Author Archives: Doc

EYG Comic Cavalcade #206

Posted on by

June 4

It is summertime and this week’s EYG Comic Cavalcade is coming out on a Thursday night. Whoo-Hoo! I do not think this will be a regular occurrence, but this week it worked out perfectly.

I picked up a bunch of fun foil covers this week as I was at In This Issue early Wednesday morning for New Comic Book Day. This included Junk Punch #1, Batman #10 (Bronze Medalist), The Deadman #1, Iron Man #6, and a Ben 10 blind bag foil variant.

Comic of the Week

Royals #3

I had intended to give this honor to Junk Punch #1 this week, but then I read Royals #3 and it was such a shocking issue. There were multiple twists in this story this week with Castor and Paul that caught me totally off-guard and moved this book right to the top of the list this week… without anyone getting punched in the junk.

Royals has been an entertaining book each week with this being the best issue as of yet.

Books this Week:

Junk Punch #1. Written by Paul Tobin and art by Carlos Javier Olivares & Colleen Coover. Cover art was done by Carlos Javier Olivares & Francesca Vivaldi. At the end of the day yesterday, this was going to be the Comic of the Week, but Royals #3 surpassed it. Junk Punch is literally the story of a woman who has a “chemical affliction” making her “compulsively punch people in the junk.” Another funny book that I am excited to see where it goes. Will the joke run its course? Probably, but it seems great right now.

The Deadman #1. “Chapter One-The Definite Article.” Written by W. Maxwell Prince with art by Martin Morazzo. Cover art was done by Martin Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran (Silver Medalist). This book featured Deadman in a book with the flavor of Ice Cream Man. It makes sense since the creators of Ice Cream Man are the creative team on this mini series. Deadman has always been a favorite DC character of mine, and I love the Ice Cream Man aesthetic so this one is a winner for me.

Only the Savage are Left #1. Written by Zack Kaplan and illustrated and cover art by Stefano Raffaele. A future world where a virus has been released in the world that, when exposed, changes people into monsters. This is basically a zombie apocalypse story but featuring monsters instead of zombies. This issue introduces us and focuses in on Ryder and Oaklynn and their survival in this rugged new world. This has a lot of potential to be an excellent series from Dark Horse as number one is very compelling.

The Ring: The Man Who Beat the Man #1. Written by Gail Simone with art by Elisa Romboli. Cover art was done by Oliver Barrett. I was first attracted to this book because the boxer on the cover looked like Ric Flair. What kept me from skipping it when I realized that he just looked like The Nature Boy was the presence of writer Gail Simone, who has been doing some excellent work recently. I am here for The Ring moving forward.

Cyclops#5. “Seeing Red” Part 5. Written by Alex Paknadel with art by Rogê Antonio. Cover art was done by Federico Vicentini & Marcio Menyz. Cyclops’s survival in the woods, trying to save Mei from Donald Pierce concluded with this issue. I enjoyed this Scott Summers solo arc with his optic blasts taken away because of control issues. Of the individual X-books, this one was right near the top.

Wade Wilson: Deadpool #5. “A Way Forward” Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Geoff Shaw. Cover art was done by Geoff Shaw & Alex Sinclair. Deadpool and Hammerhead fight over the omens of the future that, shockingly, came from Blind Al. The relationship between Wade and Blind Al is developed here more than what we have seen before and it is kind of sweet… at least for Deadpool.

Uncanny X-Men #29. “A Prison and a Pyre.” Written by Gail Simone and art by Luciano Vecchio. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio & Matthew Wilson. Things get work out a bit in this issue as we find out what these New Mutants are and the Outliers return to the present. Gail Simone had a big week with three books released. This is one of the best and most consistent every month.

Amazing Spider-Man #30. Written by Joe Kelly with guest art by Pete Woods. Cover art was done by Mark Bagley & Dean White. We get a big reveal with the Peter Parker’s cousin storyline that has been out there recently. He showed up at May’s door and announced that he was Ben Parker’s son… and the son of May too. Is it possible? May faints at the end, saying that he looked just like her Ben. Huh?

Fantastic Four #12. “Si Fueris Romae…” Written by Ryan North and art by Pat Boutin. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. I also picked up the Marvel Dimensions variant by Alex Ross (Gold Medalist). Reed and Johnny get sent back in time to the Roman Empire and they have to try and find their way back without screwing up history. Can they do it? It is another fun issue of the FF from Ryan North. He has done a sensational job with this comic over the last couple of years.

Iron Man #6. “Iron Man Team-Up” Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Juann Cabal. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. When you get Tony Stark and Norman Osborn in the same room, there is due to be sparks fly. How does Spider-Man become the adult in the room as he tried to keep to two geniuses from tearing each other apart?

Groo: The Prophecy #2. Written by Sergio Aragones & Mark Evanier with art and cover art by Sergio Aragones. The world seems to be turned upside down as everything Groo does, which normally destroys villages and frightens off villagers, turns out helpful and heroic. Groo is the hero of the village? Idolized. Looked up to. Believed in. Can this be true or are they just bidding their time until Groo unleashes his typical chaos? I like the change in the story happening here so far.

What If: The Uncanny X-Men #1. “What If Cyclops Stayed with Madelyne Pryor?” Written by Gerry Duggan with art by Jan Bazaldua. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. This is the first of a new run of What If…? books from Marvel. This one returned to the Watcher as the main narrator, which brought me back to the early days of What If and it was a welcome return. It was also back to the tragic endings that were a staple of the first two volumes of What If…? There are a bunch of #1s coming over the next couple of months with other Marvel Universe stories and I hope the Watcher continues in this role as he was suppsoed to be.

The Twilight Zone #7. “The Taxidermist.” Written by Tony Fleecs and penciled by Andy Price. Cover art was done by Andy Price. I also picked up the B cover by Juni Ba. Another great Twilight Zone story that feels like it fits perfectly in with the series from the 1950s. Tony Fleecs brings another great story to life as it morphs from a nice love story into a horrible chaotic hellscape.

Rook Exodus #10. Creators are Geoff Johns & Jason Fabok. Cover art was done by Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson. I picked up Cover C (the connecting one) done by Kael Ngu. It is great to have Rook Exodus back after a bit of a intermission. We are back with Rook trying to keep Stag from going rogue and killing Bloodhound. I am pleased that this is back, but this is one of those books that makes it hard when it takes such a long break to remember everything that was going on before the break.

Batman #10. “Money and Blood” Written by Matt Fraction with art and cover by Jorge Jimenez. Vandal Savage has been turning the tables on the Batman family recently, both with the police chasing him as a vigilante, but also in the media, running the bat down. This issue, Batman starts to fight back. This was an awesome issue where Batman decided that he had had enough and set the plan into action.

She-Spawn #2. “Road Trip” Written by Gail Simone with art and cover art by Ig Guara. I read last issue and I was surprised how much I liked it. I came into this issue ready to be underwhelmed and decide that She-Spawn was not for me. However, once again, I found this to be an excellent book. Gail Simone had three winners this week and I couldn’t be happier.

Marc Spector: Moon Knight #5. “Reunion” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Devmalya Pramanik. Cover art was done by Paulo Siqueira & Rachelle Rosenberg. Moon Knight entered a strangely powerful house in search of his people (Tigra, 8-Ball, Hunter’s Moon, Soldier and Reese). Unfortunately, Moon Knight is betrayed… by his sword, which turned into a dragon. Wild stuff from Moon Knight these days.

X-Men ’97 Season 2 #1. Written by Steve Foxe with art by Salva Espin. Cover art was done by Todd Nuack & Rachelle Rosenberg. With the X-Men scattered across time, the X-Factor arrived to step it up and take in dangerous mutants. Havok, Strong Guy, Polaris, Wolfsbane and Multiple Man appear and join the remaining mutants. Meanwhile Bishop is ready to go searching for the X-Men.

Doctor Strange #7. Written by Derek Landy with art by Ivan Fiorelli. Cover art was done by Alex Horley. Doctor Strange realized that he would not be able to do what was necessary to defeat Atho-tet so he reaches into himself and releases Lord Strange, even though Angela was not too thrilled.

From Parts Unknown #2. Written by Adriano Ariganello and art and cover art by Daniel Caval. The traveling Lucha Libre wrestlers Bruno and his brother Pietro get into major trouble as they accidentally killed another wrestler at this independent booking. However, the dead wrestler may not be as dead as we think… or he may be a different type of dead. What have Bruno and Pietro gotten themselves into and can they get out of it?

The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace #3. Written by Hannah Rose may with art and cover art by Kelsey Ramsay. Our second Exorcism book wrapped up with this issue as the future King of England Theo is possessed and our crew come together to try and save him. I like how it did not go like the previous series at the White House and that there was a different twist. I also enjoyed the ending team-up which makes me anxious to find out where the next possession in this universe is going to take place.

Other Books this Week: It’s Jeff!-Brand New Week #1, Godzilla: Infinity Roar #5, Godzilla (Kai Sei Era)11, FML #8, Absolute Green Lantern #15, and X-Men of Apocalypse #4.

Quick Hits: One of my favorite moments this week came at Comic World as I was talking about the J. Scott Campbell J.S.C.: Just Spectacular Collection #1. Todd told me that J. Scott Campbell had died of cancer, which confused me completely considering I had just read the interview with JSC in the book. Todd said this was just a collection of his pin-ups he had done before his death and I was sure that I had read that JSC was excited about doing these pictures and he spoke about the order in which he had drawn them. Todd is usually well spoken about this kind of thing so I did not understand. Finally, Todd looked it up and he realized that he was confusing JSC with a different artist. I was relieved that my reading skills were not totally wrecked, and that it was just Todd’s memory that was in question. 🙂 Sam and Twitch Case Files #24 is still a very entertaining read. I am surprised how many Spawn books I read even though I am not a fan of Spawn. This is the week for Comics: The Magazine #4 to come out. There are interviews and articles about Sophie Campbell, Skottie Young and Kyle Starks. We got the next Ghost Machine: The Official Guidebook #3. this features characters from the Unbelievables (including Hornsby & Halo, The Rocketfellers, The Trillion Dollar Kid Etc.) Transformers: The Movie #1 is a new adaptation of the movie that crushed the spirits of all the kids of the 1980s (right up there with Neverending Story). Conan the Barbarian #31 sees Conan in a fight with the Son of the Tooth. It’s brutal. The Lucky Devils #8 takes a turn this issue as devils come to earth in a wild attack (sort of). Estuary: A Ghost Story #3 is extremely spooky and making things tense. Finally Storm #5 looked to be the final issue of this series and I am down with that. I love the character of Storm, but I have not enjoyed the story they are currently telling with her. I hope things get straightened out with Ororo soon.

Rental Family (2025)

Posted on by

June 4

Day 4

So the June Swoon film for the day is Rental Family, a film featuring Brendan Fraser. It was one that I thought about going to the theater to see, but it did not work out. I decided that I would save this one for June Swoon.

According to IMDB, “An American actor in Tokyo struggling to find purpose lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. He rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the beauty of human connection.”

I am torn on this movie. Not because I did not enjoy it, because this was a beautiful movie filled with emotion and lovely exteriors and great performances. The problem I had was with the central concept of the idea of rental family, not the movie but the business that Shinji Tada (Takehiro Hira) was running. He would send actors into situations to play relatives or friends or whatever to people who are emotionally challenged.

For example, in this film, Brendan Fraser played an actor named Phillip who was struggling with his career. He moved to Japan several years before and he joined in the company where he is sent into a situation where he was pretending to be the absentee father of a little girl, Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman). He was hired by her mother to help her get into a specific school.

The problem is they do not tell Mia that he is pretending and they pretend that he is her long, lost father, and they told Phillip that he needed to not get close to her. How is he supposed to do that, get to know her and not get close to her.

It just felt gross. I felt that these characters were so emotionally manipulated in this that it, as I said, felt gross.

However, so much of the movie is so wonderful that I kind of held my nose and moved along. To be fair, I think that it is gross is meant to be part of the themes of the film.

There is another storyline where Phillip is pretending to be a journalist interviewing a big time former actor Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto) which was a beautiful tale of friendship and life.

I loved the relationships Phillip developed with both Mia and Kikuo, which made his constant lies all the harder to watch. You can tell from Fraser’s excellent performance how the lies were affecting him as well.

While I had trouble with the concept of the film, everything else was amazing. I loved the story, the characters, the performances, the relationships and the chorography. Rental Family was an outstanding movie that made me feel icky at a few times.

Daily Countdown: Weird Al Yankovic #25

Posted on by

#25

Christmas at Ground Zero

Title” “Christmas at Ground Zero”

Album: Polka Party

Released: 1986

Style Parody: 1960s Christmas music

Genre: Christmas music

Written: Al Yankovic

Topic: Nuclear destruction/paranoia

Produced: Phil Spector

This turned out to be Weird Al’s video directing debut.

Lyrics

It’s Christmas at ground zero
There’s music in the air
The sleigh bells are ringing, and the carolers are singing
While the air-raid sirens blare

It’s Christmas at ground zero
The button has been pressed
The radio just let us know
That this is not a test

Everywhere the atom bombs are dropping
It’s the end of all humanity
No more time for last-minute shopping
It’s time to face your final destiny

It’s Christmas at ground zero
There’s panic in the crowd
We can dodge debris while we trim the tree
Underneath the mushroom cloud

You might hear some reindeer on your rooftop
Or Jack Frost on your windowsill
But if someone’s climbing down your chimney
You better load your gun and shoot to kill

Oh, it’s Christmas at ground zero
And if the radiation level’s okay
I’ll go out with you and see all the new
Mutations on New Year’s Day

It’s Christmas at ground zero
Just seconds left to go
I’ll duck and cover with my Yuletide lover
Underneath the mistletoe

It’s Christmas at ground zero
Now the missiles are on their way
What a crazy fluke, we’re gonna get nuked
On this jolly holiday
What a crazy fluke, we’re gonna get nuked
On this jolly holiday

Source: Musixmatch

Widow’s Bay S1 E8

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Your Baggage”

With the corpse of Richard Warren officially gone, everything in Widow’s Bay is all peaches and flowers, right?

Maybe not.

Tom went to his house to deal with his son, Evan, who had all the pictures of his mom and wanted answers. Tom gave them to him, even though he did not want to do so. The father and son had some moments together when Tom gave Evan Red Sox tickets, signaling that they could leave the island.

We all knew that last week was too good to be true and, when Wyck showed up at Toms door with the message that it was not yet over, Tom’s face revealed how crushed he was, certainly because he was just making plans with his son to go to Boston for the weekend.

While this was going down, Patricia was being chased by the Boogeyman, the serial killer who killed a bunch of high school girls years before, and who tormented Patricia (though no one believed that this happened).

The Boogeyman pursued Patricia across Widow’s Bay in grand Michael Myers fashion. Patricia eventually dowsed him with gasoline and set him on fire. Unfortunately, the gas station attendant put him out with a fire extinguisher, thinking that he was doing the right thing. He learned his error as the Boogeyman grabbed him by the throat and threw him away violently.

Luckily, Patricia was able to shot him twice with a shotgun, but not before the former sheriff Bechir got slashed with a knife by the killer.

It was hilarious as Patricia kept the gun trained on the Boogeyman’s head the whole time, on the ambulance, in the morgue, as he went into the crematorium, and until he was nothing but ashes. That was really funny, but I would have shot him in the head immediately when he was down. Patricia was dedicated in making sure this killer was not coming back.

There are two more episodes in the first season of this awesome series. All eight episodes so far can be streamed on Apple TV +.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

Posted on by

June 3

It’s Wednesday and it is the first of the summer EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week post. Lot of fun covers. There were actually a lot of fun foil covers this week.

Also-Rans: Junk Punch #1 (Foil Variant), The Lucky Devils #8, The Twilight Zone #7, Cyclops #5, Wade Wilson: Deadpool #5, Ben 10 #1 (Green Blind Bag Foil Variant), and Fantastic Four #12.

Bronze Medalist

Batman #10

Foil Variant Cover F

Cover art by Jorge Jimenez

This was the top foil cover this week among a bunch of fun foil covers. The gold foil on the interior of the cape and the buildings really jump off the page with the dark background of Gotham. A beautiful foil cover.

Silver Medalist

The Deadman #1

Cover art by Martin Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran

I love the Deadman and this cover is very striking with his white face amid the scary monstrous heads behind him. The white and the red make a very standout cover and it definitely has that Ice Cream Man vibe to it.

Gold Medalist

Fantastic Four #12

Marvel Dimensions Variant Cover

Cover art by Alex Ross

Alex Ross brought his awesome game with this cool Marvel Dimensions cover of the Fantastic Four. I actually saw a foil version of this cover but I did not pick it up (which I believe may have been an error). This is just a spectacular pose with the foursome in a kick ass pose. Alex Ross has shown his art has not slipped at all.

All the Empty Rooms (2025)

Posted on by

June 3

Day 3

I thought we’d start off day 3 of the June Swoon with some tears.

Wednesdays are always a challenge during the June Swoon because it is “new comic book day” and I head out to spend time at the two comic shops that I patronize. So I have to look for a movie that can fit into the time frame available. Many times that means I use a short.

In this case, I pulled up the 2026 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Short Film on Netflix, entitled All the Empty Rooms.

In this doc, we follow CBS newsman Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp as they travel around the country, documenting bedrooms of victims of school shootings.

In the short, we see the final four children’s bedrooms and hear from the families of the victims.

The four kids involved in this doc were Hallie Scruggs, Dominic Blackwell, Gracie Anne Muehlberger and Jacklyn Jaylen Cazares. According to Wikipedia, there were several others involved in Hartman’s project that were not shown in the doc.

The doc was directed and produced by Joshua Seftel.

This documentary was poignant and truly showed the pain and the love of these surviving family members and how much their loss affected their lives. It also showed how their love is everlasting, even years after the death of their children.

Daily Countdown: Weird Al Songs #26

Posted on by

#26

Another One Rides the Bus

Title: “Another One Rides the Bus”

Album: “Weird Al” Yankovic

Released: 1981

Parody: “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen

Written: John Deacon/Al Yankovic

Genre: Rock/Comedy

Topic: misery of an overcrowded public transit bus.

“Another One Rides the Bus” was recorded live on the Dr. Demento Radio Show with Al playing the accordion and Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz banging away on the empty accordion case. Thanks to this interaction, Schwartz and Weird Al began a relationship that has continued to this day.

Lyrics

Ridin’ in the bus down the boulevards
And the place was pretty packed, yeah
I couldn’t find a seat, so I had to stand
With the perverts in the back

It was smellin’ like a locker room
There was junk all over the floor
We’re already packed in like sardines
But we’re stoppin’ to pick up more, look out

Another one rides the bus
Another one rides the bus
And another comes on and another comes on
Another one rides the bus
Hey, he’s gonna sit by you, another one rides the bus

There’s a suitcase pokin’ me in the ribs
There’s an elbow in my ear
There’s a smelly old bum standin’ next to me
He hasn’t showered in a year

Well, I think I’m missin’ a contact lens
I think my wallet’s gone
And I think this bus is stoppin’ again
To let a couple more freaks get on, look out

Another one rides the bus
Another one rides the bus
And another comes on and another comes on
Another one rides the bus
Hey, he’s gonna sit by you, another one rides the bus

Another one rides the bus
Another one rides the bus, ow
Another one rides the bus, hey, hey
Another one rides the bus, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey

The window doesn’t open and the fan is broke
And my face is turnin’ blue, yeah
I haven’t been in a crowd like this
Since I went to see The Who

I know I should’ve got off a couple miles ago
But I couldn’t get to the door
There isn’t any room for me to breathe
And now we’re gonna pick up more, yeah

Another one rides the bus
Another one rides the bus
And another comes on and another comes on
Another one rides the bus
Hey, he’s gonna sit by you, another one rides the bus

Source: Musixmatch

This led to Weird Al’s first TV appearance on the The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder…

Hokum

Posted on by

Ahhhhhhhhh

This was one of the creepiest movies of the year. I legitimately had chills as the movie progressed.

I missed this one in the theater because of schedule so when it popped up on Fandango at Home today for rental, I was ready to watch it. Then, I was scared throughout it.

Typically, I am not scared by movies, but there was no denying that this one hit just right for me.

According to IMDB, “A horror writer visits an Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, unaware the property is said to be haunted by a witch.”

Adam Scott starred as writer Ohm Bauman, a bad-tempered man who came to the area to spread the ashes of his recently deceased parents. He was really an unlikable character at the beginning of this movie, but you get past that very quick after a shocking event at the hotel.

This film falls into the sub-genre of haunted house films, and it does it in a magnificent way. The jump scares were kept at a minimum and when they happen, they are so well executed that it fit into the story.

Everything looked great, the music really worked well, and I was engaged in this film. I was rooting for Bauman to get out of the hotel and the story did not disappoint me.

I was so happy that I got to see this one.

4.5 stars

Pressure

Posted on by

When I saw the trailer for this movie, it felt like a silly idea. How the meteorologists helped save D-Day? Apparently it was a true story, but it really seemed ridiculous. However, this movie rocked.

According to IMDB, “In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg face an impossible choice–launch the most dangerous seaborne invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.“

This movie was fascinating and full of intensity. I was very impressed with both Andrew Scott and Brendan Fraser. Fraser was Dwight D. Eisenhower and Scott was James Stagg, the meteorologist. The tension between the characters is absolutely sharp and fills the screen. Scott has some great performances with the stuff that he got to play was amazing.

I had no idea that weather could be as exciting as it was. The differing ideas behind the way to predict the weather from Stagg and Col. Krick (played by Chris Messina) was interesting. It showed how two different meteorologists can look at the same thing and come up with different points of view.

There was not much war scenes in this war movie, as it was more in the vein of Darkest Hour, but the scenes that they did include was very tough to watch.

Another actor who I thought did great job was Kerry Condon, who played Eisenhower’s associate Kay Summersby. She was one of the most empathic characters I have seen in a long time in a movie like this. She felt like she was holding everything together.

I never thought I was going to like this movie, and it turned out to be sensational. It goes to show that you should not make up your mind on a trailer before you actually see the product.

4.4 stars

Fackham Hall (2025)

Posted on by

June 2

June Swoon 5: Day 2

The second film in this year’s June Swoon is a comedy that combines the feel of Wuthering Heights and Downton Abby with Airplane! and Naked Gun.

According to IMDB, “A new porter forms an odd bond with the youngest daughter of a well-known UK family. As the Davenport family, headed by Lord and Lady Davenport, deals with the epic disaster of the wedding of their eldest daughter to her caddish cousin.“

While I compared this to Airplane! and Naked Gun, I think the comedy and writing in this is a little more subtle at times, and does not have the real, over-the-top type jokes of those two, which I liked quite a bit about this.

I will say that it took a bit of time to get the story going, but it was always very funny.

The cast was led by Thomasin McKenzie and Ben Radcliffe as Rose and Eric. They made a nice pair together and gave the odd cousin-thing a surprise twist. Other cast members included Damian Lewis, Hayley Mills, Tom Felton, Katherine Waterston, Jason Done, Emma Laird, Adam Woodward, Ramon Tikaram, Lily Knight, and Erin Austen.

The film was lightweight, but funny and funny can overcome plenty of flaws.

Daily Countdown: Weird Al Songs #27

Posted on by

#27

This is the Life

Title: “This is the Life”

Album: Dare to Be Stupid

Released: 1984

Appeared: 1984 movie Johnny Dangerously

Written: Al Yankovic

Style Pastiche: 1920s jazz

Lyrics

I eat filet mignon seven times a day
My bathtub’s filled with Perrier
What can I say?
This is the life
I buy a dozen cars when I’m in the mood
I hire somebody to chew my food
I’m an upwardly mobile dude
This is the life

They say that money corrupts you
But I can’t really tell
I got the whole world at my feet
And I think it’s pretty swell

I got women lined up outside my door
They’ve been waitin’ there since the week before
Who could ask for more?
This is the life

You’re dead for a real long time
You just can’t prevent it
So if money can’t buy happiness
I guess I’ll have to rent it

Yeah, every day I make the front page news
No time to pay my dues
I got a million pairs of shoes
This is the life

I got a solid gold Cadillac
I make a fortune while I sleep
You can tell I’m a living legend
Not some ordinary creep

No way, I’m the boss, the Big Cheese
Yeah, I got this town on its knobby little knees
I can do just what I please
This is the life

That’s right, I’m the king, number one
I buy monogrammed Kleenex by the ton
I pay the bills, I call the shots
I grease the palms, I buy the yachts
One thing I can guarantee
The best things in life, they sure ain’t free
It’s such a thrill just to be me
This is the life
This is the life

https://genius.com/Weird-al-yankovic-this-is-the-life-lyrics

Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair

Posted on by

Spoilers

I used to like Malcolm in the Middle, though I never would say that I loved it. It was something that I watched when it was originally on ABC. I knew that there was going to be a new series featuring the returning cast on Hulu/Disney + and i was somewhat interested, but I had not gone out of my way to watch it. It came out in April and I saw it on Disney + a few times, but just never got around to watching it.

Finally, tonight I had an open evening and with only four episodes of the show to watch, I decided that I would finally watch it.

Overall, I am glad I did. However, I would not say that I loved it. There were parts that bugged me, and I am not sure I would have continued if it were a longer series. I do think that this was just the right amount of episodes at four.

The show did tell a specific story centered around Lois and Hal’s 40th wedding anniversary. Again, parts of the storyline was great and other parts were cringe. The final episode had a spectacular conclusion that was emotional and heartfelt and made everything else feel better.

I want to say immediately that I really found Leah, the daughter of Malcolm, played by Keeley Karsten, to be remarkably charming and a perfect fit for the role. The show cleverly gave Leah the ability to talk to the screen like Malcolm could do, narrating much of what was going on. It is obviously a trait passed along from father to daughter.

It was very funny, and well in character, that Malcolm had not ever told Hal and Lois that he had had a daughter, and so when they crashed his home because Malcolm had been avoiding the question about attending Lois & Hal’s big party, all of Malcolm’s lies came crashing down.

I am not sure how I felt about the whole Hal story arc of these episodes, but there is no denying that he came out a better person in the end. I was torn about the whole drug trip he went on (reminded me very much of the trip taken by Mayor Tom on Widow’s Bay), but there were some very funny moments within it.

I was sure that the role of Francis had been recast, but, according to IMDB, it was Christopher Masterson playing the role. I was shocked. I thought that the recast was very similar to Francis, but that it was clearly not him. I was in err on that. Turned out the only recast of the kids was Dewey, who was now played by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark instead of Erik Per Sullivan.

Jane Kaczmarek was giving me Candace Bergen feels as she returned to her multiple Emmy nominated role. You’ve got to appreciate how committed Bryan Cranston is to playing Hal, because he is clearly willing to do anything. They really work together as well.

I was very much split on the Malcolm/Lois confrontation in the men’s room. The toilet humor just did not work for me. I have never been a fan of this style of humor. I thought the writing of the scene between the two characters was outstanding though.

Some of the other characters from the show looked rough. I am not sure if that was intended or if the actors had had tough lives. I would hate to speculate on any of them. I am glad that they were here.

The revival of this show was hit and miss for me, but I am glad that I watched it and I might even watch another show, if they did any more.

Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching (2025)

Posted on by

June 1

Day 1-June Swoon 5

And with that, the June Swoon 5 is underway.

The June Swoon kicked off this year with a documentary that I watched for free on YouTube that I had heard about from film critic William Bibbiani. He had it as one of his favorite movies from 2025, which sounded strange considering it was a documentary about birdwatching.

I tell you what…this thing was one of the most entertaining documentaries I have seen in quite a while. I found myself engaged and laughing loudly multiple times throughout the nearly two hour run time.

Two brothers, Owen and Quentin Reiser, with zero birdwatching experience, decided to attempt a “Big Year” by traveling across the USA in a Kia minivan and listing as many species of birds that they could see.

A “Big Year” is a competitive birding challenge to spot as many bird species as possible across the Lower 48 United States in a single calendar year.

During the year, the Reiser brothers met many other birdwatchers along the way and these people were every bit as engaging as the birds that they were following.

Another major aspect of fun in this doc was the inexperience and the reactions of these two men. Their observations were hilarious which came from a place of unfamiliarity.

Several “listers,” which referred to a group of highly competitive birdwatchers who compile a list of the number of species that they see in a calendar year, trying to break the record of bird species seen, appeared on the documentary as Owen and Quentin came across them on their travels.

Some of these included Tammy and David McQuade, a married couple who recorded 700+ sightings in multiple consecutive years, and Ezekiel Dobson, a 19-year old who broke the record of birdwatching with 758 recorded sightings in 2024.

The unconventional manner that they undertook was one of the most enduring parts of the doc. They spoke about things like eBird, an app that helped identify birds, how Cracker Barrel would allow them to sleep in their parking lot for free, and the advantages and disadvantages of playback, recorded sounds of birds intended to attract the birds. It reminded me a lot of the old Squatch calls from Finding Bigfoot.

The Reisers planned on spending as little money as they could, so they even went as far as attempting to build their own boats, to varying degrees of success.

This had no right to be as entertaining as it was, bit Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching was a great film to kick off the fifth annual June Swoon.

Daily Countdown: Weird Al Songs #28

Posted on by

#28

Fat

Title: “Fat”

Album: Even Worse

Reelased: 1988

Written: Michael Jackson/Al Yankovic

Parody: “Bad” by Michael Jackson

Genre: Pop/Rock/Comedy

The second iconic Weird Al parodies of Michael Jackson songs, “Fat” is one of Weird Al’s most recognizable songs. The video won Weird Al a Grammy for Best Concept Music Video. In the video, Weird Al parodied the video for “Bad”, using the same set.

Lyrics

Your butt is wide, well mine is too
Just watch your mouth or I’ll sit on you
The word is out, better treat me right
‘Cause I’m the king of cellulite
Ham on, ham on
Ham on whole wheat, all right

My zippers bust, my buckles break
I’m too much man for you to take
The pavement cracks when I fall down
I’ve got more chins than Chinatown

Well, I’ve never used a phone booth
And I’ve never seen my toes
When I’m goin’ to the movies
I take up seven rows

Because I’m fat (fat)
I’m fat, come on (really really fat)
You know I’m fat (fat)
I’m fat, you know it (really really fat)
You know I’m fat (fat)
I’m fat, come on, you know (really really fat)
Don’t you call me pudgy, portly or stout
Just now tell me once again who’s fat?

When I walk out to get my mail
It measures on the Richter scale
Down at the beach I’m a lucky man
I’m the only one who gets a tan
If I have one more pie a la mode
I’m gonna need my own zip code

When you’re only having seconds
I’m having twenty-thirds
When I go to get my shoes shined
I gotta take their word

Because I’m fat (fat)
I’m fat, come on (really really fat)
You know I’m fat (fat)
I’m fat, you know it (really really fat)
You know I’m fat (fat)
I’m fat, you know it, you know (really really fat)
And my shadow weighs forty-two pounds
Lemme tell you once again who’s fat

If you see me comin’ your way
Better give me plenty space
If I tell you that I’m hungry
Then won’t you feed my face

Because I’m fat (fat)
I’m fat, come on (really really fat)
You know I’m fat (fat)
I’m fat, you know it (really really fat)
You know I’m fat (fat)
I’m fat, you know it, you know (really really fat)
When I sit around the house
I really sit around the house

You know I’m fat (fat)
I’m fat, come on (really really fat)
You know I’m fat (fat)
I’m fat, you know it, you know it (really really fat)
You know, you know (fat fat)
You know, come on (really really fat)

And you know all by myself I’m a crowd
Let me tell you once again

You know I’m huge (fat)
I’m fat, you know it (really really fat)
You know I’m fat, you know (really really fat)
You know I’m fat (fat)
I’m fat, you know it (really really fat)
And the whole world knows I’m fat and I’m proud
Just tell me once again who’s fat?

Source: LyricFind