The Heavyside Lair is Basically Cathalla

It's been around a decade since I became enamoured with Cats. I watched that officially recorded video of the stage show from the 90s and bought the soundtrack, which I still listen to. When I was 20, I did my final night of trick-or-treating as Rum Tum Tugger, which was followed by a night on the town that saw me walk into a bar for the lavatory and win their costume contest withouth actually entering it.

Anyway, I was primed for the movie version, and it triumphed. It really filled out the source material in wildly fantastical ways, and it clearly showed the wonders achievable by adapting stage musicals. I've long thought that more productions could be given that treatment. "Hamilton" is an obvious choice for sheer popularity, and I'd be intrigued at the prospect of a cinematic "Wicked". 

Basically, "moar plz."

Bonus Question!

Best cinematic musical?

"Moulin Rouge!"

Rise of Spoilwalker

So. Oscar Isaac now looks like the theoretical person of whom Bruce Campbell is a caricature. 

Anyway, I saw "Rise of Skywalker". First of all, I loved all the Sith nonsense. Of all the concepts in the entirety of science fiction, the one I cherish even above Jedi stuff is Sith stuff, and this movie had more than any film in the saga. Why do I love it? Because it's like the inimitable Jedi stuff with a lean towards Romanticism instead of the often austere ideals of Enlightenment philosophy. Obviously, Sith tend to be  pretty bad dudes, but at its core, the Sith code celebrates passion and self-expression in a way reminiscent of the best art.

Related to that is the emphasis on Palpatine in a way that honestly felt like the wild explorations of the old Expanded Universe. And it's always fun to see Palpatine have a good time. 

Before going to see the Star Wars movie became a holiday tradition for my family, Middle-earth filled that role. Appropriately, "Rise" reminded me of "Return of the King", primarily in the way it crammed a whole bunch of things into an epic final chapter, including rolling hills.

I'm always here for more Star Wars, but in terms of ending a saga, this felt

worthy.

Also, "Cats". It's been around for decades. How are people so shocked at this movie?

Bonus Question!

Top Skywalker?

Anakin.