Browsing: Question Of The Day

With Star Wars day approaching, I’m reminded of one of the bizarre bits of Star Wars lore that nobody likes to talk about: The fact that Yoda only trains Luke in the ways of the Jedi for about a day and half, at most.  Of course, after his immediate conversion to the ways of the Force in ‘Star Wars’, one could make the case that Luke was a natural force-user (Let’s please not discuss Midichlorians because of all the unpleasant implications), or that Yoda in his dotage was an excellent tutor, but it does make one wonder if the majority…

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This week, as our own Editor-In-Chief Stephen has been expecting for months, Disney made the announcement that Star Wars Episode VII and following material will be abandoning the existing post-ROTJ continuity.  As a fan of the much-retconned Legion of Super-Heroes, I can empathize with those who are upset by this announcement, but there is an upside as well.  The change in outlook means that Chewbacca’s demise in ‘Vector Prime’ is no longer set in stone, nor will we have to choose which post-Jedi continuity we believe to be correct.  (Heck, if we’re lucky, it’ll mean that the Holiday Special gets…

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As all good meta-nerds are supposed to, I love me some Venture Bros.  Even though the series is created at a frustratingly glacial pace, the wait between seasons has so far been overcome by the quality of the material, and even the most minor characters have a life and charisma all their own.  That said, I’d love to see a series centered on the domestic life of The Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, attempting to balance their day-to-day life of super-villainy with block parties and PTA meetings, especially one where no one actually acknowledges that they’re always in their…

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As a child born in 1970, I grew up in a culture that has become more and more media-saturated, and has recently come to define itself by asking “Who remembers the thing that holds your 45 RPM records in place?”  We’ve also grown up in a world where there was always a live, late-night comedy program whose value is in the eye of the beholder (but will still somehow never be as good as it used to be) and for me, it’s not the weekend without ‘Saturday Night Live’.  For one thing, it’s my only window to young Zach’s taste…

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There are a lot of great stories in the various worlds of fiction, but few are as consistently funny (albeit vulgar) and mind-screwy as the 1974 Mel Brooks classic ‘Blazing Saddles’.  Endlessly quotable, audacious in its desire to offend every single person and demographic group it can, but still charismatic and endearing, the movie also features one of the greatest duos in movie history in the form of Sheriff Bart and The Waco Kid.  Their introductory “Are we awake?”, “We’re not sure… Are we black?” exchange sets the tone for a perfect partnership that triumphs over not only prejudice, wickedness…

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Upon reading ‘Original Sin #0’, this week’s Dueling Review comic, I found myself annoyed that Marvel had decided to give Uatu the Watcher, of all people, a driven-by-the-loss-of-a-parent Batman origin (although, to be fair, bits of the story presented had already been told in ‘Strange Tales’ years ago.)  As the impassive recorder of all that happens in the Marvel Multiverse, I was perfectly happy with Uatu being a distant, mysterious alien creature whose motives and feelings were generally unknown, as long as one doesn’t count the 400 or so times he’s interfered in Earth matters.  Of course, given that recent…

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I admit it: When it comes to movies, TV and comics, I’m more gourmand than gourmet.  There are a lot of fair-to-middlin’ things that I love with a passion, and for a time around the turn of the century, the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ reboot/remake was on that list.  (I am only a bit chagrined to admit that I was once a subscriber to ‘Maxim’, and even enjoyed it before it disappeared entirely up the hindquarters of the nascent DudeBro Culture.)  Recently, I caught a rerun of the movie on cable, marveling at bullet-time action, massive explosions, gratuitous use of Blur’s ‘Song…

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For all the vitriol aimed at the David E. Kelley 2011 Wonder Woman pilot, I have to admit it would be pretty awesome to have seen the Amazing Amazon in her own weekly adventures.  Kelley’s show had a few problems (miscasting of the primary role being one of the largest, second only to a misunderstanding of the central character) that kept it from being a success, but a new Wonder Woman show is something I’d be on board for, as much as I’d like to see the live-action adventures of Moon Knight, the Teen Titans or Nexus.  (Assuming we can…

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The internet has been ablaze this week preparing for today, as it’s not only Easter Sunday, not only the middle of Passover (Didja remember to sell all your chametz?), but also a holiday with which I was previously unfamiliar called “420”.  (Judging from the pictures I’ve seen online, I think it’s a celebration of Popeye’s birthday, celebrated by seeing who can grow the tallest spinach plants?  Bygones…)  The intersection of these various celebrations has led to an agglomeration of traditionall ceremonies, as well as a general scarcity of chocolate eggs, matzoh and Fritos.  For my part, while I enjoy the…

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Ever since the storyline that led to Doctor Octopus’ mind taking over the body of Peter Parker, some folks have been snarking that “We all know it has to end before the next Spider-Man movie.”  On the one hand, the sentiment is at least partially true, but on the other, it’s dishearteningly harsh, and seems designed to undermine everyone’s enjoyment of the stories being told.  The journey, it is said, is as important as the destination (sometimes more so) and the quality of the story-arc made ‘Superior’ as interesting a run as the ol Web-Head has had in a couple…

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Stephen and I have, once or twice on our various podcasts, referred to the Scooby-Doo cartoons, and the fact that there is a point where you can safely stop watching them because they’re not good anymore.  We argue about WHERE that point is, mind you, but we both agree that by the time Scrappy Doo is in the cast, you can walk away without fear.  The idea of adding a new character to “freshen up” a show, specifically a young character, is as old as stories themselves (notably, Sir Lancelot was added to the stories of the round table by…

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This week’s Major Spoilers Poll of the Week (WeekWeekWeekWeek) got me to thinking about Star Trek, specifically the old debate about whether Kirk’s ‘Cowboy Diplomacy’ is superior to Picard’s more discourse-based method of operations.  Twenty-five years removed from Next Generation, the Picard character actually has a lot in common with Kirk, and even deals with his baldness in a more mature manner, but the age-old nerd question of Kirk Vs. Picard still has the same answer for me.  (No, I’m not telling.)  But, each Captain has his own thing going on, his own awesome ship and skilled crew, and each…

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It’s an overworked cliché that every region has their own nomenclature for flavored, carbonated drinks, be it soda, pop, or even just a generic “coke.”  No matter what you call it, though, it’s surprising how vehement opinions on matters of taste are.  Lately, I’ve discovered a preference for Diet Pepsi to that of Diet Coke, a development that I find a bit disconcerting, as I’ve had a lot of conversations with people who feel perhaps TOO strongly about the superiority of their favorite brand.  (There are also those who believe that diet soda is the devil, but it is the…

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It was pointed out to me recently that it had been two decades since Brandon Lee, star of ‘The Crow’, had died in an on-set accident during the production of that movie, a revelation that knocked me back a couple of metaphorical steps.  1994, after all, seems like not so very long ago, a time when I had a crappy red car, acted like a teenage idiot and was dating a nice young lady from Topeka.  Now, I have a slightly less crappy car of a more mature “Merlot” color, act like a slightly more seasoned teenage idiot, and have…

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