Working overtime on bird watching duty
Pop Culture Ephemera
- Send Help (2026) (Directed by Sam Raimi): “We’re not in the office anymore, Bradley.” – Linda Liddle. The deserted-island genre is hard one to find new ground to cover, literally. You strand one, two, or more people on an island that then just watch. We know with Sam Raimi that we’re likely to get a mix of horror and comedy. Sam doesn’t disappoint here with a pretty equal mix although the humor that isn’t of the slapstick horror variety is built upon a flip of workplace misogyny. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien hold up their roles very admirably. The script pays homage to Survivor, Lord of the Flies, and Castaway at various times. It’s a fun adventure that doesn’t quite hit the heights of the Evil Dead franchise. I think that Sam is at his best when doing practical effects, and this film failed me only when the CGI was really disappointing. Have fun the first time you watch, it doesn’t have the feel of a film I’ll remember much about come the end of 2026.
- The Muppet Show – “2026 TV Special” (Special) (Disney+) (2026): “You know, we are so excited to be back on the very stage where it all started and then ended and then, is maybe starting again depending on how tonight goes!” – Kermit the Frog. It might only be one episode, but it’s the lifeline that we didn’t know we needed in 2026. Guest starring Sabrina Carpenter, the show starts back up in the theater like we only just left it in 1981. There was a reboot where they were doing a television show in The Muppets Tonight (1996) and then they rebooted as doing an internet show in Muppets Now (2020).
The format and characters are all intact without feeling the need to “improve” a formula that made us all fall in love with the characters. The comfortable tropes are all here with Miss Piggy battling with a female guest, Fozzie’s old school one-liners, and Gonzo just being Gonzo. Statler and Waldorf are up in the balcony where they belong. It’s great because it’s not trying to be anything but what it’s always been. When the world is changing at uncomfortable speed, it’s the perfect time to get a new episode like a letter from a dear old friend. I was enchanted and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face through the whole episode.
- Kate Bush – “This Woman’s Work” (from The Sensual World) (1989): “I know you have a little life in you yet / I know you have a lot of strength left.” Originally written for She’s Having A Baby (1988), it was part of the most poignant scene in the film that sticks with me more than the rest of the film. This song is one of those Kate Bush songs that can elicit an emotion with her turn of a phrase like “I know you have a lot of strength left.” There are a number of rerecorded versions by Kate and the more it is just her voice and the piano, the more touching I find them.
- Vertigo (1958) (Directed by Alfred Hitchcock): “To wander separately? But, only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere.” – Madeleine. I saw this on the big screen for the first time in about 25 years. I wish there were more than four options to see true VistaVision worldwide. This and The Searchers (1956) would be my ideal VistaVision double feature. I was encouraged to watch this with a couple dozen people on a Sunday afternoon, which is more than any of the past five or six new releases I’ve seen at similar times.
The interesting thing is that Vertigo and The Searchers are possibly the best films of directors with very long careers that can claim three or four best films. They both examine the journey of a man obsessed with a woman. The camera does incredible work in both. Hitchcock is at his more artistic in this film. There are doubles and mirrors at every turn. The music and the plot doubles back upon itself. Novak is wonderful as the duplicitous woman, but James Stewart is also a double of himself from the first half to the second half. I keep finding more wonderful twists as I watch it again. This film screams for multiple viewings to listen to the music cues, pay attention to the camera placement, and watch the set designs. I can’t recommend it enough if you see it come to a big screen near you.
- 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) (Directed by Nia DaCosta): “Nothing wrong with peace and respite, Samson.” – Dr. Kelson. The fourth entry in the series is where they got religion in my zombie film. To be fair, there’s plenty of Frankenstein and the Creation myth thrown in for good measure. This time around DaCosta gets to take a whack at the post-apocalyptic world. The previous films marched ahead in days, months, and years. This one picks up where the last one left off with Spike now in the clutches of a cult leader, Jimmy Crystal (a great Jack O’Connell casting). The movie doesn’t go anywhere for the most part. Literally and figuratively, we never get too far from the Bone Temple where the film starts. Ralph Fiennes returns as Dr. Kelson, proves he’s got an underrated sense of humor with a Iron Maiden “Number of the Beast” rendition, and generally holds together the themes of the film. It would be a low-key film about the power of personality in cults until we get Dr. Kelson and Samson bringing Creation myths and religious guilt to the story. The future is never bright as the film takes another dark turn in the sunshine of the last scene. I’m not disappointed in this entry to the series, and there is no limit in where the next film could lead us.
Best of the Rest
- It’s ironic that a male’s version of this song has become the version heard most in pop culture over the years. Maxwell first covered Kate’s “This Woman’s Work” on Unplugged in 1997 and then released it on his album Now in 2002. I’m not going to argue that Maxwell has one of the most iconic R&B voices of this era. There’s an emotion in his voice that does Kate’s work proper respect. This version was the one used for a So You Think You Can Dance performance by Ade and Melissa in Season Five about breast cancer that still stands as one of the best dances ever on the show. It also figured in a scene of Love & Basketball (2000).
- In Australia, the Kate Bush song was used as a fundraiser for the incurable disease, Sanfilippo Syndrome. I don’t recognize the Australian artists, but as a group effort, it isn’t exactly “We Are the World” but the orchestration and overlay of voices create a much different feel to the song. I’m all for raising for money to help children, so I’m not criticizing the choice; it’s just a different song when performed like this.
- One of the most surprising appearances of “This Woman’s Work” was in M3GAN 2.0 (2025). I have to give the producers credit for finding an almost touching moment that was finished with the appropriate humor to match the film. I’m assuming it is Jenna Davis singing here, and if it is, much respect to her voice and just going for it.
Sunday Morning Tuneage Flashback
- Sunday Morning Tuneage from 2/21/2010, Caleb finished his basketball season at 4-6, which was quite a save after an 0-3 start. I was excited for the USA vs. Canada Olympic hockey game, and I don’t even remember who won that game. I was looking forward to new episodes of Lost (ABC) and Community (NBC). The list of the week is an example of a list “of the moment” because I don’t know that I’ve made much progress on it since 2010. He was one of my favorite writers of that era, and yet I barely read any of his work any more.
My #74 Top TV Show of All-Time was The Waltons (CBS) (1972-1981): This is another show that lived large in my nostalgia in 2010. I only rewatched a few episodes recently on MeTV, and it doesn’t hold the interest that it did for me in Elementary and Middle School. It is easy to imagine it as not nearly as cool to watch as CHiPs or Wonder Woman, but this was popular enough that my friends all watched it too. It was your parents’ show, but back then you had no other choice but to watch too. I appreciate that the characters aged naturally through the series, maintaining a continuity that few series even attempted. This wouldn’t rank in my Top 150 any longer, but I appreciate it being one of the early dramas that influenced my television viewing. - BEST GARTH ENNIS COMICS OF ALL-TIME (2010)
- 10. The Batman Chronicles #4 (DC Comics)
- 9. Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #91-93 (DC Comics)
- 8. Hitman (DC Comics)
- 7. The Punisher (Marvel – Max)
- 6. Midnighter (DC Comics)
- 5. The Darkness (Image Comics)
- 4. Hellblazer (DC Comics – Vertigo)
- 3. The Authority: Kev (DC Comics)
- 2. The Boys (Dynamite)
- 1. Preacher (DC Comics – Vertigo)
- BEST GARTH ENNIS COMICS OF ALL-TIME (2025)
- 10. Goddess (DC Comics – Vertigo): He’s accused of some misogynist characters and that’s a fair critique of some of his work. This early work of a woman who discovers she’s a goddess is a clever female viewpoint eight issue mini-series.
- 9. The Boys (Dynamite): I’m going against trend here. I haven’t read more since my original ranking. I’ve only consumed a few issues. I think it’s probably pretty good, but despite the hype of the show (which I also haven’t watched), there just isn’t an appeal for me to pick it up again.
- 8. Fury MAX (Marvel – Max): Garth had 13 issues to really explore the Nick Fury character, post WWII. He doesn’t spare anyone’s feelings. The script is a masterpiece look into that of a war hero without a war.
- 7. Enemy Ace: War in Heaven (DC Comics): War comics is a genre, that if it actually existed today as it did in the Fifties and Sixties, Ennis would be the King. This captures the best of those old stories with that modern Ennis touch. Very few writers can write bad guy dialog like Ennis.
- 6. The Punisher (Marvel – Max): I would rank this up there with runs that link a character to a writer forever. The problem is that no matter how hard I try, I just don’t like the character. I tried, I really did. I do appreciate that this is great for people who like the Punisher.
- 5. Hitman (DC Comics): Ennis took a mid-level superhero comic and elevated it to one that was one of the cleverest on the shelf. He used the book to parody other DC titles mercilessly.
- 4. Battlefields (Dynamite): One of Ennis’ war-story books that I was late to the game. The book shows off some great detailed knowledge of WWII history. I love that Ennis tells stories from multiple viewpoints, not just American soldiers. The war and the western are two genres that I wish were more than one-offs like this series of limited stories. If you have any interest in the history of the era, this is a great starting point.
- 3. Hellblazer (DC Comics – Vertigo): I enjoyed this book but it was never my favorite. I didn’t have enough respect for John Constantine. This was an Alan Moore character for me. Only in the past ten years have I really appreciated that under Ennis. Constantine became a comic-book character ahead of his time. These stories are wonderfully written.
- 2. Judge Dredd (2000 AD): Ennis and Steve Dillon came together here for the first time. It took me a long time to finally drop into a few of these collected books. It’s outrageous and unhinged in the best way that you want your comics sometimes. The Dredd character and Ennis are such a good pairing that it’s hard to know which one influenced the other the most.
- 1. Preacher (DC Comics – Vertigo): I hadn’t read all of the series when I first ranked it #1. I’ve read some more since then, but haven’t finished it. I have watched all of the television series. I think what I love about this book is that from the very start, it feels like Ennis knew everything about the universe of the book. It’s a story that is hard to define being about religion, cults, and love all at once. This is a top-tier title comparable to some of the best of the last 30 years.
1976 in Review
- February – Unexpected #171 (DC Comics): Cover by Louis Dominguez. Written by George Kashdan. Art by Ruben Yandoc. The title would last from 1968-1982 and go for 222 issues. As other horror titles came to an end, they were usually folded into this one. I remember seeing these on the newsstand all the time and loving the covers but never feeling like I’d be allowed to buy one. This cover alone would have appealed to me as a eight-year-old.
- February 7 – Darryl Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs would score six goals and get four assists in an 11-4 win over the Boston Bruins. It’s still a “points for a game” record held today and no one has scored six goals in a game since then.
- February 23 – In the 1975-1976 season, the LCB Line (Reggie Leach, Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber) would set a then record with 141 goals. Amazingly, Clarke would be a +83 in plus/minus that season. The Flyers would make the Stanley Cup Finals for the third straight season and Clarke would win his third Hart Trophy.
What the Hell Did I Put in My Mouth?
Pringles: Smoky Bacon
You’re going to see that smoky is the direction that Pringles decided to head this spring. Years ago, Pringles had a Bacon Pringles when bacon wasn’t the go-to flavor for every salty snack. Those were great. These “smoky” lean more into smoky than I’d like with my bacon. It’s a little like bacon bits made from too-salty bacon sprinkled on the Pringles. I’m not a big fan. They aren’t so bad that I have to bail on them (like some more recent Pringles flavors), but this isn’t the big winner that it should have been.
H.E.B. Wavy: Teriyaki
The mad geniuses at H.E.B. are hard at work again. This spring flavor isn’t that crazy in theory. I haven’t figured out what else I would eat these with, but definitely not a sandwich. I was worried about a salty teriyaki flavor, but instead I got a sweet and savory balance that captures the flavors I like about teriyaki dishes. Well played, H.E.B. chip savants.
Reese’s Puffs: Dark Chocolate
General Mills doesn’t mess around with a solid seller like Reese’s Puffs. They’ve changed the size to smaller and even tinier, but they haven’t messed with a protein flavor or honey toasted. This is their first foray into different flavors and it works. Of course it works, like adding dark chocolate to the Reese’s Cup works. I’m still more of a fan of this cereal dry than wet. The dark chocolate is better but I still feel like peanut butter dominates the flavor profile. Let’s get more dark chocolate in the cereal aisle.
“I should be crying, but I just can’t let it show
I should be hoping, but I can’t stop thinking
Of all the things I should’ve said
That I never said
All the things we should’ve done
That we never did
All the things I should’ve given
But I didn’t” – Kate Bush
