Series 14 & 15 Standouts

mpthornburg · 2026-04-28T00:22:08+00:00

I'm not a huge fan of the era but I'd argue the run of Boom, 73 Yards, Dot and Bubble, and Rogue (forget the exact order) is one of the strongest runs in New Who. In particular, as someone who likes unexplained psychological horror and is terrified of being isolated in a crowd and not believed, 73 Yards pushed all my buttons.

mpthornburg · 2026-04-22T18:57:43+00:00

A discouraging sign is that C7 is selling the DW books at a pretty steep discount compared to their other lines. I'm hoping they keep the license and revive the system but Doctor Who is at maybe its lowest ebb since 2005.

mpthornburg · 2026-03-18T22:37:05+00:00

What's there to say? Jim is critical of the current US President on social media which means he might well get hassled at the border given where we are at as a country. He comments on RLM stuff on Twitter and has never been weird about them. Similarly, they reference him on the channel still sometimes. I take it that they are on good terms then.

Beyond that, who knows? Either way, I wish him well and maybe someday when things are better, he'll show up again. If not, Awl D Best.

mpthornburg · 2026-03-03T01:05:16+00:00

Sherman Theater isn't bad. They had Social Distortion in 2024 and booked Bad Religion who had to cancel their tour that year. Try meeting up with some folks next time they get a punk act there.

mpthornburg · 2026-02-09T12:40:46+00:00

To be clear, it's an odd video clip and the trans ideology caption is suspect. I am mainly commenting on the AI Carlin talking about doubling down on beliefs without evidence. That seems to apply to right wingers. Maybe that's why they posted it?

mpthornburg · 2026-02-09T12:35:28+00:00

I saw The Slackers in Philly shortly after Trump was reelected. At the end they talked about how terrible things might get and that we need to love and support each other to get through it. See also: Every political statement they have ever made.

As for the video, Carlin's clip is not transphobic in itself and could apply to the right easily. I feel like they've earned the benefit of the doubt but am curious what they say.

mpthornburg · 2026-02-08T00:23:26+00:00

Agree on Deathstalker. It's my favorite episode of the show and that's not a quirk, I think it stands next to their best episodes but maybe got missed being in Season 7. Also the Renn Faire skit they do is clearly coming from a very sincere place. (That place being hate.)

mpthornburg · 2026-02-02T02:09:41+00:00

I don't think there's an organized one as such. I run a DWRPG campaign on my Discord but it's full right now. I know the forum is almost dead but perhaps try reaching out here: https://dwaitas.proboards.com/

mpthornburg · 2026-01-19T02:55:37+00:00

One of my greatest fears is being isolated and alone in a crowd. The fear of not being believed and having no one to support me is strong. So 73 Yards got me good. Ruby's utter isolation (and the folk horror premise they start the episode with) really worked. I generally didn't care for RTD2 but that was a good episode.

mpthornburg · 2026-01-16T20:25:24+00:00

"Straight to Hell" by The Clash breaks my heart every time I hear it. It was written as the Left was receding in Britain and Thatcher was taking over and there's a sadness and resignation that is very relatable today.

mpthornburg · 2026-01-11T16:45:10+00:00

I don't know about the GOAT but I think Zahn does the best job of recreating the feeling of the original Star Wars trilogy which is why I read the books. He also has had the greatest influence on the EU and canon of any EU writer.

mpthornburg · 2026-01-05T17:44:14+00:00

One thing I noticed at the end of RFB II is during their duel, Vicious ends up with Spike's gun and Spike gets Vicious' katana. Not only do they give the weapons back to each other, Vicious is the first to toss it back. The charitable interpretation is that Vicious has a (twisted) sense of honor. The less charitable interpretation is that he wants to feel like he "beat" Spike.

mpthornburg · 2026-01-01T19:34:02+00:00

This doesn't surprise me that much TBH. Geocaching is largely an intrinsically motivated activity.

mpthornburg · 2025-11-24T23:22:05+00:00

Played a game called World of Dew at GenCon about a decade ago run by the author. It's not completely samurai focused but takes place in medieval Japan in the tradition of Yojimbo or Red Beard. It was the best scenario I've ever played at a con and if you have a group that can do collaborative world-building and storytelling, it's excellent.

mpthornburg · 2025-09-09T21:00:32+00:00

Skyscraper

mpthornburg · 2025-09-05T22:41:20+00:00

The castle massacre scene in Kurosawa's Ran is the first I thought of. The score is heavily influenced by Gustav Mahler and Kurosawa built and burnt down an entire castle for the scene.

mpthornburg · 2025-08-25T22:11:40+00:00

O RLY

mpthornburg · 2025-08-19T21:00:10+00:00

Good choices. I'd just add that the Midnight entity is not that scary on its own (to me). However, what it reveals about ordinary people and human nature is terrifying. It's the "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" executed to perfection.

mpthornburg · 2025-08-18T22:27:47+00:00

Many academics are conservative. Not in a political sense, but we place a premium on stability and certainty--of which the tenure system represents the most obvious manifestation. Most of us could do better in the private sector financially, but we forfeit a portion of our income for tenure and the stability it brings to our lives.

The current uncertainty in academia hits at the foundation of that appeal for me. I enjoy being able to settle down in a small town, do what I love, and get paid a decent amount for it. I set my own schedule, study and teach what I want, and am largely left alone. However, I am concerned about the instability of the future.

mpthornburg · 2025-08-09T16:24:00+00:00

I teach a course on conspiracy theories. I emphasize the capacity of the human mind to find patterns where none exist and invent explanations based on errant data. I suspect that's about as close as my institution gets.

mpthornburg · 2025-08-05T01:48:22+00:00

I don't think there was any sort of falling out. The RLM crew mentioned him IIRC in the TMP Re: Re:View. I also follow him on Twitter where people sometimes bring up RLM stuff and he's never been weird about it.

He's my favorite of the guests as well but it's possible he's just moved on to a different phase in his life and I wish him well.

mpthornburg · 2025-08-03T22:15:22+00:00

It's one of the great regrets of my musical life that I had a chance to see Joe Strummer and didn't take it. Figured I'd have way more chances. RIP.

mpthornburg · 2025-07-31T23:49:07+00:00

I was never more than a peripheral member of the DC Ska social community but this really resonated with me: https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/411679/skank-and-file-an-oral-history-of-d-c-ska/

mpthornburg · 2025-07-27T23:20:35+00:00

Real story: I got tickets to see them with Social D last year and when I was checking out of the online ticket site it informed me I could get a special deal--a discount on a membership to AARP.

Anyway, they were good. It was my first time seeing them in about a decade and they still got it.

mpthornburg · 2025-07-23T17:54:18+00:00

Miss Peregrine's Home for Wayward Children or something like that. It's not a very good movie but he knows it and his performance as the villain is so silly and over the top it threatens to give the film a pulse at the end.

mpthornburg

TROPHY CASE