BrodyGraham

2 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

The Matrix Resurrections

A stupid amount of fun, and veers in a direction that is genuinely inventive (I'd avoided all spoilers, reviews, trailers etc and had no idea). I really enjoyed it, and am glad it exists. Some of it is a little on the nose, but it still works.

Also, it will annoy all the right people and that can only be a good thing. It does sag a little in the middle, but that's OK, and it drives the story forward. Yes, it's stupid, makes little sense, but who cares. A million times better than Reloaded and Revolutions, but I walked out of the latter after 30 minutes and have never been back, so I dunno.

Jessica Henwick is fantastic, as is Keanu (but what do you expect) and it was genuinely thrilling to see him in this role again.

Popped big time for 

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"My name is Trinity" and the end when Neo and Trinity are talking about changing the code to 'rainbow filled' skies. 

Top work all round. The only sour note was being confonted by BIG SCREEN Chris Whitty and his massive face in the adverts. Was a bit disconcerting if I'm being honest.

 

Went to see it opening night and feel largely the same way. I'd hesitate to objectively recommend it, it's far too meta for it's own good, the new cast members all appear to be having much more fun than the old ones and I'd struggle to say it makes a lick of sense, but despite all that I smiled pretty much the whole way through.

Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn books are very good. There's a main trilogy and an offshoot sequel series, which are a bit more pulpy fun. Sanderson also has a series called The Stormlight Archive which is a bit heavier in terms of scope and lore.

Daniel Abraham's The Dagger and the Coin series is a lot of fun. Abraham is one half of James SA Corey who writes the Expanse and who I'd put money on finishing A Song of Ice and Fire when big George pops his clogs. It's chiefly concerned with the intersection of the military and financial sectors in a pseudo medieval fantasy world, except not as dry as that sounds.

I've read all of Joe Abercrombie's stuff set in the First Law World and can not recommend it enough. It is very grim but has a massive streak of gallows humour running through it. I also genuinely believe that Abercrombie's books get better and no one gets into the weeds of their characters like Abercrombie. He has two trilogies, The First Law and Age of Madness, but his 3 stand-alone books are incredible as well, taking thematic detours and positing what other genres would look like in The First Law World.

I'm blasting through John Gwynne's stuff at the moment. Real page turny heroic fantasy. Not much scheming, lots of flying heads. Tropey but addictive.

When Edge came back I said I'd never simultaneously wanted someone to come back more and less.

That opinion is now null and void.

I'll not accept any (entirely justified and reasonable) criticism of that Ruby Soho segment purely because I laugh out loud every time Nyla does her 'Surprise, Bitch!', schtick.

I also laughed out loud at the Malakai Black bit, although I suspect I wasn't meant to.

1 hour ago, King Mal the Glorious said:

Bloody Hell, we won a match! Very much enjoying the redemption of Joe "Actually a ball-winning midfielder" Linton.

I keep talking to people who have very distinct opinions on Newcastle at the moment but when pressed will admit to not having watched us at all.

We've been so much better since Howe came in and there's a few players who are almost different players. I'm hearing other teams fans saying stuff like, 'Howe will have to walk by the end of the season', but I haven't seen any Newcastle fans say it. He seems very popular and everything  Bruce wasn't

Joelinton has been immense in 3 of the 4 games we've had since Howe came in. Jamaal Lewis was really good against Norwich after being cast aside by Bruce. The most surprising thing for me has been watching Jonjo Shelvey rediscover some pride and purpose.

I still think we're fucked, our December is wretched and I can't see us being in a position where a spending spree would make a difference, but I'd like Howe to be involved in the rebuild of the club.

49 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

It doesn't help that he's appearing for a company that delivered one of the best, most subtle and complex storylines in Omega and Hangman. Even if things hit bumps along the way, they were always able to course correct and end up where they needed to be. It shows up Cody's shit even more because there's nothing of that quality in anything he does.

The Hangman Story was a lovely details based meandering story that was allowed to happen in a way that properly progressed an organic arc.

Cody's best stuff relied on those Road To videos that were initially purely Codyverse based and shortcuts, lots of lovely shortcuts. 

He's also exhausted the good will attached to his family name. His match with Aldis at All-In for example was based on the goodwill engendered by Cody being a Dusty surrogate and relied on run-ins and the big spot where dastardly Aldis drops the top rope elbow on Brandy as she protects her husband. Fast forward 3 years, Dustin is in AEW to scratch the people's Dusty itch(!) and Aldis would get the biggest pop of the night if he did that. 

35 minutes ago, theringmaster said:

But the flip side to all this is if he does a long awaited heel turn, the crowd will start cheering for him and he will get praise online and then be a dreaded 'popular and cool heel', that in this modern era is essentially a face. See: Pete Dunne

Cody Rhodes is the furthest thing from being cool though and I honestly think that the crowd are just exasperated now. People don't want Cody to be a heel, they just want this bollocks to stop, but he thinks he's manipulating them into a reaction. The thing is by now a lot of people don't want to boo or cheer Cody. He's got Fuck Off Heat.

14 minutes ago, RedRooster said:

While it's true that working with Cody has stunted their momentum, particularly in the case of Black; who could have emerged from the initial feud in a fantastic place had it ended sooner, this isn't true at all. While I'm not sure a loss to Hangman would help Black in any way, I think the initial segment where Black challenges Page would get a huge reaction. Andrade would be perfectly fine as an opponent too, and he might actually benefit from moving into the title picture, and away from the void that is the Codyverse, even if it means a pinfall loss to Page. 

There are plenty of potentially interesting opponents for Page at BOTB - you could have a Page/Danielson rematch, Wardlow, Andrade, Christian (which could logically transition into a Christian/Jungle Boy feud for Revolution), Chris Jericho, Nick or Matt Jackson, Darby and Ricky Starks, for example. Heck, I wouldn't be opposed to a member of Dark Order challenging Page at the show, that could be fun. The match doesn't necessarily have to main event - perhaps we'll see Baker/Rosa II, a big tag match or even Punk/MJF close the show. 

I mean if this Cody nonsense ends with Black and Andrade beating Cody into a pulp and putting him in a packing case back to OVW they'll be the top stars in the company. Well, to me at least.

Cody thinks he's playing 4d chess with the audience and has been from the start. In a company that does heel/face dynamics so well Cody's either/neither/both shit just feels unnecessary and distracting.

I don't care if he turns, if he's already turned, if he's heel, face or blazing a new trail. I just want him to fuck off, the pigeon kneed dullard.

1 hour ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Haha, that's at least three of us on here that have seen him in person (me and @Thunderplex) and we've all had the same experience - that he's a miserable cunt and he hates his wife. 

I've seen him twice. One in WH Smith's in Piccadilly moaning about buying a paper and once in Tesco at the end of Burnage Lane wheeling a trolley round looking absolutely aghast with life. Think Plexy also saw him in there.

I've said on here before in the early 2000's you could pretty much guarantee a pissed up Thomson could be seen weaving down Deansgate on a Sunday afternoon. Usually on his own, always fucking bladdered.

I was about 14 when Definitely, Maybe broke big and I remember getting beaten up at school for liking Oasis as well as other stuff. North East Pit Village Comprehensive Schools were very much a hive of 3 stripe trackies listening to happy hardcore around that time. Fast forward a year and by the time ....Morning Glory came out, the same fuckers are blaring out 'Don't look back in anger', fueled by White Lightning, from the back of their cousin's Corsa, and that largely was the audience Oasis retained as far I'm concerned.

I was well into Britpop/Indie as a whole around that time, but aside from a few albums, like 'Dog Man Star' and 'His and Hers', I find it almost unlistenable and ironically most of the stuff from that time that I listen to now tends to be American. Very little Britpop holds a candle to the two Belly albums, for instance.

Very short version, Taeler Hendrix accused Lethal of harassing her whilst they were both in ROH. Lethal's response to being rebuffed was to apparently use his position in ROH to make her life difficult. 

They already regularly feature Rickey Shane Page on Dark.

1 hour ago, tiger_rick said:

What's with the narrative that you have to wear trunks? Fucking Triple H's fault, probably. Never a problem for Taker, Foley, Bret, Shawn, Big Kev, Sting, etc. Switching to trunks didn't solve Jericho's problems. A nonsense.

The start of Hangman's confidence issues in AEW canon were in his feud with PAC after Cody and the Bucks mock him for being fat and out of shape in comparison to PAC, who at the time had only been seen in AEW in his ring wear or Full Gear. Cody negging Hangman and setting him the challenge to be in better shape for Double or Nothing.

The first time he wore the trousers was the match with FTR if I recall correctly, which is arguably when he was at his lowest ebb, having screwed the Bucks after FTR had manipulated his insecurities.

Personally, like others I prefer the pants, but it does seem to be the kind of detail that they'd seed into this story. 

I can't believe I live in a world where I'm invested in whether Miro gets to bang CJ and how that affects my favourite wrestlers.

Bearing in mind the attention to detail that's gone into Hangman's story, the relevance to Hangman's emotional arc and indeed the name of the show, does Hangman ditch the longboys on Saturday? 

Is he finally in Full Gear Shape?

Just now, bAzTNM#1 said:

Eh? I haven't heard that one. What's that all about?

He's a fucking horrible shitbag. He rented a property to a young mum that was so riddled with damp and rot that it hospitalised one of her daughters, due to the girls eczema getting infected.

This left the mum in a position where she couldn't afford rent and 'Good Family Man' and 'True Gent' Steve responded not by properly damp proofing or fixing the property, but trying to put the girl on the street.

The shoe faced fucker, playing the victim and acting as if Newcastle fans killed his parents, when he's received no more criticism from us than say, Villa or Shef Utd fans, all the while pulling this shit, absolutely boils my piss.

One of the things I love about AEW is that sometimes they'll just announce a seemingly innocuous match that suddenly feels very exciting.

I might be the only person licking his lips at PAC Vs Dax Harwood, but Jesus if that isn't low key a bit of a personal dream match.

11 minutes ago, Liam O'Rourke said:

When Vince ixnayed Scarlett coming up with Kross ("She's hokey"), she was toast. And so was he. Still, it sucks for a couple to both suddenly be unemployed, same for Keith and Mia.

Kross and Scarlett could be properly knackered, barring a return to Mexico. Even with all the push, bells, whistles and tailor made opponents they had in NXT they still showed very little upside. 

Didn't they fuck Impact around as well? There's not many places I can see offering them decent money or dates.

Aerostar was one of my favourites in Lucha Underground, but his stuff has always had a real good chance of seeing him land right on his head.

There was an awful spot from a Triple A PPV a few years ago where he does a diving cross body off a lighting rig, doesn't realise he's too far to one side, connects with the lads catching him with just his legs and lands on his face to the outside, from about 15/20ft up.

And that still hasn't calmed him down. He clearly fucked his leg overshooting the plancha to the outside but for whatever reason just worked the same match. Shame, cos I actually always rated Samuray, so between this and the Jericho bollocks it looks like he's been done out of a potential regular pay cheque.

Ah well. Emery's just confirmed he's jibbed us off.

Probably Howe then, innit?

I'm increasingly convinced that the Saudis know we're heading down and are just getting their ducks in a row, ready for a proper rebuild.

Looks like Unai Emery is all but confirmed at Newcastle. Wonder if they'll announce a director of football as well?

4 minutes ago, Egg Shen said:

doesn't he own or co-own it?

No, he co-ran it with Scott D'Amore, but by all accounts had been scaling down his role months before his on screen firing, which was in itself, before All-Out I believe.

It's saying something when Paul Scholes' incesty toe sucking is nowhere near the most embarrassing thing associated with Utd today!

Enjoyed Dune up to a certain point without falling in love with it.

I think everyone expected it to be a visual and technical marvel and it is. Every scene has a whole bunch of shots that you could frame and put in a gallery, the production design and sense of scale is stunning and it sounds tremendous. Like Blade Runner 2049, when it all clicks it's almost hallucinatory and the performances are good to great across the board. Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson are particularly good, but the standout is Jason Momoa, who is basically a big movie star charisma bomb in an icy field of underplaying. Which is sort of the problem. The dialogue in the movie functions more as exposition than it does to illuminate the characters. On top of which the big grandstanding epic shots seem to be matched by super tight, personal shots, either of faces showing off the subtlety of the performances or the detail of the production. The middle ground between those two ranges feels either lost or swamped. 

It all feels more intellectually rather than emotionally satisfying.

It's excellent, it is. I just admire it more than I like it.