Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, Fanta Ghostface Punch, Back Yard Burgers, & H Mart

My apologies for doing one of these a few weeks later than I wanted to; there just hasn't been too much to write about. In the next few days, I have plenty of theatrical movies to discuss but otherwise there isn't too much to write about. I suppose it's fine that there haven't been too many adventures, what with what gas prices are now... in short, I've been doing alright. Nothing alarming has happened.

Like everyone else, I was bummed when Dolly Parton passed away then next day, Tim Curry passed. Both I knew since my childhood. What Dolly did in terms of philanthropy is even more impressive than her legendary music career. She also had the likes of Dollywood and I have baked some cakes from her brand in recent years. Curry, I saw him in both Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and Clue when I was a kid. It was great seeing him in other movies as an adult. Both will be missed.

Both Fanta's limited edition Ghostface Punch and Mountain Dew's limited edition Trolli Mango Pineapple Punch are pretty good. It's been nice to have those different flavors now. I did hear just a few days ago that for the holidays, Pepsi will have a creamy vanilla soda; that sounds quite appealing. It's cool that both college & pro football have began. What happened to the Chicago Bears yesterday makes me wonder if the franchise is cursed, but at least there are other games in general to view where a particular team is not favored by me.

No new restaurant experiences to mention; it does have to be mentioned that I've become a fan of Bojangles, so good thing one is in town. Recently, I went to a place for the first time in years: in Altamonte Springs, there's a Back Yard Burgers. It's a regional chain which has greatly shrunk in size; they now have only six, mainly in the Southeast. Their food has always been at least decent and they usually draw a decent crowd; visits should be more frequent by me, and I hope they stick around.

Finally, I'll mention the Asian grocery store H Mart; last September-soon after they opened-a visit was attempted but they had an absolute confusing disaster of a system of letting a limited amount of people in at one time and it was so not customer-friendly, I left and at the time, another attempt to try them out in the future seemed impossible. Finally, it was decided that “being a hater” (at least in this case) didn't seem right so finally, a visit to their Orlando store occurred. Turns out, they had the Korean microwavable rice I get from Amazon, for a lower price. That and a few other items were purchased. For their unique offerings alone, future visits will occur.

To reiterate, in a few days, a variety of different theatrical films will be discussed.

Re(d)ro Nights, The Invite, The Peach Cobbler Factory, and Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)

Now I am finally caught up on events since the start of July. This is delayed a few days as things were busier than expected but it’s all good. The wackiest moment of last month involved the mailman, of all things. I happened to be outside as he dropped off the mail one afternoon. He blasted a song from the mail truck (which by itself is unheard of); it was an 80’s tune I did not recognize or remember; it took Google and typing in the lyrics I heard to discover it was Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?), from Wham! That was a surprise; I never thought that George Michael ever RAPPED in a song-I was mistaken.

The one movie I’ve seen on the big screen as of late not previously mentioned was The Invite. That’s the film directed by Olivia Wilde; except for the opening scene, the entire film is set in one apartment complex and is Wilde & Seth Rogen as a couple inviting Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz for dinner. I don’t want to give too much away; one of the couples is unhappily married so there’s drama over that along with other adult topics. It’s a film for mature audiences and is probably best for middle-aged people like myself or older. It’s a great movie, always fascinating and each person in the quartet delivered… even Rogen, who OF COURSE smoked weed at one point.

One night, I ate at a lousy Korean chicken joint-I’ll be nice & not even mention their name-but nearby was The Peach Cobbler Factory, a Southern chain previously unknown to me. They offered very tasty treats, including banana pudding and cookies. I’ll definitely return.

Finally, I’ll mention a fun limited time experience. At Universal Studios CityWalk, for a few days a week from May through July, they put an 80’s/90’s overlay over one of their nightclubs (The Red Coconut Club) & called those evenings Re(d)ro Nights. Curious, I went one night. The atmosphere was cool; while it was a little wacky that a live DJ was spinning tunes from the 70’s through about 2013-considering the overlay-but it was still a fun time & the tunes were still good. They even had some arcade machines upstairs; some time was spent playing games like Galaga.

I’ll return sometime late this month, promise. Nothing’s on the agenda… yet.

Semiquincentennial 4th of July, Scary Movie, & Meeting Rachael Leigh Cook for a Second Time

As typical for years now, nothing much special was done on the 4^th of July, even if it was America's 250^th anniversary. Someone was dropped off at the airport in the wee hours of the morning but otherwise, the entertainment was watching the fireworks-both on TV and in the neighborhood. Those random neighbors actually shot off some impressive fireworks.

The clear highlight of the month is quite the story... for the first time since before the pandemic, I went to one of those comic con conventions. Little has changed-the vendors & the cosplayers alike. Most of those dressed as anime characters-I still have no idea what show it is. Heck, I might not have heard of that anime, period.

The reason why I attended: way back in 2018 (!) I went to a con to see late 90's/early 2000's starlet Rachael Leigh Cook. Then and now, she mainly does those Hallmark movies. That first time, there was a professional photo opportunity. What I didn't mention when recounting this story at the time: while waiting in line, I basically had a panic attack. I won't delve into details but that first meeting was rather awkward & embarrassing.

Well, I was glad to finally have another opportunity to meet her, and this time not act like a buffoon. Thankfully, that was the case. I was also glad to explain to her why I was such a fool the first time. Ms. Cook remembering me perhaps isn't a surprise-no one out there is quite like me! However, she remembered that first encounter! I was hoping that wouldn't be the case; heck, she even referred to it as “a debacle!” No, I wasn't offended; besides, “debacle” is a great word. It's a relief that this second meeting wasn't a debacle and after 8 years, that wrong was righted. I won't mention all the details of the conversation but yes I was happy to pay to have new photos taken with her. Then & now, she lived up to her reputation as being a very nice celebrity.

I'll conclude this by mentioning that later in this long wild day after the convention, the new Scary Movie was viewed theatrically. Yes, this was a few weeks after release. The negative reviews gave me concern yet I had seen the first two films way back in 2000 and 2001 on the big screen in Illinois. The first one, I unexpectedly knew a pair of people from high school who were also at the screening so I sat with them & we all laughed at the especially vulgar moments, because we were dumb teenagers at the time.

As for the new 2026 Scary Movie, yes it was uneven yet there were still a decent amount of laughs, a few nice subtle background gags, and a clever ending. Thus, I thought this new Scary Movie was fine, which is also what I thought of the first two Scary Movies. I never bothered with 3 through 5 due to the lack of involvement from the Wayans Brothers.

I'll return sometime in the upcoming week.

Crooked Can Brewing Company, Mug Root Beer Floats Vanilla Howler, & Soarin’ Across America

I’ve been putting this off for far too long. In the next week or so I’ll post THREE of these in total, catching up on my July activities. The best and most memorable story will be the second entry, to be posted tomorrow.

In the nearby town of Minneola, the new Crooked Can Brewing Company building opened; it originated in Winter Garden. They are a microbrewery around for years but the building is massive. I went by myself the third day they were open. There were food trucks outside, right by a massive yard which has a splash pad-among other things-making it clear they’d be happy to have families visit. On my own, I purchased food from a food truck. A few days later, I returned there, this time with someone else. A few eateries set up like a food hall are available… well, not all of them are open yet. I’ll be kind and not go into details as the food itself was fine. However, it was supposed to be quick service and wasn’t; the food took like a half hour to be done! Yes, a manager type did warn of “long waits” even before we got in line, but still… Otherwise, I can’t complain about the place.

I’ve had more than one new soda as of late. Mug Root Beer Floats Vanilla Howler is not quite as good as A&W’s Root Beer Float yet I still like it.

This past Monday I returned to EPCOT, chiefly to go on their new version of the Soarin’ ride, which simulates you floating through the air as you visit various sights on a giant screen. It was originally devoted to California scenery then spanned the world. Due to what this year’s anniversary is, the theme was changed again to visiting locations across the United States. This included the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon, Alaska, and Mount Rushmore. It’s still a fun attraction where the sights are augmented by scents that are pumped in. I can still recommend this attraction, in other words.

To reiterate, I’ll return sometime on Monday.

Backrooms, The Furious, Spaceballs, Cape Verde, & Doctor Congo

I did promise to do another one of these by the end of June... as I have nothing better to do tonight, here you go.

Not much has gone on in the past few weeks; various restaurants were revisited. It was everything from Jack in the Box and Slim Chickens (w/ the latter, their chicken bits aren't as good as their chicken tenders) to Huey Magoo's, a local chain which just opened a new location... a few miles from where I live! That will be quite handy. One evening I did visit Universal CityWalk; it was during one of the hottest days of the year so far. They did have a nice setup celebrating the World Cup, where they even broadcast the games on a large screen... the Spanish version, as that's the only one they have rights to show.

A trio of films were viewed. The first was Backrooms, as that along w/ Obsession was the surprise hit of 2026 so far. Note that I never watched any of the original YouTube shorts until right before leaving to see it. Unfortunately, Backrooms was another modern movie I despised on a fundamental level. The story itself was rotten, and so were the performances. I was never scared, unless it was at how bad the therapist was at her job. What awful characters I couldn't possibly care less about. The third act became David Lynch if David Lynch had zero talent and they thought attempting an explanation of that insanity was a wise idea... it wasn't. I hated that as much as I did Masters of the Universe, no exaggeration.

Unfortunately, The Furious was disappointing, if thankfully not bad. It's a martial arts extravaganza from the Far East which had memorable moments yet was no 2011's The Raid by any regards. The story had four acts (as many Hollywood movies now do, regrettably) and that fourth act soured me on the rest. That's when things became stupid and characters which were indestructible before (as if they were a member of the Justice League or Avengers, or their super-villain counterparts) REALLY became so and it was just too much. A shame, as the fighting was fun, if overly choreographed at times. Yet, like w/ Masters and Backrooms, most enjoyed it far more than I did. Alas...

Just on Sunday, I went to a local cinema-a smaller chain-as they paid tribute to the 100^th birthday of Mel Brooks. It was Spaceballs, a favorite since childhood. Thankfully, the movie's still awesome. Next year they will release a sequel; if nothing else, Rick Moranis returning will be great.

I'll mention one final thing: the World Cup has been mainly background entertainment yet has provided some excitement so far. Germany already out is unfortunate as that's part of my heritage, but... beforehand, the idea of expanding the field from 32 to 48 teams is one I poo-poo'ed. Now, it resulted in nice stories, including Cape Verde and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (identified in graphics as DR Congo, explaining my lame pun) reaching the round of 32, where the eliminations start happening. I'm sure Argentina will beat Cape Verde and England-the other main part of my heritage-will beat the former Zaire tomorrow, but they were nice underdog stories nonetheless.

I'll return sometime in the first half of July. Nothing special will be done on the 4^th of July but there should still be enough activities to discuss.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, Star Wars: Millennium Falcon-Smuggler’s Run, Mountain Dew White Out & Waymo

There have been some ups and downs as of late but there have been some nice moments. One unexpected delight was finally seeing a Waymo vehicle in Orlando. For those not in the know, it’s a rideshare service using white Jaguar SUV’s which has quite the gimmick: the vehicle has various gizmos on the exterior because it’s self-autonomous, meaning there’s no human driving it! Those cars have been in the news for mainly the wrong reasons as of late but it drove fine as the car was by me at we both stopped at a red light on the busy John Young Parkway.

I finally was able to sample the Dirty Mountain Dew, made with a cream flavor; it tastes how you’d expect. I also had the return of their White Out flavor, gone since 2019 and only available in an 18-pack with Code Red and Voltage. It still tastes good as well.

One day I returned to Walt Disney World, Hollywood Studios in particular. Millennium Falcon-Smuggler’s Run has a new version of the ride that’s now tied to The Mandalorian & Grogu. The user also has an influence on the second half of the ride-no spoilers as to what I’m referring to. The ride is still fun. I went to some other rides but the main reason for the trip: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets. The ride itself isn’t changed aside from decorations, and the same goes for the ride queue inside the building. I admit that the old Muppet*Vision 3D attraction used more of the Muppets but the theming is still good and like w/ Falcon, the ride is still a good time.

Hopefully, by the end of June I’ll post something new.

Masters of the Universe, Obsession, The Mandalorian and Grogu, & HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA

It’s time for me to catch up; tomorrow I’ll post something else which will be the non-movie events I’ve dealt with as of late. The three movies will be mentioned chronologically in the order they were watched.

The Mandalorian and Grogu was checked out not because I saw all of the streaming show-rather, only the first season was watched-but because I have seen all the other theatrical live-action movies in the franchise & it’s been almost 6 ½ years. Well, it wasn’t as rancid as The Last Jedi & The Rise of Skywalker but my opinion is that much of it was mediocre, felt like glorified episodes of the show, and subscribed to some modern movie-making sins, such as “dim picture” and “overly explanatory dialogue.” That said, I wasn’t mad as the film wasn’t bad and there were some fun moments.

Thursday the 4^th I saw a pair of movies during a long day that wasn’t great due to no major reasons but rather many little reasons. That did not impact why I really didn’t like Obsession or Masters of the Universe. The former, I watched it despite my aversion to much “modern horror” in the 21^st century that’s beloved by the cinephiles. The fact that the mainstream crowds started to see Obsession and the movie still is doing well at movie theaters (on two days, it made more money than The Mandalorian and Grogu & even yesterday made the most money out of any film in American cinemas!) finally made me curious.

I hate to be “that guy” but it’s yet another modern horror that’d beloved in many circles yet in my eyes is in the category of being mediocre or worse. The general idea was great-I hated the execution, the plot, the characters, how it was “scary,” etc. I was quite disappointed. Also, don’t watch the movie if you love cats; more than most examples, gross things happen to a poor little cat. Why people are going bonkers & are obsessed over Obsession, it’s puzzling. I guess my tastes really are that different from most others… I can say that lead girl Inde Navarrette did a swell job.

Even more baffling that it’s received so much praise is the new Masters of the Universe. The trailers gave me pause and I don’t really remember watching the cartoon when I was real little-the only reason I bothered is a fond memory: as a 6-year-old, my late mother took me and my two younger sisters to see the 1987 Masters of the Universe, starring Dolph Lundgren and due to budget issues, much of it took place on Earth. Yeah it’s flawed… I still have fond memories and at least they took the movie serious and Frank Langella as Skeletor did not phone it in and delivered profound dialogue rather well.

This new Masters of the Universe, I HATED the movie. If you love the silliest MCU movies where EVERYTHING is a joke and nothing is serious, you’ll love it. Me, I hated every second as the movie was a “comedy” first except that I literally never laughed once as it’s stupid “modern humor” that’s like fingernails on a chalkboard. They made fun of the franchise, character names & all. I know Masters started as action figures turned cartoon but this direction they went to be “postmodern” and “full of cringe” and “embarrassing” is among the worst of the many sins of modern cinema.

The movie is a flop at the box office yet at least online there’s been many positive opinions. That is incomprehensible to me but I’ll be happy to ignore what’s popular now if it’s of no interest to me no matter if it’s baffling to most others. As for the infamous Jared Leto & his big role in the movie, he wasn’t even bad w/ his performance so that wasn’t the issue. I have no idea why I haven’t seen anyone else mention either the fact that a key fight in the climax had zero resolution or why something so goofy did not have a stronger, more obvious mention of the old HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA meme, based on the cartoon & using a cover of the 4 Non Blondes song What’s Up.

What a weird day Thursday was; after Masters, I stopped at a gas station convenience store where the clerk told me that a guy I immediately pegged as creepy (and I’ll never be mainstream in any regards but wow did they guy give off the worst vibes) was actually a creep. After he left, she told me that this was his EIGHTH time in the store during her shift! I hope he was trespassed; he has to be mentally ill but for the store’s sake I hope he was banned. On a lighter note, while in the lobby for Obsession, many people were cosplaying for the finale of a show I only know by name: The Amazing Digital Circus. You can imagine how bewildering it was to see bizarre outfits with zero context as to what they were referencing. Of course, I did at least laugh at those bizarre outfits, including someone I’ll described as “Michael Jackson dressed as Sgt. Pepper!”

Tomorrow, I’ll write something more positive as I have some nice stories to share.