ThaOGDreamWeaver

EMF - Unbelievable

Jesus & Mary Chain - Just Like Honey

So, the Batch are back. Not much to speculate wildly about in this teaser, but that's not gonna stop us from trying. Omega looks slightly older: Palpatine tightening his grasp on the Empire: quite action-heavy. Getting a slight "A-Team... in Space" vibe, but maybe that was the idea all along. Thoughts?

Side note 1: I'm not sure if there's been a change at top management. But I think after what the Star Wars mods/PR had to deal with for Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran... ...they did not come to play this time. Yes, there have been death threats to Moses, and to Vivien Blair. Who is, incidentally, ten years old this week. As much as I've loved these movies since I first sat in a vast, dark shed on a ratty seat covered in substances that would probably get the place shut and/or thermited now, wondering why other kids were quaking at that weird but stylish dude who probably needed to lay off the smokes... ...and as much as I love (most of) the fandom, their creativity, passion, mildly unhinged encyclopedic knowledge and dedication... ...they are fictional movies set in a place and time so remote no-one could conceivably know the truth of them. And the choice of stories, actors, directors, whatever are fully up to Lucasfilm. Like them, dislike them, ignore them, rant if you wish, but do not threaten actors for something they didn't write - or writers for trying to take you new places you haven't seen before. Side note 2: GRRM also did an interview this week, where he's puzzled about the toxicity of certain bits of fandoms. Not least that he got slated for the Red Wedding, whereas Lucas killed off 20 billion at a stroke with Alderaan. Still, always good to have goals: and he's catching up. ...and probably be wrong about it. But that's half the fun for me too. Seriously, I've been overjoyed that this whole show took a massive Joysee left turn from where I thought it was going and I'm hoping to be wrong some more.

Preview of that first set in action:

Half of my names are camp to start with. Mind you, I for one am fully behind RuPaul's Drag Race - Paragon City. I mean, they've done everywhere else...

You ever get the feeling posting on The Internet should come with a health warning?

Re younglings:

Rumour mill is also grinding away about him. There have been multiple plotlines - possibly one within Obi-Wan as well - about younglings escaping the Temple during Order 66. He also has kindness ingrained in every part of him, and he's been around way too long to take that kind of malarkey lying down. While it's almost an easy-out on the writing front, I'm kinda hoping he took some work home with him. But there may be other reasons he'd be around... Also, re the Jimmy Smits comment - is he okay? I know he's 66 now - and while his acting was as gracious as ever, his physicality seemed... off. Not in a way that makes me think he's missing cues, in a rather too familiar way that makes me worry about him.

Without spoiling V's spoiler... that's just unfair to Hutts, frankly. They're not that bad. BTW - side note from SW Celebration. We shouldn't be expecting any of the Ghost crew from Rebels to rock up in Obi-Wan...

Quite possible. I think there may even be a bit of a tie-in... (Remember that games take a looong time to complete and ready* to deliver, so it may have been in the works as long as the series.) *the words "complete and ready" being relative and flexible terms for EA, but there ya go

I have been subjected to Arby's exactly once in my travels. It seemed like the right kind of place for scum of the system to have the meets.

As it's a quiet afternoon - appears my American colleagues have knocked off early for Memorial Weekend, or are bingeing all the content early - here goes Ep2... All in all... a very satisfying way to kick off the series, definitely throwing us plenty of twists already, and will happily be tuning in June 1st for Part 3. Also, I'm now aware that alleged spoilers/leaks are in circulation. Be aware that: (a) Reading the stories and "analysis" about these will probably reduce your enjoyment of the series, and/or your will to live (b) Lucasfilm and other companies, including Marvel and Bad Wolf (His Dark Materials and some Dr. Who episodes) have started deliberately seeding false internet leaks about upcoming content to throw trophy hunters off the scent (c) There are also plenty enough morons just making up shit for Fake Internet Points. Hence why I preface any of these threads I start with let the wild unfounded speculation begin - we can guess, we can conjecture based on canon and story threads and tropes, but we ain't gonna know what's true till we see it. Even if something was filmed and actual footage leaked, it might get cut for time/pace or a late rejig, or even be a deliberate decoy. (d) Many of the sites claiming to "analyse" said leaks are just regurgitating the kind of whining, political posturing, gatekeeping and thinly veiled sexism/racism that pollute the fandom. Let the writers write and actors act, FFS - enjoy where the the story goes for what it is.

So, this will be a day... long remembered... Thoughts so far (on Ep1):

Nice. I hadn't been thinking about the Ken Adams type sets, I'd been thinking war movie (Andor's town resembles your typical French hamlet as pastiched/cobbled together from different locations in the likes of Kelly's Heroes) and also a number of Rebels designs. The ultra-clean, white-on-white thing representing fascism - as seen in the conf room and the lab(?) early on is also very Lucas... Same goes for that Raft-like prison (or processing facility? Training base?) with the inmates shuffling along hamster-like corridors in white jumpsuits with orange stripes. As for the HoJoTroopers - which is probably going to stick as a name - no clue either. But as we know from history, and can see today... not everyone fights against incoming evil. Some choose not to see it. Many just shrug their shoulders, keep their heads down, get on as best they can. Some welcome it as a chance to take power, profit themselves, be somebody, settle scores. And others... well. You've probably seen this GIF'd a few times. Watch it through.

x Andor is two intertwined tales: Rogue One's doomed rebel on a path of self-redemption for unspecified things in his past: and Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly also returning) trying to kindle the political flame of rebellion in the Imperial Senate. Again, I'm intrigued that the Mouse is using D+ not just to expand a franchise - but play with the kind of stories they can tell. The genre they're going for is "dark spy thriller" - and it's certainly looking (and sounding) interesting from the trailer. Let the wild unfounded speculation begin - what do you lot think of this? Side note: if you have Closed Captions on - the dude playing the tune on the coffin is listed as The Time Grappler, which is an IMDB listing people would kill for. Presumably coming to a Comic-Con near you...

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - 41 Shots

Except in New Jersey, where what's blowing in the wind smells funny.

Not surprised. Aside from the fact that Marvel are a capricious bunch with licencing, a whole chunk of the tech sector is taking a battering right now share price wise, including the folks I work for (thanks, Elon...) Share prices shouldn't normally affect a business day to day - in our case, since we're profitable and can pay our own way, more or less. But if you've been borrowing against company equity as security, as many dotcoms do, or you have activist investors, suddenly people look a lot harder at risk, incoming and outgoings.

I have the strangest feeling it's a way from being 100% a comedy, and will go to darker places than Ragnarok. Especially the Mad Max:Beyond Thunderdome tribute at the start of the trailer from Korg (in past tense), the village fight that Jane gets mixed up in, and the odd flicks to very Bergmanesque B&W at 1:30 to 1:40 in the version you've linked to. I have a feeling Gorr wins, at least temporarily. But for a Marvel hero, death isn't ever the end... is it? Entering Valhalla proper together would be one hell of a stage exit for Hemsworth and Portman. I also think Gorr's going to get Melvined at some point, but that's just my inner teenager talking.

Rush - Spirit Of Radio

Queen - Dragon Attack

The James Last Orchestra - Silver Machine / Children Of The Revolution / School's Out

Slightly related note: Echo has got to the stage where they're releasing teaser production photos. So there's definitely room to build a Marvel Cinematic Hellskitchenverse. (Which is the same as a normal universe except more expensive and full of bearded craft beer nerds)