Quad Cities Comic Con: Mick Foley v. Street Fighter Alpha & Shudder Shenanigans

I Dig Crazy Flicks with @CatBusRuss

Episode 271: Quad Cities Comic Con: Mick Foley Movie Star, Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, Trapped in Anime

CatBusRuss⁠ and ⁠ThePoeticCritic⁠ have made it back to the Heart of Illinois and Chambana respectively from ⁠Quad Cities Comic Con⁠. It was a pretty successful trip to deliver a trio of "⁠I Dig Crazy Flicks⁠" panels despite the growing pains ⁠VXV Events⁠ has in their expansion. If the cosplayers are not gathering by the backdrops, how are they going to find the panel rooms?

The two siblings ended up getting a small crowd for the "⁠1985 Action Movie Triple-Threat Match⁠", but these members of Generation X may have realized that the convention goers are generally 20 years younger than them. ⁠ThePoeticCritic's thoughts ⁠about millennials and gen-z kids not wanting to watch movies before "Jaws" maybe accurate. Fortunately, those who stopped by the panel were polite and supportive despite it not being for them.

If you want to speak about someone who is kind and supportive, ⁠Mick Foley⁠ was kind enough to answer ⁠Russ⁠'s question about the lack of a Cactus Jack Cinematic Universe. After seeing his debut at "AEW: Double or Nothing", our host might have been better served to ask "Will Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy change his clothes from the previous day?" (The panel was on Saturday. #AEWDoN was on Sunday.)

If you want more of CatBus hot takes, Russ included his hot take from "⁠Trapped in Anime⁠". The first comment he saw was, "If gatekeeping was a person," so he thinks he nailed that appearance from ⁠C2E2 2026⁠.

To conclude this #Ani-May, CatBus decided to revisit "⁠Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation⁠". It is an interesting take on the SF franchise, but our host is not a "Dragon Ball" fan. Is he fine with that style mixed with the World Warriors?

What CatBusRuss does like is ⁠Doich! Snacking Dough⁠.

Try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode 272 - Shudder Shenanigans: "Deathstalker" (2025) & "The Sadness" (2021) with Gregory Carl

CatBusRuss⁠'s friend, coworker, and ⁠Patreon⁠ backer ⁠Tim Bates⁠ brought up watching "⁠The Dungeonmaster⁠" from 1984 and how wild that film was. The immediate reaction from the "⁠I Dig Crazy Flicks with CatBusRuss⁠'s" host was to comeback the next day with a potentially crazier flick to discuss. This was the push to get him to watch the remake/reimagining of "⁠Deathstalker⁠" that is currently on Shudder, the streaming service that past guest ⁠Gregory Carl⁠ turned to for films to bring up on the podcast.

⁠Russ⁠ is getting ready for a social networking excursion to ⁠Indiana Comic Convention 2026⁠, so it brought back memories of when he hosted his fourth "⁠Ninety For Chill: The Panel⁠" with Gregory Carl as his guest. The two now have a shaky relationship, perhaps from their first IRL meeting, so if it is not going to find solid ground, it is probably best to release the last episode they recorded before the "I Dig Crazy Flicks" era of this podcast. This was another feature from Shudder, the ultra-violent, viral-outbreak horror film from Taiwan "⁠The Sadness⁠".

This #RewindWednesday runs the gamut of what can be done with ultra-violence. "Deathstalker" is a campy, tongue-in-cheek love letter to the Roger Corman produced franchise while "The Sadness" is straight up drama and violence that was perhaps to intense for George A. Romero. One film is an ode to bright blood while the other revels in realistic claret. Russ thinks they are both winners, but you may need a heads up before you delve into either.

If you want a definitive winner, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

 

Follow me on Bluesky @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.

Turning Japanese: The Distgruntled's Real World Champions - 2026 Edition

*This blog post was started on June 16, 2026.

With the World Cup going on at this time, I thought about calling this blog "Three Lions", but when my most recent wrestling blogs were about establishing the current Disgruntled's Real Tertiary Champion (currently the Disgruntled's Real Southern Television Openweight Champion), that is definitely the more on the nose title for the next edition. Heres hoping I get to add on to that project before Football Comes Home.

The question is, will I have the time to write it? Right now, I have been trying to watch 15 films a month (a weird resolution, I know), actually getting a social life beyond my trivia team, and I have had plenty of two-comic convention months. And then, a new full-time job is about to start, so I am worried about how all of the positives that have kept me sane and optimistic during my underemployment may vanish.

There is going to be three months where I cannot request time off. It will be a second shift job, so that disconnects me from hanging out with all of my university employee friends. If I am stuck on a weekend shift, getting out to any convention for a couple of days will be lost.

How can I live with myself if I miss Christopher Lambert and Dolph Lundgren at Fan Expo Chicago in August? Those are two actors I can ask Trevor Goddard stories. That will be worse than me messing up a friendship with an anti-violence advocate who fails in her messaging and demands that psychology be ignored.

And of course, how do I keep up on All Elite Wrestling? Watching Dynamite and Collision are things that do not feel the same when you miss them on the night they air. Never mind not wanting spoilers means I am out of the loop with online wrestling news.

I guess it ends up being a wise move starting this blog entry as I wait for my laundry. It maybe months...or a year, from me getting back to keeping these title lineages up to date.

The Disgruntled's Real World Champions of Pro-Wrestling:

Title Histories from June 22, 2025 to June 26, 2026.

The 114th and Current Disgruntled's Real World Champion:
AEW Men's World Champion Maxwell Jacob Freeman "MJF"

His reign began when he defeated Darby Allin on May 24, 2026 for the AEW Championship.

I do not like when companies flip-flop championships between two wrestlers, but Allin defended the championship the second most amount of times in his brief reign. Has Cody Rhodes had that many defenses in his three reigns as WWE Champion? We know Yota Tsuji did not defend the IWGP Heavyweight Championship without any thought.

The 113th Disgruntled's Real World Champion: AEW Men's World Champion Darby Allin

His reign began when he defeated MJF on April 15, 2026.

The 112th Disgruntled's Real World Champion: AEW Men's World Champion MJF

His reign began when Konosuke Takeshita lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Yota Tsuji on January 4, 2026.

The 111th Disgruntled's Real World Champion: IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita

His reign began when he defeated Zack Sabre Jr. on October 13, 2025.

He may have only had one successful defense of the championship, but he earned the title by winning the G1 Climax and was holding the title and competing in AEW's Continental Classic. That is quite the workload.

And this is when I changed the title of this blog from "World in Motion" to "Turning Japanese". New Order's number only number one hit in Britain deserves more respect, but it was just a means to sell a greatest hits album three years after their first compilation "Substance".

The 110th Disgruntled's Real World Champion: IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr.

His reign began when he defeated Hirooki Goto on June 29, 2025.

They knew Goto was working hurt since winning the championship from ZSJ. And during his struggles, he defended the championship seven times. The last time an IWGP Heavyweight Champion made that many defenses was Kazuchika Okada during a 13-month title reign.

The 57th and Current Modern Poser Champion:
WWE World Champion Roman Reigns

His reign began when he defeat CM Punk on April 19, 2026.

The 56th Modern Poser Champion: WWE World Champion CM Punk

His reign began when Drew McIntyre lost the WWE Undisputed Championship to Cody Rhodes on March 6, 2026.

McIntyre's was given a stunt title reign because babyface Cody Rhodes is boring.

The 55th Modern Poser Champion: WWE Undisputed Champion Drew McIntyre

His reign began when he defeated Cody Rhodes on January 9, 2026.

The 54th Modern Poser Champion: WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes

His reign began on August 2, 2025 when he defeated John Cena.

The 53rd Modern Poser Champion: WWE Undisputed Champion John Cena

His reign began on August 2, 2025 after Seth Rollins cashed in Money in the Bank on CM Punk for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Cashing in on a champion without an announcing your challenge a week in advance is just shock television. That is why Tony Khan changed the Casino Battle Royale rule. If you cannot announce the challenge, money is being left on the table.

The 52nd Modern Poser Champion: WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk

His reign began on August 2, 2025 when he defeated Gunther.

The 57th and Current Disgruntled's Real Women's World Champion:
AEW Women's World Champion Thekla

Her reign began when she defeated Kris Statlander on February 11, 2026.

"Otaku No Video", "The Mandalorian and Grogu", and the 1st Quad Cities Comic Con

I Dig Crazy Flicks with @CatBusRuss

Episode 270: Ninety For Chill: Otaku No Missouri Comic Con

CatBusRuss⁠ & ⁠ThePoeticCritic⁠ will be heading up to East Moline for ⁠Quad Cities Comic Con⁠ (May 23 & 24), so it is about time that they gave the audiences from ⁠Missouri Comic Con⁠ their proper respect. The first and most attended panel was "⁠Ninety For Chill: Because Movies Are Now Too Long⁠". It will be the first panel this weekend that "⁠I Dig Crazy Flicks⁠" will be presenting (Saturday, 11:30 am, Panel Room 2), but they are going up against Mick Foley. Thus, this episode of "Ninety For Chill: The Panel" may be the best the podcast can offer.

It is going to be a lot of fun for ⁠Russ⁠ to chat about filmmaking philosophy with his big sister this weekend. Like many times before, she has saved the day when it comes to this podcast (including the first two "⁠Ninety For Chill⁠" panels). But hopefully, they will get an audience like the one from Springfield, MO. Our podcast host was on his own at Missouri Comic Con, and thanks to those otakus, it ended up being a great show.

To further prep himself for Quad Cities Comic Con (and to honor #Ani-May), CatBus got around to watching "⁠Otaku No Video⁠". It is an ode to fandom culture, reminds you why it is fun to be a part of it, and laid the groundwork for "⁠Neon Genesis Evangelion⁠". This watch may reinvigorate our host's love of being a con-goer, not just a presenter.

If your snacking game needs reinvigorated, "Perfect Blue" is a must see, but if you want to find a must taste, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Bonus - Quad Cities Comic Con: The Mandalorian and Grogu...and ThePoeticCritic

CatBusRuss⁠ and ⁠ThePoeticCritic⁠ received the honor of being the first fan panel at the first ⁠Quad Cities Comic Con⁠. How did "⁠Ninety For Chill: The Panel⁠" and the "⁠1986: RAD Movies or BAD Movies⁠" go over? Thank the gods for Generation X chaperones.

It is usually a great spot to be the first fan panel. They set the tone for the rest of the panels to come. ⁠Russ⁠ wanted to catch the ⁠Mick Foley⁠ panel, so he did not get to see if offering punch and pie really makes a difference in convincing an audience to stick around. Could Eric Cartman's hypothesis be wrong?

The two Stevens siblings had a good time, but this being the first ⁠VXV Event⁠ in Northwest Illinois/Southeast Iowa, the vendors were lacking in quantity. But Russ left with a 3-D-printed Catpool, so there were quality vendors. Will his big sister leave a three-foot tall, fluffy Psyduck plushie? That is the question for the last day of the convention.

Speaking of Pokemon, ThePoeticCritic introduced her brother to "⁠Pokemon Concierge⁠". It is a fun stop-motion animation series that tries to take the piss out of hustle culture, but is it #Ani-May appropriate? The series's characters mouths make different shapes when they are talking.

The two siblings have a discussion about how it now seems that anime and gaming are taking over comic cons. It was not a big cosplay day, but when he saw some, our host recognized only a few of them. But all is not hopeless for nerdom, there was a Mandalorian that Russ could look at the top of his helmet's "T". There was also a fun build-your-own lightsaber vendor. Can the CatBus resist spending three-figure on a new one?

Obviously, he could not resist catching the first showing of "⁠Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu⁠" in East-Central Illinois. Should he have waited till AMC's RealD showing instead of settling on a plain old, digital presentation?

If your questioning your snacking choices, try a flavor from ⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

 

Follow me on Bluesky @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.

Skies of Fortune Presents "Perfect Blue" & "MORTAL MONDAY" and "Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie"

I Dig Crazy Flicks with @CatBusRuss

Episode 269: Skies of Fortune Presents "Perfect Blue"

Jess McCord, a mind behind the tabletop role-playing game "Skies of Fortune"⁠ might be ⁠CatBusRuss⁠'s go to anime expert. The last time our host was up to speed with the animation genre were the days of ADV Films, Central Park Media, and Manga Entertainment.

When it came to the distributor with the best full-length films, Manga was the company to turn to for timeless, possibly perfect offerings. One of those features being ⁠Satoshi Kon⁠'s "⁠Perfect Blue⁠".

⁠Russ⁠ still has panels from ⁠Missouri Comic Con⁠ to post on the ⁠I Dig Crazy Flicks⁠ podcast feed, but it is Ani-May, so he feels its only appropriate to post a review for an anime film before the TED Talk. The best attended panel was dedicated to the concept of ⁠Ninety For Chill⁠. Since that was a discussion about the entertainment industry, it would only be fitting to feature a Japanese-animated feature about that.

"Perfect Blue" is the story of a woman leaving the world of being a pop idol to become an actress. If you know anything about that music genre, you know that this is the right career move. But all groups have fandoms, and all fandoms have unhealthily obsessed members. Fanatics who will not let you change the image they determined to be perfect.

Satoshi Kon's debut feature deserves more than just a two to five minutes on this podcast. Fortunately for CatBus, Jess was in the midst of a binge of this maestro who tragically passed away at age 46. On a two-day turnaround, the Dread Pirate Syzer was ready to discuss this must see film.

"Perfect Blue" is a must see, but if you want to find a must taste, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Bonus - MORTAL MONDAY 2026: Mortal Kombat II vs. Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie

This is a bonus episode born out of ⁠CatBusRuss⁠'s nostalgia. 33 years ago, the arcade ports of "Mortal Kombat" were released on Mortal Monday. Our host was invited out to the AMC in Champaign last Tuesday, so it only makes sense to review "⁠Mortal Kombat II⁠" while it is still early in its box office run.

But ⁠Russ⁠ still has panels from ⁠Missouri Comic Con⁠ to release on this podcast feed. On top of that, ⁠ThePoeticCritic⁠ and her little brother will be hosting three panels at ⁠Quad Cities Comic Con⁠ on May 23 and May 24. There is too much content to release on the regular schedule, so our standard Wednesday release is going to be bumped to Thursday, so that we can bask in the memories of the bloodless SNES adaptation of the game that started it all. (All hail the Sega Genesis and ABACABB.)

Of course, it is still #Ani-May, so Russ rewatched the first anime that he ever got to rent and attached it to this bonus podcast. Our host was always a Capcom guy, so he could not resist the chance to put up "⁠Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie⁠" against the feature that may bring back campy tournament fighter back to cinema prominence.

If you are looking for a champion, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

 

Follow me on Bluesky @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.