ThaOGDreamWeaver

That exists here in the UK: all the majors can be bought with the long-dominant player Sky - not just bundled, but integrated into all the menus and such on their boxes and branded TVs. I think we've just come out of a "gold rush" stage where everyone's trying to grab land, and now they're finding not every one of them thar SVOD hills is rich in the stuff. So much as in 1848, the real winners wind up being the service providers. But instead of shovels, picks, jerky and whisky, they provide discounted or more convenient access for users in return for a cut. The shakeout and verticalisation will come: I think one of P+, HBO-D and Netflix will get eaten, and Hulu need to formalise their friends-with-benefits relationship with D+. Apple TV will just wander on until they get bored with it. It's everything between seasons 8 (1976) and 35 (2004), and large swathes of the earlier ones. Which is odd, as - not giving away my age - if I was a parent, aunt or grandparent wanting to watch with smol nerds, I'd want to go to the years I remember. Allegedly this is to do with withholding residuals to a specific group of actors - and, well, that crew would still mostly be alive and in need of rental payments for that big MPTF retirement village in Calabasas. (Though given Zaslav's coterie of friends, that era does include all the "Ronald Grump" episodes...) Rags say: good story, good supporting cast, and Miller's on-screen persona fits the bill well. If the audience can forget about the off-screen issues, could be good. If they can't - think the Depp/Fantastic Beasts situation - maybe not. (Didn't help that the second flick was not great to start with.) Plus... Bat-Spoilers ahoy: Side note on the business end of SVOD: those of you who are Very Online might have noted Lucas talking about why Star Wars probably wouldn't get made today for business reasons. Here's Matt Damon putting into hard numbers in 1'40". And no, SVOD rental or access payments don't pay anything like what DVD sales and rentals did. It's not as bad as Spotify vs CD or vinyl sales for music - but makes Apple's swingeing cut look tame.

Bert & Ernie (and Friends) - Put Down The Ducky 🦆

Muse - Won't Stand Down

Rezzing this thread for some new Bat-news. The HBO Max pre-tax-deadline purge continues... Batman: The Caped Crusader (similar idea to X-Men '97: effectively the return of Batman:TAS, with Bruce Timm, Conroy and more due to return, plus some new fella called JJ Abrams in the writer's room. So, Batman with more lens flares). 2x Looney Tunes specials: a Porky/Daffy/Marvin sci-fi adventure and a full-length Bugs Bunny musical in the style of What's Opera, Doc?. A Steve Urkel animated special... let's gloss over that for the moment... Gumball live action/animation crossover All new kids' and family-oriented series and films for the foreseeable future - the entire development department's gone 200+ archive episodes of Sesame Street removed from the platform to avoid paying residuals to actors and crew. (B***ards). Anything that's currently in production will be shopped to other networks, but could wind up in the same IRS-sealed vault as Batgirl if they don't find a potential home in the next eight days. Side note: according to the Variety Media In A Bear Market report, almost as many folks are cancelling SVOD subs with budgets being tight - it's now at the same rate as new subs. D+ is more-or-less holding its own, Netflix has a problem, HBO is suffering a bit... and Discovery is haemorrhaging subs. So, naturally, the HBO-D execs punt on a stripped down, GRIMDARK version of their cape properties, no kids' stuff (I may be an adult paying for the streaming, but I'll admit to needing a babysitter now and again), and slapping it on the much-hated but much cheaper Discovery platform. The only thing I understand in this madness is why they're sticking with Ezra Miller for The Flash. Test scores are in now and they're good. Really good. No Way Home good. Unless Miller goes full supervillain in the interim, it should be a proper summer tentpole movie like we haven't seen in years.

Rudy Raw & Phlocatalyst - Cosmic Nights Or if you prefer your beats with a shot of whisky... https://www.matteason.co.uk/scotbeats/ ...or you're doing a crime scene investigation... https://somafm.com/sf1033/ ...or if you want to feel a bit more spaced... https://somafm.com/missioncontrol/

Waking up this thread: if you've finished Sandman already, Netflix sorta-by-accident dropped the bonus episode early. It was supposed to be a treat for fans later in the year (Halloween or Christmas), but Still Watching got hold of the wrong preview clips. So...

Slight detour for one I'd like to play if it wasn't PS-only. Intensely stylish, pared-back visuals optimised for frame rate and smoothness, wears its movie inspirations on its sleeve. And the soundtrack, of course.

In the superhero justice system, the law is represented by two separate but equally important groups. The heroes, and the lawyers who deal with the collateral damage. Only one can be both. This is her story. (FX/GRAMS: DUN-DUN) So, Episode 1. For balance purposes: this episode was watched both by myself (Marvel fan), and my partner H (Marvel-tolerant, but devotee of Every Damn Lawyer Show Going. Not just for work purposes.) And now to the disclosure part of the case: Our verdict: great Marvelly bits so far: lawyer show has potential too, but we haven't seen enough of it yet. Some of it's a tiny bit too obvious, but they're playing for a show anyone can pick up and watch and it works. Also, felt like two or three too many loose threads that needed to be picked up later in the series, or another show, and might just get casually tossed aside: and no central plot core yet. Very much the cautious pilot episode, which seems odd when you know you've got a full series order. But so far, we very much like. EDIT: this just in - the end creds scene is 100% canon per Feige. And this guy.

Christopher Cross ft Michael McDonald - Ride Like The Wind Christopher Cross ft Michael McDonald* - Ride Like The Wind: Making Of *Rick Moranis

Knowing the fondness Filoni has for rezzing even the smallest of characters, he might do. The role of a just man in an evil organisation could fit with this kind of storyline rather well. (Thinking the Fatherland novel - haven't seen the Rutger Hauer version or the sadly short-lived SS-GB BBC series that... borrowed heavily from it.) BTW - odd but interesting bit of trivia. This series is a bit more expensive than Mando or Obi-Wan because they chose to go full live action and practical sets, not the Volume (aka StageCraft once you count the full suite in these days.) Filming in grim British quarries is a long and honoured sci-fi tradition, but even I think that's taking gritty realism a little too far...

Perturbator - Humans Are Such Easy Prey

Those two showing up or even cameoing would be awesome. (Mind you, I like Ocean's 11. Even Don Cheadle/Basher's accent, since it's fun trying to guess what the hell it's supposed to be. Awight?) I get the feeling it could be good or enjoyably terrible*, not unwatchably terrible, and right now I have zero idea which. Also - and please yell at me if this would be very very wrong... ...would anyone else be up for a Tiny Tina's Wonderlands movie? *For calibration purposes - enjoyably terrible: Flash Gordon (saved by Brian, Ornelia, Max & Queen), Xanadu (💓ONJ), Ishtar **Unwatchably terrible: the original Whalin/Wayans D&D movie, Jupiter Ascending (Eddie Redmayne's amazing scene-chewery aside), Cats, Nic Cage's Wicker Man (NOT THE BEES!!!).

Right. We may finally have an answer as to who the mysterious red-and-blue folks are. They're Imp- LUCASFILM PR: Whoah there honey, this isn't released till September. We have top men working security, how do you know? Er... just saw it on Twitter? LUCASFILM PR: Top... Men. Seen that movie too, and I've felt the fear induced by the Disney assassins. Stop the growling, it's out there now. LUCASFILM PR: We demand to know how you came by these plans.. LEGO PR: er... hej guys. Ve heård shøuting. Is something wrøng? Oh hi there. This you? LEGO PR: yes, this is right good, is it not? LUCASFILM PR: oh hell not you lot again DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THE WORD EMBARGO MEANS?? LEGO PR: Toy buyer deadlines are different - and vell, we just vild og crazy guys, ja? The set was first revealed - though not full details - in May at Celebration. The chase ship - a "Tac-Pod", which does look like a dinky Fiat 500 version of Imperial Assault craft - looks both mean and slightly pathetic. Doubling on that is the name of the Imp on board it, one Syril Karn. (I, for one, ain't scared of anyone called Cyril, mean frowny face or not.) However, we finally get an answer as to what the red-and-blue types are. Syril is listed as Deputy Inspector Karn - so Imperial police. We've not seen those around before in SW, but it does make sense in this new context. - Places that are occupied would have a metric ton of troops around, heavy visible presence, and military running the show. - Tatooine is theoretically Empire but a trade and tactical backwater, and pain in the backside. Give that s*** detail to a few unfortunates you don't like. - A place that's either fully annexed or willingly joined an Empire doesn't need occupation forces full time - they just need to keep on top of the daily rote of actual crime, keep a weather eye out for any signs of rebellion (which at this point are only bubbling under), and indulge in a little light corruption and profiteering on the side. Probably. Hence, cops. Hence, Gestapo-type storylines. However, I'd bet that if Cyril has chased our heroes off-world, he ain't gonna get much help from the proper Imps. Outfits like these like their hierarchies and entitlements. The only other thing this tells us is that Lucasfilm are charging more for the branding than before. This fairly small set is an eye-watering €70 - considering the vastly fancier anniversary edition Galaxy Explorer set I just got suckered into buying is only €100, t'would appear fans are not terribly happy.

One for all the budding film editors out there.

The Internet, yet again, is undefeated.

My nerdery is clearly not all-encompassing. Read this and thought when the hell did the Berenstain Bears take on the Xenomorphs? Would happily read that one to my great-nieces. And while the first flick was watchable for me (the less said about Requiem, the better), the AvP comics were better...

Funkytown - Lipps Inc Funkytown / I Feel Good - Lucky Chops NY (Live at Herald Square)

New clip released ahead of next week's launch. It's tiny, but I wish I hadn't watched this. (No, it's not bad, I think it's good, I just wish I hadn't known ahead of time). Feels like a weird choice for a preview clip/EPK release. So THE WHOLE THING is behind a spoiler. Also, if you don't want to know, stay off the Twitters or film sites until the show launch. For those who want to see...

The Band ft The Staples Singers - The Weight (Live @ The SF Winterland Ballroom/The Last Waltz)

Watchin' Out - The Split Decision Band

Rock Candy Funk Party - Octopus E

Redtenbacher's Funkestra - Theme From Diamond Tiger

Speedometer - Make It All Right

As I've said (way too many times) before: Disney is using D+ the right way. Sure, they're cashing in a fair bit, but they're using it to play around with new kinds of stories in their properties, in this less-risky environment, and see what flies. As they say in the article: whether the Space Wizards universe can handle this kind of intense storytelling - that requires more of the audience's belief and involvement... is a question. And one we won't be able to answer But a darn good question to ask.

...and more drinking. (Diet Dr Pepper under 18, diet beer over 18, mead for special occasions.) TBH I guess that's what they're aiming for - the spirit of fun, casual, slightly insane freeform gameplay with a bunch of Greatest Hits thrown in. Apparently, it's a Forgotten Realms based flick. But - again, thinking Lego Movie here - taking the core mechanics of the world and running with them rather than note-perfect accuracy. As long as they don't throw in cheese lines like "did your Charisma just fail you?" I'll be happy enough. (Or if they give those all to Hugh Grant.)