The Unholy Dragon

On one hand, the Armageddon Six Man was very good.On the other hand, it also had Austin, Rock, Angle, Taker, and Rikishi in there, so I don't know how much of that can be directly attributed to HHH. A few of the non-bolded matches aren't so much 'bad' as 'not exceptional' as well, with some of them still in the ***1/2-**** range for those who like star ratings. Easily good enough to hang in the good-great range.He clearly had an amazing PPV year, as well as some standout TV matches that are remembered fondly. I know there's the TV argument but how many TV matches from 2000 do you remember from Rock? Benoit? Jericho? Anyone? PPV is easy because it's got the big stage and results on Wikipedia to reference. I don't know how many wrestlers who have more than a handful of universally remembered great TV matches 13 years later.I dunno. I kinda feel like I'd need an argument for someone with a better 2000 than HHH. And PPV-wise, there aren't many contenders in WWE.

The Batwoman thing bugs me less than the Harley one frankly. I mean, the misresporting is arguably worse, but the Harley one is just...it's HARLEY! Her WHOLE EXISTENCE has been Looney Tunes violence against women, with her defining herself in relation to Joker and willingly playing the Judy to his Punch. She's not really a strong female character (though she's a great one) and her trying to off herself (or finding herself in ludicrously precarious situations) totally works. Yes, she's naked in one scene. That is because she's in a bath. People are usually naked in the bath. There's also a lot of "MEN ABUSING FICTIONAL WOMEN" talk, which ignores the fact that Amanda Conner is the co-writer. And they've stated a desire to have a Deadpool-esque tone with the book.It's just like...has the whole world gone fucking crazy?And frankly, making stupid arguments like these causes the valid criticisms to be dismissed.It's just...ugh. And I've had to say this three times on my Facebook in the last 24 hours. One of my friends commented that it's hilarious to see me getting madder each time it comes up.

Yeah, if they wanted to go ahead and have Landau as Romana in the show itself, I'd be cool with that.

Man, call them for their actual weird hangups and bad decisions all you like, but the number of "DC is anti-gay marriage" and "DC is trying to sexualize female suicide" headlines I've seen lately is just freaking irritating.If you're going to call them on their bullshit, at least call them on the right stuff. Such as the idiotic marriage ban that only exists because execs are having a midlife crisis and thinks avoiding marriage keeps the characters forever young. Or the stubborn refusal to back up and allow their creators to have a voice outside a handful of titles.Yes, DC is doing stupid things.Yes, they should have let Kate and Maggie get married. The sales on that issue alone should have made it an easy sell.No, their refusal to do that doesn't make them anti-women or anti-gay. It makes them anti-creativity.I just want to burn the internet at this point.

Just finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane.Neil Gaiman is just the best. Seriously. Forget that it's only like, 230 pages. Scoop this up, read it, and love it.Just so, so good.I didn't even mind that for the first time it really felt like Gaiman was going back to familiar tropes for him (though in fairness, it's ideas pulled from all of his work and done differently)

So guys, You're Next is REALLY good. Like, one of the best non-suspense horror flicks in years. It is bloody and violent and nasty, and really gets under the skin at times. The characters mostly avoid tropey bullshit, the one or two times someone goes off on their own makes a lot of sense. The killers are far from immortal or unstoppable and the first time that's proven, the movie takes a major turn. It's got great characterization and plot, and even manages to include scenes of nudity without the creepy male gaze stuff. It's REALLY good. Home invasion flick where everyone is very human and the home fights back. All the twists work for me too, and Erin is one of the most badass female leads in the history of badass female leads. Of course, the real corner it turns that makes me LOVE it is super spoilery. If you haven't yet, go see this movie. Seriously.

Again, it's the visual scares thing. Hard to be too worried for a character when you KNOW they survive. But tell me that kitchen drop is not pitch-perfect horror. Also, PA 5 was allegedly moved to January after Woman in Black and the Devil Inside set a precedent for horror movies performing well there. I suspect they also saw it as easier competition-wise, rather'n wanting to brawl with the Carrie remake. Which, incidentally, looks awesome. EDIT: This.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j390ZcP0-q4

Wikipedia says Beware the Batman returns this weekend. I've missed it more than I thought in the interim.

If you go in expecting more comedy, less scary? You'll have a ball. I saw it three times during the Toronto run and own the soundtrack and some shirts. Lots of good stuff lined up for people. Can't wait to hear opinions on Sinister, which is probably my favourite American horror flick since the first Paranormal Activity.

Paranormal Activity 3 is probably the best movie in the series from a storytelling and visual scares perspective. The demon takes on a whole new dimension, having this distinct physical presence and aggressive physicality in general. The bedsheet and whole damn kitchen drops are the best visual scares in the whole franchise to date and the stuff at the end with the witch cult? Wicked creepy. It just suffers from doing more to flush out the backstory than add to it. I was super disappointed on first watch but subsequent viewings have made it grow on me,Paranormal Activity 4 is basically the opposite. It adds a lot of neat stuff to the mythology and the mega-arc without having much in the way of scares. Part of it really comes down to Katie being too damn overpowered at this point and basically able to Godzilla stomp whatever's in her way. It's something they need to figure out a solution to. But the plot stuff, I really enjoyed. I liked the new protagonist, I liked seeing what's happened to Hunter, I liked the new technology stuff and the super tense garage scene, and I liked the ending. It left me wanting more and really hoping part 5 picks up with the same lead.So yeah, I think 4 is a pretty good movie but completely lacks the scare value the others had. And 3 is really underrated due to expectations vs. reality.VHS is a series of pretty good shorts with one or two standouts marred by a lot of sexism and male gaze in a really short turnaround. I tend to like it better watching the shorts individually than as an overall piece. VHS2 improved on this a lot, with the short by the Raid guys being the clear standout, worth the price of admission alone. The first short has a lot to offer scare-wise and the second is a fun experiment. Really, I only disliked the last one. Great characterization but just kind of repetitive and going nowhere. Better meta-arc this time too, albeit less scary.Shit, I am so ready for Halloween season. Why isn't it October yet?

I'd really like to start a thread about that show, but I'm not exactly sure what header to put it under. The September 1st episode was fantastic.

Too easy. You're fired.

Second Silent Hill movie was pretty good. Ostensibly a direct sequel, it largely ignores the stuff from the first that doesn't work and becomes more or less a direct adaptation of Silent Hill 3 with a few flourishes to change things. Some scenes are STRAIGHT out of SH3 and Heather Mason looks EXACTLY like she does in the game.Also, it's a mini-Game of Thrones reunion with Ned Stark and Jon Snow.Super worthwhile and more what I was hoping for from the first (which I think has nice visuals and I enjoy overall, but is not a good adaptation)

It's possible. I dunno. I just felt like...look, if I don't get it by THAT far in? You've done a poor job telling the story.The book has some amazing moments, but it's needlessly obtuse at times and I almost felt like Ware was being a dick about it.

Jimmy Corrigan lost me at the point where they did a pause to call the audience stupid for not getting something that had been, to that point, inadequately explained. It just felt inordinately smug and totally threw me out of the story. It's solid enough for what it is, but I feel it's way overhyped all said.

Completely off topic, but excellent Night Vale signature TAFKA Rev.

I've read the first one of those, Not sure it really needs to have a big ending in mind since it stood alone pretty well. Definitely a worthwhile series. If nothing else, Warren Ellis' guest appearance is good for a laugh.

Hope you dig it. I highly recommend his other novels first, honestly, but that has more to do with a bunch of references in N0S 4A2 that'll make you pop if you catch them.

Welp. I ordered the gungho $120 edition of Origins on my new PS3. I figure for extra content, a statue, and a DVD I'd probably buy anyway, it's not a bad call.

I liked Bennett on the Batman Annual she wrote, so I'd be willing to give it a try at least. That said, THIS is the reason I'm getting pissy with DC. I can take the New 52. I can deal with timeline stuff and redesigns. But their stubborn refusal to let anyone barring a handful of golden boys tell the stories they actually want to tell is turning the whole damned company into a series of joyless, lifeless books. If you're not Snyder (or protected by Snyder), Lemire, or Morrison you can pretty much fuck off. And that's becoming miserable to follow, both in terms of the behind the scenes and the end product.

Joe Hill. 20th Century Ghosts is a great anthology and all three of his full length novels are different shades of terrific. NOS4A2 is pretty much the grand unified theory of horror novels while being SUPREMELY fucked up and unsettling in its own right.

See, to me the Affleck choice is a perfect storm. It's an interesting decision with an actor I like in a role that will challenge both him as an actor and the predisposed notions of the character.Though in general, I'll just be glad to see a big screen Batman that's mixing it up with superpowers again. I love the Nolan movies more than anything, but they've also thoroughly satisfied my palette for that sort of thing. I'm hoping for something different with this.

So uh, did Beware the Batman just pull a Young Justice by dropping a few good episodes and disappearing for like, six months?

I've read the first issue or two of both. I dig them. Movement especially has the potential to be a successor of sorts to Secret Six. Green Team is a lot of fun as well. Both of them are very different takes on the DCU which is something that's been sorely needed. I recommend em.

It's a kind of tragedy that No Way Out 2001 never got a DVD release given how good a show it was.