WHERE CHATTERS GO TO TALK ABOUT OFF TOPIC STUFF!
Joker was an interesting movie, and will likely win multiple Oscars in a few weeks. but it's not really an origin story for "The Joker" Batman villain. It's a film that explores mental illness, and the depth of despair some people who are mentally ill might reach. But if you stripped away the DC license, what really would you have to change? Maybe a few scenes, and a couple of names? Stripped of the DC license, you could make a 99.99% identical film.
Plus, and this should be obvious: Batman's Joker is incredibly intelligent and clever. He would have to be in order to match wits with Batman. The Joker's nickname as the "Clown Prince of Crime" is deserved. He is a legit supervillain, capable of planning the most intricate (yet oddly seemingly spontaneous) crimes and traps for Batman to fall for. Arthur Fleck though? He is neither intelligent nor clever. If he is the worst villain this version of Gotham City ever comes across, there would be no need at all for Bruce Wayne to ever turn into Batman. Seriously, there is NOTHING about this character that makes you think he represents ANY serious threat to Batman. He's just a mentally ill guy who is one step above being homeless. Arthur Fleck's Joker is basically the clown that Rorshach talks about in Watchmen... “Heard joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says, "Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. Says, "But doctor...I am Pagliacci.” The only real way to fit Arthur Fleck into actual Batman continuity is if he isn't the "real" Joker, but only a prototype. That is, the villain we all know as the Joker, comes later, and is perhaps inspired by Fleck, but is not Fleck himself...This is the logical position, I think, given that the end of the movie implies there is a MASSIVE age difference between Arthur Fleck's Joker and Bruce Wayne as well. Arthur Fleck's Joker thinks of Thomas Wayne as the enemy in his mind, not 10 year old Bruce... PLUS...I mean...let's be completely honest here. There is no chance in hell that Arthur Fleck's Joker is EVER gonna get to bone Harley Quinn. Harley wouldn't give his pathetic clown face the time of day. She's crazy, but she ain't desperate...
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OK...I actually did fairly well predicting the matches, I got everything right except for the two Royal Rumble matches themselves.
Chad Gable (Shorty G) vs. Sheamus This was on the kickoff show, and Sheamus picked up the win. Nothing remarkable about this match whatsoever. Grade: C. Baron Corbin vs. Roman Reigns Ok. This match was a LOT better than I expected it to be. Given that both of them were also entered into the Rumble later, I figured this would be a relatively short, uneventful match, so they could both be well rested for the Rumble...NAH. This match went everywhere at Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros). In the stands, in the production area, Baron Corbin gets stuck in a Port-A-Potty, the Astros Dugout, they went all out. Reigns gets the win, and hopefully this is the end of this pointless feud. I can't believe I am doing this for Roman or Corbin, but...Grade: B+. Women's Royal Rumble Match Charlotte Flair won the Women's Royal Rumble match, but by far, the MVP of the match was Beth Phoenix as one of the "surprise" entrants. Beth entered the ring fairly early, (I wanna say somewhere between 5-10), and lasted until she was one of the final three...all while slowly dying her hair red with her own blood. Midway through the match, Bianca Belaire (an NXT performer) threw Beth into the corner turnbuckle...only Beth ran a little too fast, and nailed the back of her head on one of the ring posts, which opened up a gash, and caused her to bleed. As the match went on, her hair got redder and redder, but she kept going. Shout outs to Naomi, for her creative way to avoid being eliminated, channeling John Morrison and leaping to the barrier so her feet didn't hit, then working her way to the announcers table, grabbing the table cover and using it as a bridge to get on to the steps, to get back in. Naomi is probably the only one on the women's roster athletically capable of that stunt, and she pulled it off to perfection. Also, the women's match saw the return of Santina Marella. Not Santino, but Santina. Santina enters the ring, immediately found Beth Phoenix, who was not amused and gave "her" the death stare, to which Nattie joined in with...Santina pulls out the cobra sock from uh...her bra, puts it on her right hand, looks at both beth and Nattie, and then decides to cobra herself, and self-eliminate. Overall, this was a really well done Rumble match. Grade: A-. Bayley (c) vs. Lacey Evans (Smackdown Women's Championship) This was basically a filler match. Lacey isn't ready to be a champion, and Bayley looked like she was just phoning it in. Bayley gets the win, and I got a snack. Completely forgettable. Grade: D. Bray Wyatt (The Fiend) (c) vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE Universal Championship) I am not sure what I think about this match. It was very hard fought, had a few really great moments, Daniel Bryan had the crowd firmly on his side, but then again, it was a strap match. Not that this type of match is a bit archaic, but it's a bit archaic. WHy not have an old fashioned blindfold match while you are at it? Bray got the win in a very violent match. Had this been just a no DQ type match, without a strap, I might grade it higher, but I gotta take points off for a match type last seen in the 1970s...Grade: B+. Becky Lynch (c) vs. Asuka (Raw Women's Championship) I am not going to go to much into this fantastic match, all you really need to know is that it REALLY makes me want to see them go at it again at Wrestlemania. This may have been the best match of the night, and it left me wanting more. Dear WWE: Becky Lynch vs. Asuka at Wrestlemania, IRON WOMAN match. Grade: A+. Mens Royal Rumble For the men, it was a tale of two Rumbles. For the first half, it was basically a gauntlet match for Brock Lesnar. He kept eliminating wrestlers one at a time, and then waiting for the buzzer to signal it was time for the next one to come down the aisle. It very much looked like this was going to be the script for the entire match, until NXT's Keith Lee, followed by Braun Strowman, Ricochet and then Drew McIntyre. Keith Lee, Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre are all big enough in size to go toe to toe with Brock, which prevented Brock from dominating them 1 on 1, like had been...and then Drew McIntyre eliminated Brock...holy shit, the crowd went NUTS. From that point, it became a more traditional Rumble, with lots of wrestlers entering the ring. As the ring fills up, when it's time for the 21st entrant, the music blares: ON THIS DAY, I SEE CLEARLY....WTF? EDGE! (not U2's guitarist, the other one). The Rated "R" Superstar, who was forced to retire in 2011 the day after winning the World Championship, has been medically cleared to wrestle again, and he put on a show. While he didn't win, Edge looked like he hadn't missed a beat in the last 9 years. Anyway, the final two were Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns (because of course Roman is one of the final two)...but when Drew tossed Roman over the ropes, somehow the crowd erupted even louder than they did when he eliminated Lesnar...The crowd is ready for Drew McIntyre as Champion. It's gonna happen at Wrestlemania. No way after that booking for the Rumble, that McIntyre doesn't go over. Grade: A+. Overall, this was probably the strongest PPV the WWE has put on since last year's Wrestlemania. It had a few weak moments, but as a whole, the 2020 Royal Rumble was a major success. Overall Grade: A-. Outside of Wrestlemania, the annual Royal Rumble PPV is my absolute favorite WWE event. It is the official start of the "Road to Wrestlemania", the two months of storylines that set the stage for their biggest PPV event of the year, Wrestlemania. But, the appeal to me of the Royal Rumble PPV isn't the start of the ramping up to get to Wrestlemania, it's the Royal Rumble match itself. If you have never seen the Royal Rumble match, it's one of the most fun match types the WWE has. You start out with 2 competitors in the ring to start the match. Every 2 minutes, another competitor joins in, until all 30 people in the match have entered. The object of the match, and how you win, is to be the last man standing. There are no pins, there are no count-outs, no disqualifications. You win by eliminating everyone else by throwing them over the top rope and their feet hitting the ground.
In most years, the winner of the match gets a guaranteed Wrestlemania title match against their choice of the RAW or Smackdown champion. However, this year, WWE (RAW) Champion, Brock Lesnar, has entered the Rumble himself, at the #1 position. He will be the first competitor in the ring. If he manages to outlast the other 29 wrestlers, he likely has two choices: He can decide NOT to defend his Universal title at Wrestlemania (since nobody earned a guaranteed shot)...OR, he can choose to have a title vs. title match at Wrestlemania against the WWE Universal Champion (currently held by Bray Wyatt), since technically, by winning the Rumble, he can have a guaranteed title match... 2020 Royal Rumble PPV Card (subject to change) 2020 Men’s Royal Rumble Match - Given Brock Lesnar's inclusion in this match, as one of the WWE World-level champions, I think they realistically have to have him win. If he doesn't win, there was absolutely nothing to gain by including him in the match. They are either going to unify the two titles at Wrestlemania by having Lesnar vs. whoever the Universal champion is at the time, or they are going to have Lesnar claim nobody can beat him, so no Wrestlemania match, only for a surprise to happen...like John Cena, the Rock, returning, something like that... 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble Match - As I write this (prior to this week's Monday Night RAW, NXT and Smackdown episodes), only 4 women have officially been confirmed for the women's Rumble match. I expect many more will be announced this week, but the WWE will likely leave 10 of the 30 competitors a mystery, because they love to surprise the fans that way. I believe one of the "surprises" will be the return of former UFC and WWE Women's champion, Ronda Rousey...who if she returns, will win the match. If Rousey doesn't make her return, then l think it will probably be Sasha Banks...who will challenge her best friend Bayley for the Smackdown women's title for Wrestlemania. Universal Championship Strap Match “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Daniel Bryan - Strap matches are SO 1980s...Bray Wyatt retains, because um...I dunno. Just a gut feeling. Raw Women’s Championship Match Becky Lynch (c) vs. Asuka - Becky wins the match. Asuka spends the next month continuing to boost the prestige of the Women's Tag Titles, before winning the Elimination Chamber and challenging Becky at Wrestlemania. Smackdown Women's Championship Match Bayley (c) vs. Lacey Evans - Bayley retains. They haven't built Lacey Evans up enough yet to justify giving her the strap...plus, I think she may need to keep the belt for a bit longer, as I outline in my women's Rumble match prediction... Falls Count Anywhere Match Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin - The WWE (Vince McMahon) seems to love Baron Corbin. I have no idea why...but, common sense should prevail here. Roman Reigns is getting the win, because he is going to have a bigger role at Wrestlemania in a few months. Shorty G vs. Sheamus - Sheamus just got back from injury, and this match is designed to remind people how tough Sheamus is. Sheamus wins this match easily, and will just bully Chad Gables with his size and strength. This match isn't going to even last 5 minutes. ...a total joke, just like last year. Here are the actual inductees:
Whitney Houston and Notorious B.I.G.? What the hell? Neither of them are even remotely rock and roll. Meanwhile, the "Rock and Roll" Hall of Fame continues to screw over actual rock and roll acts like:
You can make the case that T.Rex belongs, as well as the Doobie Brothers. MAYBE even Nine Inch Nails. But can anyone truly say they should get in before any of the acts I mentioned? And then, there is the single biggest piece of evidence the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is not to be taken seriously...She has been active since 1972, has multiple Grammys for best female rock performances, and is inarguably, one of the greatest female rockers of all-time, yet, is NOT in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: It is downright embarrassing for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that Pat Benatar hasn't been inducted yet. If Aretha Franklin is the "Queen of Soul", Pat Benatar, more than any other female artist, would be the "Queen of Rock". - Also, Weird Al deserves to be inducted. This thread was inspired by a thread on the Breaking News/Religion website (one of the largest news based former Disqus channels). However, this is intended as a completely non-political take. To put it simply, there are a few unwritten rules when it comes to men using public restrooms. This video does a fantastic (and humorous) job of listing them. When you enter the restroom, you should always select the urinal that is as far away as possible from men who are using other urinals. Here are some illustrations of various urinal situations and the proper course of action for each. Situation #1 All urinials are empty: |,| |,| |,| |,| |,| Correct Action: Take the urinal on either edge. This allows others to comply with the following rules most effectively. Situation #2: One urinal is taken. |*| |,| |,| |,| |,| Correct Action: Obviously, the urinal on the right is the only true choice. This minimizes the chance of any contact whatsoever with the person you're sharing the bathroom with. Situation #3: Two urinals are taken. |*| |,| |,| |,| |*| Correct Action: Middle Urinal. Otherwise, you end up right next to somebody. This is not an option at this point. Situation #4 Three urinals are taken. |*| |,| |*| |,| |*| Correct Action: No urinal is acceptable. The bathroom has reached critical mass and you must either leave and come back later or use a stall. Under no circumstances should more than three urinals be in use at one time.Some other rules of note: When choosing a stall, see the above urinal choice rules. Stools are for sitting. Do not urinate into a toilet while standing. This is ok at home, but in public no one wants to listen to any more sounds than are absolutely necessary. The sound of pee dropping from 3 feet up into water can be completely eliminated if you just sit your ass down. Sometimes standing cannot be avoided, generally for sanitary reasons. If this is the case, NEVER pee with the lid down. If for any reason you stand to pee at a toilet without putting the lid up, you will be among the first to be purged when the revolution comes. Don't grunt. Your bowels do not require any help from your vocal chords. If you are in pain, take it like a man. Grunting in pain is no different than complaining loudly to everyone in the restroom about how bad your ass hurts. On the other hand, if you are enjoying yourself, reflect silently upon your pleasure and you can tell your grandchildren about it someday. Do not express your joy to the people around you in the restroom. When other people have to listen to your trials and tribulations, they are made uncomfortable and are unable to calmly go about their own business. There is a time limit. Sometimes you get to the urinal and you can't pee - you experience the dreaded "Shy Stream". This is likely to happen if people around you are disregarding the rules. It can happen when you are under pressure, such as when 100 people are waiting on you at the movie theatre, or when the person in a nearby stall is making noises like he's passing an angry goat through his rectum. If this should occur, there is a time limit during which you can stand at the urinal. That time limit is equal to the longest time which you have ever taken to pee under normal, comfortable circumstances. This is longer than you might think at first - anyone who's ever been in a bar bathroom knows that a good pee can take 40 seconds or more, including pre- and post- operations such as fly opening and shakeoff. If you exceed this time limit, you must act as if you are finished. Zip up, wash your hands, leave the room. You can come back later, but for now you must accept your shame and pray that no one noticed your failure. Take note: While phobias about social contact in the bathroom are probably a reliable indicator of many things, they do not guarantee homophobia. For a lot of guys (gays and straights alike) going to the bathroom is an extremely personal affair. It is not the fear that someone might see our genitalia that drives us. It is our fear that someone might expect, nay, force us to share in their bathroom experience. Over the decades, we have seen some truly amazing television characters, who are so beloved, they become a part of our very culture. Whether it's Fonzie, Homer Simpson, Archie Bunker, Captain Kirk, Michael Scott or Kermit the Frog, there are just some TV characters who just transcend their TV show, and become almost...larger than life, cultural icons.
Who is/are the character(s) that you will remember for a long time after the show is gone, that will always strike you as being superbly written and/or acted as? |
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February 2021
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