TwinIon

Finally was able to catch up with this series and this season didn't disappoint. Really enjoyable all the way through with plenty of classic Fargo shenanigans. I didn't love Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance, though I think much of the fault lies with the writing for her character. Juno Temple impressed as Dot and Sam Spruell is so much fun as Ole. There were times that Wayne was maybe a bit too slow, but in a scene with an immortal killer probably not a tipping point. One tiny question for those who watched the finale: what was the deal with the constant fades to black? It was a stylistic choice that I didn't get and was actually kind of annoying for the first act of the episode.

I don't see how this is that different from Sony putting their games on PC. I really doubt Sea of Thieves' ability to sell Xbox consoles at this point. Especially for a live service game, cross platform makes sense to expand the potential player base. I can also imagine the business case for this if it's a demographic issue. I don't know if the demographics are that different for Xbox vs Playstation beyond just regionality, but they're certainly different for the Switch. In that way it's not much different from the way that TV networks might develop shows to air on other networks because they might fit in better with that audience. I also think that it makes good sense for MS to have more multi-platform games that are part of game pass. They've been running Minecraft that way for a long time, and it's only going to be more common for them as they absorb Activision Blizzard. Maybe they're hoping that players might find themselves playing a couple game-pass games on their Playstations and that an Xbox + Gamepass might actually make sense for them. It's also a good play for anti-trust reasons. The more they can show regulators a willingness to put their games on competing platforms, the more likely a regulator might accept MS buying another developer/publisher.

Looks like there is finally a real date for the Vision pro: pre-orders begin January 19th and they will start shipping February 2nd.

Went and saw Ferrari and American Fiction this weekend. Ferrari was really good, if a bit melodramatic at times. Didn't think the accents worked super well, but I enjoyed the film quite a bit overall. American Fiction quickly became one of my favorites of the year. Funny, insightful, dramatic, and more than a little bit meta, it was a complete joy to watch.

It's that time of year when Hollywood gets to look around and marvel at their own greatness. Oppenheimer has been doing well in early awards, but the drama around Christopher Nolan's NYFCC acceptance speech took on a life of it's own. In the speech Nolan is reflecting on the inescapable nature of modern film criticism when he recalls taking a Peloton class during which the instructor ruthlessly bashed one of his movies. Shortly after the speech people online were able to find the video and identify the instructor. The instructor has since apologized and had that apology acknowledged by Nolan. Last night was the Golden Globes, the first telecast since the HFPA was disbanded. The awards are now chosen by a group of 300 journalists from 76 countries, and the rights to the Globes are owned by Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries. It's kind of hard to know what to think of the reborn Globes, but starting out a new era by introducing an award for "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement" is pretty silly if you ask me. Here's the full winners list The opening monologue by host Jo Koy didn't go particularly well, and he quickly threw his writers under the bus when he didn't get laughs. I didn't watch much of the broadcast so I can't comment on how it went, but Deadline (which shares an owner with the new Globes) seems to think it was a return to being “Hollywood’s party of the year," while Vanity Fair seems to think it was a complete disaster. Regardless, I personally have very few bones to pick with their choices. Succession and Oppenheimer were the nights' big winners, and I was happy to see Emma Stone and Poor Things pick up a couple awards. Also nice to see Lily Gladstone and The Boy and The Heron win an award. The only Award that really raises any question from me is Ricky Gervais winning for the second new category of Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television. I can't argue too much since I haven't seen the new special, but I also haven't heard a single positive word about it. Anyways, for anyone that does follow Awards season at all, it's certainly looking good for Nolan and company.

I'm sure we'll have no shortage of court cases this year litigating this exact issue, but I don't expect the artists on this list to win most of them. US copyright law is pretty obsessed with the idea of a copy. I expect all the AI companies to get lose some battles over the original copies that they trained data on, but not have to pay royalties going forward for generated content. Downloading a torrent of thousands of books is a pretty clear cut copyright violation. Building a legal library of data to train on will probably become more expensive and time consuming, but I just don't see a world where the end state is that artist X gets paid whenever their training data is utilized to generate something.

I'm glad that MSI is throwing in an Intel CPU and GPU. Either the new gen is good enough to compete, or it just exposes how far behind Intel remains in low power situations and hopefully pushes them to do better. It's a good sign in general that Intel cares enough about the segment to put any effort into it at all.

I finished this up, along with all the puzzles. I didn't hunt down all the stars, but don't really care to. I played through most of it on the Steam Deck after it was verified, and it ran very well. There were a few sequences that the deck struggled, but not really during gameplay. I also played some on my PC with everything turned up, and it can be quite a beautiful game. Looks aside, it's also a very satisfying puzzle game with a lot of pretty well told story. After blazing through the first game, I was really impressed by the scale of the sequel. This game makes the leap between Portal 1 and 2 look like a tiny step. The game world is much bigger, there are many more puzzles, more mechanics, and so much more storytelling (along with a ton of philosophy to dive into if you're interested). This was one of the more surprising games I played last year, and in the end one of my favorites. Maybe not better than Zelda or Spider-man, but not far off either. An easy recommendation for anyone interested at all in the genre. I'd very much recommend playing through the first one, for anyone like myself that missed out on it. I put in a solid 15 hours into the first and 35 into the second game. Not bad for a total of something like $30. Does anyone have any recommendations for similar games? I saw a bunch of praise for Viewfinder, but got through it in a few hours and didn't feel like they did enough with it.

Very excited to see more of this series, but November remains a long way off. I'll definitely enjoy revisiting season 1 before this arrives.

Of the TVs I'm actually likely to buy, it doesn't seem like this year is much of an upgrade. I've got one 65" TV that is a cheap Roku that I've been looking to upgrade to a bigger OLED, and with this lackluster upgrade cycle from LG, maybe this is the year to hunt for a good deal on the 2023 models.

I'm curious how it is that this show is able to push out new seasons so quickly. I suppose being adapted is helpful, but still, it's an impressive speed.

I love things like this. Great video. Looks like Fractal was able to follow it up with the second kill screen:

I'm along for the ride with this one, but the idea of stealing the asteroid seems pretty dumb and I'm not really sure how we're supposed to read the character motivations. They're setting up the whole "heist" aspect just fine, but lets assume they succeed and get the asteroid into Mars orbit. It's not like Mars orbit is some deep gravity well that they couldn't escape. I'm pretty sure the delta v for asteroid capture isn't hugely different if it's in Mars orbit or the Suns. So if they still wanted to get it to earth, the M-7 nations could just run the same mission they're doing to capture it, but now there isn't a time limit. They can leisurely make more fuel, prep the rock, do all their calculations, and they'll have the experience of having done it once. Still sound easier than all the ships and robots and what not required to mine it from Mars. Lets say for some reason that they decide that post heist they really can't get it back to Earth, or they just crash it into Mars. Are we supposed to be under the impression that Dev and Ed expect to still be in charge, or is this entirely a self sacrifice to get Mars built into a new colony? Can Dev really think that Helios isn't just nationalized or dissolved or absorbed or something, or are we really supposed to think he just doesn't care as long as it turns Mars into more than a scientific outpost? Wasn't it this same episode where Margo and the Soviets conclude that Dev is in it for himself? I'm curious to see that they do with this, and I suspect the aftermath won't be clear until next season (if it gets one), but this show just keeps pushing the limits.

I haven't been diligent about tracking my movie watching, but I'll to a very rough ranking in tiers. I could probably move things around for hours, but I'll spare myself that for now. Poor Things and Oppenheimer are my top 2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse Killers of the Flower Moon Godzilla Minus One Barbie The Holdovers Past Lives Saltburn Beau is Afraid The Killer Asteroid City Polite Society Guardians 3 John Wick 4 Dungeons and Dragons Suzume Mutant Mayhem Return to Seoul May December Cocaine Bear The Boy and the Heron Rustin Maestro Creed 3 The Creator Missing They Cloned Tyrone Air Dead Reckoning Part 1 Dial of Destiny Haunting in Venice Blackberry Dream Scenario No One Will Save You Leave the World Behind Tetris The Marvels Napolean Balad of Songbirds and Snakes Movies I really didn't like: Equalizer 3 Blue Beetle Gran Turismo The Flash Rebel Moon Part 1 Still Very interested in seeing: The Iron Claw, Anatomy of a Fall, Zone of Interest, American Fiction, Ferrari

I have avoided "buying" any digital media for largely this reason, but I have given in a few times just for the convenience factor. The only exception is PC games, which I've largely accepted, but still don't love my reliance on Steam and what not.

Yeah, I misread that comment. I meant that Comcast and Disney were no goes for buying Paramount because of the network TV conflicts. I assumed that Comcast or Disney buying WBD would be unlikely due to anti-trust fears, even though Disney was able to get the Fox purchase through. I suppose that Comcast is possible, but there would still be some heavy scrutiny, much more than merging with Paramount. I could be wrong, but my recollection of that deal is that Murdoch always wanted to keep Fox TV because Fox Corp would continue to be a profitable company (thanks largely to Fox News). It was only Fox Sports that the DOJ prevented Disney from buying. I think it's dubious that a third CBS corp would be in that same position, but I imagine it would entirely depend on what that new CBS ended up with.

I was under the impression that Comcast was seen as an obvious no-go since they already own NBC, same for Disney thanks to ABC.

I was on the zero G flight with Steven Hawking.

I’d be really shocked if they go forward with that. MS has a unique incentive structure that allows them to devalue their own consoles. For Sony I just don’t see the benefit. Maybe their experiments with PC releases have started to show that PC sales don’t really eat too much into their console sales. Maybe they can project that they lose 500k PlayStation units, but can gain an extra 1M PC sales by releasing day and date it’s worth it, but that still seems unlikely to me. The extra PC sales would have to overcome the Steam tax plus whatever value you can assign to turning a single game sale into a potential PlayStation customer. That said, I’d love to see that be the case. It would probably save me from buying a PS5 Pro and give me the ability to play these games on my Steam Deck.

While I know this isn’t what will happen, I honesty think that unless the new Kang movies are shaping up to be real home runs, Disney should move on. Give time for Marvel to breathe, build up some hype for the next big thing, and make sure it’s really good. With the rights to all the formerly Fox characters, they have so much they could do, and it’s so important they get it right. There is still enough non-Kang related Marvel content in the works that it’s not like they’d be on a complete hiatus. Assuming they do re-cast him, I think they have a lot of latitude. If I’m not mistaken, he’s not always a black man in the comics. They don’t need to do a Terrance Howard situation and drop in a replacement with hardly a nod. They could cast anyone as Kang and find a way to make it work. Whoever they find, they also don’t need to emulate Majors’ version of Kang. I don’t really know what the character is like outside of what the MCU has given us, but it’s not like the multiverse limits them. I was about to start a list of exciting actors, but basically anyone could potentially fit into the role. I also think it’s kind of an interesting situation here in that they could potentially bring in a big name that might not want to agree to do Marvel stuff forever. I’m sure plenty of A-list actors don’t want to sign up for an endless Marvel run, but with a headlining role in just the biggest movies on Marvel’s calendar, that might be a more attractive opportunity for someone notable. Which isn’t to say that Marvel doesn’t already get plenty of top tier talent, but the nature of this role offers a unique chance. Whoever they find, I just hope they make the character as interesting as Majors did. Doesn’t seem like he’s the best dude, but I enjoyed his Kang. Watching anyone just try to step into that role instead of making it their own would be a real disappointment.

DC Studios Signs Jonathan Majors To $20 Million Contract WWW.THEONION.COM LOS ANGELES—Just hours after Marvel announced they dropped the newly disgraced actor from all upcoming projects, DC Studios confirmed Tuesday it had signed Jonathan Majors to a $20 million contract. “We are so excited to welcome Jonathan Majors to the DC universe, and we can’t wait to see him act alongside our best…

It is a bummer that Wolverine is so far out, I expected it in 24 or 25 at the latest given how quickly Insomniac moves. I'm guessing that Venom is a Miles Morales size game. I'm kinda surprised that we haven't seen more of it in these leaks given that it's the next game to be released, but it also doesn't look like dev on it even started until recently. That slide showing the distribution of dev resources is really interesting. At the beginning of this year they were working on two games at the same time. By 25 they'll be working on five! Most people will be working on only two of them, but still seems like quite a change. I think Insomniac is well run and will be able to handle it, but I hope that doesn't take a toll on the quality of their output. I'm not really sure what to make of SM3 potentially being a two part game. If the result is that we basically get two Spider-man games where the skill trees and the story all flow from one to another, great. If the result is that we get two lesser games that each tell half a story, that's less appealing to me than just getting SM3 and SM4.

Yeah, I agree that it gets resolved before they actually pull things from shelves. These kinds of things have happened before. Apple was probably holding out for a Presidential veto like they got when the ITC issued a ban on some iPhone and iPads. Now that the ITC has issued a final ruling and it's clear Biden won't step in, some hardcore negotiating will be taking place. Apple's watch revenue during the holiday quarter will probably be something like 10x Masimo's total yearly revenue. Apple has been fighting this patent case for years now, now it's probably just a matter of how much they pay.

In Poor Things the distorted lens of Yorgos Lanthimos infects everything like a virus. From the physical to metaphysical, nothing is left unchallenged or unchanged. The music rings with an eerie off-key whine, the sky swirls with unnatural tint and texture, buildings and boats twist themselves into unexpected shapes and colors. Here nothing is sacred. Not friendships or families, not science or religion, and certainly not sex. Here the duck-dog barks and the dog-chicken quacks. The occasional fisheye views bring into question if we should even be allowed to watch what is on screen, but it is impossible to turn away. Because it is glorious. A coming of age tale in the most bizarre possible way, Poor Things is, despite its trappings, a story of hope. It's a story about wielding reason in an unreasonable world, of finding love and pleasure despite unreasonable cruelty. It is, in a quite literal sense, a story about beauty. It's also quite funny. Sometimes it's funny because laughter feels like the only possible reaction to the absurdity on screen, and sometimes it's just slapstick. For all it's complexities and oddities, Poor Things is not a subtle film. God is dead, sex feels good, don't suffer fools, and maybe we should just be kind to one another. Picasso once said "it took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child." While Yorgos Lanthimos has never tried to make films like anyone else, with Poor Things he has shed even the pretense and is operating with the freedom of a filmmaker unbound by formality, yet still with an unmistakable skill and craftsmanship. He's joined in that pursuit by Emma Stone, who provides a whirlwind performance that perfectly embodies and amplifies the distorted reality on display. Meanwhile, Mark Ruffalo is surprisingly effective as Bella's foppish paramour and Willem Dafoe is in his natural habitat as off-brand Frankenstein. All told, Poor Things is a triumph. Decadent in its eccentricities but all the while captivating and entertaining. If you have any curiosity or wonder left in you, it's well worth checking out.

It really depends on what you're looking for and what you've already seen. The back catalog of HBO runs deep with great shows and WB has a bunch of great movies on there. Recent shows that I'd highly recommend: Scavengers Reign for some freaky alien sci-fi. The Last of Us for the best video game adaptation to date. Succession for the one of the best dramas of all time. Chernobyl is depressing and captivating in equal measures. Barry is darkly funny. Station Eleven is one of the great post apocalypse stories. The Rehearsal is Nathan Fielder getting crazy and meta with his unique brand of comedy. How To With John Wilson is observational comedy unlike anything else.