Trailers In Short - Heroes Coming Back Edition, Part DC

Okay. Let's close out this look at our heroic tales with some DC Comics? We will stick with live action. Haven't even had a chance yet to watch Batman Versus Robin. But I do have some worries about taking this angle for doing the "Court of the Owls" storyline. ...We can get into that another time.


Still, it is fun to keep up on the DC series on now. Sadly, I am a little behind on viewing and reviewing. I do want to get caught up this week on Gotham and Flash, in some manner, so let's see where they are? (Also I'd like to do something for Constantine, to Remember/Hope For The Best For It.) And I want to get into iZombie, to get a sense of it. And Arrow's current season to.

I better hurry up in my homework, as we have additional shows making their way soon to TV, as we'll see.

Trailers In Short - Heroes Coming Back Edition

Back to the trailers!

And cue the triumphant hero music. For it is time to get back into the hero groove. And it's a time for that. The Empire of old needs some Rebellion. The Machines need to be Terminated. It's time for Max to get Mad again. And...Daredevil, Ant-Man, Fantastic Four, and the Rest.

Plus we should get into DC's Live Action Universe.


Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Suppose it's time to admit something horrible. I found the first teaser that was released for this movie to be a little meh. It was a series of shots that went by quickly with no sense of what anything meant. There were sights I knew, like updated Stormtroopers and X-Wings. And the Millennium Falcon did a quick pass. It was nice, particularly as the Williams music kicked in. But it was blur of "What?" I still didn't know what to expect.

And now we get this one. Let's be honest it is a rush of more images of things we don't really understand. But it's longer shots and more reveals of how this universe looks, is being filmed, and how the characters may actual connect to one another. And that makes me happy. I feel like I'm starting to figure out the movie.

Taxes in a Time of Taxes

It's April 15th, and depending where you are, you still have time to file your taxes here in the United States. (Either on your computer or by dropping it off at an open post office.) And not to worry if you've somehow forgotten about tax seasons end. You can still file tomorrow. As long as you don't owe you shouldn't have to worry about penalties, otherwise...

But it is our annual process. We balance out the books. We had the government withhold some of our income, and it now learns how much of that it should keep to pay into supporting our society, and how much it should return to us. Unless you didn't do withholding on your wages, and then you get to pay in now. (But really it is a matter of taste. You can either put the money at the start, or you can plan a year ahead and save the money to pay in. Whatever works best for you.) W-4's matter.


Sadly people have a visceral hate for our system to handle the funding of our country. Love the armed forces, fixed roads, border protection. Hate actually having to pay for these things. Hating on the IRS is an easy way to get some cheers. It's an honest reaction. But it's not altogether a rational one. It can be tragically irrational.

So...This what you do when you owe money?

A collection of accountants and bureaucrats, that some how get painted as evil for doing vital work, The IRS is given a function. Make sure people pay in what we as a society agree to do. Sure not everyone does pay in...But we all need to make changes to get billionaires, corporations, and ministries to get with it. (How is it that the powerful who skip out on taxes aren't painted as the villains?)

Fighting for America by moving profits overseas, and living
the good life (while having it's workforce live on Medicaid
and Food Snap).

April Foolin'

Here. Let me end your trust in
humanity.

As we look to April, we get our annual tradition of April Fools Day.

Here's a little history for those interested in origins and international traditions you may not know of.

Tradition and all. Still doesn't stop pranking annoying. Sure there is the occasional brilliant piece of work, a masterwork in social experimentation. But most of the time it is just a matter of confusing everyone. And when news media gets in the game...they help no one.




So John Oliver has a good idea. A No-Pranking Pledge.

"Hey. You're being a dick right now. Stop being a dick."

Friday the 13th on Double Friday the 13th - Episode 12 - Faith Healer

It has been a couple of Friday's the 13th since we last delved into this series. I had hoped to do it in February, but Time bested me. Then I saw that March also had it's own Friday the 13th.

"Double Friday the 13th!!! What does it mean?!"

It means we finally get back into this show of shows. (Sure it's some days late. But Double Friday the 13th means the rules are out. BWAHAHAHAHA!)

"Faith Healer"

And as an episode to come back to, this is a good one. It's a strong first season episode.

You know, St Patrick's Day is...Nevermind...

Well. It seems to have been a while since I've posted. I know I planned to slow down, but damn.

I was going to do a Friday the 13th post last month, but...eh. Still there will be one shortly.

Still, did want to look at St Patrick's Day anew this year. Afterall, it is a Catholic holiday tied to a story about a guy driving snakes off an island. And what do people do? It doesn't seem to follow.

Sure. There is no indication that snakes have ever been indigenous to Ireland. And it's all a metaphor for driving out the old religion (which naturally must be evil).

But it's all an Irish celebration. And what do places like the U.S. do? Party. Get drunk. Wear green. Do questionable impersonations of Irish caricatures. (Really, If the Irish weren't considered white for the last century, this would all be offensive.)

I mean just look at how the very Catholic Irish revere their tradition...

Oh, and Sainted Patrick...

Photo by Cyril Byrne/The Irish Times

,,,Oh, nevermind. Ireland is a silly place anyway.


Still, the whole snake side of things is too much fun to just let go. ...And it did make me think up a horror movie that would be fun to watch in this time of year. So look forward to the tale of a snake...which isn't really a snake...

But, hey, no snakes in Ireland either.


Coming soon. Lair of the White Worm.

The Horror Of...Christmastime, The Hogfather, All In One Post

Terry Pratchett's Discworld is a beloved world for many fans of fantasy and comedy. Pratchett has produced an imaginative reality that plays on literature, folklore, history, and social commentary.

Did I mention the great A'Tuin?

The Discworld is a wonderfully impossible place, where the nonsensical is keeping old disc on the old turtles back.

And the Hogfather takes us to the winter time, and a special holiday at the center of the lives of many of the world's inhabitants. While some are celebrating, others are plotting the end of the season, and the forces that keep it alive.

The Wizards. The Assassins. Death. All are pushed into motion. But it may take some people from the sidelines to set things

So here are all the parts of the review in one spot.

________


Part 1

A start to the tale. An intro to the world. Assassins called to duty. The tooth fairy must die.

Those are the Hogfather's hogs, or Gozer's coming to town.

Part 2

The Hogfather falters. Death takes a break, and a second job. And things get more and more Dicoworldy.

"What do you mean this is my only scene!"

Part 3

Susan enters the story. Susan doesn't want to get involved. ...Susan gets involved.

"Really, grandfather? Cosplaying?"

Part 4

Susan gets a clue. Susan goes to war. The Hogfather dies. Long live the Hogfather. And more.

Yeah, You know all you've done? Piss. Susan. Off.

The Horror Of...Christmastime, Gremlins (1984)

As we stay in this holiday season, let's stay with so of this seasons classics of horror. And as I noted with A Christmas Carol, 1984 was a year with a number of Christmas based horror. Unfortunately I will have to leave a favorite of mine, Night of the Comet, for another day. But we have time for a more well known film, and a classic for many.

Gremlins

Let's hit it!

The Horror Of...Christmastime, A Christmas Carol (1984)

Christmas time is one that has been rich with horror movies for years now, But how can I not be tempted to go back to a classic tale of Christmas? A tale of a dislikeable lead who is given a comeuppance by supernatural forces. A story of a haunting. A story that addresses the real life horrors within an economy and society.

"A Christmas Carol." Dicken's tale is so well trodden over the last century, we've gotten so used to the story that maybe we forget...

...This be a ghost story.

I've already taken a look at some of the more humorous takes on this old story. And those are fun as introductions or a bit of variation. But let's look at one that is more of a sincere take on Scrooge and his London.

1984 offered us a number of Christmas based horror (including Gremlins and Night of the Comet). Among those films was A Christmas Carol.

It was made for TV and shown on CBS. Though it also got a theatrical release in the United Kingdom.

It stars George C. Scott in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

"Dickens...You magnificent bastard...I read your book!"

Scheduling in a time of stress and study.

Hey...

Between dealing with classes to train for a new job and illness, late October and most of November proved to be a bit much. Time and energy were not on my side.

And now in December, the final bits of class and training are just overwhelming me. Stress! (Plus they are giving me another job. (That means more duties and responsibility, but not really more power.) So much more stress! And less time.

So for the moment I find my posting, which has been meager will not be up to proper form..yet. I hope around Christmas and New Years I'll have more time to relax and write. And once work starts and the patterns get going, I can better work in writing.

It's annoying, as I have plenty I'd like to write about, but I just can't have it on the plate just right now.

Will write as soon as it is possible. The best this holiday madness.

meow

Trailers In Short - The Tunes and Toons Edition

It's the time of year when we need some childlike fun, and some merry songs to tide us through blustery cold days.

Time for some fun from LEGO's take on the heroes of the DC Universe.Time for the five armies to meet. Time for Snoopy to...do whatever he does, And it's time for some song and dance with a musical witch. And, Galavant, again.


LEGO Justice League Vs Bizarro League

Ah. Another LEGO film. I have so far found the DC animated LEGO films to be quite fun. I like their take on the pantheon of heroes. The humor,animation, and characters feel like they all work together. (Honestly, the Marvel ones haven't worked as well for me. They just feel too goofy.)

But this time out we get a turn with Bizarro. And Bizarro has decided to create some friends. So that means, after so many, years, we get a look at Bizarro's take on the Justice League again.

I don't think I've seen any of them since the days of the Super Friends. I guess they've brought them back in some forms at times.

Though the logic of the Bizarro's is tricky. Do everything opposite. It's hard not to do without being very silly. They've turned more to be more tragic to me in recent years. Bizarro ends up being a strange confused unwanted outsider.

But that's why it's more fun to use the concept with LEGO, where everything can be tongue in cheek!

But I don't think we've had a Bizarro World for awhile. It's supposed to be a square duplication of Earth. Sometimes it seemed it had some variety of people. But often it was a lot of Superman duplicates (Hence why you often Bizarro with a "No. 1" medallion around his neck. He's the original and worst.)

But then you had the team.

Ah.

So we get a tale of them being created from LEGO, and how they end up helping the Justice League against Darkseid. We get to see the value of a Bizarro.

It sounds like fun.

And how can I now resist adding the DC Nation short with Bizarro?

Friday the 13th on Thursday the 13th - Episode 11 - Scarecrow

With Hellowe'en passed, and cursed comics tossed out, it's time for a new month and a new 13th.

This time it's something we get to go to a proper scary place...Rural Canada! Oooo!

Well it's scary if your scared of not having cellphone reception...Is that still an issue out there? Probably not going to be as friendly as in Little Mosque On The Prairie.

So let's get into Friday the 13th the Series once again...

,,,and the "Scarecrow".

And the title says it all. The team are out this time in search of a cursed scarecrow,

"Yeah, I give the Scarecrow nightmares."

Oh, man. What is the curse. Let's cross our fingers and hope it goes around killing people.It'll be just like the Wizard of Oz...that is the right movie?

The Flash - Episode 4 - Going Rogue - "How can something so cold be so hot?" *UPDATED*

We move on in this episode from less memorable foes to the main stage of Flash villainy. It's time for some Snart.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas advertising.

Halloween has past, and we all know what that means. It's Christmas time, sorry American Thanksgiving. Sure, the stores were already playing Christmas music two weeks back.

But it's almost time for ads to focus on Christmas. And by focusing on Christmas I mean focusing on buying things we don't need. But I guess that's most ads. It's just now there's more red ribbons, snow, and excess sentimentality.


Cracked.com looked at some of the more ridiculous ads.

The 4 Most Insulting TV Ads You See Every Christmas -- powered by Cracked.com

More Bats!

Bats!

Sure, bringing this up gives me excuse to point to my post on how interesting and misunderstood bats are. Or, the other post that points to further facts on bats.

But that's not why we're here.

Now enjoy some of the work from the people (including Emily Graslie of The Brain Scoop) the Field Museum of Chicago. The team headed out to Kenya to meet with local researchers to see the regional bat population.

Part 1

Part 2

Some Sinister Information

Why left-handedness. And not just why they're all so freaking awesome!

Aw yeah!

Return of the Space Oddity

To lighten the color of my distemper, a little music.

I guess the Bowie legal team decided to play nice with those that tread beyond our Earth. Chris Hadfield's version of Space Oddity is back for people to enjoy.

So enjoy it!

Getting powered up to vote, with information.

It's almost election day, and there's still time to vote. There's also still time to learn about what you can vote on.

To start some research you can head over to Ballotpedia. At this site you can go to the Sample Ballot page to pull up the ballot that will be used in your Zip Code area.

Then you can review what will be on the ballot tomorrow. Governor. State Rep. Secretary of State. Etc.

You will also see the Amendments, Measures, and the alphabet of other issues you may be asked about. It offers added information on the two sides of each issue, and who is supporting it.

I won't guarantee it will resolve your issues. Sometimes the sides aren't as helpful as you'd like. I have one measure about expanding the number of doctors you can go to on insurance. I am torn on the pros and cons of the matter And secondary analysis of the measure is hard to find.

But for most issues the information on this site can at least help you muddle through the legal language that sometimes gets used.


The listings of candidates is also nice, as it allows you to try and figure out who the candidates really are. Often you can go into the polls and have no idea who is who, and what the positions actually do. Take some time to google them and see.


But one area that still vexes me is the fact I keep getting asked to vote for judges. What? Why? The only time you hear about a judge is if they get caught committing a crime, or make a controversial ruling. And even then, do you really remember them?

If you'd to have judges to vote on, I'd like to suggest Judgepedia (Yes, it exists.) You can at least see the candidates history on the bench to some extent. Also you can see if there are any notable cases. Also if they've served as a public defender or prosecutor. Also, in some cases, you can see if they've been involved with causes, like helping victims of certain crimes, or making changes to the system.

The site also, at least for my state, has ratings for judges as to how conservative they are, compared to the rest of the sitting judges.

Voting on judges seems silly, but you can at least, if you want to vote on them, make a semi-informed choice. (And I'd add, in Iowa after the State Supreme Court sided with the rights of gay people, conservatives were happy to go out and try to vote some of those justices out. If you have some honest judges on the bench that are being harried, why not help them?)


I hope you can take the time to vote this week. Every vote does count. Many offices and measures are close. Votes will matter.

Citizens wielding the mighty hammer of the vote. *UPDATED*

In case you haven't gotten the hint from all the political ads, it's almost an election day.

In our country money has a lot of sway. Money can get access. Money can take hold of the airwaves at this time of year.

But, in the end, those people chasing donations are doing so for one reason. To convince you to vote for them. OR, convince you to not bother, to give up.

Lewis Black has been supporting efforts to get people out to vote, and to fight vote suppression.

Halloween Fun With Gotham

The actors on Gotham have had some costume fun this Halloween.


Ben McKenzie, who plays James Gordon.

He went as Commissioner James Gordon.


Sean Pertwee, who plays Alfred Pennyworth. (And he's the son of Jon Pertwee, who played the 3rd Doctor.)

He dressed up as the 3rd Doctor, taking a selfie.


And some bonus fun...

Friday the 13th on Halloween the Halloween! - Episode 5 - Hellowe'en

We've done cursed comics earlier this month but now it's time for...CURSED HALLOWEEN!

Or rather, a magic amulet...But it's really about Halloween.

So  let's get into Friday the 13th the Series, and...

"Hellowe'en"

It's Halloween time in the world of Friday the 13th, Ryan has had a brilliant idea.

Throw a party at the shop. Invite all the neighborhood locals, and show them that the shop is perfectly safe and normal.