It is the casual way in which he fixes everything then flexes hard that impresses me.

The planet being destroyed. Googled since then, but I've not watched the movies nor really understand any potential relevance to the wider Star Trek mythos. Like I mentioned, it just felt like at times I was not only to have seen all the shows and movies, but also to remember every minute detail.

Finally got around to watching Picard. I enjoyed it. The episodes kinda flew by, which I haven't felt in a while. Will say the final episode lacked any impact because I've seen science fiction before. My main issue was the feeling that I was missing things I was left with. This show was built on nostalgia. I get it. See Patrick Stewart revisit the character we all love. So seeing more familiar faces makes sense. But there are some deep cuts. And those are just the ones I noticed. Sure there are more. And like Romulus. I have no idea where that came from. Was it a blind spot of my Trek knowledge? Or was it completely new for the series? Not really new/casual Trek viewer friendly? Or maybe I'm just in that sweet spot where if I knew less these things wouldn't occur to me. Still liked it.

If I can wildly speculate with my tin foil hat on... Could finally releasing New Mutants on 8/28 just be an offering to theaters? In that, theaters are not happy about the idea of a same day digital release. New Mutants is clearly a movie that Disney doesn't really care about. But it is a finished movie. So, make nice with the theaters and give it them. And if no one goes (for legal/health reasons or general disinterest), Disney can claim 'we tried, but it was too soon'. Thus giving them a reason to same day digital a film they care about, ie Black Widow.

Now scheduled for 8/28. I remain skeptical.

The Money is the Bank 'match' was trash. But you know what was not trash? Xavier Woods & Cesaro talking about Rick Rude being atomic dropped on this past Friday's UpUpDownDown video. Then Cesaro taking an atomic drop in his match with Jeffy Hardy on the preshow and trying to channel Rick Rude. He didn't go full Rude, but who can?

Just finished Pennyworth. The acting is well done, but the writing is rather unfocused. Started as a political/spy show, then suddenly went off on a supernatural tangent before suddenly shifting back to political intrigue. Plus, I think 3-4 of the side plots were just time filler, which it being only ten episodes seems odd. Which led to me not feeling like I got a proper climax. Like, they knew then ending point, but wasted too much time, so the last episode was a blur to get to that point. It was renewed for a second season (who knows anymore), so I'm onboard if it happens.

Go to @RickRudeSells on twitter and watch endless clips of Rick Rude getting atomic dropped. It is fantastic.

It's weird. I remembered it as an older show than it was. I mean, I have no recollection of it lasting until 1999. Like Dan said, even tho I didn't watch the show, I was aware of it. But, at least for me, it wasn't in syndication. I'm sure it was on cable, but I only had the networks. And while every sitcom (longstanding enough to qualify) I can think about from that time period was, The Nanny was not. I'd get hour blocks of Newsradio, Living Single and Mad About You. So that may speak to popularity a bit.

Now, for some late 70s made-for-TV movies Dr. Strange (1978) - In hindsight I'm glad I started with this one. It is clearly the worst of the lot. The broomstick that is the lead offers nothing. And neither does the plot. Nothing happens. I was disappointed. 70s + Dr. Strange + amounts of drugs should have produced something. Amazing Spider-Man (1977) - This was something. I give the costume and effects a pass. But this dies at the feet of Nicholas Hammond. He is not good, and the story doesn't help him much. A complete schmuck. Also, wrestling has ruined kendo sticks as effective weapons for me. Captain America (1979) - Interesting choices made here. Steve just wants to drive his van and paint. Sounds right. Don't know if Reb Brown has range, but he nails mellow. But good lord that costume. Fantastic. Captain America II: Death Too Soon (1979) - Odd, in that nothing really changed (beyond the costume), but this was better. Better may be the wrong word. More fun? Perhaps without having to do an origin the story had more to do. Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978) - Maybe a cheat to call it a movie (since it is two episodes of the show), but it is how my VHS labels it & Wiki has it had a theater run in Europe. So I'll count it. Same as with Cap, this is better than the first. Hammond is still a schmuck. Spider-Man (Supaidāman) (1978) - Again, maybe a cheat, but how can I not? Only 20 minutes, so call it a short? I loved this. It is Spider-Man fighting puttys and calling on Megazord power. Pretty sure I did the same thing with action figures. The Incredible Hulk (1977) - The classic. Blows everything else here out of the water. Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge (1979) - AKA the last two episodes of the series. But released as a movie in 81, so valid. The best of the American Spider-Man. Finally figured out how to use his web. Hammond is slightly less of a schmuck. Slightly. Portrays Jonah as a person, which is nice. Also has the most incompetent henchman I've seen in a long time. And a random Ted Danson. The Return of the Incredible Hulk (1977) - Breaks the trend of the 2nd being better. More to do with the guest cast than anything, which I'd imagine is a theme in the series. After all of this, why did the Hulk work, and the others didn't. On first glance, it is Bill Bixby. He can act. Hammond & Brown not so much. But I think it is more than that. Hulk is played seriously and is ultimately a tragedy. You get the sad walking away music and the quest for something. Everything else had an upbeat funk groove and had no thru-plot. Random notes: The 70s had a seemingly endless supply of gorgeous women. Since all these aired on CBS, kinda surprised that the Hulk wasn't used to launch the other series, backdoor pilot style. Was that a thing? Or were TV movies into series more common?

This time I watched movies so I could listen to 5 year old podcasts. Synergy? X-Men: First Class - (2nd viewing) - Still seems like an odd grouping of mutants to use. But they are all disposable beyond the key 4, so what do I know. Some of the effects are rough. X-Men: Days of Future Past - (1st viewing) - The best of the McAvoy films. Nice attempt to tie everything together. Not sure it works if you think about it hard enough, but don't think that matters. X-Men: Apocalypse - (2nd viewing) - Always felt I missed things by not seeing DoFP beforehand. I was wrong. This is an incredibly boring film. And overly long. The entire 20 minutes spent on the military base were pointless filler only serving to provide a cameo. X-Men: Dark Phoenix - (1st viewing) - Don't think this was as bad as the reviews I heard upon release. Been forever since I've seen Last Stand, but I think I just watched it here. Redoing Phoenix I get. But not when it was written but the same guy who missed the first time. Also, I thought Jennifer Lawrence looked disinterested in Apocalypse, but it was an entire new level here. My overall feelings on these movies is a big meh. And I think DoFP is the reason why. While it is the best of the bunch, it causes more problems then it solved. Being the direct sequel to First Class is issue one. Outside of the core 4 (Magneto, Xavier, Mystique & Beast), and a cameo, every single character from First Class is dead. We, as the viewer, were given no chance to attach to that team. Just dead. But we get all the old favorites. Or some. But they aren't the main story and generally upstaged by the other future mutants. Who we dont get attached to and, then, dead. Moving on to Apocalypse, we focus on some of the original movie team. Fine enough, but that also removes the characters from all danger. The ending of DoFP show most alive and well. So while the events don't follow the timeline we know as X1-X3, we still know in this timeline no one dies. Thus, my boredom. Hindsight and all, if the movies were tweaked and the order mixed around (with DoFP as the last film), that would have been a fitting sendoff for the Fox X-Men franchise. Kinda similar to Endgame, but fitting. And I some of the reviews I listened to today talk about 'nerds complaining about continuity. Stupid Nerds.' While I am, it is only because they started it by trying to tie the Stewart & McAvoy films together. When Marvel gets around to making X-Men movies, I hope that Magento is nowhere to be seen. He has been in every single one. And these 4 all had multiple heel/face turns. It got old. "Let's save the day. No, I'm gonna murderkill everyone. No, save the day. Anybody fancy a game of chess?". Has to be something better.

Just tried to find the positional defensive WAR for Pete Rose. Instead found his Hold rate for flyballs hit to Left Field with a runner on 3rd base, with less than two outs. I really miss baseball.

The David Warner professor states when making the anti-ooze that he has no idea if it will work because he deliberately altered the Ooze when making Tokka and Rahzar, thus making them less intelligent. I always took it as he didn't know the anti-ooze would work because the formation of the ooze was an accident to begin with. Small thing, but never noticed. I forgot to mention that this is the first time that I watched any of these after I read the original comics (well, Vol. 1 - 4, but mainly the first). Shocking how much the movie follows a lot of the first 20 or so issues (at least the Foot based story). And that is also why I like TMNT III. Yeah, time travel, but they went to space in issue 5. So time travel isn't so bad.