Marka Ragnos

I saw someone in another best of thread decrying the naming of the best thing first on a best of thread, but I'm sure this one won't do that lol. And yet, weirdly, this very midgrade action hero is my favorite. The cringe jingoism, the ridiculous storyline, the cheesy early 90s haircuts and kung-fu kicks, etc. -- it's got it all, with most of it served up with a complete lack of irony and lots of unintentionally funny dialogue. There's nothing logically great about this film on any level ... and yet, I'm convinced Steven Seagal is the perfect iteration of an action hero on film. He's really in peak form in this one, and so is the genre, perhaps? In general, I have a fondness for cheesy action movies with little 80s touches, like guys with Uzi submachine guns and little pony-tails, and this film never stops giving cheese. Any whiff of over-cleverness or cultural seriousness, and I'm pretty much out, but Under Siege is simple -- Seagal and his sexy bunny versus 40 guys with automatic weapons and "Secret Service" earpieces and Tommy Lee Jones. Or maybe this film is better than I'm giving it credit for? I honestly don't know. But it's perfect comfort-watching bollocks from top to bottom.

Or maybe you'd just rather say who your favorite action hero is from film? Or maybe you want to debate what an action hero even is? In any case, I'd love to read what you guys think.

I couldn't find this posted elsewhere, but I apologise if everyone's already had a laugh over it.

A bit OTT but Jerry Goldsmith and so moving.

The Waitresses

That video is a treasure. Thanks for sharing. He's good at using related keys and jazzy dorian "blue" notes to carry out subtle key changes.

Thank you, Aston Villa.

I feel like the classy ship sailed a long time ago and tumbled off the edge of the earth. Not sure it's coming back.

Children of the Grave -- Geezer Butler bassline is dope. And you know, you want Ozzy's real positive, upbeat lyrical message out there.

Spinal Tap moment.

Can't stand them. I hope we can get into Champions League and go to Madrid and beat them. (Guess I'm in a pugnacious mood today, but thank you seriously for sharing this.)

Time to go mow the back garden lawn -- there's still plenty of light outside here. Can't say the same for VP.

OK, I wasn't going to say it. But I think I might just be clever enough to get what you're talking about here. They're Old Villa. Yes, how dare they. How bloody dare they come here with their messy Old Villa feelings and stuff and spread their dark and sad visions! Be gone, demons!

Amazing -- love it all. Heidi is super cool. On a side note, it's interesting to hear Chris Heck. In terms of his accent, sounds like Philly-area suburban to me. It's how people talk around where I live, so it's a little weird to hear in this context.

Front page of Washington Post, too: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/05/11/dc-united-atlanta-united-christian-benteke/ “ATLANTA — When it comes to aerial expertise, D.C. United’s Christian Benteke has no peers in MLS. Not only is he tall and strong, but he gets into the right positions and times his leaps to perfection before snapping a header with the power of a foot-driven shot. “The Belgian striker brought his midair show to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night, scoring with his head three times in a 36-minute span bridging halftime as United claimed a 3-2 victory over Atlanta.”

Not defending Rodgers as the most tactful manager on earth, but Clement is a piece of work. What a delicate flower.

Why? People are desperate to be "realistic." Or to panic. Or to practice a stubborn, go-for-broke optimism. I know it will sound patronising or paternalistic, but I suppose they're all just varieties of Villigious experiences and trying to cope with the excruciating unknown whilst having a lot of emotional investment in Villa. I prefer your deliberate optimism myself because I think it's what the players think, too, and I like a feeling of connecting with that mentality? It's been interesting to see all these perspectives, in any case. I like to witness them all.

Yeah, and I just heard from John McGinn, and he says after reading this thread, the squad has decided Sunday night is party time, they're giving up, too, and they'll see us all down the Aston Tavern before 1030.

I think people just need to have pre-meltdowns. Just go ahead now and wet the diapers etc, toss the toys out of the pram in advance -- let out that existential cosmic howl of Villa dolour. It would save us all a lot of time.

Love these hopeful thoughts. On that note, I hope Jhon Duran gets a chance to play.

Bit of a contrarian here, but voting Ezri Konsa. The forwards and attacking midfielders always get player of year awards, but Konsa is our unsung hero. Love that guy -- definitely the sleeper pick player of the year. But it's mostly just nice to have all these choice players we all love.

I don't disagree at all. Digne probably deserves to be on poll more than Cash. #Flawedpoll

Who? (I only included players I thought at least had a slim chance of getting a few votes. Lucas Digne, for example, is a really important player, but I couldn't see people picking him as Player of the Season.)