I'm way too tired to blog, but here I am again... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Memories Do Pass. It seems so strange that two more musicians from my youth have passed... namely Ozzy Osbourne and Chuck Mangione...

As if that weren't enough, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, most known for playing Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show also died in a tragic drowning accident. I prepared for getting to the point where all the people from my memories were going to start dying, but I wasn't prepared for how quickly they're passing. Every month a couple more seem to leave us, and I can't help but wonder how many more will go before I do.

   
• McMissing McPies! I don't give a shit how "unhealthy" McDonald's fried pies were... I want them back. Who eats at McDonald's to be healthy?

Of course McDonald's is so fucking expensive now that I can't really afford to eat there any more, so it's not like it matters. Though I might be willing to take out a second mortgage if it meant I could have a fried McPie again.

   
• Perfect 'Maters! When I had to transfer my tomato plants outside, I was certain that they would be pecked at by birds and spoiled by bugs. But no....

Am I just phenomenally lucky? Because the biggest problem I have is to wash off the water spots. They tomatoes themselves are beautiful.

   
• Ares! The original Tron is one of my favorite films of all time. The sequel was okay but hardly in the same league. About all I could say was that the special effects were darn good. And now another sequel has landed and... well... the special effects look darn good...

It looks far removed from the initial concept, though the idea of computer constructs from the digital world being able to make their way into our world was where the sequel ended up, so here we are. If nothing else, I hope it's at least entertaining.

   
• Mickey Kicked the Bucket? ZOMFG! WHEN DID MICKEY MOUSE DIE?!??

When I was at the Walt Disney World Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party last year, I saw that there are people lining up to buy dozens of the special event popcorn buckets and sipper cups. That's some big business on eBay, apparently.

   
• Leaving Las Vegas! Pre-pandemic, I had several work trips to Las Vegas for the charity I volunteered with. But over the years there were fewer, because we were finding the number of conventions wanting to hold events in Vegas were fewer. This video offers some interesting insight into the many problems which make Sin City a less-desirable vacation destination...

#1 on my list? Fucking "resort fees." I personally avoid Vegas for this one reason. I hate being lied to about the rate I'm paying. Hotels country-wide should be forced to list the TOTAL PRICE YOU WILL BE CHARGED at the time you book your lodging. And those absurd fucking "Restaurant Fees" and "CNF Fees" are #2 on my list.

   
• Republican Speaker of the House Just Loooooooves Pedophiles! Well this should shock absolutely nobody... "Speaker Mike Johnson said he would send lawmakers home early for their summer recess in order to head off Democratic demands for votes on calling for the release of files from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein." Gotta protect pedophiles at all costs, I guess. There must be some huge donors and very important politicians on that list. Why else would you protect pedophiles?

And now we just wait for Ghislaine Maxwell to give an interview with the FBI where she says that no Republicans were on the list, names a few token Democrats, then gets mysteriously pardoned by the President of the United States for finally "telling the truth to the American people." Because keep in mind that only the President can pardon her crimes of supplying underage girls to Epstein Island.

   
And on that depressing note, off I go to try and get some sleep before facing the horrors on a new news day.

Picture it...

There I am, finishing up an email and pulling up my blog to write today's entry. I start blathering on about Apple's new iOS beta update that dropped today, when my YouTube video ends on the television and something very cool appears in my "up next" suggestions.

It's the only news that matters today...

Not saying that I'm going to head to the theater to see it... but I will be anxiously awaiting the home video release!

It's 911. The world may be ending, but I'm not sending this blog with it just yet... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• IN THE NEWS: Historic lodge on Grand Canyon North Rim destroyed by wildfire. This is awful. I've never stayed at the Grand Canyon Lodge because it was way out of my price range, but I've eaten dinner there with my mom and it's a wonderful place. Or was...

Image from a news story taken from somewhere on Twitter

The world being both figuratively and literally on fire is really starting to wear on people. Starting with me.

   
• IN THE NEWS: 1 person dies of the plague in northern Arizona. And guess what? The current administration is GUTTING our research and defense against shit like this. All so he can give billionaires more tax cuts while the country goes trillions more into debt. The rest of us just get to die of the plague, I guess.

   
• IN THE NEWS: Mexican volunteers rushed in to help after floods in Texas. Some want to continue recovery efforts. "Oscar Morales is part of the volunteer-led recovery team International Tlatelolco Azteca Rescue Brigade, which was created after the 1985 earthquake that left thousands dead in Mexico City. The group is better known as 'Los Topos,' which translates to 'the moles,' because members search for victims after natural disasters. But the part of the above story which is adding a new level of horrible to an already horrific situation? On social media, Gov. Greg Abbott has thanked almost a dozen states for sending help after the catastrophic floods, but he hasn't publicly mentioned the help of Mexican volunteers. Because of course not. And yet Mexico showed up anyway, even though they knew this would happen. And despite the fact that there could have been seriously harmful consequences for showing up to help a neighbor... like getting deported to a prison in El Salvador. I was holding my breath when I heard they came, just waiting for some stupid racist shit to go down, because that seems to be what this country is all about now.

   
• IN THE NEWS: From Mackintosh Braun on Instagram. "Our independent album The Sound was removed from all streaming and stores by TuneCore because Warner Sync UK Warner Music has claimed they own a song on the album. We made this record broke, sharing a studio apartment back in 2006. This is why the music industry is broken. They’ve effectively removed our music from existence for no reason… if you can write someone do it, no idea how to fix this." This is horrible, but so typical of the abuse which huge companies can unleash whenever they want, and rarely face consequences... even nearly 20 years later. This is an incredible debut album from MB (Macintosh Braun), one of my all-time favorite bands. I've been hoping for a new album for a decade now, but have taken consolation that their old albums are still out there to be enjoyed. Except when they're not.

   
• End of an Era! The Rivers of America has been removed from Walt Disney World's maps. That's where the new Cars attractions are going to go...

The Rivers of America in Disneyland is still there, so that's nice.

   
• PC Mini! If you're looking to kill some time and are mesmerized by electronics videos like I am, here's your next watch...

It's remarkable how much of the work is done by hand. I would have sworn that these would be 90% automated by machine. Also remarkable? How everything is being made to look like a Mac mini now, right down to the packaging.

   
• Hello Depression! Am I the only one who can no longer watch movies about the total fantasy of what this country could be without being filled with abject despair over how it is?

I just wanted a feel-good movie to play while I had a sandwich, so I put on Dave, which I normally love. Now it just makes me depressed.

   
And now we can continue with the ongoing nightmare of our existence.

After talking with a friend who had just watched Mickey 17, which stars Robert Pattinson, I remembered that he also starred in the Christopher Nolan's Tenet, a movie I like the more times I see it.

This time was no different. Such a brilliant film.

I've watched videos, read articles, and examined timeline charts in order to better understand the film. And here's another one which was very recently released (spoilers, of course)...

I love that the movie is so deep that videos and articles are still being written about it.

Next up from Nolan is his adaptation of The Odyssey, the trailer for which has apparently leaked online. I'm not going to try and watch anything until Universal officially releases it. Otherwise I know that I'm going to undoubtedly be clicking on a fucking shit-ton of AI-generated shit, because that's what YouTube is all about now-a-days.

Except...

Unlike Facebook, YouTube may actually be trying to curb the AI slop we're being inundated with. Thank God. I am so sick and fucking tired of this crap that it almost makes me want to abandon the internet so I don't have to see it.

I may be laying here dying of a sunburn, but never you fear about this blog... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• The Life List! If you too are laying on the couch trying not to move so your sunburn won't give you grief and you're looking for a rom-com to watch, here you go...

Ever since I lost Hallmark Channel, my consumption of rom-coms has been dangerously low. Fortunately they are in endless supply.

   
• Melancholy! There's a new Google commercial showing how you can use your phone's camera to get help via a photo AI search. The song they have in the background is very clearly On Melancholy Hill by Gorillaz. Then, at the very end, the tune takes enough of a turn that you know it's not...

It's a bummer, because every time it comes on, I'm thinking that Google licensed the track from Damon Albarn, who has crafted some of my favorite music of all time (lead by Silent Running which remains one of the most achingly beautiful songs I've heard (link in comments).

   
• Correlation? And yet you see it on social media practically every day. Multiple times a day...

Which is bad enough, except you see it in the news as well. Politicians just love this shit.

   
• Cancelation Rage! One of my favorite shows of 2025 has been The Residence on Netflix. The character of Cordelia Cupp is amazing, the story they came up with for her is fantastic, and the mystery in the show is pretty great. Which is why I was hoping so badly we'd get a sequel. But of course Netflix canceled the show...

It's beyond frustrating that good shows get canceled before their time. And I guess I'll just add this to the pile of shows I'm mad about losing.

   
• Immortal Cat Tales! Matt Damon has more than a few stories which make me like him as a person. And here's one more...

Cats are such mythical creatures. Maybe that's what I like about them.

   
• NEWSFLASH: ‘Sinners’ on Max Will Include a Black American Sign Language Version. The fact that there is a laugh-react to this enrages me to the point of meltdown. Adding accessibility for a group of people DOES NOT TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM YOU. The Black Deaf Community has developed a language to better communicate their shared-experience. Everybody should be thrilled to know that HBO Max is putting in the work and money necessary to make sure that this masterpiece film has the best experience possible for everybody. But no. The fact that BASL is an option is somehow hilarious. Get fucked. Go back to your bigot bubble where absolutely everything is just designed exclusively for you and leave those who advocate for their inclusion alone.

   
• Make it Sparkle! LET'S GO TO THE MALL EVERYBODY!

I've been rewatching How I Met Your Mother, but the number of times I've watched this episode go way beyond the number of times I've watched the series.

   
And now back to nursing my sunburn.

I have been looking forward to the sequel to The Old Guard for what seems like forever (well, okay, it's been four years, but still). It's been the sole reason that I've hung on to Netflix through its price increases and the films delays. But today was the day... and the film was finally released.

And I hated it.

Hated it.

It's a convoluted mess of a movie that isn't the least bit interesting or inovative. In other words, it's the complete opposite of the first film. The characters aren't made even remotely compelling this time around. Nicky and Joe's relationship, the whole heart of the first flick, takes a backseat to Andy and Quynh's relationship, except there's nothing really to it except predictability. The sequel takes place six months after the last one, but Nile's abilities are completely off the chart and she's more of a plot device than a character. Booker, who could have had a fascinating redemption arc, was given a lazy redemption that wasn't earned so much as it was shoe-horned in with no reasoning. Chiwetel Ejiofor was given a more active way in the story, but to lesser effect. Henry Golding was added but completely wasted and wasn't made in any way essential except he knows things. All he did was take time away from the other characters, and they could have eliminated him and changed nothing. I guess Uma Thurman has an essential function, but it's sure a boring one.

But the worst part? It ends on a massive fucking cliffhanger.

This sequel barely happened, a third film is highly unlikely, and they decide to end it on a cliffhanger? What the fuck? The first movie was a complete story that happened to have a stinger at the end which could lead to more in case they got to make more. You could have never gotten a sequel and had a satisfying experience. But this time if there's no sequel to the sequel, you're left with something incomplete and half-baked.

I fucking hate it when they do this shit. Unless you are 100% certain that you will get another movie or another season or whatever... DON'T FUCKING END ON A CLIFFHANGER!! This is not rocket science. What it actually is is lazy, shitty filmmaking that broadcasts to the entire world that you are not talented enough to wrap something up and move on to something bigger and better.

And I honestly don't care. If a third movie never happens, I'll try to be happy that we got the first one and move on with my life.

Jesus. Charlize Theron could have spent her time giving us a sequel to Atomic Blonde instead of wasting her time on this nonsense.

Though now I'm scared shitless that we'd get a bad sequel to that brilliant movie too.

A book I've read more than a few times is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It's a solid and entertaining read that was begging for a movie adaptation.

And now we have one.

Ryan Gosling, whom I never gave much thought to until his exceptional performances in The Nice Guys and Blade Runner 2049, is perfect for the lead role, and I'm happy they cast somebody who can bring the character to life in a way that has charm and dimension. Because, keep in mind, he's going to be the only human on-screen for a big chunk of the movie's runtime...

And how cool is that alien space ship design? Very happy they put some serious money into the special effects budget.

But will I actually be compelled to go to a theater in March of 2026?

For this? Maybe!

I'm a massive fan of television programs and movies. I "watch" a lot of them. And by "watch" I mean that I am doing work (or blogging!) while they run in the background. My mind is pretty good at multi-tasking, so I can fairly easily follow whatever is on my television while banging away on my laptop.

The nice thing about watching stuff this way is that I can ignore all the idiotic shit that draves me crazy when it pops up.

Take for example the Wilhelm Scream.

I fucking hate it. The sound effect is so overused and offensive that it immediately takes me out of what I'm watching...

=shudder=

And then there's the fucking "Tarzan yell" which annoys me for the same reason...

Yeah, fuck Richard Marquand and George Lucas forever for that bit of dumbassery ruining an already disastrous Return of the Jedi (the heinous followup to the amazing The Empire Strikes Back). Lord.

If I had the time, I'd edit the sound mix of every movie I enjoy to rip this dumbassery out of them so I can enjoy them without distraction.

But why stop there?

There's a lot of shows and films which need some more exstensive editing than just a sound clip.

I've been re-watching the James Bond movies and cringing at the appearances of the Sheriff J.W. Pepper character, which I loathe...

Not that this frickin' idiot is the only bad thing in a James Bond movie. Many of the films have moments that are beyond stupid and are begging to be modified or cut.

Take, for example, that incredible car jump stunt that had the misfortune of being sabotaged not just by an appearance by Seargent J.W. Pepper, but with the stupid-ass slide whistle they played over the top of this magnificent stunt, which effectively sabotages it...

Who the fuck makes a choice like that?

I feel like I'm picking on James Bond and Star Wars movies, but there's precious few movies that I wouldn't change at all. Most films have something I'd change... even if it's something very small.

Hollywood should just save themselves the trouble and consult me on the final edit.

Yesterday it was announced that my favorite contemporary director will direct the next James Bond film and I am over the moon.

A couple years ago Denis Villeneuve was on the Happy Sad Confused podcast and spoke about how he would love to make a Bond film one day, and to know that somebody at Amazon was listening is a different level of heartwarming...

The guy is incredible. He went from Sicario to Arrival to Blade Runner 2049 to the two Dune films. Who has a run like that? I have no idea when he's going to get around to Bond when he's got Rendezvous with Rama and Dune: Messiah coming up. And wasn't he working on a Cleopatra movie too? Regardless, I will absolutely be tuning in for whatever he's up to next. Which I hope is Dune: Messiah before James Bond No. 26 (which doesn't yet have a writer, so maybe)...

And now that the director is settled, the big question is... who will they get to play James Bond?

Connery was impossible to follow, but Moore did it. Moore was impossible to follow... and... well... yeah. But eventually Craig did it. So here's hoping.

After watching the Totally Awesome Films video on Flash Gordon the other day, YouTube recommended some of their other videos, including this one about the James Bond flick Never Say Never Again, which I watched because A) I actually liked the film quite a lot despite it being near the bottom of my ranking, and B) It's a "rogue" Bond flick which was produced outside of the Eon Production umbrella due to some legal wrangling that I never fully understood...

Afterwards I watched Never Say Never Again... yet again... and found it to be even better than I remembered. Yeah, Connery was really too old to be playing Bond, but they worked that into the script (which is more than they ever did with Roger Moore's later entries). Alas, where they fucked it up was having a 53-year-old Connery playing opposite a 29-year-old Kim Basinger, which was a missed opportunity to have an older Bond Girl for once. And then they had her head-over-heels in love with him after they had only met like three times? Sure he saved her life, but it was just so bizarre.

I did love seeing Connery as Bond again. And the writing, which afforded Bond some of the most clever lines of his career, was pretty good considering this was a remake of Thunderball. But the highlight of the entire movie were the villains. Both Max Largo and Fatima Blush were brilliant, ruthless, and deranged in the best possible way. Flawlessly cast and performed, they're near the top of all the adversaries 007 ever faced. And then... Max von Sydow as Blowfeld on top of that? It's an embarrassment of riches that makes the film far more memorable than it had a right to be.

Ultimately I think that Goldfinger will likely never be toppled as my favorite of all the James Bond movies, but there's a place for each of them because they all hold some measure of entertainment value (including Octopussy, which never ends up being as terrible as I remember it). Never Say Never Again fares better than some of them in the grand scheme of things because at least all the humor lands (I still wince thinking of the idiotic fucking appearances by Sheriff J.W. Pepper... and of course that dumbass driving gondola complete with pigeon double-take that nearly ruin Moonraker every time).

I suppose I really should rewatch all the 007 films. I haven't done that in a couple of years, and it's always worth it.

With the possible exception of The Living Daylights, which isn't a terrible film, but the one which never seems to offer me anything new with repeated viewings. It was just so bland and never seems to get better with age.