Hodge and the Podge until morale improves.

1. Still on 50+ hours a week, so if I seem a bit fried sometimes; I'm a bit fried. That and it's perfectly seasonable winter weather out, as in cold as all get out. Or at least it was when I started this! Between all that and the pitch blackness, and the general state of everything, these don't feel like super fun times; yet this silly blog continues, because of course it does.

   

2. A couple weeks ago, Pamela Anderson was in the Criterion Closet, and I guess her picks were pretty legit? I'm not a serious enough film guy to say: I used to watch more artsy, "classic" films for a while; but I think I watched just enough to get the jokes and references I'd see elsewhere. But what hit me on watching that, was, why don't I have a Criterion Closet of my own? A. Because I rent this crummy house and don't have a spare closet or whatever, and B. Do I even own any Criterion discs? True, but putting that aside...(Actually, I have one: early John Woo, Last Hurrah for Chivalry.)

I don't think Criterion is real strong on horror or sci-fi, which is largely why I haven't invested in (m)any: RoboCop would have been one of the few I could've been tempted on, but I think a lot of the special features from that have turned up elsewhere later. Also, a quick web search claims the Criterion Closet has 1500 DVD/Blu-Rays in it; although that probably includes duplicates for people to take. But, out of the 40 most commonly picked movies from the Criterion Closet, I've seen three, maybe four. Would like to pick up some more David Lynch, but I lowball a lot of these, and take used, plain DVD's as needed. (Got Dune a week or two back for like a buck!) Geez, there was actually a sale since I started this post; I did just order Lost Highway and Mulholland Dr. (I haven't seen either in years! I'm pretty sure I saw them both in theater with the same batch of co-workers; drinking before, during, and after the films, trying to piece together what we just saw...) 

Anyway, I would like a set-up like that for my collection. Although, I wonder how I would arrange it? Reckon like most of you, I have a pile of discs that were either cheap as hell, or cheap enough they were worth buying to see; many of which I probably wouldn't watch again. (Or movies that were part of some bizarre deal, like buy this DVD, get a ticket to that movie.) That includes assorted low-end horror movies, but also stuff like Joker. Those would definitely go on the lower, filler shelves...I have a DVD rack full of DC animated movies, but that's about as organized as I get. (There were a couple stragglers on the bottom of that rack; like that Quartermass and the Pit DVD I couldn't find!) As I type this, I might do a little DVD shopping here in a bit: somebody posted a scene from The One, a movie I absolutely love. Jet Li vs. the multiverse, years before the latter was all over the damn place. Since my DVD's are spread across multiple racks...and a boxful somewhere...I dug around to see if I had it, and now I'm annoyed that I don't seem to. When I end up with two copies, this is why! Still, just something I've been gnawing on in my head. Digital and streaming is convenient, and there are a lot of movies I've seen there that I absolutely don't need to own, but you can't have faith in those services that they won't take movies away later. 

3. OK, real talk for a second: most of you have probably noticed, things in America aren't great. And while it sucks, there are things you can do: a simple one, is to contact your senators and your representative. Call them, email them, go down to their offices and boo them. (If they're on the right track, let them know too; but what are the odds of that?) Keep an ear out for protests in your area: if nothing else, it'll make you feel better to see other people that also see things aren't what they should be. That said, be careful out there: I went to one recently, and was safe as houses, because it was almost entirely middle-class and/or senior citizen white people. Depending on where you are, it might be less friendly; which also sucks but do what you can. Every little bit helps, I think, like chipping away at stone.

4. Hey, my Serpent Society got another member!...sort of. I really enjoyed Captain America: Brave New World, although not without quibbles: Giancarlo Esposito is a get, but his Sidewinder is just a gunsel, his "Serpent" is a mere militia, hardly a Society. That feels like a waste, especially since the Cap movies did that already with Batroc, sucking all the character out of him and just leaving an angry French thug. 

 

Still, I had been missing going to the movies, so the other day I went to the Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie and Novocaine, and they were both fun. 

5. There is a candy store in the local mall, that I seemingly only visit when some candy I like is discontinued forever. First it was Atomic Fireballs, then those Super Mario Wonder Balls: ugh, we used to be a country that made things. Both of those still might be available, if you really dig and/or pay through the nose; but by and large have gone the way of Crystal Pepsi, or Big Lots. I don't know if anyone reading had the latter in their neck of the woods, and the selection really varied from time to time or by location, but over the years along with a lot of discontinued or semi-expired food I did get a fair number of figures and DVD's from Big Lots: a bunch of the old Masters of the Universe Classics, for instance, or those aforementioned DC animated movies or box sets. I know it's just another faceless, soulless corporate entity, but I don't like seeing something like that go under, because it feels more and more like there's only two stores to buy anything from, and one of them's Amazon. (I still get a few things from there, but I don't love it and could probably get less still.) 

I suspect more of you have an Ollies nearby, or a Five Below; for all your discount crap needs. Lucky!

6. Right this second, I have one of the Marvel Legends Nemesis Build-a-Figure wave: Fabian Cortez. "Yay, my Fabian Cortez figure came in!"...said no one, ever. I don't know why these seem to be a staggered release, instead of opening a box and the whole wave's right there: I'll probably have Marrow and Husk this week, and I've seen the latter and the Ultimate Wolverine at GameStop so far. For some reason...and I feel like you should drink every time I say that...the X-Factor Cyclops is late, like it won't show up until weeks after the others. 

I pre-ordered ROM and Spider-Man '77...in fact, I ordered two of each of them. "One to stay, and one to play," an old boss of mine would say. I have done virtually no serious planning on this, but I do have the half-assed notion of opening a shop in six or seven years. Which is a good excuse to horde--er, I mean, collect duplicates! 

The above picture, of my mini Micronauts collection, includes the new Super7 ReAction Biotron; who I thought I would be a good size to go with the little ones from...um...eBay? They were part of a Hasbro Comicon thing a few years back, which I think included a 3-and-3/4 inch ROM. And the below picture, um, I pretty much bought that Fortnite motorboat for one joke. No regrets!

 

7. Ooh, it might be bike weather next week! I'm hoping my tires are still good, but I'm probably going to be sticking close to home for a bit: I wrecked my foot a little last year, although oddly, now it's the other one that seems to hurt? Getting old blows. Go have fun now while you can!