MadCap's Mad Rantings - "#MakeShulkyHotAgain"

Okay, before I stick my feet into this particular fire - it really should be #MakeShulkieHotAgain.

I'm just saying, I've never seen it spelled "Shulky" anywhere ever and it really kind of bothers me. Just my perspective as being raised by a Grammar Nazi, and I wanted to get that off my chest before I unpack the rest of this.

And oh, boy is there a lot to unpack here.

MadCap's Mad Rantings - "Shut the Hell Up, Bill Maher"

So, Bill Maher is kind of a complete jackass.

...okay, let me back this up a bit.

On November 12, 2018 - five days ago at the time that I'm typing this - Stan Lee passed away. The former Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics, he is - along with the likes of Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko - responsible for the groundwork that led to Marvel succeeding as the powerhouse that it is today, both in comics and in cinema as we've seen over the last decade with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was quite old, ninety-five years of age, but it was a sad thing to have to see the passing of someone who inspired so much wonder, joy, and courage in the world through his work. He created literally hundreds of characters and an entire universe for them to live in, which is still being built upon to this very day in the form of comic books.

I have (and will always regret) never met him in person, but anyone that I've spoken to who has met him has said that he had an infectious enthusiasm, a sharp wit, and a deep love and appreciation for his fans. He wanted to entertain people and, in the process, gave us characters that we could love and cherish and even relate to and learn from.

I, personally, took several lessons from the man's work.

Captain America teaches us to do our best to be brave, and that right is right regardless of its futility.

The X-Men teach us that just because someone is different doesn't mean you should hate or fear them and we can, in fact, all get along in spite of our differences.

The story of Doctor Strange teaches humility and self-sacrifice, and imparts the wisdom that sometimes all you need to solve your problems is to put your mind to the task.

And Spider-Man, well...that one really does go without saying.

The point is, Stan Lee with just those four examples (and I'm sure that others could come up with many, many more), imparted lessons through his work that remain in our minds long after we've set down the comic. He was a force of good, no matter what some might say. His passing is a sad event, and he will be sorely missed by many.

So, naturally, Bill Maher decides to come along and belittle him and his work, and void his bowels all over the man's grave.

MadCap's Trailer Reactions - "Pokémon: Detective Pikachu"

From the school of "What the hell were they thinking? Actually, wait, that's totally awesome really..." comes...Deadpool as Pikachu.

...no, seriously. What else do I even have to say? You're either like me and you uttered this sentence either right before or right after viewing this trailer or you were wrong.

...I mean, you legitimately think that this isn't a good idea.

...and you're wrong.

MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers" (1989)

Yeah, I know I'm technically cheating on this one on a multitude of levels. Bite me! It's Halloween and I would be remiss if I didn't pay at least a bit of homage to the franchise that got me into horror to begin with...with an entry that is admittedly not among the more fondly remembered ones. However, this film is honestly one of the better entries in the franchise. Whereas Halloween 4 was very much an actual soft reboot of the original instead of what people think Disney did with The Force Awakens to Star Wars, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers goes for...a bit of a confusing addition in psychic abilities.

A year after the events of the previous film, Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris) is now not insane and evil as her uncle was following his attack on a family member, and is instead mute and tormented by psychic visions of all of Michael's killings. And him going about stalking people. And him driving in cars with people who he plans to kill but can't because of plot convenience.

Yeah, for all it's good points, this movie has a few really, really weird ones, too.

MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Silver Bullet" (1985)

If there's anything more prevalent in the Halloween roster of monsters going back into the old lore of many ancient cultures than the werewolf is, then it is likely only the vampire. But what is it about werewolves that attracts us to them? Werewolves lack the flair and seduction of the vampire, the pitiable nature of creatures like the Frankenstein's Monster, or the so close to humanity and yet so far away nature of creatures like the Invisible Man. And before I go out of my way to rip-off any more from Centennial Specials' Encyclopedia of Horror (well worth a read if you can get it), let me rip off their explanation of it.

To quote directly from the Encyclopedia, "Perhaps it's because it's something so primal and real, like something dark that we keep squashed down deep within ourselves". From the ancient world to the modern day, the werewolf resonates with audiences because of what it represents - the darker side of ourselves. From the tales of Enkidu in the Epic of Gilgamesh to Daniel "Oz" Osbourne, the werewolf has endured and has had yards spun about them and creatures like them time and time again.

MadCap's Game Reviews - "Castlevania"

No, no. For real this time.

Castlevania is not a game I ever got to play on the original NES. My parents had one that I got to play games like Super Mario Bros., Zelda II, and even the dreaded TMNT game, but Castlevania was one that I hadn't played or even seen all that much ago. You see, dear readers, I was once a big chicken when it came to horror movies and media. Goosebumps used to unnerve me to no end. Yeah, that's right. Goosebumps. Get your jokes out now.

MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Hollow Man"

So...Kevin Bacon staring in a movie with Josh Brolin.

That's right, this movie promises us Sebastian Shaw versus Thanos. And delivers!

...wait, does anyone actually remember that First Class happened? Never mind.

Hollow Man is a film from the year 2000, brought to us by the director of Showgirls and Robocop (and there's your daily dose of utter mindscrew for the day) Paul Verhoeven. It's a (then-)modernized take on H.G. Wells' novel, The Invisible Man. It honestly doesn't go too much more beyond that, but it doesn't really need to. It's still a good story that touches on themes of hubris, as well as corruption by scientific progress left unchecked.