Dime Store Riot

After two years of hype, the terribly named Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice arrives finally in wide release this weekend. Warner Brothers needs this to be a monster hit badly, not just to kick off the DCU but because they need a hit movie…badly. The embargo on the critics was lifted late Tuesday and the response to the film has not been kind. Honestly, it’s no surprise to me. I’ve never been a Snyder fan. I think he’s always been style without any substance and I find his go-to themes troubling. Not only was Man of Steel depressing and dark, it fundamentally proved to me that Snyder did not understand Superman. My prediction is that Batman V Superman will still have an okay opening weekend. Too many people have already bought tickets not to go. There’s plenty of people who just want to see $250 million dollars’ worth of explosions and mayhem. And a ton of neckbeards who, for some unknown reason, still fight the Marvel vs. DC fight. Plus, critical reviews only influence

Another season of Agent Carter has ended. Despite a much stronger beginning to this second television outing for Peggy Carter, my feelings aren’t really much different than they were before. Peggy Carter is a great character. Hayley Atwell is simply extraordinary—if you haven’t watched her episode of Black Mirror , then you’re missing an incredible performance that manages to stand out as a small part of probably the smartest show I’ve seen in decades. Agent Carter should easily fill in more Marvel Cinematic Universe backstory with a fun sense of history, add further depth to Captain America, and provide the genesis for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D . (why we’ve had two whole season and the S.S.R. hasn’t become S.H.I.E.L.D. is beyond me) Mind you, all this while still giving the audience a strong, female character with real agency. But...the show doesn't quite manage that...so I like the idea of Agent Carter as a character—honestly, I’m stunned she’s not staring in a ton of othe

Marilyn wanted me to remind you that Hoods, Hot Rods, and Hellcats can always use more reviews. Especially if you live in the UK .

There was a badly photoshopped photo of Kiera Knightley as X-men's Cable going around a bit ago. And I think I had read that Stephen Lang really wants to play him on the big screen. I absolutely understand the appeal of changing a character’s sex and I’ve liked Stephen Lang since I first saw him in Michael Mann’s Crime Story years ago, but if it were me? I'd cast Ron Perlman. Go look at a picture of him scowl. Then imagine him in his gruffest voice saying, "Bodyslide."

Besides putting people to work repairing our woefully neglected infrastructure, here’s my suggestion for a federal jobs program: In 1936, FDR signed into law the Rural Electrification Act. Prior to that act, if you didn’t live in the city, you couldn’t get electricity. Electrical companies didn’t want to foot the bill for the expense of wiring the rest of the county outside the cities. So the REA channeled funding through newly created electrical co-ops that still exists today. The REA put tons of people to work travelling in crews across the country running electrical wire and wiring homes, barns, and businesses. The REA was later amended to include telephone service. Today, the US trails the world in internet speed but leads the world in cost. Let’s modernize the REA to include internet service. Let’s funnel the federal money again through local co-ops and put tons of people to work running fiber optic cable and join the future. For a real world example of what tha

Let’s talk about Donald Trump for a bit, okay? I keep reading articles about the GOP being paralyzed by his ever-growing lead in the primaries. Even as the DNC continues their own shell game to foist their corporate-sponsored candidate on us, they are also busy wringing their hands and hoping someone on the other side derails Trump. So why is he winning? Besides the fact that America actually really loves a bully, first thing is first. If anyone is responsible for Donald Trump’s commanding lead, it is the Republican Party. However you may feel about them, I think everyone sane would agree that they’ve willingly allowed themselves to be hijacked by a gang of crazy con artists who pander to extremists and nut-jobbers—as clearly evidenced by the other candidates in the field. But moreso even than that, Trump is the monster conjured after decades of the Republicans repeating their two favorite mantras: rich people are great and anything to do with government is bad. Dona