Great job everyone! 🥰

I read the book but have not watched the movie yet. It's a short easy read, it definitely feels like there's no way it can be true but it is! I also recommend the Great Mars Hill Caper, about a Vietnam Veteran and tunnel rat who robbed a bank in his hometown of Mars Hill Maine and got away with it for a few years.

I'm the new Simona now!

"She pulls a Batman," is, like, the greatest shorthand.

Dungeon Mechi, há Dungeon Mechi

LETS FUCKING GOOOOO I LOVE THIS COMIC LETS GOO!!

It was probably unintentional on her part, but Marisa Tomei stole this movie and totally deserved her Oscar! I first watched her on "As the World Turns!" She's fantastic in every project she's been involved with, especially "The Wrestler" "In the Bedroom" and "Danika." In the "Seinfeld" episode, I believe Marisa played herself (after George became unhappily engaged to Susan) as someone who is attracted to guys like George!

It sounds as tho "Niagara" (1953) was made in the waning days of film noir, and as we know, especially from your movie episode on "The Big Sleep" (1946), film noir movies generally are characterized by somewhat incomprehensible or less than straightforward plots. Moody and morally compromised people, criminal activity, innocent bystanders taken in by lowlifes or by desperate situations are all hallmarks of film noir and it sounds as tho, "Niagara" worked off that noir playbook. Joseph Cotten's everyman persona with his distinctive voice also made him an excellent villain -- as in Alfred Hitchcock's "Shadow of Doubt" (1943). Marilyn, it goes without saying, was a star unto herself -- no one has duplicated her screen magnetism, ever. Don't stop at 2 MM movies -- look for "The Seven Year Itch" (1955) directed by Billy Wilder, which is a comedic standout -- her radiance lit that film up -- I mean, that white halter dress is forever, as is her nameless character's slightly daffy, charming and gentle sensitivity and chemistry with her Walter Mitty-type married neighbor, Tom Ewell whose fantasies play out during a hot and humid NYC summer.

Kal Ho Na Ho is another Shah Rukh Khan film that is vvv loved. 3 idiots and Kal Ho Na Ho were huge when they came out and continue to be popular today! Just watched the end and saw that one of u guys loved him so this recc is for u girl !

Hiiii! This is my favorite movie, and I’d love to say some things! U guys asked why there’s often white girls as background dancers and that’s due to colorism 🫠. It sucks, but yeah that’s the explanation. Yep, sandy is just a lookalike! 37:20. Saying “who cares” perfect reply 👏👏 great job 1/2

La la land is my favorite movie and you all put the thoughts I had so eloquently and exactly why I love the film.

Reading is sexy.

For a show so bright it gets incredibly dark Also, i always watched the movie as a sequel in a time loop, but I'll have to rewatch for that Anthy perspective!

Pyrah isn't really a kingdom. It's a village. Vax's initial unwillingness isn't "Vax being Vax." It's that nothing makes sense to him right now, so he's going with the most direct path. The player of Vax debunks your theory about him wanting answers. The armor is not taking a toll on Vax. It's not a situation like Grog, who is wielding a legitimately cursed weapon. Why the group in the Fey Wild seems lost is because they're on another plane with some very vague directions. What they're looking for could literally be anywhere. There's no guarantee where Grog, Pike, and Scanlan are. That's the danger of plane shifting spells. You can end up anywhere if things go wrong.

So a couple of details off the bat. The shock over a dragon attack is that it's coordinated and with multiple dragons; that never happens, especially with ancient dragons. They're nowhere near extinct. Uriel is not a prince. He's a Sovereign, which is essentially a king. The Conclave isn't claiming dominion for all dragons. They're claiming it specifically for themselves. The fact that they are 4 ancient dragons teamed up together is what is shocking, because that doesn't happen. Chromatic dragons in D&D don't team up. The thing with Vasselheim is that they've existed since the Calamity (the war between the gods). They've survived battles with the gods. To give perspective, 2/3 of the world's population was destroyed in the Calamity and the world is now in what amounts to a dark age. Humanity still exists because it spread out from Vasselheim after the Calamity. They're looking long term at the future. As much as I hate it, they've earned their elitism. The bounty at the Slayer's Take actually makes sense. The Take is a monster hunting guild and their bounties are as a result of a magically binding contract. Bad things happen if the Take fails a job. That's why they don't care if they get the twins dead or alive. The Vestiges were basically created as tools for the champions of the gods. They will definitely even the playing field. Vax is the only one who has seen the Matron. Percy accidentally triggers a trap on the inside, which was Wisdom save based. The amount of damage she took was enough to take her to zero, and that trap kills if it takes you to that point. As far as why Vax has the vestige? She accepted the terms of the exchange. He is the new champion, which is what Purvan tells him. Her vestige cannot be worn by anyone else than her champion. The two things Vax sees are the Calamity and he is tested by the previous champion.

grog is a giant, in dnd they dont grow facial hair. they pillaged the the magic shop and Grog gets a belt of dwarven kind. increasing his strength and allowing him to grow facial hair

I had to laugh when you mentioned "Liv Tyler's dad" in LOTR and I immediately thought of Steven Tyler -- that would have made for a startling cameo! Another great version of Robin Hood that I watched, was the BBC TV version (2006) with Richard Armitage as the magnetic villainous Guy of Gisborne and Jonas Armstrong as Robin. And for me, Kevin Cosner was the worst Robin Hood ever -- I think Alan Rickman overacted to make up for Cosner's lackluster approach. I've always wanted to watch "Frances Ha," especially after watching Greta Gerwig in "Lola Versus." Wouldn't Ms Gerwig be fabulous in an American version of "Fleabag!"

Break out the cherry pie and coffee -- I remember "Twin Peaks" very well and yes, it was "water cooler" talk the next morning after it aired! Such a cauldron of churning angst in a small logging town! TV audiences were certainly used to their night time soap fixes -- everything from "Dallas" to "Dynasty" to Falcon's Crest," but "Twin Peaks" gave that kind of storytelling a 180-degree spin around. It's really quite astonishing that ABC, a major network, gave David Lynch's darkly bizarre show the go-ahead in the first place, especially because it began with a teenage girl's brutal murder (with a sordid and tragic backstory) and yes, as you mentioned here, Andy's sobbing was heartbreaking and added a poignant gesture that also felt more realistic than the usual stoic TV cop procedural. Lynch managed to keep the eccentricity of his vision from bubbling too much over the top, by including several laidback actors like Michael Ontkean and Peggy Lipton, but for me, that first season was complete onto itself -- later, I felt the weight of Lynch's daring surrealism collapsed the show into a parody of itself (perhaps that's what Lynch gleefully intended?), but how could you resist a show with such a languid, yet mesmerizing musical intro that pulled you into Lynch's stylized homage to film noir? I equate the look of the show as an eclectic merging of Edward Hopper's somber moody art, with the outre glamour of Barney's Department Store in its '90s heyday. It's intriguing to look at, but you're relieved you don't live there. A couple aside comments -- I never realized that 2 "West Side Story" actors were both in Twin Peaks! Richard Beymer and Rush Tamblyn, whose own daughter Amber Tamblyn is an actor and writer. Anyone here remember Ray Wise as the witty and sardonic Devil in "Reaper?" I forgot that Mark Frost also wrote "Hill Street Blues" which is quite the opposite of "Twin Peaks." HSB was a cop show and I think it was set in Chicago, with actors who looked realistic to their roles but it was at that time considered to be edgy with its bits of humor mixed with the mundane aspects of police and law work that ranged from low level crime to distressing acts of violence. HBS also had unforgettable theme music. My parents watched that show every week! I watched here and there too and later in reruns. I very much enjoyed this latest post!

Sarah Michelle Gellar had quite a career before coming to Buffy -- she was on "All My Children" and won a Daytime Emmy for her role as Kendall, the daughter of Susan Lucci's manipulative character, Erica Kane. Word was at the time was that Ms Lucci resented Ms Gellar's casting as her young adult soap opera daughter, because in her mind, having a grown child made Erica (and Ms Lucci -- such a true diva!) look old. I remember Sarah on "AMC" and she was perfect in that role and more professional than Ms Lucci. Later, taking a page from her time at AMC, she was a standout as a sly and calculating coke-addicted character, in "Cruel Intentions." I also get your point on how the first season looked well, a bit on the cheap side. But as it was not on a major network, but on the WB, that skimpy-seeming budget made sense. And I think that there was no way that CBS, NBC or ABC would have green-lite a show where a teenager, a girl, would be a strong slayer of demons. Only a station with nothing to lose, like the WB would have the gumption to try such a concept. I also think that younger viewers were more drawn to the WB's shows, and not their parents' more notable networks, like "must see" NBC. (All this before paying for streaming services/networks too.) I started watching "Buffy" the show (I've never watched the theatrical movie) as an adult (well after its debut), but for me, the show was basically about how kids feel like outsiders and the loneliness of always trying to fit in -- Buffy and her friends were misfits -- nerdy Willow who later became a well-schooled witch, goofy Xander (I laughed when Joe said he was irritated by Xander because he reminded him of the guys in "Friends!") and an awkwardly charming adult, Rupert Giles (somehow, I believe that nowadays, an adult hanging out with mainly kids, would be a bit suspect and creepy as casting in a TV show). Yes, there were teens on that show who were bullies, but I tend to think that the demons were also stand-ins for those who teased and tormented anyone different. There was at times, a very thin veil between good and evil on "Buffy" -- Angel in love, transformed into a gleefully vengeful demon, and later, vampire Spike became Buffy's lover and confidante (remember that episode after Buffy was brought back to life and, only to Spike, did she movingly account how she felt safe in her death, and his silently listening to her and being touched by her admission?), and when Willow became evil in her grief and Xander recounted their friendship and why he still loved her, no matter what she threatened to do to humanity? And wasn't it in the 1st season when a former boyfriend of Buffy's turns up with terminal cancer and wants to be a vampire so he won't die? How Buffy had to react and deal with that situation was quite poignant and as a slayer, she couldn't turn away from what she knew she had to ultimately do, even tho she was empathetic to his real fears. Like him, her choices were few and sometimes very harsh. I also appreciated how the show also tucked in humor, here and there, for some needed comic relief -- like the time, Buffy squashes a small demon down with her foot, or Willow's accidental spell that causes her words to create unforeseeable and sometimes hilarious consequences (like frenemies Buffy and Spike making out and then instantly becoming engaged), followed by a very polite demon who ends up giving Willow his business card, in case she ever would change her mind about working for him. And who can forget Anya, Xander's formerly demonic girlfriend who is often very direct and has no filter with her thoughts and words, etc.? The musical episode was also a standout too. These days, for some, the revelations of Joss Weldon's gross and harassing behavior to several in the cast, especially to Charisma Carpenter has certainly dimmed how the show is now perceived (how difficult it must have been to dread everyday at work for some of the "Buffy" and "Angel" casts) and also too, to Joe's point, "Joss Weldon speak" also feels out-of-date and not as quirky as back in its day. I checked with Simona, about one of the last episodes of Buffy's 1st season when she has to go and confront the Master and is led to that meeting by a small demon child as they walk hand-in-hand. "Buffy," the show, never strayed, as I said earlier, from that very thin border between what can be good and evil. I really enjoyed everyone's thoughts here -- thank you.

I love the part of the movie, when on Christmas morning, Ralphie does indeed get his Red Rider Rifle bb gun and Melinda Dillon (Mom) tenderly watches Darren McGavin's boyish face as Ralphie unexpectedly and excitedly finally gets what he wanted the very most -- that showed to me that she loved her husband -- really, I think some of their passive bickering was quite normal for many couples. My Dad grew up on a rural Iowan farm and he also tried (but he wasn't dared to, like in the movie!) to put his tongue on a piece of metal, in this case, an outdoor water pump! Grandma said he came back in with his pail of water, with a very injured tongue afterwards! Besides Jean Sheppard, other popular humorists (1920s-1940s) included Robert Benchley (also a theater and movie critic and actor), Dorothy Parker, the notoriously witty Algonquin Round Table, and H. Allen Smith. Nora Ephron and Fran Leibowitz wrote very funny essays in the 1970s -- their writings have been collected in several volumes -- I think the Mahopac Library has several of their works! Today, Anthony Lane from the New Yorker magazine is probably Robert Benchley's modern counterpart -- an observant critic and like Benchley, a very relevant and thoughtful writer on timely topics -- Robert Benchley wrote several poignant and empathetic pieces admonishing the racism he saw in everyday life, in the theater world, etc. I still reread him quite a bit!

Great episode! I love Spirited Away so it's fun to hear the perspective of some who have seen it and those who haven't. Listening to y'all chat and discuss inspired me to try and make my own podcast! Just wanted to let y'all know. Keep up the good work!

So much wonderful art work! I thoroughly enjoyed the video.

Over the Garden Wall is the best thing ever.

A podcast made by librarians?! Awesome! Instantly subscribed.

It's impossible to talk about "The Crow" without Brandon Lee's death shadowing every frame of that film. As you spoke about Brandon, I started to think about how his life and career might have gone on if only that gun never went off -- he had his own "Shelly" (his fiancee, Eliza Hutton) and I think he and Keanu Reeves would have been up for the same parts -- every movie from "Speed" to "Point Break," to "Constantine," to the "Matrix" and the "John Wick" series, would have also been perfect for Brandon. Like Keanu, Brandon seemed to understand that an almost laconic and consistently brooding style has a very appealing nuance in the films I've mentioned, especially when everything around them is chaotic maim. "The Crow" is certainly noir and gothic and its odd bits of grim humor, like when the Crow/Eric straps T-Bird in for his death ride and waves good-bye to him -- that sardonic little gesture has that edge that elevates "The Crow" into that realm of film that sets it apart from the usual. Another defining scene for me was when Eric/Crow and Ernie Hudson's Albrecht are talking and Eric puts his hands on Albrecht's head and feels Shelly's death intensely and almost collapses from her pain. As that scene winds down and Eric starts to leave, Albrecht asks him if he's going to suddenly "vanish" as he's been lately known to do, and Eric's Crow wearily replies, "I thought I'd use your front door." As a side note, Rochelle Davis' "Sarah's" poignant grief and loss of her empathetic grownup friends -- Eric and Shelly -- as a wandering child of a drug-addicted mother is also a standout in that dark, bleak and soaking wet city, where the only light seems to have come from Shelly's return for her beloved after Eric completes his Crow mission and tries to help Sarah -- perhaps Sarah was ultimately meant to be his salvation from his revenge. If you're thinking of films for your throwback series, might I suggest 1987's "The Lost Boys"? Who could ever top Kiefer's malevolent vampire?

Beautiful work and wonderful video. Such a treat to have my art included! Thank you! Betsy Meyer

Watching this episode almost a month later from 9/11 was incredibly moving. While I do recall that day (I was home, but went to work later that very day) I have no recollection about all the boats -- coast guard, city and private -- that came to the rescue of stranded commuters and others desperate to escape all the chaos they witnessed and were tragically a part of. Your words about people coming together either on 9/11 or after, as in your baseball commentary, illustrates, as you've both eloquently stated, how empathy can be healing -- how watching and attending games made people feel like life could go on even after such devastation impacts lives.

Agreed!

I object to the critical reference of "The Outsiders" being an awful book because "the characters are written by a teenage girl and it feels apparently so." Perhaps it is now considered as vintage, but for its time, it felt real to its audience of 8th graders and HS teens -- not adults writing their versions of how they depicted YA literature -- really, a lot of the time, most kids are just hanging out and not being chased by hot vampires and werewolves. Also, many people make the mistake of "Pride and Prejudice" as the 1st Jane Austen novel to read. As one of my friends suggested, start out with another, like "Sense and Sensibility" or "Emma." "Pride and Prejudice" is such a classic, that people get turned off because of that "must read" status attached to its reputation as "a universal truth." Personally, my favorite Austen novel is "Persuasion" and altho the newly released movie is a much maligned mess, Anne Elliot should not be judged by this newest and sloppily inaccurate incarnation. Secondly, "P&P" still has a ring of truth to it -- people still very much marry within their class, both social and money. Mary Shelley wrote "Frankenstein" based on a nightmare she dreamt -- so, it being off the wall and not realistic was in keeping with how our nightly muses play out our fears and worries, however overwrought they may seem to others. For a wild interpretation of Mary Shelley's night of "Frankenstein" watch "Gothic" (1987) by Ken Russell starring Natasha Richardson, as Mary Shelley, Gabriel Bryne as Lord Byron(!!) and Julian Sands as PS Shelley. Love the shout-out to Mystery Science Theater 3000 and RiffTrax!

Drunk drivers can sometimes walk away from devastating accidents because being drunk, they are in a "relaxed" body state and thus, they escape with minor injuries. I haven't seen this movie, but all of you are right -- the premise spurred on a thought-provoking discussion!

Damien Echols -- one the West Memphis Three -- the goth teenager you mention here, accused of the murder 3 little boys, was never found innocent. Rather, he, Jesse Misskelley and Jason Baldwin had to sign a legal document, called an Alford Plea that allows defendants to maintain their innocence while acknowledging prosecutors have enough evidence for possible convictions. All 3 men served about 18 years and were released after signing their Alford Pleas. From what I understand Mr Echols wanted to continue to fight to prove his innocence, but the possibility of his death sentence being carried out loomed very large. Eddie Vedder took a very empathetic and dedicated interest and was one of his defenders who talked Mr Echols into signing the Alford Plea as a way out and of saving him from being executed. They were set up precisely as you say here -- for being goths and not conforming. To this day, Mr Echols is seeking any evidence to finally and legally clear his name from the crime he was accused of, along with his friends. The "Paradise Lost" documentaries benefitted from rock musicians and stars lending their voices to the prejudices all 3 defendants faced in a legal system biased against them from the start. Kate Bush is an artist who's been around for decades -- David Gilmour helped her get signed for her first record deal! Big Boi loves "Running Up That Hill" and like me, always saw her living in a remote stone castle playing her piano while living in her head, in her wild gothic imagination -- like "Wuthering Heights" -- that song is still so captivating and utterly beautiful -- and she created it when she was 17 and didn't even read the novel! -- she only watched a snippet of it as a TV show! Big Boi's take is that the "deal with God" -- "Let me steal this moment from you now. C'mon, angel, c'mon, c'mon, darling, Let's exchange the experience" is her belief that if she and her lover "swap" places, they will emerge with a more nuanced understanding of each other's beings. "Hounds of Love" (the album "Running" is taken from) is brilliant -- really, since its release in 1985, it has stood the test of time -- the songs are luminous, haunting, and transcendent -- it's no wonder that everyone from punk musicians to singers like Big Boi and Tori Amos are drawn to her. Kate deserves all her accolades, but always comes across as sweetly modest.

Hasbro making a "Monopoly" on Ouija Boards!

Critical Role wanted to do an animated series. But all companies they proposed it too said “no”. They didn’t understand the concept or wanted to change it too much. So they decided to do a Kickstarter to raise $750,000 to pay for one 45 minute animated special. They gave it 1 month and weren’t sure they would get it. The exceeded the goal in less than an hour. Their final total was 11+ million dollars. They kept full creative control and started hiring the animators, writers, and voice actors that believed in them. Amazon, realizing they had something popular, agreed to distribute it, and kicked in money for 2 extra episodes and a 2nd season.

SPOILER Dragons can transform and take the form of humans. Brimscythe kills Krieg and takes his form to infiltrate the council.

Scanlan sings and casts Major Illusion. The council sees all the animation we see. At the end of the song you see the illusion drop with the swirl of purple and the disheveled heroes are again revealed. Most fans believe the portrait is a female Dragonborn, a dragon-based humanoid.

Important to note, Legend of Vox Machina is an ADULT show. A great, fun adventure story- but it contains graphic violence, profanity, adult situations, and some nudity.

Thank you for this! Indeed - actually, each of VM is on a seperate hero's journey. This was Percy's... and when they have completed each journey... the final is just epic! P. S. : The hanging also was for the citizens not to help these people when they come to town. And also 2 spoilers: the Suntree - it always radiates life-force. Always. And pyramids are said to cumulate and focus power. Funfact: residuum amplifies magic... this is why it had to be Whitestone.

Thomas Ian Griffith -- Terry Silver -- I remember him from a great NYC soap -- "Another World!" He's still married to his AW co-star Mary Page Keller!

This is fabulous! Congrats to Jean Tock and all the other brilliant artists!

The Paula Abdul/Keanu Reeves video ("Rush, Rush") was based on James Dean's "Rebel Without a Cause." And yes, it's worth viewing for Keanu!

"I just want be chill and I also want to be violent!" Foxes scream? Love the turn this episode took from turning into a cat into transforming into other animals. And goats are great!

Funny and hilarious on Christmas morning! "Molly's worried that's she's falling in love with 2 different men" -- "real!"

The Hallmark game was so much fun! Thanks for making that 😊👍 Honestly, for the fake stories, you should make them into your own novels or films 📖🎥 They sounded good.

This is wonderful beautiful job done by the people at the library. Music is brilliant and I’m excited to be in this exhibit and to see it in person as well

The nun is my favorite!!

Your learn to mod minecraft class was amazing! same with your scratch class! one of the best weeks of my life honestly!

An amazing amount of talent! Congrats to all but especially to my friend Liz Olsson.

Excellent

lovely looking show well done everyone.