ThaOGDreamWeaver

I remember quite liking that show... when I was about 6, and the UK only had 3 TV channels. (Saturday teatime/5:30pm was basically the Stephen J. Cannell Hour, so pretty much any of the Weirdo Fights Crime stuff you remember from that era - Fall Guy, Automan, A-Team, Knight Rider, Street Hawk, Airwolf... even Manimal got thrown in there. I think the only one of the nostalgia set we missed out on was TGAH.) Side note... given all the other reboots they've had, why no Manimal?

Trying to find an opp to go see it. But it's been reviewed as remarkably good compared to recent Marvels. And also a lot more like the Kirby era in both 60s retro-future style... and optimism. The whole grimdark requirement seems to have been set aside. Since I've accidentally spoiled myself reading an article, here's one... sorta... nega-spoiler.

Arguably superheroes in their own lunchtime, and regularly namechecked in comics and movies, the Tap are back. It’s a little on the nose to get the teaser drop on the heels of Ozzy’s final bow, but seems to be stuffed with enough gags to keep fans happy. OG cast all return - including Reiner, Fran Drescher and Paul Schaffer, and adding John Higgins, Chris Addison (Thick Of It/Veep), Kerry Godliman, and [probably not much of a spoiler but spoiler], Jason Acuna and Brad Williams. Guest shots include Elton, McCartney, Questlove, Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks… and Lars Ulrich. (Kind of a risky career move.)

Ozzy was, without a doubt, one of the out-and-out funniest guys in rock and roll. "I left the band due to musical differences. They were musical... I was... different." "I've done my share of bad things in life. Probably your share as well." "I used to get upset by people not understanding me, but I’ve made a career out of it now." "I don’t think we [Black Sabbath] ever got a good review for anything we did. Which is why I never bother with reviews. Still, one of the few good things about being dyslexic is that when I say I don’t read reviews, I mean I don’t read reviews." "The only Black Magic we ever got into was the box of chocolates." ...and on that note, my favourite Ozzy story that's come out these last couple of days. Back in the early days of Sabbath, earnest young proto-Goths would gather around their dressing room, and on one occasion, lit candles and began praying to Satan. Ozzy wandered out, sat with them for a bit, sang Happy Birthday to them and blew them out. BTW: the gig, merch, and associated spinoff single have raised north of £140m ($190m) and still counting for two children's hospitals and Parkinson's research.

The specific location of the portal is the Sea Of Simulation (first named by Wendy Carlos in her soundtrack notes, and then picked up by various comic books such as TROn: Betrayal.). It forms a barrier between the main Grid and its cities and the Portal, lest any hapless programs accidentally find their way to the Portal. As shown in the ending, it's also big enough to absorb the Portal's explosion, which hangs in the air like a new star. (Also, logically... if the Portal crash had wiped the whole Grid... what did Sam take a backup of?)

Thoughts continued:

Thought:

Ya made it, bab. And they said thanks to you too. So do I. EDIT:

Black Sabbath - War Pigs (Live At Villa Park, July 2025)

Ozzy Osbourne - Bark At The Moon

Ozzy Osbourne - See You On The Other Side 🔥🤘 /em holdtorch

I think given that he's toting his own Comic-Con posters around, this is a very washed-up Johnny after an awful lot of movies, but no actual MKs. Oh, and Keanu's just turned 60. Which is... disturbing on many levels.

Played GURPS: Supers, which was fun... ...but the best campaign we had was a crossover with GURPS: Mysteries. Unpowered or lightly powered 30s/40s gumshoe/adventurer types in San Francisco - on the trail of a strangler who might just be a bit more than human. (Think Brightburn in black-n-white.) It's been over 40 years since I rolled that 'toon and I still remember the reveal.

Hans Zimmer - F1 (Title Theme)

NIИ - As Alive As You Need Me To Be (from TRON: Ares)

Okay... we have a new trailer... and the first Nine Inch Nails single in five years. Truth to tell, I'm not sure if I'm going to the 'plex for this. BUT OH DAMN I HAVE A MIGHTY NEED FOR THAT ALBUM. NOW. INFECT MY CODE WITH IT. BRING ME MY PVC CORSETRY, INDUSTRIAL EYELINER AND UNWIELDY BOOTS that probably don't fit after howeverdamnlongthatwas I MUST STOMP WILDLY ON A DANCEFLOOR WHILE IGNORING THE PLEADINGS OF SADBOIS. THERE MUST BE COLLATERAL DAMAGE FROM MY RANDOM FLAILING KARATE MOVEMENTS... ...ahem. Yes. Need.

One of the eternal problems of adapting a comic book. For one, you need to square the character people know with what you want them to do: if you just go through the motions of what they always do, some fans are happy, some fans think it's dull. Challenge the character (and audience expectations) too much, and you get "this isn't my Supergirl/Superman/Batman/Nelvana Of The Northern Lights/Howard The Duck" etc. Then, of course, you've got one 100-140min flick to pack it into, rather than a 200-page graphic novel where you can play tricks with levels of art, scripting, detail, format, and so on. And bring in enough butts on seats to pay for it. If Gunn's clever enough to square that circle - introduce us to a beaten-up Kara who becomes the heroine the audience know and love, or an approximation thereof - that should work all round.

Side note: learn a new nerdy thing every day. I knew the mighty Richard Donner directed the OG Superman, but I was not aware (until reading Scalzi's take) that the writers' room was a Murderer's Row with a slew of Oscars: David & Leslie Newman (Bonnie & Clyde, What's Up Doc?), Rob Benton (Kramer vs Kramer) and only Mario bloody Puzo in the lead, plus guest scribbling from Bond's surgeon Tom Manciewicz. Give good actors good scripts, you get good movies. Whodathunkit.

Little preview image from Mr. Gunn…

I can’t currently get Resident Alien in the UK but he’s had a whole BUNCH of fun things to do in that.

I've been watching the BBC Radio 1 interviews with Gunn, and there's one thing he mentions: also Corenswet, more coyly. Why do you think Corenswet got cast? "Because he looks like Superman... nobody else we tested or was brought up looked like him, and some guys you just wondered why the **** they were even there." No makeup or styling required. He looks slightly goofier and sweeter than Cavill or Routh, and less classically handsome than Reeves, though that helps with pulling off the Clark part. But damn it if it's not right there. Supergirl is going to be largely based on Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow, which is... Also, if you liked Fillion in this show, he promises Guy will be "the same a**hole in Lanterns. Exactly the same. He's nothing if not consistent."

Roots Manuva - Witness The Fitness

Being consistently wrong has never stopped Jim Cramer on the telly either. Maybe he should rename Mad Money to Profits Of Doom... ...anyhow. Didn't get to see the flick this weekend as we were on auntie/uncle duties, and they're too young to sit still for five minutes during a movie, let alone 120. Even if Elsa's in it. Glad all seems to be good with it, the slightly odd lift from Invincible aside... BTW, how many of you have seen the other super-offering from the Gunn family - Brightburn?

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a solid hit… https://deadline.com/2025/07/box-office-superman-1236454805/