Missy

Probably not the right thread but, meh. I wasn't going to rush to watch the Marvel / Disney+ 616 docuseries, but considering all of the online chatter about the Dan Slott episode, now I gotta.

As much as I want to get into the House of X / Powers of X era of X-Men, I struggle reading Jonathan Hickman comics. It has nothing to do with the writer; rather, it's the presentation. Comic books -- superhero comic books, especially -- already have their own language. And, to his credit, Hickman attempts to expand that language in his series. And to their credit, Marvel has allowed it a few times over now. But I almost feel too old to learn a new way to read superhero books. So, admittedly, that's all on me. Learning new iconography and reading data pages, it slows the experience down in a way that's akin to the back matter in Watchmen. You know you should read it for the complete world-building experience, but learning about magical flowers and mutant breeding programs is not my ideal X-Men reading experience.

If I'm being totally honest, the season as a whole isn't gelling as much as I would like. Specifically, it's struggling to find an overall tone. However, there are some real gems in Rosa and Demons of the Punjab, the companions are nailing it individually and as a team, and Jodie Whittaker has found her feet as The Doctor.

Ah yes, I do bleep other words sometimes if I worry something might be taken out of context. Because I know podcasts are often listened to as background noise, I don't want someone going, for instance, "Wait a minute! Did they just say that?"

It's been ages, but isn't that song about a daughter who kills her sexually abusive father in self defense?

Please please please don't make Dynamite three-hours long. Unless it's a PPV, I hate wrestling TV shows that are over two hours. No weekly show needs to be three-hours long. A shorter program, like Heat (but with consequences) is a better idea, for my money.

Not sure when I started censoring that word, but it felt like the right thing to do. It's one of those words I use in the UK sense (think Trainspotting), but totally understand why people bristle at it.

So Thunder Rosa just liked one of my tweets.

I used to bleep words on older episodes of Bigger on the Inside. The reason that was done is because a listener told us he played the shows in the car with his kids. Eventually it became tiring doing it. Nowadays, the only word that's bleeped is the C-word.

Very cool!

Cerebro, which just released its 11th episode, is an amazing look into individual X-Men. Each episode begins with a little banter and a "how did you get into [X-character]", then delves into a character file, then the meat of the show. The most recent episode gets into Beast, but really the larger X-world and how the current X-books relate directly to real-world politics. It's a must-listen.

The solicitations sounded fun but maybe too one-note for my liking, so I'm glad to hear otherwise.

Maniac Cop: This was my first ever viewing, and it was alright. Disjointed as hell, but all right. Does anyone know the behind-the-scenes history, by chance? Though it was released in May 1988, it seems as if it was filmed over a considerable period of time. I base this on the fact that it continuously changes what kind of movie it is, and what movies it seems to be taking influence from. For instance: It starts off as a typical Halloween (1978) / Friday the 13th (1980) clone with a slow-moving, overpowered killer in a very distinctive costume. Suddenly, the movie swings away from Tom Atkins to introduce Bruce Campbell, who had just gained genre cred with Evil Dead 2 (1987). Then it briefly leans into a Jason Lives (1986) angle, where the killer appears to be undead. And by the end it becomes a Terminator (1984) clone with the police station slaughter and car chase to a factory / warehouse. If it had stuck with being a clone of one, I think it might have been better off. But by constantly shifting gears, Maniac Cop never finds its own identity. Worse, it comes off like an obvious patchwork of then-popular genre movies. Despite that, I enjoyed the film and can see me revisiting it down the line if only for the powerhouse that is Tom Atkins. Whenever he was on screen, I found my enjoyment increasing tenfold. Two things Maniac Cop has going for it are: The grimy 1980s New York streets. Movies set in New York at this time are so raw. They're like some of the best Westerns, in that there's an authentic outlawness to them. You never know who's over the next hill, or, in this case, around the next corner. So even when the movie shifts focus, it always has the city as its background. Robert Z'Dar is a true presence. Without ever speaking a word, he brings real power to the role. Especially during the flashback sequence. Having heard the first sequel is a much better film, I'm greatly looking forward to watching it on Shudder tonight.

Regarding Born, how can a movie from 2007 look like every Fox TV movie / pilot from 1995-1998?

Just the other day I caught their match from WXW's 2017 16 Carat Gold Tournament, and it was brutal. I cannot imagine it getting more violent.

That scene was also in the one I watched for this episode. However, I think it was added for home media, as I do not recall it being in the theatrical release.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: There's a reason this was the second movie to win all top five Academy Awards. Despite having seen Cuckoo's Nest ten-plus times -- and having read the novel at least three times -- there's always something new to enjoy. This time around it really shocked me that Nurse Ratched doesn't become antagonistic until the literal halfway point of the movie; it takes over one full hour for her to do something downright manipulative. Before that point, yes, she's cold and in control, but she's this way to provide the men stability. Even in the face of McMurphy openly challenging her authority, she keeps it together; she never does anything to actively hurt the men in her care. That all changes, however, after McMurphy steals the boat. She is given the chance to send this thorn in her side back to prison, but she can't let him go because then he'll have won. So she handily convinces the committee of doctors to allow McMurphy to stay in their care. It's here that she has decided to absolutely break McMurphy in half. And when McMurphy finds out he's in there until she says he can go, she thinks she's won. Her quiet glee when McMurphy confronts the other men for not telling him this is palpable. But even still, she does nothing wrong. Nurse Ratched is often seen as the villain of the movie, but she's not. McMurphy is. He upends all their lives because he's playing a game. These are deeply troubled human beings and Nurse Ratched, though firm, is providing them the help they desperately need. There's no intent to keep them institutionalized forever. The only truly diabolical thing Nurse Ratched does is twist Billy around her little finger in the end. After he had sex with Candy and subsequently had the confidence to control his stutter, Nurse Ratched threatens to inform Billy's mother of what he's done -- knowing full well this will break him down again. And it does. His stutter instantly returns as her grovels at her feet. This moment, though, was not about Billy. It was about McMurphy; she threatens Billy to take away McMurphy's power. By helping Billy, McMurphy symbolically stole her power. To reassert herself, Nurse Ratched had to do something quick and harsh. Thus, the threat to inform Billy's mother of his sin, so to speak. Moments later, when her actions have dire consequences, she realizes she's damned herself. When she tells everyone to calm down and go about like normal, there's a slight crack in her voice. It's subtle, but a superb bit of acting. She's barely holding it together, and, in fact, is only doing so for the sake of the men. Louise Fletcher brings so much life to Nurse Ratched, and she plays the role so purposely distant that it's easy to see why Nurse Ratched is on "best villain" lists. Thing is, she's just not a villain. She' makes two regrettable power grabs, resulting in two deaths, her own injury, and an escape. I'm long overdue a reread of the novel, and watching the movie once more pushed me in that direction.

While I think it's too soon for Cody to lose the belt, having just won it back, I do think Darby needs it much more than Cody. He also needs a big win to push him up the midcard.

He needs to somehow* win the AEW title then immediately turn heel. Let him have a good 9-month reign before someone like Hangman knocks him down a peg. *I saw "somehow" because they'll have to get around that "never challenge for the title again" stip.

Agreed. It's hard to tell if kayfabe Cody doesn't realize this, or if real Cody doesn't see it.

Am I the only AEW viewer that's just not into Cody? That's not to say I dislike him. He's a solid worker with great promos, but he just feels out of place on the show. In fact, I was all-in (HA HA) on Cody, up until he lost to MJF. His character has seemed aimless since then, and taking time off to film that game show hasn't helped. Honestly, it feels like the company has moved on without him. And if / when Omega takes the title from Moxley, he's gonna be the new face of it all.

And that's the third and final issue done. What was the point of all this? It sets up a mystery -- that being, the idea that there are three Jokers -- only to piss it away by the end. Without spoiling the last few pages, it seems like Johns had the ending in mind and worked toward that single moment / reveal. Which, dear lord, no. Just like he couldn't keep his hands off of The Killing Joke, someone down the line is going to pick up this new idea and run it into the ground. When Batman grabs Jason, I could swear that dialog is lifted almost wholesale from Batman: Under the Red Hood. What is Barbara even doing here? Yeah, she has an emotional tie to The Joker, but she just stands there doing fuck all except giving Jason someone to pine over. If you can get this as a secondhand trade down the line, give it a go, otherwise there's literally no point to this besides the "shocking" revelation at the end.

Looks great!

Though I've heard of that video, I've never seen it.

Holy shit! I am so damn sorry!