Michael Hopcroft

That was how I came in too. And I was probably better off for it. I wasn't thinking about comic book superheroes at all, but was concentrating on a story that almost transcended its superhero roots and characters who were fascinating as characters as opposed to sets of powers. Notice that we very rarely talk about batles or superpowers as we discuss this film -- and we're on a gaming board?

Thank God that CNN dropped user comments from their web interface, because this could have gotten incredibly nasty:
 
Mariah Carey had to hold out for 17 years to discuss her Bipolar II diagnosis due to the stigma attached. However you feel about her as an artist (I envy the strength and range of her voice), the stigma associated with mental illness is a horrible cross to bear, and one I have borne most of my life. So this article spoke to me.

One of the owners shows a rare display of conscience and says "I can pay for my own stadium, thanks."

Binge watched the final season of Bosch on HBO. If you enjoy top quality acting, drama, excellent plotting, and great character development, I recommend it. A very excellent police procedural.
 
I'm also more than half way through Swiss Family Robinson, as something going on in the background while I clean the house and do laundry, etc. It is basically the kind of show that would have been must see family TV in some earlier era, so while more diverse and better special effects, the writing feels like something from the late '70s.
 
Isle of Dogs was both genius, and tone deaf in some ways. Really enjoyed it, absolutely beautiful craftsmanship, but in this day and age, you got to wonder about the cultural representation bit.
 
And Quantum of Solace is my second favorite Bond, after Casino Royale, in that it is basically the second half of that movie. It has the most brutal killing by Bond ever portrayed on film, and manages the exotic, remote set-piece final battle in a way that felt almost believable. What it lacked was any real interpersonal connections whatsoever, being a highly internal revenge flick that only makes sense, emotionally, if you have just watched Casino Royale. The villain basically being a faceless organization of the super-rich, also kept them from being emotionally engaging... with the cathartic moment at the end being again tied to events in Casino. Watch them back to back, and it is an excellent, bleak, violent revenge chapter.

http://comicsalliance.com/all-star-superman-world-suicide-prevention-day/
 
http://renegadecinema.com/10235/superman-saves-suicidal-girl

How many of those children would go on to perish in the bloody fields of France, Belgium, and the Eastern Front a scant 14 years later? Tragic.

On another board, I [posited that Spider-Man's powers were not how his problems were solved. They exist to get him into trouble that he needed his wits to get out of. And also to highlight the jumble of emotions, fears, and questions that is Peter Parker. After the first Tobey Maguire movie, I referred to the character as "The Hamlet of superheroes" to my mother who saw it with me. (I love seeing movies with my mother, because we have the most interesting discussions afterwards.) I'm waiting for the superhero analogy to King Lear....

On another board, I [posited that Spider-Man's powers were not how his problems were solved. They exist to get him into trouble that he needed his wits to get out of. And also to highlight the jumble of emotions, fears, and questions that is Peter Parker. After the first Tobey Maguire movie, I referred to the character as "The Hamlet of superheroes" to my mother who saw it with me. (I love seeing movies with my mother, because we have the most interesting discussions afterwards.) I'm waiting for the superhero analogy to King Lear....

Saw it this evening for the first time.  Enjoyed it.  Completely unfamiliar with the characters and story prior to watching the movie, I admit.

His burning of the sacred herbs certainly looked like a "No kings after me!" moment.
 
In a way Killmonger reminds me of Magneto. For all his advocacy of a cause that's selfless in principle -- and which he's convinced himself he believes in -- it's really all about him, his ego and his pain.

Your smartphone's ringtone has been changer to the 78rpm version of "Bananaphone", and you can't change it back.

Andre the Giant staged a comeback, only to lose his first match to Cary Elwes.
 
NT: More subtle signs the manager of the New York Yankees is out of his mind.

A different Phantom's Theme:
 
 

Q: Where should God bless and keep Vladimir Putin?
 
A: The dog, the cat, and the parrot all want to know where you keep your guns.

Look at this way.  At least it isn't football.  "Chronic" is generally better than "debilitating".

If an expansion team can be a favorite to win the conference, anything can happen!

And Daniel and Henrik Sedin have announced their retirement.
 
Top-line stalwarts in Vancouver for many years, they apparently decided to retire as Canucks rather than go elsewhere in search of a Cup. It's been 18 years since the twins from Sweden were drafted back-to-back by the Canucks (a feat which took some doing on the trade market) and they have been linemates ever since, with Daniel at center and Henrik on the wing.

I found Kubo and the Two Strings beautiful to look at and quite moving. A wonderful evocation of the folklore from a non-Western culture, to tell a deeply personal story with a universal message. It stayed with me a long time after I left the theater.

Q: Why is Mary Marvel's dress charcoal grey?
 
A: I wouldn't buy that for a dollar, but I'd certainly rent it.

Perhaps you fine folks here haven't heard about it, but the tiny football club Östersund beat Arsenal on Arsenal's home turf. 1-2 in the second match in R32 in the Europa League. Too bad Östersund lost 4-2 on aggregate, but one can't have everything. 

Killmonger is one of those villains who's "so right he's wrong" -- he sees a genuine problem (massive oppression of a particular class of people) and seeks to apply a terrible solution (ignite a global race war that would kill billions and leave the planet in ruins). In a sense he's reminiscent of Magneto, with his response to the hatred of mutants -- putting him in elite company among Marvel villains.
 

You could probably make a thoughtful, intelligent miniseries about the destruction of Krypton from the perspective of those who, whether by choice or accident, were left behind to die.
 
It doesn't look like this will be it....
 
On reflection, how likely is it that the rest of Krypton's vast and experienced scientific community, who all had access to the same data Jor-El had, would have come to a different conclusion. Perhaps they chose to keep it quiet and shut up Jor-El out of fatalism rather than skepticism. They knew the end was coming, and were preparing for death rather than clutching at vague straws of false hope. And there are, in the SUperman canon, several groups of Kryptonians who did in fact manage to escape the planet (the community from which Supergirl emerged is a prime example_).
 
There's a new Hulu series I want to watch that explored a very similar concept about the inevitable end of a doomed Earth. I believe it's called Dark Sun.

Despite the anime stylings, this is American.
 
 
 
A little context: this is the cast of RWBY doing cute comedy bits. I'm not as into RWBY as I probably could be, but I'm into this.

"Hail to the Chief" will be replaced at all public functions by "The Liberty Bell March".