Fishing in the Discount Bin - Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters, and Marvels

Moving along on Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I watch a movie and blog about it.  I tend to work a few weeks ahead with this.  I watched this particular film near the end of November, and originally wrote this on December 1, 2018, when the death of Stan Lee was still recent.  So that's why I watched Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters, and Marvels.

Braving Winter Roads

Well, the Christmas holiday season is practically over, but there was still one thing I wanted to do that I hadn't had a chance to yet.  I wanted to go see a movie.  I wanted to go see Bumblebee.  I had set aside this weekend to do it!  I was ready to go!

But then it snowed all day Friday. 

Dang it.  Do I brave the snow-covered streets to venture into the city to catch a movie, or do I wait another weekend?  I feared to wait another weekend, because Bumblebee isn't doing so hot at the box office.  What if it's out of theatres by next weekend?  What is this poor old Transformers fan to do? 

I woke up on Saturday morning and checked the road reports.  The highway was currently listed in "fair" condition.  OK, that's pretty much typical winter driving conditions.  That's drivable.  But the last thing I wanted to do was navigate city streets in this weather.  So it seemed like it was finally time to check out the new Landmark Cinema in St. Albert. 

Landmark Cinemas is currently the second-largest movie theatre chain in Canada.  They're working hard to narrow the gap between themselves and the largest chain, Cineplex.  Their St. Albert theatre is coming up on its first anniversary, and when it opened up last spring, it was with much fanfare.  While Landmark already has a few theatres in Edmonton, they were all acquisitions.  But their St. Albert theatre is the first one in the greater Edmonton region that they built from the ground up...all according to their standards.  And it's ridiculously easy to get to, on the very northern edge of St. Albert.  When I drive south on Highway 2 to hit the city for the day, it is literally the first building I see when I hit St. Albert city limits.  I wouldn't have to navigate any city streets at all, just kiss the edge of town. 

Plus, I won some free Landmark movie passes at the office Christmas party.  I could see it for free! 

This plan was falling into place.  I can do this.  I have the touch.  I have the power. 

I set out late on Saturday morning.  I figured I'd give the snowplows more time to work their magic.  As expected, it was typical winter driving conditions.  There was enough road salt out there that it made the roads pretty wet.  Good thing I filled my tank with washer fluid before hitting the road.  And sure enough, I hit the first set of lights as soon as I hit St. Albert, and I was there.  I might finally start going to this theatre a whole lot more because of how ridiculously easy it is to get to.

I went into the lobby, and I was taken with how large and spacious it is.  Tables with USB charging ports, so you can check your phone while you wait.  The first strike against it, though.  The box office was closed, so they were making you buy your movie tickets at the concession.  Man, I hate this modern trend of reducing the number of cashiers.  Even worse when they start amalgamating positions.  Most grocery stores these days are doing away with their express lanes and making you go to the customer service desk instead.  Hell, the Giant Tiger here in Westlock only opens up a cashier when the line at the customer service desk is ten people deep.  You're not even replacing cashiers with self-checkouts anymore!  You're just hiring less cashiers and making them do the work of three.  Hate it hate it hate it.

Luckily, the concession/box office line was moving pretty quickly, so I got my ticket and my free popcorn and drink.  The drinks were pretty cool.  They have these Coke Freestyle machines.  You put your cup in, and hit the buttons on the touch screen to decide what you want.  You can even add your favourite flavoured syrups, so I went with a good ol' cherry Coke. 

Went to my theatre and found my seat.  Oh my God.  The seats are massive.  They're at least twice the size of typical a movie theatre seat.  And they're recliners.  The seats are full leather powered recliners.  With cup-holders.  It's pretty much Cineplex's VIP theatre experience, only at regular prices.  Oh, and no folding tray tables to put your snacks on.  But still!  The most comfy movie theatre seats I've had in a long time. 

Second strike, though.  With this big, comfy chairs, there's no place for me to put my coat.  In the old days, I'd just put my coat on the chair next to me.  But with reserved seating becoming more and more the norm, I don't want to do that, for fear of stealing someone's seat.  So lately, I've been folding up my coat and placing it under my chair.  But with big comfy leather recliners, there's no room under your chair.  So I wound up balling up my coat and leaving it on my lap.  This is Alberta, dude, where everyone at the movies in winter is coming in with a parka.  One feature I'd love to see them bring back to movie theatres is good ol' fashioned coat check, so you can hang up your coat.  Or at the very least, lockers in the lobby, so you can stuff your coat inside. 

Anyways, once the previews were done, I figured it'd be safe to literally put my feet up and not block the aisle.  And then I enjoyed Bumblebee. 

I really like Bumblebee.  Dear God, the opening 10 minutes, where we watch the fall of Cybertron and the Autobots fleeing to the stars is probably the closest we're ever going to get a CGI movie version of the classic cartoon.  I was crying tears of joy.  And you can tell that the director of this one, Travis Knight, must have grown up with Transformers, because Transformers Easter eggs were flying fast and furious. 

But it was more than just gratuitous fan service.  It's taken this long, but they finally realized that one of the best ways to make a good Transformers movie is:

a)  Actually develop the Transformers into characters we love and care about
b)  Make the human characters not annoying

Our heroine is Charlie Watson, played by Haillee Steinfeld.  She's still mourning the loss of her father, and resents the rest of her family for moving on so quickly.  On her 18th birthday, she gets her first car, a yellow Volkswagon Beetle, who quickly reveals himself to be Bumblebee.  Bumblebee's war wounds have damaged his memory, and together, these two damaged souls may just be able to heal each other.

Bumblebee is a much-needed breath of fresh air for this franchise, as some long-missing heart and soul is finally returned to the proceedings.  About my only quibble is the plot is highly reminiscent of The Iron Giant and E.T. so you kinda knew what was coming.  But I loved it.  3.5 out of 4 nibs.  Full review on the website. 

And did I mention I also saw Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse?  I don't think I ever got around to blogging about it.  But yeah, I saw it three weeks ago, right before Christmas vacation kicked into the high gear.  I also really loved Spider-Man.  I mean, I love animated films.  I love superhero films.  I think superheros and animation are a genre and a medium made for each other, so of course I was going to be there for a Spider-Man animated film. 

Much has been made by now of Spider-Man's animation style, and it is truly amazing.  It really does look like a comic book brought to life.  And the blending of animation styles, too.  Spider-Ham looks and moves like he stepped out of an old Looney Tunes short.  Peni Parker, our anime Spider-Girl, looks and moves like she stepped out of an Astro Boy rerun.  And the climax...wow.  The animation for the big climax almost gets psychedelic.  It just looks great. 

But it's more than just amazing animation.  There's some great character work here, as Mile Morales comes to grips with his spider bite and taking on the mantle of Spider-Man.  Luckily, there's a half-a-dozen other Spiders from across the multiverse to mentor him.  While Spider-Ham gets all the laughs in the trailers, the scene-stealer is Spider-Man Noir, a grim and gritty Spider-Man from a world of pulp fiction heroes, hilariously voiced by Nicholas Cage. 

The focus, though, remains firmly on Miles Morales and his hero's journey, as he tries to connect to his father.  It is a great film, and a wonderful addition to the Spider-Man film canon.  3 out of 4 nibs, full review on the website. 

And that should pretty much bring you up to speed on my all latest trips to the city.  There's probably one more in the days ahead, though, as I got a Cineplex gift card for Christmas and still wanna see Aquaman.  Hopefully the roads will be better next weekend for a much more conventional trip to the city. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Mickey's Christmas Carol

Welcome back to Fishing in the Discount Bin.  You know the routine by now.  I watch a movie and blog about it.  Simple as that.  Kinda missed last week because I was off on Christmas vacation, but I'm back now with a Christmas movie!  Here's my look at Mickey's Christmas Carol.  This is originally in my notes at November 4, 2018.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Here we go again, Fishing in the Discount Bin.  Watchin' movies and blogging about them, because we all need hobbies.  This time, doing the Disney animated classic The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.  This is originally in my notes at November 4, 2018.

Well,  Halloween has come and gone, and this past Halloween I was thinking, "Do you know what was on TV every Halloween when I was a kid, but I haven't seen in ages?  Disney's animated Sleep Hollow."  A couple of mouse clicks later, and I'd bought it on Amazon.  Gotta make that Prime membership pay for itself!

I don't think I'd ever seen it in its original theatrical exhibition, as part of the animated film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.  I tend to get my Amazon purchases delivered to work, because that's where I am whenever the courier comes around.  As such, I tend to force my co-workers to watch the unboxing.  As I was skipping around the office, showing off my purchases, one co-worker asked, "So why is it called The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad?  Is Mr. Toad the name of his horse?" 

And questions like that make me launch into Leonard Maltin mode.

*ahem*

Disney's animated film unit was just getting off the ground when World War II broke out.  As such, Disney found a lot of their resources being diverted to the war effort, be it animators getting drafted, or the remains of the animation department putting their resources on making training and propaganda films.  In order to keep the feature film unit alive, Walt Disney came up with the concept of "package films."  These animated features were several animated shorts released as a compilation.  We know such projects as anthology films today.  Most of these shorts were eventually released individually, and in fact, a lot of well-known Disney animated shorts came out of the package films.  Mickey and the Beanstalk comes from Fun and Fancy Free, Peter and the Wolf comes from Make Mine Music, and a personal favourite, Johnny Appleseed, comes from Melody Time.  The final of these package films was The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, released in 1949.  And then, in 1950, Disney returned to full-length feature films with Cinderella.  . 

End Leonard Maltin Mode.

So, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is actually two, half-hour long shorts.  The first one is an adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, and this is where we get Mr. Toad.  The beloved classic children's novel becomes quite the slapsticky adventure in the hands of Disney animators.  Our hero is Mr. Toad of Toad Hall, some classic old money.  His kind heart and fast-spending ways means he usually gets himself in quite a bit of trouble, both personally and financially.  Fortunately, he's got his friends Rat, Mole, and Badger to help reign him in.  Or, as Disney re-named them, Rat, Moley, and McBadger. 

The main plot is Mr. Toad becoming infatuated with this new invention called the motorcar, and he years to have one to go for a rip.  Sadly, his mania gets the better of him, and he soon finds himself on trial for stealing a car.  Rat, Moley, and McBadger soon learn that it was all a scam to swindle Toad out of his fortune and Toad Hall, and we're soon on a madcap chase to save Toad. 

All I can say is it's strange seeing such a manic interpretation of The Wind in the Willows.  I mean, my main exposure to The Wind in the Willows is the incredibly mellow stop-motion animated series out of the UK from the late-1980s.  YTV showed it a lot in the early 90s, and it was one of those things I'd sleep through while waiting for Ninja Turtles. 




Now, the Disney version.




So you can see, it was quite the jarring contrast.

And showing that Disney's love of celebrity voices goes back their early days, The Wind in the Willows was narrated by Basil Rathbone, who, at this point in cinematic history, was defining Sherlock Holmes on the big screen. 

But then we get to our second segment, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which was narrated by Bing Crosby.  Telling a friend about my purchase, he was telling me that, thanks to this, he forever associates Bing Crosby with Halloween and Boris Karloff with Christmas, when for most, it's the other way around.

For those who need the explanation, Bing Crosby's biggest hit was White Christmas, and Boris Karloff was one of cinema's first horror stars, having played Frankenstein's monster and the Mummy in the classic Universal horror films.  And later in his career, Karloff was the narrator of the classic Christmas special, the animated adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. 

Anyway, I'm sure we're all familiar with the tale.  In the early days of American independence, in the small New York town of Sleepy Hollow, a new schoolmaster comes to town by the name of Ichabod Crane.  He's a gangling and awkward sort, which soon makes him a target of the town's good ol' boy Brom Bones.  The way Brom Bones is portrayed, he could quite easily be a distant cousin of Gaston's, but not quite as malicious. 

Despite his awkward mannerisms, Ichabod Crane soon proves himself to be utterly charming and a smooth talker, making him the town's ladies' man.  And it's not long before Crane and Bones are competing for the hand of Katrina van Tassel, the wealthy daughter of the local land baron.  Things come to a head at the social event of the season...the van Tassel's Halloween ball.  it appears as though Crane has all but secured that heart of Katrina, when Bones hatches his plot.

Knowing that Crane is a superstitious sort, Bones entertains the crowd with his tale of the Headless Horseman that roams the woods, looking for a head to replace his own.  This tale scares Crane out of his mind, and on his moonlit ride home, he begins imagining various ghosts and goblins in the woods...until the very real Headless Horseman shows up, leading into the very memorable chase scene that caps the tale. 

Was Ichabod Crane spirited away by the Headless Horseman, or was the Horseman Bones in disguise, running Crane out of town?  The world may never know, but it sure makes for one hell of an entertaining chase scene, which still holds up to this very day. 

For it's life outside this film, Disney's animated version of Sleepy Hollow became a mainstay of many a Halloween episode of The Wonderful World of Disney, and Disney-produced Halloween specials.  It doesn't get much airtime anymore, mainly because something so frightening doesn't mesh with Disney's carefully cultivated family-friendly image anymore. 

All I know is its still as thrilling as the first time I saw it when I was a kid.  Great stuff.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Ant-Man and the Wasp

Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin.  I watch a movie and blog about it.  You know the drill by now.  Today, I'm doing Ant-Man and the Wasp.  This is originally in my notes at November 1, 2018.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin.  I watch a movie, I blog about it.  Just like that.  Today, I'm watching Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.  This is originally in my notes at September 30, 2018.

News from MarkWorld: December 2018

Once again, I am blogging my annual Christmas card letter, for those who have drifted away from me, wondering whatever happened to me, and googling my name some night.

Hello there!

Mark Cappis here, with another holiday form letter about how my 2018 was.

Things are still pretty much static for me.  I’m still up in Westlock, still pluggin’ away in the newsroom of Real Country 97.9.  If you read the financial pages, then you’ll know that we were bought out by a company called Stingray a month or so ago.  It hasn’t led to any big changes for those of us in the small markets yet, so it’s still the same great station.

The key word for me in 2018 was “health.”  Back in the spring, I finally caved to my mother’s wishes and got a full medical check-up.  The doctor’s exact words were that I’m in the “grey zone” for diabetes.  High blood sugar and a history in the family put me at a high risk for developing it.  So, I’ve been keeping a closer watch on what I eat and getting out and exercising more.  At my last follow up, doctor says I’m down 14 pounds, which is good.  I’ve got no real weight loss goals, but it’d be nice to fit into an XL T-shirt again. 

And that’s all I really have to say, that you probably haven’t read already across the social media platforms.  Hey, I’ve been blogging since before the word “blogging” entered the lexicon, so a quick Google search can always catch up on what’s new with me.

I really don’t know how to end this letter this year.  Normally, I’d do it by mentioning how I’m counting down the minutes to the next Star Wars movie, but this year’s Star Wars movie came out back in May.  (And I really dug Solo: A Star Wars Story for what it’s worth.)  So...how about that Aquaman?  Aquaman sure looks good.

Yeah.  Just not the same. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Solo: A Star Wars Story

Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin, as I blog about the movies I watch because I really have nothing better to do.  This time out, we're taking a look at Solo: A Star Wars Story.  This is originally in my notes at September 30, 2018.

The Holiday Season Begins

I need a new computer.

It's something that's been top of mind for a while now.  I'm currently writing this on a 10-year old PC that's still running on Windows Vista.  That was to be my big purchase for 2018, but then life got in the way.  I think for my next computer, I'll go back to a laptop.  I miss the portability of a laptop.  This blog took a real nosedive in frequency when I moved into a two-bedroom apartment and set up my computer in bedroom #2.  I used to get so much blogging done just plucking away at the keyboard while watching TV.  With a laptop, I can set it up on the coffee table and go back to just plucking away.

Which is why I've got a real backlog of blogging to do, which I've been putting off this whole week.  I had some unused vacation time that the company wanted me to use up by the end of the year, and one of the best uses I've discovered is to take the last week in November off, and just focus on getting all your Christmas prep done that week.  This is the third year I've done it now, and trust me, it makes for a much more relaxing December.

The stores!  Oh, the stores were so good.  There's hardly any crowds right now.  The clerks and customers are still full of Christmas cheer.  It's hasn't withered away to holiday stress yet.  Getting the Christmas shopping done was almost a peaceful experience.  Of course, the peace is now starting to give way to the anxiety that I've gotten my friends and families something wrong for Christmas. 

Of course, though, being out and about so much means my attempts at eating healthier took a hit, but I still tried my best.  While perusing the food court in West Edmonton Mall, I finally gave Freshii a try.  Freshii always seemed to be the definitive health food fast food place, as their menu items on display are always kale this and keto that.  Then I saw that they had rice bowls.  I like rice bowls.  I don't know why I don't make them at home.  Just take a bowl of rice and put all your favourite tasty things on top.  So I sampled Freshii's Teriyaki Twist and it was quite good. 

I also tried the Chopped Leaf.  Another newer fast casual chain popping up in your favourite power centres.  This one specializes in salads.  I'd only tried it once before, about a year ago, and again, they make a good salad.  One of their specials right now is a salad called the El Rancho, and again, quite good. 

And with the holiday season upon us, that means the holiday blockbusters are starting to filter into theatres.  Always being a lover of Disney animation, I decided to take in Ralph Breaks the Internet.  Now, when Wreck-It Ralph came out a few years ago, I was reluctant to see it.  I'd never been much of a gamer, and the commercials were really making it out to be "Video Game Nostalgia: The Movie."  Positive reviews brought me around, though, so I went to check it out, and greatly enjoyed it.  Now, I see many have had similar reservations about the sequel, and I will admit, a lot of the commercials do give it a "Internet Company Product Placement: The Movie" vibe, like The Emoji Movie.  But again, I'm pleasantly surprised at how emotional and heart-warming it is.

It's been a few years since the first film.  Wreck-It Ralph is living his best life.  He loves the day-to-day routine of the arcade.  But not so with his friend Vanellope.  In true Disney princess fashion, she's starting to yearn for something more.  Tragedy strikes when Vanellope's game Sugar Rush is damaged, and it looks like the game is going to be scrapped.  But, Ralph and Vanellope overhear a couple of arcade patrons say that they can get a replacement part on the Internet from some place called "eBay."  And wouldn't you know it, the arcade just got WiFi!  So, Ralph and Vanellope head to the Internet to save Vanellope's game!  On their quest, though, Vanellope finds an online racing game called Slaughter Race, and it's everything she's ever dreamed of.  Will Ralph be secure enough to let go of her friend so she can find what she's looking for? 

I loved it.  It's equally as heartwarming as the first.  And not to fear, all the Internet company product placement doesn't dominate the script.  As always, the voice work is great.  Gal Gadot is Shank, the lead racer in Slaughter Race and Vanellope's new BFF, and she does a great job.  And stay for the end credits, because it has what I think are the funniest post-credit stingers in a long time. 

My only complaint is it does seem to drag a bit.  It feels like it has one ending too many.  You reach a point in the film where it just keeps going and you start thinking, "OK.  I get the message." 

Ralph Breaks the Internet is easily as good as the first film.  Three out of four nibs.  Full review on the website.  

And man, I've got a lot of movies to catch up on.  This past week, I grabbed Miracle on 34th Street and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on Blu-Ray.  I used to question the logic of buying Christmas movies on home media.  I mean, the one time of year you want to watch it is the one time of year it's on TV non-stop.  But, as I've finally learned in my old age, even when you've got 100+ channels, it won't be on during that one opportunity you have to watch it.  And the streaming services don't have your back.  Hell, last year, Netflix issued a public apology for not having Home Alone.  So home media becomes your best option. 

This has been a bad month for buying Blu-Rays...especially impulse buying on Amazon.  It all started about a month ago.  With Halloween on the horizon, I thought, "Hey, do you know what was on TV constantly when I was a kid, but I haven't seen in ages?  Disney's animated Sleepy Hollow."  So, with a couple of clicks, I ordered The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.  And alongside that, I also bought Mickey's Christmas Carol.  That's another reason for buying Christmas movies on home media...especially the animated TV specials.  They've been edited so much over the years to squeeze in more commercials, that buying them on home media is the only way to watch them uncut. 

And then I got the alert that a couple of Doctor Who Blu-Rays I'd had my eye on were marked down to $10 each, so clickity-click, and another Amazon package.  Then the Criterion edition of The Princess Bride went on sale, and I saw the new Shout! Select release of City Slickers and thought, "I want this."  BOOM!  Another package from Amazon.  And that's just what I bought online.  In addition to snatching up those Christmas movies, I also bought up Incredibles 2 and The Pixar Short Film Colleciton Vol. 3 while out Christmas shopping. 

Buying so many movies, it's no wonder I can't afford a new computer.  Oh, well.  We'll see what 2019 brings.  I'll have to do what I did when I finally upgraded my smartphone two years ago:  just suck it up and start using this thing called "debt." 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Deadpool 2

Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin.  I watch the movie, I blog about the movie.  It's just that simple.  Today, let's take a look at Deadpool 2.  This was originally in my notes at September 2, 2018.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Avengers: Infinity War

Here we go again, on Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I watch a movie and blog about it.  Quick heads up, I had a brain fart last week and forgot to share the link to last week's entry, The Fisher King, on social media.  So give that one a read, if you haven't already.  And now, on to Avengers: Infinity War.  This is originally in my notes at August 26, 2018.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Fisher King

Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin.  Watchin' movies and bloggin' about them, because I launched my blog in 1999, darn it, and I'm going to keep providing content for it until the day I die!  Today we do The Fisher King.  This is originally in my notes at August 5, 2018.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Ready Player One

Here we go again, Fishing in the Discount Bin.   You know the drill, I watch a movie and blog about.  "Just rant about why you like it," was how a friend told me I should do it.  Today we're doing Ready Player One, which I originally watched and blogged about on August 5, 2018.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Transformers

Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin.  Watching movies and blogging about them.  What more could one ask for?  Today, we do Transformers.  This is in my notes at June 10, 2018.

All The Times I've Bought Star Wars: Episode X -- The Disney Era

Many years ago, I wrote a series of blog entries entitled All The Times I've Bought Star Wars, which details, well, all the times I've bought Star Wars on home media.  I figured it was finally time to add a couple new chapters, focusing on the Blu-Rays, and this new Disney era.  So here we go now with the Disney era.  

It was on a chilly autumn day in 2012.  I was just lounging at home, after work, watching some mindless daytime television, when my computer beeped with a Facebook message.  I took a look to see it was from a work contact.  The message read, “Disney just bought Star Wars.  Episode VII in 2015.”

I began googling in earnest, and soon learned the complete details.  Yup, George Lucas had decided to retire, and sold his company Lucasfilm to Disney for around $4 billion.  Legendary producer Kathleen Kennedy had just been hired on as the new president of Lucasfilm.  The crown jewel in the Lucasfilm empire is, of course, Star Wars, and Disney announced their first Lucasfilm production would be Episode VII in 2015.  

I whipped out my phone and texted the news to my best friend and huge Star Wars fan.  “Disney just bought Star Wars.  Episode VII in 2015.” 

And we are now in the midst of the new Disney era of Star Wars.  Of course, Disney made some controversial moves in the beginning.  Right away, they canceled the beloved animated series The Clone Wars to make way for their new animated TV productions.  But, they are starting to come around, as The Clone Wars will soon be coming back for a final, loose-end-tying-up season.  

Fishing in the Discount Bin - The Mask

Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I watch a movie and blog about it.  Today, I'm re-watching the 1994 epic The Mask.  This is originally in my notes at May 21, 2018.

All The Times I've Bought Star Wars: Episode IX -- It's New, It's Blu

Many many years ago, I wrote a series of blog entries entitled All The Times I Bought Star Wars.  The title is pretty self-explanatory.  I went through my closet and DVD shelf and chronicled...well, all the times I bought Star Wars.  I ended with the cryptic message that Star Wars would probably be soon released on Blu-Ray, and I could probably write another chapter about buying it on the format.

I’ve got the official Star Wars app on my smartphone, and one feature on it that I enjoy is “On This Day in Star Wars History.”  It showed up in the app not too long ago that we’ve just passed the seventh anniversary of the Star Wars Blu-Ray release.  A few days later, it showed up in my Facebook memories that it was the seventh anniversary of the courier delivering it to me from Amazon.  So with all that popping up in my social media feeds, I figured it was finally time to go back and add that new chapter.  Hell, as we’re currently in the Disney era of Star Wars, I could probably even add a second chapter about buying the new films.  

So let’s get to it, shall we?

Just Another Trip to the City

Well, holiday blockbuster season is about to ramp up, and that means trips to the city are probably about to become more frequent, as I head in to see the latest crop of superhero films.  As was the case this past Saturday, when I popped into town to see Venom.

I'd been hearing tales of a Venom movie ever since the Internet was new, and of course, the question always was, "How can you do a Venom movie without Spider-Man?"  The short version, for those not comic-savvy, Venom is pretty much the evil twin of Spider-Man.  Then, when he started becoming popular, he switched to the side of the angels and became a hero...the darker, more violent version of Spider-Man.  So, for years, the fans have said that the best way to do a Venom movie is, you'd have to introduce him in a Spider-Man film as the villain.  But, that's not what they did. 

Eddie Brock is on top of the world.  He's a much beloved cable news investigative reporter, engaged to be married.  But then, he goes to far in an interview with billionaire industrialist Carlton Drake, and Brock loses it all.  A few months later, when Brock is at rock bottom, he's contacted by one of Drake's top scientists.  Turns out one of Drake's space probes came back with alien life...symbiots, that require a human host to live.  And Drake's raking up quite the body count looking for suitable hosts.  Brock goes into Drake's lab to investigate, and winds up bonding with one of the symbiots.  Calling itself Venom, Brock and Venom soon form an uneasy alliance to take down Drake and stop a forthcoming invasion of symbiots. 

I will admit it, the film was a lot more lighthearted than I expected.  Brock and Venom get a kind of buddy cop thing going, and their banter is hilarious.  Venom is quick to violence, and despite being a bad-ass reporter, Brock is deeply apologetic when trying to reign in Venom.  Some great physical comedy, too. 

That being said, it really offers nothing new in the way of superhero films.  The plot is pretty cookie-cutter.  Venom's sudden love of humanity and decision to help Brock save the world seems pretty abrupt.  And when your hero and villain can both turn into CGI blobs, the climactic battle turns into one big blobby mess. 

But I came out of the theatre smiling.  I liked it.  3 out of 4 Nibs.  Full review on the website.

Other than that, not much more to write home about.  I needed underwear, so I bought some.  Found pants in my size on sale, so I bought some.  I need shirts, too, but I couldn't find any.  3XL used to be such a common size when I ballooned to it a few years ago, but now, it seems to be sold out wherever I go.  Oh, well.  Another reason to lose weight, just so I can start buying clothes again.

When I got home and wrote up my Venom review for the website, I tossed Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom into the Blu-Ray player.  I caught a bit of it on TV as part of a Thanksgiving marathon a week ago, and I'd been wanting to revisit the whole thing.  I really wish Steven Spielberg and George Lucas would quit apologizing for it.  For years, they've apologized for how dark it is and how different it is from the other Indiana Jones films, but you know what?  I love it.  It came out when I was seven years old, and it was my first entrance into the world of Indiana Jones.

Man, I remember watching the "making of" TV special back in the day.  To film the famous mine car chase, they actually modified a regular 35mm still camera to hold movie film so they could fit it to a car and have it chase the models through their set.  When they had the Indiana Jones exhibit at Telus World of Science a few years ago, they actually had one of the mine car models used for filming that chase.  Very cool. 

In fact, the very first comic book I owned was the comic book adaptation of Temple of Doom.  I had issues 2 and 3 of Marvel's three-issue mini-series.  Not until I finally rented it on VHS a couple years later did I get to see how the movie begins. 

And that led me down a rabbit hole of comic book adaptations of popular films.  Around the same time I had the Temple of Doom comic book adaptation, I also had the one for The Muppets Take Manhattan.  Somewhere, back home in storage, I still have the comic book adaptations of The Transformers: The Movie and the first two live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films. 

I wonder if comic book adaptations are still a thing.  I think the Star Wars films still get them.  And with all the superhero films these days, a comic book adaptation would be the easiest, most obvious piece of tie-in merch.  I'd got to my old comic book store in West Edmonton Mall - Comic King - but I think it's not there anymore.  The West Edmonton Mall casino is in the same part of the mall, and the casino recently claimed all that space to expand.  I still remember that store's original name -- Graphic Fantasy. 

And, that was that.  My latest day in the city.  Just a quick trip in and out.  Really, not much to write home about. 

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Black Panther

And here we are again, it's Fishing in the Discount Bin.  I watch a movie and blog about it.  Just that simple.  Today, we're looking at one of the biggest films of 2018, Black Panther.  This was originally in my notes at May 20, 2018.

Fishing in the Discount Bin - Ghost World

Here we go again on Fishing in the Discount Bin, where I watch a movie and blog about it.  I think you've figured out the formula by now.  This time out, we're watching the 2001 indie classic Ghost World.  This is in my notes at May 20, 2018.