Recent Viewing

 On my diet, one thing I'm allowed to consume is media, so I have been watching stuff recently and I have opinions.

First, the movie "Heads of State" with John Cena and Idris Elba.

It was sufficient and passable. It doesn't stay with you much but it was certainly diverting for a little bit.

Then I finished watching Ironheart. Six episodes, the first three make a reference or two to the greater MCU but episodes 4-6 are all about integrating with the universe. The universe, thus far, has tread very carefully on the tension between magic and technology. Tony Stark and Dr. Strange epitomized that conflict and then Spider Man bridged the gap, briefly. But Ironheart really tries to reconcile the two on an institutional and not anecdotal level. Previously, magic was about the stones, or combat and not about the existence of magic in the "real world." This show tries to bring magic into our world unapologetically, throwing around buts of magic and connecting it to technology just as a matter of course. Note -- The Librarians The Next Chapter has been dealing with this all season and somehow, they deal with it more cleanly. In the MCU it just opens up way too many questions. The series opened up a LOT and there are loads of questions left which might help this series somehow connect to some other phase 5, 6 or 7 piece.

So was it "good"? No. It was meh. It had plot holes and lazy writing but it did work very hard to make me question so much of what I thought I understood about the MCU. Is that a desired conclusion? My guess is that full MCU fluency will require one to watch this. It won't be especially enjoyable, but you have your marching orders.

And finally, I watched "The Old Guard 2." Here is my best advice: before starting this, watch The Old Guard again. Then turn the TV off and go to sleep. You're welcome.

Geez, that is a bad, bad movie. It looks like it was 3 different movies that were quickly and carelessly slapped together. It is a mess. If I had seen this first, I wouldn't have cared about a sequel. And I still don't.

Pretty darned bad.