NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM EXCITED ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF A NEW GODS MOVIE

I dig Jack Kirby's New Gods and related Fourth World matter.

Stephen Hawking Has Merged With the Infinite

Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed. 

Hawking was not just one of the finest minds of our era, but a brilliant communicator for science with a dry sense of humor.  I don't need to remind you that Hawking suffered from motor neuron disease, but he served as an example of overcoming those challenges and how a mind perseveres. 

Noir Watch: The Big Heat (1953)

Watched:  03/10/2018
Format:  DVR from TCM (Noir Alley)
Viewing:  4th or 5th
Decade:  1950's

Thriller Watch: Charade (1963)

Watched: 03/07/2018
Format: DVR from TCM
Viewing: First
Decade: 1960's

Musical Watch: My Fair Lady (1964)

some day, we should do a deep dive into the work of illustrator Bob Peak

Watched: 03/04/2018
Viewing: Probably the fourth time
Format: DVR off TCM
Decade: 1960's

Sly Watch: Creed (2015)

Watched:  03/04/2018
Format:  Amazon Prime Streaming
Viewing:  First
Decade:  2010's

PODCAST: AmyC and Ryan talk "Black Panther"!

Hey, it's an all-new podcast!

AmyC and I got together and talked Black Panther. Join us as we chat on the movie and cultural force! Sort of Guest Starring Scooter, the very nice kitty.

Folks are generally really enjoying this movie, as did we, and that's uncharted territory here at the Signal Watch Podcast.

Second Maigret Post Up at Texas Public Radio

Watched:  02/24/2017
Format:  Kino-Lorber BluRay
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1950's

I watched not one, but TWO Maigret mystery movies.  And, shockingly, wrote them both up.

Here's my post over at Texas Public Radio.

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Watched:  02/27/2018
Format:  Alamo Ritz
Viewing:  Oh, probably the 12th or 13th, at least
Decade:  1980's

Oh, what to say about Big Trouble in Little China (1986)?

Marvel Watch: Black Panther (2018)

Watched:  02/15/2018 and 02/25/2018
Format:  Alamo Slaughter Lane/ Alamo Village
Viewing:  First/ Second
Decade:  2010's

I'm supposed to schedule with AmyC to do a podcast on this film.  I need to get that done.  In the meantime...

Writing about Black Panther (2018) is, perhaps, not terribly useful at this point.  The movie is a legitimate phenomenon in box office and in cultural conversation.  Both of these things are yet another sign among many of the past few years that we're undergoing some tectonic shifts in Hollywood, unlearning the rules of the industry when it comes to what audiences actually do want.  As of this writing, Black Panther had raked in $700 million worldwide, and, if my sold out 7:00 on a Sunday show was any indication, shows no signs of stopping.

As a white dude who is as much of a white dude as you're like to meet, I get the basic contours of what this film has meant to a Black audience, in America and abroad, but I won't pretend to have been more than an observer.*  By this late date, it's possible or likely you've seen photos of people who've "dressed" for the movie, watched video of kids attending crowd-funded screenings... and more than likely you've read one or five of the dozens and dozens of think pieces circulating.  So I don't know what new I can add, and I'll try not to belabor those points.