Opinion

What time is it?

Published by editor on Wed, 06/08/2022 - 10:06am

So, a weird thing happened this weekend.

A really mediocre movie returned to theaters and did exactly as well as you would expect it to against a line-up that includes "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."

Oh, poor Sony Pictures. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is as much a pop culture juggernaut as its ever been, Sony's Marvel-adjacent offerings still struggle with getting their time in the spotlight.

Read more about What time is it?

Be cool, stay in school

Published by editor on Wed, 05/25/2022 - 10:31am

Another year, another class of students graduating.

Whether graduating high school or college, a fresh crop of eager young people will soon be entering the workforce.

Not a moment too soon either. The worker shortage that businesses are experiencing across the state isn't getting any better.

Read more about Be cool, stay in school

The Netflix Proposition

Published by editor on Wed, 05/18/2022 - 8:37am

There's been a bit of hubbub about Netflix lately.

In the face of subscription losses, it seems that the trailblazer of streaming services is doubling back towards some rocky terrain. Specifically, rumors are abound that the company is looking into adding an ad-supported tier of service to the platform.

That's aggravating, but not entirely unexpected. Ad-supported streaming services with higher costing ad-free tiers are becoming increasingly common and it was probably inevitable that Netflix would eventually go down that road.

Read more about The Netflix Proposition

Winding down

Published by editor on Wed, 05/11/2022 - 9:50am

It seems like we're approaching the end of an era.

About ten years at a San Diego ComicCon I caught the premiere of "Arrow," a new D.C. Comics adaptation of the Green Arrow meant to fill the gap left by the conclusion of "Smallville"

Oddly enough, this show wasn't a spin-off of "Smallville," which heavily featured Justin Hartley as the emerald archer in its later seasons. "Arrow," starring Stephen Amell, was its own thing. A grittier and more grounded adaptation bereft of the more fantastical elements that accompany comic book heroics.

Read more about Winding down

Important things that shouldn't matter

Published by editor on Wed, 05/04/2022 - 2:07pm

Elon Musk is buying Twitter. Or has already bought it. Or is in the process?

I'm honestly not sure because, like many people I'm sure, the words "Elon Musk has…" triggers an intense feeling of disinterest. One that is only amplified by the notion that Twitter should at all be taken seriously.

After all. It's just Twitter.

Read more about Important things that shouldn't matter

Lies and Thunder

Published by editor on Wed, 04/27/2022 - 10:35am

Finally, at long last, we have a trailer for "Thor: Love and Thunder."

We've got our first glance at what the MCU's God of Thunder has been up to since sauntering off to space at the end of "Avengers: Endgame." He's lost some weight, he's doing some space pirating, hanging out with the Greek pantheon. And, in the meantime, Jane Foster is running around with a newly reforged Mjolnir.

Or is any of that true?

Read more about Lies and Thunder

Delay of game

Published by editor on Wed, 04/20/2022 - 8:36am

The still untitled sequel to Nintendo's "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," commonly known as Breath of the Wild 2, was announced in 2019.

As 2019 rolled into 2020, I made an optimistic prediction that the game would be out later that year. It wasn't an outlandish prediction. Development of the game started two years prior, pretty much immediately after its predecessor was complete. With the sequel clearly running on the same game engine as the first one, an abbreviated development time was expected.

Read more about Delay of game

Raising the Bar

Published by editor on Wed, 04/13/2022 - 9:50am

I went out to watch "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" this weekend.

Apparently I wasn't the only one. The blue blur's second theatrical outing had a $71 million opening, the highest opening for a video game movie on record. Sporting a modestly fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating among critics and a near unanimous praise among audiences, the eternal question of "Has Hollywood finally made a good video game movie" has cropped up… again.

Read more about Raising the Bar

What inflation?

Published by editor on Wed, 04/06/2022 - 9:15am

I bought a new video game this weekend.

"Triangle Strategy," a new tactics based RPG for the Nintendo Switch. It cost me $59.99 before tax.

How is that possible?

There's a lot of talk these days about inflation. The price of everything is going up. A dollar doesn't go as far as it used to.

This is not unusual. Really, it's inevitable over time. The current rate of inflation is causing an economic shock, but even in good times there is a slow and steady crawl upward in prices.

Read more about What inflation?

The new 60

Published by editor on Wed, 03/30/2022 - 8:17am

I caught up on "Only Murders in the Building" this weekend, featuring the dynamic duo of Steve Martin and Martin Short. The comedic legends, now well into their 70s, are still paling around onscreen after more than three decades. In the show, Short and Martin play a mismatched pair of past-their-prime entertainers that end up getting hooked on solving murders while leaning into the fact that they are of an elder generation.