Author Archives: Doc

The Smashing Machine

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I missed this movie last week, which was sad because I am a fan of Dwayne Johnson and the word was that he might even have a chance for an Academy Award nomination.

Having seen it, I do think this was the best performance of Johnson’s career. Do I see it as an Oscar worthy performance? No, I do not. He was the best part of this movie, though. I do think he was able to show himself as more than just an over-muscled action heroes with his performance in this movie.

The Smashing Machine is the true story of the mixed-martial arts and former UFC champion, Mark Kerr.

I did not love this movie. I found it to be a little slow and not as engaging as I hoped it would be. However, it had strong performances from Johnson and, particularly, Emily Blunt as Kerr’s girlfriend Dawn. Blunt brought some intensity to this role of a character who did not have many positives about her.

There were moments in the film where I had a hard time seeing Dwayne Johnson in the role of Mark Kerr. He definitely looked different than he usually looked, and he did a solid job not just being The Rock imitating Mark Kerr.

3.3 stars

Daily Countdown: TV Shows#61

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#61

Friends

“How you doin’?”

I have to say that I did really enjoy Friends. It does not seem like my kind of show, but I found it extremely funny and there is no doubt that this cast has insane chemistry together.

David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc were the reason this show became one of the top comedies of the recent days. They each totally grasped their characters and their characters’ intricacies and quirks in ways that were consistently hilarious.

There are so many awesome moments from Friends including when Chandler and Joey took on Monica and Rachel for the apartment, “PIVOT!”, Joey with the turkey on his head, among many others.

A who’s who of actors cameoed and guest starred on Friends over the years, from Bruce Willis to Paul Rudd to Kathleen Turner to Brad Pitt to Brooke Shields to Gary Oldman to Tom Selleck. The list is way too long to list here, but it is some of the most iconic actors in Hollywood.

The Ross-Rachel relationship carried over the entire run of the series, in all of its ups and downs and “We were on a break!”s. I do think that Chandler and Monica’s out of nowhere relationship reignited the heart of the series, though.

What, exactly, was Chandler’s job?

Daily Countdown: TV Show #62

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#62

This never should have worked.

This show took the villain of the first Karate Kid movie and made him the protagonist and switched the POV of the show. It debuted on the fledgling YouTube Red. This was never going to work.

Then it did.

After a couple of seasons on YouTube Red, Cobra Kai moved to Netflix and became a sensation.

William Zabka led the cast of the show as Johnny Lawrence. Ralph Macchio resumed his role of Daniel LaRusso from the Karate Kid movies. The show not only focused on that rivalry between old foes, but also the new karate students. Other cast members included  Xolo Maridueña, Tanner Buchanan, Payton List, Jacob Bertrand, Mary Mouser, Courtney Henggeler, Vanessa Rubio, Dallas Dupree Young, and Gianni DeCenzo.

The show brought back several of the other villains from the Karate Kid movies including Martin Kove’s John Kreese, Thomas Ian Griffith’s Terry Silver, Yuji Okumoto’s Chozen, and Sean Kanan’s Mike Barnes. The continuity of the show with the films was excellent.

The show was ridiculous, but in the very best ways. The fifth seaosn finale was some of the best karate action you will see. Cobra Kai ran for six seasons and was surprisingly exceptional.

Peacemaker S2 E8

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Spoilers

“Full Nelson”

After seven successful episodes, the finale of season two of Peacemaker felt a little flat.

Episode seven was sensational. Episode eight just felt like a lot of wrap up/falling action. We get some flashbacks to Chris and Harcourt’s relationship, but none of those had as much energy as some of the other scenes.

The whole Chris depression angle was over quickly. He wanted to be left in jail. Then, when he was bailed out, he was going to leave town. Soon, the 11th Street Kids found him and talked him into working together.

The whole crew got together to set up an organization, which also included Judomaster and Agent Langston Fleury and Sasha Bordeaux. Now, there are no real reasons why Judomaster and Fleury join up with the 11th Street Kids. Sasha was at least shown to have lost her belief in Flagg.

Flagg used the door Chris had given him to find a planet to use as a prison. He found the planet of Salvation, which is tied to Darkseid in a way. I am not that familiar with DC Comics material like I am with Marvel, when Chris is stranded by Flagg Sr. in a moment of pure revenge, it looks like something that will be major in the DCU.

The finale was not what I was expecting and I was a little disappointed. James Gunn had mentioned a big cameo and I am not sure what that was (maybe it was the planet Salvation). This did not feel like a finale of a series. It does feel like this set up for future stuff instead of a conclusion for season two.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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October 9

It is Thursday and that means it is time for the cover of the week. We are nearing the end of 2025, and we have a blow out going on in the cover competition. Unless there is some insane push of an artist doing brilliant work over the next two months, it’s a race for the silver and bronze medal at the end of the year as of now.

This week we have two variant covers from three different comic companies.

Also-Rans: High Strangeness #1, The Department of Truth #0, Marvel Knights: The Punisher #1, Marvel: Black, White & Blood and Guts #1, SIKTC: A Monster Hunter Walks into a Bar #1, Red Book #1, DC KO #1 (two variants from the Blind Bag).

Bronze Medalist

Harley Quinn x Elvira #1

Variant Cover E

Cover art by Mark Spears

Mark Spears with yet another medal in 2025, with this lovely cover featuring two iconic females. Oh, and what exactly is Harley Quinn staring at? Beautiful purple background keeps these two ladies bursting out…

Silver Medalist

Super Creepshow #1

Cover art by Pye Parr

I love this Dark Knight Returns homage cover. The flashing lightning in the background against the dark blue of the evening sky is an iconic image and is extremely effective in the imagery of this cover.

Gold Medalist

Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3

Variant cover B

Cover art by Juan Ferreyra

Saw this variant cover on the stand and I had to have it. Such an awesome image of Superman coming through the years, facing off with the Kryptonite right before him.

Gen V S2 E6

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Spoilers

“Cooking Lessons”

The latest episode of Gen V was just slowly moving along… and then…

There was Giancarlo Esposito.

We haven’t seen Stan Edgar in awhile and there he, and his tentacled-mouth granddaughter, was rescuing Marie and her friends.

With only two episodes left, there are a bunch of things dropped this week sending things rushing towards the finale.

What we learned:

  • Marie and Homelander were the only two survivors of the Odessa Program.
  • The show basically confirmed that the old man in Cipher’s house is Thomas Godolkin.
  • Annabeth is a supe, though she does not know when it happened.
  • Polarity had a big conflict with Cipher. It seemed like Cipher had complete control, but Polarity got the upper hand.
  • Cipher tells Polarity that his plan is to weed out the weak Supes, saving only the strong ones. He expects to have 25% of God U.
  • Cate asked Marie to fix her powers.

Things do feel like they are on the fast track right now. I did love seeing Giancarlo Esposito once again.

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #63

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#63

The Mandalorian

Star Wars has had several Disney + shows, but few have reached the heights popularity-wise as The Mandalorian.

There is one major reason why the show became such a massive hit. It was the sudden appearance of a little creature who became known as Baby Yoda.

Baby Yoda was a phenomenon and you could not turn around without seeing the little character.

The relationship between Din Djarin, our titular character, and Baby Yoda, whose name was revealed to be Grogu, is the central heartbeat of this show. Grogu is more than just cute (though that is clearly a superpower). He has a real emotional entanglement with Din and it has provided three seasons of Star Wars goodness.

Jon Favreau created this space Western and will be directing the feature film that will serve to continue the story of the Mandalorian and his little buddy.

The show has had some major memorable moments including the return of Luke Skywalker, the live-action Ahsoka, and appearance of the other major Mandalorian, Boba Fett.

“This is the way.”

Jack Marlowe RIP

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My little town of Maquoketa, Iowa recently lost a legend as John Frederick Marlowe, known as Jack, passed away Saturday morning, October 4th.

Jack was an icon in this area. One of the most beloved individuals I have ever met. Jack wrote for the Maquoketa Sentinel-Press, the local newspaper, for decades, as a sportswriter. Jack had a love for sports and a head for stats and number that was unmatched. His encyclopedic knowledge of local sports was amazing. Just talking with Jack about high school sports was an experience where you would always come out amazed.

Jack would be embarrassed with that last paragraph because he was one of the most humble people I have ever had the pleasure to know. He would laugh it off, with that loud and bombastic laugh, and redirect the discussion away from himself. It was not in Jack’s nature to make anything about himself. It was yet one more appealing trait of him.

Every time I would see Jack, he would greet me with a big smile and he’d ask me about my own coaching, especially when I was coaching the team sponsored by the newspaper. Jack was always so kind and genuine, that you knew that he was truly interested in what you had to say.

I felt honored to have played basketball in the Marlowe barn, adding my name to the wall with a list of unbelievable people. Sadly, the barn no longer existed, but the memories will always be there.

Jack worked at the Maquoketa Sentinel Press for 55 years, including writing his own column “Sports Slants” in which Jack mentioned me a few times (which was always such a thrill). Even when he retired as an active sportswriter, Jack would continue with his column. Retirement was not something Jack did well. I remember seeing Jack delivering Sentinel-Press newspapers to local gas stations. He wanted to remain active.

Jack was an award winning writer and a local legend. The town held him in such high esteem that he was inducted into the Maquoketa High School Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Maquoketa Community High School Athletic Complex, which included baseball/softball fields and a track, was named the Jack Marlowe Athletic Complex in his honor.

The plague at the Jack Marlowe Athletic Complex read,  “A 1953 Maquoketa High School Graduate, Hall of Fame Sportswriter and lifelong resident of Jackson County who dedicated his life to highlighting the accomplishments of others while avoiding the spotlight for himself.”

Jack Marlowe loved this community almost as much as the community loved him. He will be missed. Rest in peace, Jack.

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #64

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#64

Cheers

NORM!

Eleven seasons on NBC. Cheers was iconic. Low ratings in its early seasons could not stop it. It became one of the staples for NBC’s comedy lineup in the 1980s-1990s.

Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows created the show about a former baseball relief pitcher who now runs a Boston bar. Sam Malone was a womanizer and admired by all until Diane Chambers walked through the door.

The show was able to survive one of its main leads leaving. In fact, after Shelley Long departed the show, Cheers took off critically and successfully.

The cast was an absolute gem with Ted Danson, Shelley Long, George Wendt, Woody Harrelson, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammar, Kirstie Alley, Nicholas Colasanto, Rhea Perlman, Bebe Neuwirth, and Paul Wilson.

Cheers had a spin off entitled Fraiser, which was perhaps even more successful. It had young magician/comedian Harry Anderson who, while not a direct spinoff, took his basic character to a show called Night Court.

Cheers was always funny. It showed us the lives of a group of characters that we cared about and that we were entertained by. It also had one of the best themes around.

Dangerous Animals (2025)

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3 of October 13

This is the first time that I used one of the October 13 to watch a movie from the same year. I have usually specified that the October 13 would be from prior years, but this was one of the movies that I was excited to see. Since it came free on streaming just recently, I thought this would be an excellent exception. And boy howdy, was it an excellent exception.

I do enjoy a good shark movie. However, there are rarely too many that could be defined as good. Obviously Jaws is the king of all shark movies. Jaws 2 does not get the love it should. There is Open Water (which is not as much of a shark movie as a lost at sea with sharks movie), and the epic Samuel L. Jackson death scene in Deep Blue Sea. Blake Lively’s The Shallows was good, and last year’s Under Paris was tense. After that, the pickings are rather slim.

You can add another winner to that list with Dangerous Animals. It was an awesome film that did not make the shark into the antagonist. There was a much worse antagonist on the ship.

According to IMDB, “When Zephyr, a savvy and free-spirited surfer, is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below.“

This was extremely intense and suspenseful. Hassie Harrison played Zephyr, a loner whose one night stand with Moses (Josh Heuston) gave her a moment of joy. Unfortunately, she was grabbed by Tucker (Jai Courtney), who had his own plans for her.

Hassie Harrison was awesome as this bad ass. She fought with every ounce of energy she had to avoid being fed to the sharks and she was great. Jai Courtney was as slimy and horrendous of a character as I have seen on the screen in a long time. The war between Zephyr and Tucker kept me glued through every minute of the 98 minute run time.

I loved the ending, which was very satisfying and portrayed the shark in a wholly unusual light. The shots of the shark were great despite the low budget feel of this Australian/USA co-production. The score worked so well helping to build the tension. The overall look and design of this film was very strong and I enjoyed this one a lot.

I was able to stream this on Prime. I would absolutely recommend those who love the shark movie, give this one a try.

4.25 stars

Bonus Action Vol. 3 E1

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“The Final Lockdown”

The role playing troop returns to YouTube with their third volume (“season”) of their game. The pReview’d boys, Jay Schmidt and Adam Lash, who have been reacting to shows and movies for the last few years, brought their gaming group for two seasons of playing Dungeons & Dragons to YouTube.

However, season three is now different as they have a sponsor. Their new sponsor is Darrington Press, and they announced that they would be starting a new role-playing game. Instead of D & D, this season, they are playing in the Daggerheart system.

They are all learning the new system and it is an exciting new challenge for the group who are so enjoyable with their characters and their skilled playing of these characters.

Along with the pReview’d boys, the other players include the Game master David Armstrong, and players Amanda Nichols, Ja-Ron Young, Josh Hurley, and Jason Spina.

This has always been so fun and I am looking forward to the rest of this season.

Only Murders in the Building S5 E7

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Spoilers

“Silver Alert”

I can’t believe this season of Murders in the Building is up to episode seven already. It has gone very quickly and it has been fabulous.

We returned to the billionaires as suspects as Oliver, Charles and Mabel got a tip from the Mayor (Keegan-Michael Key) who dropped a hint about Bash Steed.

The episode kicked off by seeing Oliver seemingly confused and scared, coming up to an unknown couple in a country area. There had been a silver alert sent out about a man with a purple scarf.

It was a weird beginning, but it made total sense later after we went back over the events that happened leading up to this.

Our podcasters arrived at Bash Steed’s mansion and met his oddball son. Oliver’s belief that everything was like a horror film made this all the funnier and would lead to his deserting of the case.

They found Bash Steed, Camila White, and Jay Pflug playing Operation, which was strange. Apparently, they play games to challenge each other and take out their frustrations.

They split up again, and Charles’s interactions with Bash were sensational. Steve Martin and Christoph Waltz have amazing chemistry with each other and they bounced the dialogue off each other brilliantly.

Charles and Mabel are able to recover the finger, which was what the billionaires were playing for. Turned out that it was about who would get to have the casino bid. Jay told Mabel that the finger was more dangerous than she knew.

Great cliffhanger too as we learn that Camila White was the person who had made the offer for Oliver’s apartment because she wanted to turn the Arconia into the casino.

This was a fabulous episode and it was excellent seeing the three back together facing off with the three billionaires once again.