It’s been a couple of years since I’ve written a Top 5 post. I think I ran out of ideas and couldn’t keep up with the monthly iteration. I’m thinking about reviving it but perhaps only as inspiration strikes and not necessarily on a monthly basis. With that said, let’s do my Top 5 movie villains (these are in no particular order).
Quick spoiler warning, this topic discusses the events of episodes 7 and 8 of The Bad Batch Season 2. If you haven’t watched those yet, it behooves you to return after you have. The inspiration for this post comes from something I saw on Twitter. At the end of episode 8 (Truth and Consequences), the Emperor implies that he had foreseen the outcome of the vote to pass the Defense Recruitment Bill. This is a common claim by the Emperor which begs the question is Palpatine omniscient?
Force Manipulation
The short answer is no (IMO). If Palpatine actually knew all outcomes he would be unstoppable. As we saw he is defeated, twice. I think he boasts that he has foreseen events as a fear tactic; to convince his enemies their efforts are futile. The other possibility is that he only sees what he wants to see and not actual future events. The Sith are notorious for manipulating the Force to further their own agenda. Therefore one can assume Palpatine’s “visions” are a manipulation of the actual events.
This is a soapbox with the Star Wars fandom as the theme. Honestly, this can easily apply to any other fandom (i.e. Marvel, DC, Star Trek, Doctor Who, etc). Do not let the Mike Zeroh’s and Star Wars Theory’s influence the kind of fan you are. Be Your Own Fan! The guys at Rebel Force Radio said that on one of their podcasts a couple of weeks ago and it really resonates with me.
I saw a meme once that said (I’m paraphrasing) Star Wars is like a new restaurant, you don’t have to like everything on the menu. I want to expand on that and add that you shouldn’t insult the things that people do like. My eight-year-old can understand that concept so an adult shouldn’t have any problem with it. Personally, Star Wars is like Portillo’s, I love everything on the menu.
Last year I didn’t start writing posts about my monthly movie themes until April so I didn’t get to talk about Science Fiction Month. Science Fiction is one of my favorite genres of film. Since I didn’t get to talk about my 2022 selections, I will cover those first and then cover my 2023 selections.
January 2022 Selections
We still live in the first house we bought together. Therefore my next-door neighbor is my first, conventional, neighbor. Randy served his community and the city of Cincinnati as a police officer for 27 years and retired in 2018. He was my neighbor for 13 years.
10 days ago he passed away from a sudden heart attack while getting his oil changed.
He is the gold standard of neighbors now. He was always willing to lend a hand, offer advice or just chat. His favorite pastime was chatting. I lost countless hours of time I should have been doing yard work just shooting the breeze with him. He and my daughter called each other their “favorite neighbor”, she was equally as devastated. We often felt like he treated her like he would a granddaughter. She now has a Build-a-Bear Timeless Teddy, wearing a policeman’s uniform, named Randy. He is always by her side.
It didn’t matter if it was 90 degrees, 20 degrees, raining, or snowing, he was always sitting on his back patio, reading Yahoo and smoking a cigarette. He’d offer a wave and/or a quip about the weather, his wife, or current events.
It still stings when I let the dogs out. When I return from an errand or from walking my daughter to school. Or when I simply go outside for the mail or the trash.
It’s not the same without you, old man. Thanks for everything. RIP.
“Hands where I can see them!”
Randy’s obituary can be seen at the Cincinnati Police Historical Society.
The Menu 
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult
Director: Mark Mylod
Release Date: November 18, 2022
My Rating:
As some of you may know, I am not into horror/slasher-type movies so it may seem strange that I picked this movie to watch. The thing is, Ralph Fiennes is an extraordinary actor and Nicholas Hoult isn’t too bad either (check out the series The Great on Hulu). Also, personally, I would instead categorize this movie as more of a thriller than a horror movie. With that said, let’s get on with the movie review for The Menu.
The synopsis is Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) has purchased a once-in-a-lifetime dinner prepared by renowned Chef Slowik (Fiennes). He, and 11 other guests, soon discover that this is no ordinary meal. In fact, it may be their last meal.