Media Mix-Up #5: You Won't Miss Anything if You Watch Everything
This statement lets me know I'm going to turn into a supervillain with this post.
I've been so super busy with life these past couple of weeks. However, certain activities made me feel like I was overdoing it. Too many articles, too many songs, too much static might have made me have a seizure. I can't say. I forget everything other than the pain when my body spazzes out like that.
Regardless, I've had my head all up in these screens lately and I love to share about what I’ve been watching. I hope it helps you with your constantly growing list of things to watch. Here's a small taste of what I’ve been watching.
Track #1: The Wild Robot: There's nothing worse than a robot that won't follow instructions.
I try to watch everything this darling of cinema does.
What a beautiful film. The Wild Robot starts right where the robot does, lying on the ground on a strange island with no knowledge of anything around it. It felt like waking up with amnesia and a modern cellphone. You have all the information at your fingertips, but no idea what to ask it about. You just copy everything other beings are doing.
This sophisticated robot is surrounded by nothing but animals. It needs a task to accomplish but is all alone in the world. After copying a crab, and a deer, and being considered a monster by the animal inhabitants, the robot spends a season in meditation to understand the language the animals speak. The Wild Robot starts sweet and gets even sweeter once the Robot meets a baby goose and chooses it's own name, Ros (Lupita N'yongo).
The task Ros's programming demands Ros complete is to become a mother to the goose she names "Brightbill (Kit Connor)." Geese (allegedly) imprint on the first being they see according to an opossum with seven children, so Ros becomes the first thing Brightbill sees and decides to take care of this impressionable goose and get him strong enough to migrate before winter. It's beautiful stuff and I recommend everybody give this film a shot.
Track #2: Harley Quinn: Animated television violence for the criminally insane.
Harley and Ivy sitting in a tree... because Poison Ivy can control plants.
Harley Quinn is fantastic. I started watching it back in 2019 but never bothered to keep up with it once I left Cambodia. I remembered watching the first season but completely forgot that I had watched the 2nd season until the 2nd to last episode. They popped out two more seasons and a full show about the powers-less Kite-Man and all of them are extremely hilarious... if you're into zany, violent shows that focus on villains and make Batman and the Justice League look like idiots.
Basically, if you're like me and gave up on the DC Universe after Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, then Harley Quinn is right up your alley (where Batman's parents get shot). Batman and his family have plenty to do, but it's nice to see Harley Quinn take centerstage and find out she's bad, but not as bad as she thinks. She ruins all of her ex-boyfriend Joker's plans, but watching him fail is of particular interest to me. Not quite as fun as watching him become the Mayor of Gotham City, but it's close.
Track 2.2: Kite Man: Hell Yeah: There's nothing a man with a kite can't do.
He is exactly the doof you think he is.
There's nothing Kite-Man CAN do either because he is a "super" villain in the kindest sense of the word. Kite-Man has no powers. Existing in a world with a girlfriend that accidentally melts people would be hard for any of us, but Kite-Man runs it every day. Kite-Man tries to marry Poison Ivy during Harley Quinn season two, but when Ivy and Harley form “Harlivy” instead. So the Harley Quinn creators make a show about Kite-Man and his new girlfriend the Golden Glider. She's a Flash villain, Captain Cold's sister, and can melt people's skin off if she loses control. Watching Kite Man and Golden Glider try to run a bar filled with villains with nothing but spunk and friendship might be even funnier than Harley Quinn.
Track 2.3: Batman Caped Crusader: An animated show worth getting MAX for.
I hate billionaires and robber barons no matter how much ass they kick.
I hate to admit it, but Batman: Caped Crusader is another show my brain snorted up once I had a MAX sub. While I gave up my love of Batman long ago (ACAB), Caped Crusader is for those of us who love classic Batman stories. If you've ever wished for Batman to fight less and detective more, you'll like this. If you've ever wanted to see Harley Quinn start her righteous villainy career with the Joker nowhere near her origin, you'll like this. If you want to see the world where Commissioner Gordon is “the only good cop on the force” and is Black like his daughter Barbara who is a defense attorney, then this is the show for you. This is a mature Batman show that true Batman lovers will like and might be what they wanted to do instead of that awesome show they made in 1992. Plus, The Penguin is a woman on this show which is awesome.
Track #3: Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
I love me some Black laughter!
To start... I've only watched the first 10 minutes of this, but it has all my favorite things in it.
The '70s
Samuel L. Jackson
Don Cheadle
Taraji P. Henson
And while he's not my favorite, Kevin Hart seems to take the lead on this mini-series. All I've seen so far is Hart running numbers with Taraji, someone setting up a heist during a Muhammad Ali fight, and all the black people in town calling Detective Don Cheadle a sellout due to his relationship with the "fuzz." I've listened to enough Richard Pryor to know all about how Black cops behaved in the 1970s (ACAB). At least, the outfits are dope. This show looks fun and came out a few weeks ago. Maybe I'll tell you more about it once I've finished it.
Track #4: Diablo 4: Murda Murda! Kill Kill!
Diablo 4, a.k.a. "The pick a character and murder everything game."
Diablo 4 is a videogame that I didn't know came out back in 2023, yet has been offering me a ton of fun in 2024. My brother brought his Playstation 5 downstairs and let's me play it while he's off at work. Sometimes my buddy Rob dives in from Austin and we play together. This is what originally made me excited about the internet taking everything over. I love being able to play what I want with who I want when I want. Diablo 4 creates that opportunity for me.
If you're getting up in some Diablo 4, send a comment, invite me in, and let's get it on. I have way too many characters, and think rogues might be my favorite, but I love some barbarian face stomping too. Hit me up!
Media Mix-Up #5 COMPLETE
Pants!?
The Shogun of Harlem don’t need no pants!
Life has been a lot of TV and movies in the last few weeks. That wasn't my plan, but it helped a lot to take a break after having a seizure out of the blue. I spent 4 months with those out of the way only to ruin my streak on Sunday.
My new neurologist upped my anti-seizure medication a little, so I’ll see how it works while I avoid getting overheated and overworked for as long as I can. My post-brain cancer life has always been a bit strange, but it's coming along pretty well.
Check out the rest of my musical legacy with Supercrime & Mike Dynamo stuff and as always:
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