The Menu (5 Stars)

This is my last film of the year, and it's a terrific film to end with. I've wanted to see it for some time. At this year's Fantasy Film Festival a trailer for it was shown before every single film, which means I saw the trailer 24 times. That's a lot. The trailer was shown in German, but it still fascinated me. Today I managed to see it in English, which is the only way to watch an American film.

Wikipedia calls it a dark comedy horror film. I don't think that's a good description of the genre. Yes, it's dark, but it's not really a comedy, and as for it being a horror? It's a borderline case. There are a few scenes which could be called horror, but mostly it's a tense psychological thriller.

The film is about Julian Slowik, a master chef who's invited 12 people to a private island for a meal, charging them  $12,500 each. The courses served are practically satires of the meals served by top chefs. They're delicious, but such small portions that the guests are left hungry.

Nicholas Hoult plays Tyler Redford, an enthusiastic food fan, not a professional critic but an expert on fine food. His partner left him shortly before the meal, so he's found a replacement at short notice. This disturbs Julian, because he's carefully selected the attendees. For him the balance of the guests is just as important as the mixture of foods in the menu.

As the film progresses we find that Julian has issues with all of the guests (eleven of them, anyway). They've all wronged him in some way, and he wants revenge.

I had to ponder for a long time how to rate the film. It's excellent, as far as the acting is concerned, but many of the things that happen are highly infeasible. I wasn't sure whether that was reason enough to lower the rating. I eventually decided to suspend disbelief and judge it as a fantasy. Five stars. It's one of the best films I've seen this year.

Marvel 1976.04 - Doctor Strange #13

Doctor Strange #13

Title: Planet Earth is no more!

Writer: Steve Englehart

Artist: Gene Colan

Villain: Nightmare

Regulars: Clea, Ancient One

Guests: Eternity

Earth has been destroyed. The only survivor is Doctor Strange. He can't die, because he was granted immortality in Doctor Strange #4.

Refusing to accept that this is the end of the world, Doctor Strange enters the dream world to search for Nightmare. I've never liked Nightmare much as a villain. He has the potential to be an all-powerful being, but Doctor Strange defeated him when he was a novice and he has no problem defeating him now.

After defeating Nightmare, Doctor Strange finds Eternity asleep. Doctor Strange wakes him with his amulet. Everything that happened in the last three issues was a dream, but Eternity is the sum of all that is, so when Eternity dreams everything really happens. Doctor Strange asks Eternity to undo the destruction of the Earth, but he refuses. What's done is done. The Ancient One, who's now one with everything, steps in and convinces Eternity to save the Earth. He still refuses to undo the Earth's destruction, but he recreates the Earth, evolving it from its beginning to the present day, but without a Doctor Strange. There's a new Earth, and Doctor Strange is the only being that's survived from the old Earth.

I'll be honest: the ending of this story is unsatisfying. It's effectively the same as the creation of the universe in Marvel Premiere #14. Can the two events be reconciled? Maybe. In Doctor Strange #13 only the Earth is recreated, whereas in Marvel Premiere #14 the whole universe – the whole multiverse? – was created. That would place Sise-Neg on a higher level of existence than Eternity. That makes sense, but I still don't like these two parallel stories being told so soon after one another.

Ghostbusters [2016 version] (4½ Stars)

If I were a ghost I'd lie down and surrender to four sexy Ghostbusters like Kate McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Leslie Jones. I wouldn't take Chris Hemsworth seriously, with or without his hammer. He's just a stupid men that the girls keep around for his good looks. There's been gender reversal in films before, but I can't think of any other film where it's pushed as far as in this film. Why shouldn't women objectify men? Men have been objectifying women for hundreds, maybe thousands of years.

When I reviewed the first Ghostbusters film two days ago, I said that I didn't know whether the 2016 film is a sequel or a reboot. It's irrelevant what the director or the screenwriter says, I'm only interested in what the film itself says. The trouble is that the film itself isn't clear. It doesn't reference the original film, which makes it a matter of choice. The original actors appear in cameo roles playing different characters, which suggests that it's a reboot. So my decision is that it's probably a reboot.

Or a remake? In film jargon, a remake is when a single film is made again, whereas a reboot is when the first film in a series is made again with the intention of making a new film series. The correct word for this film is definitely reboot, because the post-credits scene contains a hook for a sequel. Whether or not a sequel will be made is in doubt. The fans rejected the film, and it was a box office failure.

I sometimes say, deliberately being provocative, that I'm the only person who likes "Ghostbusters 2016". The statement is obviously false, but I know that I'm in the minority. I'm willing to argue about the film with anyone, preferably over a glass of beer. It has a powerful villain (even if he's only a seedy hotel janitor), it has better special effects than the original, and it's funnier than the original. Most of all, it has four powerful women in the lead roles. Their gender isn't an object of humour, it's just taken for granted. The people who hate the film, most of whom hated it before they even saw it, consider it sacrilege that their four heroes from a classic film have been replaced by women. Is it misogyny? Of course it is! If a reboot had been made with male actors there wouldn't have been such an outcry.

Oh, and the film has a cameo by Ozzy Osbourne. That's a bonus in any film.

My Blu-ray contains two versions of the film, the theatrical version and an extended version. After watching both versions, I can definitely recommend the extended version. It's often the case that scenes are cut or shortened to improve the pacing of the theatrical version, but that's not the case here. I suspect that the extra scenes, approximately 17 minutes, were only removed to get the film's runtime below two hours. Nothing is superfluous in the extended version, it's a perfectly crafted film which only suffers from cuts being made.

Success Rate:  - 0.4

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Marvel 1976.02 - Doctor Strange #12

Doctor Strange #12

Title: Final Curtain!

Writer: Steve Englehart

Artist: Gene Colan

Villain: Baron Mordo

Regulars: Clea, Ancient One

Guests: Eternity

The mind-bending story of Eternity and the end of the world continues.

Doctor Strange finds himself in the temple of the Ancient One. After seeing others in his first two phases, as a surgeon and as a drunk, he now sees himself in his third phase as a novice.

Meanwhile, Baron Mordo sits with the Aged Ghengis, and their minds combine.

The Ancient One tells Doctor Strange that it's futile to stand against Eternity. Doctor Strange battles the Ancient One, thinking it's a fake image created by Eternity. Then he realises that it really is the Ancient One, now one with the universe, so he asks for help. The Ancient One is impatient and sends him away, telling him that he already has all the answers.

On a mountain peak in the Himalayas Doctor Strange meets himself as he was at the peak of his power before he quit sorcery in Hulk #126. This fourth version of his past life attacks him and tries to kill him. His old self is over-confident, so Doctor Strange defeats him. He unmasks him and finds Death's face behind the mask. Then the face of Death fades away and is replaced by Baron Mordo. He's stronger than before, having absorbed the power of the Aged Ghengis. Mordo is still mad, but powerful enough to envelop all around them in madness.

Doctor Strange feels Clea trying to find him, so he calls her to his side. She's unable to help him against Mordo's assault. Eternity speaks to Doctor Strange. Mordo's intervention wasn't part of Eternity's plan. Eternity chides Doctor Strange for letting himself be caught off guard by the unexpected. Mordo's madness engulfs the world, and the Earth is destroyed.

Ghostbusters 2 (3 Stars)

"Ghostbusters 2" was released five years after the original film, but it took a long time to get there. The cast of the original film (Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson) were unwilling to make a sequel, because they thought the original film was perfect in itself. When they finally agreed on making a film, it was delayed by scheduling problems. There were arguments within Columbia Pictures about how much money should be invested in the film. The only way to keep the budget low was for the main actors to agree on being paid a percentage of the profits, rather than a large salary in advance.

After the film was complete, it was badly received by test audiences, leading to rewriting and reshooting of many scenes, especially the ending. There were also last minute changes to make it more suitable for children. When it finally came to the cinemas there was a lukewarm response from the public, but the critics were unanimous in saying it didn't live up to the initial film.

Even though I didn't read about the film's production difficulties until after I watched it this evening, I could tell that something was wrong. "Ghostbusters 2" is missing the magic of the original. It's not as funny, and when the film tries to be serious the scary scenes aren't scary at all. The whole backstory with Dana Barrett's baby seems out of place. The main enemy (Vigo) isn't powerful enough to be considered a real threat, and the means used to defeat him (making the Statue of Liberty walk into Manhattan) are too ridiculous to be taken seriously, even in a comedy film.

"Ghostbusters 2" is a film that I find superfluous. There was no need for it to be made, from an artistic viewpoint, and it doesn't deserve to be remembered.

Success Rate:  + 5.2

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Marvel 1975.12 - Doctor Strange #11

Doctor Strange #11

Title: Shadowplay!

Writer: Steve Englehart

Artist: Gene Colan

Villain: Baron Mordo

Regulars: Clea, Ancient One

Guests: Eternity

Even for Steve Englehart, this is a very abstract story. In the last issue Eternity told Doctor Strange that the end of the world is coming. Doctor Strange pleaded for Eternity to prevent it, but he said that Doctor Strange had no right to ask for anything because he couldn't even overcome himself.

Doctor Strange finds himself in a world occupied by people, all of whom look identical to himself in the days when he was a top surgeon. The only exception is a man who looks like Richard Nixon. He's invited all the others to a party. The Nixon figure says that he's invited the Red Death to come at midnight. Doctor Strange tries to stop him, but his magic doesn't work. He's knocked unconscious and thrown into a dungeon. He shares the dungeon with a version of himself from the time when he was a drunk.

Eternity appears and tells Doctor Strange that he hasn't lost all his magic powers. He still has the Light of Truth through the Eye of Agamotto.

Doctor Strange escapes from the dungeon, using an escape tunnel dug by the drunk. He knocks out one of his many doppelgangers and steals his clothes. He returns to the party and sees the Red Death arrive. He shines the Eye of Agamotto on the Red Death, revealing him to be a fake. Beneath the mask he's wearing the mask of Comedy, and he says that he previously met Doctor Strange wearing the mask of Infinity. I'm not aware what meeting he's referring to. The Richard Nixon figure is also revealed to be wearing a mask. Beneath his mask he's another Doctor Strange doppelganger.

Eternity transports Doctor Strange to the temple of the Ancient One.

Meanwhile, Baron Mordo is travelling in his astral body, still insane after seeing God in Marvel Premiere #14. He's attracted by the madness of the Aged Ghengis.

Off-Topic: Nicki Minaj Photo Gallery

Today I received a message on Facebook thanking me for my recent Word of the Day posts and asking me if I had any unused screenshots of Nicki Minaj left. I wrote on 8th November that I had 49 screenshots available, but I only used 26 of them in my posts. I'm always happy when people read my posts so carefully. I had to look for them, because I was using a different computer while I was in England, but here they are: 13 extra  photos. I'll post them here for your enjoyment.

I'm planning to go to England again in May, but I shan't use Nicki Minaj photos for my next Word of the Day series. It's a different girl every time. I haven't decide whose photos I'll use yet.

I hope you like the extra photo at the beginning of this post. Do you think I'm a patriotic American? Not at all! I'm British. But I'll always stand and salute Nicki Minaj.

Ghostbusters (4 Stars)

I didn't intend to watch this film again so soon, but my son Benjamin forced me to watch it. Oh wait, he doesn't do that. Let's just say that he asked nicely, and I didn't have it in my heart to say No.

My son's trouble is that he relies on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney Plus to watch films. Between the three of them he has a good, but not perfect selection. He's probably watched every horror film on Netflix and most horror films on Amazon Prime. He's able to play DVDs and Blu-rays on his Playstation 4, but he doesn't. What I'm trying to say, in my long-winded manner, is that after all these years he's never watched "Ghostbusters". That's a hole in his education.

So where's the franchise going from here? The first film was made in 1984. It could have been left alone, but a sequel was made in 1989. I still haven't watched it, I've just been told that it's not very good. I need to make up my mind for myself.

In 2016 a third film was made which nobody likes except me. It's called a reboot, and I even described it as a remake myself in my first review, but I don't think it's true. I'll decide next time I watch it.

In 2021 "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" was made, obviously a sequel to the first two films. And now a fifth film is planned next year. Will the film series continue at top speed? I hope so. Maybe it can be tied in with the 2016 film to prove that it's not a reboot.

Success Rate:  + 9.8

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Dancer's Predictions for 2023

As promised earlier today, these are my predictions for 2023. They're intended as a reply to Dmitry Medvedev's predictions, which he made yesterday evening. Let's wait and see who gets more right.

1. Vladimir Putin will be assassinated by a group of rebellious Russian generals.

2. Vladimir Putin will be disgraced when a huge collection of gay pornography is found in his house.

3. Sergey Lavrov will hang himself to avoid being put on trial as a traitor.

4. Ukraine will re-capture Crimea and evict the 250,000 Russian squatters.

5. Japan will attack Russia to win back the occupied Kuril Islands.

6. Finland will attack Russia to win back the occupied Finnish territories (Karelia, Salla and Petsamo).

7. China will attack Russia just because it can.

8. Finland's application to join NATO will be refused because of its war of aggression against Russia.

9. Donald Trump will be sentenced to life imprisonment for inciting the January 2021 attack on the United States Capitol.

10. Iran's military capabilities will be destroyed by a series of missile attacks from Israel.

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Those are my predictions for 2023, in my opinion far more realistic than anything predicted by Dmitry Medvedev. I welcome comments from my readers, especially if you have your own predictions. But we'll have to wait 12 months to see who's right.

Dmitry Medvedev's Predictions for 2023

Yesterday evening Dmitry Medvedev posted his predictions for 2023 on Twitter. In case you don't know who he is, he's an ex-prime minister of Russia, having been in office from 2012 to 2020. Since 2020 he's been the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council. He's considered to be one of Russia's most important politicians.

I'm quoting his predictions in this post for the benefit of everyone who's been boycotting Twitter since Elon Musk took over. When you read them you'll probably laugh and say that it's all a parody. I don't share that view. His predictions are things that he really expects to happen, as ridiculous as they sound. You have to put yourself into the Russian mindset. Russia is an empire built on lies, subjugating its people with a daily barrage of fake news in the media. Anyone who dares to tell the truth accidentally falls off a high balcony. Today Russian television channels have been reporting his words as serious predictions for 2023. That doesn't mean that my friends in free countries can't laugh at them. They're hilarious and worth laughing at, but what's even more hilarious is that most people in Russia take them seriously.

1. Oil price will rise to $150 a barrel, and gas price will top $5,000 per 1,000 cubic meters.

2. The UK will rejoin the EU.

3. The EU will collapse after the UK’s return; Euro will drop out of use as the former EU currency.

4. Poland and Hungary will occupy western regions of the formerly existing Ukraine.

5. The Fourth Reich will be created, encompassing the territory of Germany and its satellites, i.e. Poland, the Baltic states, Czechia, Slovakia, the Kiev Republic and other outcasts.

6. War will break out between France and the Fourth Reich. Europe will be divided, Poland repartitioned in the process.

7. Northern Ireland will separate from the UK and join the Republic of Ireland.

8. Civil war will break out in the US, California and Texas becoming independent states as a result. Texas and Mexico will form an allied state. Elon Musk will win the presidential election in a number of states which, after the new Civil War’s end, will have been given to the GOP.

9. All the largest stock markets and financial activity will leave the US and Europe and move to Asia.

10. The Bretton Woods system of monetary management will collapse, leading to the IMF and World Bank crash. Euro and Dollar will stop circulating as the global reserve currencies. Digital fiat currencies will be actively used instead.

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I've already written my own ten predictions for 2023, which I'll post later today. I'll wait a few hours, so that you can take in Dmitry's predictions. At the end of 2023 we can do a count of who got the most things right.

Scream 4 (4½ Stars)

Yes, I know I'm watching the Scream films out of order. I watched "Scream 2022" aka "Scream 5" yesterday, and now I'm watching "Scream 4". I'd like to blame my son Benjamin, but it's really my own fault. He doesn't force me to watch any film. Next time I watch them, I'll watch all five films in order, probably in March before the sixth film arrives in the cinema. I also intend to make notes with a complete kill list. I know I've watched the films repeatedly, but I can't even name the character played by Drew Barrymore in the first film. I know there are websites that already list the information, but it's more fun to do it myself. I'll just check the websites afterwards to see if I've made any mistakes.

One thing I can say now is that that "Scream 2022" is an improvement over "Scream 4". It's obvious when watching them after one another, even in the wrong order.

I just hope that the new films will be made in quick succession, one a year. Keep up the excitement. The meta aspects and the self-criticism in the last two films especially are a good excuse for any weakening as the series continues. I'll comment further on this after seeing the sixth film in the cinema.

Success Rate:  + 0.4

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The Iron Rose (5 Stars)

What's the message of this film?

"When you take a girl on the first date, don't take her to a cemetery".

It's best to wait until you know her better. She might be a crazy woman who wants to trap you in a double suicide. There are women like that around, I've been told, but luckily I've never met any.

This 1973 French film is a masterpiece of horror. It doesn't have jump scares. It doesn't have monsters. All it has is a terrifying atmosphere of menace and foreboding. The unnamed man (that I like to call Tristan) is horny and just wants to be alone with the woman he's met at a wedding. Karine wants to commune with the dead. She feels like the dead are her friends, because they don't wage war, so she wants to be with them. That's not the sort of girlfriend to take to a cemetery for a picnic.

There are hints of supernatural occurrences, but nothing is stated explicitly. There are unusual visitors in the cemetery. Early in the film we see a man dressed as Dracula, but he's no danger to them. It's just a costume. We also see a monk and a clown in the cemetery. The monk in particular gazes at the young couple with an evil stare, but he doesn't approach them. He just adds to the atmosphere.

The only real supernatural element in the film is the iron rose itself. In the opening scene, Karine finds the rose on the beach. After examining it she throws it in the water. The following day, when she's in the cemetery, she finds it on the ground and shows it to Tristan. Is it a thing of beauty or ugliness? That's not clear, but it's a thing that can last. Karine sets flowers on fire, but the iron rose doesn't burn.

I can't explain the film. I can tell you what happens, but I can't tell you why it happens. That's typical for all of Jean Rollin's films. Watch the film for yourself. Feel it.

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Vamp (4 Stars)

This is what I call white-washing. Why is Grace Jones, one of the blackest actresses alive, shown with white skin and red hair? What I mean by "blackest" is that people who are called "black" have varying skin colours from light brown to dark brown, but Grace has very dark skin, almost black. Except in this film, when she appears on stage as a stripper.

This is how I prefer to see Grace Jones. Black, blacker, blackest. There was a time in my life when I had a crush on her. I considered her to be the perfect woman. Not any more. She's too thin for me. My tastes have changed over the years.

Strangely enough, one of my friends in England has accused me of being a racist. He obviously doesn't read my blog. I find women with every skin colour beautiful. Almost every skin colour. I don't find women with extremely pale skin attractive. I'll refrain from naming any examples. When it comes to Caucasian women, I prefer women with a rosy skin colour. But that's just what's on the outside. More than anything else, I'm attracted to women with self-confidence and a strong personality. Based on her many interviews, that applies to Grace Jones.

Being bitten by Grace Jones! If there's a better way to die, I don't know what it is. As long as she's black, not pale white.

Success Rate:  - 0.5

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Scream (2022) (5 Stars)

Sometimes I'm disorganised. I bought this Blu-ray while I was on holiday in England, and I wanted to watch it after "Scream 4". Now my son Benjamin is staying with me over Christmas and New Year, and he wanted to watch the film. So I'm watching it out of sequence. Even worse, I didn't have time to read my original review before watching it. Today I thought of what I wanted to write while watching it, but guess what? It's exactly what I wrote last time.

So I'll leave you here without a review. I can recommend "Scream 2022", "Scream 5", or whatever you want to call it. There will be a sixth film in the series in March, probably called "Scream 2023". I welcome it. In order to be successful, the films need to appear in yearly intervals, not once every 11 years.

Success Rate:  + 3.8

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Love and Peace (5 Stars)

This is my Christmas film for 2022. It's unique in two ways. First, it's the only Christmas film that has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Second, it's the only film with a 100% rating that I also like. As I repeatedly tell my readers, I usually disagree with the critics. Not this time.

The film has messages, some of which are more obvious than others. It talks of the fickleness of those who receive Christmas gifts. Dogs given on Christmas day are abandoned. That's terrible. But the film also suggests that toys have feelings. Little Maria (shown above in Santa's loving arms) was a Christmas gift that was only kept for a few days. Yuri played with her, then threw her away when she decided Maria wasn't pretty enough. Do dolls really have to be beautiful? My granddaughter Evelyn has a doll called Mia that she carries around with her everywhere. In my opinion, Mia is ugly, i.e. she's not very lifelike, but does Evelyn care? The doll is special to her, hopefully for years to come.

"Love and Peace" also shows that it's possible to want too much and forget what's in front of you. Ryoichi wants to become a big rock star, but as his fame grows he forgets the girl called Yuko who idolises him. She's another doll that's not pretty enough to be played with.

All you need to be happy is a turtle and a woman who loves you. That's what the film says, but I personally don't need a turtle.

Black Widow (5 Stars)

What age was Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, supposed to be in this film? The actress Scarlett Johansson was 34 when the film was made, but she looks much younger, thanks to the miracles of Hollywood makeup. In the picture above she looks like she's 22 at the oldest.

Speaking of myself, I went through two phases in my life. In my early years, up to when I was 35, Scarlett's age, people always thought I was younger than my real age. For instance, on my 23rd birthday I was waiting at Stuttgart's main train station in the early morning for a friend to arrive. I got into a conversation with some strangers while I was eating a snack, and they didn't believe I was 23. Their estimates ranged from 16 to 18. When I was 45 I returned to England, and everyone I met thought I was older. Their estimates ranged from 55 to 60.

What made the difference was my hair. At 23 I had long blond hair. I started growing my hair long when I was 18, but it was probably at its longest when I was 23. (I cut it short less than a year later, one of the biggest mistakes of my life, but that's a story for another day). My hair made me look young. In my late 30's I had a slowly advancing bald patch, and by the time I was 45 my remaining hair had turned grey. My hair made me look old.

"Black Widow" wasn't released until 2021. It was delayed by the Coronavirus pandemic. It was a posthumous film, as far as the Natasha Romanoff character was concerned. She'd already died in 2019 in "Avengers: Endgame". The post-credits scene shows her sister Yelena mourning at her grave.

Where does Black Widow (the character) go from here? At first I expected Yelena to adopt the role and become the new Black Widow. Now I don't know. The whole Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is fragmenting. The Marvel comics have a large lore to draw upon, with hundreds, maybe thousands of characters that can be used in films. Just being able to do this doesn't mean the MCU has to do it. Less is more. (I like that quote, but there's no consensus about who said it first). For me the breaking point was "The Eternals", totally unnecessary characters in the MCU.

Just writing about this makes me feel sad. There have been complaints about the Marvelization of Hollywood, complaints made by big directors like Quentin Tarantino. I don't think it's a bad thing in itself. It's all about films. I wouldn't mind if Hollywood were completely Marvelized, as long as the films are good. The word Marvel used to stand for quality. Today it stands for making money. I used to be excited whenever I heard the news about a new Marvel film. Now I just shrug my shoulders and hope it won't be too bad.

"Black Widow" is a good film. But it could be one of the last good Marvel films.

Success Rate:  - 0.1

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Smallville 1.21 - Tempest (Part 2)

Click here to watch the podcast.

The season finale is the only episode so far that's been discussed in two podcast episodes instead of one. It wouldn't have been necessary, except for one important factor. John Glover was invited as guest star, and his appearance is longer than that of any previous guest stars. The guest stars so far have been interviewed for 10 to 15 minutes, but John Glover spoke for almost 30 minutes. He's the person that I consider to have been the best actor in the Smallville TV series. I'm sure Tom and Michael would agree with me.

What he said had very little relevance to the season finale itself. He said that he remembers very little of the first season, and nothing at all about the season finale. Most of what he spoke about was his experience of playing a blind man in the second season. He remembers being asked to appear in "Smallville" at very short notice, two days before filming began. At the time he was only asked to appear as an occasional recurring character. He didn't know what the series was about, except that it was before Superman. His agent tried to talk him out of it, because he was making films at the time, and it wasn't usual for film actors to appear in television series. That was always the case until a few years ago. The turning point was "Game of Thrones". That was when film actors began to take television actors seriously. The typical television series ran for 22 episodes a year, and they involved more work for less pay. But John Glover took a risk by signing up for "Smallville", not realising at the time that it would be the role he'd be remembered for. Using my own jargon, it was his signature role.

It's ironic that John should have forgotten the first season, because Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling have repeatedly spoken of him as someone they looked up to. They were both young, inexperienced actors, Tom especially, and they were in awe of John Glover as a true professional. He made everything look so easy. Particularly in the season finale, Michael was having trouble playing the scene where he had to throw the books from the bookshelves. He was getting frustrated at being unable to perform adequately. John Glover came to him and told him, in a quiet, calm voice, "You aren't listening". That was all that Michael needed to solve his problem. The next take was perfect. But John Glover has forgotten it.

Concerning being made a member of the regular cast in season two, John found it was appropriate. "Smallville" is all about family (he used the word in the singular), so Lex needed to have a father at his side as a counterpart to Clark and his parents. Interestingly, John doesn't think of Lionel as a bad father. Michael and Tom both contradicted him, but John insisted that Lionel loved Lex and was showing him tough love. That was his inner motivation for playing the role. I'll bear that in mind when I begin to re-watch the second season next year.

John is now 78, but he's still an actor, frequently appearing in television series and occasionally in films. When asked what he does in his spare time, he said that he makes scarves. I wouldn't have expected it, but now that I know, I'd love to own one of his scarves. I probably wouldn't wear it. I'd keep it in a dustproof case.

Based on what he says, John has come to terms with death. At his age he accepts that he's closer to the end than the beginning. Michael tried to contradict him, probably thinking that John was speaking out of depression or morbidity, but that wasn't the case at all. John says that he's had a good life, and he's ready to meet his end. He said that he's been an actor all his life, and he'd like to die as an actor. He'd be happiest if he could die on stage.

Michael and Tom obviously enjoyed their talk with John, and they said they'd like him to come back as a guest star for every season. I'd like that too. Does that mean more two-part podcasts? I'd be happier if the podcast were just extended to 90 minutes instead of its usual 50 to 50 minutes.

High five to Michael Rosenbaum for hosting a fantastic podcast for the last 22 weeks. He describes "Smallville" as the show that changed our lives, applying that not just to Tom and himself, but to the thousands of fans who grew up with the series. Speaking for myself, I wouldn't say that it changed me when I first watched it in the early 2000's. That was a transitional period in my life, and there were other things that had a bigger effect on me. I feel that the current re-watching has a bigger effect on me.

Tom Welling is fun to listen to. I have the impression that he hasn't grown up over the last 20 years. He still talks (and acts?) like a teenager. I say that as a compliment, because it also applies to me.

Ryan Tellez is the podcast's engineer, but he's also a blank slate alongside Michael and Tom. He didn't watch "Smallville" when it was new, so he's experiencing the excitement today. He's drawn into each podcast by the segment "Ryan's Favourite Scenes", but I wish he'd talk more. It's interesting to see his perspective as a new fan.

I didn't use this photo of the Talon in the first part of the podcast, because I suspected there wouldn't be a detailed play-by-play of the episode. Why be modest? If your cappuccino is the best, shout it out to the world.

Recently a friend of mine who serves coffee in the USA said that 75% of her customers don't know what a cappuccino is. I laughed about it, since I know exactly what it is, having drunk many cups of cappuccino in my company canteen in the 1980's. Then I took the trouble to look it up, and I've discovered that there are differences in cappuccino from country to country. In particular, the cappuccino served in Italy is different to the cappuccino in other countries.

Here's another view of the Talon from the episode. Being a refurbished cinema, it's easy to change the display several times a week. Graduation is coming up, but not for Lana. She's still in the 10th grade. Until now I haven't been aware of the passage of time in the first season, but Michael Rosenbaum helped me out in this week's podcast. He said that the season runs for five months from Homecoming to Spring Formal. Those are good dates to go by, especially if you're an American who knows the school calendar. It's slightly less than the seven-month broadcast time, from October 2001 to May 2002.

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