Yeah, I don't disagree with any of that. I read some convincing accounts of charter schools creating opportunities for those in inner cities or low income households, but the lottery aspect always kind of threw me off.

Thanks for the informative responses, I appreciate it.

Don't they also give opportunities to a lot of students who previously might not have had access to a good education? I mean that as a sincere question, not an argument. Expanding charter schools was a question on the ballot in my state this year, and I tried to do my own research on the matter, but afterwards I was…

Or I could like the music and not give a shit about her personal shortcomings. Which, the best I can tell from this thread, begin and end with her putting her brand first - the horror! Honestly, I don't think I'm the one being naive here.

I just saw it today and liked it a lot, but didn't fall in love with it the way I'd been hoping to. The acting is pretty untouchable (Affleck's character's nephew in particular was a standout), but there were other aspects that didn't work as well for me. I've always been skeptical of films that try really, really…

It sounds like your problem is with pop music in general, not just Swift. The anti-Swift hyperbole in this thread is a little ridiculous.

"Holy fucking word count, Batman" is my first thought every time I see a TVDW article. His piece on working class Trump supporters ended with an unironic "Let's make America great again," and references several books he really wants the reader to know he's read. I finished it just to prove to myself that I could.

How about "on par with the first season, but with its own set of strengths and flaws"? Sometimes its ambition exceeds its grasp, sure, but when it clicks, as Donald McCarthy mentioned, it makes for an exciting season of television. If you're looking for perfection then you'll be disappointed, but that's true for just…

Isn't that one from Austin Powers? "Machine gun jubblies," I vaguely (vividly) recall.

It wasn't as focused as season 1, but it was a tense and more visceral viewing experience, IMO. It had some sequences that were absolute nail-biters. For my money, season 2 also stuck the landing better than season 1, with an ending that was tragic and poignant and even a little mythic.

Losing the ability to upvote in the notifications bar is definitely one of the most annoying things to happen to commenting on here in a while. It was so convenient. I also am no longer able to even look at notifications on my phone. I have to be on a computer.

"The love was coming from inside the house!"

I haven't watched Luke Cage yet. I'll have to get on that. Legends I gave up on after four or five episodes, although I did tune in for the big crossover event from a couple weeks back.

I was also going to write about Arrow, although I seem to be in the minority for having always thought highly of it, even during the rough patches. IMO it's the only current superhero show that consistently proves to give a damn about its own characters. The Flash has a fun cast, but they're only intermittently…

If you're a fan of slow burn family melodrama/Southern noir, I highly, highly recommend it.

It worked for me more than most, I guess. I didn't think it was a homerun, but I thought Affleck's blinded-by-rage Batman was actually a pretty compelling take on the character. The one major misstep for me was that they failed to do enough to contrast Batman and Superman. The dark take on Batman could've been a…

The Dilemma was something of an odd beast, granted. But it also took its premise very seriously and wasn't afraid to get dark, and it did a good job of making sure no one single character was painted solely as the victim or hero. It also has a really good performance from Vince Vaughn. I think a combination of the…

Both movies handle potentially gimmicky high concepts with a degree of honesty and respect for the audience's intelligence. Compared to your average studio comedy, they're practically Bergman films.

Yeah, 'worst shows' seems like fair game (on another list), but 'worst performance' comes off unnecessarily petty.

Bloodline is terrific, and that ensemble would definitely be my top pick of the shows I've seen this year.