Hollywood: Shit or Garbage?

If any of you are experiencing James Gunn Fatigue -- and I sure am, despite not even watching his crap any more -- this is good news.

Allegedly, supposedly, Warner Bros. has already decided to boot him and is just waiting for the right time to announce it. He wisely began filming Superman 2 soon after the debacle of Supergirl, so Warner Bros. can't fire him until after that movie is released.

When the time comes for James Gunn to exit DC, we're told the goodbye is already scripted: Man of Tomorrow framed as his farewell love letter to fans as he chooses to return to his true passion, writing and directing.
"The letters are already written," one of our insiders tells us.

...
As Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery grinds toward its day in court, we're told the changeover is already running quietly underneath, and it runs on paperwork.
"Contract not renewed," one of our insiders tells us. "Lots and lots of WB staff are in that position, including Gunn and Safran. They all know it's over."
How it plays out from there follows a script.
"Most will be allowed to quit in a dignified manner. If they don't, the contract runs out and they're out. So technically not fired," they said.

There's some light spoilers in this next section. Warner Bros. -- or James Gunn -- made some really fan-antagonizing decisions with their new "Lanterns" (as in Green Lanterns) TV show. Because you can't have a white hero any longer, the first episode kills off the Green Lantern everyone knows, Hal Jordan, so that his mantle can pass to a more deserving minority hero. Now, the replacement here, John Stewart, is also a long-serving Lantern, and was chosen to be the Lantern on the beloved Justice League cartoon, again for diversity reasons. But at least Hal wasn't dead in that universe and showed up briefly on the show.

This part is enraging: Warner Bros. -- or DC Studios, under James Gunn -- is issuing false copyright-claim notices on any YouTube or Twitter account that says that Hal Jordan is killed on the show. They're not showing clips from the show, just reporting the news.

But Warner Bros. -- or James Gunn, or both -- have decided that They Own the News and you are not allowed to say anything that casts a negative light on their latest corposlop product.

They claim they have a legal right to stop other people's free speech when they report spoilers -- and I don't even see how this is a "spoiler;" I immediately guessed they'd kill Hal Jordan -- or even just give a bad review to a Warner Bros. superhero movie.

Tuesday night's edition of What I'm Hearing, Matthew Belloni's Hollywood newsletter, handed its main feature to legal columnist Eriq Gardner, and Gardner spent all of it on Warner Bros. Discovery's copyright campaign against this site.
The piece runs under the headline "The War on Spoilers Goes Nuclear," in the same issue as Disney's new lawsuit against the FCC and Ari Emanuel's win in the Endeavor shareholder case.
...
It was going after people talking about what happens in Episode 1. His assessment of the strategy: "Warners is playing with fire."
He also reports that WBD has no intention of ever bringing any of this into a courtroom.
The studio wouldn't comment, though a source familiar with its thinking told him that whether a project has been released yet is among the factors weighed before filing. Which is the point. This was about the calendar, not copyright.

What they're admitting there is that they had no legal right to issue a takedown notice under the DMCA. They just didn't want negative information coming out about the series, at least not until after it debuted and they got their views.

YouTuber Andrew Sosa is suing WBD, alleging the studio used the DMCA to bury his negative review of The Batman. We covered that, too, on June 10.
...
A federal judge had just put WBD's takedown practices under a microscope, and WBD responded by swearing out a fresh round of notices over a rumor.
...
Unequal Stakes.
Gardner is candid about why studios do this anyway.
Section 512(f), the DMCA's penalty for knowingly false notices, has produced few wins in its history; the good-faith standard is subjective, damages are hard to prove, and cases take years.

In other words, if a corposlop company demands your speech be squelched under a phony DMCA strike, the social media company complies immediately, because there are penalties if they don't.

But if you try to sue them later showing that their strike was made in bad faith and had nothing to do with legitimate copyright, it's impossible to prove.

This must be changed.

The studio, meanwhile, gets its result instantly, and by the time a counter-notice runs its course the premiere, the convention, or the entire leak cycle is over.
WBD's defense in the Sosa case, per Puck, boils down to this: even if it was wrong that spoilers infringe copyright, being wrong isn't the same as lying. That is the argument they would make about us, too.
...
His point to lawmakers: before creating another lever, be sure it can't be repurposed the way this one was.
Gardner's column is about how the takedown system is being used; Cosmic Book News is the case study.
...
Puck credits us with reading the tea leaves for months and calling the ending by March.
It was more than that. We first raised Hal Jordan's death in November 2024 and broke down the pulled teaser on March 5.
Then, on March 27, at WonderCon, our insiders told us flat-out that Hal Jordan dies, and we posted it. That's reporting.
The second X notice.
Puck covers the first notice, filed by a social strategist on HBO Max's brand team describing the infringement as "people discussing the spoilers."

It mentions the second only in passing. That one came from a senior analyst in WBD's Content Protection and Analytics division, the department whose entire job is copyright. Its fields: original work, a link to the show's IMDb page; reported content, "Text"; infringing material, "Lanterns Season 1 Episode 1 Spoiler."
The copyright department certified, on a form that spells out federal liability for misrepresentation, that a sentence about a story is Warner Bros. property.
Our post carried an image. They didn't claim the image. They claimed the sentence.

They're literally claiming that if you tell a friend "Darth Vader is really Luke's father," they have a copyright interest in that sentence and can legally compel social media companies to ban you for saying it.

Cocksuckers.

Oh, and the show is, get this, wokeslop.

The highlights tell the story.
The town's big secret is a militia operating from a ranch, because apparently that's what Hollywood thinks every small town in the Midwest is hiding.
The cowboy patriarch lectures Hal Jordan about "colonization."
Hal then interrogates a suspected alien using Harry Potter trivia, with a Nebraska trucker not knowing enough about Hogwarts treated like evidence that something isn't right.
When the alien finally confesses, his speech turns into a sneer at football itself: "pointless contests involving balls that somehow captivate more attention than the deteriorating atmosphere or the hunger of its least fortunate people."
John Stewart is also a vegan.
The episode makes sure to tell you twice.
Taken together, the message isn't exactly subtle. Lanterns uses Sheridan-style America as its backdrop while repeatedly taking shots at the culture and people who live there.

Here are some trailers. Note the first one is for Terminal List, Season 2, and is a Warner Bros. (HBO) production. So I may just skip it entirely, though I know a lot of people liked season one. (I did, but I'm really sick of HBO slop.)

Jim Caveziel, who's aging pretty well, plays a former special forces soldier who defends a town when a corporation attempts a land-grab.

It's called Ghost Soldier and they mean that a little literally. He's got some kind of cloak that makes him appear invisible, in that "cameras film what's behind him and project it on to the front of him" kind of way.

Another video game has been made into a movie -- well, an animated movie -- and I was definitely not expecting this particular 80s video game to get the movie treatment: Golden Axe. Elf needs food, badly. (WHOOPS! Mr. Ridiculously Circituous Plan tells me "Elf needs food, badly" is from Gauntlet, not Golden Axe. I've been confusing those two since they came out.)

Are you ready for a race-swapped remake of The Thomas Crowne Affair? I don't really mind this one, for this reason: I didn't like the Steve McQueen one (boring AF), I didn't like the Pierce Brosnan one (too "TV Movie of the Week," too "Remington Steele") and so I really do not care what they do with this dumb movie that somehow has become a 60 year old franchise.

Will they ever make a new movie not based on previous movie? And will all the million remakes always be race- and gender-swapped?

Answers: Doubtful and Most Assuredly.

And for proof of that: Here's another old franchise which just keeps getting remade and rebooted despite never having produced a movie that was actually good: Blade Runner 2099.

Seriously? Seriously? How many times...?

Speaking of, the novel that was directly inspired by the look and feel of Blade Runner, Neuromancer, is a series that will debut on Apple TV soon. I'm kind of interested but I don't have Apple and I'm not so interested I'll actually sign up to watch it.

But maybe some of you will. Let me know. But be careful, you might be banned from social media for spreading #Spoilers about the series.

It's weird that it's taken 40 years for anyone to make this into a movie (or limited series, as it is here). They've made movies out of stories that are part of the Neuromancer universe, like Johnny Mnemonic and the weirdo movie New Rose Hotel, but never the one big novel that everyone was talking about for ten years.

Oh, and the most obnoxiously unnecessary cash-grab subgenree of movie -- "the prequel backstory for a villain from a classic cartoon or story" -- continues with the Dark and Gritty origin story of A Christmas Carol, Ebeneezer starring Johnny Depp, and I know that sounds like a joke written by AI but it's all too real.

Didn't we already get Ebeneezer's backstory in A Christmas Carol? Ghost of Christmas Past kinda caught us up on that, right?

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 04:43 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 1st

Posted by: GF at August 21, 2026 04:43 PM (e5z5/)

2 gp & I nooded.

Posted by: Nazdar at August 21, 2026 04:43 PM (NcvvS)

3 It's garbage.

Posted by: Guy who always says "It's garbage" at August 21, 2026 04:43 PM (MWfyi)

4 "He wisely began filming Superman 2 soon after the debacle of Supergirl, so Warner Bros. can't fire him until after that movie is released."

They can fire him but it will cost big bucks to buy out his contract. Possibly more than the movie will make.

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at August 21, 2026 04:44 PM (cpFbA)

5 Or?

Posted by: huerfano at August 21, 2026 04:46 PM (2Xqig)

6 Hollywood: Shit or Garbage?
---

Yes, both.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 04:46 PM (nqf1u)

7 "Elf needs food, badly."

That's Gauntlet, not Golden Axe!

Posted by: My Ridiculously Circuitous Plan at August 21, 2026 04:46 PM (+F5HV)

8 > I was definitely not expecting this particular 80s video game to get the movie treatment: Golden Axe.

This is actually one of the few games I remember spending money on playing in the arcade. I'm not compelled to see the movie, but I think it's fun someone else enjoyed that game too.

Posted by: bonhomme at August 21, 2026 04:46 PM (mkw2N)

9 and that's a understatement

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 04:46 PM (nqf1u)

10 "They're literally claiming that if you tell a friend "Darth Vader is really Luke's father," they have a copyright interest in that sentence and can legally compel social media companies to ban you for saying it."

Wait, that's not true...that's impossible!

Posted by: Thrawn at August 21, 2026 04:47 PM (dz8eD)

11 Who is James Gunn?

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 04:47 PM (nqf1u)

12 "If any of you are experiencing James Gunn Fatigue..."
-------------------------

Maybe I'm missing out on something, but ... who?

Posted by: Bea Arthur's Dick at August 21, 2026 04:48 PM (pE12i)

13 I just hope it wasn't Uwe Boll who did Golden Axe *checks* oh good it's not.
When are we getting Clouds of Xeen / Darkside of Xeen: the Movie?

Posted by: Trump has big balls, Paul has small balls at August 21, 2026 04:48 PM (88C+u)

14 I'm looking forward to the Terminal List.. I read the whole series of books...Hope they don't screw it up too badly

Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 04:48 PM (+gK6I)

15 Will they ever make a new movie?
-
Next year from Hollywood:

Obsession 2

Posted by: Methos, inauthentic X-bot account at August 21, 2026 04:49 PM (vSvIl)

16 I like Johnny Depp and goad he is working again but yeah, no need for Ebenezer

Posted by: steevy at August 21, 2026 04:49 PM (YwEeS)

17 And for proof of that: Here's another old franchise which just keeps getting remade and rebooted despite never having produced a movie that was actually good: Blade Runner 2099.

==

Yep, the one with a transperson transitioned as a child.... Male to female. And that old standby, Michelle Yeoh.

Posted by: runner at August 21, 2026 04:49 PM (g47mK)

18 Look, don't get anywhere near Hollywood. We learned the lesson too late.

Posted by: Peggy Entwhistle and Thelma Todd at August 21, 2026 04:49 PM (JM9I6)

19 At least the Raygun documentary admitted that her husband was a judge on the Olympic selection committee.

That's still the best Olympics event I ever watched. I swear I ruptured something laughing, and it wasn't just Raygun that looked ridiculous.

Posted by: hobbitopoly at August 21, 2026 04:49 PM (ZgwKJ)

20 James Gunn is like the Hollywood version of Jonah Goldberg.

Posted by: Leupold at August 21, 2026 04:49 PM (6NGJs)

21 >>>That's Gauntlet, not Golden Axe!

oh damn, I was wondering why they didn't include that soundbite in the trailer!

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 04:50 PM (hq00u)

22 GoTG was decent. The last thing before that that James Gunn was involved with that I enjoyed was the Dawn of the Dead remake (2004).

Posted by: Thrawn at August 21, 2026 04:50 PM (dz8eD)

23 When are Hollywood studios moving to Austin or Nashville?

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at August 21, 2026 04:50 PM (M+uMR)

24 So, why is the show called Lanterns if they killed off the Lantern? Why not just Jon Stewart Green Lantern? People like that character already, so you didn't need to kill off another character to have him lead. That just leads to pissed off fans...

It's like Sony knew to keep Peter Parker (and other Spideys) around in their Miles Morales animated movies. You didn't need Peter dead for Miles to shine b/c fans also like his character in the comics.

There aren't many POC characters that sell, but these two do...so the Lanterns thing just seems dumb...

Posted by: Nova Local at August 21, 2026 04:50 PM (tOcjL)

25 Every cop fbi whatever drama show we've watched lately has had lead chicks who are complete nut bars. I can't really remember any cop show with a completely sane and happily married lead cop but damn if they haven't ramped up the dysfunction to 11 in every single chick cop show the last ten?? years. Currently watching Furious. Insanity.

Posted by: nckate at August 21, 2026 04:50 PM (enNUy)

26 James Gunn did a good "Guardians of the Galaxy" (first one) and personally I liked "Brightburn" (written/produced, not directed).
Otherwise meh.

Posted by: 88C+u at August 21, 2026 04:50 PM (88C+u)

27 > Hal then interrogates a suspected alien using Harry Potter trivia, with a Nebraska trucker not knowing enough about Hogwarts treated like evidence that something isn't right.

What?? That's hilarious.

1. The series was an international monster seller, not a US phenomenon.
2. Unless you're the right age to have read this as a youth, or are a parent of the right age, or are a weirdo adult that's into teen fiction, Harry Potter isn't going to be trivia you know.

Posted by: bonhomme at August 21, 2026 04:50 PM (mkw2N)

28 It's called Ghost Soldier and they mean that a little literally. He's got some kind of cloak that makes him appear invisible, in that "cameras film what's behind him and project it on to the front of him" kind of way.
---

That's 1930's with better visual gimmicks.
Good for 8 to 13 yo boys.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 04:50 PM (nqf1u)

29 You know, it's sad. Emerald Twilight (in the comics from the 90s) was a GREAT storyline about a Hrro falling. But it came after both a lot of comics with Jordan as a hero AND the Death of Superman in the comics (which events caused Jordan to lose his shit.)

But you get the payoff and it makes the story so much better by having all those years of Jordan being a true and noble hero. This show just tells you that this happened, and cap Jordan so Aaron Pierre can fuck an older white woman.

Its literal cat lady porn.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at August 21, 2026 04:51 PM (zZu0s)

30 Speaking of, the novel that was directly inspired by the look and feel of Blade Runner, Neuromancer, is a series that will debut on Apple TV soon. I'm kind of interested but I don't have Apple and I'm not so interested I'll actually sign up to watch it.
----
Neuromancer is a wildly overrated book. I was bored the entire time I read it. Didn't care about any of the characters.

Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash hasn't aged well, but it's a much more enjoyable cyberpunk story.

Could be turned into a decent 1 or 2 season series, but whoever tried to make it would go full woke just because we can't have anything nice.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 21, 2026 04:51 PM (FZ29D)

31 TBH the black green lantern guy has been an important character for a long time so focusing on him seems fine.

He's probably also the most normal green lantern.

But if they are making a show about them are they including all the other ones like the compassion and love ones? Because I bet they are going gay gay gay if they go with that

Posted by: Stan at August 21, 2026 04:51 PM (sKqQm)

32 Terminal List 1 was good. But also waaayyy too long.

Ghost Soldier looks but then anything Caveziel is in is good.

Posted by: Diogenes at August 21, 2026 04:51 PM (2WIwB)

33 I read the content! None of the movies mentioned appeal to me, story-wise.

It's no biggie, because as TJM says on the sidebar, there will always be "the joys of discovering older movies over anticipating new ones." There are so many good movies I haven't seen yet, it does not matter to me whether Hollywood ever makes another film. There's always still something worth watching.

Posted by: gp at August 21, 2026 04:51 PM (Jr5Lq)

34 They're literally claiming that if you tell a friend "Darth Vader is really Luke's father," they have a copyright interest in that sentence and can legally compel social media companies to ban you for saying it.

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

'"Super Bowl' is also verboten, comrades."

-- The NFL (Not For Long)

Posted by: ShainS at August 21, 2026 04:51 PM (ue44Q)

35
Small town rural America has been a Hollywood hate object since before "Bad Day at Black Rock."

Southern villages, piticalarry.

Posted by: Auspex at August 21, 2026 04:51 PM (Y8DZL)

36 >>>11 Who is James Gunn?

loudmouth writer/director responsible for lots of Superhero movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad, Superman (2025), and now the head of all of DC Studios' output, at least for the moment.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 04:52 PM (AzKar)

37 >>>32 Terminal List 1 was good. But also waaayyy too long.

Yes. All of these shows are like that. Two hours of plot and excitement PACKED into ten hours.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 04:53 PM (qVYnH)

38 2. Unless you're the right age to have read this as a youth, or are a parent of the right age, or are a weirdo adult that's into teen fiction, Harry Potter isn't going to be trivia you know.
Posted by: bonhomme at August 21, 2026 04:50 PM (mkw2N)
----
Pop culture rarely ages well.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 21, 2026 04:53 PM (FZ29D)

39 >>>31 TBH the black green lantern guy has been an important character for a long time so focusing on him seems fine.

eh, we gotta kill the OG to clear the stage for him?

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 04:53 PM (qVYnH)

40 Who is James Gunn?

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 04:47 PM (nqf1u)

Peter's son.
Which brings us to one of the best tv music tune.

Posted by: Diogenes at August 21, 2026 04:53 PM (2WIwB)

41 Watching the trailer for Golden Axe, it looks like a joke trailer by film students for a series that shouldn't be made. But they're making it anyway!!
Uwe might be better.

Posted by: 88C+u at August 21, 2026 04:53 PM (88C+u)

42 Saw "The Rivals of Amziah King" with Matthew McConaughey a couple of days ago. I enjoyed it. Kurt Russell has a small part and is always good.

Posted by: Tuna at August 21, 2026 04:54 PM (lJ0H4)

43 Hollywood continues to be completely unoriginal. Race swapping old characters is bad enough, but the writing is good awful.
I agree about The Thomas Crowne Affair as it always struck me as a way to have actors play dress up in a crime movie. Kind of like the Ocean 's Eleven movies both old and new.

Posted by: Smell the Glove at August 21, 2026 04:54 PM (rp63B)

44 Raygun; movie about a stupid person failing.
Sounds intriguing.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 04:54 PM (nqf1u)

45 Johnny Depp needs to just keep jamming with Alice Cooper and friends. Probably where he is happiest.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Trumpy can do magic at August 21, 2026 04:54 PM (0aYVJ)

46 There are so many good movies I haven't seen yet, it does not matter to me whether Hollywood ever makes another film. There's always still something worth watching.
Posted by: gp at August 21, 2026 04:51 PM (Jr5Lq)
----
"Read a book!"

--Handy the puppet from "The Tick"

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 21, 2026 04:54 PM (FZ29D)

47 >>>38 2. Unless you're the right age to have read this as a youth, or are a parent of the right age, or are a weirdo adult that's into teen fiction, Harry Potter isn't going to be trivia you know.

I saw the scene and didn't mind it. The set-up is that the guy, who will be revealed to be an alien, answers all of the football-related questions perfectly, which causes Jordan to wonder if he's just an infiltrator who has done his homework, so he switches up the questions to ask about something he probably didn't study. It's not terrible, in context.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 04:55 PM (qVYnH)

48 I’d never heard of James Gunn myself….

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at August 21, 2026 04:55 PM (M+uMR)

49 Speaking of Green Lanterns, the Ryan Reynolds "Green Lantern" movie doesn't look so bad in retrospect.

I liked it a bit more than Ben Affleck's "Daredevil", truth be told.

Posted by: Thrawn at August 21, 2026 04:55 PM (dz8eD)

50 also I think that scene takes place in 2016, when Harry Potter would be something you'd just know through osmosis.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 04:55 PM (wtFge)

51 >>>48 I’d never heard of James Gunn myself….

you're lucky. He's really made himself the face of the brand.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 04:56 PM (wtFge)

52 If they're going to cap Hal, they should bring in Guy and Kyle along with Jon.

And, making Jon a vegan? WTAF?

Golden Axe cartoon looks hilarious, too bad I shall ne'er have Paramount+.

Posted by: RandomDave (if you can spare a bit, please click) at August 21, 2026 04:56 PM (aJQbY)

53 We find it hard to find anything to watch.

Now we laugh at stuff that's not supposed to be funny, like hearing a head thump down stairs. I think this is supposed to be horrific, yet we laugh.

Posted by: ChristyBlinkyTheGreat at August 21, 2026 04:57 PM (hzuYO)

54 >>>Which brings us to one of the best tv music tune.

henry mancini, right?

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 04:57 PM (wtFge)

55 "Read a book!"

That too. I have literally thousands of good ones I haven't cracked yet.

Posted by: gp at August 21, 2026 04:57 PM (Jr5Lq)

56 >>>Here's another old franchise which just keeps getting remade and rebooted despite never having produced a movie that was actually good: Blade Runner 2099.

The original Blade Runner was very good, you dirty, stinky liar.

Posted by: No Name Today at August 21, 2026 04:57 PM (8mulE)

57 What will cinema be like after Gunn no longer gets to put his daddy issues on screen?

Posted by: sifty boones at August 21, 2026 04:58 PM (ghZuT)

58 I know the Peter Gunn theme mostly (mostly) through the great spy racing game Spyhunter. They wanted the James Bond theme, but the Bond people would not license it, so they got the Peter Gunn theme.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DrreeZ4xFcE

man did I love the Spyhunter car. They put out a game for the PS2 that was great, too. (Terrible sequel, though.)

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 04:59 PM (wtFge)

59 The trope of asking a non-American pretending to be American trivia about sports is pretty old. I'm sure I've seen this in older WWII movies where they ask baseball trivia. I imagine someone suggested doing that, but the gay writers room said, "EWW, SPORTS-BALL" and they decided to insert Harry Potter trivia instead.

Posted by: bonhomme at August 21, 2026 04:59 PM (mkw2N)

60 I've seen YouTubers complain about getting takedown notices for including a still image from a film in their video, which they did instead of a clip to avoid that outcome.

The big studios and music publishers are absolutely ruthless and reckless with DMCA takedowns, even in obvious 'fair use' cases, like reviews or commentary. And YouTube is more than happy to oblige them because they spend billion$ on marketing with Alphabet (GGL + YT).

Lawsuits are the only way to get a handle on the problem.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 04:59 PM (6ydKt)

61 >>>The original Blade Runner was very good, you dirty, stinky liar.

Is it?

Posted by: Guy who says "Is it?" at August 21, 2026 04:59 PM (wtFge)

62 The original Blade Runner was very good, you dirty, stinky liar.
Posted by: No Name Today at August 21, 2026 04:57 PM (8mulE)

Only if it's the version without H. Ford's supremely bored voice-over.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Trumpy can do magic at August 21, 2026 04:59 PM (0aYVJ)

63 Hollywood: Shit or Garbage?

embrace the healing power of "and"

Posted by: anachronda at August 21, 2026 04:59 PM (v3pYe)

64 49 Speaking of Green Lanterns, the Ryan Reynolds "Green Lantern" movie doesn't look so bad in retrospect.

I liked it a bit more than Ben Affleck's "Daredevil", truth be told.
Posted by: Thrawn at August 21, 2026 04:55 PM (dz8eD)

Nope, the relationship scene when the world is ending was F material...it's a badly ended movie (and I have no memory of the rest, so I'm gonna say it wasn't good enough to offset the ending)...

Posted by: Nova Local at August 21, 2026 04:59 PM (tOcjL)

65
So who'd gonna be the lead for the Fidel Castro biopix?

Posted by: Auspex at August 21, 2026 04:59 PM (Y8DZL)

66 Which brings us to one of the best tv music tune.

henry mancini, right?
Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 04:57 PM (wtFge)

Yes.
The first music I ever associated with a tv show.

Posted by: Diogenes at August 21, 2026 04:59 PM (2WIwB)

67 Man, they really went for the trifecta on that Blade Runner trailer.

Lead: tranny
Co-star 1: Asian woman
Co-star 2: Black man

Posted by: Frasier Crane at August 21, 2026 05:00 PM (bNf8H)

68 The Peter Gunn Theme and Green Onions were some of the best instrumental tracks ever.

Then Chuck Mangione had to go and ruin the genre.

Glad to see Gunn headed for the exit.

Posted by: sifty boones at August 21, 2026 05:00 PM (ghZuT)

69 The answer to ace's question is "yes".

I'm sure there's decent stuff still being produced, though probably not much (TJM will know). In any case it's been years since I paid any attention or watched more than a tiny number of things.

But to each their own.

Posted by: rhomboid at August 21, 2026 05:01 PM (U/Byj)

70 > I saw the scene and didn't mind it. The set-up is that the guy, who will be revealed to be an alien, answers all of the football-related questions perfectly, which causes Jordan to wonder if he's just an infiltrator who has done his homework, so he switches up the questions to ask about something he probably didn't study. It's not terrible, in context.

Ah, so my guess of doing the American sports trivia trope wasn't too far off.

Posted by: bonhomme at August 21, 2026 05:01 PM (mkw2N)

71 Apparently HBO had the concept of Green Lanterns as Tue Detective for a long time, but it was supposed to be old Alan Scott and he didn't die in the show until the end. It ran into problems because DC decided their new version of Alan Scott was homosexual, and the thing kind of stuttered, until James Gunn picked up the property and it was changed to kill Hal Jordan first episode.

You can go back here and see where I said James Gunn is the last person who should be running a studio, let alone writing Superman and here we are. The thing is, I am far from the only person who saw this obvious thing, but apprenetly WB could not.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:01 PM (K32Fz)

72 67 Man, they really went for the trifecta on that Blade Runner trailer.

Lead: tranny
Co-star 1: Asian woman
Co-star 2: Black man
Posted by: Frasier Crane at August 21, 2026 05:00 PM (bNf8H)

In the Terminal List they made his girlfriend Asian and in the book she's a blond Caucasian...

Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 05:02 PM (+gK6I)

73
...continues with the Dark and Gritty origin story of A Christmas Carol, Ebeneezer starring Johnny Depp, and I know that sounds like a joke written by AI but it's all too real.

A couple of years ago the BBC had Scrooge as a rapist in their new version of a Christmas Carol, so-

not sure where they're going to go with Depp's dark and gritty version.

Maybe his Scrooge breaks into people's houses and shits on their bed.

Posted by: naturalfake at August 21, 2026 05:02 PM (iJfKG)

74 Which brings us to one of the best tv music tune.

henry mancini, right?
Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 04:57 PM (wtFge)

cont.

In fact The Music From Peter Gunn won the first ever album of the year.

Posted by: Diogenes at August 21, 2026 05:02 PM (2WIwB)

75 Hollywood: Shit or Garbage?

Embrace the healing power of "and"

Posted by: D) will at August 21, 2026 05:02 PM (TbWk/)

76 > Then Chuck Mangione had to go and ruin the genre.

I'd never heard of Mangione until I became a fan of King of the Hill.

Posted by: bonhomme at August 21, 2026 05:02 PM (mkw2N)

77 I remember there being talk of a Neuromancer movie way back in the late '80s or early '90s. My hunch is that the CGI tech just wasn't good/cheap enough to pull it off and by the time it was, nobody remembered the book any more. Now a high school kid with a Mac Pro could do the graphics so that won't be much of a selling point. Hopefully* they'll do the whole story justice and not the the "Molly killing people/Case in cyberspace" flashy stuff.

* No, I'm not actually hopeful.

Posted by: Oddbob at August 21, 2026 05:03 PM (vTZFs)

78 A couple of years ago the BBC had Scrooge as a rapist in their new version of a Christmas Carol, so-

I saw that.. It was disturbing

Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 05:03 PM (+gK6I)

79 Jordan to wonder if he's just an infiltrator who has done his homework, so he switches up the questions to ask about something he probably didn't study. It's not terrible, in context.

Yeah but the things he went to were written by modern young people for whom 2016 is a lifetime ago. First off, why on earth would some football guy in nowhere Nebraska know about Harry Potter?? Second, how would you talk about Barack Obama in football season Nebraska instead of Trump who probably just won the election???

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:03 PM (K32Fz)

80 Which brings us to one of the best tv music tune.

henry mancini, right?
Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 04:57 PM (wtFge)

Yes.
The first music I ever associated with a tv show.
Posted by: Diogenes

Little bit of trivia I learned listening to my local classical music station. John Williams-yes, that John Williams-played the piano on the Peter Gunn theme music.

Posted by: Tuna at August 21, 2026 05:03 PM (lJ0H4)

81 Peter Gunn theme is good.
I'm also partial to Miami Vice and Hawaii-Five-O themes.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 05:03 PM (6ydKt)

82 >>>Little bit of trivia I learned listening to my local classical music station. John Williams-yes, that John Williams-played the piano on the Peter Gunn theme music.

oh wow.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:04 PM (T1Fop)

83 Didn't we already get Ebeneezer's backstory in A Christmas Carol? Ghost of Christmas Past kinda caught us up on that, right?

more like ghost of memory hole. but the truth will out!

Posted by: ebeneezer at August 21, 2026 05:04 PM (v3pYe)

84 And Knight Rider had a perfect little synthesizer beat for the 80s.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 05:04 PM (6ydKt)

85 Here's another old franchise which just keeps getting remade and rebooted despite never having produced a movie that was actually good: Blade Runner 2099.
----
As soon as I saw it's an Amazon Prime production, I knew they were going to mess it up.

They can't adapt source material to save their lives.

Exhibit A - Rings of Power
Exhibit B - Wheel of Time

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 21, 2026 05:04 PM (FZ29D)

86 If we're going to base our culture around comic book heroes, I demand a Baby Huey franchise -- Ii'm especially looking forward to Baby Huey 4 -- The Hupocalypse, in which Baby Huey exterminates all other superheroes, then lords over the Marvel-DC-verse like a god.

Posted by: zombie at August 21, 2026 05:04 PM (Av6i5)

87 A couple of years ago the BBC had Scrooge as a rapist in their new version of a Christmas Carol, so-

===

WHAT ???

Posted by: runner at August 21, 2026 05:04 PM (g47mK)

88 I couldn't think of any good Canadian movies so I surfed to Hollywood Reporter. The 51 Best Canuck Films of All Time:
https://tinyurl.com/2axd2dc4

Posted by: gp at August 21, 2026 05:05 PM (Jr5Lq)

89 By the way this is the 25th Anniversary of the release of first Harry Potter film...

Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 05:05 PM (+gK6I)

90 Peter's son.
Which brings us to one of the best tv music tune.

Posted by: Diogenes
---

Henry Mancini, Mr. Lucky (1959–1960)
The Detectives (1959–1962)
The New Steve Allen Show (1961–1964)
NBC Mystery Movie (1971–1977)
What’s Happening!! (1976–1979)
Newhart (1982–1990)
Remington Steele (1982–1987)
Hotel (1983–198

The Thorn Birds (1983 miniseries)

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 05:05 PM (nqf1u)

91 >>>84 And Knight Rider had a perfect little synthesizer beat for the 80s.

oh yeah that's great. have you heard the indian/hiphop version?

https://youtu.be/xYdmCxRIwVE?si=fOcFAnIZxNlSkvIe

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:05 PM (T1Fop)

92 The theme music for Yellowstone is the only one I don't fast forward through.

Posted by: Ben Had at August 21, 2026 05:05 PM (gIjzl)

93 Henry Mancini also did the Pink Panther theme.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 05:05 PM (6ydKt)

94 As soon as I saw it's an Amazon Prime production, I knew they were going to mess it up.

They can't adapt source material to save their lives.

Exhibit A - Rings of Power
Exhibit B - Wheel of Time
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 21, 2026 05:04 PM (FZ29D)

Future Exhibit C - God of War.

Posted by: Thrawn at August 21, 2026 05:06 PM (dz8eD)

95 73 not sure where they're going to go with Depp's dark and gritty version.

hopefully, oompa-loompas are involved.

Posted by: deep roy at August 21, 2026 05:06 PM (v3pYe)

96 bonhomme, one of the best WWII anecdotes (and likely true) involved the sports questions used as security checks (to screen out furriners posing as GIs). David Niven, then attached to one of Monty's HQs, was stopped at an American checkpoint during the Bulge, when Skorzeny's unit impersonating GIs had the Allies spooked.

Soldier asked him who won the '42 Series. His reply, reportedly, was "haven't the foggiest, but I did star with Ginger Rogers in 'Bachelor Mother'". Which sufficed to get him through the checkpoint. Kind of hard to beat that one.

Posted by: rhomboid at August 21, 2026 05:06 PM (U/Byj)

97 So who'd gonna be the lead for the Fidel Castro biopix?
Posted by: Auspex at August 21, 2026 04:59 PM (Y8DZL)

If it's on Netflix, either Viola Davis or Lizzo.

Posted by: Idaho Spudboy at August 21, 2026 05:06 PM (GjEvj)

98 Could be worse.

Could be *Jon* Stewart.

"Lantern ring on, clown nose on".

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at August 21, 2026 05:06 PM (IG3/x)

99 "Mr. Ridiculously Circituous Plan tells me "Elf needs food, badly" is from Gauntlet, not Golden Axe. I've been confusing those two since they came out.)"

I've achieved my lifelong dream of being mentioned in an AoS post update, for the second time!

Posted by: My Ridiculously Circuitous Plan at August 21, 2026 05:06 PM (+F5HV)

100 I'd never heard of Mangione until I became a fan of King of the Hill.
Posted by: bonhomme at August 21, 2026 05:02 PM (mkw2N)

I've never been a fan of King of the Hill (personal preference, I like it academically), but I love the Randy Travis/Peggy Hill episode. Wife and I were in a hotel, and I was packing up while watching it on some cable station. Funny as hell.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Trumpy can do magic at August 21, 2026 05:07 PM (0aYVJ)

101 continues with the Dark and Gritty origin story of A Christmas Carol, Ebeneezer starring Johnny Depp, and I know that sounds like a joke written by AI but it's all too real.

Why is there any need to do another version of a Christmas Carol? There are several fine versions out there already . It seems like Hollywood has no creativity.

I guess I don't have James Gunn fatigue because I don't know who that is.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 21, 2026 05:07 PM (JrHfD)

102 Now I remember why the Mrs and I haven't been to a movie theater since 2019.

And we used to go at least once a month then.

Posted by: Ashley Judd's Puffy Scamper at August 21, 2026 05:07 PM (k1E2D)

103 There was a bunch of great synth theme songs in the 80s like Airwolf

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:07 PM (K32Fz)

104 95 73 not sure where they're going to go with Depp's dark and gritty version.

hopefully, oompa-loompas are involved.
Posted by: deep roy at August 21, 2026 05:06 PM (v3pYe)

LOL... Yeah , that was s strange version but I liked it..

Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 05:07 PM (+gK6I)

105 oops: - Peter Gunn , September 22, 1958, t

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 05:07 PM (nqf1u)

106 No, that really happened. During the December '44 "Battle of the Bulge" they had English speaking Germans in American uniforms, driving captured Jeeps, things like that. Their numbers were not large but it really, really spooked everybody pretty good.

So it came to pass American troops started asking questions about stuff only an American would really know. This was in addition to the password of the day, lol. "Who won the '36 World Series" kind of thing.

Posted by: Common Tater at August 21, 2026 05:08 PM (zwp1R)

107 Peter Gunn theme is good.
I'm also partial to Miami Vice and Hawaii-Five-O themes.
Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 05:03 PM

The pep band during my high school daze was pretty good. Half of the guys went to college on music scholarships. The Theme From PG was their signature music. They'd start that up and the gym would go crazy.

Posted by: Diogenes at August 21, 2026 05:08 PM (2WIwB)

108 Justified had a great theme song.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Trumpy can do magic at August 21, 2026 05:08 PM (0aYVJ)

109 Now more than ever, America needs Apache Chief and the asian Samurai dude.

Oh, on Instagram the other day, Brec Bassinger who played 'Stargirl' had a picture of her working out. Damn, she's 25 and 5' 2", bjt she would have made a great Supergirl too.

And one of the cartoon channels still has Aztec Batman if you need something to fall asleep to becasue you truly don't give a shit.

Posted by: Stateless - keeping 15 year Ralphy happy and alive. Puppy at heart at August 21, 2026 05:08 PM (Sco7b)

110 In Baby Huey 5: The Rise of Lotta, Huey's dominance is challenged when Little Lotta emerges from a galactic black hole and kicks him into the Hanna-Barbera-verse, where he has to duel with Top Cat to survive.

Posted by: zombie at August 21, 2026 05:08 PM (Av6i5)

111 "How does it feel to live long enough to see all your favorite franchises go down in flames?

*dejectedly* - "It feels great!".

https://tinyurl.com/2sybzfsv

Posted by: Thrawn at August 21, 2026 05:08 PM (dz8eD)

112 Man, there were so many great theme songs back in the day.

Two of my favorites: Rockford Files and Jonny Quest.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at August 21, 2026 05:08 PM (IG3/x)

113 "but I'm really sick of HBO slop"

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

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms might've been the best TV show I've seen in a decade or more... Which isn't saying much, but it was good

Posted by: bearski at August 21, 2026 05:08 PM (Bhsk7)

114 Soldier asked him who won the '42 Series. His reply, reportedly, was "haven't the foggiest, but I did star with Ginger Rogers in 'Bachelor Mother'". Which sufficed to get him through the checkpoint. Kind of hard to beat that one.

There's a scene in Band of Brothers where they challenge some soldier about baseball and he's not a fan so he has no clue but swears so well and acts so American they accept him anyway.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:08 PM (K32Fz)

115 I am basically sick of black replacements. Poor Jake from State Farm! Avenge him!!!

Posted by: connected and litigious at August 21, 2026 05:08 PM (cS1cw)

116
Who is James Gunn?

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others

Peter Gunn's long lost great nephew.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at August 21, 2026 05:09 PM (Cqx++)

117 Neuromancer is a wildly overrated book. I was bored the entire time I read it. Didn't care about any of the characters.

Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash hasn't aged well, but it's a much more enjoyable cyberpunk story.

I had exactly the opposite reaction but then I read Neuromancer when it was fresh and Snow Crash when it was several years past its sell-by date. I have talked before in the book thread about how Stephenson's style doesn't play well for me.

Posted by: Oddbob at August 21, 2026 05:09 PM (vTZFs)

118 >>>108 Justified had a great theme song.

yeah that was great. Really neat mash-up of bluegrass and gangsta rap. Fit the show perfectly.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:09 PM (zzeIq)

119 I will skip Lanterns{/i].
The Ryan Reynolds film a few years back was bad enough, and it was very mid.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 05:09 PM (6ydKt)

120 55 "Read a book!"

That too. I have literally thousands of good ones I haven't cracked yet.

drm is a bitch

Posted by: anachronda at August 21, 2026 05:09 PM (v3pYe)

121 Justified had a great theme song.

It was okay but it was part of the "every single theme song has to be hip hop/street" that even had the freaking Sopranos trend for too long in TV shows. You still see bits of it "does this have a black man? Bust out the rap song!"

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:10 PM (K32Fz)

122 60 I've seen YouTubers complain about getting takedown notices for including a still image from a film in their video, which they did instead of a clip to avoid that outcome.

The big studios and music publishers are absolutely ruthless and reckless with DMCA takedowns, even in obvious 'fair use' cases, like reviews or commentary. And YouTube is more than happy to oblige them because they spend billion$ on marketing with Alphabet (GGL + YT).

Lawsuits are the only way to get a handle on the problem.
Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 04:59 PM (6ydKt)

There are a couple of YouTube channels, Rick Beato and Professor of Rock, who have interviews with musical artists and play clips of their music, they have gotten DMCA strikes against them from the artists' labels!

Posted by: Ashley Judd's Puffy Scamper at August 21, 2026 05:10 PM (k1E2D)

123 I have comic book fatigue.

Posted by: Field Marshal Zhukov at August 21, 2026 05:10 PM (bX16E)

124 >>>A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms might've been the best TV show I've seen in a decade or more... Which isn't saying much, but it was good

i heard it's okay but I'm done with that guy. He's not going to finish the books so the TV version is the official version.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:11 PM (zzeIq)

125 Something seems to be going on with DataRepublican. An attempt by the deep state to entrap her may have backfired?

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at August 21, 2026 05:11 PM (kYmoU)

126 104 95 73 not sure where they're going to go with Depp's dark and gritty version.

hopefully, oompa-loompas are involved.
Posted by: deep roy
---

Peeling Americana's onion one layer at a time.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 05:11 PM (nqf1u)

127 110 In Baby Huey 5: The Rise of Lotta, Huey's dominance is challenged when Little Lotta emerges from a galactic black hole and kicks him into the Hanna-Barbera-verse, where he has to duel with Top Cat to survive.

come to think of it, i've never seen the first five leonard parts.

Posted by: anachronda at August 21, 2026 05:11 PM (v3pYe)

128 > Soldier asked him who won the '42 Series. His reply, reportedly, was "haven't the foggiest, but I did star with Ginger Rogers in 'Bachelor Mother'". Which sufficed to get him through the checkpoint. Kind of hard to beat that one.

That's a great story!

Posted by: bonhomme at August 21, 2026 05:11 PM (mkw2N)

129 Upcoming movie I may actually see in theater: "Coyote v. Acme." I love old Looney Tunes, and Ian Frazier's short story (I suppose this movie is loosely based on) is hilarious.

Posted by: Martin Tell at August 21, 2026 05:11 PM (sFNX2)

130 Hollywood shit or Garbage?
Yes.

Posted by: Angzarr the Cromulent at August 21, 2026 05:11 PM (XMwZJ)

131 I read the first book in that Terminal List series (well, I listened to the audiobook because the narrator's really good at his job), but I've since soured on the "one man army" genre and couldn't get into the first season of the show. I probably won't watch the second season either.

Posted by: Octochicken at August 21, 2026 05:11 PM (oCS0o)

132 Maybe different category but Band of Brothers had a memorable musical theme. The Pacific was very different, though not bad, while the series itself has its issues.

Posted by: rhomboid at August 21, 2026 05:11 PM (U/Byj)

133 You know, I go months without thinking about James Gunn.

Posted by: toby928(c) at August 21, 2026 05:11 PM (4NO2D)

134 Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash hasn't aged well, but it's a much more enjoyable cyberpunk story.

Doing 80s cyberpunk now is just baffling to me. Its like doing a Jetsons show now; see what the future was supposed to be like 40 years ago?

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:12 PM (K32Fz)

135 I mentioned it before, but some blacks were upset because they're remaking the Cheetah Girls, which was originally a mostly black cast and the cast is latina and asian.

That was hilarious.

I'm happy for Kailleen and Carmen though.

Posted by: Stateless - keeping 15 year Ralphy happy and alive. Puppy at heart at August 21, 2026 05:12 PM (Sco7b)

136 When it comes to elves, I'd rather watch Liv Tyler.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:12 PM (wzUl9)

137 A couple of years ago the BBC had Scrooge as a rapist in their new version of a Christmas Carol, so-

Posted by: naturalfake at August 21, 2026 05:02 PM (iJfKG)

I think Bob Cratchit's wife was black in that version. If I remember correctly, I think that's who Scrooge was hitting on.

Posted by: hobbitopoly at August 21, 2026 05:12 PM (ZgwKJ)

138
I think Bob Cratchit's wife was black in that version. If I remember correctly, I think that's who Scrooge was hitting on.
Posted by: hobbitopoly at August 21, 2026 05:12 PM (ZgwKJ)

Yup

Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 05:12 PM (+gK6I)

139 91 >>>84 And Knight Rider had a perfect little synthesizer beat for the 80s.

oh yeah that's great. have you heard the indian/hiphop version?

https://youtu.be/xYdmCxRIwVE?si=fOcFAnIZxNlSkvIe

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:05 PM (T1Fop)

I didn't like it at first, at all.
And then about a minute in the beat kicks in and I'm vibing to this thing.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 05:12 PM (6ydKt)

140 123 I have comic book fatigue.

montague > fatigue

Posted by: juliette at August 21, 2026 05:13 PM (v3pYe)

141 90 Peter's son.
Which brings us to one of the best tv music tune.

Posted by: Diogenes
---

Henry Mancini, Mr. Lucky (1959–1960)
The Detectives (1959–1962)
The New Steve Allen Show (1961–1964)
NBC Mystery Movie (1971–1977)
What’s Happening!! (1976–1979)
Newhart (1982–1990)
Remington Steele (1982–1987)
Hotel (1983–198
The Thorn Birds (1983 miniseries)
Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 05:05 PM (nqf1u)

The theme from "UFO" was pretty good.

Funny how back in the 70's and 80's tv theme songs became hits.

Posted by: Ashley Judd's Puffy Scamper at August 21, 2026 05:13 PM (k1E2D)

142 >>>And then about a minute in the beat kicks in and I'm vibing to this thing.

yeah they make you wait for the Knight Rider theme.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:13 PM (xh88z)

143 Man, there were so many great theme songs back in the day.

Two of my favorites: Rockford Files and Jonny Quest.

"Barney Miller."

Posted by: Oddbob at August 21, 2026 05:13 PM (vTZFs)

144
Saw "The End of Oak Street".

It was okay. Had some good action sequences.

But, this was the interesting part...

It takes about 4-6 years usually for a movie from script to finished product, so TEoOS was written and green lighted in the middle of Biden's Wokefest and probably shot before Trump was elected.

So, it's a girl boss story and all the men are useless or dickweeds, but but but..the model was clearly Spielberg and or JJ Abrams.

And as usual, there is a teen romance with a moment where the girl or boy suddenly kiss.

Only in TEoOS, the romance is very clearly a biracial lesbian teen romance, however Hollywood knows "Woke 1" is dead and that won't fly now in a family movie, so they edited out any obvious lesbian action, including, almost certainly The Kiss,

Toto in his movie review mentions the hollowness of the movie esp in introducing the "cute girl" that never seems to go anywhere. Well, that's why.

They did their best to back out of the worst of the Woke in this movie.

I wonder if this heralds a new era of entertaining movies instead of "educating" movies?

Posted by: naturalfake at August 21, 2026 05:13 PM (iJfKG)

145 I was gonna say the same thing about the Discount Royals on the previous thread, but it's old.

Posted by: toby928(c) at August 21, 2026 05:14 PM (4NO2D)

146 Doing 80s cyberpunk now is just baffling to me. Its like doing a Jetsons show now; see what the future was supposed to be like 40 years ago?
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:12 PM (K32Fz)
*********************

'80s cyberpunk was too optimistic about the future.

Posted by: My Ridiculously Circuitous Plan at August 21, 2026 05:14 PM (+F5HV)

147 Man, there were so many great theme songs back in the day.

Two of my favorites: Rockford Files and Jonny Quest.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at August 21, 2026

***
Secret Agent, Hawaii Five-O, Mission: Impossible

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:14 PM (wzUl9)

148 Theme songs

Star Trek Enterprise.

Nice song, great visuals.

Posted by: Stateless - keeping 15 year Ralphy happy and alive. Puppy at heart at August 21, 2026 05:14 PM (Sco7b)

149 Niven had a fairly interesting war-time resume, involved with some dicey s**t. He told another story about German decorations/Iron Crosses being air-dropped by the Luftwaffe on his (forward, infiltrated) position in France (intent was to boost morale in a beleaguered part of the front by awarding all there some decoration).

He almost never spoke about his war experiences, similar to many of his generation.

Posted by: rhomboid at August 21, 2026 05:15 PM (U/Byj)

150 Maybe different category but Band of Brothers had a memorable musical theme. The Pacific was very different, though not bad, while the series itself has its issues.

Not nearly as good a theme, not memorable at all. Neither was the show, really. Having Tom Hanks running around talking about how terrible it was we fought the Japanese and nuked them.

i heard it's okay but I'm done with that guy. He's not going to finish the books so the TV version is the official version.

Never was impressed by GRRRRRRM. His books are overrated, the show is overblown, and the man is a scumbag of the first order. I tried to read his highly recommended first book and was a combination of revulsion and bored.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:15 PM (K32Fz)

151 i heard it's okay but I'm done with that guy. He's not going to finish the books so the TV version is the official version.
Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:11 PM (zzeIq)

I was done with him before the HBO show even started. I made the mistake of reading him at exactly the same time I read the first Gap book by Donaldson and started getting rid of books (which i never did.) "Is everyone a greasy, disgusting pedophile-rapist-sex pervert!?!"

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at August 21, 2026 05:15 PM (zZu0s)

152 At the time, I thought the themes from "The Prisoner" and "The Man from UNCLE" (both of its themes) were cool.

Posted by: gp at August 21, 2026 05:15 PM (Jr5Lq)

153 A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:15 PM (v4fVF)

154 I watched Lanterns despite the rumor that Hal Jordan would be killed off.

It had a beginning that didn't really make sense, but, to me, it steadily built throughout the episode. And by the end--death or no death, I'm looking forward to the next episodes.

It doesn't bother me that much, John Stewart has been a GL for nearly as long as Hal, these days.

Nobody hollers for Alan Scott--the original Green Lantern until the John Broome Gil Kane's reboot with test pilot Hal Jordan as a space cop.

I'm waiting to see what they make of it.

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:15 PM (Fi81e)

155 > Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash hasn't aged well, but it's a much more enjoyable cyberpunk story.

I liked the world building and the story in Snow Crash a lot. But there's some awful crap in there too. Like his ancient Sumer mental algorithms bicameral mind stuff.

Posted by: bonhomme at August 21, 2026 05:15 PM (mkw2N)

156 I watched The Long Riders a few nights ago. Somewhat aimless movie but a pretty good soundtrack by Ry Cooder.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at August 21, 2026 05:15 PM (kYmoU)

157 And one of the cartoon channels still has Aztec Batman if you need something to fall asleep to becasue you truly don't give a shit.
Posted by: Stateless - keeping 15 year Ralphy happy and alive. Puppy at heart at August 21, 2026 05:08 PM (Sco7b)

Roofer by day, crime fighter by night

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at August 21, 2026 05:15 PM (cIy7m)

158 The final season of The Virginian was renamed The Men From Shiloh and had a spaghetti western style intro with a theme song composed by Ennio Morricone.

https://youtu.be/w1YXyII-JHM

Posted by: Mark1971 at August 21, 2026 05:15 PM (/OKHJ)

159 i heard it's okay but I'm done with that guy. He's not going to finish the books so the TV version is the official version.
Posted by: ace

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

Critical Drinker had a great review of it. Motivated me to watch it and he was spot on. I've had it with Martin too and have no interest in House of the Dragon (ugh). But Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was refreshing, light (for the most part), and fun. And not woke.

Posted by: bearski at August 21, 2026 05:16 PM (Bhsk7)

160 Magnum PI theme gets me amped

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:16 PM (tUb/q)

161 The theme music from original "The Outer Limits" is terrifying, as were some of their monsters. I still get scared in the dark thinking about them.

Posted by: gp at August 21, 2026 05:16 PM (Jr5Lq)

162 I keep thinking *James* Gunn is his brother, the comic actor Sean from Gilmore Girls.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:17 PM (wzUl9)

163 Does anyone think that someone will make a decent film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

That was a trippy book.

Posted by: toby928(c) at August 21, 2026 05:17 PM (4NO2D)

164 160 Magnum PI theme gets me amped
Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:16 PM (tUb/q)

Airwolf was a favorite theme of mine

Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 05:17 PM (+gK6I)

165 Critical Drinker had a great review of it. Motivated me to watch it and he was spot on. I've had it with Martin too and have no interest in House of the Dragon (ugh). But Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was refreshing, light (for the most part), and fun. And not woke.
Posted by: bearski at August 21, 2026 05:16 PM (Bhsk7)
----
They'll save the woke stuff for the next season.

Sooner or later it WILL go woke...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 21, 2026 05:17 PM (FZ29D)

166
Sorry to say, because I've found Apple, the corporation, more annoying than anything else throughout my life, but they are the highest quality streaming content provider out there, IMHO.

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:17 PM (Fi81e)

167 I noticed listening to old school radio programs, each network had their own orchestra, with a more or less recognizable sound. You could tell the CBS orchestra did Andy Griffith just by the way it sounded, even if ten years earlier.

Posted by: Common Tater at August 21, 2026 05:18 PM (zwp1R)

168 both Simon & Simon themes are good

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:18 PM (tUb/q)

169 I made a TV Cop Show theme song list for YouTube. Granted, YouTube has terrible squashed down audio but its a fun list of songs through the years

https://youtu.be/dEjXPY9jOx8

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:19 PM (K32Fz)

170 I saw the first episode of "Lanterns" and when they murdered Hal Jordon at the end...

Eh, I lost interest in the show.

Hal Jordon was the only interesting character in the show.

The John Stewart guy was a plank of wood. Charisma vacuum.

Posted by: naturalfake at August 21, 2026 05:19 PM (iJfKG)

171 Critical Drinker had a great review of it. Motivated me to watch it and he was spot on. I've had it with Martin too and have no interest in House of the Dragon (ugh). But Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was refreshing, light (for the most part), and fun. And not woke.
Posted by: bearski at August 21, 2026 05:16 PM

It makes me want to follow the story of Dunk and Egg, though it ends very very badly, of course.

Posted by: toby928(c) at August 21, 2026 05:19 PM (4NO2D)

172 Were British soldiers expected to be conversant with American baseball players?

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at August 21, 2026 05:19 PM (Cqx++)

173 Sorry to say, because I've found Apple, the corporation, more annoying than anything else throughout my life, but they are the highest quality streaming content provider out there, IMHO.
Posted by: Axeman

New season of "Slow Horses" starts mid September.

Posted by: Tuna at August 21, 2026 05:19 PM (lJ0H4)

174 I'm glad someone else is willing to admit the original Bladerunner is boring. Because it is. It's better than the books it is kinda/sorta based on, but that's not saying much. It was hardly PKD's best work.

Posted by: it puts the lotion in the basket at August 21, 2026 05:20 PM (22uAl)

175 At the time, I thought the themes from "The Prisoner" and "The Man from UNCLE" (both of its themes) were cool.
Posted by: gp at August 21, 2026

***
Yes, The Prisoner had a compelling beat to it. U.N.C.L.E. had four different versions of its theme song, though, one for each of the four seasons. The first was that sorta military one with a 5/4 beat; the second was sorta cool and slinky; the third kind of over-the-top, like the campy stories that year; and the fourth came back to being much more serious, like the stories in that truncated season.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:20 PM (wzUl9)

176 both simon & Simon themes

I think after season 1 they played the original theme song over end credits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lt6y-4rbAI

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:20 PM (tUb/q)

177 both Simon & Simon themes are good

The second was better but yeah the first is a nice fit for the show's themes and setting. It surprised me watching it through again how many years the first theme stuck around, I thought they changed right away.

That is a great, largely forgotten show; I managed to find a DVD set.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:20 PM (K32Fz)

178 The theme from "UFO" was pretty good.

Funny how back in the 70's and 80's tv theme songs became hits.

Posted by: Ashley Judd's Puffy Scamper
---

Special mention M-Squad starring Lee Marvin
Popular theme written and performed by Count Basie and his band.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 05:20 PM (nqf1u)

179 So, why is the show called Lanterns if they killed off the Lantern? Why not just Jon Stewart Green Lantern? People like that character already, so you didn't need to kill off another character to have him lead. That just leads to pissed off fans...

Posted by: Nova Local at August 21, 2026 04:50 PM (tOcjL)

There is a whole intergalactic corps of lanterns in the comic book, as well as different colors.

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:20 PM (uhVAy)

180 > Never was impressed by GRRRRRRM. His books are overrated, the show is overblown, and the man is a scumbag of the first order. I tried to read his highly recommended first book and was a combination of revulsion and bored.

Larry Correia blames GRRRRM for killing the fantasy genre. New fantasy authors can't get published because no readers want to start a fantasy series that isn't complete yet, specifically because GRRRM burned so many readers with his GoT books people now assume will never be finished. Established authors get by, but nobody new gets a chance.

Posted by: bonhomme at August 21, 2026 05:20 PM (mkw2N)

181 You can be pissed about Hal Jordan dying, but at least Gunn is not make a sham out of the supposed premise of the GL corps.

You're supposed to have one GL per sector.

Earth has these in varying state of concurrent activity:

Hal Jordan
John Stewart
Guy Gardner
Kyle Raynor

C'mon, DC!

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:21 PM (Fi81e)

182 >> It's better than the books it is kinda/sorta based on, but that's not saying much.

I think the book is better. It's weirder. Something is better than nothing.

Yeah Blade Runner isn't nothing, its production design is incredible, the special effects are S-tier, but storywise, it's so dull and drab and tedious. Everyone in the movie is a terrible character you don't like.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:21 PM (tUb/q)

183 Were British soldiers expected to be conversant with American baseball players?
Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at August 21, 2026 05:19 PM (Cqx++)

A US general was held prisoner at a checkpoint for thinking the Cubs were in the American League in WWII.

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:22 PM (uhVAy)

184 165 They'll save the woke stuff for the next season. Sooner or later it WILL go woke... Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel

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

The ones that made it obviously have no interest in getting woke. I agree with the Drinker's point that either the makers were able to sneak this under the radar (and maybe they'll get squashed for Season 2; maybe not), or more excitingly, maybe Hollywood is realizing there really is a market for a good story with good characters without ticking diversity checkboxes... Brand New Day wasn't far from that...

Posted by: bearski at August 21, 2026 05:22 PM (Bhsk7)

185 180 > Never was impressed by GRRRRRRM. His books are overrated, the show is overblown, and the man is a scumbag of the first order. I tried to read his highly recommended first book and was a combination of revulsion and bored.

Larry Correia blames GRRRRM for killing the fantasy genre. New fantasy authors can't get published because no readers want to start a fantasy series that isn't complete yet, specifically because GRRRM burned so many readers with his GoT books people now assume will never be finished. Established authors get by, but nobody new gets a chance.
Posted by: bonhomme at August 21, 2026 05:20 PM (mkw2N)

Surely, Robert Jordan deserves some of the blame if that's an issue.

Posted by: it puts the lotion in the basket at August 21, 2026 05:22 PM (22uAl)

186 A Black Man going around and Stealing stuff, I can just watch the news. You know he's going to steal from the British museum because well they did take a lot crap but it will be lecture after lecture

Also SINNERS was poorly written and was WAY WAY overrated

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at August 21, 2026 05:22 PM (ubCxQ)

187 You're supposed to have one GL per sector.

Earth has these in varying state of concurrent activity

Yeah the whole corps thing is lame anyway. I prefer when they act like there is no big pseudo-police force of goofy looking aliens and a huge lantern battery with blue gnomes around it.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:22 PM (K32Fz)

188 Magnum PI also had two different themes. The one for the first season sounds more 70s.

Posted by: Mark1971 at August 21, 2026 05:22 PM (/OKHJ)

189 Special mention M-Squad starring Lee Marvin
Popular theme written and performed by Count Basie and his band.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 05:20 PM (nqf1u)
---
A show that has some shot-for-shot parallels with Police Squad, starring Leslie Nielson as Frank Drebbin. And serves as the original inspiration.

Just like Airplane! in places is a shot for shot parallel of Zero Hour (ITIWC)

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:23 PM (Fi81e)

190 160 Magnum PI theme gets me amped
Posted by: ace

Most people don't know that the Mission: Impossible theme song originally had lyrics, but they were scrapped from the show. HOWEVER, before they were scrapped, a vocal group called The Kane Triplets recorded the lyric version and released on 45. It still exists today, and is the only evidence of the original lyrics, which are actually pretty cool:

Mission Impossible

Fly away, disappear, I'll be there, waiting
Run high, run low don't stop don't
No matter where, you are bound, I'm around, waiting

Hypnotized, on a string, following, watching
Leave it there, I'm aware, I don't care
Cannot stop and I won't stop till you're mine

I keep on dreamin' of you, and doubted about it
You took my hand and made me spin, somewhere it's never been

I'm in the desert, the middle of nowhere
With no choose I got me there, burning close to fire
But when I get through, that's when I'll begin to
Undertake a mission that's impossible

etc.

Posted by: zombie at August 21, 2026 05:23 PM (Av6i5)

191 A Black Man going around and Stealing stuff, I can just watch the news. You know he's going to steal from the British museum because well they did take a lot crap but it will be lecture after lecture

Literally he goes and steals back stuff that was stolen by rich white people. He's not a burglar he's a race-grievance robin hood. Again.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:23 PM (K32Fz)

192 172 Were British soldiers expected to be conversant with American baseball players?

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr.
---

Imagine, if you were slipping through the American lines one should, someway, be convincingly conversant.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 05:23 PM (nqf1u)

193 Never was impressed by GRRRRRRM. His books are overrated, the show is overblown, and the man is a scumbag of the first order. I tried to read his highly recommended first book and was a combination of revulsion and bored.
---
Agreed. He really needed to stick to the conventions of the heroic epic fantasy genre. Not everyone has to be miserable. Showcase a few truly heroic characters who win through in the end. He's a capable enough writer he could have pulled it off. But nope. He can't be bothered to understand the conventions of the genre in which he's writing. Consumed by his own ego and now it's too late.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 21, 2026 05:24 PM (FZ29D)

194 No TV theme beats:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ9ymE2Rcxo

Posted by: Dark Lixtiquatal at August 21, 2026 05:24 PM (Fv808)

195 Blade Runner... it's all about ambiance.

1) Noir.

2) setting. Techno-Noir-Futurism.

3) Peak Sean Young

4) Something good quotes.

I 'like' the movie, but never rematch it.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at August 21, 2026 05:24 PM (zZu0s)

196 Also SINNERS was poorly written and was WAY WAY overrated
Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at August 21, 2026 05:22 PM

I have been putting off watching that, though I really enjoy the blood sucker genre.

Posted by: toby928(c) at August 21, 2026 05:24 PM (4NO2D)

197 Bertram, I don't think that was generally the case, but the incident in question occurred in the midst of the Bulge, at the start a chaotic and disastrous American retreat, and the Germans had trained special units to impersonate GIs and infiltrate beyond the front line to sow confusion, get intel, etc.

So the American side was very jumpy about possible infiltrators of that sort. Initially I think Ike's security team forced him to relocate/limit his movements at his HQ in France due to the rumor one of the teams was headed to bump him off.

Posted by: rhomboid at August 21, 2026 05:24 PM (U/Byj)

198 Yeah Blade Runner isn't nothing, its production design is incredible, the special effects are S-tier, but storywise, it's so dull and drab and tedious. Everyone in the movie is a terrible character you don't like.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:21 PM (tUb/q)

Yup.
It's so nice to look at, and see the world they've created but it is a slog until the end.
It's obviously a homage to film noir but that doesn't mean it has to be so slow and difficult to follow for an hour.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 05:25 PM (6ydKt)

199 A blast from the past... 77 Sunset Strip... Ed Kookie Byrnes

Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 05:25 PM (+gK6I)

200 zombie, lol, I never knew that.

Did you know the Star Trek theme has lyrics? Also never released. The story is, Gene Roddenberry wanted to corruptly take 1/2 of the royalty rights to the Star Trek theme, so he wrote "lyrics" to the music and claimed to have co-written it.

Beyond
The rim of the star-light
My love
Is wand'ring in star-flight
I know
He'll find in star-clustered reaches
Love,
Strange love a star woman teaches.
I know
His journey ends never
His star trek
Will go on forever.
But tell him
While he wanders his starry sea
Remember, remember me.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:26 PM (WV5yq)

201 It was several years back but there was a Green Lantern cartoon with him in space. It was pretty cool.

Oh, Theme Songs and superheroes

"Great American Hero"
"Darkwing Duck"

Posted by: Stateless - keeping 15 year Ralphy happy and alive. Puppy at heart at August 21, 2026 05:26 PM (Sco7b)

202 I think the book is better. It's weirder. Something is better than nothing.

Yeah Blade Runner isn't nothing, its production design is incredible, the special effects are S-tier, but storywise, it's so dull and drab and tedious. Everyone in the movie is a terrible character you don't like.
Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:21 PM (tUb/q)
----
I feel the same way. I appreciate the movie for its influence on the genre and on what it's done for moviemaking. I don't have to like it for itself. I've only watched it all the way through maybe twice in my life.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 21, 2026 05:26 PM (FZ29D)

203 And one of the cartoon channels still has Aztec Batman if you need something to fall asleep to becasue you truly don't give a shit.
Posted by: Stateless - keeping 15 year Ralphy happy and alive. Puppy at heart at August 21, 2026 05:08 PM (Sco7b)

Roofer by day, crime fighter by night
Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at August 21, 2026 05:15 PM (cIy7m)

The Tick cartoon was very funny, there's one time the batman/spiderman character Die Fledermaus hits the edge of town and goes "Hmm..Run out of Roofs"

Also the evil "Idea Men" gang who can't issue their demands since their helmets muffle their voices.

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:26 PM (uhVAy)

204 Larry Correia blames GRRRRM for killing the fantasy genre. New fantasy authors can't get published because no readers want to start a fantasy series that isn't complete yet, specifically because GRRRM burned so many readers with his GoT books people now assume will never be finished. Established authors get by, but nobody new gets a chance.
Posted by: bonhomme at August 21, 2026 05:20 PM (mkw2N)

Mayor of Noobtown, really enjoy this audiobook. I guess it's called Lit Fantasy, you have to get the audiobook to really enjoy it.

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at August 21, 2026 05:26 PM (ubCxQ)

205 Yeah the whole corps thing is lame anyway. I prefer when they act like there is no big pseudo-police force of goofy looking aliens and a huge lantern battery with blue gnomes around it.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:22 PM (K32Fz)
---
I forgot exactly what the title said of a Youtube thumbnail, but you couldn't make out who it was talking about directly, but it was about DC and it said something like the "The Worst Protectors of the Galaxy who Get Everybody killed".

And then you realize, yeah, that's a Guardian of Oa! in the picture.

The GLC is not as laughable as how much the Guardians--whom the corps serves--have botched up.

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:26 PM (Fi81e)

206 171 It makes me want to follow the story of Dunk and Egg, though it ends very very badly, of course.

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

Yeah, but the 1st season only covered a week or two in time. At that pace they could make dozens of seasons before getting to the real end of it... The GoT has so much material in it that they can keep this show's theme going for a while if they want. I loved the actors in it too. Very re-watchable...

Posted by: bearski at August 21, 2026 05:27 PM (Bhsk7)

207 He can't be bothered to understand the conventions of the genre in which he's writing. Consumed by his own ego and now it's too late

He seems to understand them, but hate them and think they are stupid and unrealistic. He criticizes Tolkien all the time for being too black and white good and evil. The guy is a deconstructionist postmodern fool.

And now that he's rich and famous instead of writing what people want, he's knocking off short stories, starting up new TV shows, and banging confused convention cosplay girls.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:27 PM (K32Fz)

208 Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty is the best part for the final 20 minutes or so. Daryl Hannah was cute.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 05:27 PM (6ydKt)

209 George R.R. Martin was once a solid writer. His Fevre Dream in the '80s, not a long book, was a new take on the vampire concept -- a sort of mix of Mark Twain and Stephen King, as reviewers said at the time. I recommend it.

I read the first of his Thrones books. The paperback publisher made a horrible mistake and put the list of characters in the *back* instead of the front, so here's Wolfus trying to follow a convoluted story without knowing the characters' family or other relationships. I was not thrilled.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:28 PM (wzUl9)

210 I liked the X-Files theme

♫ The X-Files is a show
With music by Mark Snow
The X-Files is a show ... ♫

Posted by: toby928(c) at August 21, 2026 05:28 PM (4NO2D)

211 Also the evil "Idea Men" gang who can't issue their demands since their helmets muffle their voices.

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:26 PM (uhVAy)
---
The Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight!

And when Tick is a tongue: "I can taste EVERYTHING!!" (In revulsion)

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:28 PM (Fi81e)

212 I hope Hollywood never moves to Texas or Tennessee. They don't need to move anywhere in the South. They can have New York. It's more their kind of people.

Posted by: Case at August 21, 2026 05:28 PM (VrYHL)

213 I don't have to like it for itself. I've only watched it all the way through maybe twice in my life.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 21, 2026 05:26 PM (FZ29D)

I've watched a few versions (there must be like five 'cuts') a few times.

Even the extended cut doesn't make it much better.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 05:28 PM (6ydKt)

214 Haven't seen anything since the original Blade Runner, but I did check out the building that was a main location (across from Grand Central Market in LA - Michoacan taco place was the best in the Market last time I was there).

Posted by: rhomboid at August 21, 2026 05:29 PM (U/Byj)

215 The Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight!

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:28 PM (Fi81e)
----
"And then I says, 'Tell me I'm wrong!' and he goes, 'I CAN'T 'CAUSE YOU'RE NOT!'"

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 21, 2026 05:29 PM (FZ29D)

216 Hollywood: Shit or Garbage?
====================
Obama broke Hollywood.

It was already teetering into mediocrity but then the urge to make every hero black took over and drove Hollywood over the edge.

And it's not all Hollywood corporate idiots at fault, the state itself (via taxes) played their usual destructive role.

Now South Korea, Japan, China and India might be bigger deals now than Hollywood, in terms of global impact. Canada might even be, thanks to tax policy though you could argue those films and scripted shows are Hollywood-lite. The state of Georgia (as opposed to the nation) might be in that same boat too.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at August 21, 2026 05:29 PM (MY8jA)

217 Were British soldiers expected to be conversant with American baseball players?

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr.
---

Imagine, if you were slipping through the American lines one should, someway, be convincingly conversant.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 05:23 PM (nqf1u)

Isaac Asimov had a story where a spy was caught for knowing the third verse of the Star Spangled Banner song. no true american knows that.

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:29 PM (uhVAy)

218 The Tick cartoon was just non stop clever fun ideas; the TV shows are not as good but still are pretty good. Chairface Chippendale carving part of his name on the moon with a huge laser is epic

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:29 PM (K32Fz)

219 I've been watching a lot of AI stuff on YouTube.

Some good, some bad.
But at least it's mostly original.

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at August 21, 2026 05:29 PM (3cUTc)

220 Ace, the lyrics to the Trek theme were printed long ago (ca. 196

in the Making of Star Trek book by Stephen Whitfield and Roddenberry.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:30 PM (wzUl9)

221 Kroft Super Show

"Electra Woman and Dyna Girl"

Man, I loved Dyna Girl. And Wonder Woman's younger cousin.

Posted by: Stateless - keeping 15 year Ralphy happy and alive. Puppy at heart at August 21, 2026 05:30 PM (Sco7b)

222 I'm a fan of the original Blade Runner.. It's dark and depressing but it's interesting...

Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 05:30 PM (+gK6I)

223 why not both? Shitty garbage!

Posted by: vivi at August 21, 2026 05:30 PM (7esJd)

224 141 The theme from "UFO" was pretty good.

Funny how back in the 70's and 80's tv theme songs became hits.

i'm right here, you know

Posted by: theme from quark at August 21, 2026 05:30 PM (v3pYe)

225 Obama broke Hollywood.

He damaged it badly then Covid and the strikes killed it. Unbelievable damage done to themselves, for political gain LOL.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:30 PM (K32Fz)

226 Yeah Blade Runner isn't nothing, its production design is incredible, the special effects are S-tier, but storywise, it's so dull and drab and tedious. Everyone in the movie is a terrible character you don't like.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:21 PM (tUb/q)
---
I can see that reaction. Even if I don't have it myself.

But I can see somebody finding it slow... because it kina is.

That last thing you described is "noir". I probably like noir more than you do, I would guess.

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:31 PM (Fi81e)

227 Obama broke Hollywood.

He damaged it badly then Covid and the strikes killed it. Unbelievable damage done to themselves, for political gain LOL.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:30 PM (K32Fz)
---
Brokeback Hollywood. They just couldn't quit 'im.

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:31 PM (Fi81e)

228
Now South Korea, Japan, China and India might be bigger deals now than Hollywood, in terms of global impact. Canada might even be, thanks to tax policy though you could argue those films and scripted shows are Hollywood-lite. The state of Georgia (as opposed to the nation) might be in that same boat too.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at August 21, 2026 05:29 PM (MY8jA)

TONS of popular shows have been made here.

Posted by: Stateless - keeping 15 year Ralphy happy and alive. Puppy at heart at August 21, 2026 05:31 PM (Sco7b)

229 George R.R. Martin was once a solid writer. His Fevre Dream in the '80s, not a long book, was a new take on the vampire concept -- a sort of mix of Mark Twain and Stephen King, as reviewers said at the time. I recommend it.

I read the first of his Thrones books. The paperback publisher made a horrible mistake and put the list of characters in the *back* instead of the front, so here's Wolfus trying to follow a convoluted story without knowing the characters' family or other relationships. I was not thrilled.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:28 PM (wzUl9)

It is always bad when the author slips the chains of editorial restraint and starts with the 1200 page paperbacks you can't hold or 27-iliogies.

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:31 PM (uhVAy)

230 George R.R. Martin was once a solid writer.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:28 PM (wzUl9)
****************

George Raymond Martin wrote a few good Science Fiction short stories back in the day, such as "Sandkings", "The Monkey Treatment", and "Under Siege", before he gained fame for his 1990s 'darker and edgier' epic fantasy series.

Posted by: My Ridiculously Circuitous Plan at August 21, 2026 05:32 PM (+F5HV)

231 Wasn't Blade Runner Harrison Ford's first starring role where he wasn't Han or Indy? I've always liked it. Thought he was good in it. A little slow, but great parts and awesome cast. I think the main CEO bad guy was the only one with more than a couple lines who didn't seem to amount to much... Rutger Hauer was great, had a great last coupla lines...

Posted by: bearski at August 21, 2026 05:32 PM (Bhsk7)

232 I have a theory about all these "super hero" movies. The deluge of them reflects the target demographic audience who all have self-esteem issues. Hell, more than half of them are in therapy. Apparently, that's a coming of age trend these days.

While a normal person sits there and has to contend with how absolutely over the top and stereotypical the content is, there are half-wit, mentally unstable, self-important lemmings willing to sit through every damn one. Most of us take it for what it is....half-assed fan service. While there are others sitting out in the theater thinking, "My life sucks. I wish I could fly."

Posted by: Orson at August 21, 2026 05:32 PM (dIske)

233 Bladerunner is in my top 5 favorite movies.

(Shrugs)

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at August 21, 2026 05:32 PM (nXv4p)

234 Blade Runner, just make it a cop and Replicant show about finding Skinjobs and killing them and having to use the Voight-Kampff,which for some reason they got rid of it, it's why Alien Nation the series was good.

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at August 21, 2026 05:32 PM (ubCxQ)

235 I just do eyes.

Posted by: toby928(c) at August 21, 2026 05:33 PM (4NO2D)

236 That last thing you described is "noir". I probably like noir more than you do, I would guess.
Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:31 PM (Fi81e)

I think even in noir you kinda like the protagonist for fighting back or something.

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:33 PM (uhVAy)

237 It is always bad when the author slips the chains of editorial restraint and starts with the 1200 page paperbacks you can't hold or 27-iliogies.

A well-established and storied effect on writing. Too much success too fast can be read in the length of the books they write. Ego bulges and the author starts to think that every idea they have is brilliant and needs no editor.

Every book in a series gets bigger, and worse, and loses its way. The Sword of Truth series is probably the ultimate example of this.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:33 PM (K32Fz)

238 Also SINNERS was poorly written and was WAY WAY overrated

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at August 21, 2026 05:22 PM (ubCxQ)

Yes and yes!

It was a reasonably good vampire movie (that's a low bar), and a mediocre period piece. I did think it was filmed nicely.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at August 21, 2026 05:33 PM (k5CNB)

239 Did you know the Star Trek theme has lyrics? Also never released. The story is, Gene Roddenberry wanted to corruptly take 1/2 of the royalty rights to the Star Trek theme, so he wrote "lyrics" to the music and claimed to have co-written it.

Posted by: ace

And I never knew that!

The romance/sex aspect of Roddenberry's Star Trek lyrics prove that the "Kirk bones alien space chicks in nearly every episode" part off the show was no accident.

Posted by: zombie at August 21, 2026 05:33 PM (Av6i5)

240 "Another video game has been made into a movie -- "

I waiting for them to make RC ProAm or ExciteBike in movie form.

Posted by: Frank Barone at August 21, 2026 05:34 PM (OkYzo)

241 The Tick cartoon was just non stop clever fun ideas; the TV shows are not as good but still are pretty good. Chairface Chippendale carving part of his name on the moon with a huge laser is epic
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:29 PM (K32Fz)
---
What was really impressive for a kid's cartoon (only slightly) was the way that if Chairface carves the first three letters of his name on the Moon, it stayed there. If Omnipotus takes a bit out of the Moon, the bite stayed there (and the letters then say "HA")

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:34 PM (Fi81e)

242 A blast from the past... 77 Sunset Strip... Ed Kookie Byrnes
Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026

***
Sunset Strip was running overnight on MeTV some years ago, and I got to see a lot of the episodes. They did some stylish things. One was a sort of forerunner of Lost, with Stu Bailey and several others mysteriously stuck on an island. Another was "The Silent Caper," in which there is not a single line of dialogue spoken. (Roger Smith, later to be Ann-Margret's husband, wrote and starred in it.) And they did a rewrite of Strangers on a Train, only for ca. 1960 it was an airplane trip.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:34 PM (wzUl9)

243 It was a reasonably good vampire movie (that's a low bar), and a mediocre period piece. I did think it was filmed nicely.
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at August 21, 2026 05:33 PM

Aren't the leads a fake twin?

Posted by: toby928(c) at August 21, 2026 05:34 PM (4NO2D)

244 If people are pissed off at James Gunn for his politics or his pedo friends, I get that.

If its anything else, then I do not get the organized smear campaign against him. He's putting out comic book movies and doing an ok job at it. Not great, but ok. Better than Marvel and fucking Feige still has a job somehow.

I had to stop watching Critical Drinker because of the CONSTANT James Gunn bashing. I'm not even a Gunn superfan (he did make GOTG which I love tho), I'm just tired of this constant drumbeat of Gunn hate. Feels like an op.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at August 21, 2026 05:35 PM (xcxpd)

245 203 The Tick cartoon was very funny, there's one time the batman/spiderman character Die Fledermaus hits the edge of town and goes "Hmm..Run out of Roofs"

Also the evil "Idea Men" gang who can't issue their demands since their helmets muffle their voices.

so many good characters. sarcastro. the deadly bulb. sewer urchin. el seed.

Posted by: fire me, boy! at August 21, 2026 05:35 PM (v3pYe)

246 The Tick cartoon was just non stop clever fun ideas; the TV shows are not as good but still are pretty good. Chairface Chippendale carving part of his name on the moon with a huge laser is epic
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:29 PM (K32Fz)

American Maid, the nation's most patriotic domestic!

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:35 PM (uhVAy)

247 The Tick was probably the last cartoon I watched on Saturday mornings in the 90s.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 05:35 PM (6ydKt)

248 Bladerunner is in my top 5 favorite movies.

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at August 21, 2026 05:32 PM (nXv4p)

I'm not sure it's that good, but I think Ace is being harsh. Hell, I liked the sequel too!

I think Ace met a replicant in a bar during college and she rebuffed his advances, so he is predisposed to disliking the movies.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at August 21, 2026 05:35 PM (k5CNB)

249 I have met a few basic pleasure models.

Posted by: toby928(c) at August 21, 2026 05:36 PM (4NO2D)

250 they did a rewrite of Strangers on a Train, only for ca. 1960 it was an airplane trip.

That's an interesting story. It is a bit problematic because its a cool Twilight Zone 30 minute bit in concept, and the author pulls it into a full novel that meanders a lot in the middle to make it long enough. The author was, by all analysis and associates, a genuine psychopath who was writing out madness instead of playing it out in her life.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:36 PM (K32Fz)

251 Green Acres had great theme song. Written by Eddie Albert and sung by the actual stars

About "Slow Horses," I read rave review and thought it sounded interesting. I decided to read book first. It was just woke trash (villians are all right-wingers; DEI great; usual lazy slop). I gave up half way through the book. No interest in what Londonstan did with video.

Posted by: Martin Tell at August 21, 2026 05:36 PM (sFNX2)

252 What was really impressive for a kid's cartoon (only slightly) was the way that if Chairface carves the first three letters of his name on the Moon, it stayed there. If Omnipotus takes a bit out of the Moon, the bite stayed there (and the letters then say "HA")
Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:34 PM (Fi81e)
----
Yep. That show has pretty good internal continuity throughout the series.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 21, 2026 05:37 PM (FZ29D)

253 Aren't the leads a fake twin?

Posted by: toby928(c) at August 21, 2026 05:34 PM (4NO2D)

Yup. But that's no big deal with modern tech.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at August 21, 2026 05:37 PM (k5CNB)

254 The romance/sex aspect of Roddenberry's Star Trek lyrics prove that the "Kirk bones alien space chicks in nearly every episode" part off the show was no accident.
Posted by: zombie at August 21, 2026 05:33 PM (Av6i5)

Well at least Star Trek didn't have the problem of having to kill the poor gal by episode's end like Bonanza did. Little Joe is falling in love?? Poor girl is a goner!

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:37 PM (uhVAy)

255 I'm a fan of the original Blade Runner.. It's dark and depressing but it's interesting...
Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026

***
When I saw it when it first appeared, I thought it the most adult and near-literary SF movie ever made. Not the most exciting, but the most "grown-up," if that could be the right word.

Deckard's use of computer technology to "go into" the photograph and isolate an image that is a clue was a riveting scene.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:38 PM (wzUl9)

256 David Niven was in the movie The Guns of Navarone (spelling?) and he participated in the battle the movie was based on.

Another factoid: his batman was Peter Ustinov, Niven helped him get a start in movies.

Posted by: Wenda at August 21, 2026 05:38 PM (rycvf)

257 Every book in a series gets bigger, and worse, and loses its way. The Sword of Truth series is probably the ultimate example of this.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:33 PM (K32Fz)

I hate Sword of Truth for making me like it with the first fucking book. Then turning into rape and cuck fantasy with pontificating Libertarian and immigration allegory.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at August 21, 2026 05:38 PM (zZu0s)

258 GRRRRM is also a pedo.
The dragon girl is like 14 and he's writing all these sex scenes with her?

I finally have gotten around to watching the whole series.
I'm slogging through the last season.
What a bunch of terrible writing.
Zero plot really; like the dragons and the white walkers drive the whole story.
And so, so many deux ex machina. Like, i just sit there like, OK what stupid thing is suddenly going to happen to save them now?
And the way they just hand-wave these massive military campaigns; that thing just happened.

And I mentioned it before, but the series had to have a whole bunch of women writers with no real world experience.
It's just so ... dull.

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at August 21, 2026 05:38 PM (3cUTc)

259
Well at least Star Trek didn't have the problem of having to kill the poor gal by episode's end like Bonanza did. Little Joe is falling in love?? Poor girl is a goner!
Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:37 PM (uhVAy)

In one, if I remember correctly he married one that they killed off...

Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 05:39 PM (+gK6I)

260 Patrick Rothfuss I would put him in the same catagory as GRR, the KingKiller books are the most OVERRATED books, He hints at big things happening but nothing happens and I can't stand the Main Character.

Blade Runner has the greatest opening sequence of any movie I have ever seen, it sucked me into the world and the filming of the reflections off the eye, I don't think they could do that anymore with out doing some dumb CGI

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at August 21, 2026 05:39 PM (ubCxQ)

261 I can dimly remember a time when a fantasy novel was not necessarily book 1 of a trillion book series. And it would be nice to see those days return, though I'm not holding my breath.

Others' mileage may vary, but this kid hasn't picked up ***Book One of a Stunning New Series*** in years and years. Not since Zelazny's Amber books, and Zelazny's been gone for thirty years now.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 21, 2026 05:39 PM (q3u5l)

262 Race swapped Mrs. Doubtfire: who takes the Robin Williams lead?

Posted by: NemoMeImpuneLacessit at August 21, 2026 05:39 PM (NpzV6)

263 If its anything else, then I do not get the organized smear campaign against him. He's putting out comic book movies and doing an ok job at it. Not great, but ok. Better than Marvel and fucking Feige still has a job somehow.

Gunn is a guy who argued his way into a job he is totally unqualified for, ruining what should have been great movies. That tends to annoy fans. He did okay with Guardians of the Galaxy, although each was measurably worse, but give him anything else and he only knows one template, stamping everything into that star-shaped hole.

People would give Gunn a break if he wouldn't lie so much and was not in charge of the DCU. Let him stick to what he's good at and people would be fans.

Feige seems hapless at everything and the same people complaining about Gunn, despise and mock him. Its just so transparently obvious how awful he is that its not even worth discussing.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:39 PM (K32Fz)

264 I really like the Original Blade Runner, never saw the 2nd movie

Posted by: Skip at August 21, 2026 05:40 PM (Ia/+0)

265 >>>Wasn't Blade Runner Harrison Ford's first starring role where he wasn't Han or Indy?

Force 10 from Navarrone!

I also think he was in a WWII romance movie called Hanover Street or something.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:40 PM (vNfyu)

266 219 I've been watching a lot of AI stuff on YouTube.

Some good, some bad.
But at least it's mostly original.
Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at August 21, 2026 05:29 PM (3cUTc)

I like listening to the AI-voice generated "Apocalypse" scenarios on YouTube, stuff such as "End Times Ambience" and "Apocast". The former started incorporating Rush Limbaugh's voice into the storyline, which threw me for a loop when I first heard it.

Posted by: Thrawn at August 21, 2026 05:40 PM (dz8eD)

267 they did a rewrite of Strangers on a Train, only for ca. 1960 it was an airplane trip.

That's an interesting story. It is a bit problematic because its a cool Twilight Zone 30 minute bit in concept, and the author pulls it into a full novel that meanders a lot in the middle to make it long enough. The author was, by all analysis and associates, a genuine psychopath who was writing out madness instead of playing it out in her life.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026

***
I know. Highsmith had talent, at least for great concepts, but her books lose something in the middle and I have trouble remembering whether I've read a particular one.

The Sunset Strip episode did credit her onscreen. And Warners owned both concepts, so they had no trouble adapting it. Earlier they had done a Treasure of the Sierra Madre rewrite on an early Cheyenne.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:41 PM (wzUl9)

268 265 >>>Wasn't Blade Runner Harrison Ford's first starring role where he wasn't Han or Indy?

He was in American Graffiti when he was a youngin'

Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 05:41 PM (+gK6I)

269 255 Deckard's use of computer technology to "go into" the photograph and isolate an image that is a clue was a riveting scene.

dad was a cop. he particularly liked that scene.

Posted by: anachronda at August 21, 2026 05:41 PM (v3pYe)

270 Kubrick did a couple of noir films. I've seen The Killing, which was good. The other one was Killer's Kiss. Haven't seen that.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at August 21, 2026 05:41 PM (XvL8K)

271 The Tick was probably the last cartoon I watched on Saturday mornings in the 90s.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at August 21, 2026 05:35 PM (6ydKt)
---
I think Eek the Cat comes after that.

So, I can't say the same.

And the Ed Grimly show was surprisingly charming.

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:42 PM (Fi81e)

272 Race swapped Mrs. Doubtfire: who takes the Robin Williams lead?
Posted by: NemoMeImpuneLacessit at August 21, 2026

***
Cedric the Entertainer!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:42 PM (wzUl9)

273 Kubrick did a couple of noir films. I've seen The Killing, which was good. The other one was Killer's Kiss. Haven't seen that.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at August 21, 2026 05:41 PM (XvL8K)
---
Look up Kubrick and Nihilism.

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:42 PM (Fi81e)

274 > banging confused convention cosplay girls.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:27 PM (K32Fz)

Ewwww.... does this involve a cosplay where he's a giant slug-creature, with the girl attached to him via a chain around her neck, and also Han Solo owes him a bunch of money?

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at August 21, 2026 05:42 PM (IG3/x)

275 248 Bladerunner is in my top 5 favorite movies.

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at August 21, 2026 05:32 PM (nXv4p)
_______________________

I was always a big Rutger Hauer fan for his 1980's films (which includes Bladerunner). Through the 90's all he did was low budget nonsense movies (which don't really qualify as films). But, early on the guy rocked the screen.

Posted by: Orson at August 21, 2026 05:43 PM (dIske)

276 Well at least Star Trek didn't have the problem of having to kill the poor gal by episode's end like Bonanza did. Little Joe is falling in love?? Poor girl is a goner!
Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:37 PM (uhVAy)

In Star Trek she could just run off and lay an egg like Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Dejah Thoris.

Posted by: NemoMeImpuneLacessit at August 21, 2026 05:43 PM (NpzV6)

277 I have a theory about all these "super hero" movies. The deluge of them reflects the target demographic audience who all have self-esteem issues. Hell, more than half of them are in therapy. Apparently, that's a coming of age trend these days.
---
There's that, the "you are special, you have secret powers"

I also take them as a psy-op to dissuade the audience--you're not a super hero, you can't do anything, stay home.

Whereas, look at all the action movies from the 80's. Those were just basically regular people saving the f'ing world.

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at August 21, 2026 05:43 PM (3cUTc)

278 272 Race swapped Mrs. Doubtfire: who takes the Robin Williams lead?
Posted by: NemoMeImpuneLacessit at August 21, 2026

***
Cedric the Entertainer!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:42 PM (wzUl9)

Madea... Tyler Perry

Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 05:43 PM (+gK6I)

279 About "Slow Horses," I read rave review and thought it sounded interesting. I decided to read book first. It was just woke trash (villians are all right-wingers; DEI great; usual lazy slop). I gave up half way through the book. No interest in what Londonstan did with video.
Posted by: Martin Tell at August 21, 2026 05:36 PM (sFNX2)
====================
Harsh. The books had some lefty elements, sure, but to call them woke trash is a massive overreach. One thing is true, and that is the books could use a good editor.

The TV shows are pretty good, I thought; very well cast, entertaining, and they go easy on the lefty bullshit. The pilot episode was maybe the least entertaining of the lot, and then the shouw got better.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at August 21, 2026 05:43 PM (FPQLW)

280 >>.I'm not sure it's that good, but I think Ace is being harsh. Hell, I liked the sequel too!

bleh. So I was around when Blade Runner came out, and I thought the trailer was amazing, and I was so excited to see it. I bought the novel (with the title Blade Runner) stuck on it and read it pre-movie. The book was weird but I figured the movie would be more straightforward.

Anyway, it could be a case of high expectations crashing into a mid movie.

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:43 PM (WV5yq)

281 Wasn't Blade Runner Harrison Ford's first starring role where he wasn't Han or Indy?

He was in American Graffiti when he was a youngin'
Posted by: It's me donna at August 21, 2026 05:41 PM (+gK6I
---
I'd say that it was his first non-Lucas role after he hit it big with those, however, he is a central character in Force 10 From Navarrone 6 years before BR.

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:44 PM (Fi81e)

282 I saw a YT that purported to list the ten worst rock n roll jerks. Several killed people in drunken driving incidents and such but Ted Nugent was also listed. His crime? Making controversial conservative comments! Burn the witch!

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Oh yeah? Well, You're Another One! at August 21, 2026 05:44 PM (ndZc7)

283 DC has never liked Hal Jordan. He was replaced as Green Lantern at least three times, had to share the title with the liberal ponce Green Arrow, was turned into a villain and then killed off.

Posted by: Josephistan at August 21, 2026 05:44 PM (G0Uu2)

284 Harrison Ford was in The Conversation and Apocalypse Now.

Also weird theme song trivia . Sonny Curtis who wrote I Fought the Law also wrote the theme song to the Mary Tyler Moore Show

Posted by: Smell the Glove at August 21, 2026 05:44 PM (rp63B)

285 I was always a big Rutger Hauer fan for his 1980's films (which includes Bladerunner). Through the 90's all he did was low budget nonsense movies (which don't really qualify as films). But, early on the guy rocked the screen.
Posted by: Orson

Loved him in "Lady Hawke". Wish he'd made more movies like that.

Posted by: Tuna at August 21, 2026 05:45 PM (lJ0H4)

286 The book was weird

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:43 PM (WV5yq)
---
It's PKD. It's going to be weird.

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:45 PM (Fi81e)

287 Let me see if I understand this race and gender-swap thing.

So you could make, like, a biopic of Chaka Zulu and have him played by a topless Sydney Sweeney in a grass skirt?

Because I would watch the hell out of that.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at August 21, 2026 05:45 PM (IG3/x)

288 "loudmouth writer/director responsible for lots of Superhero movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad, Superman (2025)"
------------------------

Well, that explains it. Never saw 'em.

If not for Ace (and I do thank you), I wouldn't know anything about Hollywood. Better to be slightly informed than ignorant.

Posted by: Bea Arthur's Dick at August 21, 2026 05:45 PM (pE12i)

289 One of Stallone's best flicks was Nighthawks, in which Sly plays a cop detailed to a group hunting a terrorist in NYC. Said terrorist is played by Rutger Hauer, and he was terrific in there. Well worth a watch if you haven't seen it.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 21, 2026 05:45 PM (q3u5l)

290 Kubrick did a couple of noir films. I've seen The Killing, which was good. The other one was Killer's Kiss. Haven't seen that.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at August 21, 2026 05:41 PM (XvL8K)
***************************

Kubrick's The Killing and Huston's Asphalt Jungle, six years apart, are the best heist films ever made.

Posted by: My Ridiculously Circuitous Plan at August 21, 2026 05:45 PM (+F5HV)

291 I don't have very many claims to fame, but I did go to high school with Jim Caveziel

Posted by: Jeff Weimer at August 21, 2026 05:46 PM (gUs21)

292 Bring up Rutger Hauer for me, and my imagery in my mind ranges from stuff like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Wedlock" to things like "The Hitcher".

Posted by: Thrawn at August 21, 2026 05:46 PM (dz8eD)

293 The Brink Of War is pretty good.
Best performance was by the actress portraying Raisa Gorbachev.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at August 21, 2026 05:46 PM (hFg3N)

294 Well at least Star Trek didn't have the problem of having to kill the poor gal by episode's end like Bonanza did. Little Joe is falling in love?? Poor girl is a goner!
Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:37 PM (uhVAy)

In Star Trek she could just run off and lay an egg like Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Dejah Thoris.
Posted by: NemoMeImpuneLacessit at August 21, 2026 05:43 PM (NpzV6)

He just dumped her, even the one with the mesmerizing tears. Sorry girls! That's why I really like the very last show where a jilted insane ex girlfriend does a body switch on him. A great episode.

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:47 PM (uhVAy)

295 Well at least Star Trek didn't have the problem of having to kill the poor gal by episode's end like Bonanza did. Little Joe is falling in love?? Poor girl is a goner!
Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:37 PM (uhVAy)
---
Because they had to leave, not just sit on a ranch.

They did have some Romance of the Hour eps. "For the World is Hallow And I Have Touched the Sky" (don't judge me) was McCoy's romance hour.

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:47 PM (Fi81e)

296 The original Philip K. Dick novel that "became" Blade Runner was Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I can't recall if I've read it.

Another SF writer, Alan E. Nourse, earlier had a novel called Blade Runner, involving a future society where medical doctors are banned and have to go underground to help patients. I haven't read it either. But I think the producers of the film borrowed Nourse's title; not sure if they paid him for it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:47 PM (wzUl9)

297 I don't have very many claims to fame, but I did go to high school with Jim Caveziel
Posted by: Jeff Weimer at August 21, 2026 05:46 PM (gUs21)
=================
I was a big fan of "Person Of Interest"

Posted by: Huck Follywood at August 21, 2026 05:47 PM (FPQLW)

298 The Supergirl slop is coming to 4K next week. I’ll watch it. Eventually. Looks like slimy ass. The girl is odd looking. Sure, I’d bang her but not very enthusiastically.

I still have the Avatar Fire and Ass 4K collecting dust on my shelf.

Posted by: Elric the Blade at August 21, 2026 05:48 PM (yTXpW)

299 >>>One of Stallone's best flicks was Nighthawks, in which Sly plays a cop detailed to a group hunting a terrorist in NYC. Said terrorist is played by Rutger Hauer, and he was terrific in there. Well worth a watch if you haven't seen it.

i own it!

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:48 PM (lMQRQ)

300 Another factoid: his batman was Peter Ustinov, Niven helped him get a start in movies.

Enormously talented actor, guy was great in everything

Well at least Star Trek didn't have the problem of having to kill the poor gal by episode's end like Bonanza did. Little Joe is falling in love?? Poor girl is a goner!]/i]

They carried that into Miami Vice. Sonny Crockett was a walking disaster

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:48 PM (K32Fz)

301 Really Enjoyed THE EAST PALACE it's a Korean version of stranger things but set during the Joseon era period piece, lots of Palace politics and ghosts and murder.

I really love the Korean shows better written and really gritty. I laughed when I found out one of the Biggest Korean action Actors went to Columbus State when I was there, the Korean Rock but he can act, he's in the gangster the cop the devil

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at August 21, 2026 05:48 PM (ubCxQ)

302 Anyway, it could be a case of high expectations crashing into a mid movie.
Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:43 PM (WV5yq)

I tried to watch it twice and fell asleep both times.

Posted by: Josephistan at August 21, 2026 05:48 PM (G0Uu2)

303 Bring up Rutger Hauer for me, and my imagery in my mind ranges from stuff like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Wedlock" to things like "The Hitcher".

Posted by: Thrawn at August 21, 2026 05:46 PM (dz8eD)
---
First really noticed him in Nighthawks with Stallone.

He made an impression. He always did, actually.

Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:49 PM (Fi81e)

304 Is it Rutger Hauer or Dolph Lundgren who has some kind of advanced science degree?

For some reason I tend to mix those two up.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at August 21, 2026 05:49 PM (IG3/x)

305 Nighthawks had Stallone in a blond woman's wig. He was doing an impression of Lindsay Wagner. Good movie with Hauer and Billy Dee Williams

Posted by: Smell the Glove at August 21, 2026 05:49 PM (rp63B)

306 The book was weird

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:43 PM (WV5yq)
---
It's PKD. It's going to be weird.
Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:45 PM (Fi81e)

Except for "The Father-Thing" That's a documentary. Weird alien plants start growing duplicates of the family starting with Dad.

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:49 PM (uhVAy)

307 Is it Rutger Hauer or Dolph Lundgren who has some kind of advanced science degree?

For some reason I tend to mix those two up.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at August 21, 2026

***
Lundgren, I think. Though I would not be surprised to find that Hauer was well-educated too.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:50 PM (wzUl9)

308 The original Philip K. Dick novel that "became" Blade Runner was Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I can't recall if I've read it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:47 PM

I have. It's ... not very good.

Posted by: toby928(c) at August 21, 2026 05:50 PM (4NO2D)

309 I don't have very many claims to fame, but I did go to high school with Jim Caveziel
Posted by: Jeff Weimer at August 21, 2026 05:46 PM (gUs21)

Mt Vernon or O'Dea?
Interestingly, Chris Pratt went to Lake Stevens.

Posted by: Diogenes at August 21, 2026 05:50 PM (2WIwB)

310 They carried that into Miami Vice. Sonny Crockett was a walking disaster
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:48 PM (K32Fz)

Must have been his alligator getting them.

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:50 PM (uhVAy)

311 "I was always a big Rutger Hauer fan for his 1980's films (which includes Bladerunner). Through the 90's all he did was low budget nonsense movies"
--------------

Actually watched him filming some scenes when they did "Surviving the Game" in Wenatchee, WA.

F. Murray Abraham, Gary Busey, Charles S. Dutton. Solid cast. It's an OK movie.

Was interesting to see just how much time and effort it takes to make a 10-second scene.

Posted by: Bea Arthur's Dick at August 21, 2026 05:51 PM (pE12i)

312 DDG:
The Batman theme song for the 1966 television series was written by Neal Hefti and performed by his orchestra, known as "the Wrecking Crew."
---

Hefti did some scores for Eastwood, I think.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026 05:51 PM (nqf1u)

313 Stallone running around in a skirt. lol

Hauer is good as Wulfgar.

He played a villain on the third season of Channel Zero and was pretty good there too.

Posted by: it puts the lotion in the basket at August 21, 2026 05:51 PM (22uAl)

314 @304 Lundgren has a couple of Masters in chemistry and engineering I believe.

Posted by: Smell the Glove at August 21, 2026 05:51 PM (rp63B)

315 I was a big fan of "Person Of Interest"

Posted by: Huck Follywood at August 21, 2026 05:47 PM (FPQLW)

It's a good workout show. Eight million episodes, and enough action to keep one's interest.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at August 21, 2026 05:51 PM (k5CNB)

316 I don't have very many claims to fame, but I did go to high school with Jim Caveziel
Posted by: Jeff Weimer at August 21, 2026

***
Was he in the Drama Club then?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:51 PM (wzUl9)

317 "Nighthawks" does a clever thing. Hollywood is always hollywood, so they don't like making movies about real terrorism, because then they'd have to talk about who the terrorists are (Muslims) and who's funding them (Russia, which the left swore was a peaceful vibrant nation, until 2016, when it became the worst thing ever).

So, in Nighthawks, it starts with Wulfgar pulling some terrorist plot, forget what it is, but the plot goes wrong and he's forced to flee Europe. For the rest of the movie, his "terrorism" is just about self-promotion.

I don't like when Hollywood pusses out about terrorism, but as far as cop-outs go, I thought Nighthawks had a good one.

(This is of course why Ian Fleming created SPECTRE -- because he knew Hollywood was still gayballs for the Soviet Union so he created a vague super-terrorist organization to replace the Russians as the bad guys.)

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:51 PM (lMQRQ)

318 Is it Rutger Hauer or Dolph Lundgren who has some kind of advanced science degree?

For some reason I tend to mix those two up.

Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia

Lundgren. Chemical engineering or something like that.

Posted by: Tuna at August 21, 2026 05:51 PM (lJ0H4)

319 One of Stallone's best flicks was Nighthawks, in which Sly plays a cop detailed to a group hunting a terrorist in NYC

Great movie. I have been enjoying a lot of 70s gritty NY thrillers, especially Blaxploitation stuff like Across 110th Street. Some of those are real gems

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at August 21, 2026 05:51 PM (K32Fz)

320 Always liked Blade Runner, but largely for the visuals and Rutger Hauer. Too long since I've read the novel, but I'm not sure that I recall the movie as being extremely faithful to the book. Need to revisit both.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 21, 2026 05:52 PM (q3u5l)

321 Lundgren, I think. Though I would not be surprised to find that Hauer was well-educated too.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:50 PM (wzUl9)
======================
Too lazy to look it up, because cocktail hour approacheth, but I think Lundgren has a PhD from MIT in some engineer-y or applied physics thingee.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at August 21, 2026 05:52 PM (MzbjZ)

322 I want to watch the 3 Body Problem show, but my daughter gave me the books and I wanted to read them first.

I have become very slack on reading novels.

Curse you internet!

Posted by: toby928(c) at August 21, 2026 05:52 PM (4NO2D)

323 >>Lundgren. Chemical engineering or something like that.

i think that's it. I don't know if it's an advance degree or just a bachelor's. (Which is still something.)

Posted by: ace at August 21, 2026 05:52 PM (lMQRQ)

324 The Batman theme song for the 1966 television series was written by Neal Hefti and performed by his orchestra, known as "the Wrecking Crew."
---

Hefti did some scores for Eastwood, I think.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at August 21, 2026

***
Hefti did the haunting theme for Duel at Diablo w/ James Garner. He did write the music for a two-part Man From U.N.C.L.E. in '67, but whoever was producing hated the score and they never invited him back.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 21, 2026 05:52 PM (wzUl9)

325 Hauer was great in A Soldier of Orange, a Dutch movie. It was his first big role

Posted by: Smell the Glove at August 21, 2026 05:53 PM (rp63B)

326 "Lundgren has a couple of Masters in chemistry and engineering I believe."
_________________

Go Cougs!

Posted by: Bea Arthur's Dick at August 21, 2026 05:53 PM (pE12i)

327 Rutger Hauer was in Escape From Sobibor which is a pretty good made for TV movie based on history.

Posted by: Mark1971 at August 21, 2026 05:53 PM (/OKHJ)

328 They did have some Romance of the Hour eps. "For the World is Hallow And I Have Touched the Sky" (don't judge me) was McCoy's romance hour.
Posted by: Axeman at August 21, 2026 05:47 PM (Fi81e)

Even Spock, about three times. Lets see Amok Time, Cloud Minders, and Mariette Hartley.

Posted by: Oldcat at August 21, 2026 05:54 PM (uhVAy)

329 289 One of Stallone's best flicks was Nighthawks, in which Sly plays a cop detailed to a group hunting a terrorist in NYC. Said terrorist is played by Rutger Hauer, and he was terrific in there. Well worth a watch if you haven't seen it.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 21, 2026 05:45 PM (q3u5l)

Yeah a really over looked movie, I always forget that SWAT was really nonexistent in the 70s and a new concept and watching NightHawks and seeing no SWAT.

Why Would Terrorists Target NYC line made me burst out laughing rewatching it.

Posted by: Patrick From Ohio at August 21, 2026 05:54 PM (ubCxQ)

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