reggiejax

I enjoy the show, and even without any real resolution to any of the plotlines, I did enjoy this episode And I wouldn't say nothing was resolved. I would say it was made abundantly clear that Arthur should have yielded. I imagine as he fell into the water it was even clear to Arthur.

It is true that Kerry Von Erich did not ultimately reach the heights of your Flair's and Hogan's, but in 1986, when this episode was set, there were few bigger names than Kerry Von Erich. A little background: Kerry Von Erich wrestled for World Class Championship Wrestling. This was a territory owned and run by his father, Fritz Von Erich. It was part of the NWA, but in 1986 they broke away from the NWA and declared themselves an independent company, with the intent of competing nationally. The reason they felt they could do this was because World Class had enjoyed tremendous success on a national level through the syndication of their weekly show. While declaring themselves a national company was a wildly ambitious move (and ultimately futile), it was not done without reason. The organization was extremely popular, the biggest reason being Fritz sons, Kerry, Kevin, Mike and David. To put it in terms non-wrestling fans can understand, the Von Erich brothers were the matinee idols of the 80's wrestling world. Young, handsome and talented, they were all very popular. Kerry being the most popular of them all. Kerry had even been NWA World Champion for a brief time in 1984. Very brief, actually, only 18 days. He defeated Ric Flair at the "David Von Erich Parade of Champions" show at Texas Stadium, which was held in honor of his brother, who had died earlier that year. So yes, in 1986, Kerry was a huge star, and the idol of fans Dwayne's age. Of which I proudly count myself as one. Hogan was huge, naturally. He was the wrestler as superhero. Flair really was The Man, the standard bearer of what a champion should be. But Kerry Von Erich? He was an idol, the guy we wished we could be. Of course, that was Kerry Von Erich, the wrestling god. Kerry Von Erich, the man, had a troubled existence, which was one of the main reasons his star faded, and his life ended prematurely. But that's a whole other story. And I'm glad Young Rock resisted the urge to delve into what is famously referred to as "The Von Erich Curse". Instead it chose to portray him positively, as the wrestling idol we knew him to be back in the day. And ultimately a good guy. But at the very least, they could've gotten a better wig for the guy portraying Kerry. If nothing else, at least one in the right color.

Vince and HHH get off easy with their portrayals. Both are known to be far bigger pieces of crap than what Young Rock portrays. Vince especially. Difference is, they can control what gets portrayed on Young Rock beyond their characters, in terms of wrestling content, due to their positions of power in WWE. They could turn the lights off on Young Rock if they felt like it. So they get mild "heel" portrayals, something they both can easily live with. Shawn Michaels, on the other hand, has no such power. All he can do is say no to being portrayed. Which he did knowing full well he wouldn't be spared anything if he were to sign off. But again, not that it mattered. His being a huge asshole was so well known that no one was fooled by "Chad Frost", once we knew what the character was all about.

Likeliest explanation is Shawn Michaels didn't give permission to be portrayed. And the likeliest explanation for permission not being given is that, even Shawn Michaels knows there is little chance he'll be portrayed as anything but the jerk he is well known for being. So they go with a fictionalized character, one they can plausibly claim is an amalgam, despite the fact that no one in the world believes he is anyone but Shawn Michaels.

Julia Roberts is in the lead role, and the character of John Mitchell is the male lead opposite her. They're going to want to cast an actor with similar name recognition in the role, and I can't think of any A-lister who could play the role with minimal makeup. John Mitchell did not have movie star looks, to put it mildly. Even character actors would have to ugg it up to play the part. Honestly, the only actor I think who could have done it without too much makeup is sadly no longer with us. That would've been Philip Seymour Hoffman.

That seemed like a fabrication, but there is truth there, as I found out when I looked it up. A few of the Watergaters were locked up with Dean, but not practically the whole gang, as was portrayed. Charles Colson and Jeb Magruder were there with Dean. And they were only there because they were receiving threats in regular prison, not sent there to soften them up to testify, as was done with Dean. Haldeman was definitely not there, nor was Howard Hunt.

Ana de Armas is outstanding, but this a tough movie to watch. It is the most brutal movie thise side of Raging Bull. But this is no cinematic masterpiece (though I admit it does look good, cinematography-wise). To go a little further with the Raging Bull comparison, Blonde is like if Scorsese thought the scene where Jake Lamotta bangs his head repeatedly on the wall of his jail cell was what the movie needed more of, so he reshot the film, giving the audience nothing but 3 hours of that. But frankly, Blonde's biggest sin is that it gives us no indication of what made Marilyn Monroe so fascinating that we still want more about her, 60 years after she left this world. This film just wants to revel in her misery.

It is rather hilarious that Silver planned to get to this super secret, world class, international tournament, that frankly sounds like it takes place on Mister Han's island from Enter the Dragon, and intended to compete with high schoolers. With Kenny as his champion. Kenny.

In fairness, if anyone knows about being a pussy, it's Bill Maher.

The only misstep with Jackie this week was her saying she still had contacts with the police. Who are they trying to kid? Jackie was a cop for like a minute 30 years ago.

Don't forget Isaac's ability to stink up the joint. On that topic, I did notice that the ghost dust that appears when Isaac passes through people is brown, whereas everyone elses is the color of whatever they are wearing. Isaac's being brown is a nice, if gross, touch.

Good lord, is she tiresome.

And now Silver's master plan is nearly complete. And that plan is to open a chain of dojos across the valley, and increase his personal wealth by the low-to-mid six figures. The fiend.

It would have been more dramatically ironic for Big to have died from some other condition. But a man with a long history of heart problems dying of a heart attack is hardly a surprise, or nonsensical, no matter how well diagnosed or treated his condition.

I tapped out on this season about halfway through the first episode, but I do like to read the comments. So I was curious who the "stars" of Top Gun 2 were that appeared. I had an inkling Glen Powell was one. He is certainly not a star, but I wouldn’t be quite so dismissive of his career. He has appeared in a couple of big movies, such as The Dark Knight Rises, and Hidden Figures. Small roles, but they count. And he was the best part of the Richard Linklater film "Everybody Wants Some". If you haven't seen it, do check it out. And Top Gun 2 appears to be what hopefully will be a breakout role. I believe he's playing the sequels equivelant of Goose. Though not Goose's son, who is being played by noted douchebag, Miles Teller. As for Jay Ellis, I had no idea who he was, and still really don't after seeing his IMDB page. Though I guess I have seen him, as he appeared in Mrs America, the Phyllis Shlafly mini-series starring Cate Blanchett. But as with anything Cate Blanchett related, you'll have to forgive me if I don't really notice her co-stars.