Links...worth commenting on...

1. What it is like to ride Japan's Cat Cafe Train - thanks to conuly for the link.

Bill Adler moved to Tokyo from Washington, D.C., about three years ago. Over the phone, he lists a few of his new home’s virtues: “Beautiful country, great food, interesting people,” he says. “And cat café trains.”

This past Sunday, September 10, Adler and a few dozen fellow travelers rode on one of those cat café trains. They were joined by about 30 rescue kittens, which spent the trip climbing the legs of besotted passengers, running back and forth on train benches, and napping on laps.

2. Logo for New Mutant's Film

New Mutants readers will know that's basically just the comic series' classic logo with a little blood-splatter added for effect. It's doubtful that we can expect the exact same image when the film starts putting out teasers and posters. What is interesting, though, is the snowy landscape in the background with a single character (who I would guess is Mirage) standing in a bloody patch. Boone has made no secret of the fact that he intends to make this film not a superhero movie, but a horror movie. To that end the film will, in some way, adapt the iconic "Demon Bear" saga, pitting the young mutants against that particular creature. Based on this very vague image, it looks like that's still the plan.

3. Your Work Schedule Could be Killing You

ER doctors are shift workers, and their hours are spread over a dizzying, ever-changing schedule of mornings, afternoons, and nights that total 20 ­different shifts a month. That’s meant to equally distribute the burden of nocturnal work across an entire team of physicians. But despite those good intentions, Herring says, the result is that every single one of them is exhausted and sleep ­deprived. That’s dangerous for doctor and patient alike.

4. Hadrian's Wall - Unearthed Lost Secrets of the First Roman Soliders -hmmm, reminds me of a certain Doctor Who episode.

Archaeologists are likening the discovery to winning the lottery. A Roman cavalry barracks has been unearthed near Hadrian’s Wall, complete with extraordinary military and personal possessions left behind by soldiers and their families almost 2,000 years ago. A treasure trove of thousands of artefacts dating from the early second century has been excavated over the past fortnight.

The find is significant not just because of its size and pristine state, but also for its contribution to the history of Hadrian’s Wall, showing the military build-up that led to its construction in AD122. The barracks pre-dates the wall: the Romans already had a huge military presence in the area, keeping the local population under control.

5. Reasons to Save/Watch Dark Matter -- so the Mary Sue is trying to convince me to watch Dark Matter. It makes some good points - space opera, strong female characters, diversity of casting, makes you laugh - but the show's been cancelled. And it's been cancelled prior to wrapping up key story-arcs. Been there done that. (See Sense8) Sounds a wee bit masochistic to do it again. Makes more sense to continue watching the Expanse or trying Kill Joys, which got a two season stay of execution and plenty of time to wrap itself up.

Also, I think the writer of the article completely misinterpreted "The Expanse". Which happens. I read Leviathan Wakes, so had a completely different interpretation of the story and plot than they did. But I thought it clear enough in the show.

This brings up a bit of interesting conversation I over head at the end of the day.

Manager: People just refuse to see the other side. They are so stuck in their own point of view.
Minion (or Supervisor): True, but sometimes you can be so emotionally attached to a situation that you can't see outside of that. I know, because believe it or not, I've been in that position and often haven't been able to see the other side's perspective as a result.
Manager: Oh I believe it. (laughter)

This conversation stuck with me, because it is so true. It's why it's never good to enter into discourse or debates when emotions are involved. You can't talk to someone who is furious for example. The more emotionally invested someone is in their own point of view, an idea, a television show or character, etc, the less likely they will see any other point of view. It hurts too much.
That's why we have fandom kerfuffle's and well...kerfuffle's over everything.

6. Apparently JJ Abrahms is now directing the next Star Wars film (this is the one premiering in 2019, after this one, which they had to completely rewrite because of Carrie Fishers Death.

Also it's debuting December 2019, one week before or after (I forget which) Wonder Woman 2, which is being directed by Patty Jenkins. (That bit wasn't in the article it was in another article which you can google on your own.

Cool and Interesting Trailers

There's some odd movies coming out...that I didn't know about:

1. The Current War starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Thomas Edison), Michael Shannon (Westinghouse), and Nicolas Hoult (Tesla).

2. The Man Who Invented Christmas starring Dan Stevens (Dickens) and Christopher Plummer (Scrooge). It's more similar to Shakespeare in Love, hardly accurate, but looks fun.

3. The Jungle starring Daniel Radcliff - who keeps doing weird horror movies...man meets Jungle, Jungle wins.

4. Downsizing - starring Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz and Kirsten Wigg...directed by Alexander Payne, (and yes, I see a trend here too that there aren't many women in these movies..) is a weird film about people choosing to miniaturize in order to afford the world. (I'd worry about the spiders, personally, and the bugs. But that's just me.) It's not a horror film.

5. Jeeze, there are lot of Marvel adaptations at the moment...it goes on and on and on... (And they forgot to include all of Fox's properties. Legion, X-Men, The Gifted, and The New Mutants...which are actually more interesting and less campy.)

6. Wait. There is a sequel to Mama Mia? Why is there a sequel to Mama Mia?

7. Goodbye Christopher Robin...about AA Milne. A biopic about the creation of Winnie the Pooh, it's really a story about Milne and his son, and the consequences of writing the book and how if affected that relationship.

8. The Alienist adapted as a television series on TNT - from the Caleb Carr book.

9. Molly's Game starring Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba and written by Aaron Sorkin based on the true story of a woman who ran a high priced poker club.

10. A Wrinkle in Time - adapted into a movie
This is the favorite Madeline L'Engle Book.

And, Top 10 Upcoming Fantasy Movies... notable for the one's that have already flopped, such as Dark Tower.