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.

Mortal Kombat II, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, & DalMoros Fresh Pasta to Go

Today, I will discuss a movie, a day at the Magic Kingdom, & a good random food court eatery. As a kid I pumped a few quarters into an arcade machine to play Mortal Kombat, although it wasn’t until adulthood that some of the console games were played. The 2021 Mortal Kombat was flawed yet fine—the 2026 sequel is better. Karl Urban as Johnny Cage was a highlight and the story was better—there’s more than just a tournament, although it’s great that there was one in the sequel. Mix in some OOT gruesome fatalities that are a hallmark of the franchise, and I had a pretty good time.

A few days ago, I returned to the Magic Kingdom; the big reason why: two rides were closed for awhile to be refurbished but reopened a few weeks ago. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is a ride where you have blasters in a moving vehicle & shoot at targets. Now, the targets are larger, the blasters aren’t stuck to the vehicle, and most importantly, it is much clearer to the rider when you’ve successfully hit a target. This is probably why I had by far my highest score: almost 400,000! The upgrade was worthwhile.

In an increasing trend for all the rides at WDW, them being shutdown for “issues” was common, whether it be old or new attractions. I didn’t ride many other rides on this day & in fact, there was doubt whether Big Thunder Mountain Railroad would open again after it being inoperable most of the time I was there. Finally, after eating food nearby, looking at the park’s app revealed they reopened—me and some random people walked rather briskly to the ride. It’s still a fun outdoor roller coaster; the changes were more subtle & the biggest upgrade was a new track. The ride is smoother so again, a good upgrade. When exiting the ride, the line was much longer so I was quite lucky.

Besides a trip to World Market for the first time in years (they’ve expanded their food & drinks selection, so I should have returned sooner), a few evenings ago I was at the Mall at Millenia in Orlando & ate at DalMoros Fresh Pasta to Go. They have a few random locations both in Florida and Massachusetts. Some praise was given by random accounts online-yeah, those aren’t always trustworthy although in this case, they did offer good food. There’s a number of different pastas, sauces, and toppings to choose from, all served in a takeout box resembling one you receive from Chinese restaurants. I was able to get two meals out of it, so no complaints.

I’ll return sometime later in May.

Tampa Bay Rays, Lovebugs, Napoleon Solo & Fanta Crimson Sour Cherry

I’ll make another post sometime on Sunday, but I had the free time to post this now, after viewing Napoleon Solo win the Preakness Stakes horse race a little earlier in the day.

On May the fourth, I returned to Tropicana Field for the first time in two years to see the Tampa Bay Rays play. November of ’24-after that MLB season was completed-a hurricane went over St. Petersburg and because the team hates Tropicana Field & did not want to do better upkeep of the building, the roof was torn off the domed stadium. I still think that was nonsense & certainly did at the time; that’s why the journey was never made to see them play last year in a minor league stadium in Tampa.

I did decide to return to the stadium on the 4^th; aside from the new roof, the building looks largely the same. Yeah, I saw the viral video that someone took of a stadium pillar shaking-I’d like to think it is AI nonsense but who knows… I can say that when it was pouring rain for a few minutes on that night, a few droplets of water fell on me from the roof! Yes, the brand-new roof. I’m miffed about that also.

Alas, I otherwise had a fun time as Tampa Bay defeated the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 5-1. There were 10 hits each by the teams, a failed stolen base attempt, and my first time seeing the new ABS system used live; that’s where a player can challenge an umpire’s call and computer magic immediately confirms or overrules the call. A unique twist is that because of the date, the team had Star Wars Night, including official cosplayers who walked around. The day was a good time.

This is despite driving through swarms of lovebugs on the way to the Tampa Bay region. I haven’t mentioned them in years, but that’s because it’s been years since there have been such an influx of these bizarre creatures that only appear each May and September. For whatever reason, they’ve really proliferated in Florida now… and I understand, other Gulf Coast regions, especially also in Texas. I was hoping they’d be gone for good, but alas.

One last note: after purchasing that soda earlier in the year, I was finally able to try Fanta’s Crimson Sour Cherry. My verdict: pretty good, the cherry flavor not too sour.

Orlando Storm, Fuze, Dr. Pepper Creamy Coconut, The Construction Zone Restaurant, & Good Town Buffet

Thankfully, I am caught up now. To begin, I’ll mention that one evening, I went with my father to a local seafood buffet that’s where the old Red Lobster was located: Good Town Buffet served decent food; yes, there was enough for me and my “particular” tastes. Another afternoon, I drove down to the Sunset Walk area (in the western part of Kissimmee) to visit a local establishment w/ a unique gimmick: The Construction Zone Restaurant. The theming was decent and the food was pretty good. If only the service had been even half as good as the theming or the food…

This past week, I saw a British crime drama film on the big screen, titled Fuze. It featured some recognizable names, like Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Sam Worthington. It began as a bomb squad dismantling a World War II bomb while concurrently, thieves are robbing a bank in the era. After the first act, the movie turned into something else and while not as interesting as Act 1, overall I can say the movie is fine… frequent F-bombs aside. On a completely different topic, another new soda I tried was Dr. Pepper Creamy Coconut; I was unsure beforehand but the taste was actually pretty good.

Finally, I’ll mention that 8 days ago I went to see the Orlando Storm (of the United Football League, a.k.a. the spring league where The Rock is one of the owners) play against the St. Louis Battlehawks. Their home games are at the soccer stadium of Orlando City SC; it’s a nice stadium I’m always happy to visit. The first half, Orlando looked poor so the crowd was mostly moribund. Second half, Orlando played much better & despite the enthusiasm of the audience, still lost 25-17. Not only did I purchase a Storm shirt, they were handing out free white Storm shirts.

It won’t be weeks before I return.

Rick Springfield, Ebisu Orlando, Golden Tempo, Swig, & Mr. Pibb Punchin’ Peach

This weekend is the time for me to finally catch up; the last post will be tomorrow. I am in fact posting this right after viewing the Kentucky Derby. As mentioned in the past, my late mother loved horses so the Triple Crown was a big deal to her. Golden Tempo winning was a surprise winner but it was an exciting win and it’s cool that a female trainer won for the first time.

I’m glad to have tried some new sodas, such as Coca-Cola Cherry Float, Mr. Pibb Punchin’ Peach & Mr. Pibb Thrillin’ Vanilla; I enjoy them all although there are other new sodas I have that haven’t been tried yet-old sodas need to be consumed first. One new variant is Mountain Dew’s dirty soda… speaking of that, a Swig location has been located only a few miles away from me for months yet only recently did I finally try them. Their pineapple version of Sprite was pretty good so a return trip is in the cards.

One early evening I went to an Ebisu in Orlando, close by the Florida Mall. Ebisu is a chain that offers “high-quality Asian goods,” meaning various foods/drinks/games/novelty items. While I was amused it was in an obvious former Walgreen’s, I’m glad the building found a new use & yes, I did purchase random food & drink. It’s another establishment that will be visited again.

Another exciting day was spent at EPCOT, to partake in their annual Flower & Garden Festival. The sights were as grand as ever; however, the highlight was a surprise. During their festivals they always hold 35-minute concerts in an open-air pavilion thrice a day; I’ve seen everyone from .38 Special, Christopher Cross and the Village People to Boyz II Men, Hanson and Chubby Checker. I was not expecting Rick Springfield to draw the biggest crowds or the most attention out of those acts, but color me surprised. To his credit, despite turning 80 in only a few years, he still put on a quality show, interacting w/ the crowd, looking & sounding good. To use an extreme example, Vince Neil now is sad & embarrassingly bad. Thankfully, Springfield delighted the crowd; you don’t need to guess what song was played during the finale.

To reiterate, I’ll return sometime tomorrow.

Project Hail Mary, Kiki’s Delivery Service, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie & Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

It’s been too long since I’ve made a post; I’ll end up posting two more of these in the upcoming days. Talking about the quartet of theatrical experiences I’ve had in the past month will be the quickest and easiest to do.

Project Hail Mary was seen at Disney Springs on a 70mm film print instead of digital like what is in every cinema now. I won’t get into the nerdy reasons why film buffs prefer 70mm reels but that’s a unique experience that had to happen-not many places around the world even had that version of the movie. My thoughts: I wish there would have been less “humor” and those attempts at “humor” would have been funnier.

That said, my opinion is still a positive one. The movie did a lot right & made me wish there’d be more big films like this now. The focus on science, the optimism, the interesting score, a soundtrack full of songs that aren’t the same you hear in 100 other motion pictures, Rocky the alien brought to life (mostly) by puppetry… yes, please. I know some cinephiles would have preferred a stone-cold sober 70’s style science-focused sci-fi movie… that would have been great, but for me, for a film directed by directors I don’t care for and based on a novel which looks insufferable (at least judging by admittedly cherry-picked examples of cringe-worthy passages), I don’t regret the viewing even if most people love the movie more than I did… and I preferred the author’s other movie adaptation, 2016’s The Martian.

Kiki’s Delivery Service is the 1989 anime film from Studio Ghibli that hadn’t been seen before. For a middle-aged guy like me, a story about a 13-year-old witch out on her own for the first time (except for her talking black cat) running a courier service was surprisingly charming, an easy film to watch due to its low-key style.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was like the previous film: nothing revolutionary but nothing that offended me either, much of the humor was acceptable, pretty animation, etc. I never even played any of the Super Mario Galaxy games but that was irrelevant. Plus, I was able to see the movie in 3D; that added to my enjoyment, as did the blatant nostalgia baiting by the references to the Mario games of the 80’s and 90’s.

Last week, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was brought to cinemas as it is now 40 years old. As that wasn’t seen since I was a kid literally decades ago, that was another opportunity that couldn’t be turned down. As it’s a John Hughes movie set & filmed in Chicago, of course there was nostalgia but thankfully the movie is still funny and hasn’t aged poorly. Ferris wasn’t intolerable despite his antics due to him genuinely caring about his girlfriend Sloane and best friend Cameron. The memorable moments, the dialogue, the supporting characters (Jeffrey Jones is unfortunately a bad person IRL but his Principal Rooney was a great foil due to his performance), the period score and soundtrack… I was happy to have seen the movie theatrically.

I’ll return sometime in the next few days.