Film Friday: "Watch Dogs," Could Actually Work Quite Well as a Movie

I remember back when the first (surprise) trailer for, "Watch Dogs," dropped. June 4th, 2012, at the now-defunct E3. It was an intense cinematic that showed us a weird near-future with a cell phone that could hack almost anything. The trailer was intense, had amazing visuals, and oozed with style. Then the game itself came out and was...well, perfectly fun but not absolutely amazing. There was a solid sequel and, "Watch Dogs: Legion," which was passable but lacked much of any spark. That debut trailer for the first game, though, it just had something special and made me wonder once or twice, "Would this concept actually work better as a movie or show?" Now I have my answer as a, "Watch Dogs," flick has been announced with Sophie Wilde to star as the protagonist/main character. Here is a YouTube video I found of that original trailer, by the way:

The, "Watch Dogs," game gave you power but couldn't give you too much power lest it breaks the game. You could mess with stoplights, gain mains, have brief blackouts happen, tweak cameras, and more but it was all within the technical limitations of your gaming console and to a degree where you still faced a challenge within the game. The plot also was a bit drab in the first game as the main character (a man named Aiden Pearce) was basically out for revenge against a big corporation to avenge the death of a loved one and oh look, my own eyes are glazing over at this potboiler setup. The games had a vibe though, just like that first trailer, and if the movie can nail that vibe of being a techno-thriller where all our information is at the hands of corporations and hackers, that would be fun. 

Plus, all this is even less far-fetched than when, "Watch Dogs," was first announced way back as I mentioned in 2012. Now our entire lives truly are on our phones and computers with it easy for nefarious forces to access us. What's to stop corporations/politicians/or rebels from taking advantage of literally everything being interconnected? One just hopes whoever has this power doesn't also have nefarious goals. This was all just announced so we are a long way away from even a movie trailer let alone a concrete release date. That said, with the right vibe and a halfway decent story (plus a hefty enough budget for cool technological effects) I'd wager a, "Watch Dogs," movie could be very enjoyable.

I Tried out the, "Dirty Soda," Trend

You may have heard of, "Dirty Soda." It originated in Utah. Apparently, Mormons are not supposed to drink coffee but can have cold caffeine such as sodas. They also abstain from alcohol. However, doctoring up your soda is perfectly okay as it isn't hot caffeine or booze (don't question it, religions never make sense the more you examine any of them). This led to the rise of, "Dirty soda," in Utah with chains such as, "Swig," being huge there. What is a dirty soda, however? Oftentimes a soda with some creamer and other flavors--the most popular variation seeming to be creamer, coconut syrup, and lime. Whether you need a mocktail or just want to make your soda a little more interesting, dirty soda seems to be sweeping the nation. People are adding all kinds of flavors to Diet Coke, Mountain Dew, and the like. Coffee Mate has even teamed up with Dr. Pepper to make a creamer explicitly designed to be added to the soda.

I can't yet find the aforementioned special creamer in stores but it is relatively easy to make a dirty soda at home or Sonic has a promotion to, "Make it dirty," in any beverage. Out of the proper context saying you're going to pull-up to Sonic and, "Make it dirty," might sound a little risque, but in this case, I used the phrase to add some creamer and flavoring to my Large Dr. Pepper soda I purchased today. I found the drink pretty refreshing, reminding me of a Dr. Pepper float with a bit of a bite to it thanks to the lime. This dirtied-up blend apparently included coconut but I honestly did not taste it. I just found my soda a little extra-smooth with the cream and pleasant enough I gulped it all down on the drive home. 

Keep in mind with dirty sodays how it does--obviously--add more calories to put these things in your soda. Plus, if you are sensitive to dairy like me having a dirty soda that involves dairy (not all of them do) can be a bad choice for your stomach. I took my lactose pills however and I was fine. I'd try other styles of dirty sodas if the trend continues to grow but I wouldn't say my sodas have to be dirty by any means for me to enjoy them.

Today's New Hockey Card Release is the Biggest One Awhile; The "Upper Deck Series 2, 23-24," is Causing a Ruckus

There are a variety of hockey card lines that exist. From the official NHL-branded ones Upper Deck does to Leaf with their cool cards. There is a, "Main," line that lot of folks collect with various releases throughout the season. Somewhat unimaginatively titled, "Upper Deck Series 1, Upper Deck Series 2, Upper Deck Extended Series," this is the go-to for folks who want to dabble in hockey cards but have less interest in more esoteric lines such as, "SP Game Used," "Artifacts," "Allure," or the like. Today, March 6th, 2024, was a huge day for card collectors. The official rookie card (or as it is called in this case, "Young Gun,"card) for Connor Bedard became possible to find in boxes/tins/blasters/etc. of, "Upper Deck Series 2 23-24," product. It has caused long lines, insane prices online, rage-filled internet posts about the prices, and generally is a wild time to be into hockey cards. Why? One person is to blame/thank, Connor Bedard.

Connor Bedard was the first-round draft pick and at only 18 years old plays at a level in the NHL that shows an amazing degree of skill usually found in more established players. Those prone to hyperbole have said he's this generation's Gretzky (that remains to be seen) or that he's at least already at the level of Auston Matthews or Sidney Crosby despite being so new to the NHL. There are plenty of times when players come out of a minor league with potential but can't manage in the big-name league (I was living in Cortland, New York when Tim Tebow joined the New York Jets as an NFL player and was there for Summer Camp with everyone convinced that would be the Jets' year). Bedard has been doing amazing stuff, however, with an admittedly awful team, the Chicago Blackhawks. He is the shining beacon of hope for that team right now and even though a jaw fracture took him out of play for some weeks, he's been back and continues to impress. 

The front and back of the card everyone is after.

This is by no means Bedard's first card. A little, "Draft day, " card was included as a surprise in some, "Upper Deck Series 1 23-24," sets and goes for $500, easily. His cards from when he played in the Canadian Hockey League are popular too. There have even been other NHL-affiliated sets with a Bedard card featuring him decked out in his Blackhawks uniform. People don't care though, they want that, "True," rookie card and are hunting the Young Gun. Boxes that could contain his card were preselling for $300 or so with the 22-23 years boxes about $100-$150 upon release (of any of the series), to give you an idea how much this box is inflated by Bedard-mania. Some stores are selling whole cases for thousands, blaster boxes (little mini boxes with a handful of random packs) that normally cost $25 are going for $50, and so forth. 

Anything that might have Bedard's Young Gun card included is being price-gouged by many stores because as of this minute when I check eBay his regular Young Gun card goes for anywhere from $780 to a little under $1,000. People could pull even rarer variations of that card but it is all random, making this like a lottery where you maybe will have a lucky ticket for a small win, could randomly find a jackpot, or most likely end up with a bunch of other cards of minimal value (at least compared to Bedard). Buying packs of sports cards is a gamble, but up until recent years, it was a cheap gamble with hockey, at least. While baseball cards have always garnered insane money and their hobby boxes are wildly priced, hockey cards have been mostly ignored and cheap outside of quite old cards, rookie cards of big names (e.g. Gretzky), and so forth. Bedard has drawn a lot of attention to hockey cards, however, and there is only so much supply to meet the demand. Hence, people are either sitting out this box due to feeling priced out of the hobby, paying crazy prices, or if they're lucky know of a retailer/friend who will sell them a box for a reasonable price.

Recent confirmed sales, not just asking prices, but cards actually selling for that!

Will Bedard-related cards keep their value? I do not know. Barring some sudden career-ending injury he should have many productive years in the NHL and could very well lead a team to the Stanely Cup; I'd wager that will happen when/if he gets traded at some point to a team with better players because besides Seth Jones on the Blackhawks (a solid defenseman), Bedard is kind of alone in his talent. I suppose if someone goes and buys a Bedard Young Gun for $800-ish that could very well be a smart investment or end up looking foolish in a few years. That's all long-term though and for the short-term it is all about Bedard. God bless anyone with the budget to invest in him.

I'm Just Glad Sinbad is Doing Alright

I've been a fan of Sinbad since I was a kid. The man was always funny whether it was the 90's or his special in 2010, "Where U Been?" where he addressed how people felt like he tended to randomly disappear from the public eye and reappear. Plus he was hilarious in a guest spot on, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," among other appearances. In 2020 Sinbad had a stroke and needed a chunk of time to recuperate. However, he has made a lot of steps in his recovery and is making (virtual) public appearances with plans for in-person ones too. With the World seeming like it is metaphorically and literally on fire at times, a little good news is nice to hear. I'm just glad Sinbad is doing alright because he's a funny and (by all accounts) nice guy.

A College Student Was Accused of Cheating...for Using Grammarly

I use Grammarly. There is a paid version that can recommend different phrasing but the free version is great for picking up on things like misspellings, iffy grammar, or unnecessary hyphens (a lot of two-word phrases don't need hyphens, but, "Two-word," does, funnily enough). I'd recommend the free version of Grammarly to everyone and if you think the paid version would assist you I'd say to go for it as well. However, if you're in college you maybe need to be careful as a young woman named Marley Stevens was put on academic probation after a paper she wrote got a zero grade. The reason? Various paper-checking systems claimed she used A.I. in some fashion to, "Write," her paper and she has steadfastly declared she only used Grammarly.

Where this gets a little complicated is how apparently Grammarly (at least the fancier levels) does use a degree of generative AI. This meant the professor felt Marley was, "Unintentionally cheating," even though the school itself tells students to use Grammarly! I'm not sure if we need to be perturbed at the professor, school, Grammarly, or the general ways A.I. is causing a ruckus these days. Grammarly, to their credit, has offered to speak to Stevens' school (University of North Georgia) and offered $4,000 for her GoFundMe she created to help pay for college with her scholarship possibly in jeopardy due to this fiasco. Ya'll, was I not just saying the other day how, "AI is advancing at a rate much faster than people seem ready for," if I may quote myself. Should it be a fact that Grammarly uses A.I. than a college would have every right to tell students not to use it if that were said college's policy. However, if some university is going to encourage students to use a program such as Grammarly and then punish them, that is a prime example of A.I. resulting in muddied waters and people not knowing how the Hell to consider what is and isn't kosher with A.I. Things are only going to get worse and messier with A.I. before they get better, aren't they?

The Latest Spector Club Show Was a Hoot!

Today I spent the morning in Shrewsbury enjoying a really fun comic show! Put on by the Spector Club, I have posted previously about the times I've had a table selling stuff. I was not a vendor today, but I enjoyed being a patron and getting some stellar comics to add to my collection. I kicked-off my time chatting with Jack Thomas of Fortress Comics. His area was full to the gills with Silver and Golden age comics. It was some impressive stuff! Then, I said hello to Spike of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles and we talked about how busy life had been! I talked with the stellar fellows of Tatetot Comics and Collectibles and picked up this, "Green Lantern," ratio variant comic from them:

I had a chance to talk with John Chaffee from Bigfoot Comics and Collectibles and then saw my good friend Bruce Reynolds  as well as the lovely Tom of Alliance Comics, Toys, and Games. It was fun catching up with them as well as Vince from VK Toys who was kind enough to trade some stuff with me so that I could grab this X-Men comic:

As I was digging in the boxes of various vendors I had fun conversing with my fellow comic fans and it was apparent everyone was having a great time! I also talked with Dave from All-American Collectibles as well as David from Calisto Comics! I bought two snazzy Spawn Comics from Eric and Tricia of STL Comics. Check them out:

I had such a fantastic time at the Spector Club's event today and look forward to the next one on May 12th! If you're in the region around then I'd encourage you to go too!

SCOUT Comics Blasted Over Creator Nonpayment and General Questionable Behavior--Why Isn't This Getting More Press?

SCOUT Comics was a cool little publisher for a while. They put out cool stuff. Then they seemed to start just cranking out more and more books in an effort to get them optioned and the quality of said books really dipped. I rarely read anything from SCOUT now but try the debut issue of a cool-sounding series now and then. However, lately a scandal has emerged regarding SCOUT that we've seen with other publishers too. Unfortunately, SCOUT is turning into another publisher in hot water for not communicating with creators, paying them money they are owed, and so forth.

SCOUT has at least put out a press release admitting, "Missteps," and, "Miscommunication." Perhaps they were too busy to talk to creators with their near-constant shows on Whatnot selling their variant covers. I kid, but from what creators who are speaking out have said, things sound suspect. Talks of threats, lies, and SCOUT seemingly intentionally sitting on sellable stock out of either ignorance or spite whilst refusing to terminate contracts unless outrageous monetary demands were met. It isn't good.

One SCOUT book with a displeased creative team.

Did SCOUT simply drop the ball as it became a bit too big for its britches and will hopefully improve? Would SCOUT have kept pulling questionable moves against creators if a number hadn't gone public? Will SCOUT even survive or end up being another publisher who emerged with a splash but ended up burning out in a relatively short period of time? Time will tell, but it is odd more sites aren't reporting this. 

I linked above to a great article by Chris Arrant at Popverse and saw Comic Book Club mention the hubbub too, but that's about it. Bleeding Cool loves tabloid drama but has been oddly silent on this compared to other scandals. Then again, they seem to have close relationships with certain publishers and companies (they waited a long time to talk about the CGC mess too) so maybe I shouldn't be surprised anybody they're chummy with seems to get lighter treatment. I mean, Avatar Press ostensibly still exists and does own Bleeding Cool so when Brian Pulido sued Avatar for the rights to Lady Death that was a huge story weridly enough never acknowledged by the site. There are plenty of other sites that could talk about SCOUT too and while Comics Beat has not yet, I think they will as they're pretty good at digging out the truth in big ol' messes. It just gives me pause when a decent-sized publisher has a huge fiasco going on and it isn't getting as much press as one would expect. Time will tell if this gets more coverage and who exactly it is that covers it.

The new Savory Chili Sauce at McDonald's is Fine but Forgettable

I enjoy McDonald's. I like eating there a little more often than I probably should (although I am eating better lately). I like to sample their limited-time goodies they do now and then so when I heard about the savory chili sauce, I was intrigued. Part of a weird promotion where the M is becoming a W so that the logo is WcDonald's for some reason (it relates to an alternate anime-inspired Universe or something), the savory chili sauce was a little bit above average, but not particularly notable.

When you put some of the savory chili sauce on your nuggets (or dip your fries into it) the first thing you notice is how a lot of soy sauce went into this. If you like soy sauce, that is a good thing, but if you dislike it...sorry. The soy and chili flavors interact well and a moment after you finish eating your bite there is a bit of a pleasant heat from the ginger left over. It isn't too much, but it's there. It reminded me of Szechuan sauce without being quite as good. This doesn't come close to beating my favorite sacue--the only short-time dip to come close to challenging sweet and sour (I love it so) would be the sweet and spicy jam. As it is, the savory chili sauce is worth trying and relatively good, but once it and the WcDonald's promotion are gone, few will remember either.

3 out of 5 stars.

Flashback/Film Friday: "Big Fat Liar," Holds Up Decades Later

In some recent interviews relating to his fantastic role in, "The Holdovers," actor Paul Giamatti discussed how a number of people still recognize him initially for, "Big Fat Liar." A family-friendly comedy from 2002, it follows a young boy who tends to lie all the time (played by Frankie Muniz). In an attempt to not fail English and be stuck in Summer school he writes a big story a make-u assignment--then gets hit by the limo of a movie exec in town filming a flick. That bigwig happens to be Marty Wolf, played by Giamatti. Muniz leaves his story behind in the limo (by accident) when he hitches a ride in exchange for not causing a scene. Then Marty Wolf steals the story and plans to make it into a huge movie.

It sounds a little outlandish, but the thing is that Giamatti portrays Wolf with such a sleazy authenticity and determination you find yourself believing, "Yeah, this guy would steal a story from a 14-year-old kid." A number of other talents are in the flick as well, from a shockingly young Taram Killam to Amanda Bynes at the height of her popularity from, "All That," and, "The Amanda Show." Her role is actually relatively understated compared to some of her sketch characters, but this isn't really a movie about her or the supposedly titular liar Muniz, this is Giamatti's showcase. 

Whether he's spending half the movie dyed blue due to a prank by Muniz, screaming at elderly women in the way of his car, or beating up (an admittedly aggressive) kid at a birthday party who mistakes him for the clown (due to the blue body paint), Giamatti manages to be over-the-top yet not so outlandish it hurts our suspension of disbelief. Yes, it is a little far-fetched at the end of the movie that a bunch of other Hollywood talents band together with Muniz and Bynes to trick Wolf into admitting he stole the story...but the dude is a huge dick. He screams at John Cho's character with vaguely racist overtones about camera setups, insults the age of a stunt coordinator who requests a single day off for his grandkid's birthday party, and seems to care about only himself at the expense of all others. By the climax of the flick, we're outright cheering to see Wolf finally get his comeuppance. The fact all the ways he gets screwed over are quite funny is just the icing on the cake.

"Big Fat Liar," came out in 2002 and still is pretty hilarious to this day. Not every single joke holds up and this is a PG-rated movie so don't expect anything too extreme, but yeah, "Big Fat Liar," is another solid example of Paul Giamatti and his acting range. It isn't streaming anywhere, but you can always buy a DVD of it or purchase a digital copy. You ought to, it is pretty fun.

A Willy Wonka-Themed Event Turned Out to be a Sham and the Internet Can't Look Away

Advertisment versus reality.

A Willy Wonka-themed event that was careful to emphasize it was not officially related to well-known properties in any way turned out to be an utter joke of an, "Experience." AI ads made it look like people would walk into a surreal wonderland full of candy. Instead, they were in a mostly empty warehouse with some cheap decorations and actors/actresses who made it clear they had zero interest in being there. The man who played the Willy Wonka-alike himself discussed the gig made him cry in his car. It's being compared to such catastrophes as Fyre Fest, Dashcon, and so forth. Everybody loves gawking at a big public mess, and this is one for sure. People in Glasgow paid something like 35 pounds/$45 to be utterly disappointed. Instead of wonderment and chocolate, everyone got a run-down warehouse and glasses of lemonade along with a single (just one!) jellybean. Children were left in tears and the police were called as words like, "Fraud," were angrily thrown around.

Less magical and more meth-alike.

If there is one major thing to learn from this it would be that, yet again, AI has been used to mislead people. Whether it is a deepfake of a celebrity, altered voices over phones to scam friends, or making it look like your event is going to be a lot more magical than a run-down warehouse, AI is advancing at a rate much faster than people seem ready for. It wasn't used responsibly here and I am pretty sure that trend is going to continue as long as unscrupulous people can make a buck.