Page 7

The Road to Justice League’s Snyder Cut, AND A Review

A few years ago, Zack Snyder was tasked with making two Justice League movies, a year apart. This was to be in the vein of Marvel’s Infinity War and Endgame, as far as a huge one-two punch at the box office with the biggest heroes around.

Snyder completed pretty much all the principle filming on the first film, just needing to get the rest of the post production done, including effects.

But there were two obstacles to the finished product. One was tragic.

The executives at Warner bros. were, at this time, some of the weakest, sniveling worms ever to infest a backlot. Any time a DC superhero film didn’t meet the expectations of one of their bean counters, they’d hike up their petticoats and rethink the schedule for years to come. Mind you, the box office could have been impressive, but it wasn’t reaching the heights of the corresponding Marvel films, so, in their minds: FAIL.

Also, Zack Snyder’s version of a mopey, dark, “real world” Superman in Amanda of Steel put off a lot of fans. This also made the Warner execs nervous. Even though Snyder was supposed to be the master planner and architect of the DCCU, his dark, grim … everything was giving Warner pause. Their confidence in Zack was starting to get shaky. But again, it was the Warner execs who welcomed Zack with open arms on the recommendation of Chris Nolan, fresh off giving us the Dark Knight trilogy.

Sadly, it was around this time that Snyder’s daughter, Autumn, committed suicide.

Having come so far on the film, Zack decided to work through the pain and finish the movie. The final running time was going to be over three hours. Warner asked him to get it closer to two and a half hours. He did. *Then* they asked him to get it down under two hours, effectively cutting half the existing film. It was at this point, Snyder bowed out. Relentless, brainless interference from the studio making him decide to leave or him just deciding it was time to go home? We can’t know for sure, but what Warner execs did next was interesting.

They hired Joss Whedon to come in and finish the film. Whedon had performed brilliantly bringing the Avengers to the big screen, and was responsible for a 1.5 billion dollar box office bonanza for Marvel. So who better to bring in to save the Justice League? It certainly seemed reasonable on paper. There was also a mandate that Whedon should lighten things up a bit, not have everything be so dark.

Well, we didn’t really hear too much until well after the fact but I don’t believe it was a happy set for anyone. A lot of the stars were well on board with Snyder’s vision, so Warner plopping Whedon down in the middle of everything with orders to change it all probably didn’t go over well. Ray Fisher (Cyborg) was extremely unhappy that so much of his backstory was cut, and would later come out publicly regarding allegations of on set abuse against Whedon and co-producer Geoff Johns. Unhappy set.

The biggest, stupidest obstacle of all was Henry Cavill’s mustache that he grew for the latest Mission Impossible film. Evidently, he had a clause in his contract that said he could NOT shave it off. So when they assembled the cast back for massive reshoots on the Whedon version, Superman… had a mustache. That they had to digitally remove in every frame of the film. They did so. Poorly.

The rest of the Whedon film was much the same. It was a bit lighter, it was…there. It had some moments, but it turns out, the best moments were left over from the Snyder version. The Whedon version was “okay”. That’s about as much as I can say about it. All the CGI in the Whedon version seemed rushed, especially Steppenwolf, which was very surprising, given the stakes involved, and the inevitable comparisons to Marvel’s Thanos.

But whatever, you had a placid, lighter Justice League, with a Superman with a weird lip running around. It’s as if in addition to everything else, Warner told Whedon “Hey, thanks for stepping in, unfortunately, Zack took 95% of our budget, so good luck reshooting most of this film.” In the end, Justice League ended up in the same category as Green Lantern, a middle of the road misfire. Not horrible, not great.

Turns out, Snyder was not happy with what Warner and Whedon had done with Justice League. His friends actively tried to stop him seeing it because they knew what his reaction would be. Time passed.

We had a pandemic. And a lot of people were staying home.

I don’t know exactly what started the events in motion, but it was probably a couple things. I suspect it was partly Warner desperately wanting content, to get something big on HBOMAX, their new streaming service. Perhaps the other half was Snyder wanting to set the record straight on what his movie was supposed to be.

Snyder had well over three hours of footage already filmed. Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot, among others, volunteered to return to help with any additional voice work or filming, to help Zack see his vision through. Snyder even shot an additional 20 minutes of all new footage. Finally, word came down that The Snyder Cut would be available in March 2021 on HBOMAX. Its running time: four hours.

Okay, at this point, I should point out all the things that could go wrong with a project such as this.

First, a running time of four hours. Maybe Warner learned their lesson, or just wasn’t as anal about trimming it down since it wasn’t going into the theater, just TVs at home. But four hours is a leviathan of a movie, and it has to keep you interested all that time. Not an easy task.

Second, how’s the CGI going to hold up, considering this is kind of being done in strange, pandemic conditions?

Third, after seeing the misshapen mess that was The Donner Cut of Superman II, I was a little worried that this might not be all that, quality wise. There are a lot of rabid Snyder fans out there, and this would have a lot to live up to.

Fourth, this is a “part one”. The big story with Darkseid was not going to be resolved in this film– and there would be no part two! Imagine Infinity War ending and there would never be an Endgame?

Fifth, Snyder himself. He has a history of screwing up things with his endless disaster porn, non stop skull splitting and ill-conceived usage of mother names. Now, he was being let loose to go hog wild, with seemingly no constraints what so ever, with an R rated Justice League movie. Sorry kids, you don’t get to see this Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Adults only.

So yes, a lot can go wrong, and this was going to be a challenge.

Well, Zack met the challenge. Color me impressed, truly.

I mean sure, there are a couple F-bombs, and the trademark Snyder skull splatters as bad guys get tossed into walls, but over all, not as much as you might expect in a four hour film. If anything, what this cut gives you is a deeper look at the characters, most notably Cyborg and Flash, and just a more well rounded, fleshed out story.

In the Whedon version, I had absolutely no use for Cyborg, because his entire backstory was jettisoned. Here, we see it all, and Ray Fisher is a very good actor. We also see more of Barry’s life, but I think ultimately both characters suffered mostly from Warner’s insistence on slimming the movie down to under two hours.

Having absolutely nothing edited out, the ultimate director’s cut, as it were, there really wasn’t much I would have excised, surprisingly. Maybe a minute or two here and there, like when the women were sniffing Aquaman’s sweater and singing about it (I can only imagine the smell), but seriously, out of four hours, there were maybe only 15 minutes I didn’t need in there. And all the grand cinematic Snyder visuals were on display.

Now, storywise, this isn’t the deepest superhero epic to hit your screen, but it’s got far more depth than the Whedon version by a mile. The big confrontation at the end is far more satisfying on every level. The CGI on Steppenwolf is a vast improvement. When Superman shows up for the big fight this time, it’s very cool. You end up caring a lot more about this team here.

Bottom line, this is a far superior picture to the one we got in theaters, but it’s not all that surprising. As I’ve said in the past, give me a pure Snyder version or a pure Whedon version, but not some shoddy hybrid that serves no one.

And I gotta say, it doesn’t really end on quite the cliffhanger I thought it would. There’s enough of a resolution to the story we’ve just seen, so as not to make us miserable that they aren’t doing a part two.

Which brings us to part two.

Let’s take a brief look at this DCCU film track record with this incarnation of heroes.

Man of Steel: good film about a dark, Superman “like” character, but not really Superman, loaded with way too much disaster porn, divided the fan base and had –according to Warner–disappointing box office around 670 mil. Snyder.

Batman v Superman: very good film which choked during the pivotal moment, same problems as Man of Steel but at least Batman fit right in. Box office was 870 mil but considering it had a good chunk of the Justice League in there, considered a flop because it was only half the Avenger’s take. Snyder.

Wonder Woman: considered the one true hit because this single hero was a critical darling and it did 820 mil. Win win. Jenkins.

Justice League: critical and box office flop. 657 mil. Whedon.

Aquaman: critics hated it, but wonderful visuals and I guess the acting power of Jason Momoa and Dolphin Lundgren (?) propelled it to a billion dollar box office.

Shazam: critically liked but only 366 mil box office.

Wonder Woman 1984: released simultaneously on HBOMAX and in theaters, The Jenkins follow up was not well received. Box office was affected greatly by the pandemic, so it’s hard to say how well or poorly it would have done, but it was a stinker.

The reason I shine a light on the track record here is because even with all those films, featuring characters just as or far *more* popular than the ones at Marvel, there hasn’t been a lot of success. Only a couple to be considered box office wins by Warner, and only a couple really well received by critics and fans.

So, depending on how well The Snyder Cut is received, and how well it does for Warner’s bottom line—I have to imagine there’s an algorithm or equation for determining how much they gained in HBOMAX subscriptions and how it would compare to box office numbers etc.—

Is it conceivable that Warner considers having Snyder do part two?

I mean, a hit IS a hit after all, and Warner has not had many superhero hits at all since 2008’s Dark Knight.

If they did decide to do it, you have to wonder if solidarity would bring the band back together again. Affleck was in and out and in and out on the proposed Batman trilogy, but it was clearly Warner’s flip flopping and endless tinkering with Justice League that drove him out, and I really can’t blame him. Cavill, I believe, was still under contract for one more movie, be it the MOS sequel or the second Justice League film. Gadot, I believe, is just carefree enough, and loyal to Snyder that she’d be in. Really, I get the feeling that as long as Warner doesn’t make the same mistakes, and as long as Whedon’s not in the picture, who knows?

Yes, Warner not making same mistakes… that might just kill it there, but you never know.

What the Snyder Cut does set up by the end is that there is potentially another three or four hour epic in the offing, with bigger stakes and even more heroes. But will it happen? Well…

Marvel was seemingly never going to get the rights back for the Fantastic Four… until they did.

Michael Keaton was done playing Batman… until he took the part in the upcoming Flashpoint.

The Snyder version of Justice League was never going to see the light of day… until now.

So yeah, stranger things have happened.

Justice League: The Snyder Cut – 7.5 out of 10

COMPLAINT DEPT. — in regards to both versions. When Supes has risen from the dead, and has the big confrontation in the park with the rest of the League at his broken monument, Lois and Batman both keep calling him Clark– in public, in front of cops! Way to go regarding Secret ID security there, gang.

Also, I know it might have been too easy, but all the creatives involved knew perfectly well that after Supes got skewered by Doomsday at the end of BVS, all anyone *really* had to do was fly him up and expose him to the sun. I mean, Jesus, people, he’s a living solar battery. Come on, now. He’d HEAL.

A big complaint is team membership, or lack thereof. Listen, I know Warner thought they were being smart adding Cyborg to the team because he’s black and he’s a tech oriented hero like Ironman. But in truth, it’s just lazy. If you want more diversity, open your eyes to the popularity of the animated series and bring in Jon Stewart’s Green Lantern and Hawkgirl.

Poor Cyborg has been sacrificial goat, staking out his natural place on the Titans, getting thrown onto the JL, and also being added to the Doom Patrol. You know, DC, Warner…..you guys HAVE other black characters, really good ones, like Black Lightning, Vixen, the aforementioned Jon Stewart. If you spread one character too thin, that helps no one.

And now… SPOILERS AHOY! This last bit is all spoilers for the Snyder cut.

I can only imagine that in part two, we’d see the Atom appear, since Ryan Choi appears prominently in TSC. Same with the Martian Manhunter, who, I’m sorry, he’s been posing as a general for god knows how long, yet he doesn’t lift a finger when all these events are going down? Here’s a guy who’s a telepath, super strong, a shape changer, has heat vision, flight, and can phase through solid objects. HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HELP AGAINST STEPPENWOLF! Sure, it was nice of him to stop by Bruce’s place at the end and say he’s available… after the fighting’s over. Grumble.

The mid credit sequence on Luthor’s boat had a very different discussion from one version to the other. In the Whedon version, Lex mentions putting together an Injustice League. In the Snyder cut, he simply outs Bruce Wayne’s ID to Deathstroke, which makes more sense, since Batman rattled him before. It’s made all the more interesting since in the ‘Doom Future” flash forward, Deathstroke ends up on Batman’s team.

Jared Leto joined in for the newly shot epilogue material. He comes off better here without the “gangsta” look, grill and tats he had in Suicide Squad. I think they tried to steer him a bit closer to Ledger. Anything would have been an improvement.

On HBOMAX, they also have the black and white version of the cut, which is interesting. I may have to dive into that, or hope it’s an option when it comes out on blu-ray.

Lifetime Supply

When it comes to looking at the world, some people are “glass half full”, and some are “glass half empty”.

I look at it as “Hey, is the water cold, and is the glass clean?”

A while back, I made the mistake of realizing the three bags of cheap, plastic, flossing devices I bought on Amazon were probably a “lifetime supply”. I floss roughly three or four times a year. Time passes quickly. But I’ve probably got like 70 of these things. You do the math. Not sure, but the last thing I want to do is delve deeper into whether the flossers are going to outlast me.

Unfortunately, the floss thing put a whole new “thought category” in my head. The “lifetime supply” thought is both grim and reassuring. On one hand, you’ll probably never have to buy said item again! Woo! OTOH, the reason is a bit unfortunate.

In fact, I currently have no other “lifetime supplies” that spring to mind– that’s good, because even though I’m sure I have some, I’d rather not dwell on them.

But now we had to buy a car. The old Saturn was falling apart, and at this point, we were throwing good money after bad, so a change needed to be made.

My hope was that it would hold up well enough to get Matthew through college, and it did, although the pandemic eased the pressure on the last half year with the lockdown. Hey, turns out COVID *was* good for something!

But after 22 years and only 50,000 miles, it was dying from a thousand cuts that would cost me yet another thousand dollars. It’s on its third or fourth exhaust system, second set of tires at least, had work done on most other elements in the past, and still bears the marks of the front quarter panel smash in from six or seven years ago. The cost to repair it *then* exceeded the cost of the vehicle itself. So it had to go.

We couldn’t have three of us and one car, because even though I don’t drive much, I do need a car once in a while, and junior does too, here and there.

Buying a car, in my experience, has been a nightmare as often as not. Buying the Saturn was the only TRULY pleasant car buying experience I ever really had. And Saturn no longer exists. The Honda Odyssey wasn’t that bad an experience, but I also was in a good financial situation at the time to pay cash for it. Hmmm, as I think back, I think maybe I only had one really bad experience buying a car.

It was 1999, and amidst all the prerequisite partying we had to do like it *was* that year, I needed a new car. I think my old Honda Accord was on its way out, and I was in the mood for a VW Beetle. They had made a stylistic resurgence. Unfortunately, after hours negotiating with the salesman, with him pulling all the old tricks “okay, I’ll have to run that price by my boss”, we finally made a deal, they were transferring my plates from the old Accord to the new Beetle, paperwork was produced. Then I noticed they tried to stick me with an extra that cost an extra grand.

NIAGARA FALLS! (Look it up, kids)

This slimy SOB tried to pull a fast one at the last second, and thought I wouldn’t notice. I said the deal was off, got my plates switched back and away I went.

To Saturn, and a lovely experience. No negotiating, just tell them what you want, they give a whole price list, boom. The down side was of course having to make car payments, and I hate being on the hook, so I paid it off in six months, instead of four years.

Honestly, the Beetle deal put a very sour taste in my mouth though, and the upcoming new purchase was stressing me out big time, because of it.

Enter, the blog, a friend that serves to open ones’ mind.

Really, this blog helped me get into a good head space regarding having to buy a new car. I started remembering just how lucky I’d been in the past, when it came to acquiring cars. I’ve been very fortunate. So I ended up doing a mental 180 on the whole thing, thanks to this entry.

In fact, the whole thing went surprisingly smoothly. I figured we’d be laboring, sweating and miserable, traveling to several places to find a good deal. No, it actually took four hours total. Linda went online, found a used 2017 Honda Civic at the local Honda dealer, with only 29,000 miles on it with a nice price. We made an appointment, checked it out, did a test drive, had to wait on hour for the finance guy to finish up another client, wrote a check and boom. Home into the garage. Drives like a dream.

And the Saturn? Donated it. Yeah, to the annoying Kars4kids place with the horrible song. But hey, if there are other places who will come and pick the thing up in 24 hours, no muss, no fuss, well, these other places certainly didn’t have very good placement with search engines, because Kars4kids was first in line. And, if by some miracle, they sell it to someone, I get a tax deduction up to $500.

There’s no way in hell they get more than $50 for the thing, but you never know.

But hey, there you go, a shiny Civic in the garage. This one will actually get driven LESS than the Saturn, so I expect to get at LEAST 30 years out of that thing. It might be the last car I ever have to buy!

Hey, lifetime supply of car! Woohoo!

Comics can’t really follow films off the cliff

We like to think comics are a fun, creative bit of entertainment, and sometimes, they are. But just as much of the time, it’s all business, gimmicks, sales and money. Because yes, it’s a business. Of all the strategies comic companies employ though, taking direct advantage of their character’s films can be highly profitable, or possibly disastrous. Sometimes, it can be an interesting and harmless change. Or it can just seem really cheap and pathetic. You be the judge.

After the Batman ’89 film with Michael Keaton, the DC comics version started shifting the caped crusader’s costume more and more to an all black motif, moving away from the grey tights. They eventually came back, as the black and grey work well together, but the light blue is long gone.

After the Sam Raimi Spider-man films in the early aughts, Marvel decided, after 40 years, to shift Peter Parker’s web shooters from being mechanical, to organic, mimicking the conceit of the films. I loved the first two Raimi films, but the organic web shooters notion was a misfire. The fact that the Marvel head honchos felt the need to follow this path for several years in the comics was, frankly, a calculated risk. I’m not sure just how popular or unpopular that was. I’m guessing MORE popular than One More Day (look it up, kids), anyway, but eh, low bar.

Now, the current Marvel Cinematic Universe has changed quite a bit of the comics world where possible. Black Widow and Hawkeye more closely resemble their movie counterparts in the fashion department, although Widow wasn’t that much of a stretch. Funny thing with Iron man is that after 45 years in the comic, once Robert Downey jr. showed up as Tony Stark, suddenly in the comics, we actually got a Tony with an expanded personality, not just a drinking problem.

That’s just one of the great things the MCU has provided us– elevated characters, or at least a more fleshed out, fully realized version of them than we’d seen in the comics up to that point.

Because of the films, Marvel comics has responded across the board with even more varied Avengers titles on the stands than ever before, same with its various members in their own titles, and of course, thanks to the good relationship with Sony, we’ve got more Spidey movies and loads of comics as always.

Speaking of studio and comic company relations or lack there of, there was a good chunk of time where the Fantastic Four comic and any possible merchandise were basically trash canned, because at the time, Marvel big gun and all around heel Ike Perlmutter hated FOX studios so much, that he refused to have the comic’s merchandise even made available to the public. The idea was to not support the FOX FF and X-men films in any way possible, and even spearheaded a campaign to eliminate the word “mutant” from the comics. Partially because the MCU films didn’t have the rights to it (?!).

The BIGGEST reason Perlmutter hated FOX was that because of the inept and crazy-stupid deal MARVEL negotiated back in the ’90’s SELLING the first on rights to them, FOX actually made more money off all the FF and X merchandise than Marvel did. So it was Marvel’s fault, but Ike is also a known “man of frugality” and didn’t want to give FOX the satisfaction or another dime.

The point is moot now, because Disney and Marvel have control over the Fantastic Four and X-men rights, and Perlmutter has been de-clawed and sent to a farm upstate to run freely.

This all just goes to show how the films affect the comics and vice versa.

The comics have been the big story generators for the films, but the end result is the films taking the controlling hand in the character’s destinies. There are a lot of former comic fans I know who’ve just straight switched from comics TO the movies, as they now follow their favorite heroes solely on film. The Infinity Saga has been a hell of a “comic run”.

Here’s where it gets tricky. Like any good story, it has to come to an end. In the comics, the story is, of a necessity, ongoing. The tale of Spider-man, Captain America, you name it, can never die, and they’ll all stay pretty much the same age until the end of time. This makes it a lot easier to repeat yourself, unfortunately. Comics just have to hope that the current crop of readers weren’t around the last three times they did a certain story. Again.

But in the movies, actors do age and they eventually need to move on. Thus, Tony Stark and Steve Roger’s stories have definitely come to an end on film. Sure, some day down the line, in another 15 or 20 years, after Kevin Fiege has given us the breadth and scope of all the other Marvel properties, he will eventually leave. Then, of course, there will be a reboot of another MCU, because Hollywood never lets anything Rest In Peace forever. But since there are plenty of other huge Marvel stories and characters to bring forth, there won’t be a recasting of Tony and Steve until that far off time in the future. But it will happen.

Meanwhile, comics have to come out every month with their continuing stories, not every two or three years. They can’t have their Tony Stark stay dead for 20 years. Oh sure, he’ll undoubtedly die a few times in the comics DURING those 20 years but in comics, the sad, pathetic truth is, the characters die on a regular basis, and pretty much no one even cares anymore because it’s now become meaningless.

The comics actually had Stark dead for a while well before Endgame but had already come back. Meanwhile, comics Steve Rogers is still in his prime, between deaths and going about his business.

Because the comics have to keep grinding ’em out every month, no matter what the films do.

Hangin’ with Dr. Z!

Everyone has a specialty. A certain niche where they not only fit in perfectly, but they reach their pinnacle. That mountaintop where they can plant their flag and rule supreme. The role they were born to play.

Dana Gould has been a respected and successful stand up comic for several decades. He’s also had his hand in more failed pilots than an air force proctologist (his words). He also created “Stan against Evil” for IFC and was a writer on the Simpsons for 8 years.

But that magic niche that seems to fit him so well? Well, of COURSE it’s dressing up like Dr. Zaius from the original The Planet of The Apes.

Gould has been doing it for the better part of a decade or more. I can only seem to track down YouTube videos of him doing this for roughly the past eight years. Dr. Zaius has appeared on stage in a tribute to Mark Twain, sung Sweet Caroline dressed as Elvis and done impromptu guest spots on stages all over.

Thank god Planet of the Apes had its 50th anniversary a couple years ago– it really opened things up for this would be simian and suddenly, it was a madhouse! Well, not really a madhouse, but the occasion allowed Gould to once again get into full authentic costume and make up as Dr. Zaius. Several times.

Dr. Zaius appeared on Turner Classics as part of the intro to the celebratory anniversary showing of the film, as well as other stage celebrations and interviews to honor the event.

Here’s the thing… the make up is perfect. His costume is perfect. His mannerisms are perfect. His Maurice Evans is perfect. (Evans originally played Zaius in the original film) and his knowledge is perfect, at least on the subject of the original Planet of the Apes. Does Gould have a life long love affair with the film? With Dr. Zaius? With simians in general? I do not know. But he not only knows his POTA trivia, but his ’60’s and ’70’s Hollywood celebrities, and all the hilariously dated in-jokes of that era.

Obviously recognizing that this might be his first, best destiny, Gould has turned this… hobby? Fetish? Curious choice for a witness protection identity? Into a fun, worthwhile, ongoing comedy gig on YouTube.

It’s called “Hangin’ with Dr. Z”

“Hangin'” has — as of this writing — only amounted to 5 eps so far, and each only about 8 or 9 minutes, but it’s a fun ride. A classic talk show intro, a brief monologue, and a word with his one man band, the ever hapless Rusty Steele. They break for their own crafted commercial (sometimes the funniest bit), then on to the guest for the night for a five minute interview. Dr. Z is very much at home here, and Gould perfectly inhabits this simian showman. Think Johnny Carson, circa 1970, … mixed with an orangutan.

If you do decide to give it a try on YouTube, I’m sure you’ll see some of his other appearances over the last few years. Well worth checking out.

It sure beats the hell out of a trip to the Forbidden Zone.

Digital De-aging- It’s not for everyone

The second film in the Guardians of the Galaxy series, Vol. 2, was every bit as fun as the original. It even added a few extra touching moments to the proceedings. The soundtrack was awesome as usual.

But maybe the most amazing thing about the film, was the open, seeing a spry, energetic, YOUNG Kurt Russell running through the forest with his lady love, Quill’s mother (Laura Haddock). It was a stunning piece of digital de-aging, taking 40 years off Russell’s then 65 year old look.

Technically, there were three elements to this transformation.

1)-the make up artists applied some prosthetics

2)-the crew then digitally de-aged the actor

3)-Russell was also tasked with *moving* in a younger, more energetic manner during the scene, as body language is a huge part of the process.

Side note: interestingly, Russell was only really aware of the make up prosthetics that were applied, and for quite a while, maybe even now, he thought that was it and he wasn’t in need of digital de-aging. He even bragged about it to the crew. But according to the digital crew, he definitely got the CGI de-aging treatment, and they even used a stunt body double for some shots, with mapping dots on the double’s face, so they could put Russell’s mug on there.

Bottom line, it was incredibly well done. The tech crew associated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe is incredibly gifted with their almost human realistic characters, such as Thanos (Josh Brolin). Of course, the first feat of CGI wizardry in the MCU was the pre-formula, skinny Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in Captain America, The First Avenger. I hadn’t been that impressed with CGI since the first Jurassic Park, some 15 years earlier.

Back to de-aging, there were at least two instances I can think of with Michael Douglas as the MCU’s Hank Pym. First, they took the actor, then about 70, down to middle age for the opening of Ant-man, which took place in ’89. Then back to his mid 20’s in 1970 for an appearance in Endgame. And in each case, wherever possible, they not only applied tech and make up, but also had him move in a more youthful way, when they weren’t using a stunt double.

At the beginning of Civil War, we see a digitally de-aged Robert Downey Jr. who successfully acts like his bratty, 20 year old self. at the end of Endgame, we see Chris Evans aged up as a 100 year old Steve Rogers, and once again, Evans provides all the necessary cues to make us believe the age change, in addition to the make up and the CGI accomplishment. Ditto Samuel L. Jackson as his younger self in Captain Marvel.

Those are the proper, well executed examples. However…

Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman fails miserably in this fashion. When crafting this three and a half hour leviathan, Scorsese wanted to take advantage of de-aging tech, so Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, all in their late ’70’s, could digitally shave off decades. They mostly got away with it regarding Al and Joe. Not so with Bobby D.

Please make no mistake– I have the utmost respect for all these actors, as well as Scorsese as a director. I recently watched The Irishman for a second time. I often find that the second viewing allows you to look at the broader picture, maybe catch some details you might have missed the first time around. Unfortunately, it’s not DeNiro’s de-aged face that’s a problem. It’s his body and body language.

Scorsese should have relented and recast the under 50 Frank Sheeran. When we first meet him, DeNiro’s Sheeran is about 35. We see him start to make connections and see him commit various crimes during this time. Through it all, he looks, moves and acts like a man in his late 70’s. He also is usually acting rather befuddled throughout. The most blatant example is when he brings his young daughter to the neighborhood store, so he can confront the store owner who had pushed her.

This entire scene A) falls prey to our knowledge of how a young DeNiro would trash this guy, and still— even if you’d never seen one of his movies, or had no knowledge of the de-aging, B) the scene is almost laughable, because even though the owner is laying in the street, allegedly helpless, DeNiro barely even touches the guy, can barely hold his balance, and can be seen just *almost* kicking the guy. This was an unconvincing scene. It was so bad, I’m assuming there was no stunt coordinator attached to handle the finer points to this. The store owner/victim does everything HE can– he flings himself through the window, rolls out onto the street, and screams as much as possible. He held up his end of the bargain.

Is it possible DeNiro thought they’d also digitally induce a better beating? Seriously, I don’t know. DeNiro stated at the outset regarding the CGI stuff, that he wasn’t going to deal with any mo-cap suits, or dots on his face. It’s entirely possible that he thought the CGI was doing a lot more than it was. After all, why should Bobby D know how digital de-aging works? My mother doesn’t even do emails. Either way, this was a mistake, easily avoided and fixed by casting a younger guy for that stretch.

In the film, Sheeran is supposed to be this imposing, impressive, hitman. He’s neither of the former, and considering just how he’s presented here on film, I find it hard to believe that this Frank got the gig of the latter. Throughout most of the film, I was having a tough time picturing this stooge being anything other than a run of the mill trigger man. Competent enough to know his stuff, but the superstar mob rep status, I felt, was very undeserved, at least as far as he was presented here.

DeNiro almost seemed to be under the impression that his voice and body would be dramatically de-aged as well. I believe they attempted it on the voice, but the results weren’t impressive.

As for the body, to convincingly get the message across, he had to move better, faster, and the tech boys would have had to get rid of the hunch he’d acquired over the years. Unfortunately, that sometimes comes with age. But all that work would have been exceedingly expensive, and Marty was already in budget trouble.

So yes, as brilliant as de-aging tech is, there are limits in both quality and the financial corners.

Marty should have cast a younger Frank for that initial section. This is on him. And I KNOW. He can’t help that he’s in his 70’s. It’s by no means his fault. But if he can’t pull off the scene, cast someone who CAN. Someone who, as a younger Frank IS imposing. IS impressive. Who CAN convincingly beat the crap out of a store owner.

Hey, it worked for Godfather II.

Superman and Lois are/is surprisingly good

I have a love/hate relationship with The CW.

Part of the “house style” for their tv shows is teen angst, melodramatic soap opera nonsense and a LOT of heart to heart pep talks between characters. It can get really tiresome. The Greg Berlanti production group has peppered the network with multiple DC superhero shows. From there, you get different teams putting together different shows, with different heroes, to varying degrees of quality. Each show has certain habits, good and bad, that really stick with the program.

*The Flash: weeping, love, and constant, reassuring pep talks and super speed.

*Supergirl: adorkable dummy who just wants to be a best friend.

*Black Lightning: treats the characters and stories WITH respect, & great action.

*Legends of the DC Universe: buffoonery, with cartoon idiots.

*Arrow: started as a soap opera, then a grim, depressing, repetitive slog.

*Batwoman: was pretty much a non-starter.

*Stargirl: uplifting and faithful superhero presentation, high quality, and fun. It originated in the DC streaming service, so may not have been weighted down by and he CW rules.

But now, the ninth CW/DC superhero has premiered, Superman & Lois. I was kinda dreading it, if I’m honest. Mostly because you never quite know what you’re going to get from a particular showrunner or cast. Or the CW. When I heard that the pre-existing CW Superman that formerly guested on Supergirl was getting his own show, I was intrigued. After all, Tyler Hoechlin played a very good Superman and Clark Kent whenever he appeared. He outshone Supergirl on her own show by a mile.

Then, I heard the show was going to be “Superman and Lois”, and they’d have two teenage sons. This made me nervous because this thing was starting to scream CW teen angst soap opera again.

And if I’m honest, this Lois Lane (Bitsie Tulloch) has this thing with her eye. She’s a good actress and a good Lois in the same vein as Margot Kidder… but the eye is slightly distracting. I’m not a nice man.

Their kids, Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan (Alexander Garfin) DO seem a tad older than the 14 years old they’re supposed to be but they are starting high school, so okay, fair enough. So I went in slightly skeptical. I was imagining a lot of heart to hearts, with very little Super action.

But three eps in, so far, I’m digging this set up.

I don’t know, maybe it’s because of where I am in life, or maybe this creative team knows *just* how to craft the stories for all four members of the Kent family. There is family drama, and heart to hearts, and yeah, some teen angst, but damn, the right *balance* is there.

After Ma Kent passes away, the family makes the decision to move from Metropolis to Smallville. This may seem unlikely, but again, it works. Jordan has anxiety issues and has never been very sociable. Morgan Edge is the new owner of the Daily Planet, he’s evil, corporate, scum, and soon, neither Clark or Lois are employed there. Time for a change of scenery. The one with the most to lose is Jonathan, but he makes the sacrifice for the family.

The one who really makes this work is Hoechlin. As Clark in public, he’s truly a likable guy. Old fashioned and sweet and a bit dorky. As Clark in private, he’s rock solid as a dad who, in addition to his actual work, is concerned about his family, the future and that is oh so relatable. As Superman, they put him in a costume very similar to the Cavill model but he rocks it. Having to carry around the 80 year history of a character like Superman, and actually make it interesting is no mean feat. But Hoechlin does it with grace and style.

Maybe it’s because this is technically the most “seasoned” Superman we’ve ever seen, as he’s very likely in his late 30’s, if not 40. But again, it. Is. Just. Right. We’re seeing the Man of Steel from a different angle here.

Superman has had his relevance questioned over the years. Whether it was from so-so creative teams on the comics who couldn’t seem to get him right, to the dour, moping, dark, Snyder version we’ve seen on film in the last few years.

There’s even an all new, very surprising, fresh take on an old character, but I’ll let you find out that one for yourself.

As of this writing, 3 eps in, the boys are making it interesting at school, Lois is still doing her thing, albeit at the Smallville paper, and Supes is saving the world one crisis at a time.

The character interaction within the family is just about as engaging as when Superman goes into action. THAT is a very good, very important thing. If you can make the civilian ID as interesting as the Super ID, you’re doing it right.

Now, they just have to keep it on the right track for the rest of the season.

Oprah, Meghan, Harry and The Crown

Up until now, I’ve steered clear of the whole Harry and Meghan “thing”. I know they got married. And I remember hearing in passing a couple years ago that they wanted out of the Royal Family. I don’t blame them.

For you see, in addition to the Royal drama and tragedy a few decades ago with Diana, I also watch The Crown on Netflix. As shown in the program, the Royal Family and their institution is a pampered, prestigious tar pit. A well decorated, well mannered and immaculately ruled black hole. An ever so polite version of the Mafia. No one gets out.

Is The Crown accurate? According to articles I’ve read interviewing the showrunner, they adjust the timeline a bit here and there, and didn’t have access to the most intimate bits of relationships. But it is based on real events, and real people. If anything, the producers show the Royals in a somewhat flattering light, as opposed to reality. The show has skipped over some of the bloodiest Sundays.

Bottom line, Queen Elizabeth, Phillip, and their progeny are all human, with a responsibility to the monarchy. It’s that responsibility that is a bit like an all encompassing web. Some caught within might get claustrophobic, some might thrive, some might self destruct. Be it in the show or real life, her majesty’s life is not her own, but her subjects, to a large degree. Cut and paste that onto the rest of the family.

At some point after the kids got married, after an initially good start, the relationship between Meghan and the family, and the U.K. went to hell. Tensions rose within the family, and the U.K. Tabloids went from ugly to monstrous, with racist headlines about Meghan and their children.

So Meghan and Harry wanted out of the “senior positions” role in the family/firm/institution. They wanted to continue the good works for the Crown, doing charity, tours, etc., but separate from the clan, and were now residing in Canada, a commonwealth of the U.K.. The Royal family in turn cut off their money, and any and all security for Harry, Meghan, and their children. And also told them that their children will never have titles. On the face of it, this seems a bit extreme and horrible.

Security’s a big issue, because paparazzi is the disease you’re never rid of if you’re part of the Royals. Suddenly having no protection can be dangerous, especially for the kids, so a friend of theirs in L.A. lent them his home and security until they could sort things out.

As an aside, Harry and Meghan said in their interview with Oprah that Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, has been consistently delightful since the beginning. So seemingly, Her Majesty doesn’t seem to be the problem.

Here’s the thing…

Watching the big Oprah interview with Meghan and Harry was at times bewildering. During the interview, there were several instances of shock and disbelief expressed. Shock and disbelief at Harry’s circumstances, the ruthlessness of the U.K. tabloids, and that there was racism in the U.K.

When Harry said he felt trapped while in the “firm” or “institution”, Oprah was skeptical, asking him how that could be? After all, he’s lived his life in a palace! Now… Oprah’s allegedly been around the block. A lot. Oprah said she watched The Crown.

Did she though? How many episodes exactly? I don’t know — maybe Oprah doesn’t feel trapped in *her* palace, but her life is a tiny bit different from that of Harry and the Royal Fam. I mean, they have a footman, she has a Stedman, but I think that’s where the resemblance ends. If one actually watched the show, in short order, the viewer usually gets a good look at the particular social fishbowl in which the family reside. Harry saying he felt trapped sounds spot on.

Make no mistake, I’m not defending the Royals by any means. Ever since 1688, the whole lot has been, more or less, powerless figureheads of the commonwealth. And there’s been some inbreeding, just saying. Some say they just mooch off the public teat. Others say they’ve done some good work. Others simply no longer care.

Maybe Oprah was just asking the skeptical question because she figured her audience has no clue about the situation. Very possible. Maybe she was their voice.

Next, the tabloids. This might just be down to age on Meghan’s part, but she was stunned at the racist bullshit the tabloids were churning out regarding her pregnancy. I mean, tabloids have been the sensationalistic bottom feeders of the journalistic world forever. It’s been decades since I even glanced at one, but it seems they’ve managed to lower the bar a bit more. They seemed to go after Meghan a lot nastier than when they wrote about Kate Middleton.

But the tabloids being inhuman is nothing new. They, and their ambulatory extensions, the paparazzi, have indeed been around since the ’70’s. I’m not entirely sure why Meghan was surprised. Harry either, for that fact. But I guess the upping of the ante with the racist bent in the headlines even took him by surprise.

There was one of the many Royal functions that were held a few years ago at the palace, where the family was trying to curry favor with the press. It was there that Harry was warned by a sympathetic visitor that the tabloids were going to rip he and Meghan apart. Meghan being half black was a huge part of that. In the interview, dear, smart, diplomatic Harry said he was astonished that the U.K. *tabloids* were racist. *Just* the tabloids Harry?

Now, of course these days, we know where we stand with our abundant load of racism in this country. Oh, we’ve got loads. But there’s a reason the tabloids over there sell so well. As bad as they get, as trashy and as inhuman as those headlines get, sales are huge. So I think it fair to say that they’ve got big problems too over there. Racism is alive and well in most countries.

But even within Buckingham palace, H&M were told that there was much concern about the upcoming baby and how dark the skin color might be. Harry wouldn’t say who said it, only stating that it was neither of his grandparents. Hmmm.

Another interesting and possibly very telling tidbit, was that Meghan was told by someone in the institution that perhaps it’d be better if she toned things down a bit. Maybe just be, say “50% of herself”. She and Harry had just come back from a tour of Australia I believe and she was evidently, much, much loved by the commonwealth. A HUGE hit. She made the same horrible mistake as Diana some 30 odd years ago. She showed up the family. That’s a BIG no no. Charles was upset then, and someone was upset now. Hmmm.

It should also be said that I know nothing of Meghan, except, after watching the interview, I learned she was an actor, her father appears to be a douchebag, she fell in love with Harry, and it’s questionable as to how much knowledge she had of history relating to the Royal family, or all the horrific crap that went down with Diana, or what kind of monarchal mess she was walking into. Harry had to give her the heads up at some point though… right? Or DID she know, and couldn’t help falling in love? Or, is she simply a gold digger, lunging for money and fame, who wanted to cash in via Harry and the Royals? If that was the case, it certainly didn’t work out quite like she hoped. But I don’t know what’s going on inside her, or any of the participants. Well, aside from those in the U.K. and the fam who REALLY don’t like the bloodline “polluted” by a mixed race heir to the throne.

Really? NOW you’re getting particular about the bloodline? The inbreeding wasn’t a red flag? Yikes!

And are we getting the whole story? The Oprah interview telling their side of it is really the only major tv press that’s been able to combat the U.K. barrage of info about the situation.

This is probably as much energy as I’ll spend on this fiasco. I didn’t even like the fourth season of The Crown.

WandaVision Wrap-Up (spoilers)

I think we can safely categorize WandaVision as a thumbs up for Marvel, Disney, and Kevin Fiege. Another notch on the MCU gun belt, or bedpost or however one celebrates another quality product added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

And make no mistake, the screen might have been smaller but this was basically a Marvel movie sliced into segments.

First, the kudos. Elizabeth Olsen is a joy. She handled the faux sitcom versions of Wanda quite nicely, as she relived the happier moments of her childhood when her father would bring sitcom DVD collections home. There’s something wrong with her, though. You see, she’s not right in the head. At the very least, *understandably*, Wanda has issues. More on this later.

Yes, Olsen also rocked the Scarlet Witch Halloween costume.

Paul Bettany. He’s had such a prominent role going back to 2008’s Iron man, I’m so glad he got the promotion from AI to synthezoid. You really feel for the character though, being thrust into this very bizarre corner of the Twilight Zone, mixed with I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke show, Bewitched, etc. Bettany is truly marvelous as Vision though. He’s really made the most of his four appearances.

The story as a whole turned out to be a fairly basic superhero/villain confrontation with few surprises, but a very action packed and emotional climax.

WandaVision was gutsy in its experimentation. Having the audience sit through the first *three* episodes (of nine), featuring mostly nothing but cheesy versions of old sitcoms from the ’50’s, ’60’s and ’70’s was BOLD. Episode four brought us back to reality, and it was that middle stretch that really got the Internet tucked in and speculating.

Unfortunately, that was part of the problem. The creators of the show really enjoyed throwing around a bunch of hints and Easter eggs that were dead ends, but were guaranteed to make people wonder. And then they didn’t pay off, which was a bit of a let down. Some were downright cruel and unusual, and frankly, a bit weak. Example:

Evan Peters was specifically cast as Pietro, Wanda’s brother. Peters portrayed Pietro/Quicksilver in the Fox studios version of the X-men movie franchise, which Disney acquired a while back. So, in *casting* Peters, there was the insinuation that there was something big happening there with Wanda’s ever growing powers, that she either actually dragged a Pietro from an alternate reality or at least built some magical construct with his likeness. That was the tease. A reasonable assumption, considering her power set. I mean, in Endgame, she was actually kicking Thanos’ ass.

Nope, THIS Pietro was…..just an actor that Agatha gave powers to, to mess with Wanda. More on Agatha in a minute. That reveal was a dud, and extremely weak sauce. The creators thought they were being clever, I guess. Yeah, they were just screwing with us.

There were also other bits and pieces that were dangled in front of viewers, all of which came to nothing. Monica makes a random mention of an aerospace engineer she knows, which made a lot of comic fans wonder if she was talking about Reed Richards. No, nothing there, so no reason to mention him. The show takes place in Westview, New Jersey, which got theories cooking about the significance of that placement. NJ was where Steve Rogers trained, and where we last saw Arnim Zola’s computer consciousness in Winter Soldier. Did Zola have a part in this? He was all about brainwashing after all and Wanda’s acting weird, but….no.

Don’t even get me started on the Grim Reaper/Wonder man/Vision connection theories. And what about that witness that Jimmy Woo was after? He/she was residing in Westview in the protection program? No significance. Was Heyward really the Mephisto (the devil)? Or Ultron? No, but that was a stretch anyway. He was just a petty, power mad, asshole. But to be fair, if they dangle the stuff out there, it’s hard for comic fans to ignore. Mind you, now that we’ve had a really big dose of them being “cape-teases”, it’ll be easier to ignore that crap next time.

The creators also liked to indulge themselves well past the expiration date on the sitcom gag. In ep 7, well after figuring out that something’s amiss, Vision still sat down for a Modern Family style interview for comedy. It came off as a bit wrong footed, especially considering Vision was almost torn apart the episode before when he tried to leave the bubble.

Side note: what was with the whole nonsense with the “six hour running time”? They made a big to do about the 9 (or maybe 10!– they were unsure?) episodes will feature SIX HOURS of content! They were very proud of this. It was also BS. If this were true, the finale would have been at *least* 90 minutes, not 48. This was silly from the get go, as there were extra long credits at the end of each ep. There were the main credits, then extra credits on black, and THEN, more credits repeated in different languages for different markets. The first episode was just marginally longer than the entirety of the credits! If you had strung all the credits together on all nine eps, you’d get about at least an hour, and I’m being generous there. But *that’s* part of the “six hours of content”. But I digress.

Teyonah Harris plays Monica Rambeau, who is a delight as she becomes Photon– and I had to jump back in here to remark about her, because the more I think about it, the less I think she was integral to the actual story. she was great, and we see how she gets her powers, so it was all vastly important to her but more or less, her participation was really a set up for the next Captain Marvel movie.

Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau in Marvel Studios’ WANDAVISION exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Agnes/Agatha Harkness. A centuries old Witch herself, Agnes insinuated herself into Westview just to examine Wanda, and more importantly, steal her powers, deeming her unworthy of them. There’s an argument to be made that she was the protagonist, as she was ultimately working against Wanda, who mentally enslaved the entire town. After all, it was Wanda who was doing all the damage. As Agatha correctly stated “heroes don’t torture people”. Agatha just coveted that immense power. She was no angel though. She was played by Katherine Hahn, and I liked her better as Agatha. Her standard, over the top, high school review style, mugging to the camera as nosey neighbor Agnes was akin to fingernails on a blackboard for me.

The twins, Tommy and Billy. This is a whole thing. Until it wasn’t. Bear with me.

In the *comics*, Wanda created the twins, using dark magic, so she and Vision could have a family. Unfortunately, the magic was not hers to take, and the twins were essentially borrowed segments of an evil creature’s soul. The boys got ripped away from Wanda, and ceased to exist, around the same time the government stole Vision and disassembled him. The resulting trauma caused Wanda to lose her mind. She snapped, and reality got broken. BAD THINGS HAPPENED.

So of course, one worried what would happen in the show, when Wanda lost her family. Really, separating ANY mother and her cubs causes an extreme reaction. You know what I mean. After all, she actually gave birth in ep 3, and even though the creepy little guys aged themselves to ten years old an ep later, they were her kids. After losing her parents, her brother, then Vision, losing her kids? Ruh roh.

Turns out, nothing much happened. Eh, she was a bit sad but pretty much okay.

No she’s not.

See, either the kids meant almost nothing to her, OR she’s planning to get them back. Either this was some storytelling that didn’t quite ring true, or all part of the plan in the writers room. Because Wanda took ALL of this fairly well. Too well. She’s got decent odds of seeing Vision again but her kids…

Oh, and she’s sorry about all the pain she caused, the torturing of the populace of Westview, the nightmare she caused for all those people. Sorry! Although I imagine the residents might miss the pristine condition of the sitcom version of Westview architecture. The actual place looks like a dump. But hey, about all the terror, tears and torture? Wanda’s sorry! Let it go!

They’d better hurry up and get Netflix’s Daredevil/Matt Murdock into the MCU, because I can see a huge class action suit being brought against super villain Wanda Maximoff, by the good people of Westview. She’s going to need a lawyer.

The larger point I’m trying to make here is that yes, Wanda really does have a screw loose, and yes, she is a villain. Her life has been horrible for pretty much forever, yes, with only brief windows of happiness, snuggling with a British robot. But however sympathetic, she’s still a villain.

No one WANTED her to be a villain. The fanboys wouldn’t hear of it. Oh, she can’t be! It must be some other force behind all this! Nope, just her. The creators even tried to create their own meme, saying it was Agatha all along, but aside from tweaking Wanda by bringing in Pietro and trying to mess with her in general, she wasn’t behind much of anything.

Agatha was only waiting for her moment to step in and steal power. The woman on the outskirts of town perpetually hanging laundry, crying? That was Wanda’s doing. Dottie’s daughter, and god knows how many other people trapped in the Westview nightmare, separated from their lives and loved ones, suffering? Wanda.

Finally, she also unearthed her true identity as The Scarlet Witch.

That’s a pretty ominous note. When we last see her, she’s tucking into the Darkholde, a gripping little page turner also known as The Book of the Damned. The Scarlet Witch’s power is said to exceed that of the Sorcerer Supreme himself, who we know as Dr. Strange. So Cumberbatch is going to have his hands full in his next movie, as I believe the Scarlet Witch features in that one. By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth!

And as we last see Wanda floating, reading and absorbing, we hear the twins. The other shoe drops. Even as she said goodbye to the twins, or nonchalantly sent them to fight the military, even as she dressed up in that Halloween costume, she subconsciously knew who and what she was, and she knew she’d find a way to bring the kids back. Whatever it takes. That’s why she was as calm as she was.

So I have no idea how they’ll bring Wanda back to the side of the angels (if they even can), or if it’ll be believable, because she is officially trouble. It’ll be a bit easier with Vision. Of course, we now have the White Vision with his memories back, and after some soul searching, he’ll probably be back in season two, if not Dr. Strange: The Multiverse of Madness.

The rebooting of Vision wasn’t that surprising. I figured that between whatever essence of the Vision that had resided in Wanda, his access to memory files, etc., and the speculation from the Avengers in Infinity War, about what’s left of him after removing the Mind Stone, we’d get Vision back at some point.

But like I say, he’s not the problem. Good luck with Wanda!

Now, it’s time for Falcon and the Winter Soldier!

Final Covid Update!

Figured I’d utilize the blog for one final update.

For those who wondered, I’m pretty much back to normal—whatever normal is for a 58 year old, overweight me. I’d say lung capacity is probably at 90 -95% and I can do stuff like the 45 lb kettle bell, weights, crunches, push ups, etc. So, I’m mostly back to normal, almost.

There’s juuuuust one thing, and the only reason I’m putting it out there is that no one freaks out later on. Here’s the thing—*Because Covid hit so hard, I lost about 25 pounds in two and a half weeks. History has shown with me (had a deathly virus back in the ’80’s, too), that that type of rapid weight loss, and punishment to my system comes at a cost: my hair’s falling out. More and more every day in the shower.

**Before all you armchair doctors out there start speculating, no, it’s not the cancer come back–had a PET scan a few months ago. All clear on the front, no worries. No, this is because of the beating I took via COVID. SO, at some point in the near future, I might just shave the head again.

In fact, that’s very likely. I say it’s better to go out in a shaving blaze of glory instead of slowly turning into Gollum. It’s not too bad yet but the time is coming. Sure, there are a lot of hairs on the human head but when you’re losing 50 to 80 each day since Christmas, it eventually starts to be a bit noticeable.

Just sayin’. The last thing I want is to do a hot sauce video, people see the bald head and freak out. And hey, it may stop falling out, grow back, etc. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll rub an onion on my bald pate.

But the headline is, pretty much over Covid. Well, I think we’re all pretty much OVER it, but you get my meaning.

Because the Thing IS.

This is The End

This is number 366 of 366.

A Leap Year, because 2020 was just so great, it *just* needed to be longer. Ironically, for ME, all things considered, 2020 was an improvement on 2019.

Yeah.

So….. In the past year:

*I’ve given you my many thoughts, opinions and reviews on many things.

*I’ve related true events from my past.

*I’ve created all new characters, artwork and fictional written pieces.

*I’ve given you the silly, the sad, the serious. The confessions and the truths.

*I’ve ended up smack dab in the midst of the medical drama I had hoped to avoid.

THE THING IS…

If you weave these threads together, you really do get a tapestry that represents my life. Past, present and possible future, at least the stuff that’s remotely interesting.

To those of you that actually read it all, thank you for caring enough to go the distance.

To those who haven’t, well, it’s all still there. You just need to scroll.

This has been… the Book of Rick.