Disney Offers Only 30 Minutes for Questions in Its Quarterly Earnings Report; Offers Excuses For Low Attendance At Its Parks

They have a great, Spinal-Tap-Manager-Level euphemism for poor park attendance: a "moderation of consumer demand" for its services and "experiences."

In Disney's seemingly never-ending game of corporate Whac-a-Mole, a new trouble spot has arisen: Americans -- battered by years of high inflation -- have less money to spend on amusement, imperiling growth at Disney theme parks.

Why is this inflationary problem affecting Disney in particular?

Maybe because it's not all about inflation. Maybe it has to do with hiring men sporting thick black beards to play female Disney Princesses at their shops.

On Wednesday, Disney reported weaker-than-expected theme park results for the three months that ended on June 29. Revenue increased 2 percent from a year earlier, to $8.4 billion, while operating profit declined 3 percent, to $2.2 billion.
Disney blamed a "moderation of consumer demand" that "exceeded our previous expectations," along with higher costs. Disney said softening demand "could impact the next few quarters."
Disney added that it was "aggressively managing our cost base."

In other words: we're laying people off, and also not greenlighting any new movies, except for sequels to money-making movies.

...

Mr. Iger has been trying to move Disney beyond a tumultuous period when activist investors sought to alter the company's direction. One activist, Nelson Peltz, mounted a proxy contest for board seats this year and harshly criticized Disney's streaming strategy, succession planning and lagging stock price. Disney fended off the attacks, but its share price has fallen 27 percent since early April.
"If Disney doesn't manage to reverse this negative trend, the specter of an activist rebellion will rear its head again," Paul Verna, a media analyst at Emarketer, a research firm, said in an email last week.
...
Disney also benefited from improved streaming results. Together, Disney's three services (Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+) generated $47 million in operating income, compared with a loss of $512 million a year earlier. It was the first time that Disney's direct-to-consumer division as a whole turned a profit. Disney previously said it would not achieve that goal until later this year.

The "profit" is largely due to Disney cancelling most of its awful, awful shows and movies, and mostly just coasting on already-paid-for "content."

And Hulu has always been profitable. Disney now owns Hulu outright -- they have yet to pay for it, of course -- so the increases might also reflect Disney's sole ownership of the somewhat-successful streaming service.

Speaking of Disney cancelling its awful Disney Minus shows: They had hired the maker of the insanely-racist Dear White People show -- which is nothing but minorities shaming white people for being born to an inferior race -- to make a new show about Lando Calrissian.

They've now cancelled that piece of shit.

Director Justin Simien (Dear White People) has confirmed that Lando, a series from the Star Wars franchise, has been cancelled while in development.
Lando was set to focus on a young Lando Calrissian, a gambler and semi-retired smuggler from the Star Wars universe.
In an interview to Collider, the director of the now-cancelled series Simien stated, "It [the series] was pretty developed. There was a bible. There was concept art. There were scripts. But it just wasn't meant to be."
Regarding the cancellation of the project, he said, "There's so much that I experience that I get to keep forever and take into the next project. I can't obviously take the storyline or the IP or the characters, but there's so much more that I got, as a maker, and that's mine. Sorry, it's too late, you can't take that part back."

Yeah I'm sure that stuff is really great. They always cancel shows with really great concepts and storylines.

If they really liked the storyline, they could just pay you for that. But they didn't.

Chris Gore, who I usually trust but not on this, claims that he's spoken to Disney people and they claim that Marvel Studios has purged most of its "activist producers."

Film Threat founder and acclaimed writer Chris Gore made the claims about Marvel during an appearance on The Critical Drinker's podcast on Friday.
'I do know people who work at Marvel -- they have cleaned house. They quietly, months ago, fired all the producers that could be labeled 'activist,'' said Gore.
Gore explained that president of Marvel studios, Kevin Feige recognized that going woke didn't work for them, revealing that '[Feige] said he tried it, it didn't work.'

'He's talking about Phase 4,' continued the noted film critic. 'That's it. Tried it, didn't work. No Kang, none of these side characters that don't have the legacy of classic characters.
'And if Deadpool & Wolverine proves anything...you've heard that phrase 'male and pale is stale'? That was spoken aloud across studios. But if you look at box office this year, I would say 'male and pale is money'. And that's the phrase that I think people should more adopt.'
In contrast, Gore said the rival studio, also owned by Disney, Lucasfilm, 'is lost.'
'They are doubling down on all the nonsense. You will never get anything good out of Lucasfilm and Star Wars. That's it,' said Gore.
Gore predicted a return to success for the Marvel franchise as they release the remaining 'woke' movies in the can, before focusing solely on entertaining viewers, rather than preaching to them.
'I think we're gonna get a year of bad Marvel stuff,' said Gore, referring to the upcoming television series Agatha All Along and Ironheart as well as the soon-to-be-released Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four.

All of the YouTube pop culture critics emphasize that even if it's true that the Woke Baboon Kevin Feige fired the wokies -- and I doubt that it is true; I think some Disney people are putting out a false, optimistic spin -- they still have their content pipeline stuffed fill with all the woke losers they've been greenlighting for the past five years.

Note that Marvel would never publicly say they're cancelling the woke. And if you don't have the guts to say it, I don't think you could have the guts to do it.

Marvel's doomed either way. The mistake Feige made was deciding to kill all of the actual known, popular characters when their actors wanted to move on, or wanted too many tens of millions of dollars to keep playing these characters.

Instead of simply recasting Iron Man, Captain America, etc. and carrying on James Bond Style (or Batman style), Feige took the opportunity to just kill them and replace them with woke analogues, just like they'd done in the comic books -- where the initiative also failed, disastrously.

But this low-talent idiot (many of the movies that were actually good were good because of Ike Perlmutter's involvement and common-sense judgment that fundamentally, superhero fare is a boys entertainment thing) believed his own hype and really thought that he could turn unpopular failed characters like Captain Marvel into superstars.

Marvel has something like 10,000 characters. Now they're not nearly all superheroes -- every superhero has a rogues gallery of dozens of mostly-forgettable villains. And the list of characters include all of the normie civilians a superhero counts as his supporting cast. No one will be doing a standalone movie about Peter Parker's news delivery boy, for example.

Although now that I say it aloud, Sony might just try to make Timmy the Newsboy into its own IP....

I mention the large number of Marvel characters to make this point: Of those 10,000 characters, how many characters can you name? If you're a comic book fan, you might be able to name 200-300, tops.

If you're a normie, you can maybe name 30. The various characters you've seen in movies, even though you might not know their names. You could say "Oh the Jeff Bridges one" or "the Gwyneth Paltrow one."

Stan Lee was asked a long time ago how he managed to create about 100 highly lucrative, popular characters. He answered something like, "Simple, create 10,000 characters and wait for 1% of them to catch on with the public."

My point is that even Stan Lee created a lot of nothing "characters." Characters barely worth the bother of naming. Characters with no real market value.

But Kevin Feige decided that he's such a super-genius and Master Storyteller on par with Homer that he could just pick whatever zero-value character from the comics and make them into major players.

I remember five years ago: Feige and Marvel began hinting that, to replace Captain American and Iron Man, they were thinking of making a movie about (wait for it...) Nova. Nova! Can you believe it? NOVA!

If you're wondering "who the f*** is Nova?," well, it's a zero-value character that Marvel has been pushing since the seventies, with very little positive public response. He's basically a human who was granted Discount Generic Superman powers by the Nova Corps, who in turn were in Guardians of the Galaxy in a fairly minor way.

So that was Feige's idea -- sure, I'm getting rid of Captain America and Iron Man, but I'll just do what no other content creator has ever done before and turn Nova into a big thing.

Same with all the woke characters he's crapped out-- Ms. Marvel, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man's annoying woke daughter.

Feige promised, proudly, that he would deliver a Marvel Universe that was more than 50% female super-heroes, as if that's a great thing. He's finding out it's not.

Crusty "old think" billionaire Ike Perlmutter was right when he told Feige that boys just didn't care about female superheroes. And Perlmutter knew this, based on experience, because he had owned the Marvel toy-making rights for decades, and knew that female characters were peg-warmers that sat on the shelves forever.

(Ethan Van Sciver talks about "the Fantastic ratio," referring to the one woman among the four characters of the Fantastic Four, figuring that about one woman for every three male characters is about the right ratio for a universe that appeals mostly to boys.)

But even if Feige had kept to the "Fantastic Ratio," he'd still have a problem: Having decided to kill off most of the 1% of characters with actual public recognition appeal, he was left with male characters who'd never caught on.

Like Nova.

Like "Starfox," introduced in the end credits of The Eternals.

It wasn't just wokeness that killed Marvel, though that was 50%.

The other 50% of it was Feige's insane delusion that he could mint one popular new character after another. Stan Lee said that he'd created 100 popular characters by creating 10,000 characters, with a 1% hit rate; Feige believed that he could up that 1% success rate to... 100%. 100%. Every single dreg character he put in a movie or TV show would become the next Captain America, just because he's that damn good.

There is no way out of this. And the stunt casting of Robert Downey Jr. as some multiverse version of Doctor Doom will not get them out of this hole.

Marvel has about, at absolute maximum, 15 characters and teams (like the Fantastic Four or X-Men) that can sustain movies. And that's it. That's all. Just those 15.

It took Marvel Comics 70 years to produce 15 characters big enough for the big screen. Feige cannot add another 15 to that list in just a couple of years.

It's insane that he ever thought he could.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 04:39 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Burn mouse burn

Posted by: Formerly Virginian at August 07, 2024 04:39 PM (JMAcK)

2 I NOODed

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at August 07, 2024 04:40 PM (ynpvh)

3 Top 10??

Posted by: Steve_in_SoCal at August 07, 2024 04:41 PM (FxH7T)

4 warning long: If you're worried about the "harris is leading in the polls!" talk...

Harris leading nationally means she's on track to win the popular vote. That's it.

PA wins the election.

In fact, if you start with the 270towin map, Trump has many more paths to victory than Kamala:

1. Win PA and win with 270 EVs

2. Don't win PA but win both MI and WI and win with 287 EVs

3. Win just one of WI or MI and also AZ and win between 272-277 EVs

4. Win AZ and NV and any one of the rust belt states and win

5. Even if he loses ALL the rust belt states, he can win AZ and NV, and then win another chunk of Maine. The state has 4 EVs up for grabs. Trump is favored to win one, Kamala to win the other, but the other two are only slightly leaning for Kamala. Steal that and he gets to 270 EVs

6. Even if he loses ALL the rust belt states, he can win AZ and NV and then he only needs to flip the one district in Nebraska that went for Biden in 2020. That gives him a 269 tie and an ultimate win via state delegation voting.

Six different paths to victory for Trump...

Posted by: Shenanigans at August 07, 2024 04:41 PM (pZ0Mr)

5 A Disney thread, thank God!

All those Walz threads were driving me nuts.

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 04:41 PM (v6JzV)

6 Kamala's paths to victory are much narrower. Accoring to 270towin she's starting out with only 226 safe EVs. She needs to win...

1. all three rust belt states (PA, MI, and WI)- that gets her 270

2. If she doesn't win all three, she MUST win PA. If she wins PA and WI, but loses MI, she still needs both AZ and NV to win

3. If she doesn't win all three rust belt states, she MUST win PA, If she wins PA and MI, but loses WI, she has to win AZ

4. If she doesn't win all three rust belt states, she MUST win PA, if she wins it but doesn't win either of MI or WI, she has to win both AZ and NV and steal one that Trump is favored in, such as GA or NC.

tl;dr: She has a much tougher path to win, and will need to do a lot of campaigning to seal the deal. I don't think her tightly controlled, hidden from media, chained-to-teleprompter strategy will do it.

Posted by: Shenanigans at August 07, 2024 04:41 PM (pZ0Mr)

7 I just want a ROM Space Knight movie, is that too much to ask?

Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 04:41 PM (XV/Pl)

8 >>>a "moderation of consumer demand" for its services and "experiences."

Yeah, lead by gayification of everything Disney and embracing child sexualization and sterilization.

Consumers' fault.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at August 07, 2024 04:42 PM (i24o9)

9 Disney just gave employees a massive pay raise when faced with threats of a strike, so I'm sure that's not going to help with numbers for the parks going forward.

Posted by: Xander Crews at August 07, 2024 04:42 PM (rEmVK)

10 Just like I want dem voters to be able to use a bit of logic, I want Disney to remember what they should be.

Posted by: Piper at August 07, 2024 04:42 PM (pZEOD)

11 "The other 50% of it was Feige's insane delusion that he could mint one popular new character after another."

Hard to blame him on that point. Iron Man was a solid B-list hero before the 2009 movie. Everyone always wants to catch lightning in a bottle twice.

Posted by: neverBiden at August 07, 2024 04:42 PM (eIGHH)

12 Weaker than expected?

A two year old could have seen this earnings train wreck coming.

I'm guessing Corporate Disney has all pro CYA players, these days.

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (tT6L1) at August 07, 2024 04:43 PM (tT6L1)

13 ICYMI, Critical Drinker discusses Gore's comments here.

https://tinyurl.com/zexmunfy

Posted by: Archimedes at August 07, 2024 04:43 PM (xCA6C)

14
It's a small dividend after all.

Posted by: Frank Barone at August 07, 2024 04:43 PM (+oR7L)

15 DEI Supes.

Posted by: Axeman at August 07, 2024 04:43 PM (krQz2)

16 What does this have to do with Miss Buxley?

Posted by: wth at August 07, 2024 04:44 PM (v0R5T)

17 >>>Hard to blame him on that point. Iron Man was a solid B-list hero before the 2009 movie. Everyone always wants to catch lightning in a bottle twice.

yeah but a solid B-list hero who had always had his own standalone book.

Not every character can support a standalone book. Iron Man is one of the few that can, even if he was on the lower end in sales.

Posted by: ace the influencer at August 07, 2024 04:44 PM (KRtlO)

18 Not willowed this time.

Posted by: Braenyard at August 07, 2024 04:44 PM (agLqO)

19 Disney Feature and puppet show.

Posted by: goatexchange at August 07, 2024 04:44 PM (4DA1h)

20 The other 50% of it was Feige's insane delusion that he could mint one popular new character after another. Stan Lee said that he'd created 100 popular characters by creating 10,000 characters, with a 1% hit rate; Feige believed that he could up that 1% success rate to... 100%. 100%. Every single dreg character he put in a movie or TV show would become the next Captain America, just because he's that damn good.

========

I blame Guardians of the Galaxy.

Riding high on the MCU train, they gave near total control to James Gunn who took a nothing group and made them fun and lovable in that trademarked Gunn manner.

And Feige just kind of figured that would be the default reaction from audiences to weird characters coming out of the woodwork.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:44 PM (GBKbO)

21 Disney: Vote Kamala, we need the bailout!

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (tT6L1) at August 07, 2024 04:44 PM (tT6L1)

22 If they kept the costume true to source material, I'd watch a Black Cat movie.

Posted by: Darury at August 07, 2024 04:44 PM (wIMDY)

23
Are there tampon machines in the mens rooms at Disney parks?

Posted by: Tampon Tim Walz at August 07, 2024 04:45 PM (+oR7L)

24 I also want a Quinten Tarantino scripted and directed Power Man and Iron Fist.

This would literally be right up his alley.

He loves Blackplotiation movies, he loves Kung Fu.

It would be awesome.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 04:45 PM (XV/Pl)

25 17 yeah but a solid B-list hero who had always had his own standalone book.

Not every character can support a standalone book. Iron Man is one of the few that can, even if he was on the lower end in sales.

Posted by: ace the influencer at August 07, 2024 04:44 PM (KRtlO)

========

And...Iron Man was a surprise. It wasn't guaranteed.

And they built the entire Phase 1 around him, effectively. He was the main lynchpin to everything.

They accidentally struck gold, built an empire on him, and thought they could just do it again.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:45 PM (GBKbO)

26 Feige promised, proudly, that he would deliver a Marvel Universe that was more than 50% female super-heroes, as if that's a great thing. He's finding out it's not.
-----

Don't forget he killed off the popular female "super" hero because she was hot!! (and wanted too much money, I'm sure.)

Posted by: Formerly Virginian at August 07, 2024 04:45 PM (JMAcK)

27 The other 50% of it was Feige's insane delusion that he could mint one popular new character after another.

Except that was entirely motivated by his neo-marxist crew. "we need another black guy~!" "we need another grrrl-boss~!" "we need a mocha-choca-qixicotal-lesbian~~!"

Remember, IronMan was a D list character. No normie knew the name Tony Stark before the movie.

Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 04:45 PM (IG4Id)

28 Hard to blame him on that point. Iron Man was a solid B-list hero before the 2009 movie. Everyone always wants to catch lightning in a bottle twice.
Posted by: neverBiden at August 07, 2024 04:42 PM (eIGHH)

———-

The Guardians of the Galaxy were C listers at best.

Posted by: MAGA_Ken at August 07, 2024 04:45 PM (nNux3)

29 DisneyChannel is pretty shitty now.

Bunch of crappy animated shows.

And live action shows with blacks and other minorities. It's the BET of children's programming....with dildos for the kids!

They actually had pretty fun shows even a few years ago. Dumpster fire now.

Posted by: Stateless at August 07, 2024 04:46 PM (jvJvP)

30 Marvel Mystery Oil.

Posted by: Commissar of Plenty and Lysenkoism in Solidarity with the Struggle at August 07, 2024 04:46 PM (v7b9S)

31 Iron Man was second to Spider Man in my childhood superhero pantheon.

Didn't Tony Stark have a bad heart? That was one of the things that I found attractive about the character, IIRC.

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 04:47 PM (v6JzV)

32 If memory serves, Downey is getting something like $100M for his return as...somebody. Yeah, that'll get them out of their financial hole.

Posted by: Archimedes at August 07, 2024 04:47 PM (xCA6C)

33 DIe Mouse Die 🐁 🔪

Posted by: Skip at August 07, 2024 04:47 PM (fwDg9)

34 'I do know people who work at Marvel -- they have cleaned house. They quietly, months ago, fired all the producers that could be labeled 'activist,'' said Gore.
_______
In this context - Marvel - that could mean something like saying the Democrat ticket is "moderate."

Posted by: Eeyore at August 07, 2024 04:47 PM (1bNHn)

35 The other 50% of it was Feige's insane delusion that he could mint one popular new character after another. Stan Lee said that he'd created 100 popular characters by creating 10,000 characters, with a 1% hit rate; Feige believed that he could up that 1% success rate to... 100%. 100%. Every single dreg character he put in a movie or TV show would become the next Captain America, just because he's that damn good.
_____________________________

Another hilarious problem is that Stan Lee could make 10,000 characters because (comparatively) making a comic book is cheap and if it fails, try another.

Making a 200M+ movie that fails? You don't get 10,000 of those.

Posted by: Formerly Virginian at August 07, 2024 04:47 PM (JMAcK)

36 ace, I can't wait around until 100 so I'm posting this now, but you might want to see comment #108 and #147 in this earlier thread. The video in the second link is worth a watch if you've got time (it's linked in my name field right now, too):

https://tinyurl.com/23nujyl3

Posted by: Moron Robbie - Muzzle flash in window, SS costume, tattoos, and outside of perimeter at August 07, 2024 04:47 PM (Ledxi)

37 Director Justin Simien (Dear White People)
________________

Unfortunate name for a black guy.

Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at August 07, 2024 04:48 PM (YqDXo)

38 Actually, Iron Man teamed up with Spiderman a lot, same goes for DareDevil.

Marvel would use SpiderMan to boost their other characters.

I still find it fascinating that no matter how hard they try they cannot make The Fantastic Four work.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 04:48 PM (XV/Pl)

39 I blame Guardians of the Galaxy.
Riding high on the MCU train, they gave near total control to James Gunn who took a nothing group and made them fun and lovable in that trademarked Gunn manner.

There's a game, too, which I'm told is good.

Posted by: gKWVE at August 07, 2024 04:48 PM (gKWVE)

40 Imma use that with my boss: there’s been a moderation of employee give a fuck.

Posted by: haffhowershower at August 07, 2024 04:48 PM (5wPLo)

41
The only superheroes I want another movie with is Team America! World Police.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia's office at August 07, 2024 04:48 PM (pgtWZ)

42 ace, I can't wait around until 100 so I'm posting this now, but you might want to see comment #108 and #147 in this earlier thread. The video in the second link is worth a watch if you've got time (it's linked in my name field right now, too):

https://tinyurl.com/23nujyl3
Posted by: Moron Robbie

Ace has repeatedly stated that he does not have a 100-comment rule. That's only CBD's/Kris' Art Thread.

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 04:49 PM (v6JzV)

43 “If you're a normie, you can maybe name 30. The various characters you've seen in movies…”

If you’re a normie dweeb you might can name 30. An actual normie might name 2 or 3. My wife is a normie, if I asked her what Marvel characters she knew, she would say “What’s Marvel?”
And I would say “you know, those cartoon superhero movies.”
And she would say “get out, you know I won’t watch that crap.”

Posted by: Tom Servo at August 07, 2024 04:49 PM (W4qJF)

44 42 Ace has repeatedly stated that he does not have a 100-comment rule. That's only CBD's/Kris' Art Thread.
Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 04:49 PM (v6JzV)

=======

True.

Weekend threads don't have 100 comment rules.

They have 1000 comment rules.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:49 PM (GBKbO)

45 Marvel comic writers explained that they were ready to be sidelined a few years ago. One bint said she planned for it and said they'd just tone it down for a few years then reactivate the race, ghey, girl boss shit.

I think they aren't going to change, just turtle until investors go back to sleep.

Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 04:50 PM (IG4Id)

46 I suspect if they tried to sell the quality equivalent of Iron Man today, nobody would go to see it. It's been done, and people have moved on.

Posted by: Archimedes at August 07, 2024 04:50 PM (xCA6C)

47 I think Kill Bill is the upper limit to how campy Tarantino ever wants to be. He would reject capeshit in the blink of an eye.

Posted by: BourbonChicken at August 07, 2024 04:50 PM (cf/0E)

48 Moron Robbie, you don't have to wait 100 posts to go off topic in my threads. As I always say, I crap out eight of these a day, I don't care if you stay on topic or go off topic. The 100 post rule mostly applies to the specialty interest threads posted by cobs. I want the gardening thread, for example, to have a little room to be about gardening before turning into another political thread.

but on my posts, who cares? Go for it.

Posted by: ace the influencer at August 07, 2024 04:50 PM (KRtlO)

49 Lando Calrissian was a good character because he was played by Billy Dee Williams. Anyone else (including Donald Glover) is a waste of time

Posted by: Smell the Glove at August 07, 2024 04:50 PM (lyna3)

50 Marvel would use Spider Man to boost their other characters.
Posted by: Thomas Bender

There was even a crossover with DC where Spider Man teamed up with Superman.

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 04:51 PM (v6JzV)

51 Could always do some Sgt Rock

Posted by: A dude in MI at August 07, 2024 04:51 PM (/6GbT)

52 The sidebar's link to Instapundit for the story on Axios is fail.

Posted by: Born Free at August 07, 2024 04:51 PM (6kqgf)

53 Ace has repeatedly stated that he does not have a 100-comment rule. That's only CBD's/Kris' Art Thread.
Posted by: Bulgaroctonus

-

Yes, my approach is mainly a show of respect.

Also letting the thread develop naturally instead of abruptly changing it from his topic to something else just because there's potential content he might like to see.

Regardless, I'm out. Y'all have fun.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - Muzzle flash in window, SS costume, tattoos, and outside of perimeter at August 07, 2024 04:51 PM (Ledxi)

54
#36 wow. If this was Yearick all along and not Crooks, where/who is Crooks?

Also, I was shocked when they said it wasn't Yearick. The dead guy and a pic of Yearick were so close.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia's office at August 07, 2024 04:51 PM (pgtWZ)

55 I mostly liked the MCU up through Avengers: Endgame, which is when I quit the MCU.

Sure, there were a few clunkers like Captain Marvel, but for the most part it was enjoyable popcorn fare.

They really should have shelved the MCU for a decade or so after Endgame to give the audience breathing room. And then when they tooled it up again, it would be fresh and new for the upcoming generation.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 07, 2024 04:51 PM (7fElN)

56 47 I think Kill Bill is the upper limit to how campy Tarantino ever wants to be. He would reject capeshit in the blink of an eye.
Posted by: BourbonChicken at August 07, 2024 04:50 PM (cf/0E)

=======

Tarantino has two levels in his cinematic universe.

The base level is the more grounded stuff like Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

The other level is the heightened level like Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds that would function as movies within the other universe.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:52 PM (GBKbO)

57 This stock crap is killing the little guy who has a 401k that invests in stocks. disney used to be a go to stock for that sort of stuff. I hope most of those plans dumped disney stock when it started tanking.

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at August 07, 2024 04:52 PM (QNSds)

58 10 Just like I want dem voters to be able to use a bit of logic, I want Disney to remember what they should be.
Posted by: Piper
---------------------

They want to change the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK2B6JDL4cA

Posted by: Braenyard at August 07, 2024 04:52 PM (agLqO)

59 Could always do some Sgt Rock

The left would have kittens if you had a movie where the characters talked about killing Japs. I reckon Krauts are still okay, seeing as how they're white and all.

Posted by: Archimedes at August 07, 2024 04:52 PM (xCA6C)

60 48 The 100 post rule mostly applies to the specialty interest threads posted by cobs. I want the gardening thread, for example, to have a little room to be about gardening before turning into another political thread.

but on my posts, who cares? Go for it.
Posted by: ace the influencer at August 07, 2024 04:50 PM (KRtlO)

========

Can I have the temerity to ask once more about a login?

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:52 PM (GBKbO)

61 "Americans -- battered by years of high inflation -- have less money to spend on amusement"

=======

So it isn't the greatest economy ever then?

Posted by: Jay in PA at August 07, 2024 04:52 PM (i7Q7S)

62 Hard to blame him on that point. Iron Man was a solid B-list hero before the 2009 movie. Everyone always wants to catch lightning in a bottle twice.
Posted by: neverBiden at August 07, 2024 04:42 PM (eIGHH)

This is true, but Spiderman is really the only A list hero they had.

X-Men are B list. The make it to A-list as a group, not individually. (Wolverine possibly excluded.) Hulk hovers between A and B list.

Fantastic Four MAYBE C list. Captain America, too.

Iron Man was among the rest of the D list dregs that make up most of marvel.

Like you said, it was lightning in a bottle to turn him into an A list movie hero.

Posted by: Formerly Virginian at August 07, 2024 04:52 PM (JMAcK)

63 @49

>>Billy Dee Williams. Anyone else (including Donald Glover) is a waste of time

Billy Dee Williams was a bigtime actor and hand done quality work so him being in Star Wars was a big deal.

Donald Glover literally just Danny Glovers son and hasn't really done shit.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 04:52 PM (XV/Pl)

64
In Disney's seemingly never-ending game of corporate Whac-a-Mole, a new trouble spot has arisen: Americans -- battered by years of high inflation -- have less money to spend on amusement, imperiling growth at Disney theme parks.

----------------

Rename the parks "Bidenland."

Posted by: ShainS -- Cat Ladies for Trump & Vance! at August 07, 2024 04:53 PM (+Q2yk)

65 63 Donald Glover literally just Danny Glovers son and hasn't really done shit.
Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 04:52 PM (XV/Pl)

=======

They're not related.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:53 PM (GBKbO)

66
“If you're a normie, you can maybe name 30. The various characters you've seen in movies…”

++++++++++++

If you named a FAMOUS superhero to me, I couldn't tell you whether it was Marvel or DC.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia's office at August 07, 2024 04:53 PM (pgtWZ)

67 Dan Abnett was the script-doctor for the first Guardians movie.

Trying to describe the charm of that movie, and it is very good, if you took a DeLorean back to 1977, and showed people that movie ... they would forget all about Star Wars.

You can argue that effects hadn't really arrived yet, but damn nostalgia is rose-tinted.

Posted by: BourbonChicken at August 07, 2024 04:53 PM (cf/0E)

68 Well, there's Hellboy, and Conan, and Tom Hanks from Road to Perdition...

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:54 PM (GBKbO)

69 They really should have shelved the MCU for a decade or so after Endgame to give the audience breathing room. And then when they tooled it up again, it would be fresh and new for the upcoming generation.

The MBAs would never allow it. Their magic destroys every business they touch.

Posted by: Archimedes at August 07, 2024 04:54 PM (xCA6C)

70 My son and I started hate watching The Acolyte the other night. It is as bad as advertised. And on par with Kenobe as far as fucking up the canon.

How bad does it have to get until Kaffy Kennedy gets the axe? Not sure how much worse it can get?

If they were smart they'd turn over Lucasfilm to Filoni and let him do whatever he wants with it.

Posted by: Milquetoast Mortgage-Paying Neighbor in Flyover Country at August 07, 2024 04:54 PM (5C4od)

71 Kinda crazy that the whore media now labels people who want to make money as "activists."

Posted by: Biergood at August 07, 2024 04:54 PM (PwgSL)

72 I think Kill Bill is the upper limit to how campy Tarantino ever wants to be. He would reject capeshit in the blink of an eye.
Posted by: BourbonChicken

Did you see Grindhouse

lanet Terror? Seriously?

Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 04:54 PM (IG4Id)

73 @50

>>There was even a crossover with DC where Spider Man teamed up with Superman.

Yes, and they were typically giant sized comic books to let people know this was some serious sh*t.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 04:54 PM (XV/Pl)

74 Donald Glover literally just Danny Glovers son and hasn't really done shit.
Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 04:52 PM (XV/Pl)

=====

He's not, though.

Posted by: Jordan61 at August 07, 2024 04:54 PM (DRSnL)

75 Billy Dee Williams seemed to exude cool. Kinda the black Steve McQueen.

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 04:55 PM (v6JzV)

76 Not only could Kevin Feige not do it in a few years, Stan Lee couldn't it now, given 70 years.

The world, as they say, has changed.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my book!) at August 07, 2024 04:55 PM (asXVI)

77 Regarding the cancellation of the project, he (Justin Simien) said, "There's so much that I experience that I get to keep forever and take into the next project. I can't obviously take the storyline or the IP or the characters, but there's so much more that I got, as a maker, and that's mine. Sorry, it's too late, you can't take that part back."

5,000 Quatloos says that Mr. Simien does not own a weed-whacker.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at August 07, 2024 04:55 PM (avPVA)

78 I still find it fascinating that no matter how hard they try they cannot make The Fantastic Four work.
Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 04:48 PM (XV/Pl)
--------------

The only thing the first movie got right was Julian McMahon as Dr. Doom.

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (tT6L1) at August 07, 2024 04:55 PM (tT6L1)

79 I hope to live long enough to see the end of all this superhero crap.

Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (YqDXo)

80 DEI supes. Speaking of which, I stopped watching The Boys when it went 100% homo this season.

I watched Bone Tomahawk last night as a palette cleanser.

Posted by: Field Marshal Zhukov at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (wBaIH)

81 @63 Donald Glover was good in The Martian, can't say I've seen him in anything else besides Solo, which was stupid

Posted by: Smell the Glove at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (lyna3)

82 Disney World staff rescue unconscious woman who fell off the Pirates of the Caribbean ride into the water

Posted by: Don Black at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (/7KEl)

83 69 They really should have shelved the MCU for a decade or so after Endgame to give the audience breathing room. And then when they tooled it up again, it would be fresh and new for the upcoming generation.

The MBAs would never allow it. Their magic destroys every business they touch.
Posted by: Archimedes at August 07, 2024 04:54 PM (xCA6C)

======

It seems like HBO is accidentally getting into that kind of game, though. It's taking a while to spool up new shows (picking through a bunch of concepts to choose one, going through piloting, then filming a series takes a while), so they left a few years between then end of Game of Thrones before they started airing House of the Dragon.

HoD will only go for 4 seasons (they just finished the second), and the third GoT related series will start releasing sometime next year, unrelated and unconnected except in the same world.

It seems to have kept the GoT property fresher despite the negative reaction to the final season.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (GBKbO)

84 || Did you see Grindhouselanet Terror? Seriously?

Robert Rodriguez, not Tarantino.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my book!) at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (asXVI)

85 Kevin Feige's Wife is a wierdo witch or wicken or whatever you call those freaks and it's why you see them in all kinds of Disney shows now from Marvel to Star Wars.

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (FCrpy)

86 You know, I was just wondering how things were going over at Disney.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (aD39U)

87 Did you see Grindhouselanet Terror? Seriously?
Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 04:54 PM (IG4Id)
----------
Planet Terror was a Robert Rodriguez joint.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (3Fz6p)

88 I’m voting for Sisterhood of Steel, but I’m weird that way.

I think if somebody got the rights to Snow Queen & Summer Queen they could make a lush-ish-ly beautiful s.f. movie.

Posted by: Adriane the Comic Book Critic . . . at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (TX4bP)

89
Disney screwed up the Narnia Franchise. It could have really gone farther than it did. They ruin everything.

Posted by: Frank Barone at August 07, 2024 04:57 PM (+oR7L)

90 81 @63 Donald Glover was good in The Martian, can't say I've seen him in anything else besides Solo, which was stupid
Posted by: Smell the Glove at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (lyna3)

======

Community!

He's mostly known as Childish Gambino now, though.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:57 PM (GBKbO)

91 84 || Did you see Grindhouselanet Terror? Seriously?

Robert Rodriguez, not Tarantino.
Posted by: moviegique (buy my book!) at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (asXVI)

========

Tarantino did Death Proof!

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:57 PM (GBKbO)

92 Not Disney but entertainment, Swift's concert has been canceled.

Posted by: Ben Had at August 07, 2024 04:57 PM (nDGMq)

93 Community!

He's mostly known as Childish Gambino now, though.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:57 PM (GBKbO)

=====

I loved him in Community. "What market are you shopping at?!"

Posted by: Jordan61 at August 07, 2024 04:58 PM (DRSnL)

94 People seem to like Glover on "Community".

Posted by: moviegique (buy my book!) at August 07, 2024 04:58 PM (asXVI)

95 Current joke is that Intel chips will soon be worth less than Chipotle chips

Posted by: SMOD at August 07, 2024 04:58 PM (bVBB7)

96 It seems like HBO is accidentally getting into that kind of game, though. It's taking a while to spool up new shows (picking through a bunch of concepts to choose one, going through piloting, then filming a series takes a while), so they left a few years between then end of Game of Thrones before they started airing House of the Dragon.

HoD will only go for 4 seasons (they just finished the second), and the third GoT related series will start releasing sometime next year, unrelated and unconnected except in the same world.

It seems to have kept the GoT property fresher despite the negative reaction to the final season.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:56 PM (GBKbO)
---
It's rather bizarre to me that they keep milking George R.R. Martin's unfinished story here...He obviously doesn't care about his own intellectual property--or he just likes cashing fat checks (who doesn't?).

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 07, 2024 04:58 PM (7fElN)

97 89
Disney screwed up the Narnia Franchise. It could have really gone farther than it did. They ruin everything.
Posted by: Frank Barone at August 07, 2024 04:57 PM (+oR7L)

========

If memory serves, they were largely just distributors on that attempted film series. The actual production was handled by Walden Media.

That petered out for typical reasons: declining box office receipts, scraping any plans after Voyage of the Dawn Treader didn't make a whole lot of money, at least enough to justify the cost.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:58 PM (GBKbO)

98 We had the entire family in Florida last summer for a wedding and decided to swing by Disney for a few days with my in-laws for ~the experience~

It was shocking how dead it was at every park but Magic Kingdom. Even there, we were able to get same day dining reservations for 10 people at Be Our Guest, which has always been a notoriously hard place to book.

People just aren’t going and if they are going, they can only afford a long weekend vs a full week in previous years.

Posted by: Lauren at August 07, 2024 04:59 PM (9U6Wl)

99 @78

>>The only thing the first movie got right was Julian McMahon as Dr. Doom.

Because the FF has to be 60's, it has to be retro and it has to look like a Kirby panel come to life.

And Hollywood certainly does not have anyone talented enough to approximate Kirby.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 04:59 PM (XV/Pl)

100 ace, Thank you for all you do.

Posted by: Ben Had at August 07, 2024 04:59 PM (nDGMq)

101 Crooks?

Also, I was shocked when they said it wasn't Yearick. The dead guy and a pic of Yearick were so close.
Posted by: Blonde Morticia's office at August 07, 2024 04:51 PM (pgtWZ)

Crooks is dead; parents id’d the body, Yearicks is missing. Where’s that body, Area 51?

Posted by: Tom Servo at August 07, 2024 04:59 PM (W4qJF)

102 || Tarantino did Death Proof!

Yep. Where four millennial girls spend 20 minutes talking about "Vanishing Point".

Suspension of disbelief status: Broken.

Posted by: moviegique (buy my book!) at August 07, 2024 04:59 PM (asXVI)

103 When you've lost CNN . . .

Yashar Ali
@yashar
CNN on Governor Tim Walz:

“Walz did make a comment, he’s done it a couple times, where he has used language that suggested that he carried weapons in a fighting situation. There is no evidence that any time that he was in the position of being shot at and some of his language could easily be seen to suggest that he was.”

-
Be a shame if Kamy had to ditch Walz.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, I got 99 problems but Vance ain't one at August 07, 2024 04:59 PM (L/fGl)

104 You know a character who has tremendous IP, a vast store of goodwill amongst this Commentariat, and yet, has been seemingly and confusingly abandoned?

That's right. Chuy.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at August 07, 2024 04:59 PM (avPVA)

105 I blame Guardians of the Galaxy.

Riding high on the MCU train, they gave near total control to James Gunn who took a nothing group and made them fun and lovable in that trademarked Gunn manner.

And Feige just kind of figured that would be the default reaction from audiences to weird characters coming out of the woodwork.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:44 PM (GBKbO)
---
Yeah. Some people expected GotG to be Marvel's first big misstep. You have all these obscure characters.

But I think Gunn took that in stride and thought, "Then, you'll have to get to know them!" and made that part of his work.

I know that I'd seen GotG characters in comics and various scattered episodes of cartoons. They always had *some* kind of push behind them. But they were side players.

Posted by: Axeman at August 07, 2024 04:59 PM (krQz2)

106 Never saw Community so can't comment on it.

Posted by: Smell the Glove at August 07, 2024 05:00 PM (lyna3)

107 102 || Tarantino did Death Proof!

Yep. Where four millennial girls spend 20 minutes talking about "Vanishing Point".

Suspension of disbelief status: Broken.
Posted by: moviegique (buy my book!) at August 07, 2024 04:59 PM (asXVI)

========

To be fair...the characters are in the industry, three of the four are stunt-women, and the fourth is just kind of out of the conversation.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 05:00 PM (GBKbO)

108 >Current joke is that Intel chips will soon be worth less than Chipotle chips

So only $22 a bag then?

Posted by: BourbonChicken at August 07, 2024 05:00 PM (cf/0E)

109 Swift's concert has been canceled.
Posted by: Ben Had

His song "A Modest Proposal," and the album named for it, tanked.

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 05:00 PM (v6JzV)

110
I used to love the Marvel Comics and would ride my bike to the bad drug store first of the month and spend my earnings (no f-ing allowance, Mary) and read them cover to cover.

Then I turned 12.

Posted by: Auspex at August 07, 2024 05:01 PM (j4U/Z)

111 Death Proof 👍👍

Posted by: Don Black at August 07, 2024 05:01 PM (/7KEl)

112 yeah but a solid B-list hero who had always had his own standalone book.

Having a pre-written theme song from Ozzy doesn't hurt.

Posted by: DaveA at August 07, 2024 05:02 PM (FhXTo)

113 How bad does it have to get until Kaffy Kennedy gets the axe? Not sure how much worse it can get?

If they were smart they'd turn over Lucasfilm to Filoni and let him do whatever he wants with it.
Posted by: Milquetoast Mortgage-Paying Neighbor

KK was hired for being a wamman, and Lucas stupidly thought installing her would preserve his legacy.

Filoni bent the knee to the neo-marxists. He's all on board.

The problem is all of the potential talent in H-wood has been filtered for orthodoxy.

Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 05:02 PM (IG4Id)

114 I am old enough to remember when a family could go to Disneyland and not spend a small fortune.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at August 07, 2024 05:02 PM (+H2BX)

115 I'm still waiting for the Zabu movie.

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 05:02 PM (v6JzV)

116 Riding high on the MCU train, they gave near total control to James Gunn who took a nothing group and made them fun and lovable in that trademarked Gunn manner.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:44 PM

So you're saying James Gunn should replace Ridley Scott in the upcoming reboot?

Posted by: Duncanthrax at August 07, 2024 05:03 PM (avPVA)

117 I liked the Nova character when he first came out. I collected it for about two years (issues 1-25) before giving up on it. I recently reread all the issues pursuant to deciding whether they were keepers or for the annual garage sale. (Spoiler: garage sale).

Part of the problem is that they had the interesting take of, so many superheroes get their powers from dying alien military men, what if the alien military came looking for their tech? The answer, of course, is that they’re not going to leave it in the hands of a high school student who can’t manage social interactions. But they weren’t quite willing to follow that to its full end.

Marvel had a lot of cool characters they never got a handle on. I’m going through early Ghost Rider right now. Started off interesting. Ended with a ghost from hell trading banter in a third rate superhero team.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at August 07, 2024 05:03 PM (EXyHK)

118 There was BBC version of the Silver Chair quite a few years ago that was really quite good, even if it was low budget. iirc, Tom Baker was Puddleglum.

Posted by: Tom Servo at August 07, 2024 05:03 PM (W4qJF)

119 I just rewatched Community recently. I forgot how much I hated The Dean.

Posted by: Jordan61 at August 07, 2024 05:03 PM (DRSnL)

120 Dan Abnett's take on Nova, as a sort of Green Lantern/Superman/Firestorm mix was good. I enjoyed those comics way more than the teenaged, mopey Nova version.

Not to step on Ace's dick but good writing can turn sub-par characters into stars. Iron Man was B-list for a long time.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Vote but also buy ammo at August 07, 2024 05:03 PM (xcxpd)

121 I saw Woke Baboon open for Bananarama at the National Exhibition Center in '89.

Posted by: ShainS -- Cat Ladies for Trump & Vance! at August 07, 2024 05:03 PM (+Q2yk)

122 We can still make it up in volume...of child sex trafficking.

Posted by: House of Louse at August 07, 2024 05:03 PM (L3CGb)

123 Eh, Disneyland was always expensive, but worth it for the kids. Now, yeesh.

Posted by: Field Marshal Zhukov at August 07, 2024 05:03 PM (wBaIH)

124 It's rather bizarre to me that they keep milking George R.R. Martin's unfinished story here...He obviously doesn't care about his own intellectual property--or he just likes cashing fat checks (who doesn't?).
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 07, 2024 04:58 PM (7fElN)
------------
"House of the Dragon" is a finished work, though. So they won't run out of story and have to muddle their way through to the end.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at August 07, 2024 05:04 PM (3Fz6p)

125 116 Riding high on the MCU train, they gave near total control to James Gunn who took a nothing group and made them fun and lovable in that trademarked Gunn manner.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, riding the anarchy train with John Landis at August 07, 2024 04:44 PM

So you're saying James Gunn should replace Ridley Scott in the upcoming reboot?
Posted by: Duncanthrax at August 07, 2024 05:03 PM (avPVA)

*perks up*

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Vote but also buy ammo at August 07, 2024 05:04 PM (xcxpd)

126 I coulda been a contendah.

Posted by: FireTaint at August 07, 2024 05:05 PM (woPEM)

127 >It's rather bizarre to me that they keep milking George R.R. Martin's unfinished story here...He obviously doesn't care about his own intellectual property--or he just likes cashing fat checks (who doesn't?).

They could make an Evelyn Tuff series. He is a gentle old man alone at the helm of an ark ship, and everyone he meets is acutely aware how powerfully weaponized it could be.

Posted by: BourbonChicken at August 07, 2024 05:05 PM (cf/0E)

128 I'm going to play the game (I'm not a huge comic nerd, but I am a nerd.)

How many Marvel heros (and sort of heros) can I name?

Spiderman, Blade, Punisher, Venom, Hulk, She-Hulk, Johnny Blaze, Mr. Fantastic, Thing, Invisible Woman, Cyclops, Wolverine, Deadpool, Cable, Jean Grey, Storm, Beast, Gambit, Professor X, Daredevil, Electra, Jubilee, Ms. Marvel, Captain Marvel, Rogue, Archangel, Black Cat, Iron Man, War Machine, Captain America, Hawkeye, Scarlett Witch, Peter Quill (Starlord), Gamora, Black Widow, Thor, Dr. Strange...

Ok, that took me 5 minutes and I had to really rack my brains for some of them. Almost all were from movies, not the comic. (A few from cartoon shows.)

I came up with 35ish and I'm a pretty big nerd. Some of these probably have a few of you saying "Who?"

Of these, maybe 5-10 can drive a movie by themselves. They've definitely tried to make more than those 5-10 drive a movie, but they failed pretty badly.

I would also say that it wasn't "Iron Man" that created the impetus for the MCU. It was Robert Downey Jr. Without him, Iron Man would have flopped.

You need a good script and you need a good actor to make a good movie.

Posted by: Formerly Virginian at August 07, 2024 05:05 PM (JMAcK)

129 Disney added that it was "aggressively managing our cost base."

Because it is clear that the lowest level employees have let the executives down.

Posted by: t-bird at August 07, 2024 05:06 PM (lCA8w)

130 Filoni bent the knee to the neo-marxists. He's all on board.

The problem is all of the potential talent in H-wood has been filtered for orthodoxy.
Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 05:02 PM (IG4Id)

In what way did Filoni bend the knee to the marxists?

Posted by: Milquetoast Mortgage-Paying Neighbor in Flyover Country at August 07, 2024 05:06 PM (5C4od)

131 Not to step on Ace's dick but good writing can turn sub-par characters into stars. Iron Man was B-list for a long time.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Vote but also buy ammo at August 07, 2024 05:03 PM (xcxpd)
----
Good writing is key to good storytelling, obviously. And yes, you can take a character who may look mediocre on paper in one format and then turn him (or her) into an interesting character on screen with proper writing, acting, and direction.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 07, 2024 05:06 PM (7fElN)

132 I think so long as these people remain under the DIEsny umbrella they're safe. If one was to get the shaft and be cut loose they very well may talk about "things that need to remain unmentioned."

It's a cult. Like a lot of things we're beginning to notice these days.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at August 07, 2024 05:06 PM (Q4IgG)

133 Where’s Trump?
Why isn’t he out campaigning? I miss seeing and hearing him.

Posted by: Jmel at August 07, 2024 05:06 PM (bVhJi)

134 They could make an Evelyn Tuff series. He is a gentle old man alone at the helm of an ark ship, and everyone he meets is acutely aware how powerfully weaponized it could be.
Posted by: BourbonChicken at August 07, 2024 05:05 PM (cf/0E)
------------
Haviland Tuf. I liked that series. He sometimes let his ecological engineering give people what they deserved.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at August 07, 2024 05:07 PM (3Fz6p)

135 The best thing that Disney can do now is leverage it core competencies and have a Marvel/Star Wars crossover mash up. The quantum realm is a doorway to a galaxy, far, far away. Midiclorians are simple quantum organisms.

Posted by: MAGA_Ken at August 07, 2024 05:07 PM (Xbq2K)

136 >>Every single dreg character he put in a movie or TV show would become the next Captain America, just because he's that damn good.

Are we talking about candidates again? Cause I feel the Left's approach to candidates is that with the right marketing they can make any one of them President.

Posted by: Fetterman's Monster at August 07, 2024 05:07 PM (nNMLT)

137 Pepper Potts ❤️

Posted by: Don Black at August 07, 2024 05:07 PM (/7KEl)

138 I am old enough to remember when a family could go to Disneyland and not spend a small fortune.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at August 07, 2024 05:02 PM (+H2BX)

=====

I'm old enough to remember when you bought a book of tickets to go on rides.

Posted by: Jordan61 at August 07, 2024 05:07 PM (DRSnL)

139 Lucas should have started an writer/director incubator, producing indie films for a decade, and then picked the cream of the crop to take over LF.

He basically turned over his baby to the machine that he hated and had to fight to get started.

Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 05:07 PM (IG4Id)

140 Good writing is key to good storytelling, obviously. And yes, you can take a character who may look mediocre on paper in one format and then turn him (or her) into an interesting character on screen with proper writing, acting, and direction.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel

I think that you would make an excellent screenwriter.

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 05:08 PM (v6JzV)

141 I think the retro feel of Fantastic Four might be a breath of fresh air. It's set (at the beginning) in some kind of futuristic 1960s.

Unfortunately they are going to multiverse them over into our shitty Marvel universe.

Posted by: Max Power at August 07, 2024 05:08 PM (q177U)

142 This looks like it might be a good movie.

https://is.gd/3Qyp0f

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, I got 99 problems but Vance ain't one at August 07, 2024 05:08 PM (L/fGl)

143 I wouldn't pay to see a Manclitorian movie, but I'd probably watch the trailer.

Posted by: Meade Lux Lewis, Domestic Terrorist at August 07, 2024 05:09 PM (woPEM)

144 There actually was a great superhero show on the Disney Channel."UltraViolet and Black Scorpion."

It was happy to never see superhero crap again, but Scarlett Estevez was in it and it was a really fun show. It was Latino but not heavy handed.

A teenage girl gets a lucha mask that gives her super speed. She finds out her uncle is Black Scorpion, who has super strength and is the city's protecter. He trains her.

It was a lot of fun. The special effects were pretty good for a kids show. Great characters. So of course, cancelled after 16 episodes.

Oh, and it had so much less tweenage angst than the CW's 'Flash.'

Posted by: Stateless at August 07, 2024 05:09 PM (jvJvP)

145 He basically turned over his baby to the machine that he hated and had to fight to get started.
Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 05:07 PM (IG4Id)

Yes the definition of a sell out. What would be amusing would be for him to swoop in and buy it back for pennies on the dollar in a few years. Prolly gotta wait till Iger is actually out of the building for that one.

Posted by: Milquetoast Mortgage-Paying Neighbor in Flyover Country at August 07, 2024 05:09 PM (5C4od)

146 I would also say that it wasn't "Iron Man" that created the impetus for the MCU. It was Robert Downey Jr. Without him, Iron Man would have flopped.

Posted by: Formerly Virginian at August 07, 2024 05:05 M (JMAcK)
---
I suppose in a similar way, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine has kept the X-Men franchise going, even though several of those movies have flopped.

I don't know who could replace Jackman as Wolverine...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 07, 2024 05:10 PM (7fElN)

147 142 This looks like it might be a good movie.

https://is.gd/3Qyp0f
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, I got 99 problems but Vance ain't one at August 07, 2024 05:08 PM (L/fGl)

Eh, those AI generated movie trailers give me the jibblies

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Vote but also buy ammo at August 07, 2024 05:10 PM (xcxpd)

148 I'm gonna get dragged for this, but I thought the Solo prequel was all right. Not great, but not too bad, and easily the best of the Disney Star Wars films. It managed not to go woke and in fact skewered wokeness with its humor -- I maintain the activist robot played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge was actually a parody of woke activists, an opinion shared by none other than ultra-woke feminazi Anita Sarkeesian, who complained that the character made fun of her "struggle."

All the stupid talk show jabber about Lando being "pansexual" came from a single joke about him maybe having had physical relations with said robot because he's such a horndog. I quite liked Lando in the film and would have liked to see a show about his exploits. A Han and Lando buddy-crook series with those two leads would have serious potential.

But I have no doubt that the show they were actually making was trash, even though it's only been 6 years. That's how quickly Disney Star Wars has rotted.

Posted by: Caiwyn at August 07, 2024 05:10 PM (BaIXK)

149 So Disney was asked questions for 28 minutes and 39 seconds longer than Kamala??

Posted by: andycanuck (i0CiB) at August 07, 2024 05:10 PM (i0CiB)

150 Boys care about female supers - they tend to be hot and villainous and then anti-hero, and usually in a crew with men. Emma Frost comes to mind as a huge hit with men. Catwoman and Harley Quinn, too.

It's just the team has to be men with a hottie chick or two...

Posted by: Nova Local at August 07, 2024 05:10 PM (exHjb)

151 I don't know who could replace Jackman as Wolverine...
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 07, 2024 05:10 PM (7fElN)

Henry Cavil

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Vote but also buy ammo at August 07, 2024 05:10 PM (xcxpd)

152 George Lucas strikes me, basically, as an idiot.

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 05:10 PM (v6JzV)

153 DIS stock has lost over 30B in market cap since its peak. Current pricing is about the same as August of 2014 and it looks like it wants to go lower.

Posted by: scampydog at August 07, 2024 05:11 PM (2bFN5)

154 In what way did Filoni bend the knee to the marxists?
Posted by: Milquetoast Mortgage-Paying Neighbor

He went to a feminist seminar/roundtable and spouted every shibboleth that's current in the woke corporate world. Even insulting himself. If you rrrrrrealy want me to find a clip, I can.

Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 05:11 PM (IG4Id)

155 Unfortunately they are going to multiverse them over into our shitty Marvel universe.
Posted by: Max Power at August 07, 2024 05:08 PM (q177U)
---
FF is actually the gateway through which most of Cosmic Marvel started.

Posted by: Axeman at August 07, 2024 05:11 PM (krQz2)

156
Also, I was shocked when they said it wasn't Yearick. The dead guy and a pic of Yearick were so close.
Posted by: Blonde Morticia's office at August 07, 2024 04:51 PM (pgtWZ)

---------------

two white guys with long brown hair, sure gotta be the same person. Subtle reverse racism afoot.

Posted by: MAGA_Ken at August 07, 2024 05:11 PM (Xbq2K)

157 @145

>>Prolly gotta wait till Iger is actually out of the building for that one.

Disney is never going to sell that IP ever.

They would not be able to sell it for what they need to get out of it, and they would never turn over IP to a competitor.

They would simply shelve it and write it off.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 05:12 PM (XV/Pl)

158 I'm old enough to remember when you bought a book of tickets to go on rides.
Posted by: Jordan61

So do we.

Posted by: Lennon-McCartney at August 07, 2024 05:12 PM (v6JzV)

159 The best thing that Disney can do now is leverage it core competencies and have a Marvel/Star Wars crossover mash up. The quantum realm is a doorway to a galaxy, far, far away. Midiclorians are simple quantum organisms.
Posted by: MAGA_Ken at August 07, 2024 05:07 PM (Xbq2K)
---
They can't tell a good multiverse story within the same IP.

They don't have the talent for crafting a story that crosses IPs.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 07, 2024 05:12 PM (7fElN)

160 Jennifer Garner as Elektra ❤️

Posted by: Don Black at August 07, 2024 05:12 PM (/7KEl)

161 @151

>>Henry Cavil

Ersatz Deadpool: The Calverine!! The Legends are True!

Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 05:13 PM (XV/Pl)

162 *looks at previous thread*

Why yes Walz is Biggus Dickus.

Posted by: Anna Puma at August 07, 2024 05:13 PM (85V9g)

163 As I read through here, I had a few more "Oh yeah, that's another Marvel one".

Some that even got their own movie that wasn't bad. (Not really great, but not bad- Ghostrider as an example.)

Again, I'm a huge nerd, an I'm not getting to 100 marvel or DC heros. Possibly not even combined. (I'm enough of a nerd to know the difference, though.)

Posted by: Formerly Virginian at August 07, 2024 05:14 PM (JMAcK)

164 George Lucas strikes me, basically, as an idiot.
Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 05:10 PM (v6JzV)
---
From what I've seen and read Star Wars would have *sucked* had some of his crew not rescued it.

His wife cut out *chunks* of exposition, that Lucas, as writer, didn't want to see cut. But when he saw the result, he agreed that there was too much exposition.

And then you have Ford's off-the-cuff memorable complaint, "You can write this crap, George--but you sure the hell can't SAY it!"

Posted by: Axeman at August 07, 2024 05:14 PM (krQz2)

165 But I have no doubt that the show they were actually making was trash, even though it's only been 6 years. That's how quickly Disney Star Wars has rotted.
Posted by: Caiwyn at August 07, 2024 05:10 PM (BaIXK)

I didn't mind Solo. It was entertaining and inoffensive. But the best Disney Star Wars Film is Rogue One.

Posted by: Milquetoast Mortgage-Paying Neighbor in Flyover Country at August 07, 2024 05:14 PM (5C4od)

166 I miss heritage Disney.

"Heritage" is useful term here, right? (Like "heritage" American.) I mean Disney when it was being what it was created to be.

Posted by: Emmie at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (Sf2cq)

167 The IP that Disney owns should make it easy to print money. The "hard" part was coming up with the capital to buy these catalogs.

You almost have to go out of your way to make "bomb" films that are Star Wars, Marvel, Indiana Jones, etc. But bomb they did.

It should be like owning prime oceanfront property, and yet somehow, nobody want it.

Posted by: Blago at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (wMRY8)

168 George Lucas strikes me, basically, as an idiot.
Posted by: Bulgaroctonus

I had the chance to meet him but some douche was monopolizing him at a press thing. I don't think he's dumb ... well, he is a soft leftie... but he's the classic case of a guy making a shit ton of money, and then hiring yes-men. No one around him had any leave to tell him, "That's fucking stupid. Do this instead."

Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (IG4Id)

169 All the stupid talk show jabber about Lando being "pansexual" came from a single joke about him maybe having had physical relations with said robot because he's such a horndog. I quite liked Lando in the film and would have liked to see a show about his exploits. A Han and Lando buddy-crook series with those two leads would have serious potential.

there's IP out there to do this with that's semi decent - actually I loved it when I was a week Orchid - a trilogy of Han Solo books by Brian Daley.

Posted by: BlackOrchid at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (s3qiR)

170 If you're a normie, you can maybe name 30.

====
What is it called if you can name 5?

Posted by: San Franpsycho at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (JvZF+)

171 160 Jennifer Garner as Elektra ❤️
Posted by: Don Black at August 07, 2024 05:12 PM (/7KEl)

I remember her when she starred in action-thriller TV show Alias. I'd let her kick my ass.

Posted by: Our Country is Screwed at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (N39Ws)

172 lol a WEE ORCHID!

sorry

Posted by: BlackOrchid at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (s3qiR)

173 Mr. Ace, you will be hearing from my attorneys.

Good day to you, sir.

I said good day!

Posted by: Mrs. Ms. Peg Warmers of Bald Head, MD at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (wzAuc)

174 Disney+ Premium, the ad-free tier, is jumping to $15.99 a month, up $2 from $13.99 a month. This follows last year's $3 monthly hike. The basic plan with ads is going up $2 to $9.99 a month. 5 hours ago

Posted by: L - If they do it with you, they'll do it to you, too at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (NFX2v)

175 I'm gonna get dragged for this, but I thought the Solo prequel was all right. Not great, but not too bad, and easily the best of the Disney Star Wars films.

-----------------

I kinda liked Solo too. At least he shot first and in a more cold blooded way at the end.

Posted by: MAGA_Ken at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (Xbq2K)

176 If you recall Walt built Disneyland because he felt that amusement parks and carnivals were too sleazy for young families.

Posted by: Field Marshal Zhukov at August 07, 2024 05:16 PM (wBaIH)

177 It's a Penis, After All.

Posted by: The Gipper Lives at August 07, 2024 05:17 PM (daxqM)

178 Ersatz Deadpool: The Calverine!! The Legends are True!
Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 05:13 PM (XV/Pl)
---
That's Cavilrine, as it was played by Henry Cavil.

Posted by: Axeman at August 07, 2024 05:17 PM (krQz2)

179 the last Marvel thing I wanted to see was Moon Knight.

We will speak no more of that.

Posted by: ace the influencer at August 07, 2024 05:17 PM (KRtlO)

180 George Lucas strikes me, basically, as an idiot.
Posted by: Bulgaroctonus

I had the chance to meet him but some douche was monopolizing him at a press thing. I don't think he's dumb ... well, he is a soft leftie... but he's the classic case of a guy making a shit ton of money, and then hiring yes-men. No one around him had any leave to tell him, "That's fucking stupid. Do this instead."
Posted by: weft cut-loop

I've heard that at one time he was dating Catherine Zeta-Jones. But she apparently got tired of his shit (or he of hers), and she decamped to Michael Douglas.

Posted by: Lennon-McCartney at August 07, 2024 05:18 PM (v6JzV)

181 I kinda liked Solo too. At least he shot first and in a more cold blooded way at the end.

Posted by: MAGA_Ken at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (Xbq2K)

Solo was alright, but Rogue One is the best of the Disney prequels.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at August 07, 2024 05:18 PM (i24o9)

182 He went to a feminist seminar/roundtable and spouted every shibboleth that's current in the woke corporate world. Even insulting himself. If you rrrrrrealy want me to find a clip, I can.
Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 05:11 PM (IG4Id)

No need - I was curious if you were referring to something within his work, as I have not noticed much of the woke shit in his work in general. That is how I evaluate. If the poor bastard has to mouth the HR platitudes to stay employed - well, I think a lot of us can sympathize with that.

Posted by: Milquetoast Mortgage-Paying Neighbor in Flyover Country at August 07, 2024 05:18 PM (5C4od)

183 And then you have Ford's off-the-cuff memorable complaint, "You can write this crap, George--but you sure the hell can't SAY it!"
Posted by: Axeman at August 07, 2024 05:14 PM (krQz2)

-----------------

Sure you can, sand is indeed coarse and rough and gets everywhere, coming from me, it works great, you just can't have a Sith Lord say that.

Posted by: MAGA_Ken at August 07, 2024 05:18 PM (Xbq2K)

184 @178

>>That's Cavilrine, as it was played by Henry Cavil.

The arm reload before he punched Deadpool back through the portal was the Chef's Kiss.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 05:19 PM (XV/Pl)

185 I was able to get Disney+ here in Canada for three months for $2 a month.

I loved putting on the new Star Wars crap or idiotic wome Marvel shows and let me disinterested brain crash into sleep.

Damn, I miss black, lesbian Batwoman....

Posted by: Stateless at August 07, 2024 05:19 PM (jvJvP)

186 Red Letter Media has gone woker and woker

sad!

Posted by: ace the influencer at August 07, 2024 05:19 PM (KRtlO)

187 Iran has issued a no-fly alert for 9-12 tonight, leading to speculation that this could signal the start of their attack on Israel.

https://tinyurl.com/bdnmc65b

Posted by: Meade Lux Lewis, Domestic Terrorist at August 07, 2024 05:19 PM (woPEM)

188 Not Disney/Marvel, but Marvel adjacent:

The Boys (on Prime) turned into a slimy ball of topical wokeshit. The first couple of seasons were interesting enough to excuse the SJW garbage. Season 3 was over the line and I haven't bothered with the rest of it.

Invincible (also on Prime) is still pretty solid. We will see where is goes.

Posted by: DatNerd at August 07, 2024 05:19 PM (Dp7by)

189 I think the retro feel of Fantastic Four might be a breath of fresh air. It's set (at the beginning) in some kind of futuristic 1960s.

I recently watched the Roger Corman Fantastic Four and within the limitations of budget thought they did a good job. It was fun in just that way.

This does highlight an issue with long term shows of this sort, though. In a way, if you’re trying to set your supers in an only slightly altered “real” world it’s better to have them get all their abilities from cosmic accidents and radioactive spider bites, as silly as that is. Because it doesn’t change anything. It’s one thing when your power comes from some unexplained phenomenon. It’s entirely another when a high school student with no resources can make a temporary adhesive that would literally change the world.

They tried to paper over this issue in Iron Man, but at some point your practically free technology that can be manufactured in a cave or a high school student’s bedroom has to have an effect on the rest of the world.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at August 07, 2024 05:20 PM (EXyHK)

190 >>>The Boys (on Prime) turned into a slimy ball of topical wokeshit.

Yup! Tapped out after one episode. The gay analingus porn, which, besides being gay analingus porn, was also an attack on conservatives, was enough for me.

Posted by: ace the influencer at August 07, 2024 05:20 PM (KRtlO)

191 Disney in trouble, Epic Universe is gonna open ahead of schedule, with another Harry Potter theme ride and I don't have to rely on my phone, We rented all our DVC points used the money to book TAUCK BRIDGES (a Adventures by Disney competitor) Danube River cruise, My son made friends I never looked at my phone unless to take pictures. We are not going back to Disney

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at August 07, 2024 05:20 PM (FCrpy)

192 The WSJ account today gave the impression everything is under control at Disney and blue skies are ahead. I always believe everything in the MSM because they know.

Posted by: jerry Carroll at August 07, 2024 05:21 PM (5uZK2)

193 I just don't get Star Wars at this point. Even if it was really good, I don't get the desire for more. It's like Harry Potter fans. Read another book already.

Posted by: Tom Bombadil's Power-Merkin at August 07, 2024 05:21 PM (pvnD3)

194 159 The best thing that Disney can do now is leverage it’s core competencies….”

The big problem with Disney is that they keep leveraging their core INcompetencies.

Posted by: Tom Servo at August 07, 2024 05:21 PM (W4qJF)

195 Disney is never going to sell that IP ever.

They would not be able to sell it for what they need to get out of it, and they would never turn over IP to a competitor.

They would simply shelve it and write it off.
Posted by: Thomas Bender at August 07, 2024 05:12 PM (XV/Pl)

If a Gordon Gecko type gets control - he will sell it off for whatever he can get. Greed IS good. And if the stock keeps tanking, the Gordon Geckos will start circling.

Posted by: Milquetoast Mortgage-Paying Neighbor in Flyover Country at August 07, 2024 05:21 PM (5C4od)

196 ACE the movie KILL was damn good, it had it's Bollywood moments but lots of blood and lots of Killing.

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at August 07, 2024 05:21 PM (FCrpy)

197 Solo was alright, but Rogue One is the best of the Disney prequels.
Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at August 07, 2024 05:18 PM (i24o9)

----------------

Rogue One is the best of the Disney Star Wars movies. Frankly the big baddie's motivation of personal recognition was a pretty good one, he just didn't realize the complete psychopaths he was up against.

Posted by: MAGA_Ken at August 07, 2024 05:22 PM (Xbq2K)

198 The Boys (on Prime) turned into a slimy ball of topical wokeshit.

Posted by: DatNerd at August 07, 2024 05:19 PM (Dp7by)

That's why I don't get invested in any new series or movies.

It all ends up a woke crapfest, and I would have to kick myself for falling for it again.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at August 07, 2024 05:22 PM (i24o9)

199 The best thing that Disney can do now is leverage it’s core competencies….”
---
Nope. They're already doing that.

Really, really fanatical devotion to DEI isn't getting them anywhere.

Posted by: Axeman at August 07, 2024 05:22 PM (krQz2)

200 30 minute Q&A/Struggle sessions are the new normal. Where have you people been?

Posted by: Disney at August 07, 2024 05:23 PM (/U5Yz)

201 Solo and Rogue One seemed like they were made by people who were untested and hungry to impress. A quality that the franchise hadn't had since 1980.

Posted by: BourbonChicken at August 07, 2024 05:23 PM (cf/0E)

202 Tim Walz: “There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech and especially around our democracy”

Posted by: Don Black at August 07, 2024 05:23 PM (/7KEl)

203 WAHT WILL IT TAKE TO GET KENNEDY FIRED ??!!!

Posted by: runner at August 07, 2024 05:23 PM (V13WU)

204 >>>ACE the movie KILL was damn good, it had it's Bollywood moments but lots of blood and lots of Killing.

i'll keep it in mind. i still have to see Sisu.

Actually I have to see Fall Guy and Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. I bought both but haven't watched either yet.

Posted by: ace the influencer at August 07, 2024 05:24 PM (KRtlO)

205 Good writing is key to good storytelling, obviously. And yes, you can take a character who may look mediocre on paper in one format and then turn him (or her) into an interesting character on screen with proper writing, acting, and direction.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 07, 2024 05:06 PM (7fElN)
---------------

Supposedly, when Bob Odenkirk tested for Saul in "Breaking Bad" one of the crew members asked if they could work on the sequel.

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (tT6L1) at August 07, 2024 05:24 PM (tT6L1)

206 he just didn't realize the complete psychopaths he was up against.

Posted by: MAGA_Ken at August 07, 2024 05:22 PM (Xbq2K)

That, and the rebels were not just painted as some naive or innocent group.

A true war is hell depiction from the beginning.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at August 07, 2024 05:24 PM (i24o9)

207 171 160 Jennifer Garner as Elektra ❤️

I'd give that a hard no, but that would require getting hard over Jennifer Garner.

Posted by: Auspex at August 07, 2024 05:24 PM (j4U/Z)

208 Feige promised, proudly, that he would deliver a Marvel Universe that was more than 50% female super-heroes, as if that's a great thing. He's finding out it's not.

--------------

Kim Cheeto is tanned, rested, ready, and available to take over for Kevin Feige and complete the mission without Disney getting assassinated!

Posted by: ShainS -- Cat Ladies for Trump & Vance! at August 07, 2024 05:25 PM (r2DcQ)

209 The Boys (on Prime) turned into a slimy ball of topical wokeshit.

Turned?

That shit was all out in the open in the first season, complete with #metoo/rape subplot and stale anti-Christian messaging from the 1990s.

Posted by: They Told You Who They Were Right Away at August 07, 2024 05:25 PM (pvnD3)

210 If DeSantis had true killer instincts, like most democrats, he would go in for the coup de grace. But he doesn't.

Posted by: Maj. Healey at August 07, 2024 05:25 PM (/U5Yz)

211 there's IP out there to do this with that's semi decent - actually I loved it when I was a week Orchid - a trilogy of Han Solo books by Brian Daley.

Posted by: BlackOrchid at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (s3qiR)
-----------------------------

Yup, I've read them. They're a bit dated but they're still a fun read. When I suggested "Scoundrels" as a title I was obliquely referencing a more recent (but still pre-Disney) novel by Timothy Zahn about Han, Lando, and several other interstellar crooks pulling an Ocean's 11-style heist. That's a fun one. Zahn wrote the original Thrawn trilogy that originally brought Star Wars back from the dead in the 90s, and which Disney is now butchering.

Posted by: Caiwyn at August 07, 2024 05:25 PM (BaIXK)

212 174 Disney+ Premium, the ad-free tier, is jumping to $15.99 a month, up $2 from $13.99 a month. This follows last year's $3 monthly hike. The basic plan with ads is going up $2 to $9.99 a month. 5 hours ago
Posted by: L - If they do it with you, they'll do it to you, too at August 07, 2024 05:15 PM (NFX2v)

Here's the Deal get STREAMFAB then get Disney+ or Whatever Streaming Service and start downloading shows up to 100 a day. then you can cancel the service and you have the shows, movies on your hard drive.

Posted by: Pirate ARRRRRR at August 07, 2024 05:25 PM (FCrpy)

213
"moderation of consumer demand" lol. Not yet at "enshrinkening" or "craterization."

Posted by: Blonde Morticia's office at August 07, 2024 05:26 PM (pgtWZ)

214 They have a great, Spinal-Tap-Manager-Level euphemism for poor park attendance: a "moderation of consumer demand" for its services and "experiences."

This is why I come here. That imagery is just perfect.

We're not living in The matrix, we're living in a Monty Python comedy sketch come to real life. And for much longer than the running time of "The Holy Grail."

I'm still laughing at what Ace wrote. Funny stuff.

Posted by: RickZ at August 07, 2024 05:26 PM (gKDq2)

215 [["Marvel has about, at absolute maximum, 15 characters and teams (like the Fantastic Four or X-Men) that can sustain movies. And that's it. That's all. Just those 15."]]

I don't agree with this at all, but I arrive at the same conclusion as to the problem. The Avengers were mostly literal whos to the median American in 2007. Some of them were identifiable to known generic wiki-reading nerds, or maybe people could tell which one was Captain America, but all of them were rejects for a reason. And the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy just emphasizes that. The Latin alphabet doesn't even have enough letters to denote the list those guys were on.

Marvel Studios really did build these characters into billion dollar grossers from modest-to-no awareness; their problem is in assuming they could do it again without any of the audience respect, storyboarding, critic bribing, and general WORK that they did the first time, and just assume a captive audience.

Or that they could throw away the incredible luck they had the first time and just get lucky again. RDJ for example was the smash-hit casting. Many of the stakeholders were vehemently against him. He held up the entire shack.

Posted by: Funkotron at August 07, 2024 05:26 PM (dV6hr)

216 5 A Disney thread, thank God!

All those Walz threads were driving me nuts.

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 04:41 PM (v6JzV)

Walznuts.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at August 07, 2024 05:26 PM (ynpvh)

217 I think the success of "Guardians of the Galaxy" hypnotized them all. Here was a movie with characters no one had ever heard of and it made millions upon millions. "What if we could do that with all the characters?" they thought.

They found out.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at August 07, 2024 05:27 PM (CHHv1)

218 187 Iran has issued a no-fly alert for 9-12 tonight, leading to speculation that this could signal the start of their attack on Israel.

https://tinyurl.com/bdnmc65b
Posted by: Meade Lux Lewis, Domestic Terrorist at August 07, 2024 05:19 PM (woPEM)

August 12 is Tisha B'Av this year, a Jewish day of mourning for past disasters in their history. Of course the Iranians would think it was cute or clever or something to launch an attack on that day.

Posted by: Tom Servo at August 07, 2024 05:27 PM (W4qJF)

219 Walztreet.

Posted by: runner at August 07, 2024 05:27 PM (V13WU)

220 I don't know...

Posted by: runner at August 07, 2024 05:27 PM (V13WU)

221 Yup! Tapped out after one episode. The gay analingus porn, which, besides being gay analingus porn, was also an attack on conservatives, was enough for me.

Posted by: ace the influencer at August 07, 2024 05:20 PM (KRtlO)

=====

Seriously? Gross!

Posted by: Jordan61 at August 07, 2024 05:27 PM (DRSnL)

222 Actually I have to see Fall Guy and Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. I bought both but haven't watched either yet.
Posted by: ace the influencer at August 07, 2024 05:24 PM (KRtlO)
--------------

Ministry is fun. Haven't seen Fall Guy.

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (tT6L1) at August 07, 2024 05:29 PM (tT6L1)

223
I miss heritage Disney.

"Heritage" is useful term here, right? (Like "heritage" American.) I mean Disney when it was being what it was created to be.
Posted by: Emmie

+++++++++

I think that's called Legacy Disney. They call Snow White, Peter Pan, etc the Legacy rides at the parks.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia's office at August 07, 2024 05:29 PM (pgtWZ)

224 Maybe Marvel would never make a "Timmy the Newsboy" MCU standalone film, but what about "Toni, the Newsthem" ?

Posted by: Harrison Bergeron at August 07, 2024 05:29 PM (JuaQi)

225 The mousetrap is in the Walz.

Posted by: Hour of the Wolf at August 07, 2024 05:29 PM (VNX3d)

226 >>>I don't agree with this at all, but I arrive at the same conclusion as to the problem. The Avengers were mostly literal whos to the median American in 2007. Some of them were identifiable to known generic wiki-reading nerds, or maybe people could tell which one was Captain America, but all of them were rejects for a reason. And the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy just emphasizes that. The Latin alphabet doesn't even have enough letters to denote the list those guys were on.

People who know, knew. Even if the public didn't know much about Iron Man, Marvel knew that the character was viable due to him having his own book for 60 years. They road-tested the character with actual comic book readers and it endured.

There is no such track record to suggest that the "Scarlet Scarab" or whatever in Moon Knight is a star character.

Posted by: ace the influencer at August 07, 2024 05:30 PM (KRtlO)

227 The Boys (on Prime) turned into a slimy ball of topical wokeshit.

Yup! Tapped out after one episode. The gay analingus porn, which, besides being gay analingus porn, was also an attack on conservatives, was enough for me.

Posted by: ace the influencer

____

And I actually liked the concept and previous seasons.

But the show became revolting and they go out of their way to push the most mean spirited politics possible. Just endless insults.

I tapped out also. Just found myself getting angry instead of being entertained.

Posted by: Blago at August 07, 2024 05:30 PM (wMRY8)

228 A Disney thread, thank God!

All those Walz threads were driving me nuts.

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 04:41 PM (v6JzV)

Walznuts.
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at August 07, 2024 05:26 PM (ynpvh)
***

*dials Minnesota Snitch Line*

"Allo? Am calling aboot Herr Bulgar. Ya! Ist ein Walzen denier.

Posted by: Diogenes at August 07, 2024 05:30 PM (W/lyH)

229
i'll keep it in mind. i still have to see Sisu.

After a half hour I saw it as a Bugs Bunny movie.

Posted by: Auspex at August 07, 2024 05:31 PM (j4U/Z)

230 I saw Deadpool & Wolverine yesterday (thoroughly enjoyable brain candy). One of the trailers was for the next Captain America film. Lo & behold - now he's gonna be black. The argument in the trailer is that Capt America is a concept with replaceable people in the suit and shield. Yeah, whatever. Another franchise down the woke drain.

Posted by: Dagny Taggart at August 07, 2024 05:31 PM (Ywa9B)

231 Posted by: Caiwyn at August 07, 2024 05:25 PM (BaIXK)

I loved the Thrawn trilogy as a teenager. Really despised his character getting butchered by Disney, first with him getting exiled and marooned by spacewhales and then him shown up by Dave Filoni's totally not-a-fetish Ahsoka character.

Posted by: Thrawn at August 07, 2024 05:31 PM (uGhsv)

232 That's why I don't get invested in any new series or movies.

It all ends up a woke crapfest, and I would have to kick myself for falling for it again.
Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at August 07, 2024 05:22 PM (i24o9)

---------------------

Thankfully Young Sheldon was able to avoid almost all that. When the real hero ends up being the middle age white guy with a gut and third rate beer in his hand paying his thankless dues, you know someone was doing something right.

It's like someone said, "you know all those crappy commercials, we are going to do the opposite."

Posted by: MAGA_Ken at August 07, 2024 05:31 PM (Xbq2K)

233 I miss heritage Disney.

"Heritage" is useful term here, right? (Like "heritage" American.) I mean Disney when it was being what it was created to be.
Posted by: Emmie

***

Haley Mills in The Moon Spinners.
Made a young Diogenes feel funny in his tummy.

Posted by: Diogenes at August 07, 2024 05:31 PM (W/lyH)

234 Off, Beatles Sock!

Posted by: Bulgaroctonus at August 07, 2024 05:31 PM (v6JzV)

235 Yup, I've read them. They're a bit dated but they're still a fun read. When I suggested "Scoundrels" as a title I was obliquely referencing a more recent (but still pre-Disney) novel by Timothy Zahn about Han, Lando, and several other interstellar crooks pulling an Ocean's 11-style heist. That's a fun one. Zahn wrote the original Thrawn trilogy that originally brought Star Wars back from the dead in the 90s, and which Disney is now butchering.
Posted by: Caiwyn at August 07, 2024 05:25 PM (BaIXK)

i loved the Zahn books. He charted a much more interesting path ahead past Episode 6. How much more money could Disney have made if they just adapted those for 7, 8 and 9?

Posted by: Milquetoast Mortgage-Paying Neighbor in Flyover Country at August 07, 2024 05:32 PM (5C4od)

236
Where’s Trump?
Why isn’t he out campaigning? I miss seeing and hearing him.
Posted by: Jmel

++++++++++++++

I'm another one who wants a public appearance a day!

Well, his Georgia rally from Saturday is on YouTube. Bozeman, Montana coming up on Friday. Monday is an interview with Elon on X. No offense intended, but between stuttering monotone autist Elon and spit-flecked Trump, it should be alternately painful and interesting.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia's office at August 07, 2024 05:34 PM (pgtWZ)

237 The Boys (on Prime) turned into a slimy ball of topical wokeshit.

Posted by: ace the influencer
---
I liked seasons 1-3, a bit. I'm going to see how long I can stick it out for 4. But that scene definitely sounds like an FF-er.

After all I managed to watch the complete All-whites-are-racist Lovecraft Country and the All-whites-are-racists version of HBO's take on Watchmen.

Posted by: Axeman at August 07, 2024 05:34 PM (krQz2)

238 Windows rotates the main wallpaper on my computer.

What's up now?

A Big Penguin.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at August 07, 2024 05:35 PM (3Fz6p)

239 Thanks again to ace for helping me find cosmicbook dot news.

Dude there covers all this stuff and has been crusading against woke forever....

Posted by: Stateless at August 07, 2024 05:36 PM (jvJvP)

240 If Iran attacks Israel they can kiss Kharg Island goodbye.

Posted by: Ben Had at August 07, 2024 05:36 PM (nDGMq)

241 Windows rotates the main wallpaper on my computer.

What's up now?

A Big Penguin.
Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at August 07, 2024 05:35 PM (3Fz6p)

Whatever you do, DO NOT mention large breasts with the microphone on.

Posted by: Diogenes at August 07, 2024 05:36 PM (W/lyH)

242 (Ethan Van Sciver talks about "the Fantastic ratio," referring to the one woman among the four characters of the Fantastic Four, figuring that about one woman for every three male characters is about the right ratio for a universe that appeals mostly to boys.)

In fairness, three Jessica Albas in the Fantastic Four (2005) would have also worked.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at August 07, 2024 05:37 PM (aD39U)

243 No sequels to ~~Princess of Mars~~ John Carter and no proper big-budget Solomon Kane movie.

Posted by: BourbonChicken at August 07, 2024 05:37 PM (cf/0E)

244 If Iran attacks Israel they can kiss Kharg Island goodbye.
Posted by: Ben Had at August 07, 2024 05:36 PM (nDGMq)

And it will give the Democrats lording over the state of Washington another reason to jack gas prices another buck.

Posted by: Diogenes at August 07, 2024 05:37 PM (W/lyH)

245 The Boys (on Prime) turned into a slimy ball of topical wokeshit.

Yup! Tapped out after one episode. The gay analingus porn, which, besides being gay analingus porn, was also an attack on conservatives, was enough for me.

Posted by: ace the influencer

____

And I actually liked the concept and previous seasons.

But the show became revolting and they go out of their way to push the most mean spirited politics possible. Just endless insults.

I tapped out also. Just found myself getting angry instead of being entertained.
Posted by: Blago

There is 22 seasons of gunsmoke, and 21 seasons of bonanza. Around 36 shows of season. Just saying.

Posted by: rickb223 Gold & Silver Spot Prices at August 07, 2024 05:37 PM (o/kBd)

246 The drugs are working again~!

@CBSSunday 31m
In his first TV interview since exiting the 2024 race, President Biden tells CBS News' @costareports he's "not confident at all" that a peaceful transfer of power will happen in January 2025 if former President Donald Trump loses.

"He means what he says. We don't take him seriously. He means it."

Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 05:37 PM (IG4Id)

247 I saw Deadpool & Wolverine yesterday (thoroughly enjoyable brain candy). One of the trailers was for the next Captain America film. Lo & behold - now he's gonna be black. The argument in the trailer is that Capt America is a concept with replaceable people in the suit and shield. Yeah, whatever. Another franchise down the woke drain.
Posted by: Dagny Taggart at August 07, 2024 05:31 PM (Ywa9B)
---
Cap was black for a period, perhaps late 70s or early 80s.

Steve Rodgers wanted to lose the Cap label and responsibilities and became "Nomad".

Course, that was back in the days when bleeding cash reformed "principles" right quick.

But Cap was black for a period in the comics.

Posted by: Axeman at August 07, 2024 05:38 PM (krQz2)

248 They were the DC ComicsGuardians of the Universe, who formed the Green Lantern Corps, which is what NOVA & the “Nova Corps” are borrowing from.

The Guardians are blue skinned midgets who live on the planet Oa.

These are “shame facts”, and it is good that Ace doesn’t know them.

I know them, & now, you do, too.

Posted by: Cowboy Wally at August 07, 2024 05:38 PM (pIXZ9)

249 "I'm old enough to remember when you bought a book of tickets to go on rides."

A E-ticket was the best. It became slang for something that was great.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at August 07, 2024 05:38 PM (+H2BX)

250 Windows rotates the main wallpaper on my computer.

What's up now?

A Big Penguin.
Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea, Radioactive Knight, Concertina Czar at August 07, 2024 05:35 PM (3Fz6p)

Whatever you do, DO NOT mention large breasts with the microphone on.
Posted by: Diogenes

If it is Big Penguin, don't mention that you have a lot of fish. It invites a visit from Big Penguin!

Posted by: Hour of the Wolf at August 07, 2024 05:38 PM (VNX3d)

251 Whatever you do, DO NOT mention large breasts with the microphone on.
Posted by: Diogenes at August 07, 2024 05:36 PM (W/lyH)
----------------

After you mentioned it, I did a search for X Rated computer wall paper. I guess I shouldn't be surprised it exists.

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (tT6L1) at August 07, 2024 05:38 PM (tT6L1)

252 235 Yup, I've read them. They're a bit dated but they're still a fun read. When I suggested "Scoundrels" as a title I was obliquely referencing a more recent (but still pre-Disney) novel by Timothy Zahn about Han, Lando, and several other interstellar crooks pulling an Ocean's 11-style heist. That's a fun one. Zahn wrote the original Thrawn trilogy that originally brought Star Wars back from the dead in the 90s, and which Disney is now butchering.
Posted by: Caiwyn at August 07, 2024 05:25 PM (BaIXK)

i loved the Zahn books. He charted a much more interesting path ahead past Episode 6. How much more money could Disney have made if they just adapted those for 7, 8 and 9?

it's painful how much they could have used from the extra fiction - these books, and the very good 80s / 90s era comics - but instead had empty-headed nontaltented nepots destroy the whole thing

Posted by: BlackOrchid at August 07, 2024 05:38 PM (s3qiR)

253 249 "I'm old enough to remember when you bought a book of tickets to go on rides."

go to Knoebels!

no entrance fee, buy tickets in little books

and dogs welcome

I love going there. excellent excellent food too. I hang with the pups and eat snacks while the kids go on rides

Posted by: BlackOrchid at August 07, 2024 05:40 PM (s3qiR)

254 @CBSSunday 31m
In his first TV interview since exiting the 2024 race, President Biden tells CBS News' @costareports he's "not confident at all" that a peaceful transfer of power will happen in January 2025 if former President Donald Trump loses.

"He means what he says. We don't take him seriously. He means it."
Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 05:37 PM (IG4Id)

Oh the irony.
I was just saying to a colleague that I am not all that confidant that a peaceful transfer of power will occur if Harris loses. In fact, I'd bet on it.

Posted by: Diogenes at August 07, 2024 05:40 PM (W/lyH)

255 Scarlet Scarab"

Rosebud Balloon Knot

Posted by: Commissar of Plenty and Lysenkoism in Solidarity with the Struggle at August 07, 2024 05:40 PM (QajKI)

256 In other big American corporation failure news, the Boeing Starliner may be stuck on the ISS. It seems that NASA doesn't have the confidence that the Starliner can even undock safely from the ISS.

Posted by: MAGA_Ken at August 07, 2024 05:40 PM (Xbq2K)

257 Jessica Alba in her Dark Angel (?) period was the most enticing creature alive.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at August 07, 2024 05:40 PM (aD39U)

258 I tried watching the new Orphan Black spinoff. Tranny playing a woman by episode 2; miserable writing throughout; a near-demonic focus on Kristen Ritter's fivehead. Like her fivehead should be listed as a co-star in the IMBD listing.

0/5 stars. Do not want.

Posted by: Trannies, Trannies As Far As The Eye Can See at August 07, 2024 05:40 PM (pvnD3)

259 256 In other big American corporation failure news, the Boeing Starliner may be stuck on the ISS. It seems that NASA doesn't have the confidence that the Starliner can even undock safely from the ISS.

I saw this!!! omg

how are those two astronauts not going insane?!?!

Posted by: BlackOrchid at August 07, 2024 05:41 PM (s3qiR)

260 "Turned?

That shit was all out in the open in the first season, complete with #metoo/rape subplot and stale anti-Christian messaging from the 1990s."

You aren't wrong. That was all there. On the tin. It was wrapped in a "Everything is a government/big corp. psyop" for a bit.

But the depravity and gore (and the hottie that plays Starlight) were enough to keep me going for a while. And the original comic book is awesome AF.

Similar to The Magicians on SciFi. The books are amazing. The show went off the rails three episodes in and became irredeemable wokeshit. I kept with it for a while because of the cute nerd-girl with huge tracts of land. And that evil redhead girl. She wasn't even in the books, but she was enough to keep me watching for a while.

Posted by: DatNerd at August 07, 2024 05:41 PM (Dp7by)

261 I saw this!!! omg

how are those two astronauts not going insane?!?!
Posted by: BlackOrchid at August 07, 2024 05:41 PM (s3qiR)

-----------

It's a regular old Gilligan's Island up there.

Posted by: MAGA_Ken at August 07, 2024 05:42 PM (Xbq2K)

262 253. go to Knoebels!

no entrance fee, buy tickets in little books

and dogs welcome

I love going there. excellent excellent food too. I hang with the pups and eat snacks while the kids go on rides
Posted by: BlackOrchid

🤫 😉

Posted by: L - If they do it with you, they'll do it to you, too at August 07, 2024 05:42 PM (NFX2v)

263 Yeah, Dark Angel 2000-2002 42 Episodes.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at August 07, 2024 05:42 PM (aD39U)

264 "I'm old enough to remember when you bought a book of tickets to go on rides."

A E-ticket was the best. It became slang for something that was great.
Posted by: no one of any consequence at August 07, 2024 05:38 PM (+H2BX)

The "A" ticket got you on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

Posted by: Napoleon XIV at August 07, 2024 05:42 PM (AiZBA)

265 Taytay has cancelled a concert in Austria due to a terrorist threat. Who knew MGA extremist extremists who are extreme live in Austria?

Posted by: Way it is at August 07, 2024 05:42 PM (3nDKI)

266
(A/P) Mothers against Drunk Drivers (MADD) has, in internal communications, indicated that the charging of Vice Presidential candidate Tim Wolz with speeding and a DUI is 'just a tiny bit problematic' based on his party affiliation. 'Our founders approved of a system of justice based on many variables' the unnamed spokesman asserted. He continued, 'While some insinuated that the tree of liberty must be refreshed, they did not mention the alcohol content or party affiliation of the person refreshing that tree. We must therefor remain silent."

/ Parody

Posted by: Divide by Zero at August 07, 2024 05:42 PM (RKVpM)

267 Disney Disney Disney?…. they used to be a big deal, yes??

Posted by: tubal at August 07, 2024 05:43 PM (PCK5/)

268 There is no such track record to suggest that the "Scarlet Scarab" or whatever in Moon Knight is a star character.

For that matter, they kept retrying Moon Knight on comic book readers and never got a handle on him either. I always liked the idea of the character. Never enjoyed any of his actual books.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at August 07, 2024 05:43 PM (EXyHK)

269 Ace, Marv Wolfman knew Nova was a non-heterosexual concept back in 1976. That's why he and John Buscema named his alter ego "Richard Rider."

Posted by: Chico's Bail Bonds at August 07, 2024 05:43 PM (YDRRq)

270 259 256 In other big American corporation failure news, the Boeing Starliner may be stuck on the ISS. It seems that NASA doesn't have the confidence that the Starliner can even undock safely from the ISS.

I saw this!!! omg

how are those two astronauts not going insane?!?!
Posted by: BlackOrchid

They're holding races from one end of the station to the other. The other astronauts have also hidden all the sharpies, to prevent those two from drawing animal faces on the others.

/sarcasm off

Posted by: Hour of the Wolf at August 07, 2024 05:44 PM (VNX3d)

271 257 Jessica Alba in her Dark Angel (?) period was the most enticing creature alive.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at August 07, 2024 05:40 PM (aD39U

I watched the fricken presidential debate instead of her premiere episod.e

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Posted by: Stateless at August 07, 2024 05:44 PM (jvJvP)

272 Steve Friend
@RealStevefriend

The @FBI is all-in on the 30x30 initiative. Some of its tenets include:
-Eliminating "job knowledge" tests for applicants
-Lowering physical fitness standards
-Eradicating "white culture" from law enforcement

Posted by: Axeman at August 07, 2024 05:44 PM (krQz2)

273 How about "Timmy the Newsboy Stops at Kevin Spacey's House"? I'd watch that.

Posted by: Bryan Singer at August 07, 2024 05:44 PM (hqVaF)

274 In other big American corporation failure news, the Boeing Starliner may be stuck on the ISS. It seems that NASA doesn't have the confidence that the Starliner can even undock safely from the ISS.

My grandpa would be super pissed. He was a Boeing engineer in the day. Built B-29s.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Come Sail Away with me, You guys at August 07, 2024 05:44 PM (Ad8y9)

275
Is there still a Chinese audience for the Marvel stuff? Are they even showing it?

I had heard the race-swapping was more unpopular there than here.

No likee, no tickee.

O.K., that was blatantly racist, sorry.

Posted by: Auspex at August 07, 2024 05:44 PM (j4U/Z)

276 Diogenes, in my worthless opinion I would like to see Israel do a pre-emptive strike on hezbollah and Iran

Posted by: Ben Had at August 07, 2024 05:44 PM (nDGMq)

277 I’m glad I never started watching “The Boys”, so I didn’t have to through the aggravation of being pissed off and deciding to not watch them.
I guess that’s why I won’t watch anything new anymore.

Posted by: Tom Servo at August 07, 2024 05:44 PM (W4qJF)

278 In other big American corporation failure news, the Boeing Starliner may be stuck on the ISS. It seems that NASA doesn't have the confidence that the Starliner can even undock safely from the ISS.

Posted by: MAGA_Ken

We are going to lose two astronauts thanks to this fucking DEI government.

Posted by: rickb223 Gold & Silver Spot Prices at August 07, 2024 05:45 PM (o/kBd)

279 [["People who know, knew. Even if the public didn't know much about Iron Man, Marvel knew that the character was viable due to him having his own book for 60 years. They road-tested the character with actual comic book readers and it endured.
Posted by: ace the influencer at August 07, 2024 05:30 PM (KRtlO)"]]

Hmm. Maybe. Could Iron Man 2008 have worked with a generic fuckhead George Clooney take on Iron Man? Unfortunately this question is going to stay in the realm of academic science, because we don't live a universe where Disney actually tried hard to keep the threads of earned audience interest connected and alive for the following five years, instead of setting up "Race, Gender, and the Multiverse" and the three pillars.

Posted by: Funkotron at August 07, 2024 05:46 PM (dV6hr)

280 Gillians Wonderland Pier, Ocean City, NJ

Not Disney but cute and clean

Posted by: L - If they do it with you, they'll do it to you, too at August 07, 2024 05:46 PM (NFX2v)

281 Darkmode NOOD

Posted by: Axeman at August 07, 2024 05:46 PM (krQz2)

282 55 years ago was it? America orbited the fucking Moon with 3 guys in a tin can on Christmas Eve, and they read from the Bible, just to stick it to the godless commie bastards who started the "space race" in the first place with the USA.

60 years later they are having difficulty in earth orbit, never mind orbiting the Moon with a crew. Worse they seem to be a little cagey about what exactly is happening. They didn't allow that back then. John Young smuggled a corned beef sammich aboard a Gemini flight and it sparked a congressional bitch fest.

Posted by: Somebody With Pretty Fair Advice Along The Way at August 07, 2024 05:46 PM (5/wly)

283 Nood.

Posted by: Flyguy at August 07, 2024 05:46 PM (HA1lM)

284 >
how are those two astronauts not going insane?!?!

read somewhere that they might be stuck up there til next year some time

Posted by: Don Black at August 07, 2024 05:47 PM (/7KEl)

285 You wanna know why Disneyland dropped the tickets and went with just an admission fee?

Magic Mountain. When Magic Mountain opened, it was extremely popular because of flat entrance fee.

It's kind of like how back in the day Kentucky Fried Chicken used to cut up the chicken weird. Competition forced them to cut the pieces into the normal way.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at August 07, 2024 05:48 PM (+H2BX)

286 So let me get this straight. Despite decades of married life to spouses and during child bearing time blocks, NEITHER Kameltoe Harris NOR Tim "Combat!" Walz has ever sired or birthed a child. Is that right?

Posted by: goatexchange at August 07, 2024 05:48 PM (4DA1h)

287 270 259 256 In other big American corporation failure news, the Boeing Starliner may be stuck on the ISS. It seems that NASA doesn't have the confidence that the Starliner can even undock safely from the ISS.

I saw this!!! omg

how are those two astronauts not going insane?!?!
Posted by: BlackOrchid

They watched the 1st season of For All Mankind before it, too, went to sh&t...

Posted by: Nova Local at August 07, 2024 05:49 PM (exHjb)

288 NOOD HTML

Posted by: Max Power at August 07, 2024 05:49 PM (q177U)

289 I haven't seen anything that indicates whether the ISS could jettison the Starliner capsule from its docking port. It would still require an EVA to attach something to it so it would move far enough away from the ISS to be safe.

Posted by: Hour of the Wolf at August 07, 2024 05:49 PM (VNX3d)

290 278 In other big American corporation failure news, the Boeing Starliner may be stuck on the ISS. It seems that NASA doesn't have the confidence that the Starliner can even undock safely from the ISS.

Posted by: MAGA_Ken

We are going to lose two astronauts thanks to this fucking DEI government.
Posted by: rickb223 Gold & Silver Spot Prices at August 07, 2024 05:45 PM (o/kBd)

Apparently, they are looking to Musk, the man they hate, for the solution...they are that desperate...

Posted by: Nova Local at August 07, 2024 05:50 PM (exHjb)

291 245 There is 22 seasons of gunsmoke, and 21 seasons of bonanza. Around 36 shows of season. Just saying.

no love for the amazing exploits of america's favorite ppublic servants, the secret service?

Posted by: james west at August 07, 2024 05:50 PM (Pk+76)

292 how are those two astronauts not going insane?!?!

read somewhere that they might be stuck up there til next year some time
Posted by: Don Black at August 07, 2024 05:47 PM (/7KEl)

I'm getting a Man Without A Country vibe from this. They may just spend the rest of their lives aboard the ISS.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at August 07, 2024 05:51 PM (aD39U)

293 290 Apparently, they are looking to Musk, the man they hate, for the solution...they are that desperate...

they have to figure out how to undock the 7starliner7 max before dragon can dock.

Posted by: anachronda is stuck in pi planning at August 07, 2024 05:53 PM (Pk+76)

294 Oh the irony.
I was just saying to a colleague that I am not all that confidant that a peaceful transfer of power will occur if Harris loses. In fact, I'd bet on it.
Posted by: Diogenes at August 07,
--------------------

If that happens the probability of all services being disrupted is high. Canned goods, cookies, batteries and lots and lots of water. One gallon per day per person is enough to keep every one agitated.

Posted by: Braenyard at August 07, 2024 05:53 PM (agLqO)

295 A gallon a day and pray for rain.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at August 07, 2024 05:54 PM (aD39U)

296 NASA has cancelled Space X crewed flight because Boeing is using up docking facilities. Musk should sue Boeing.
Starliner, what a pos.

Posted by: Braenyard at August 07, 2024 05:54 PM (agLqO)

297 274 In other big American corporation failure news, the Boeing Starliner may be stuck on the ISS. It seems that NASA doesn't have the confidence that the Starliner can even undock safely from the ISS.“

Story last night was that Boeing forgot to build its n the ability for the crewship to undock unless someone is inside it. Ooops.

Posted by: Tom Servo at August 07, 2024 05:55 PM (W4qJF)

298
Story last night was that Boeing forgot to build its n the ability for the crewship to undock unless someone is inside it. Ooops.
Posted by: Tom Servo at August 07, 2024 05:55 PM

--

That's ... WTF!???

I'm mildly retarded and not even an engineer, but that'd be among my first questions about the docking mechanisms.

Posted by: Mrs. Ms. Peg Warmers of Bald Head, MD at August 07, 2024 05:58 PM (wzAuc)

299 289 I haven't seen anything that indicates whether the ISS could jettison the Starliner capsule from its docking port. It would still require an EVA to attach something to it so it would move far enough away from the ISS to be safe.
Posted by: Hour of the Wolf
-----------------

That's the deal, that's what Boeing is up to. They have a ten year -back - contract w/ NASA and billions of govt dollars paid for this thing. If they jettison this thing Boeing will be bankrupted.

Posted by: Braenyard at August 07, 2024 05:58 PM (agLqO)

300 You know a character who has tremendous IP, a vast store of goodwill amongst this Commentariat, and yet, has been seemingly and confusingly abandoned?

That's right. Chuy.

I still eat at his Tex-Mex place when I'm in Austin.

Posted by: Oddbob at August 07, 2024 06:04 PM (/y8xj)

301 It was because of Guardians of the Galaxy.

But that movie was sustained on 80's nostalgia, funky crazy environments, and Chris Pratt's performance, not because Rocket Racoon or Groot were popular characters before that.

It was just pure ego. Feige thought he could do the same thing... 5 more times.

Posted by: DudeAbiding at August 07, 2024 06:05 PM (lCHt6)

302 Isn't it funny how the investors who want their money to make them money are the ones labeled "activist"? Which I suppose makes the ones willing to p*ss their money away to advance progressive causes "normal" investors by contrast?

Posted by: DaveL at August 07, 2024 06:21 PM (KUwsX)

303 You know, I sorta disagree.

A LOT of Marvel characters didn't work at first. Wolverine...didn't work (He didn't even have a name at first). Neither did Deadpool. Neither did lots of characters. It took...time.

Moon Knight was invented in 1975. He piddled around for a few years. In 1980 they gave a series a go. Sold well for a bit, then petered out. 1985 they tried again....did a bit better, then petered out. This kept happening, for decades. Until 2016, it finally became popular, 40 YEARS after the character was created.

The PROBLEM with Fiege and the rest of the idiots at Disney, is they think they can successfully tinker with concepts that took decades to figure out.

The exact, comic consistent version of these characters took decades to perfect. Wolverine and Deadpool are NOT the same characters as when they were first introduced. It took a long time, and a lot of stories, to get them right.

Posted by: El Mariachi at August 07, 2024 06:35 PM (nLFEI)

304 Crooks is dead; parents id’d the body, Yearicks is missing. Where’s that body, Area 51?
Posted by: Tom Servo at August 07, 2024 04:59 PM (W4qJF)

We'll never tell.

Posted by: Dr Brackish Okun at August 07, 2024 06:40 PM (iODuv)

305 Remember, IronMan was a D list character. No normie knew the name Tony Stark before the movie.
Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 07, 2024 04:45 PM (IG4Id)

Iron Man was a great song before the movie.

And it’s not a stretch to say the entire MCU was built on Robert Downey Jr. bringing a compelling character to life. Until they killed him off.

Posted by: Advo at August 07, 2024 06:42 PM (jO4mz)

306 Mark Hamill is the Prince Harry of Luke Skywalkers.

Posted by: Tom Perry at August 07, 2024 06:46 PM (MX0bI)

307 Early Wolverine, from the comics, was a secret agent for the Canadian government. He was so boring he didn't even have a backstory or proper name. It was a tertiary character that was expected to go nowhere.

Deadpool was a straight up rip off of Deathstroke from DC. he showed up from 1991 to 1994 as a side character, really a villain/assassin. They just made him say funny things. 1997 he started behaving and acting like he does in the movies. It just took several years, and multiple comics and writers to figure out how to make him interesting.

Making a big change for the movies usually...fails.

How popular is Captain marvel? not very, never has been. Iron heart, ditto. Fiege is not going to solve the problem with those characters overnight.

Posted by: El Mariachi at August 07, 2024 06:47 PM (nLFEI)

308 "I'm old enough to remember when you bought a book of tickets to go on rides."

go to Knoebels!

no entrance fee, buy tickets in little books

and dogs welcome

I love going there. excellent excellent food too. I hang with the pups and eat snacks while the kids go on rides
Posted by: BlackOrchid at August 07, 2024 05:40 PM (s3qiR)

Olympic Park and Palisades Park in the 60's. Loved both those parks. Lots of girls!!

Posted by: thatcrazyjerseyguy at August 07, 2024 06:50 PM (iODuv)

309 >Stan Lee said that he'd created 100 popular characters by creating 10,000 characters, with a 1% hit rate

Something modern comics (and movies) seem to have forgotten is that Marvel had a really good test marketing plan. They had a couple of books that were just anthologies - two or three stories per issue with no permanent/consistent roster or setting. That's where they tried out new characters and based on fan reaction would promote them to their own full book or let them die on the vine. It's how Dr. Strange and Spider-Man got started, among others. Sometimes it took literally years of a character being regularly in these anthologies before they got their own book, because Marvel couldn't afford a dud.

Posted by: Daniel Ream at August 07, 2024 11:01 PM (0Go0g)

310 I would point out that F4 has consistently *failed* to support a movie.

Posted by: agammamon at August 08, 2024 05:12 AM (BIiKn)

311 The thing is that they had a few early successes with nothing characters and so Feige and company assumed they could keep doing it. Forever. No one cared about Ant Man before the movie, and pretty much no one had heard of the Guardians of the Galaxy until they became a big hit movie. Marvel just thought that it could continue far into the future, that they could turn nothing characters into big players and stock their next Avengers movie ("Avengers 8: We're Out of Toner") with them.

Posted by: Bram Stoker's Chocula at August 08, 2024 07:26 AM (tPQMP)

312 Wow, picking on Nova. Nova corp was in Guardian's movie if you recall. Also, in a Spiderman cartoon that was actually picture good.

But yeah, would not be a great movie unless it was a war or something.

I stopped Marvel movies after Endgame.

Deadpool/Wolverine is Marvel in only that they banked rolled it. Ryan's fought Fiege to keep as much woke stuff out of the movie as possible. As you can see critics hated it (It's ok on Rotten but look at MC) but audience loved it.

Posted by: Nicholas at August 08, 2024 12:09 PM (2Insx)

313 Iron Fist/ Power Man duo; Cloak/ Dagger duo; X-men and X adjacent (Storm, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Collosus, Iceman, Marvel Girl Aka Jean Grey, Phoenix aka Rachel Summers, Angel, Beast, Jubilee, Professor X, Cable, Bishop, Morph) with New Mutants (Cannonball, Magik, Wolfsbane, Sunspot, Warlock (the alien biobot in solid black), Cypher).

Avengers (Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man) and Avengers adjacent: Giant Man aka Ant man; Wasp, Starfox, Black Knight, Hercules, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Mockingbird, Wonder Man, War Machine

Fantastic Four: Human Torch, Invisible Girl, Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, She-Hulk, Herbie, Franklin Richards (from the future)

Dr. Strange

Alpha Flight (Sasquatch, Box, Shaman, Northstar and his sister...)

Spiderman, Venom, Firestar

Punisher

Those are just heroes and heroines. Way more than thirty. Why yes, I am the Supreme Comic Geek. Kneel before Zod, son of Jor-El.

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