Agreed, but even a not-great Spielberg is still a Spielberg. Temple of Doom has moments of magic amidst all the child labor and heart gouging. And Crystal Skull… actually, fine, no I can’t go there.

An Indy movie without Spielberg in the directors chair is a crap proposition from the get go. 

I love both most Tarantino (give or take a Death Proof) and most MCU (give or take an Eternals), but the 80s had so much to love - most of Spielberg’s Indy / ET prime, Empire, Blade Runner, the emergence of James Cameron (Terminator, Aliens, Abyss), the Coens, Lynch with Elephant Man and Blue Velvet, Raging Bull plus…

Highlights of this phase: WandaVision remains the crown jewel. Excellent, essential to the ongoing narrative, great acting, and Kathryn Hahn. Loki was great as well, and clearly a table-setter for the current saga. What If gets left out of the conversation too much - it was a fun diversion. The theatre highlight is…

Sure, but Roger Taylor could actually sing. 

Wong’s deadpan introduction in the first Doc movie as the stone faced humourless librarian to Strange’s cocky quipster newbie instantly sold the character. 

Take my money now!

David Live is indeed lame. The best Bowie live record is the Reality tour. Band is on top form, Bowie is fully engaged and drug free, adventurous takes on some deep cuts. The version of Loving The Alien is excellent. 

I’ve always been a supporter of Tin Machine. It’s scattershot, but it’s fun and refreshing deck-clearing, and you’re absolutely right that it was a few years ahead of its time in terms of the response it could have gotten. You could take both records, eliminate the dross and the lamentable tunes where the drummer…

Totally agreed - it’s the better of the two. 

I like The Next Day, but I’m ok with it not making the cut. Some excellent cuts, some more forgettable IMO. 

Heathen and Earthling absolutely should’ve been here instead of the two live / session records.

Maybe she’s Kim’s mom. 

Wonderings: will Holland’s Spidey resurface in Phase 6 with a solo film, as part of the Avengers, or not at all? Will the new lineup of Avengers assemble in Cap:NWO, and who exactly is on the team? Will we get a Doc Strange 3 proper, or is that Clea credit sequence a direct lead in to one of the Avenger movies? Will…

I remember seeing Lady In The Water in theatres back when I was still holding hope that Shyamalamadingdong could regain his Sixth Sense/Unbreakable form. It was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.

The first “reboot” was enjoyable enough. No classic, but delivered what was promised: more Curtis vs Myers. 3 out of 5 stars kind of film.

Dern and MacLachlan are essentially direct conduits for Lynch’s vision. Both are great choices. So is Watts for that matter.

It’s a testament to the abilities of all involved that even a prequel, with 3 of the 4 primary character's fates preordained, can be this riveting.  

That’s a good point, and the primary in-plot reason to dismiss the halo ending. That said, there could be reasons. Maybe the halo sleep is designed not to include things that are literally impossible; maybe Anderton accepted via Agatha’s speech at his old house that his son is truly dead and gone, and his dreams…

I get your point - he’s definitely not a nihilist, and a pure “down” ending would be totally out of character… which I believe is why he doesn’t provide definitive proof in either direction. But the seed of doubt as to “real vs halo dream” is unmistakably and deliberately planted and developed. I think it’s left to…