#49
The Wonder Years
Title: “With a Little Help from my Friends”
Written: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Performed: Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker originally recorded this song, a soulful remake of the Beatles hit, in 1968 and it was chosen for the theme of this series, which debuted in 1988 because of its nostalgic feel and the feeling of the 1960s. The show was set earlier that the 1968 song, but still fit perfectly.
Joe Cocker performed the song at Woodstock in 1969.
January 30
On the penultimate day of the Genre-ary, I watch yet another Steve Martin movie. M y Blue Heaven is actually the fourth Steve Martin movie (along with The Jerk, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) in this year’s comedy Genre-ary.
I rented My Blue Heaven on Fandango at Home to fall into the Genre-ary.
According to IMDB, “An all too uptight FBI agent must protect a larger than life mobster with a heart of gold, currently under witness protection in the suburbs.”
Steve Martin and Rick Moranis are great together. They are a wonderful pair with amazing chemistry, dating back to Little Shop of Horrors. The two lead actors are the reason why this movie holds together because there are some shaky moments in the story.
The story itself is kind of hard to buy because there are so many things that happen that are not realistic. But everything is held together because of Martin and Moranis.
There is a great cast around Martin and Moranis. They included Joan Cusack, Carol Kane, William Hickey, Daniel Stern, Deborah Rush, Bill Irwin, Jess Bradford, Seth Jaffe, Robert Miranda, Melanie Mayron, Ed Lauter, and Raymond O’Connor.
There are some awesome dance routines in the film. It was really entertaining.
My Blue Heaven was fun and funny with some great actors that overcame some of the wonkier marts of the script. A solid Steve Martin movie.
#50
Diff’rent Strokes
Title: “It Takes Diff’rent Strokes”
Written: Alan Thicke, Gloria Loring and Al Burton
Performed: Alan Thicke
We are into the Top 50 of our Daily Countdown: TV Show Themes list with a sitcom about to young black boys being raised by an affluent white man and their lives on Park Avenue, New York.
Alan Thicke has done several theme songs in his career, and has appeared already once in this Top 100 with the theme from Facts of Life, the spin off from Diff’rent Strokes.
January 29
I found this low budget superhero flick on Amazon Prime and it seemed like a good fit for comedy Genre-ary.
Boy is it stupid. But, I have to say, it is stupid in the right way.
According to IMDB, “Clark doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t care about the world. He barely cares about himself. But after an incident with an old bowl of spaghetti and a malfunctioning microwave, he becomes a superhero that can fight crime with the power of spaghetti. However, you have to pay him.“
Clark is really a jerk. He gets these weird spaghetti powers and he starts charging people. He is not your typical superhero.
The paper bag mask reminded me of when Spidey had to wear a paper bag mask and an old FF costume to get home. Lots of fun there. Or, I picture the Unknown Comic from The Gong Show. Either way, this is one more example of the paper bag mask.
There is clearly some Spider-Man love here as the spaghetti makes a Thwip sound when Spaghettiman shoots spaghetti from his hands.
None of it makes any sense, but it is funny. This film understands that it is stupid and it embraces that stupidity with both hands, with spaghetti shooting out of them.
It was a fun time watching this extremely low budget film that couldn’t be more indie if it tried.
Spoilers
I finished the final four episodes of Wonder Man on Disney + and I have to say that this is one of the best Marvel Disney + shows in a while. It’s up near the top of my list with WandaVision, Loki and Agatha All Along.
It is one of the least Marvel Marvel Studios TV shows. It is original and more focused on character. It avoided the typical, big CGI fest at the end with the villain fight while still providing a satisfying conclusion to the show.
I will say that when it ended, I really wanted more. That is a successful sign for any show.
I noticed the tremendous dialogue on this show, specifically in the last half of the episodes. The dialogue between Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kinsley was wonderfully written. It was both comedic and realistic. The pairing of these two characters is the main reason why this show worked as well as it did.
The first episode back after “Doorman” was an important one, and, while it may have been the shortest of the season, it was so very impactful. “Found Footage” worked on so many levels that it was the perfect return to form after the black and white origin episode for why Simon had to keep his superpowers hidden.
Joe Pantoliano made a triumphant return to resume playing the character of Joe Pantoliano.
The twist at the end with Trevor reclaiming the Mandarin mantel to protect Simon’s secret was unexpected but brilliant. Seeing Ben Kingsley re-deliver those epic lines such as “You never saw me coming” was awesome.
The biggest question I have is why Marvel decided to drop this series all on one day instead of on a weekly basis. This felt like a show that, if you dropped the first two or three together and then go weekly release, would have built viewership and word of mouth, much like Agatha All Along did, another show that people wondered if we needed only to find out it was amazing. Now, instead, Wonder Man gets dropped one day and could go the way of Echo. Even a daily release schdule like What If…? got might have been better.
I do hope that we get more of Simon Williams somewhere in the MCU. The talent of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is too impressive to waste on just one 8-episode series.
#51
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Title: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme”
Composer: Parry Gripp
Performed by: Nerf Herder
Alyson Hannigan (Willow) intoduced showrunner Joss Whedon to the music of Nerf Herder and one of their songs were chosen as the theme. Nerf Herder re-recorded a version for the show after season three.
The pop-punk track kicks off the episode with a fire track, generating great energy and excitement for out Vampire Slayer.
January 28
Time is short tonight, so I went searching for a comedy short to watch, and did I find one!
The Audition was directed by Martin Scorsese and featured Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro competing against one another for a lead role in the next Scorsese film.
Scorsese also stars, along with Brad Pitt. The four icons had come together to make this short as an advertisement for Studio City in Macau and City of Dreams in Manila.
This was a lot of fun with these superstars playing against their own reps in a very meta short. These talented actors are able to deliver the comedy as well as their typical dramatic roles.
Reportedly, the short/ad cost an estimated $70 million dollars.
#52
WKRP in Cincinnati
Title: “Baby, If You’ve Ever Wondered”
Music by: Tom Wells
Lyrics: Hugh Wilson (series creator)
Performed: Steve Carlisle
WKRP in Cincinnati was inspired as a TV show by Harry Chapin’s song “W.O.L.D.” The theme song works well with the blend of eccentric characters on the show.
Spoilers
Destin Daniel Cretton directed Shang Chi and the Ten Rings in the MCU and will be directing the upcoming Spider-Man movie. He is the showrunner behind the new Marvel Studios television series which dropped on January 27th on Disney +, Wonder Man.
Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a working actor who is struggling. He lost a role on American Horror Story and found himself at a movie theater. He runs into Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley), who lets him know that there is an audition for Wonder Man, a movie of a superhero Simon loved as a child.
I got to see the first four episodes last night and it feels like one of the most original and different Marvel Studio series yet.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley are fabulous together. The strength of this show was the chemistry between the pair of them. The story is about the actor’s process and the show is truly meta.
The show has shown us that Joe Pantoliano and Josh Gad are MCU cannon. They had some great cameos in the first four episodes.
Josh Gad’s episode was an amazing black and white episode that actually did not feature either Yahya Abdul-Mateen II or Ben Kingsley. It told a story of a super powered guy named DeMarr Davis, the Doorman, who was the reason why studios in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have actors sign an agreement that the new actors do not have superpowers.
After episode four Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery both get a call back for Wonder Man. We had met Simon’s brother Eric, who is a jerk and in the Marvel Comics, he is the Grim Reaper.
This was really great. I am excited about finishing off this series.
January 27
I had thought that I had seen Dirty Rotten Scoundrels before, but I do not think I have. Certainly not all the way through to the end though I have seen clips of it. I always believed that I was not a fan and that it was not something that I would find funny. I guess this is a lesson to make sure that you have watched something before judging it, because I thought Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was fantastic.
According to IMDB, “Two con men try to settle their rivalry by betting on who can swindle a young American heiress out of fifty thousand dollars first.“
The Dirty Rotten Scoundrels were Michael Caine and Steve Martin and they were absolutely perfect together. The chemistry between the two con men carried the film. Glenn Headly added a nice touch of apparent innocence to the group with her portrayal of Janet Colgate.
I was rooting for Steve Martin in the beginning of the movie, but Michael Caine became someone better than you would expect. It was a fun ending which fit perfectly in with the story.
It had great comedy and showed the quick-wits of both characters. The rivalry between them was so believable, even if some of the things that they pulled off was out there.
This is a remake of the 1964 movie Bedtime story. This new version was directed by Frank Oz, who was well known as a Muppet performer (he did Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear), the voice of Yoda, as well as director of other classic comedy hits such as Little Shop of Horrors, Bowfinger, and What About Bob?
I was sure that I had seen this before, but I had not seen the full film. It was very entertaining and full of Martin and Caine’s comedy chops and timing. I was very pleased to include this one in the Genre-ary for 2026.
#53
Tiny Toon Adventures
“We’re tiny, we’re toony, we’re all a little looney“
Composed: Bruce Broughton
Lyrics: Tom Ruegger, Wayne Kaatz, and Bruce Broughton
Performed: cast members Jeff Bergman (as Bugs Bunny), Joe Alaskey (Plucky Duck), Charlie Adler (Buster Bunny), and Tress MacNeille (Babs Bunny).
Tiny Toons were reinvented for a more contemporary audience from the classic Looney Tunes characters. Steven Spielberg was attached to the project and brought a buzz to the cartoon. The energetic and funny theme song gave us that looney feel.
January 26
I am not sure where I got this film for the Genre-ary. It must have been on one of the lists that I was searching through. This is a British black comedy called Withnail and I, which featured the feature film debut of Richard E. Grant. I typically like British humor. Unfortunately, I could not get into the film.
I had a very difficult time engaging in the narrative of Withnail and I.
According to IMDB, “Two sloppy actors spend a weekend holiday at an uncle’s country cottage.“
Maybe it is not fair of me, but I just was not into this movie. Did I give it enough of a chance? Maybe not, but I was just not grabbed by the film. Maybe I should give this a rewatch at some time in the future, but right now, I struggled with this movie.
#54
The Partridge Family
Title: “When We’re Singin'” (sometimes referred to as “Come On Get Happy”)
Composed: Wes Farrell
Lyrics: Diane Hilderbrand
Performed: David Cassidy with backing vocals from The Ron Hicklin Singers.
Here is another show that I never watched. I am not even sure if I have ever seen more than a few clips. It always felt like The Brady Bunch with music. I do like a few Partridge Family songs and this theme is one of them. “I Think I Love You” is my favorite Partridge Family song.
Spoilers
“Beautiful Pilot”
“Beautiful Jordan”
“Beautiful Christopher Cross”
Ignition Press released a comic a few months ago called The Beauty, written by Jeremy Haun. I was unaware that there was a series before this one from Image Comics. I am enjoying the book from Ignition Press so I was intrigued when I heard that Ryan Murphy was adapting it to a FX series. The first three episodes dropped this past week and there will be a weekly drop on Wednesdays after that.
There is a virus that is transmitted sexually. When you get the virus, you become beautiful (in a horribly painful and gross way). Admittedly, there are some people who just explode in a big bloody mess. Not sure the difference at this point.
Evan Peters stars in the show as Cooper Madsen. The show also featured Rebecca Hall, Anthony Ramos, Ashton Kutcher, and Jeremy Pope.
FBI Agents Cooper and Jordan were investigating the mysterious deaths of several super models, including one that went crazy, killing a bunch of people before she exploded in a bloody splash. Meanwhile, out-of-shape and pathetic young man named Jeremy went to a plastic surgeon with the hope to make himself more attractive. The plastic surgeon worked on him, and it seemed to be successful. Jeremy went to a club where a group of women gave him some attention. However, they were just scamming him for free drinks.
Jeremy, in a rage, went to the surgeon’s office with a gun, killed several staff members, and threatened the doctor. The doctor, however, had another suggestion and hooked him up with a mysterious woman. Jeremy and the woman had sex and Jeremy wound up transforming into a more handsome, in shape person.
This series has a lot of body horror in it, and that is not one one of my favorite types of horror, but I am interested in the series so I will certainly be giving it a chance. I have been disappointed with Ryan Murphy lately (hated American Horror Story: Delicate and Grotesquerie). I did love early AHS and American Crime Story, so he has a hit-or-miss run for me. We’ll see how this goes.
January 25
It has been a cold weekend here in Iowa. I was finishing up reading my pile of books this week.
Books this week:
Exquisite Corpses #9. Written by Tyler Boss with James Tynion IV and art by Valentine De Landro with Michael Walsh. Cover art was done by Michael Walsh. I got variant cover B by Valentine De Landro as well. Exquisite Corpses continues to be one of the best books on the market. There are only four more of this series coming so things are ratcheting up.
Bloodland #1. Written by B. Clay Moore and art and cover art by Mack Chater. A new Ignition Press book featuring the collapse of America and vampires. Yes, there has been a lot of vampire books over the last few years, but this one felt very original and different. Ignition Press has been solid over the last six months or so and this feels like another winner.
Fantastic Four #7. “All Mankind’s Concern” Written by Ryan North and penciled by Humberto Ramos. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. The FF are off earth to respond to a call from Galactus, but they expect an alien invasion. Their kids form a team, with some help from other heroes. Mad Thinker has an idea about this all.
Inglorious X-Factor#1. “A Force to Be Expected” Written by Tim Seeley and art by Michael Sta. Maria. Cover art was done by R.B. Silva & David Curiel. Cable is back and he is recruiting a team of X-Factor once again. He pulls in Archangel, Boom Boom and Hellervine, which make a potent group of mutants. What is the true story here? And why is Domino ready to shoot Cable in the head?
Spider-Man ’94 #5. “Chapter Five: Resurrection” Written by J.M. DeMatteis with art by Jim Towe. Cover art was done by Nick Bradshaw & Rachelle Rosenberg. The mini-series that continued from the end of the 1994 animated series comes to an end with a final battle with Morlun and Kaine.
Wiccan: Witches’ Road #2. Written by Wyatt Kennedy with art by Andy Pereira. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. Down, down, down the road…. Wiccan has to fight a dragon on the Witches’ Road… but not just any dragon… but Fin Fang Foom!
X-Men #24. “Three Thousand” Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Tony Daniel. Cover art was done by Tony Daniel, Mark Morales, & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. The group known as 3K takes center stage as the Hank McCoy who actually went into the future, returned to the present with all the details of the Age of Revelation and the formula for the Mutant Virus.
Everything Dead & Dying #5. Written by Tate Brombal and art and cover art by Jacob Phillips. This Image book is one of the better books Image has put out recently as the final issue brings some powerfully sad moments. One of the most creative uses of zombies in any comic recently appeared in this book.
The Mortal Thor #6. “Hide and Seek” Written by Al Ewing and art by Pasqual Ferry. Cover art was done by Alex Ross (Bronze Medalist). Sigmund has to face off with The Cobra, showing off his skills with the hammer once again. There are a few people questioning what is going on with this guy.
The New Avengers #9. Written by Sam Humphries and art by Ton Lima. Variant cover B art was done by Karen S. Darboe. Can we trust the Black Widow? That is what Bucky is trying to figure out, but it sure seems like the question he should ask is ‘Can he trust Carnage?’
The Beauty #3. Written by Jeremy Haun & Jason A. Hurley with art by Emanuela Lupacchino. Cover art was done by Jeremy Haun. Who is the Boogeyman? How does he fit into the world where everyone wants to catch the latest STD, which turns you beautiful? This feels as if something bad is about to happen.
Captain America #6. “Doom’s Shadow” Part 1. Written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Delio Diaz & Frank Alpizar. Cover art was done by Valerio Schiti and Frank Martin. I also picked up the foil version by Ivan Tao (Gold Medalist). Cap is approached by Nick Fury Jr. with an offer that Cap is not too keen on accepting. He also is trying to have a date with Sharon.
Rogue #1. Written by Erica Schultz with art by Luigi Zagaria. David Nakayama did the cover art. Rogue is here with her solo comic under the Shadow of Tomorrow banner. Though it is a solo book, she has Gambit appear as well as some of the other X-Men from her Louisiana team. She heads off to find Mystique and Destiny, and is shocked by what she finds.
Amazing Spider-Man #20. Written by Joe Kelly with pencils by John Romita Jr., Paco Diaz & Todd Nauck. Cover art is done by John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, and Dean White. I picked up another variant cover by Lee Bermejo (Silver Medalist). Norman Osborn continues to struggle in his replacement of Peter. Aunt May wants to talk to Norman. Ooh…
Nightwing #134. “The Game” Written by Dan Watters with art by V. Ken Marion. Cover art was done by Dexter Soy. Nightwing and Zanni face off in the Fifth Dimension where their effects dramatically cause destruction in Bludhaven. What can Nightwing do?
Assorted Crisis Events #8. Written by Deniz Camp and art and cover art by Eric Zawadzki. One of the best books of the week. I love this creativity of this story, with our comic fourth wall breaking. Even the design of the book’s format is something that I have rarely seen, certainly not in the details of the format.
Redcoat #16. Written by Geoff Johns and art by Bryan Hitch. Cover art was done by Bryan Hitch & Brad Anderson. Another book I loved this week. Albert has found Simon with a problem. Benedict Arnold is back. And… oh he is BACK! Great set up for the new arc. I am anxious to see how this moves on.
Gunpowder Prophets #4. Written by Justin Jordan and art and cover art by Patrick Piazzalunga. Huck and Harley are on the path of finding America, who has been taken. This is a fun series with two of the most violent characters you’ll ever get.
Planet She-Hulk #3. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Emilio Laiso. Cover art was done by Aaron Kuder & Sonia Oback. More outer space adventures by She-Hulk. There was a mention of She-Hulk in space in another book, which makes me happier. The cosmic continuity has bothered me and so I hope this is an answer.
X-Men of Apocalypse #2. Written by Jeph Loeb and art and cover art by Simone Di Meo. Alternate universal X-Men versus each other. Oh… and there is Phoenix too. This is an interesting book for what is is. Not sure if it means anything.
Cul-De-Sac #6. Written by Mike Carey with art and cover art by Jonathan Wayshak. This Bad Idea book wrapped up with this issue. It is another vampire book that has a lot of creativity and originality behind it. I have enjoyed the characters of Cul-De-Sac vey much.
Other books this week: Power Fantasy #15, Death to Pachuco #4, Psylocke Ninja #1, Ghost Pepper #7, Good as Dead #5, Nights #17, Ultimate Black Panther #24, and Star Wars #9.
Quick Hits: Cap has to face off with a surprise monster during WWII in Alien vs. Captain America #3. Flash Gordon is in a lot of trouble in Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny #2. I was missing The Last Starship #3 so I picked it up off eBay, and then The Last Starship #4 came out this week. I mentioned earlier how strong Ignition Press has been. Murder Podcast #4 is another example. Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox #3 provides more excellent sci-fi action. Terrorbytes #4 is an excellent sci-fi story this week with Mr. Brace. More trouble between Daredevil & Punisher #3. Can’t we all just get along? Spidey and Wolvie are still jumping around the multiverse in Spider-Man & Wolverine #9. There is some great crime action in American Caper #3. Mad Cave has been dropping a bunch of Speed Racer content over the last several months and the new one-shot Speed Racer: Tales from the Road #1. Green Lantern: Galactic Slam #1 brings Kyle Raynor into the world of cosmic wrestling. Finally, we got the time travel action of Liquidator #3.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 