NinetyForChill: The #Podcast - "Roadside Prophets", @tim_loss & Avery the Cat

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 61: NinetyForChill: The #Podcast - "Roadside Prophets", @tim_loss & Avery the Cat (Amateur Bikers Paying Tribute to Best Friends).

Roadside Prophets, @tim_loss, and Avery the Cat

March 28, 2022

"Sportz Ballz" host Tim Loss (pardon calling him Timothy in the hasty intro) comes on to the podcast to discuss a film that had a seminal influence on his life, "Roadside Prophets". He and Cool Movies Darth nearly spend two hours discussing what would be Generation X's "Easy Rider". It is a mellow suggestion that the counter culture and cheeky nihilism could save the USA from itself. We would have at least been in a better place to handle 9-11.

This film is pretty reasonably priced on iTunes ($6.99 as of March 29, 2022), but I (CM Darth) am glad that Tim did not find it to be too much of a hassle to purchase or rent digitally to have this conversation. Unless he already owned a copy. Our chat would suggest that my jealousy would be warranted if that is the case.

I have quite a Netflix DVD queue, so I may have forgotten half of the features that I remember adding to my list. When I opened the package, finding the runtime to be 1 hour 36 minutes was nice. This could have been one of the rare written reviews for a feature on NinetyForChill.com. After reading the plot summary to see John Doe from 80s punk legends "X" and Adam "Adrock" Horovitz from the Beastie Boys as the leads, this road trip movie was suggested to my social media (@catbusruss) and #FilmTwitter as a film that needed to be podcasted about.

So, Gregory Carl's friend and co-sports broadcaster, Tim Loss, let me know that he remembered the feature and was game for the Zoom meeting. He recalled seeing this film on Sundance (before it was purchased my AMC) in the late aughts. As we chatted along, we discovered the lasting influence the film had on him whether he recognized it then or not.

But first, we had to tell our stories about how we came upon John Doe. Sadly, neither of us found him through "X". As a punk rock fan, this is embarrassing for me. Probably more so than me not realizing that Riot Grrrl icon Kathleen Hannah was married to Horovitz before I saw The Julie Ruin in 2017.

When it came to discovering Doe, for Tim, it was the George Strait vehicle "Pure Country". As for me, it was the 1989, Patrick Swayze (and Terry Funk) classic, "Road House".

NinetyForChill: The #Podcast: ThePoeticCritic & Oscar Fixing/Bitching

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 60: ThePoeticCritic and Oscar Fixing/Bitching (Black Cancer vs. White Autism).

ThePoeticCritic graces NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast again with her thoughts on how the Academy Awards will either piss off #FilmTwitter or just be mocked for its failure to connect with the Marvel-loving loud mouths of Millennials and Gen Z. So Cool Movies Darth offers up suggestions on how to remedy this while setting up a lot of "The Simpsons" references to display the futility of making changes to the Oscars.

The Academy of Arts and Science seems to be making a lot of questionable decisions going into their annual awards ceremony. Decisions that maybe more questionable than CM Darth recording this on a Zoom H1N without a test run. ThePoeticCritic and the former Scoop Staley (If your podcast received a five-star review from this moniker, please return the favor.) cannot see any of the Academy's decisions working out for the better.

This year's show is dependent on Twitter with the #OscarsFanFavorite and the #OscarsCheerMoment. ABC (Disney) is hoping this will reward "Spider-Man: No Way Home" with some "serious" statuettes, but with bots and those who follow Camila Cabello and Johnny Depp, the fan favorite movie will be an expression of awful taste. As for the Cheer Moment, Russ Stevens (Firsties when it comes to using that name for podcasting) is pulling for a clip from 1999. Oh the confusion that appealing to the youth will provide us. 

Other films in contention for unwarranted recognition are from Zack Snyder. There are those pushing for Netflix's "Army of the Dead" and a Flash moment from "Zack Snyder's Justice League". As a fan of most adaptations directed by Snyder, Cool Movies Darth is hoping the Internet will shut him out this year. But, he has not seen the HBO Max exclusive, and he is a supporter of "Batman Versus Superman: Dawn of Justice", so he may need to find five hours to become objective. 

What does Mr. Cool Movies suggests to fix the Oscar with the Internet? How about a Twitter ticker throughout the show? Everyone likes to see their name on TV. Perhaps we need a ESPN2 commentary stream. If Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are not going to host, why not let them party and commentate the show like the Manning boys do for Monday Night Football?

This is where a content warning maybe needed. TPC and CMD discuss last year's attempts to make the telecast more interesting. The show backfired when they attempted to celebrate the career of Chadwick Boseman by presuming that he would win the award for Best Actor. Anthony Hopkins's, an octogenerian, victory over a 43 year-old who died went over as well as a lead balloon. 

And this week's guest took offense to this. Hopkins had recently acknowledged his autistic diagnosis. TPC is on the spectrum as well, so she was offended that people were upset about her marginalization being cursed.

Which marginalization deserves more recognition? Is that a question we should be even considering? Here is to hoping they revert to saving the Best Picture Oscar for the end to avoid such thoughts.

The podcast does their best to look past last year's recognition. It seems like it will be a big Jeff Goldblum year, so TPC is pumped. CMD maybe stuck in the past as he looks forward to Ebertfest 2022. This leads to the two discussing the need for super critics to counter how Disney is ruining the chances to see other movies as they flood the multiplexes with whatever Marvel bollocks keeps me from seeing the likes of "The Matrix: Resurrections" in IMAX.

I was a fan of the latest "Matrix" but I understand it is not Oscar fair. Still it has a fun ensemble, just like this week's Ally's Accessories Shop on Etsy Trash Feature Review. This week, CM Darth watched "The Favor" with Oscar winner Brad Pitt. This tale of middle-aged sisterhood was made before the Orion bankruptcy, but it took another three year to finally release it. That is not a good sign.

Follow me on Twitter @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.

  *Blog post was started on March 18, 2022.

I now see that I am settling down from the retail work day, and it is nearly 9:20 pm. It was a little busier than you would expect for Champaign/Urbana on an Illinois Basketball tourney game. This lack of support for the Illini is probably why they barely survived Chattanooga's challenge.

I guess I am jonesing for AEW Rampage since I just provided a weak attempt at a "You People!" promo. With it now being 9:25 pm, there are worries of failing to get my wings in the (air) fryer before bell time. NJPW helps with the withdrawal, but I cannot split my focus between this blog and the New Japan Cup.

Then again, catching up on "Late Night with Seth Meyer's" YouTube's "A Closer Look", is not helping the time management. It is now 9:30 pm.

Yesterday was a pretty productive day off. Skimble got some time with Ally. My doctor's appointment and lab work went well. I discovered that Long John Silver's on Prospect has their drive-thru menu almost repaired (If only they would show their employees the pin bypass function when accepting a payment at the window.). There was also a couple of hours of Pokémon played. What more can I hope for from a weekday?

Tinder chatting with a girl who took the time to start up an episode of "NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast" you say. Going to bed at 3 am did not sound like a bad idea. Thank you Shelby County Community Services Blackberry OG for making sure it was not a 4 am bedtime. I cannot help but admire her late night dedication to her dissertation.

The downside from potentially a new friend, it all started while I was giving the reimagining of "Stuart Gordon's "Castle Freak" a viewing. This feature is already 20 minutes longer than the original before the end credits run. All the chatter and accompanying pauses added another hour. At least this time I can blame that on somebody else.

 @Shudder "Original": Castle Freak (2020): From Gordon to Lovecraft

Rebecca Reilly's life seems like one that no one should envy. After a recent drunken party at Miskatonic University, her boyfriend John decides he was fit enough to drive home. The result, Rebecca is blinded when he crashes the car.

Perhaps her and John's life can bounce back from this incident. Rebecca ends up being the sole heir to an Albanian castle after her biological mother dies. John cannot wait to sell the property and the old relics inside of it. This can turn their lives around, but Rebecca is too consumed about what her family history is.

Her guilt-ridden beau is gradually losing his patience with her curiosity and her insistence that their is somebody already living in the castle. This frustration leads to denial as the residents of the town let him know of the castle's cursed history. Things only get worse when his party pals come to "help" with the transition.

The only friend who seems to have any interest in studying the history of the castle is The Professor. He will not be much help moving stuff. Rebecca found a skin-bound book, and The Professor is certain that it is the Necronomicon, a lost book that documents the history of the religion that worships the Great Old Ones. When the being that Rebecca suspected of roaming the halls makes its presence known by murdering and munching on one of the party goers, her visions start to indicate that this castle was meant to serve as a point for the old ones to return.

This remake of the Stuart Gordon classic is interesting for deciding to lean in on the Lovecraftian elements associated with his films. Special effects master Tate Steinsiek's "Castle Freak" is a nice homage that stands on its own, but definitely feels like it only has the quality of a made-for-video feature. Throwing in tentacles does not equal the charm of fine character actors who made something out of the simple Charles Band premise of, "There is a castle and a freak."

Kathy Charles's script decides the only way to make this feature worthwhile was to create a larger world from this simple premise. Without that because the characters outside of the primary relationship just being standard horror-victim tropes, this film would just be a waste of an idea. I do not know if this wider HP Lovecraft franchise can work, but it definitely demands my attention.

There are no good performances outside of Clair Catherine's Rebecca, so the feature needs to be more than just graphic violence. If the film had any star power, it could have worked as a tribute to Gordon. The elements of Lovecraft's "Dunwich Horror" makes you think past the bad acting and appreciate the gory demises of it. Unfortunately, all these new element to the story can make you lose track of what is happening.

There is definitely 10 minutes of the film that are unnecessary. Outside of the nightmarish imagery, it is a slow build to the chaos we came for. When you think back to all of Gordon's Lovecraftian adaptations, constant mayhem is expected, so this adaptation misses the point. Subtlety is not something we want from HP's horrific worlds.

What really hurts this take on "Castle Freak" is that it is shot in 16:9, but fails to capture the vastness of Gordon's movie that was shot in 4:3. The feature feels overly narrow. With the exception of a few attacks by the freak, even the violence seems squished in the frame.

And for a feature that is a slow build, there is never a sense of menace when it comes to the attacker. There are some violent scenes that at least tells us the writer and director know what is expected from this film. But without a genuine sense of dread from the freak, the violence does not pack the same punch.

"Castle Freak 2020" is "Castle Freak 1995" light at best. It offers the audience something new, but lacks the quality to totally get the fans of the original behind it. The Lovecraft franchise Shudder hopes to create has promise, but without great actors and fine directors, the next feature will be a waste of time. That is not the promise we are hoping for.

@twisted_twins is a Twitter account that I hope Shudder is considering sending a DM to.

Nerdly - Castle Freak (2020) Review

Foolin: My Life and a Summation of Tag Team Wrestling?

  *This blog post was started on March 15, 2022.

It does not seem to have the power some of the more silly Def Leppard tracks ("Rocket" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me" come to immediate mind.), but it seems more complex than those "sing over a drum beat" songs. The title also works to describe my state of mind.

Another rough weekend. How will I survive once the weekends are only one day?

Maybe that is what I need. Less time to get myself pumped up for an inevitable let down. Both weekends that I spent in Partial Hospitalization for Depression led to me being on Suicide Watch the following Monday. That is a bit of hyperbole, but lengthy conversations with Catholic counselors did not help. How were things going to get better than wrestling training, interviewing the stars of AAW (and usually being humiliated by them), having a few drinks, and getting $20 to make sure I had the gas to get home?

I guess you can say this past weekend was adjacent to that. My family is doing well aside from my mom's allergies. With her being under the weather and my big sis and dad being mature adults, it was easy to slip out to the Peoria bar scene.

Was it exciting, not really, but I thought every turn had potential. Too bad the 8-Bit Beercade's last call was midnight. I was denied the time to complete "Turtles in Time". The only other bar of interest to me (Pizza was the family dinner, so Hoops seemed redundant.) was Big Al's. It was too crowded for my taste. Who would have thought the Indoor Demolition Derby would be such a draw? But, I thought the night was turning around when an old friend saw me there.

Needless to say, the tax refund was about gone, but I do feel a bit cheated in terms of debauchery. She asked if I wanted to go to VIP, and I said yes. Too bad it took forever to scrounge up the funds to do so. What was worst was that she was running the clock instead of the club. Time is money. It just happened to be dedicated with her wanting to focus on the past six years since I left Peoria instead of grinding on me. I suppose that is about the cost of therapy.

She was kind to me and we did enjoy some "Highlander: The Series" conversation. Of course that means she had no respect for the films or movies in general, so no Podcast number boost from that.

She did her best to ensure me that I am doing fine. There was an expression that me being single for the past two years shows my strengths. My life style of appreciating strip clubs was also applauded regardless of my age. I think she was encouraging me to give the Silver Bullet a chance. In the end, my comfort was what she seemed most concerned about.

It is great to know that people want me to be happy, but it feels like they expect me to just accept that it is as good as it will be. Ambition is frowned upon. This makes me feel like a bad bet. My friend mentioned how she wished that we had rich parents. Well...mine were not when I grew up.

Outside of my wrestling career, I cannot say that I have had a chance to fail. And when it comes to my wrestling career, I cannot say that my parents were supportive of that.

It is not just my folks, but my friends before I moved to Champaign-Urbana ignored my efforts to make a bad movie and the time I put into the wrestling career. I am either socially inept (probably) or a broken person.

Ally was great to me this weekend and wants me to succeed, but she just came up with a lot of wishful thinking. Or maybe I am just too good at arguing. Blue Chew will not sponsor me because I ask was one of the things I had to explain to her.

I did visit Stacia's grave and left with some wisdom, I think. Help is something I am desperate for. It may not be towards my art, but I think I found a way to try and be better that is affordable/justifiable.

With that said, if you brain is where mine is at, take Marty & Sarah's advice and visit nami.org. That is my best effort for a transition towards the draw of the blog.

WRESTLING! YAY!

The Disgruntled's Real Men's Tag Team Power Rankings (03/15/2022)

The Number 1 Tag Team in the World:
SmackDown Tag Team Champions:
The Usos: Jimmy and Jey Uso

• They had successfully retained their championship against WWE's greatest tag team, The New Day, to start the year. The New Day is currently out of the scene after Big E's broken neck.
• The SmackDown Tag Team Championship has been previously recognized as the Disgruntled's Real World Tag Team Championship.
• They did vanquish the other remaining tag team of significance on SmackDown, The Viking Raiders.

The Number 2 Tag Team in the World:
AEW World Tag Team Champions:
Jurassic Express: Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus

• The AEW World Tag Team Championship was the most recent DRCW Real World Tag Team Championship.
• This was well booked, but it is a team with a Shawn and Marty vibe. They will need to beat all comers (the dream opponents for the Lucha Bros.) to make this reign stand the test of time.
• They have met a greater challenge than any The Uso's have faced after defeating both ReDragon and the Young Bucks. But with Fenix injured and Santana and Ortiz embroiled with the Jericho Appreciation Society, I do not know who is available and worthy to take the titles off them.
• They are the DRCW Unified Gnarly Men's Doubles World Champions.

Pinterest @KVASHI1967

NinetyForChill - The #Podcast: @GentlethemE Returns to Willy Wonka's Plantation

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 59: @GentlethemE Returns to Willy Wonka's Plantation (Orange Lives Matter).

Cool Movies Darth and Michael Dubois resume their conversation about one of the most impactful children features in their lives, "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory". The two discuss the charms of Gene Wilder that Johnny Depp could only wish for, and how they may allow a real megalomaniacal chocolatier to get away with the crimes against humanity that Roald Dahl's most famous character commits.

Picking up where they left of, the two discuss how all the kids were suckers for pursuing Slugworth's request to leave the factory with an Everlasting Gobstopper. Michael hopes this portion of the Dahl universe is murder free. Mr. Fox was risking his life, so CM Darth thinks Slugworth would pay the Iron Price to cover his tracks. Slitting children throats is something they would do on Pyke.

When it comes to CM Darth's darker takes on the film, they maybe related to his rewatch being sweet free. He developed a sense of jealousy toward the five children and the candy that they had access to. It is ironic because his obsessive compulsive tendencies would have left him too creeped out to continue the tour. The boat ride would not bug him, but a dozen people just feeding themselves cream from their bare hands. Gross. 

The best thing about "Willy Wonka" is not the subliminal diabetes. It is Gene Wilder. Darth and Michael discuss that Wilder was casts to be himself. This leads to a criticism of Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka in "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory" from the host. Depp is not bad, but if Depp is cast in something, we might just want to see him be Depp. 

Wilder did not turn himself into a character to portray the chocolate magnate. He is believable with his own voice and mannerisms. His character and dialogue is kooky enough. All he needed to do was deliver it well, and the audience leaves happy. Just like his role in Woody Allen's "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask."

This is where a content warning maybe needed. Darth discusses his admiration for the content Woody Allen has directed while resisting calling him a total monster. Our host may come off as a demon after he slips the M-word when discussing the Oompa Loompas. There is no malicious intent, and it leads to a fun conversation of dwarves versus elves. When little people have two (three if you include hobbits) Middle Earth races to choose as their preferred noun, why dwarves?

At least they did not look towards a galaxy far, far away when it came to races to name their condition. Then again, after "The Book of Boba Fett", finding out Jawas are furry, the practicality of using the J-word just is not there.

The two being nerds leads to some "Star Wars" comparisons. Charlie seemingly having a pure heart definitely provides the audience with Christ-like vibes. Who needs Jesus when you have George Lucas?

If Charlie is the chosen one, he is essentially Anakin Skywalker. A child running a chocolate factory is scary, but the naïve nature of Charlie implies he will cause no one harm. This maybe something that can be said of young Skywalker, but once he started thinking with his dick, all was lost. Will Charlie need to be celibate for the sake of the Oompa Loompas?

Follow me on Twitter @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.

  *This blog post was started on March 9, 2022.

Imagine We Still Had VHS: Quack Experimental Anime: Excel Saga

I had composed my wrestling blog post three days ago for "Disgruntled's Real Championship Wrestling". The following night I produced the latest episode for "NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast". Otherwise, my life has been devoted to work. With the lack of interactions outside of retail, do I have anything to blog about?

There is only so much of my past that I can bury on Twitter (@catbusruss). OSF Healthcare will not fulfill my prescription requests since I cannot use their services under the health insurance that Marine Bank had left me turning to. Those thoughts were released into the world. I suppose I should open up the benefit package document my retailer has given me, but do you expect me to have the energy to do anything when I get home at 8 pm?

It is not my employer's fault. Out of principle, I do not mind that my 40-hour week job is only opened 56 hours a week. The consistency is nice and no one can be upset about what their schedule is. Marine Bank having 11 hour days can result in team miscommunication. One shift, one team feels like it makes a lot of sense. Again, the only problem is that it takes up all of our day. Are we to be expected not to sleep in as late to opening as we can?

Discipline might be my problem. Getting a new doctor should not be difficult if I chose to wake up when the rest of the world opens. But, here I am writing and taking advantage of using a VPN and Fite TV. Wrestling will have to wait so that I can try and show "Excel Saga" the praise it deserves.

So my Tuesday night was not totally wasted. My anime A to Z website is just two letters away. I will acknowledge that it was quite the stretch to make this installment the Q representative. If only the Japanese would not focus so much on princesses, weird Wikipedia searches would not be involved.

Excel Saga (1999): Episodes 1 - 3

Excel is the epidemy of hyper anime girls. She is a recent high school graduate obsessed with Lord Il Palazzo, the leader of the secret, ideological organization Across. This affection is not returned, but her naivety this keeps her focused on the goal to win his affection and help Across purify the corrupt F-City.

Il Palazzo seems to be a wise leader. World domination is his goal, but you cannot afford to screw up. When the only other members of Across are the anemic alien princess, Hyatt, and Excel's emergency food supply, Menchi the Mutt, baby steps are definitely the way to go.

Excel has enthusiasm but not much else. She is oblivious to how the world perceives her efforts and those who seem to have a role to play in her destiny. It is a shame because it is quite the rogues gallery of weirdos. There is the afro-sporting, Martian-fighting, super spy Nabeshin. Somehow, the three neighbors of struggling 20-something men, the driven Watanabe, the care-free Iwata, and the silent Sumiyoshi, must have a role to play in her life.

Despite Excel's efforts to blend in at part-time jobs, they seem to always result in tragedy. Thankfully, the Great Will of the Macrocasm is more than willing to reset her adventures. Provided the will is not abusing the desperate Pedro, a immigrant laborer trying to regain the love of his sexy wife and loving son.

With every reset of the space-time continuum, the scenarios if F-City seem to change. Excel's world can be an ode to the manga that bore her into existence, a space opera, and even an 80s' action movie. A constantly changing world and a history of failures, is Excel capable of bringing peace and the ideals of Across to F-City? Until her stomach is filled, I do not think she cares.

This was my best effort to try and capture the charm of my VHS tape box for "The Doom Generation". When are we going to get the whole of Gregg Araki's filmography on streaming? Basically, that box summarizes everything in the movie while putting emphasis on driving off eating Doritos.

"Excel Saga" is a parody of what the whole of anime was at the turn of the last century. But these are loving takes on every conceivable cliché unlike "The Doom Generation" being nihilistic towards everything that the early 90s' were. You do not have to embrace cynicism to appreciate this series, but it does help.

Technically, the animation is vivid and beautifully drawn. Art wise, it a bit ahead of its time, but it shines when it pays homage to legendary characters. Hyatt is a tribute to the character of Ifurita from "El Hazard", so it gets points from me. And the show loves to throw in designs that are reminiscent of Leiji Matsumoto. That brings me back to Daft Punk music videos, which in turn, makes me need to speak of how the credit songs are a lot of fun.

Story wise, it is a tough format to keep the viewers interest. I think the series would be more fun on VHS because after the third episode, I was worn out. It may have been the constant changes in storytelling or it was the sheer loudness of the series. Nothing is ever toned down. That is nice in short bursts, but it can get grating as it goes on.

Especially if you prefer dubs over subs. The English-language version only adds to the over-the-top nature. English does not sound as cute as Japanese when it comes to keeping the voices high and loud.

"Excel Saga" is not a series for viewers who are not anime fans. The unique format might allow new comers to the genre a way in, but its inside baseball humor will probably still have them taken a back by it. New viewers to loud anime should probably watch "My Hero Academia" before getting to this series.

But once you are acclimated to this style of animation, you cannot help but appreciate "Excel Saga". Every element will be celebrated. Everything is mocked. If you do not like an element of the genre, you will love seeing it being taken down a peg. If you love something tacky, you will love this series for leaning into those elements even further.

"Excel Saga" is the anime for anime fans. Everyone should end up loving it, but you are probably better served directing the nubes to Mamoru Hosada features before "Quack Experimental Anime".

NinetyForChill - The #Podcast: @GentlethemE & The Willy Wonka Empire

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 58: @GentlethemE & The Willy Wonka Empire (Free the Oompa Loompas).

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast is starting Michael Dubois's proposed Gene Wilder trilogy by discussing his favorite movie of all time, "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory". At least, it was coming into these recordings. Can two ultra-left anti-capitalists watch a feature about the Howard Hughes of chocolatiers and leave with the same respect that they had for this feature as children?

Because of the politics of the guest and host, it does take a little time to get to the feature. The capitalist elements lead them to think about the assholes who praise the fouled up concept. A discussion ensues about Cool Movie Darth's Twitter beefs with conservatives trolls and those who are supplying the Freedom Convoys. It sounds awful, but at least the first set of selfish morons trying to suffocate the vaccinated with diesel fumes were Canadians.

Canadian conservatives lack compassion, but are not too difficult to deal with on Twitter. They still maintain their politeness. You just cannot be too angry at Canucks.

It takes the two about 20 minutes to get back to the focus of the episode. CM Darth cannot help but chat about the more woke wrestling of AEW. This stems from the two talking about the media they watched growing up and the similarities they shared. "Willy Wonka" is a trip to more innocent times, and the two focus of them.

Cool Movies Darth had three primary VHS tapes growing up (five since he obviously wore out all of the original "Star Wars Trilogy"). They were "Star Wars", "Flash Gordon", and "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory". In contrast, Michael had three tapes as well. These cassettes were "Grease 2", "Titanic", and the forgotten "Chances Are". With a forgotten status, obviously the two went on a tangent exploring the Robert Downey Jr. feature about reincarnation-based, PG-13 incest. 

The two obviously love Gene Wilder movies. Current plans for the podcast are to schedule an episode devoted to Mel Brook's debut film "The Producers". That is a film that Michael has yet to see, but he had seen the musical version. He is a big fan of the soundtrack and offers an awkward story of driving an Uber with a Jewish patron and a car stereo set on random. 

This a good transition to the elements of "Willy Wonka" that no longer sit well. They had their suspicions of why Bill the Candyman is just giving his stock away and whether or not Charlie ever considered wankering to be a Wonkaer. A weird tribute to Bob Saget comes from these observations. CM Darth also pitches "The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane" because of this scene.

Other ideas we question from this feature are how all movies seem to hate math (except those from James Gunn), how did Wonka keep his factory secure over the past 20 years (was it Tardis puzzles or Jigsaw inspirations), and of course, Roald Dahl's hatred towards children. The two do admire how this initial financial failure did lay the groundwork for matter of fact comedies of the 1980's and how Dahl could figure out away to adapt such an absurd book. Michael leaves needing to see "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory" which maybe what the author may have intended.

Outside of this "Wonka" inspired conversation, Cool Movies Darth discusses his awkward birthday week (How do you unmatch a guy you ask to get a hold of you on Tinder after he makes a half-hour drive before he can even get home?) and returns to Ally's Accessories Shop on Etsy's Trash Feature Revue. This week, he watched John Leguizamo's "Empire". Be it heroin or chocolate, this episode focuses on addiction and the pain it causes. If only capitalism was gone, there would be no reason for these pushers.

Follow me on Twitter @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.

  *This blog post was started on March 6, 2022.

Time Won't Give Me Time: But Men's Wrestling to Rate.

I am currently a month ahead of my podcast schedule, but what has that gotten me? Perhaps the retail hours can be blamed. Thanks to Fite TV for letting me at least get my wrestling fix. When you do not get home till 8 pm, you will not have the time to play video games or watch those longer movies. 

The latter is not necessarily true. Redbox promo codes have given me the opportunities to catch up on all the fall movies that are not streaming. There will be a podcast for one of them in the future. Too bad "Last Night in Soho" does not fit the criteria. Do I know what I would do to edit that down? No, but it gives me a chance to rewatch the Cornetto Trilogy. Maybe I can make something out of the under appreciated "Paul".

Speaking of under appreciated, I ended up going on the worst Tinder date to date. It was a lot of trauma discussion from her unwanted beginning to being abused by every Western religion. She should be proud of surviving this, but it seemed that she wanted me to accept all of mine. Maybe I should have been more insistent that she listen to "NinetyForChill.com: The Podcast" or read "MainEventOfTheDead.com" to give her a clue of how I work. There is a part of me who wants to embrace all of my trauma, but not get over it.

To her credit, she wondered why I have been single for two years (let alone near decades with that status). She was quick to discuss wanting us to watch "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", so I thought I at least got a friend out of it. This may allow me the direction to find what I am looking for. I had to drive to Danville for this date, so after we paid our checks, she told me to "text" her when I got home.

She said text, but meant Tinder message. I get home, get comfortable, and got to find out that she had unmatched me. So much for feeling like the trip was worthwhile. Facebook sympathy and the chance to flip off the Freedom Convoy cannot warrant the gas.

And the irony, I have gotten the invite tonight to the girl I have been doing my best to flirt with (Probably why I am single. Talking up a game is tough.) to see her new place. Of course, I had to tell her that it was AEW Revolution tonight. If I have let wrestling take up so much of my time to this point, why should I change?

Change. Am I capable of that?

The Disgruntled's Real Men's Wrestling Power Rankings (03/06/2022):

It is five till 7:00 pm CST. I still have to air fry my guilty wings, so it will be interesting if I can get this typed up before any title changes at Revolution. Personally, there are not any championships that I would change tonight. This post should be right by the time the pay-per-view ends. Whoever wins the "Face of the Revolution" Ladder Match may make it. Otherwise, the post will be a sad look back on the WWE stalwarts being buggered by poor booking.

The Number 1 Men's Wrestler in the World:
AEW World Champion: Hangman Adam Page

• He is the Current Disgruntled's Real Men's World Champion.
• He defeated Bryan Danielson in a title rematch after an hour draw.
• He defeated Lance Archer in a Texas Deathmatch for the AEW Championship.

The Number 2 Men's Wrestler in the World:
IWGP World Champion: Kazuchika Okada

• The IWGP Heavyweight Championship has represented the Disgruntled's Real Men's World Championship.
• Since defeating Shingo Takagi to win the title, he retained the championship by defeating Will Ospreay the following night, and defeated Tetsuya Naito to retain the championship in February.
• He is currently waiting on the winner of the New Japan Cup as his next challenger.

The Number 3 Men's Wrestler in the World:
WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Brock Lesnar

• The WWE Championship has represented the Disgruntled's Real Men's World Championship.
• He has won the WWE title twice since January 1st.
• He may unify and there for legitimize the WWE Universal Championship.

F4WOnline: Matt Cardona wins NWA World Heavyweight title

The Number 4 Men's Wrestler in the World:
NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Matt Cardona (Debut)

• The NWA Championship was the original Disgruntled's Real Men's World Championship.
• He is currently the premier belt collector on the independent scene.

The Number 5 Men's Wrestler in the World:
WWE Universal Champion: Roman Reigns

• He is the current DRCW Modern Poser Champion.
• He has reigned as Universal Champion for nearly a year and a half.
• He had defeated Brock Lesnar in their last two matches.

The Number 6 Men's Wrestler in the World:
TNT Champion: Sammy Guevera (Re-debut)

• He is the current DRCW OCHO Real Secondary Champion.
• He should have had an uninterrupted title reign, but the two belts look good.
• Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn had no successful defenses of the WWE Intercontinental Championship. There are few title defenses by the six most recent secondary IWGP champions. Damien Priest did not have a signature feud as WWE United States Champion.

The Number 7 Men's Wrestler in the World:
"The National Treasure" Nick Aldis (Debut)

• He is the current top contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
• He dominated the NWA from from December 2017 to August 2021. 
• There were only 50 days between his two reigns as champion.

The Number 8 Men's Wrestler in the World:
The Face of the Revolution (2022): "Mr. Mayhem" Wardlow (Debut)

• He is the official top contender for the TNT Championship.
• He is set to feud with the top heel in AEW, Maxwell Jacob Friedman "MJF".
• Winning "The Face of the Revolution" Ladder Match involved him defeating AEW's No. 2 wrestler, Powerhouse Hobbs.

The Number 9 Men's Wrestler in the World:
ROH World Champion: Bandido (Up 1)

• The ROH Champion has represented the Disgruntled's Real Men's World Championship.
• Since main event of All In, he has been one of the top independent talents.

The Number 10 Men's Wrestler in the World:
ROH (Interim) World Champion: Jonathan Gresham (Debut)

• He defeated Jay Lethal (in the place of a Covid-diagnosed Bandido) to win the championship at ROH's last pre-AEW show.
• He has defended the championship since winning it at any independent booking he can.

So, this leads me waiting on the AEW World Championship match. With Britt Baker and A Boy and His Dinosaur (I believe they called their finisher the Jurassic Express tonight.) retaining their championships, there is a good chance Adam Cole wins Big Platinum.

If that is the case, I would say Adam Page moves to the 10 spot while Adam Cole is the number 1 (from number 7). If Sammy can make two of the same belts look good, Cole will make the AEW and BTE (Acknowledge the most Legitimate Title in Wrestling.) titles look awesome. I think this all depends on whether or not Kenny Omega will be back for Double or Nothing.

Stadium Stampede? The Elite vs Undisputed Era?