#Rudd is the real deal

[skygemspeaks]

thoughts on episode 7 of opla!

given that arlong park is supposed to be the climax of the east blue saga, i'm a little tiny bit disappointed with how this episode played out, especially given how standout episode 6 was. some of the disappointment comes from me not liking some of the creative choices they made with it, but some of it is also just the limitations of the medium

emily rudd's performance of nami, especially during the scene where she's stabbing her arlong tattoo, was absolutely phenomenal. all the actors in this show have been doing such an awesome job so far, but at the end of the day, there's no way it can really stand up to the manga and anime versions of this same scene. oda is a masterful artist, and the way he's able to depict such raw despair and grief has always been one of my favourite things about his art. and one of the things about animation is that they're able to exaggerate certain expressions and body language to give more of an emotional impact, in a way that real humans can't really do, so i feel like in some ways, live action is always gonna fall short. so far the live action has been doing a good job of adapting the story in a way that plays to the medium's strengths, but i do feel like this was a rare L for them. and that's not to say the episode wasn't well done! because it really was. i think that in this case it suffers from having to try and live up to the source material.

i'm not sure how i feel about them having nojiko not knowing about nami's plans. i think one thing that i really liked about this arc in the manga was how all the villagers knew nami was trying to buy back the village, but they were being hostile to her because they knew how hard it was to do what she was doing, and if it ever got to be too much for her, they wanted her to be able to turn her back on them without feeling bad. they didn't want her to feel obligated to save them. that's neither here nor there though, and it did open up a chance for them to have a heartfelt conversation and make up.

i've seen some people upset that Hachi wasn't part of the arlong park arc, and i was a little sad we didn't get to see him too, but i do also think that it makes sense as a creative choice. so far when you look at the storytelling choices they've made with this series, a lot of their decisions seem to come from the mindset of "don't assume we're going to get more seasons, but lay down a bit of subtle groundwork just in case we do" and this seems to be one of those choices. in the event that we ever do make it to the sabaody archipelago, hachi is going to become a friend, and it's going to be easier to get the audience on his side if he wasn't one of the antagonists that was enslaving nami's village. in the event that we do get to sabaody, i'm assuming we're gonna get some flashbacks to nami's childhood when he WAS with arlong, but then he left before the canon timeline because he couldn't deal with how awful arlong is? i don't know, but that's just a guess. the manga had the leisure of slowly winning the audience over to his side by the simple fact that we were able to spend so much time with him, he was around for many chapters and we were slowly able to get attached. but the live action is going to have a much more limited run time, so we won't have the time to do it that way. this decision is just a bit of a shortcut. that's my reasoning at least

the flashbacks were well done! i like how sweet genzo seems, and bellemere's actress did a good job. she had big mom vibes. i am a bit surprised that they did actually show bellemere slapping nami. i would've thought they'd cut that out. glad they didn't though!

the prosthetics for the fishmen were AWESOME! i'm so so so glad they decided to go practical effects instead of doing it all with cgi, they look fantastic

i LOVE how they gave arlong park more of a waterpark/amusement park vibe. it calls back to the fact that it's heavily inspired by sabaody park, and that, paired with arlong being very defensive when he perceives that he's being looked down on by humans because he's a fishman, work together to show that all of arlong's behaviour is stemming from a place of hurt, and a lifetime of alienation.

i like seeing helmeppo and koby slowly becoming friends! i was really surprised when helmeppo bought a drink for koby, and then it was pretty funny when koby just couldn't help but blurt out that luffy is garp's grandson. they're growing to become pretty good partners

zeff and garp's conversation was good! loved the mention of jaya, and also i think the two of them make good parallels. both grand/parents to some upstart pirates - one of them trying desperately to cling on to his grandson, the other one having to practically push his son out of the nest. zeff tries to convince garp that sometimes you just gotta let go and let your kid tread his own path, but garp still isn't ready to hear that, and maybe he won't ever be ready to hear that.

[cthulhuwritesstuff]

Helluva Boss trailer analysis/theory time.

Buckle up, I’ve had an epiphany (or just brain rot, who knows)

Let’s talk about this guy.

Vassago is described as: “The third demon in the Lesser Key (including Thomas Rudd's variant) as a prince "of a good nature" and of the "same nature as Agares". He rules twenty-six legions of spirits, and is summoned to tell magicians of past and future events, and locate lost objects.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Key part of this theory: “Summoned to tell magicians of past and future events.”

Now! Let’s talk about this guy.

Stolas, our sad little bird, who is, in fact, a magic user.

So for the confusion that won’t leave my head:

The thing in the trailer that just keeps bugging me is that something is off about this part. There’s details that don’t make sense to me.

First of all, Stolas’s facial expressions in these scenes; he looks like he is truly looking down on Blitz, talking down on him, treating him like a “impish little play thing”.

But Blitzo is just there, in Stolas’s garden, with his feet kicked up. Idk, but something about Blitz being so causal about this makes no sense to me. As well as Stolas’s whole attitude toward him.

Furthermore, the detail of the symbol on Stolas’s robe. That is just too obvious, it is glaring, and again it is very much a dick move since we know what kind of relationship and feelings Blitz has toward the circus and his past.

And the fact that in these scenes we do not see Blitz’s face even once, but we do in every other scene. (Might be cause in those scenes his circus mark is not there or looks different, perhaps, and that would be a clue like the carpet pattern in Ghostfuckers when he sees his mom, so we know it’s not real… omg, I am going insane, aren’t I?)

But then we have this scene.

Where Stolas looks terrified and not able to defend himself? Again, how does that make sense? Also, he is clinging onto Blitz, and there’s a sword? We already established that Andy might be the one attacking here, since it’s the same icy ground and stuff. But the rest of it is confusing.

Okay, wait, my POINT IS: what if none of these scenes are real?

What if Vassago just showed Stolas his possible futures with Blitz? A possibility where he never grew feelings and understanding? A possibility where Andy and Stella somehow take over the palace and his powers and trap him?

We know that future is not certain, and if we are to follow Dr. Strange’s logic, there are many alternatives to what the future might end up being. It all depends on our choices, right? Think of it as Ebenezer Scrooge, but in Hell. (Not to mention there is a Sinsmas episode….. JUST SAYING)

We already saw that Blitz deals with some introspection of his own, seeing his past, all the painful moments. So what if Stolas goes through the same thing with Vassago who shows him how, based on Stolas’s choices, these are his alternative futures? Even the “You never loved Mother, you never loved me, you love him” part? The “Do you have any remorse for what you do” part?

Even this part. (Past and possible future- emphasis on possible)

I don’t know… I do not know. Just saying. Just thinking cause they took over my brain! Anyway, that’s it.

I am probably dead wrong, and this is just a bunch of word vomit, but I had to get it out of my system.

[saleintothe90s]

495. I watched Ghostbusters II, and I have questions

Hot take: I loved it.

When they fell on hard times in those five years, it made them more interesting to me. Although, it was never revealed what Winston did in those five years other than appearing at kids birthday parties with Ray. I know Red Letter Media didn't understand why Ray and Winston dances to the Ray Parker Jr. Ghostbusters theme, but I totally get it. My theory is that in the Ghostbusters universe, that song was totally a novelty song that only played on NYC radio stations. My theory is proven more after I saw Frozen Empire and Paul Rudd's character references it.

I do, however wonder why the kids wished He-Man was at their party instead .. I thought that Masters of the Universe/He-Man was more of a mid 80s craze?

I wanna know who Sigourney Weaver had 'dat baby with! Was it the guy who was jealous of Peter in the original film when he waited for Dana outside of orchestra practice? I bet it was him.

Egon wanting to do a gynecological exam on Dana as part of the investigation. Egon totally did it with that slime.

No more smoking! I kinda miss the smoking. I loved in the original that the boys pretty much welcome Winston in by lighting up a cigarette for him in the basement while they discuss Twinkies.

Peter MacNichol! I didn't even realize it was him until I was like forty minutes in. I love him, the only shining light from Ally McBeal! Did I miss why Dana was restoring paintings now instead of being in the orchestra? I guess it was because it was a day job so she could be with baby Oscar at night? I know at one point she tells Janosz that she'll be leaving soon since the baby is getting older?

They are cute as buttons in their suits fighting those death row ghosts in court.

Speaking of cute as buttons, Janine's glam makeover! She got that "return of Ghostbusters" paychecks now.

It's weird that New Years Eve is brought up, and is a giant part of the plot, but other than them wearing the Santa hats in the montage, and the aluminum tree in Peter's awesome apartment, that's all the Christmas we get. Did the entire movie take part in that week between Christmas and New Years? This video tries to figure it out.

Ooo the green dress. Winston saw it in a deleted scene, and said "[Peter's] not coming". Was that dress in the suitcase Peter brings over from Dana's apartment?

Speaking of the suitcase, that apartment scene before their dinner date, that scene felt like it was ten minutes long! I like Peter's apartment, so I'll let it slide.

Winston being scared of the ghost train is one of the best most overacted scenes ever. What was up with all the beheaded heads at the old Subway track?

Why did that scene involving Louis and Janine at Peter's apartment awake something in me? I do have a thing for guys like Louis. I need to put those feelings back away. Y'all know I gave up on dating!

I mean THIS?! With the earmuffs?! I need a minute. Even if Louis thought he had to save the Ghostbusters, I think him and Janine did some things first.

When that cop said "the Titanic just arrived", I felt the emotion in that line. He said it like it was real deal this really happened breaking news. Better Late Than Never.

Bobby Brown's sad cameo where he just opens the door at Gracie Mansion and asks the boys where he can get some ghostbusters stuff for his brother. Yes his song "On Our Own" (which I LOVE) is playing in the background.

I don't care about the Vigo stuff too much, the baby's acting makes the scene bearable however. Those twins who played Oscar were really good baby actors!

Them controlling the Statue of Liberty with the positive slime and the big flat Nintendo controller is silly as heck, and I am here for it.

Now, I know the movie got a cool reception when it came out in June of 1989, especially since it came out the weekend before the biggest movie of the year, Batman. Ghostbusters II made the biggest three day box office record at the time -- but Batman beat it the following weekend. I wanted to read some critic's initial reactions to the movie.

Vincent Camby of The New York Times almost gives away the entire movie's plot! I agree with most of his points, except for him saying the original was "overproduced and sloppy" the effects were made in 1984, what do you expect? On Christmas of 1988, NYT almost gives away the plot again in an article about the behind the scenes process of the film. (gift article)

I think Al meant a "junky" effect when he was referring to the Statue of Liberty walking around instead of a "junkie" effect, but I get what he's saying, even if I loved the scene for its silliness.

(My local paper ran this review too, so that's why you don't see one from my paper. ) I saw Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire the other day, and I feel like this was finally Ernie Hudson's chance to shine after being just the fourth Ghostbuster so so long. To me, each Ghostbuster has their own movie now: the original was Ray's, Ghostbusters II was Peter's, Ghostbusters: Afterlife was (ghost) Egon's, and Frozen Empire was Winston's.

I even found a newsgroup review from June of 1989. That is baby internet! Here is the archive, because I just feel like google groups is going to shut down the old newsgroup archives any day now. Wait, I just found another one (archive).

Here is an article about the press tour held at the newly renovated Plaza hotel in New York City. The press was already clamoring for a third movie. Of course, we wouldn't get that until 2020, 2021, of course.

In closing, never forget the Hardees promotion, with the noisemakers that were recalled almost immediately because lil kids ate the batteries. I remember being about six? and was terrified that my parents were going to take away my Ghostbusters noisemaker.

Facebook | Etsy | Retail History Blog | Twitter | YouTube Playlist | Random Post | Ko-fi donation | instagram / threads @thelastvcr​ | tik tok @ saleintothe90s

[nkatr84]

Only Murders in the Building 4:4 The Stunt Man

So much happened yet didn’t happen in this episode. It was mostly about Charles dealing with his grief over Sazz’s death. The trio find out Sazz was on Instagram and her last post was on the day she died. They go to a bar in Hell’s Kitchen frequented by stunt actors. Including Ben Glenroy’s Irish stunt double played delightfully crazy by Paul Rudd. They discover Sazz frequented the chiropractor that has her practice set up in the back to deal with her chronic pain. Coupled with Sazz’s bar buddies being mad they couldn’t hold a traditional wake for Sazz in the bar since she had been cremated and Charles’ guilt ridden dreams about Sazz, it’s all mainly to serve to tell us more about Sazz as a person versus who might have killed her.

Mabel has Howard watching the apartment when she has to leave. Which I have to ask, Howard are you okay? What happened to your cute boyfriend? You’re trying to make your own podcast and hanging out with the trio a lot. Meanwhile Howard gets tricked into leaving the apartment by the Westies to audition to play himself in the movie. Letting us find out Bev melon and the Brothers Sisters are living in the penthouse. And Josh Gad got cast to play Howard. Which yeah I see it, but Howard was disappointed. But the implication is the Hollywood crew are now in the building. Meaning it’s likely the killer is one of them.

Oliver is distracted by stalking Loretta on social media scared of losing her and revealing he was going to propose. Him and his opening scene with the IPad was hilarious.😂

Mabel finds Howard gone but the Westies in her apartment. They tell her Dudenoff is real but he bought all the apartments on that floor and is subletting them for super cheap. $200 bucks a month to live in New York City?! Call me a Westie and deal me in for Oh Hell and give me that bathroom ham. But apparently the woman on the ham radio is Finnish And named Helga. I still think it was Sazz undercover. Maybe she didn’t recruit them but we have yet to see Charles sister. And maybe the Westies kicked her out because they found out she was investigating the movie deal and they didn’t want word to get out about their subletting scam. And now that Bev Melon is in town and has a gun and knows about Sazz’s trampoline park, maybe she’s the connection to the movie deal gone wrong and Sazz was getting information from her? We shall see Arconiacs.

[byenycfm]

Emily Lockmoore || 33 || #307 || Emily Rudd || Closed

Personality:

Living such a nomadic life has turned Emily into a very extroverted introvert. She is hopelessly optimistic at times, always striving to see the best in everything, but she isn't naive enough to miss the red flags. She loves a crowd and has loads of friends, but she knows they are always temporary. So real attachment isn't something Emily has ever really experienced - except for her brother, but he was family and that wasn't the same. It wasn't really something she'd necessarily gone looking for either. Her home base changing every few years being the major reasoning behind her lack of anyone long term . She is an artist and it shows. She is far less coordinated like her big brother. The two are opposites in a lot of ways do to their shared, yet very different upbringings.

Biography:

The Lockmoores had about as normal a life as you could have - from the outside anyway. They put on the perfect family facade so well no ever qestioned when they materialized in a new neighborhood or when they left it.  Behind closed doors however the patriarch of the familial unti was a black arms dealer working for both the US grovernment and some of their underground partners. “It’s a living,” he would reply whenever asked about it from those in the know.

And it was.  A very good living, but it didn’t come without its costs. Neither of the children were ever to really form bonds with friends until adulthood when they were no longer being carted around the world for ’dad’s work’. And their family outside of the four of them was nonexistent.  Their father had long before cut ties with his and their mother had been an only child whose parents had already passed by the time she met Frank.

Oscar was first, then Emily five years later.  The two of them becamse thick as thieves from day one.  Oscar is extremely protective of his sister - sometimes to the point of secluding her from the world.  He means well, but it can be a little much for Emily at times. Shortly after her birth, Millie was diagnosed with cancer and survived another year before perishing to the disease.  Frank did his best to keep things the way they’d always been, but Millie was a big part of keeping the children fed, clean, and happy when he was gone. 

For awhile it was just Oscar and Emily at home, but it wasn’t long until her big brother was expected to join in on the family business. Her father died a few years later during a deal gone bad, leaving Oscar and Em on their own.  It was at that point that Oscar joined the military and the two of them began their own nomadic lives.  Emily had always moved near wherever Oscar was stationed.

The two resided in D.C.when the world fell. She was at work, inking a client, when her phone rang. Seeing it was Oscar, she nearly sent an automated text that she was busy and would call later. Instead she asked her client for a break and left them to relax as she took the call. His voice was rushed and had a hint of panic when he told her to get somewhere safe. She tried to get him to calm down, but was only left with a short 'I'm on my way' before he hung up on her. 

By the time she got back to the front of the shop and to her station, a lone infected had made its way inside and bitten her client. Now faced with two opponents, Emily had very little time to react. She grabbed the nearest thing she could to use as a weapon and ran back to the break room, shutting and locking the door behind her. It wasn't long before moans and banging could be heard against the door. She clutched the knife - a fucking butter knife of all things - ready to do what she had to if the door couldn't hold them. 

It felt like an eternity before the moans and banging stopped, followed by a brief silence before a soft knock came along with Oscar's voice. She rushed to open the door and crashed into a hug with him, only taking long enough to prove to each other they were fine. The two then headed off to get Liz, Oscar's fiancee. She hated that she was left to wait in the car while her brother rushed in to play savior. Time ticked on far too long however, and she soon disobeyed her orders, her decision to go after him solidified when she saw an infected shuffle by the glass windows. 

If it hadn't been for her intervention, she would have been the last Lockmoore standing. After escaping the office building they went to Oscar's apartment - the security of an elevated unit relieved at least a bit of stress. The siblings lasted there for almost a month before the building had been overrun and they were forced to get back on the move. They headed East - Oscar sure the cold would knock out a good portion of the infected. They took shelter in abandoned buildings and subways as needed and kept warm with small fires they set each night - although they were barely big enough to give light to read, let along warm them. But it was better than nothing and the two pushed on until coming to The Wexley's parking garage. 

Pre Outbreak Occupation: Tattoo Artist / Artist Previous Zombie Experience: Fighting her way through D.C. and on to New York. Martial Status: Single Children: N/A Residence: Apt. #307 Years residing at The Wexley: New Resident Connections: Oscar Lockmoore - brother, Eliza 'Liz' Delgado - future sister-in-law, deceased

[saba-ody]

i watched the first episode of OPLA! and i really enjoyed it!! this is gonna be a long post and there will be SPOILERS for just the first episode of netflix's one piece.

here's what i thought:

-really love the core cast. inaki is a GREAT luffy. he really captures how luffy is both childish and rude and he SELLS it.

-mackenyu is fantastic as Zoro. he has some of the best fight choreography from what ive seen so far.

-i am in love with emily rudd as nami. she is fucjing perfect and i love that they gave her some badass shit to do in the first episode

-koby was great!! i thought he was fun and likable and i sure as fuck hope this show goes on long enough for his return in post-enias lobby.

-fucking HELMEPPO stole the show. he was funny and entertaining to watch and he had some of the sillier bits of the episode. i like that they chose to make him have long hair that gets cut by zoro. also his whole booty cheeks were out while flexing in the mirror with zoro's swords and i thought that was funny.

-they managed to make axe-hand morgan fun! i think he's one of the less entertaining early OP villains but I thought they did a good job with him!!

-i really liked shanks' appearance in this episode. the scenes with him and young luffy hit exactly like they were supposed to!!

-alvida was really fun to watch too!! i'm excited to see how they adapt her later appearances.

-okok i gotta talk about the fight choreography again. this shit was GOOD. i mean actually good. i feel like in a lot of shows in the recent past, fight choreo has gotten.. lazy? what i mean is that in this show the hits FEEL like they're hitting. and that is a compliment of the highest regard. luffy's fighting style is well adapted (and i will GET to his devil fruit in a moment) zoro's 3 sword style was both well choreographed and utilized within the scenes it was needed. i love how they play with it a little bit, not having him use all three until the climax of the episode. NAMI has some fantastic shit with her staff and i'm genuinely so glad they dont have her basically sidelined until alabasta like they do in the manga. alvida and morgan both have their weapons have true weight that you can feel to them and i'm so glad. this was the thing i was the most concerned for and its safe to say i'm happy with it.

-luffy's gum gum fruit and the cgi used for it was surprisingly good!! going into live action with a main character made of rubber is one of the most difficult things CG artists have to deal with and i hope they know how fucking good rhey did. body stretching hasn't ever looked this good.

-i liked garps inclusion and i really hope they don't reveal that he's related to luffy until way later. i get the feeling they might since he's there and i think he's going to still be important throughout the season.

-i LOVE. and i mean LOVEEEEEEEEEE that they are already setting up for season 2 mentioning baroque works so much. that shit is fucking AWESOME and i couldn't be happier that they're going ahead and foreshadowing shit for later that is amazing and i'm so damn happy.

-the setwork and costume design are FANTASTIC. the atmosphere becomes amazing because of these two things in conjunction and its fucking great. you absolutely are pulled into the world and its amazingly believeable. everything feels real. the locals, the outfits, really theres some great shit in here so far and i am DAMN excited to see more. they truly went all out and it feels fantastic.

-this show is really funny. not exactly in the way that the anime is, but in a way that works a lot better for this medium. zoro, especially, i thought they really nailed on the head. he's funny!! and luffy is too!! so is nami!! they're all really funny and entertaining to watch and i just cant believe this show exists at all.

-buggy showed up and i'm so excited to see more of him. what a god of a man. he is. kinda bad asf too.

i have one or two critiques too!!

-i liked the original way of making it known that koby wasnt working with luffy and i think its a bit lame the rest of the marines aren't shown to be glad that morgan's gone.

-theres some camera work in this show that just seems,... off? theres these closeups with a shitton of gaussian blur and it just looks. unprofessional to say the least. luckily, its not completely like this (which is kinda what i thought the show would look like at first, which had a bit of apprehension in me.)

-i just realized they didnt show shanks' arm being cut off by the sea monster. i'm sure they will but they didnt here. i sure hope they do that shits an iconic scene.

-uh. that was pretty much it. netflix was being stupid as shit for me so i didnt really get hd quality but i was watching it on netflix party w my girlfriend and it was just so exciting that i didnt really care. but fuck netflix btw.

so, pretty much, you might get the jist that i'm enjoying this show, and i am!! its honestly hitting all the marks i was hoping it would and a lot more. i love that its a show that knows what its doing. it doesnt feel lost. it feels like its confident in itself and its production. i really hope its a hit, and i sure as fuck HOPE netflix doesnt drop it if it doesnf make a gazillion dollars. i'm not religious but i'll pray for that.

[thenightling]

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire review

I saw Ghostbusters Frozen Empire last night. And here is my review. It was decent but very flawed. I will list the flaws first to get them over with while I'm thinking about it. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is the fourth film in the original Ghostbusters franchise. it mostly deals with an ancient God getting unleashed. It's kind of ironic that the first heavy snow for most of the US came on the night of this movie's release.

There are many things I love about the film and I will list those last. First let's get the negative out of the way. The first is the script feels a bit confused. Some wording doesn't quite make sense, like multiple writers were trying to put the script together and didn't communicate well. I'm not too keen on the reveal that the Containment unit (where they store the captured ghosts) is just a "giant ghost trap." Ghostbusters: Afterlife already dealt with a "giant ghost trap" and it was very different. I much prefer how it was handled in The Real Ghostbusters animated series where the interior of The Containment unit was like a pocket dimension or version of limbo.

I don't like the dismissive "It was the eighties. No one was thinking about the future." Yes, they were.

I also don't like that they talk about "disposing" of ghosts while in the next breath it's revealed that the "Disposing of" is placing them in a new, bigger containment unit (with an interior "The size of the American West.") Now that's more like the animated series version. But the wording "disposed of" is weird when you know they mean capture and transport.

I also felt there was a bit of queer baiting with Phoebe and Melody (the ghost she befriends). There are some moments where I felt it looked like they were about to kiss. Not only that but the way Melody was introduced was off putting for me. It was almost like the audience was supposed to briefly mistake her as Egon's ghost returning and you sense that Phoebe was disappointed that it was not him.

Patton Oswalt was mostly just a glorified cameo but at least he got to give useful information even if he was just an "exposition faery."

Slimer was mostly there just to eat the other ghost called The Possessor. And how does a ghost eat another ghost? Even if Possessor was inside a pizza at the time. Wouldn't he just… go right through him? Since when is Slimer The Ghostbusters version of Kirby?

I also wish there was more use of pop and rock music like in the original first two Ghostbusters movies and the use of Cruel Summer in the first trailer for Ghostbusters Frozen Empire.

I also thought it was odd how easily Phoebe was tricked. I know a lot of intelligent people can be very naive but this was more than naive. It was a lampshaded (because the movie addreses how foolish she felt) "Plot induced stupidity."

My final complaint was Phoebe's (implied to be right) deduction that when a ghost settles their unfinished business and finds peace the ghost's particle disperse and the ghost becomes "part of the fabric of the universe." Too me this gives too much certainty to one particular "This is what happens after we die." And much like the "disposed of" like this is sort of contradicted as well because several times it's also suggested that even the ghosts that find peace are in tact somewhere.

I also couldn't quite tell if Paul Rudd's character had married Egon's daughter or not. They're obviously a couple but did they marry? If it was confirmed or not I must have missed it. I do like that Phoebe did call him Dad near the end though. That was sweet.

There's a bit of a sloppiness to the writing.

It also felt like the story didn't really get going until about three fourths into the movie.

The writing is the weakest part of the movie but there were things and ideas that I did like. I love the idea of Winston essentially forming the Ghostbusters equivalent of The Men in Black (that's how it feels). I love his research facility. I love his tech. I love that Ray was more pro-active in this and Peter Venkman got some new, good one liners. and he actually got the function as a real (though still manipulative) parapsychologist.

I love the use of practical effects. I always welcome tactile, real, old fashioned special effects over CG.

I still think Phoebe is a fantastic character and love her.

I do like that the new containment unit is going to be more like the version from the animated series and take up the psychic equivalent of the American West. But I still don't understand why the first containment unit was reduced to having just been "a giant ghost trap."

I do like Winston as the Ghostbusters equivalent of Nick Fury.

And I also liked that the movie had a feel to it similar to an episode of The Real Ghostbusters animated series.

I am also glad for the established tradition that each movie now ends with the original Ghostbusters theme song. I hope they keep that up. It always makes me smile. I liked it but I do think it's the weakest in the original franchise. Ghostbusters: Afterlife was better. As a Ghostbusters fan I won't say it was bad. I am likely to watch it again. And I still think it's better than Ghostbusters: Answer the Call. (Pretty much anything is better than that).

It's flawed but fun. It's just a decent popcorn movie.

And as a life-long Ghostbusters junkie I do hope more things come from this despite all the cynical articles saying to let the franchise die.

One article I saw whined about how they didn't know what demographic / target audience for the movie was. So? Who cares? I don't want a movie for a specific age group, gender, etc. I want a movie that multiple generations and people of all cultures can like. If I can say "Oh, this movie is for twelve-year-old boys." or "Oh, this is for thirty-something men." or "This is for college age women." i tend to get bored and see it as pandering. Just tell a good story and the audience will find it.

This isn't the best Ghostbusters movie ever made but it's not the worst either. It's just the weakest of the original continuity but it is still enjoyable. I liked it.

[adultswim2021]

Titan Maximum #2: "Busted" | October 4, 2009 - 11:30PM | S01E02

The second dang episode of Titan Maximum is basically a second pilot, taking us through how the newly formed team navigates the bureaucracy of the future government in order to get a replacement giant robot to pilot and have space adventures with. There’s also a little bit of advancement with the villain of the show, a former member of the team. I don’t think I touched on that aspect even a little bit last time. The important thing to know is, they get themselves reinstated with the military and the little brother nerd kid is their new engineer, producing a new mech that’s seemingly superior in every way, except the face is hastily drawn on. The episode ends with them about to do their first actual episodic adventure.

The main characters on the show are mostly dicks. We see them do stuff that dicks do to be dicks and for no other reason other than because they are dicks. That’s the comedy, dicks being dicks. Okay. That’s fine, I guess, if you're not me. In this one we have a flashback to them raping the “statue of unity”, because they were drunk and acting arrogantly for, again, no real reason. Then at one point they do a joke where a grunt foot soldier in another part of the story says an obvious sexual joke out loud and there’s pronounced awkward silence. It’s just like, man, what point are you even making here?

There wasn’t a single funny joke in this whole episode. I started getting actually pissed off. So much so that I failed to keep good notes for this episode; I literally wrote “JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THIS SUCKS” in a few different iterations without saying what I was reacting to. I should’ve been writing stuff like “the mean slut is showing her tits and being nasty.” Why, it’s like a season three episode of Sealab 2021, except for it probably took a year to animate instead of an afternoon.

I watched this on adultswim.com, and I’m probably going to get a DVD or download of this or something to watch instead. I was literally getting like, cartoonishly angry at this show, so much so that I started punching stuff. I am a lunatic, yes, but usually bad shows don’t upset me this much. Then, midway through the episode? I swear to fucking god, there was like 4 minutes of ads. They just jammed a commercial break in and it took for fucking ever. Every time a new ad started I actually started growling. Lotta ads for new shows coming soon to HBOMax. They all look like shit. Goddamn, I have never hated an app more than that app. I am thankful I don’t actually pay for it myself. 

To make it even worse: the one thing I stated as a positive about this show was the closing credits, which they interrupt for a lame callback joke. Then after the credits are over, they include a tag where a housekeeper explains an earlier joke where somebody pees in their space suit thinking it has a waste collection receptacle even though it doesn’t. Yeah, I saw that episode of Venture Bros. too.

MAIL BAG

got me katanas i want you to know, slicing up doors i want you to know, girl it's home movies i want you to know, don't know about you but i am wack...y coach mcguirk, wanna grow up to be, be a bob belcher

this was nice, pal, and I got a good laugh outta the deal. Well, see ya!

What can Delocated do in Season 2 to win you back? You seemed really down on it by the end. You didn't even like the part where he named all of Paul Rudd's lesser known movies.

You are full of shit! I literally named the final episode my favorite episode so far. I think all the feelings I had for the show roughly resembled the feelings I had for it back when it premiered. You're ignorant, pal.

He was in Anchorman, and The 40 Year Old Virgin, he was in The Shape of Things. He was in Clueless and Romeo + Juliet. He did a thing in Reno 911: Miami. The Cider House Rules. P.S. The Oh In Ohio. Knocked Up. He had a series of Broadway credits: The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Three Days of Rain with Julia Roberts. Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center. HE WAS IN HOUSE HUNTING!

"I like this" -me. See, now leave me alone.

Honestly I really like the *premise* of Titan Maximum. it's surprisingly earnest with it's deconstruction of Voltron, the character drama, the running story had a lot of potential, it looks great, Even the implied worldbuilding is fun. But like you said, the character writing is AWFUL. It's like a time capsule of the late 2000s "Workaholics" writers' board (twitter DOT com/podimportant/status/1369836756971835402). It sucks cause I like everything else about it but it really brings it down.

I probably should've noted this in the first episode, but I've never been a Voltron devotee. I don't remember ever watching it as a kid, and I've only seen a couple episodes as an Adult out of curiosity. So some of this show is probably lost on me. But the writing is so bad, I would highly doubt it would add anything for me.

[chellyfishing]

the girlies are going through it so i’ve watched even more stuff lately

i forgot in the last post that phil and i are keeping up with my adventures with superman (we are going to watch the newest one[s] today!) and this show is just. exactly what i want in superman media. because it’s superman! it’s why i love superman!!!!!! it’s just colorful and fun and he’s so puppy!!! and it’s incredibly anime, like they’re really out here wearing their inspirations on their sleeves and i love them for it. if you like superman who is actually superman and not batman but wearing blue this is the show for you. (and!!! he’s got the underwear!!)

bella and i also have started only murders in the building season 3. not much to say yet cause only two episodes but we’re off to a good start! i shan’t spoil who is IN THIS SEASON OH MY GOODNESS but i will remind everyone who forgot like we did that paul rudd.

we unexpectedly marathoned our flag means death the other night cause i had still not yet watched it and uhh. i mean do i really need to go into this one? xae was also there while we watched and he ended up getting sucked in to the point he was literally yelling at the show by episode nine. (also: when lucius was like “i know i’m not cute but i’ve decided to carry myself as if i am”? that’s the energy i want to embody from now on.)

as for movies: i think i should have included in the last one but am not sure about the order of things because time is fake that i saw insidious for the first time. i actually wrote a little mini-essay in my head about gender roles in that movie but it wasn’t as egregious about it as, say, a quiet place. like insidious doesn’t make me low-key a bit mad like that one does lmao. it has some real good spookenings! too bad the sequels are apparently real bad cause i would like to have continued the story, but it’s not killing me or anything. like that cliffhanger didn’t make me tear my hair out or whatever. it’s patrick wilson he’ll be fine.

we watched an irish film called the hole in the ground which is about a hole in the ground (that has some evil fey creatures in it). it was good! it’s very beautiful and quiet and atmospheric and i am a slut for atmosphere. this is for if you want a straightforward but artistic horror film.

then we watched the night house, and i guess horror movies don’t feel the need to have warnings because it’s a horror movie and you know it’s going to be horrific but we both wish we’d been warned ahead of time how much this one deals with suicide. it was really good and i could probably write a lot on it but it was also quite heavy and hit really hard. the ending had us both nearly in tears. recommended but with that warning.

(we rewatched the menu afterward to bring the mood back up. good-ass movie.)

and last night!! we watched red white and royal blue! i read the book ages ago but bella and rose were both going in pretty much blind and i’m so pleased with how much they loved it. i think it was a good adaptation. they kept what made the book a good read (it’s just a little modern romantic fairy tale with two men) and i think they conveyed the vibes of the developing relationship well. the lads played the roles well and with a lot of heart and sincerity. let’s not try to force either of them to come out over it though please? also in that vein: i am afraid that the release of the film is going to revive The Discourse about the story, so this is a reminder that mcquiston wrote it around the 2016 election as a way to cope and escape to a better and more just world. they know what it is and what it says.

can’t remember what else i’ve watched besides quite a bit of black mirror. i’ve been kind of choosy with the episodes because i’m still fucking haunted by the first one!!! why did they do that!!!!! but i gotta say. sarah hawkinson on youtube was so right. nosedive might be the best episode of the whole thing. just flawless. I could watch that ending scene ten thousand times i love it so much. special shoutout to joan is awful which is another current fav. maybe if i get through the whole series i’ll do a full ranking.

oh. and still playing zelda. haven’t got another divine beast but have fought a looooot of lynels. now just going around trying so hard to get guardians to drop ancient cores. not a sign of a giant one yet and i need THREE MORE PLEASE COME ON.

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania - My thoughts

So its been about a week since I saw Ant-Man and Wasp: Quantumania, so I have had some time to figure out my thoughts on the film. I went in with tempered expectations, after the poor reviews. My first thoughts were that I didn't quite understand all the criticism. Having thought about it some more, I do think there are issues with the film, but I also don't quite agree with how low the film is rated. I still think the film is enjoyable. It is admittedly a little forgettable, which should not be the case for a film that is kicking of Phase 5 and introducing Kang. As an audience member who really loved the first Ant-Man and quite liked AM&TW, it is admittedly a little difficult to change your perception of what these films are like, because Quantumania is completely different to the first two films. Quantumania really is like fantasy film, while the previous two were much more grounded and smaller movies, with much lower stakes. This film obviously had huge stakes, with Kang having world ending implications. I think the real issue with the film for me is that all the various character beats and plots and subplots seem a little half baked. I don't think the ideas are bad but they just aren't as fully formed as they should be.

I enjoyed the first and the third acts of the film, but the middle act drags, with a lot of exposition and explanation about the world and the various new characters. The first act is fun and I love that the Lang/Pym family actually feels like a family, with Cassie considering Hank and Janet as grandparents. I also do like the hook of the relationship of Cassie and Scott being the emotional anchor of the film, because we already know Scott is very devoted as a father and there is obviously a change in dynamic that Scott is dealing with. Once we get into the Quantum realm, things start to get a bit messy because we have Scott and Cassie split up from Hank, Hope, and Janet. Nothing really particularly interesting happens until Kang is properly introduced. The last act, with the big sci-fi battle, is fun, if a bit chaotic. I also loved that Ants actually played a big part of the finale. I do feel that, despite a fine performance from Jonathan Majors, Kang didn't quite live up to expectations as a villain, although he's quite easily the best villain of the Ant-man movies. I feel he isn't given all that much interesting to do. We just are told that he is a world conqueror and Major's performance goes a long way in selling us on that, but I can't say that he is asked to do too much apart from exude quite menace for the most part.

As I mentioned, the character beats aren't particularly fully realized. Part of it has to do with there being 5 main characters. Whereas Ant-Man and AM&TW was really about Scott, Hope, and Hank, the film has to deal with Scott, Hope, Hank, Cassie, Janet, and not to mention Kang and others like MODOK, while also introducing new concepts and characters of the Quantumverse within 2 hours. As a result, Hope, despite being a title character, has no story arc of her own. Evangeline Lily is solid and her hairstyle is a lot less distracting in the movie than I thought it would be, but she isn't really asked to do much. Hank at least gets to use his connection to the Ants in the climax but he also has no arc of his own, though it does feel like Michael Douglas is a lot looser and having fun this time around, unburdened by the anxieties and guilt he had in the previous films. For all intents and purposes, Janet is the co-lead with Scott as her character's actions drives a lot of the story. Its pretty cool to see Pfeiffer being front and center. She's great in the role. Paul Rudd cannot help but being incredibly likable. He brings his trademark humor and heart to the role, though, his arc of being a mentor to Cassie and helping others is not developed properly. Kathryn Newton is welcome addition as grown up Cassie. She thankfully avoids the annoying teenage rebel syndrome. As I mentioned, Majors is excellent. I think he delivered more than what was asked of the character in this movie and I really look forward to how they handle Kang going forward. I also have to say MODOK is not a character that visually translates well in live action.

Peyton Reed isn't necessarily the director who has the most distinctive directorial touch, but I can't say this film is poorly made. I think its issue stem with the writing. I do feel this film is considerably more enjoyable than say, Thor: Love and Thunder, which I really did not like. It isn't the home run that the MCU needed unfortunately, but I think its better than people are saying, which is also how I felt about DS2. Overall, the film is a 7/10 for me. I think I need to see it again to know how I feel about this film relative to the other two Ant-man movies, though I definitely feel the first one is the best.

[hospitalterrorizer]

diary416

11/13-14/24

wednesday-thursday

finished the one thing today,

here it is:

the background thing was honestly really instructive, it was the last thing i did of course, and i wish i made the figure in the center darker, however, it is what it is at this point, and this thing isn't the last time i'm going to visit this figure probably, since i find it interesting and in the dream, i saw its head and face much closer, i want to render that as well, rather than just the fact of it being an odd tortured body, i tried to articulate the personality of it some, here, but i'm clumsy at that still. if i could write it, of course, it would be easier, i suppose though something is very interesting about the failing to get that across and learning another kind of grammar, of lines and gestures, those gestures can then turn up in writing i think, or that's my hope. a way of maybe dealing with things like shadow/expression with language that might be precise and uncanny, or forcing myself to have to use that language, seeing it clearly, holding it with clarity for longer.

uhmmm, what else, about the painting. the background, that was instructive because of the fact it's just one brush, one color, it's one of the rgba preset brushes in krita, i was just kind of messing with it, realizing it seemed like a tide or maybe the ways fossils look in black and white photography, it reminded me of a design from 4ad, something by vaughan oliver, something so simple in that, leaning into the things those brushes do is really interesting. that's also how i got that triangle beneath the torso, where i kind of doodled patters using the streaky-ness of the brushes, doing that with red, i got this thing that seemed bloody and organic looking, then, i began shading and adding to that shape, and this thing encased by that shape, and then this notion of something draping that shape. so i got my wish, learning more and more, abstract stuff i guess, how it can be about not doing very much, just a lot of focus and thought. it's a very precise thing. which i like. the arrow of thought.

the other 2, i didn't get to, yet, maybe. i might do some lines on one. instead i finished father of lies, the evenson novel. it's as i said good, it ends painfully, as he gets away with everything, though of course he does. by the end, the way he pleads with himself and that figment of evil, and when he rapes his daughter, which made me feel very sick and gave this sensation to me, a terrible gift, little pinpricks climb up my spine, i felt i was reading a book written from the perspective of leland palmer.

another interesting thing that came to me, in both this book and the open curtain, these men who commit atrocities (in the open curtain rudd is evidently much more tragic (even hooper becomes tragic by the way rudd occupies him)), there is some strange evil figure who guides them and makes them blind to themselves, more than this though, they are made to be out of joint with the world, they see other speaking in their place, they simply disappear, it makes solid something that seems common in religion, where one is split between some upstanding vision and great cruelty, but it's not really that the blindness to the cruelty is out of shame for that thing entirely, in part it is, but it is also, in his work, something necessary in some religious sense, they are blind to the supposed cosmic necessity of these acts, or rather than blind, the knowledge comes and goes, a hot-flash, which i suppose tethers it to erotic experience too, especially in the case of the father of lies, in rudd's case, perhaps, though he is not some terrible rapist, he is a person losing himself, forever.

another interesting tiny detail in father of lies, the secular angels, or they seem like angels, who visit him, other figments of, i don't know if it's truly from his mind or if we ought to take their presence as 'real', i don't think it matters, but it's interesting that they wear suits, but seem to be agents of god. it heightens the kafka-ish thing in his work, the oddly bureaucratic angels attempting to probe into him what it is he's done.

i downloaded another book of his now... short stories, which i am very excited to read. his way of writing will really shine in this format i feel.

i should sleep now,

today there was a spat with my gf that i feel bad about, it's the kind of thing that's entirely pointless. going into it even feels pointless, the feelings seem resolved now, it's just unfortunate it happened, or that our feelings are mutually hurt over different things, or, she intoned that she does everything, which is untrue, because she felt stressed over some things, like grading papers and looking at some medicine her mother left us sitting on the couch and still being very sick. i felt bothered because, rather than just asking for help, made things out to be that way. from her perspective though, being sick and being busy with her actual job, the housework i do is basically invisible and mostly worthless i guess, and when she feels like she has to do any, she must feel like i really am pointless, since she wanted to put out some wet laundry on the couch. ultimately, i put it out to dry on the couch, and did the other stuff, but if she just asked me to help her, it wouldn't feel poisoned, like i did it to prove i'm not useless, and also i guess as a petty way to get back for feeling useless. but i also don't think it's really me trying to get back at her... the other stuff i did tonight was all stuff i'd plan to do and i mostly don't deal with laundry because she's always been so particular about it and when we did things at the laundromat she'd sometimes just tell me to not help her fold clothes because she didn't like how i'd do it. either way, i unfortunately can narrativize it in my head in a way that makes me feel sort of evil. but it's pointless, to really feed that. it's just chores. i do not like that sometimes whatever it is that i do must appear invisible to her. like when i cooked tonight, or whenever i cook, i always give her more food even though she doesn't eat it all and i end up eating it later on, but i want her to have more if she wants it, tonight i even tried plating it so she would see the vegetables on top in the bowl so she would eat them all first since i know she doesn't always eat it all. on top of that, doing the dishes, minor cleaning through the day, massaging her back, i don't know. i feel like i try. i don't think it's an issue of me being taken for granted, i do think honestly things are even mostly, or probably, if i am being honest, i am clearly the lucky one here, which also makes me feel bad. but i always ask her, she says no, it's not like that. but sometimes she treats me in a way that makes me think she really feels that way, which then why won't she tell me, or make me go get another job, she hated when i had a job though, she always wanted me to not have it, so i would do things in the house. i don't know. it's just stupid feeling, and like i said, all the feelings are subsided probably, it is good to put it here though i suppose, to catalog the thoughts.

and how stupid of me is it to bitch so much while she is sick, clearly i am some sort of bad person. i should be less like this person who bitches, just be nicer, not take things personally when people are stressed or something, right?

i really must be getting to sleep, though,

so,

byebye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[arun-pratap-singh]

Marvel Phase 5 Begins in the New ‘Quantumania’ Trailer

Marvel Phase 5 Begins in the New ‘Quantumania’ Trailer

Little hero, big problem. The new trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania makes it clear: Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang is in real trouble. He’s attracted the attention of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), and Kang wants to make a deal. He promises Scott he one thing he wants: Time. And based on the new Quantumania trailer … it looks like Scott might actually make a deal with this particular…

[promptsfromthecrypt]

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒  𝐌𝐘  𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋  𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑  𝐇𝐀𝐒  𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐃      ♡      𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎  𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜.

per  request  in  high  demand ,  here’s  a  list  of    absolutely  batshit ,  out  of  pocket  things  my  original  character  has  said.    triggers  and  nsfw   will  be   present  in  this  specific  meme.

“ i  acquired  coffee  and  i  know  temporary  peace. ”

“ all  jokes  aside ,  the  idea  of  a  gay  agenda  doesn’t  make  sense.  if  someone  influences  you  to  suck  cock ,  you  probably  already  wanted  to  suck  cock. ”

“ i  am  way  too  hot  and  sleep  deprived  to  deal  with  anything  beyond  the  veil  right  now. ”

“ you  got  the  motherfuckin’  right  to  remain  violent.  hollywood  undead  said  so. ”

“ yeah ,  i  have  nfts.  nice  fuckin’  tits. ”

“ oh ,  you’re  in  his  dms?  you’re  shooting  your  shot?  i’m  his  sleep  paralysis  demon.  i’m  in  the  corner  of  his  room  reciting  the  bee  movie  script  and  there’s  nothing  he  can  do  about  it. ”

“ i  don’t  give  a  shit.  if  you  tell  me  jack  and  sally  weren’t  mean  to  be  i’ll  take  your  kneecaps. ”

“ woke  up  feeling  like  it’d  be  a  fine  day  to  challenge  god  to  a  knife  fight  in  a  denny’s  parking  lot. ”

“ someone  give  my  number  to  paul  rudd  or  bill  murray. ”

“ ( name ) ,  i  am  free  tomorrow  night  for  dinner  tomorrow  night  when  i  am  free. ”

“ the  shrimp  urge  to  fry  rice. ”

“ the  problem  with  pretty  men  is  that  they  know  it. ”

“ let’s  all  be  real  here.  by  now  you  know  i  only  watched  twilight  for  the  dilfs. ”

“ speaking  of  november–––  i  think  the  whole  ‘ no  nut  november ’  is  admirable.  not  for  me  though.  i’ll  be  substituting  with  no  bra.  you’re  welcome. ”

“ i’m  so  hot  today.  and  for  what?  to  be  perceived?  no  thanks. ”

“ what  if  i  fed  ( name )  to  the  new  york  rats . . . ?  hail  raatma  type  shit. ”

“ regular  people?  boring.  only  dilfs ,  cult  leaders ,  and  danger. ”

“ speaking  of  dilfs––– ”

“ thinking  about  them  again.  them  is  aliens.  thinking  about  aliens  again. ”

“ i  have  a  masters  in  dilfology. ”

“ where  are  the  dilfs?  i  was  told  there  would  be  dilfs  here. ”

“ my  body  is  most  definitely  a  temple ,  but  that  temple  just  so  happens  to  be  a  year–round  spirit  halloween. ”

“ curse  of  michael  myers  tommy  doyle  was  an  aquarius.  i  will  not  elaborate. ”

“ it’s  the  audacity  for  me.  instead  of  a  spine ,  because  you’re  a  spineless  fucking  coward ,  that’s  where  you  store  the  audacity. ”

“ if  you  tell  me  i’m  right  about  literally  anything ,  i  will  have  a  spontaneous  orgasm  right  then  and  there.  you  have  stroked  my  ego  to  a  nut. ”

“ what  can  i   say?  i’m  in  demand. ”

“ find  the  silver  lining  and  offer  the  rats  your  enemies  so  you  can  befriend  them  and  come  to  an  agreement  to  leave  each  other  alone. ”

“ i  could  break  him.  i  could  snap  that  fucker  in  half. ”

“ tits  out  on  a  friday  in  november  is  wild  for  sure. ”

“ my  only  redeeming  qualities  are  that  i  have  great  tits  and  i’m  literally  always  right. ”

[therecordconnection]

Ranting and Raving: AC/DC’s “Back in Black”

I think “Back in Black“ by AC/DC is an important precursor to rap-rock that has been swept under the rug.

Of course the big credit for rap-rock goes to Run-DMC and their 1986 collaboration with Aerosmith for their version of “Walk This Way,” a collaboration that benefited both parties. For Run, it continued their upward momentum and gave them legitimate cred with rock fans who were writing off rap as “not real music.” For Aerosmith, it introduced them and one of their biggest hits to a new generation of people who maybe only knew them as a relic of the mid-seventies. It also gave them a second wind that they were able to carry with them through the rest of the eighties and most of the nineties.

It’s not hard to see why Run-DMC thought “Walk This Way” would be a great choice to turn into a rap song. There are two reasons. 1) The group already had a love for rock and roll and classic rock samples that were being implanted into their music. 2) In the case of “Walk This Way,” all of the ingredients needed to make the quintessential rap-rock song were already there. All Run-DMC had to do was cook it up just right. That killer guitar riff that runs through the whole song, Steven Tyler’s lyrics and flow that already sound like he’s kinda rapping, that tight as hell drum beat that already sets a damn solid foundation for a track. All Run-DMC really had to do was change the production of the drums, translate the lyrics to fit their flow and style, get Steven Tyler back to do the chorus, maybe get Joe Perry to add some new guitar work on it, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a remix. It’s a perfect re-do because it doesn’t take anything away from the original. It enhances the original. In a way, I almost prefer this over the original. There’s just something about Run’s version that, while kinda cheesy and a bit dated, it remains fun to listen to. “Walk This Way” just feels like it was always meant to be a rap song, it only needed the right guys to come along and awaken it’s full potential. The video is fantastic and shows exactly what both groups wanted to do: break genre barriers and show that both worlds can co-exist. It looks silly and kinda corny now, but in 1986 it was a big deal.  

But, listening to “Back in Black” again, I can’t shake the feeling that Aerosmith weren’t the only ones that accidentally provided evidence that the worlds of rap and rock could fuse together so beautifully... because “Back in Black” also has a lot of the same ingredients as “Walk This Way” has, it’s just got a bit of a different flavor. Phil Rudd’s drum beat is static and never changing, which provides the same kind of foundation Run-DMC’s “Walk This Way” did. The production also has that same weight and oompf that a lot of Run beats have. Like “Walk This Way” it has a killer guitar riff that runs through the whole song. Sonically, it has same framework that Aerosmith’s song had. You could sample “Back in Black“ and use it to build a pretty killer track. Hell, the Beastie Boys proved this in 1984 by (illegally) sampling the song in a now-famously out of print single called “Rock Hard.” It’s never been released digitally, mostly due to AC/DC refusing to give sample clearance. 

In hindsight, I think it was a stupid move on AC/DC’s part to not give the Beasties the clearance. The Beasties weren’t much in 1984, but by 1986, they would be the first rap group to have a number one album on Billboard with License to Ill. Like Run-DMC, the Beasties were also classic rock fans and the songs on 1989′s Paul’s Boutique is made up almost entirely of samples from old classic rock songs. One can’t help but wonder what the hip-hop world would look like if the Beasties and AC/DC had been the ones to fuse the two worlds instead of Run-DMC and Aerosmith. Both combinations are odd, but there’s a certain magic and charm to them. Either combination would’ve ended up breaking barriers somehow, as the Beasties were all Jewish and the boys in Run-DMC were all black. Both parties were trying to break into an industry with a new and unique sound but had the challenge of combatting what was big in the mainstream, a mainstream that was still predominantly white at the time Run-DMC’s “Walk This Way” became a hit.

I think the thing that really sold me on “Back in Black”’s potential as a rap-rock song has to be the lyrical content. There’s nothing mind-blowing or outrageously different here than what you get with any other AC/DC song. It’s the classic tough guy posturing, badass doing badass things for badasses type swagger that basically every AC/DC hit is formed from. AC/DC is the ultimate “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” rock band. “Back In Black” stands out for a few reasons though. 1) New lead singer Brian Johnson wrote the lyrics as a tribute to Bon Scott, the band’s singer who had passed away in February of 1980, just a few months before the song was released. 2) Brian Johnson’s rhymes, flow, and meter just have a certain cadence that lends itself to being translated to rap easily. Listen to the second verse in particular to get a good idea of this:

Back in the back of a Cadillac Number one with a bullet, I'm a power pack Yes, I'm in a bang with a gang They've got to catch me if they want me to hang'

Cause I'm back on the track and I'm beatin' the flack Nobody's gonna get me on another rap So look at me now, I'm just making my play Don't try to push your luck, just get out of my way

The words just flow so well. The meter is just as tight as the guitar and drums. Johnson not only captures the wild hedonism and tough guy braggadocio that made the Bon Scott era so memorable, but Johnson also captures tropes that modern rappers are still exhibiting today. Mention of a slick ride? Check. Gang affiliation? Check. Having cred because you’ve been to jail and now that you’re out it’s right back to raising hell? Check. Bragging about toughness and making it clear that nobody should fuck with you unless you got a death wish? Check. 

No wonder the Beasties wanted to sample this. Everything about this song just exudes power and respect. Two things that are important for survival in the rap game. Ultimately, I don’t think any song other than “Walk This Way” would’ve truly worked as a classic rock song reworked into a rap song, but it’s always fun to wonder.

[crazy56u]

Well, it’s Halloween, it’s raining, it feels like I’m starting to have chest congestion shit, and things aren’t exactly great all over. A distraction is welcome.

Okay Ben, you made it seven episodes so far, congratulations. Your prize is The Exorcist.

What if it turns out Ben leapt in the same day Sam was in Coventry?

The only good priests are from Baltimore. Big if true.

Addison, jump scares are to fiction what the dab is to modern society, knock it off.

Okay, this is less The Exorcist and more Clue.

Okay, two minutes in, Ziggy is talking about exorcisms, fuck me up buttercup?

“Water closet”. Okay, so, what, 1930s? That’s where we are?

“Exorcisms aren’t real.” Ben, you’re in the world of Quantum Leap. Ghosts, angels, Bigfoot, aliens, psychics and (according to Sam Beckett) telekinesis are real.

Seriously, that kid’s face scaring makes me think this legitimately is meant to be the world of The Exorcist.

And seven episodes in, we have our first cast of “Someone can see Ben as Ben”.

“The exorcist and the demon fight for the soul of the possessed.” TONIGHT, ON MONDAY NIGHT RAW-

“Okay, what now?” “You got a Bible. Get to Bibling.”

And now the hologram technology’s getting fucky. Tell all sign of real ghost shit.

And Addison is on mute.

JUMPSCARE

Oh no, the demon’s from Supernatural!

I half expected Ian to be hiding under a table.

And the cat people portion of the audience pop the fuck off.

“Sam Beckett believed God was guiding his leaps, and that telekinesis is real. That guy was fucked up.”

“Father? The Doctor’s here.” And then David Tennant enters the room-

Ben legitimately thought he was about to score drugs.

Okay, so there’s the rub: “Look, Mr. Priest, I’m a fucking doctor, let me healthcare the problem away.”

...you’re gonna fucking lobotomize the demon.

“Joan of Arc was only 17 when she lead the French army to victory.” Counterpoint: she probably had some form of seizure, and she was slightly mentally unstable, hence why she “heard” the voice of God. Ball’s in our court.

“The wall paper moved.” Well, given the pattern of the wallpaper, you probably were just tripping.

Okay, is this girl super versed in the Bible, or is the demon playing Dr. Jekyll?

“How is she?” “Possessed?”

Called it, 1930s.

“Look, it’s the Great Depression, here’s tequila. Get crunk, Father.”

Okay, now play Hot Cross Buns.

Ma’am, I’m from 2022, maybe stay away from Hollywood.

...is the plot twist going to be the mom boinked a demon?

“It’s locked!” Okay. Break it down.

And the body count begins!

“Look, Mr. Doctor, I’m from 2022, my medical knowledge outweighs yours.”

“To know is science.” So, if you know anything, you automatically know all the science ever.

“What a scoop! A corpse!”

Ian, stay away from a poker table. You have a shit poker face.

“Look, I think the solution to the ghost shit is Reddit.” “Ian, that is the most hateful thing you have ever said.”

“Never been a gin guy.” “Well, I drank all the tequila. Get fucked.”

“Are you a priest or a constable?” Okay, I’m starting to suspect you, now.

What is this fish eye warble vision

So, the Great Depression is the real antagonist here. The ghosts of bad economics and Hoover’s bullshit.

“I’ll go see her, I’m a doctor-” “Get fucked, bitch boy, it’s Father Priest’s turn.”

Uh oh, the demon’s channeling Donald Duck.

“The demon isn’t real.” Ben, you fucking balls of steel to fucking say that at this point in the fucking episode.

...is the demon now a gorilla?

THE CEILING IS OUT FOR REVENGE!

Okay, Ben screaming bloody murder before cutting to a calm room is literally the same as the Paul Rudd GIF: “OH SHIT! ... I’m fine.”

...why would you waste a fish in this economy?

“Gives new meaning to the term ‘red herring’.” If this were a sitcom, we would be rolling credits.

I love how they are trying to act like this is Scooby Doo shit, when we have seen multiple times that there’s proof that we are dealing with real fucking demons.

Okay, all this spooky shit is getting too much, time for a break.

And now Ben is talking to himself / the audience.

“I think I might have to actually try and perform an exorcism?” And the last horse crosses the finish line.

“Oh, wait, my reflection’s a priest, I can do this. Good talk.”

And the first step to any good exorcism? Gin.

And now we’re legitimately in The Exorcist.

I love to see how they try and explain away the floating girl.

Don’t lick your teeth like that, what the fuck is wrong with you

...is Ben now possessed?

Why is Ben in the White Hot Room

“Where am I?” In a coma. Wake up.

Get the fuck out of here, are you literally telling me this IS fucking Clue?! THEY HAVE BEEN TRIPPING THE FUCK OUT ON POISONED FOOD?!

"How did they kill Aunt Tessa?” With the hammer.

Okay, good, you solved the mystery, wake up now.

Ben, wakey wakey

This is now also fucking Scooby Doo.

“Father? How did it go?” “I am not afraid to kick all of your fucking asses right now.”

Uh oh, cake stab.

“Are you saying Mr. Charles was the killer?” Interesting how you are flip flopping between demons and real killers, ma’am.

Jim Something: Master of All Poison

[Annnnnnd there’s the first Christmas commercial I have seen this year. WAIT UNTIL THE DAY AFTER FUCKING THANKSGIVING, YOU ASSHOLES.]

“The Great Depression was... ...what they are calling this period of time, now.”

...so, are we gonna explain the face scars?

Okay, so, name of the game: Fake the girl’s death, first one to break character is the poisoner.

And now Ben is channeling every fake ghost detecting psychic person.

And now she’s channeling the Undertaker.

“OKAY, I ADMIT IT, I KILLED SOMEONE AND POISONED PEOPLE, BUT THERE’S REAL DEMONS HERE!”

And now all of the dirty laundry is coming out.

And now you made the girl cry. Eat shit.

Daisy has the patience of a saint. If I was Daisy, I would be flipping them all off.

“The exorcist wins.” I wish Ben pumped his fist after saying this...

Let me guess: Janis was piggybacking off of the Imaging Chamber, and that’s why it conked out?

CALLED IT

And Ben’s reward for surviving The Exorcist? Blur - Song 2

Stealing a car to escape military school. Only in America.

Final Thoughts: I hate how I predicted the Clue twist immediately. Other than that, 10/10.