Author Archives: Doc

Sha Na Na S3 E5, E6, E7, E8

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This was an interesting stretch of episodes with Sha Na Na. They had four guest stars that did not fit into the typical type of performers that were on the show prior. Charlie Pride is a country singer, Disco Queen Gloria Gaynor, Isaac Hayes and Lola Falana both do not sing typical Sha Na Na music. It is an expansion that could open up more doors for other musicians.

The diner made a surprise return in episode eight. It was part of a running joke, which was also one of the first times this was done on Sha Na Na. Lennie wanted to play Annie because of the pretty dress, but the people in charge of Annie said Lennie was too fat to play the role. So Lennie went on a diet during the episode and they returned to the joke several times.

There were a couple of good comedy bits during these episodes. I especially enjoyed the “Rock and Roll is Here to Stay” bit where Sha Na Na dressed up like old folks. They were very funny with their outfits. The other one I liked the best was “Black Leather Denim Trousers” where they were on the street set.

We also had a comedy bit where Pamela Myers joined in to sing “How Much is that Doggie in the Window” with Sha Na Na dressed in dog outfits. It was nice to have her female voice once again in the show.

In episode 5, we got the performance by Screamin’ Scott of the song he wrote for the movie Grease, Sandy. Simon wrote the song with Louis St. Louis. The Lady in the Window said that Scott wrote the words, so perhaps he was the lyricists of the song. The song was written for the movie and was performed by John Travolta. Scott did a nice job performing it.

There were also a few songs that I did not know, specifically the ones at the beginning and end of the show. There was a cool one done by Lennie in the fifth episode and one by Jocko in episode 8.

The cuts on YouTube are still irritating, but haven’t been as bad as a few other times.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #55

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Spoilers

Agatha Christie Seven Dials

“Battle Commences”

So the middle episode in the three episode program found things a bit dark. It sure looked like Jimmy had been killed off, but I really question that. This Jimmy character makes me very suspicious.

When Lady Eileen was in that room with the secret society, peeking through the door, there were only six people in their black robes. I suspect that there was one missing and that person was Jimmy. Plus, there was a black man in the robes too, which I suspect is Dr. Cyril Matip, the creator of this mysterious formula that is at the heart of everything going on.

Martin Freeman’s Superintendent Battle is a bit of a jerk, not being helpful at all. However, that makes sense since Lady Eileen is an amateur detective.

Mia McKenna Bruce makes a fine lead character and I do enjoy her presences on screen and her delivery of the dialogue. I would like to have from from both Martin Freeman and Helena Bonham Carter as both characters are snuggly placed in the background.

Next week’s episode will wrap up the show and I am not sure how it can be finished off with any sort of satisfaction after the first two episodes and the reveals that have not been given.

Daily Countdown: TV Show Themes #41

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#41

The Benny Hill Show

Title: “Yakety Sax”

Composed and performed: Boots Randolph

The song, which has a fast paced saxophone within it, has garnered a life of its own beyond the theme for the show. This piece of music, which was a 1963 novelty instrumental hit, has been used for years by other shows and films to show a rapid fire slapstick situation or one where the chaos has really reached a peak comedic manner.

Dracula (2026)

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I dozed off during Iron Lung today, but I sure as heck wished I had dozed off during this new version of Bram Stoker’s classic Dracula. It would have made the film seem better than it was.

According to IMDB, “When a 15th-century prince denounces God after the loss of his wife he inherits an eternal curse: he becomes Dracula. Condemned to wander the centuries, he defies fate and death, guided by a single hope – to be reunited with his lost love.“

I found that there were a bunch of things about this version of Dracula that I did not like at all. Directed by Luc Besson, who I loved as the director of The Fifth Element, Dracula was just a waste of my time.

First of all, what is the exact tone of this thing? It bounced around between a horror movie and a comedy, almost slapstick-like. There were scenes where I was laughing at that I am not sure were intended to be funny. Or maybe it was and the scenes were more successful in the end. There was a scene with Matilda De Angelis’s Maria that seemed like it should have been in one of those horror movie parody films. It was easily the worst scene of the movie.

Then, Dracula had a bunch of stone gargoyle friends, like this was a Disney movie. The gargoyles did not speak like they did in Hunchback of Notre Dame, but they looked ridiculous and did not fit with the concept of this movie.

The look of the movie was terrible too. There were so many scenes where the CGI looked bad and that you could tell where the green screen was and there is no excuse in 2026 for your CGI to be this bad.

The whole love story at the center of the film was not believable to me either. Zoë Bleu felt like she was overacting in nearly every scene and I did not feel any chemistry between Zoë Bleu’s character and Dracula, who was played by Caleb Landry Jones. Jones was fine as Dracula, but that is about it. I do not think his performance will be remembered in the echelon of Dracula performances.

I found the ending to be really stupid too. How can you have a star like Christoph Waltz in your film but let him flounder as he did during this version of Dracula.

I just did not like this film much as I struggled to find much positive to say about it. There are a half dozen Dracula movies better than this one, at least, and I am not sure why anyone would choose this version of the film over some of those.

1.4 stars

Iron Lung

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I had no idea what this movie was last week when it debuted as the number two movie at the box office. I heard some talk about it this past week after its massive success. That certainly put it on my radar.

The film was written and directed by YouTuber Markiplier and is based on a video game from 2022 by David Szymanski. Markiplier said the the film would be self-financed and that he would star in the film. With a small budget of $3 million dollars, Iron Lung made a whopping $30 million + worldwide.

With the huge story of the self-made man overcoming the Hollywood order to make a hit movie, the question was, “Was Iron Lung any good?” Sadly, I did not enjoy the film as much as I had hoped that I would.

According to IMDB, “In a post-apocalyptic future after ‘The Quiet Rapture’ event, a convict explores a blood ocean on a desolate moon using a submarine called the ‘Iron Lung’ to search for missing stars/planets.“

The convict was played by Markiplier, aka Mark Fischbach, and the setting was definitely an effectively claustrophobic thriller with an air of uncertainty. I would even go as far as to say that the best part of the film was the setting as it created the desired effect of the audience.

Unfortunately, I found that the story did not grab me and that I found it dull. If I am being honest, I dozed off a couple of times during the movie, so it might not be fair to judge it, but I can say that the story failed to maintain my attention.

I am very happy for Mark Fischbach and I am impressed with his success with this movie. Maybe I should give it a rewatch some day, maybe when it arrives on streaming. As for now, I would recommend people go see it to support someone who is not letting the challenges stop him from reaching for his dream. I just was not much of a fan of the part of the movie that I saw.

2.5 stars

(I reserve the right to raise or lower this score in a future viewing)

Shrinking S3 E1, E2

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Spoilers

“My Bad”

“Happiness Mission”

I was unaware that the first two episodes of Shrinking season three were already out on Apple TV +. When I was on Amazon Prime, I saw Shrinking with a “New Episode” tag on it and I looked to see two episodes were out already. I was excited because I enjoyed the first two seasons very much.

About halfway through the first episode, I realized how sensational the writing of this show is. The characters are so witty, funny, quick. I was laughing throughout the entire show. Everyone is so brilliantly written and developed that I am constantly amazed with the show.

Michael J. Fox appeared in the first episode as, what we would later find out, a delusion that Paul was seeing because of the Parkinson’s Disease. While it is supposed to be a bad thing, it was so awesome to see him and I think he and Harrison Ford worked so well together. Parkinson’s is truly a horrible disease, but it is great to see this show address it straight forward.

Paul and Julie wind up getting married in the first episode and it was just perfect Shrinking storytelling. Everything was so wonderful that even the old curmudgeon Paul seemed to enjoy himself.

There are so many excellent story arcs kicking off here including Jimmy trying to move along into a new relationship with Sofi (played by Cobie Smulders), Paul’s Parkinson’s, Alice’s going to college, Brian’s trouble with the baby mom and so on.

Brett Goldstein came back for episode two and it felt like his story came to a conclusion. He had a nice goodbye with Jimmy and Alice and he shared a powerful scene with Gaby.

This show does such an amazing job of feeling like real life while being unbelievably funny and poignant at the same time. Every actor on the show delivers their lines perfectly and the chemistry of the cast is off the charts. I am so happy Shrinking is back for season three and has officially been renewed for seaosn four on Apple TV +.

The Pitt S2 E5

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Spoilers

“11:00 AM”

What I have been dreading all season long finally came to head, and it was right at the end of the episode.

Louis has been a gigantic foreshadow the first four episodes of this season. I was hoping that I was not picking up on the hints that were being dropped, but, damn it, it was exactly what it seemed. And then to leave it as a cliffhanger was just rude.

That will be for next episode, I guess.

The relationship between Robby and Langdon is coming to the forefront and I believe the forgiveness of this pair is a major arc of the season.

One of our patients from last week, the waitress with the sepsis, continued to slip. When her boss called her, threatening her to get to work, Robby took the phone from her and let him have it. I loved that moment so much. I actually threw my hands into the air afterwards.

Another new patient is from a prison. This is another one that feels like it will be something that was developing into the near future.

It seems like Ogilvie has taken Whitaker’s place as having horrible things splattered on him. This week: explosive diarrhea after performing a fecal disimpaction, which was horrific. Oh, and he may have been exposed to tuberculosis.

The Pitt has been so strong, yet again. There are so many things that feel like are building over the year. I do love this show.

Daily Countdown: TV Show Themes #42

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#42

Hong Kong Phooey

“Who is the super hero? Sarge? No. Rosemary, the telephone operator? No. Penry, the mild-mannered janitor? Could Be!“.

Written: Hoyt Curtin, William Hanna, and Joseph Barbera

Performed: Scatman Crothers (who voiced the character of Penry/Hong Kong Phooey)

Narrator: Don Messick

A short-run series from Hanna-Barbera that I loved as a child. I was always so excited when Hong Kong Phooey came on, and a big part of that was the fun theme song that went along with it. How many animated program theme songs ended with some scat?

“Chik chong, chiki chong, chiki chakka, chik chong. Chika bak chak chakkin’ and a bow wow wow“

Fallout S2 E8

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Spoilers

“The Strip”

I have been saying that the season two of Fallout has not been my favorite and that I had some trouble getting into it. The last few weeks have been picking up for me. Then there was the finale.

Holy crap! I loved this one. I am totally satisfied with the finale, “The Strip” and I thought this was easily the best episode of season two.

I actually think every storyline that has been building up this season came with a sensational end (or perfectly continued cliffhanger).

  • I have never liked Maximus more than I did this episode.
  • His reunion with Lucy is something I did not know that I wanted.
  • The end of the Lucy-Hank story was more poignant that I expected.
  • Maximus vs. the Deathclaws was freaking awesome.
  • The flashbacks with Cooper and his wife were powerful too.
  • That cockroach attack was brutal.
  • The return of NCR
  • “Initiate phase two”
  • The Ghoul opened his wife’s pod, and no one was there.
  • And WAR is coming to the Wasteland
  • Liberty Pride post credit scene

And then there was the line of the episode that might have changed everything…

“The surface is the experiment, not the vaults.” 

These words from Hank before he threw his own switch and refreshed his memories were ominous and made me wonder what is going to happen.

I was really engaged with this episode and I am excited to see what the next steps are for this show.

Daily Countdown: TV Theme Songs #43

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#43

Batman (1966)

Na na na na na na… Batman!

Composed: Neal Hefti

Vocals: The Ron Hicklin Singers

Note: a famous 12-bar blues instrumental featuring a driving surf-guitar riff, prominent horns, and a vocal chorus chanting “Batman!” 11 times

Campy and energetic, this theme fits the tone of this Adam West/Burt Ward series to a tee. This theme has become iconic over the years throughout all the various iterations of Batman.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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February 5

Back on time on a Thursday night!

An intriguing week with a couple really great covers, but not as deep as some weeks. I had a hard time choosing the top three, but it was not as deep of a week as usual.

Also-Rans: Superman: Chains of Love #1 (C cover), Twilight Zone #4 ( A cover), Twilight Zone (B Cover), and Ripcord #1.

Bronze Medalist

Sam and Twitch Case Files #21

Cover art by Van Randal

I find this awesome cover a little creepy. I will say that this guy made me think of Muse from Marvel. The black and white always makes me happy and the red hands is even creepier.

Silver Medalist

War Wolf #4

Cover art by David Talaski

War Wolf #4 has a really cool cover that makes me feel like an old time newspaper, especially like a tabloid newspaper. I find this a clever use of the cover to help make me more excited for the book.

Gold Medalist

Uncanny X-Men #23

Cover art by David Marquez & Matthew Wilson

A great shot of the Uncanny X-Men cast in the darkness. I love this cover. It truly stands out making these characters look bad ass.

Daily Countdown: TV Show Themes #44

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#44

Sanford and Son

Title: “The Streetbeater”

Composed: Quincy Jones

Harmonica performance: Tommy Morgan 

Sanford and Son was another show that I watched irregularly, but it definitely had an energy to it. I will say that the theme has a personal connection for me. Back when my friend group would be gaming, one of my more eccentric friends, David, would take the little noise maker (not exactly a kazoo, but in the same concept) and he would do the beginning of this theme. It became a regular part of the game session.

The Muppet Show (2026 special)

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Spoilers

Love it.

This is exactly what I was hoping for when I heard that there would be a Muppet Show special on Disney +. A show full of nostalgia and fond memories of a show of the past filled with humor and music of the present.

A show with voices that are different, but still familiar. With guest stars that are as happy to be there as I am watching.

I did not know much about Sabrina Carpenter, but she fit right in to the guest role. She had a beautiful voice and sang well with both Kermit and Miss Piggy on the song “Islands in the Stream.”

Seth Rogan, one of the executive producers, made a funny appearance as did Maya Rudolph. I liked how they had interspersed humans into the audience along with the typical Muppet characters. Maya was in the crowd and fit right into the weirdness of the show.

I was hooked immediately, from the slow walk of Kermit into the theater, to Ralph’s piano version of Rainbow Connection as background music to the absolutely wonderful theme song that I unabashedly sang along with and played twice.

This year is the 50th anniversary of The Muppet Show and this special was a way to help celebrate that momentous occasion.

My favorite song was the “Blinding Lights” version performed by Rizzo the rat. The finale with all of the Muppets doing “Don’t Stop Me Now” from Queen was another highlight.

I hope this does gangbusters for Disney + because this is an IP that Disney owns that has been woefully underused over the years. The Muppets are back in the perfect place for them. Where it all started. Where they can “play the music” and “light the lights.”

Raise that curtain. It’s The Muppet Show…

Daily Countdown: TV Show Themes #45

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#45

The Bugs Bunny Show

Title: “This is It” or “Bugs Bunny Overture”

Written by: Jerry Livingston and Mack David

Performed: Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck (both voiced by Mel Blanc)

Animated by: Gerry Chiniquy

The Looney Tunes are all-time classic cartoons and I can remember watching this theme in multiple variations over my childhood years. Whether it was the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show or The Bugs Bunny Tweety Show or just the Looney Tunes, I would love this opening. There are many times where this just pops into my head and I have to sing. This had to have a spot on this list.