Author Archives: Doc

Fallout S2 E5

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Spoilers

“The Wrangler”

Sad fact has been that I have not been enjoying season two of Fallout as much as I did season one. They teased an amnesia story, but I guess that was just as she was purging herself of the drugs from last episode.

The final scene between Lucy and the Ghoul was tense and surprising though, and hopefully will increase my interest moving forward, as there are only four episodes left in season 2.

Honestly, the only story arc that interests me at all is Lucy and the Ghoul. The whole arc with Norm does not appeal to me at all. Watching him getting strangled only made me think about what Lucy might think.

I still feel like I miss too much by not being a player of the game. It always makes me feel like I do not understand important pieces of the story.

The flashbacks to Cooper’s past was interesting, but I feel all it was worth was giving Walton Goggins something to do.

It is also great to see some more of Kyle MacLachlan.

I hope the second part of this season picks up moving forward.

The Pitt S2 E2

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“8:00 AM”

Does Dr. Robby have a sneaky, behind-the-typical-treatment treatment for every emergency situation? He sure feels like he has a folksy solution to all kinds of situations, from shoulder dislocations to baby urination. It feels that our new Dr. Al-Hashimi isn’t as impressed as I am.

Dr. Whitaker’s main focus of the day was trying to comfort a Alzheimer’s patient whose husband had died that day. It was heartbreaking seeing him, for the second time, tell her that her husband had died. He took her to see the body and even that did not seem to work as she just thought he was resting. Alzheimer’s Disease is truly a tragic thing.

A man who was choking on broccoli delivered the line of the episode. After they had removed the broccoli, he told about his wife making him count calories in an attempt to lose weight and he said “I never choked on an sausage egg McMuffin.” LOL.

Dr. King got knocked to the ground and struck her head. She spent most of the time worrying over her part in a malpractice case that she would be testifying in later today so I hope that head blow does not come back in a bad way.

Maybe I am getting used to this show as I was cringing and saying out loud “What is going to be in there?” as they started to cut off the cast from the arm of the man who was brought in last week with a horrendous odor. The made sure he showered last week and disposed of his clothes this week. Anyway, back to the cast, I knew something would be coming out of that thing and, sure enough, we has a whole bunch of maggots. Ugh!

We also have evidence that an 8-hour erection is not a good thing. Not sure I needed the dick-shot in the scene. I could have used my imagination.

Another solid episode that was spent more with the characters than anything major in the emergency room. The show blends the cases and the doctors/nurses brilliantly and this is why it is one of the best shows on TV.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #52

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Death By Lightning

“Casus Belli”

Things are really picking up in the world of politics in 1880.

With James Garfield now elected president, he is finding the politics within in own party to be troubling. Conkling was flexing his power with Garfield’s cabinet picks, forcing Garfield to do something drastic.

Chester Arthur was, at one point, seemingly faltering, listening to Garfield’s arguments, but Garfield’s appointment of a collector, which was Arthur’s position, changed that. It led to an all-out war with Conkling.

Another one who is turning against Garfield is Charles Guiteau, who felt betrayed by Garfield, despite the fact that Garfield does not remember him at all. The mental illness being displayed by Guiteau is apparent. His purchase of the gun at the end of the episode with his “practice” was a suspenseful moment. His loss of his father and rejection of his delusion was impacted by a confrontation with Blaine. He spent this entire hour having things pile up against him. Next week’s episode should be fireworks.

Garfield’s wife also took ill, making thing rough for the President. The show told us through Garfield’s own words that he was rejecting security and said that assassination was unavoidable. This foreshadowed what is to come.

Great performances in this show. I thought Matthew Macfadyen was especially strong this week with his further decent into madness and eventual fatal thoughts.

Daily Countdown: TV Show Themes #62

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#62

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego

“DO IT ROCKAPELLA!”

Written by: Sean Altman & David Yazbek

Performed by: Rockapella

This was an educational game show on PBS that ran for a few years in the 1990s. The a cappella song to kick off the show was always a highlight and helped make this show something different and original.

The song was catchy and engaging and brought a cappella much to the forefront of American pop culture at the time.

Sideways (2004)

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January 17

I had no idea that this was an Oscar winning film when I rented it on Fandango. The film was nominated for  Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It actually won Best Adapted Screenplay.

According to IMDB, “Two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment embark on a week-long road trip through California’s wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the aisle.“

Paul Giamatti led the cast in his role as Miles. He does a sensational job as the struggling, emotionally distraught writer. I think it is sad that Giamatti did not also receive an Oscar nom since there were so many others for the film. He holds the film together.

Thomas Hayden Church did deserve the nomination that he received as Best Supporting Actor. He managed to be both a cheating jerk and a caring best friend with his role of Jack. We knew that Jack was doing some terribly rotten things, but his feeling for Miles helped keep him from being cast aside.

Virginia Madsen was strong as Miles’ love interest Maya. They had a sweet relationship that was on a slow burn as Miles attempted to get past his depression and his baggage from his previous marriage. Miles and Maya had a wonderful relationship that was worth cheering for.

Giamatti and Hayden Church had great chemistry too. You believed that they were best friends despite the fact that they did not seem to be much like the other one.

Sideways was a surprising enjoyable movie that was a much bigger one than I ever knew about. I am glad that I was able to get a chance to see it.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

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I liked this movie. I want to start off with that statement. However, my star rating may not be as high as it might have been.

I went to the XD theater at Cinemark to see the film today and, when I got there, I saw that the heat was not working in that theater. They had a sign posted that anyone who wanted a refund could get it, but I decided to give it a try. After about ten minutes, I was regretting my decision. It was really cold. I looked to see if there were any other possible showing of the movie and there wasn’t any until later in the afternoon, so I was fairly stuck.

By the end of the movie, I felt as if my body was so cold, it wasn’t working properly. That was an exaggeration, but I was shivering and shaking. The environment of a movie can affect the enjoyment of a film, and this is probably a lesser review than I would give The Bone Temple than one where I was comfortable.

I do believe that I enjoyed this more than I did the last 28 Years Later from last year. This movie featured more with Dr. Ian Kelson, played brilliantly by Ralph Fiennes. We also followed the exploits of Spike, who would wind up being called Jimmy through most of the movie, played by Alfie Williams. Williams, who was born in 2011 making him 15 this year, does a fantastic job with this role, having to provide a lot of emotional moments and he had a lot of the story arc on his back.

Spike was picked up by a group of Satanists led by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), who inducted Spike into the group he was leading. Jack O’Connell was sensational in Sinners last year and he brings the same energy to this movie.

The film, though, was dominated by Ralph Fiennes, giving a tour de force performance, not only when the Jimmies crossed his path, but also working in an attempt to save the life of the gigantic alpha he named Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). Without spoilers, the scene with Iron Maiden’s song was absolutely breathtaking.

The tension and suspense was ratcheted up throughout the film with some confrontations being expertly filmed. Directed by Nia DaCosta, 28 Years Later is a solid installment of this franchise.

3.9 stars

Percy Jackson and the Olympians S2 E7

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“I Go Down with the Ship”

The penultimate episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 was fire as Percy and Clarisse went to reclaim the Golden Fleece and to save Annabeth, although the order of those events were up for debate.

Within this episode, we got a great Percy vs Luke battle, Annabeth and Clarisse flexing against some low level villains, and we get to hear Chronos’s voice as he continued with his machinations in his attempt to return.

I will say, Percy getting stabbed by Luke just as the elevator closed was dramatic, but, in the end, it was anticlimactic because Percy just used the Fleece. It took most of the dramatic tension out of it.

Percy’s mom made her return as they needed a ride. There was a funny interaction with her and a normal at a store. It was fun.

Clarisse had the fleece and headed back to the camp on Blackjack. There was a good moment between Clarisse and Percy as he gave her the Fleece that he had retrieved from the sarcophagus of Chronos.

Everything is pointing to a major showdown next episode.

Daily Countdown: TV Show Themes #63

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#63

The Love Boat

Composed: Charles Fox

Lyrics: Paul Williams

Performed by Jack Jones (Dionne Warwick sang them in the final season)

The Love Boat was a show that I watched semi-regularly. It was one of those shows that I didn’t hate, but I didn’t love it. It was one of those shows that I would watch because there was nothing else on. However, the theme song continued to be entertaining.

Friday (1995)

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January 16

So it is Friday and I thought I would schedule the movie Friday, with Ice Cube and Chris Tucker, for the Comedy Genre-ary. After the surprise I had when I enjoyed Superbad, I had high hopes for Friday.

Sadly, this one was not for me.

I appreciate the efforts of Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. They made for a good pair, part of the buddy comedy that the film was about. John Witherspoon was the best part of the film for me.

According to IMDB, “It’s Friday, and Craig and Smokey must come up with $200 they owe a local bully or there won’t be a Saturday.“

I found this loud, not very funny and filled with the stuff I typically hate: drug, sex and bodily fluid and waste jokes.

There is a solid cast around Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. These actors included Tiny Lister Jr, Regina King, Nia Long, Anna Marie Horsford, Tony Cox, Anthony Johnson, Faizon Love, Bernie Mac, Kathleen Bradley, Vikilyn Reynolds, DJ Pooh, and Paula Jai Parker.

I did not like this film much.

Daily Countdown: TV Theme Songs #64

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#64

Star Trek

Composed: Alexander Courage

Vocals: Loulie Jean Norman

Monologue: William Shatner

“Space, the final frontier… these are the voyages of the Star Trek Enterprise.”

The Star Trek theme is another iconic theme song on a show that I did not watch as much as others. The spoken part from William Shatner is as well known as any, spawning years of Star Trek progamming.

The 1930 song, Beyond the Blue Horizon, served as an inspiration for Courage.

Polite Society (2023)

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January 15

Polite Society has been on my queue over on Peacock since the 2024 June Swoon. I had just never gotten around to watching it. It was not that appealing for me.

However, when I came across it on my queue a few days ago and it listed it as a comedy, I thought this would be the perfect chance to put this one to bed. The Rotten Tomatoes score was strong and I thought I would finally give it a chance.

According to IMDB, “Ria Khan believes she must save her older sister Lena from her impending marriage. After enlisting her friends’ help, she attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood.“

I had a hard time getting into the movie at first. It did not grab my attention to really intrigue me. However, I have to say that about halfway through the film, I started to get into it and was much more engaged.

I do think the wilder the plot became for the film, the more interested I was.

I enjoyed the performance of Priya Kansara as Ria, the sister whose behavior did seem out of control. She was very funny, even if she was hard to like at first. She seemed so over the top that it made her a bit abrasive. However, once the shoe dropped, things took off.

I loved the performance of Nimra Bucha, who played Raheela. She became a devastating villain and an amazing foil for Ria. Bucha, who also appeared in Marvel Studio’s Disney + series, Ms. Marvel, showed exactly what she could have been on that show with her big time villain turn. She was sinister in the very best possible way. I would have loved to have seen this side on Ms. Marvel more. Even though the plot became exaggerated, she made it work with everything about her.

The film had a definite Bollywood feel to it, mixed with a martial arts film. It was very original and I wound up very much enjoying it, even after the slow start for me.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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January 15

A busy week with some good comics, but honestly, not as many comic covers this week as some have been. Most of them are good, but few that really pop out among the others.

Also Rans: The Monster and the Wolf #2 (Cover E)- Last week I got these early, but this week I picked up cover E with Creature of the Black Lagoon on it. It just fell short of being the first variant to metal in consecutive weeks. The Ultimates #20, Uncanny X-Men #22, Space Ghost #7, and Like A Bell in the Month of May #1 (a comic from local creators in Davenport).

Bronze Medalist

Wonder Woman Black and Gold 2026 Special

Cover Art done by Cliff Chiang

The coloring of this book is what makes it the bronze medalist this week. I love the gold and black with Diana in the middle. Really stands out.

Silver Medalist

Logan: Black, White & Blood #1

Cover art by Alex Maleev

An awesome and brutal looking feral Wolverine. The black and white cover with just a few splashes of red for the blood makes this truly beautiful.

Gold Medalist

Geiger #20

Cover art by Sean Von Gorman

Spotted this variant cover on the stand and I loved it. It is an homage to Wicked, with Geiger playing the role of Elphaba. It works on so many levels, with the green and black and the white cloak on the side.

The Cookie Clicker Mystery

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 The Cookie Clicker Mystery 

 By  K.N.

In the year 2013 there was a kid named Lucas John but we called him LJ for short. LJ loved to play this game called cookie clicker which was really popular. Every day after school LJ hoped on his Microsoft Surface Pro. One of LJ’s friends named Michal Peterson and he would always come over to LJ’s house and play with him. But one day on February 12, 2015 when Michal went to LJ’s house they hoped on Cookie clicker and when they clicked to buy something the computer started to glitch and it spread to Michal and turned him into an alien. 

Once he fully became an alien he ascended into space and he didn’t come back. “3 years later” Michal has arrived back “djehhguerhdlgdiwbjhrf ” he said I said “ what Michal “ he said “djehhguerhdlgdiwbjhrf “ so I translated it and he said “. I have come to take over your world and burn it “ I was shocked because about 5 minutes later there were these giant robots called uberpods which were equipped with machine guns and rpg’s and laser rifles. I was terrified for my life, but he said he would spare me only if I told him where the data center was. So I told him because I didn’t want to die because nobody wants to die. 

Later that afternoon me and Michal went to the store to get some lemons because we wanted to make everyone in the city afraid of the word lemon. Then we found some people and we said “lemon” and threw it at them and they looked up and we were gone. After we hung out for a little bit Michal said he had to go back to his planet that he was trying to conquer. I said my goodbyes and he was off, but he said he would be back in a couple of years to see me again.   

National Biographic (A Mockumentary)

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National Biographic

-LMM

“Welcome to National Biographic! Today, we here have the Common Male American, but as you can tell, this is a big catch today,“ The camera zoomed into a guy at a park that looked identical to Tom Crust, just trying to eat a sandwich in peace. “Here we catch this wild animal snacking on it’s natural prey, The Sandwich, this creature is typically an easy one to find eating, as that’s it’s main directive in life! Isn’t that awesome?” The camera focused on the sandwich, and then the person turned towards us. “It appears that the predator has spotted our filming team capturing their essence,”

“Dude, why are you filming me?” The person got closer to the camera.

“Go, go!” The camera was dragged against grass and concrete so nothing was seen, only heard.

“Hey! Get back here!”

“Go back to the studio!” The camera cut, and returned to the inside of a tree, pointing downwards back at the same person.

“Welcome back to National Biographic, today, we have found the Common Male American yet again, besides it’s name having the word common, this is actually quite a rare species! Only one of these Common Male Americans that exists in the world!” The camera focused yet again, this time the person was walking away from the park. “Quietly we must follow,” And the camera fell to the ground, cracking the lens, and on a sidewalk facing the person.

“What the- Are you still filming me?” The person shouted. “Do you think I’m Tom Crust or something?” They shouted again. The sound of the production team falling out the tree was heard, but they weren’t in the field of view. 

“Wait, are you not? Scrap everything! Who fact checked this? Just leave the camera on the ground, it’s useless!” The team bickered and walked away. The person then walked up to the camera, and picked up the camera.

“I wasn’t expecting that to work so well, too bad I am Tom Crust… They’ll get over it,” Tom Crust then pressed pause on the camera, stopping everything.