Val Kimer Has Passed

Val Kilmer died this most recent Tuesday at the age of 65 due to complications from pneumonia. He was a fantastic actor. He is one of a small number of folks to portray Batman, he was a hoot in, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," amazed folks in, "Tombstone," and the original, "Top Gun." Whether in, "Heat," or doing voice-over work for animated properties, Kilmer was a great talent. 

Kilmer developed throat cancer in 2015 and treatment rendered it difficult for him to eat or speak, but that didn't stop him from making a fascinating autobio film, "Val," in 2020. His last film appearance was a brief but impactful role in, "Top Gun: Maverick," in 2022, which had his voice digitally fine-tuned. He was a superb actor and by many accounts a lovely person in general (although at times it was rumored he was hard to work with on films, hence him kinda-quitting/kinda-being-fired from portraying Batman again back when George Clooney replaced him, to give one example).

My favorite role with Kilmer has to be the absurd aforementioned comedy, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." Pitch black in tone while also being hilarious, it features Robert Downey Junior as well and it is a treat to see Kilmer and Junior on screen together being uproarious. It's a strange little flick that shows off how much range Kilmer could have when allowed to let loose. Val Kilmer was a great talent. He will be missed.

Switch 2 Details Have Been Announced--The Good, Bad, and Pricey

The Switch 2 was announced earlier this year, but we were informed that more details would be forthcoming. Today, we learned a lot more. Due for release on June 5th, the Switch 2 has some cool elements! It will feature an open-world Mario Kart game at launch ("Mario Kart World,") plus a number of 3rd-party titles as it'll have a lot more tech. It will also have a degree of backward compatibility with original Switch games (some will even be enhanced). Plus, there is a camera you can use to video-chat with friends you're playing online with! There are issues already, however. You see, the battery life will be sucky, a number of games will not work on the new console, and then there is the price of the Switch 2 and its games. 

A Switch 2 is going to cost $450 (it could even be more with inflation from tariffs), and some games will be $70-$80 for digital copies, and up to $90 for a physical one. The backward compatibility will have games cost extra if you want any enhancements. The camera will cost extra too. Nintendo is, in essence, squeezing fans for every dollar that they can. In the old days, Nintendo could say, "We're known for slightly cheaper and less powerful but very fun consoles!" Now, they can state, "Screw you, pay me for this tech!" There are pluses and minuses to the Switch 2 news, clearly.

It is exciting that the Switch 2 is coming out soon, but is also discouraging how it will be expensive. Then again, I think that is a trend that will continue with future consoles due to general inflation and how unsteady the economic and political landscape can be. I do wonder if the Switch 2 is different enough that folks will feel it is worth the cost. Will people look at their somewhat similar Switch and say, "Eh, this is good enough," and pass on the Switch 2 until the price drops? Will it be a big hit and sell like hotcakes even if it is slightly more of the same--but with more power and features? I don't know, but I'll be watching what happens with great interest.

The Saint Louis Blues Are On An Amazing Winning Streak

The one sport I follow (like, at all) is NHL hockey, and I am quite fond of our city's team, The Saint Louis Blues. The Blues last won the Stanley Cup during the 2018-2019 season and in that year they had their longest winning streak ever at one point of 11 games. Currently, after a shaky start to the season, they've been on fire as of late and hopefully have earned a wildcard sport in the playoffs whilst currently having a winning streak of 10 games! The Blues managed to beat the Detroit Red Wings in overtime for a score of 2-1, yesterday, and it was an intense game to watch! 

The game was scoreless until late in the 3rd period when Detroit got a goal, the Blues managed to squeak a puck into the net with barely 30 seconds left in regulation, and then Cam Fowler sunk an overtime goal with an assist from Robert Thomas and the whole stadium went wild--besides a handful of Detroit fans who were present and looked a bit despondent.

It is always fun when our town has a team doing well as it gives the city something to be proud of and celebrate. When the Blues won the Stanley cup for the first time back in 2019 it made Saint Louis so proud and that celebration parade was a hoot to see. the Blues play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. I know many people around here (and fans nationwide) will be rooting for an 11th straight win!

Television Tuesday: "Doctor Odyssey," is a Wild Cruise Worth Booking!

Two people seem to work on a ton of shows. Taylor Sheridan ("Yellowstone," "Landman," "Special Ops: Lioness," and more) and then Ryan Murphy ("Nip/Tuck," "Glee," "American Horror Story," "911," "Feud," and so much more). Murphy makes weird shows and I generally quite enjoy them, with a newer production he is involved in being, "Doctor Odyssey." This is a show that has a mix of medical drama, relationship drama, is quite quirky, and everyone involved is generally super horny...which makes sense for a Ryan Murphy show.

"Doctor Odyssey," follows Doctor Max Bankman as he starts working on a massive and impressive cruise ship known as The Odyssey. Played be Joshua Jackson, as he's new to the boat in the first episode it is a clever way for the show to ease us into everything as we're, of course, new too. Max is assisted by two nurses during cruises--Avery and Tristian (Phillipa Soo and Sean Teale) and the boat's captain, Robert Massey is often important to the plot too (expertly portrayed by the always delightful Don Johnson). All of the main characters are intriguingly complex in their mix of hang-ups, interests, and nobody comes across as too one-dimensional. The cruise format allows weeks to have different themes and a variety of special guests too, which allows a lot of fun actors to swing by. There are lots of medical maladies to keep things intense as well.

As Johnson makes apparent in the first episode, people on a cruise want to live in a happy fantasy World so Max and his team need to keep everyone as safe as possible. As strange as it sounds, "Doctor Odyssey," really reminds me in some ways of a show that Ryan Murphy had nothing to do with (which is rare, I know). There is a bit of a vibe of the first season of, "Westworld," of all things to this show. It's a specially controlled environment where everything is perfectly designed and calibrated to make guests happy...so things obviously have to keep going wrong despite the, "Programming." 

There aren't any human-like robots on, "Doctor Odyssey," of course, but cruise ships are big floating theme parks, in essence, and no matter how hard we try to make a theme park flawless, cracks will show eventually. "Doctor Odyssey," is a fascinating exploration of how a ship's crew tries to fix or at least temporarily remedy said metaphorical cracks. Is it realistic in some of its wild medical cases? Hell, no, it is exaggerated to the extreme. Is it fun to see what crazy medical cases occur or watch as a zany love triangle forms between the medical crew? You know it is!

"Doctor Odyssey," is weird, sexy, clever, and quite often funny too. I've greatly enjoyed this debut season and hope it gets picked up for another. You can view new episodes of the show by watching ABC on Thursdays or catch up on everything via Hulu.

5 out of 5 Stars (for this season so far).