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Bonus: Chicago TARDIS 2025: Day 2 - 'A Whisker Away' from Whovian-Free Panels

CatBusRuss⁠ was doing his best to enjoy ⁠Chicago TARDIS⁠. ⁠ThePoeticCritic⁠ has done her best to get him to invest in "⁠Doctor Who⁠", but sixty years of content and everyone having their ideal Time Lord (or Lady), he was very much lost in the Westin of Lombard.

The most fun he had the first day may have been spent in his hotel room watching "⁠A Whisker Away⁠", an anime exclusive on Netflix. A story that investigates the escapism of turning into a cat was not one that they presented to the 17 Doctors. This cartoon harkens back to "⁠The Cat Returns⁠". If that ⁠Studio Ghibli⁠ feature inspires other Japanese artists, why should the BBC not take a hint?

Pardon the harshness towards the Whovians. Day two ended up offering a lot to amuse our host. The ⁠Christopher Eccleston⁠ panel was a lot of fun leaving us with the message, "Don't Trust the Wiki." ⁠CatBus⁠ then got to admire the dedication this fanbase has to keep all their favorite heroes alive in the form of the massive ⁠Big Finish Productions⁠ panel. If the BBC does not want to spend the cash to make new television episodes, the fans will buy audio stories where the original actors (and their kin) bring back their greatest characters.

Eventually, Russ got to cut loose. There were panels about television shows that lack aliens from Gallifrey and looks at the futures of the DCU and MCU'. The latter panels only had the Stevens siblings and the panelists' podcast co-hosts in the audience, so it allowed the Peoria contingent's voices to be heard, dare dominate the direction of the panels.

And then, there was the "Don't Blink Ball". You cannot complain about a day that ends with a DJ pulling out David Bowie, the heroes of new wave/early emo, and the less angry sounds from Chicago's ⁠Wax Trax⁠.

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Bonus: Chicago TARDIS 2025: Day 1 - No Nerd Osmosis

⁠ThePoeticCritic is having a good time at ⁠Chicago TARDIS⁠, but ⁠CatBusRuss⁠ is not quite feeling it. This is indeed a convention DEDICATED to "⁠Doctor Who⁠", and our host is not the target audience.

It is a neurospicy neighborhood. ⁠Russ⁠ has his eccentricities, but he also has patience and a degree of innate empathy. Make this crowd wait, and this crowd wants their true feelings known. This is a boys of "Big Bang Theory" vibe that brings CatBus comfort in knowing that he does not need to be tested like Sheldon, but taken a back by the stereotypes Hollywood sells.

He found the panel with ⁠Jo Martin⁠, the Fugitive Doctor, and supporting actresses ⁠Steph de Whalley⁠ and ⁠Susan Twist⁠ to be fun, but he was there to find out what he has seen them in that is not from the BBC. With his sister and her beau leaving him on his own, the challenge became finding the panels that were not too Whovian. When the one half of the panels that did not mention the Time Lord was hosted by two of the organizers, it maybe a fool's errand.

Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor standing in front of the TARDIS

The Undrafted and Wrongfully Drafted

"Bull Durham" was not drafted on the Baseball Draft (A film that can only be drafted at #1)
"No Fear of a Black Hat" on the Fictional Band Mini-Mega Draft
The entire George Lucas Draft
"The Birdcage" instead of "La Cage Aux Folles" on the Drag Draft
"Road Trip" was not even mentioned during the Road Trip Draft
"Major League" instead of "Drop Zone" on the Wesley Snipes Draft
"Black Swan" instead of "Mermaids" on the Wynona Ryder Draft
"Akira" instead of "Ghost World" on the Comic Book Movie (Non-Super Hero) Draft. Tetsuo is a Supe.
"Now You See Me" instead of "Diggstown" on the Con Artist Movie Draft
"The Onion Movie" instead of "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask" on the Sketch Comedy Anthologies Draft
"The Big Lebowski" not being marked eight on the Coen Bros. Draft
"Labrynth" or "Dark Crystal" not receiving the number 1 or 2 spot in the Jim Henson Draft
"Stage Fright" on the Giallo Draft. It is a slasher despite the presentation.
"Assault of Precinct 13" and "Prince of Darkness" Instead of "Escape from New York" and "The Thing" on the John Carpenter Draft
"Con Air" instead of "US Marshalls" and "Universal Soldier" instead of "Time Cop " on the 90's Action Draft
"WarGames" instead of "Spies Like Us" on the Cold War Draft
"Traffic" instead of "Side Effects" on the Steven Soderbergh Draft
"Fight Club" instead of "The Virgin Suicides" on the 1999 Draft ("Suicides" made the Actor Directorial Debut Draft)
Any Kirk Douglass instead of "The Shining" being on the Kubrick Draft
"Return of the Jedi" instead of "Tokyo Drift" on the Threequels Draft (there's only one "Return," okay, and it ain't "of the King," it's "of the Jedi.")

Deserves a Second Chance

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

I find the DC movies, or at least Zack Snyder, was trying to bring comic books to the big screen as opposed to adapting comic books for the big screen. If you read, (or watch the excellent animated adaptation of) "The Dark Knight Returns", it is a very slow build to the battle between the Bat and Supe. This is regarded as one of the best threads in comics.

As a guy who fell in love with wrestling in the 1980's, the very methodical showdown is what I loved. It's a love letter to comic book fans who read and note every detail and want to try figuring out the plot before the character do. Come at the flick this way, and I think you will get something out of it.

Tropic Thunder (2008)

This is a feature that dares you to be offended. When director Ben Stiller is that forthcoming like Robert Downey Sr. was with 1969's "Putney Swope", an audience saying that something is in poor taste, hence not funny, means they are afraid to make a mockery of a concept.

My own experience with junkies bankrupting me allows me to thoroughly enjoy Jack Black's making addiction seem ridiculous. Robert Downey Jr. nails his taboo performance and I would say helps the call for actors from a demographic to be the first people called on for the roles representing them. As for the "Forest Gump" knock off jokes, they serve as a way to ridicule us for what we accepted (and encouraged) as fine a decade prior. The narrative that controls the pace in the second act can drag, but the content that is delivered cannot be cut.

MainEventofTheDead.com

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Bonus: A Merry Mark L Lester Christmas with Class...of 1984/1999

Bonus: A Merry Mark L Lester Christmas with Class...of 1984/1999