Category: Mainstream Entertainment

All posts relating to general happenings in mainstream entertainment, where it’d be movies, television, music, or other things that fall within that bubble.

Still Pushing OG Switch… Also Spaceballs

It’s been a week or so since the debut of Switch 2 and… I haven’t gotten one yet.

Those who know me or frequented this blog knows that I had intended on waiting. Granted, I did put myself up for a pre-order slot in case the early showcase of launch fare impressed me enough to actually jump the gun… but what was there… didn’t sell me on the console at launch. Pricing also didn’t help matters; if it’s not the consoles, then the games themselves. Thanks, but no thanks.

In any event, I’ve still got more than enough stuff on Switch to play. There’s a backlog of stuff that I really need to start burning through, I’ve got plenty of Mario Maker stuff that I’d like to get cleared up, and really, there’s more than enough mileage left in the old bugger that I have a feeling there’s going to more stuff coming. I may end up getting another Switch if those go down in price… probably one of those OLED units with the nice screen.

I can wait on Switch 2. Hopefully, a price drop will occur, but right now, I’ve got enough stuff to keep me entertained.

In other news, they’re making another Spaceballs movie… due in 2027.

Finally, a real Star Wars movie to look forward to.

The Davies/Miller Comparison

Once upon a time, there was a famed comic book writer named Frank Miller, who wrote a Batman miniseries that got fairly popular called The Dark Knight Returns. People wanted a return to that universe and the closest thing we got was a Spawn/Batman crossover comic in the mid-90s. But then Miller delivered a proper sequel to his Bat-magnum opus called The Dark Knight Strikes Again… and it was shit.

A couple years later, there was a fellow named Russel T. Davies, who was charged by the BBC to create a new version of long dormant sci-fi cult favorite Doctor Who for the telly. The first series ended up being a success and Davies would eventually leave the show after the conclusion of Series 4. And when Davies returned to Doctor Who, people were excited that the man who brought Who back to TV would eventually steer the ship right after it had been derailed by the previous showrunner who isn’t Steven Moffat. Three specials were promising, but the two series that had followed turned out to be utter shit.

I was browsing some site somewhere and someone made the comparison between Davies and Miller, where both had successful first runs with a popular character and then years later, they would return for a second run that would end up being less than stellar. The only difference between the two is that Davies never achieved his Goddamned Batman meme moment, which would’ve made the whole thing worthwhile.

So, I’m somewhat exaggerating here. I’ve only seen a handful of episodes of this past run and to tell the truth… I haven’t seen a single one that I would consider good. There are little moments here and there where maybe – just maybe – there was a shot at the story turning a leaf and actually start to be GIT GUD… but it never happens. And the more I watch of these episodes – mostly out of some misplaced sense of obligation rather than any genuine interest – the more I’ve come to realize that maybe comparing Davies to Miller might be pushing it. Sure, Miller has had some duds in recent years, but I thought DKIII wasn’t all that bad (though that might be due to Miller having a co-author in Brian Azzarello, who generally puts out quality work). Maybe Davies needs a co-runner to compliment his eccentricities. Someone who can get him to pull the reigns and result in better stories.

Or maybe just put the whole franchise on ice for a few years, give the reigns to someone new, and let them start fresh. Leave the silly Billie Piper stuff to Big Finish and give someone else the Doctor role. Or just reboot the whole damned thing and start from scratch. I mean, why not? Everyone seems to be on a goddamned multiverse kick, so why not doing a new series that wipes the slate clean and gives us a new First Doctor? Anything to clear out the mess that the past few years worth of utter garbage had left behind.

I swear to dog, this is the last Doctor Boo post I’ll be doing for a while. Tomorrow, I’ll bitch about something else…

P.S. Yeah, they never followed up on the Susan cameo from a couple episodes ago… but considering how they treated everything else that’s a legacy element, that’s probably for the best.

I Asked ChatGPT To Write A Doctor Who Script… This Is The Result

In the further adventures of Doctor Boo – hence the recycling of yesterday’s banner – I’ve asked ChatGPT to write a brief scene for a Doctor Who script. Granted, it’s an unlikely doctor/companion combination, but it’s already a better script than anything that the show has put out since Steven Moffat stepped down as showrunner.

Minor spoiler, here: but bonus points for not including any crying.

Continue reading “I Asked ChatGPT To Write A Doctor Who Script… This Is The Result”

Why The Avengers Worked (And Nothing Else Does…)

A couple weeks ago, the new Thunderbolts movie came out. As per usual, I did not watch the film due to lack of interest. And then they did a thing for the sake of marketing because… I don’t know why. But they did it. I was still not compelled to watch the new movie in theaters.

But you know what I did watch? The Avengers. The first movie from 2012. Sweet Sassy Molassy, that’s a great movie. And it still holds up. But more than anything, as I was watching this movie, it just sort of clicked that they tried a thing with this movie and it worked. It simply worked. To the point where others have tried similar things and those didn’t quite work.

And I got to thinking… why? Well, here’s my thought on that.

Continue reading “Why The Avengers Worked (And Nothing Else Does…)”

The Braun Strowman Eating Show Debuts This Fall…

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/everything-on-the-menu-with-braun-strowman-set-to-premiere-on-usa-network-this-fall/

So Braun Strowman was recently released by WWE and no doubt is currently waiting his 90-day no-compete period. However, he will be featured in a new program on USA Network this fall, in which he ventures across America and consume copious amounts of food.

I’m not sure how much culinary experience Braun Strowman actually possesses. The most I got was this Bon Appetit video where he’s making a lobster roll and he’s competent enough to cook that, at least. So him having a show about eating food at different restaurants… hey, look, good on him. He’s got a good gig. I’d wish him success on this venture and hopefully, it turns into a nice side hustle for him… but they just recently released him and now I’m wondering if maybe this isn’t better off as a tax write-off… unless you plan on giving the guy a nostalgia deal or something.

Anyway, it airs on USA this fall. Probably not airing around my neck of the woods, but if it did… maybe I’d give it a shot if it popped up on my TV… anyway, all the best to Braun Strowman in whatever he does going forward.

Screen Rant Is Worthless

Who actually reads Screen Rant around here?

It seems like every time I look up news for a particular piece of entertainment – whether it’d be a long-running franchise whose only presence is relegated to a monthly comic book or a recently-released motion picture based on a comic book property and is also part of a long-running cinematic universe – I’d see dozens upon dozens of these headlines from Screen Rant in general and they’re usually among the most inane pieces that I’ve come across.

Sometimes it’s complaining about a sequel that never came and devoting no more than a handful of articles dedicated to this supposed missed opportunity. Other times, it’s talking about minor plot points in a film that, oh yeah, thanks for spoiling, assholes. (Not that I’d care; I’m usually looking up the synopsis on Wikipedia for these things anyway.) And on rare occasions that they’re actually dispensing some sort of actual news articles, they’re written in a way that feel more like opinion pieces than actual news articles that, you know, tell you the news.

People will now go “But Dave, you fool! You sometimes post links to news pages and then share your thoughts! What’s the difference?!”

Difference is that this is a blog where I share my thoughts on things. I’m not reporting news; I’m just regurgitating what’s there, add my thoughts, and if you want to learn more, here’s the page I got the news from. Also, I don’t get paid for this shit. The shit on that site, however, is content that people are paid to write. People earn money writing this crap. I get this is an age where anyone can get monetized if they want, but there has to be a limit in terms of the quality of the material.

Is this me being bitter?

I don’t know… I’m not sure if I’d consider what I do here worthy of commission. I just post thoughts and move on with my day. You’d figure that anyone in the so-called professional field would put more care into their work.

But no, I’m being annoyed… at these search engines who brings these inane opinion pieces up and try to pass them off as news.

That and the clickbait.

Oh, boy… the clickbait.

That shit can go fuck itself too.

This has been your Sunday Morning session of old man yelling at cloud.

The Folies Of A Title

In case you missed, the new Thunderbolts* movie came out in theaters… or are we supposed to call it the New Avengers now? Does it really matter?

I’ve heard good things about it, for whatever it’s worth. And it’s probably one of those movies that I wouldn’t mind watching if I had nothing better to do… but at no point did I felt compelled to want to watch this in theaters and a title change isn’t going to change matters. Instead, I just went back and watched the old Avengers movie and… lo and behold, that still holds up. I actually want to go back and write a quick thing about why that Avengers work and this one… kinda doesn’t… but that’s another story.

And hey… don’t feel too bad, Marvel. It takes a rare film to actually make me want to put with up with the overpriced experience of sitting in a stinky hall with a bunch of obnoxious kids flashing their FUCKING TELEPHONES (GET REAL) and being irritating little shits who wouldn’t shut the fuck up. I’ll watch your Thunderbolt Avenger thing when it hits Disney+ and I can be bothered to put up with your shitty, shitty, interface.

Anyway, that’s not what I really wanted to talk about. It’s just something that conveniently fits with the title of this post… but even before this whole thing became a thing, there was a sudden thought that came to mind one day that I wanted to share… and believe it or not, it’s not entirely dreadful or negative… maybe partly, but not mostly… close enough, I suppose.

So I’ve read somewhere – not going to link the source because it’s a “problem” site for some people due to certain triggering viewpoints that I don’t share, but they do make me laugh – that some people have issues with the title of the next Spider-Man film with Tom Holland. For those who don’t know, the next Spider-Man film will be called Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Why do people have an issue with Brand New Day as a title? Because it’s the same title as the storyline that immediately followed the controversial and much derided One More Day storyline… you know, the one where Spider-Man made a deal with the devil to end his marriage for the life of Aunt May.

Now, it’s no secret that I absolutely despise One More Day, both as a storyline and also as an attempt at a soft reboot of sorts. It is the absolute low point and creative nadir of Spider-Man that pretty much destroyed any interest I have in the character. I can go back and re-read old Spider-Man comics just fine, but anything that has come out afterwards – with the exception of the brief Superior Spider-Man run – I refuse to give even a passing glance. I’ve read stuff here and there, but for the most part, I couldn’t give two fucks about Spider-Verses or whatever bullshit they got going on where they bring Spder-Man up to a higher level, only to take him down several pegs because “down on his luck Parker” is something we can’t move past because the people involved in the creatively bankrupt direction of the character are a bunch of talentless hacks.

So naturally, I should take exception to the fact that the movie shares a name with a storyline that follows the lowpoint of Spider-Man creative… except I really don’t. And the simple reason is that Brand New Day the comic event and Brand New Day the movie are two different things that share a similar premise; a brand new start for Spider-Man.

In the case of Brand New Day the movie, this is following No Way Home, where – spoilers – the world has forgotten Peter Parker and the character is pretty much given a clean slate. The next movie is essentially a soft reboot where he’ll have a new supporting cast, be involved in a new situation, and stuff happens from there. In this particular context, Brand New Day makes sense as a title because it is a new beginning, as it were.

Also, last time I checked, Dr. Strange is not Mephisto, who is supposed to be the devil… now if you want to make a case for Benedict Cumberbatch being the devil, that’s another story entirely, but for now, we’ll give Sherlock the benefit of the doubt.

So, it’s the same deal when they decided to dub the third Captain America movie Civil War. Both the comic event and the movie shared similar plot points and both went in similar directions. And again, I was not a fan of the Civil War event in the comics – in part due to its contributions in the progressive destruction of the Spider-Man character as a result of One More Day – but also, I just didn’t like the story in general. On the flip side, I did enjoy the movie. I thought it was good and it did introduce the world to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, which I still think is a great take on the character at a younger age. I had no issues with the movie sharing the same name as a comic event I didn’t care for, because I know it wasn’t going to be the same thing.

So, for anyone who has some quibble over the name of the next Spider-Man movie, the movie isn’t following Spider-Man making a deal with the devil to end his marriage. It’s following Peter Parker in a world that has no knowledge of who he is. Brand New Day denotes a clean slate and this fourth movie is looking to be pretty much that… and I can’t help but be curious as to where they go from here. Because at the end of the day, I still enjoy Spider-Man. I don’t enjoy what they’re doing with the character these days, but a part of me still wants to see that character endure and do well.

And hey, I tell a little fib. I actually do enjoy the current Ultimate Spider-Man book. That’s a good comic. I just hope Marvel doesn’t fuck that up like they’ve fucked up everything else they do these days, but… I’ll try to enjoy the ride while I can.

Not A Fantastic Trailer

I’ve seen the new Fantastic Four trailer… I don’t feel like embedding it here.

To be honest, I’m not really feeling this one. The performances feel a bit flat, the special effects are not all that great, the new Silver Surfer looks worse than the old Silver Surfer from the old movies, and there’s no chemistry among the cast, which paints a grim picture when this is supposed to be one big happy family.

I don’t know… can I just go back to the old movies? Maybe get in touch with Roger Corman’s estate and get his version of FF available to the masses? I mean, if you want me to say something positive, it’s not Fan Four Stick from 2015, but that’s a very, VERY low bar to surpass.

It’s a bit of a shame too, because I actually do dig the retro-futuristic vibe of the world they’re living in, I like how we’re going into this at a point where the Fantastic Four are already hailed as heroes and this is basically their toughest challenge yet.  There’s just enough there that I actually want to find something to look forward to with this one… but at the same time, after two trailers, I come away less enthusiastic about this film than I was before. And that’s without diving into some of the creative choices behind certain aspects or some of the press stuff that has people in a fit, which… look, I generally don’t care about that stuff. All I care about is a movie that’s entertaining and if I get that much, I’m satisfied.

So, yeah… I’m not ready to throw the towel on this yet. At best, this is looking to be “straight to DVD” for me, but maybe a final trailer is what I need to really be excited for this thing. It’d be nice to be excited for a Marvel movie; I haven’t been that way for a while.

I don’t know… we’ll see, I suppose.