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Just posted today on the creator’s Mastodon account.

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Local media in Prague, Czech Republic, are continuing to provide updates on early production for Birdwatcher — working title for the new Monsterverse Monarch: Legacy of Monsters spinoff show focused on Lee Shaw during the Cold War in the 1980s.

The Prague Reporter can reveal exclusive photos from the production, showing star Wyatt Russell on location alongside an array of period props and vehicles. The imagery points to a story set in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, with Russell’s Lee Shaw apparently operating undercover and under pursuit by the KGB…

The Prague Reporter’s exclusive set photos offer the clearest look yet at Birdwatcher‘s Cold War setting. Several images show period props featuring Cyrillic lettering, while others capture Russell in scenes that appear to depict his character moving covertly behind the Iron Curtain...

…e Cyrillic markings on props strongly suggest that Birdwatcher is portraying the Soviet Union, although the specific locations represented by the scenes have not been officially identified. Previous reports have placed the story in 1984, when Shaw is sent on a secret mission behind enemy lines to prevent the Soviet Union from unleashing a Titan capable of changing the course of the Cold War.

Here a couple of the large number of behind the scenes photos from the article.

Note: the lower photo for bread store #61 🍞— хлеб is Russian for bread.

I think that I can almost enjoy how much people are getting bent out of shape by this on other social media. (I confess to scanning a few of the comments under that TrekMovie article.)

Dropping in belatedly to say that my partner and I felt this was an improvement over the season premiere, and we felt it got things back on track.

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Mystic Nine (2026) (mydramalist.com)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website to c/quarks@startrek.website

As there has been a fair bit of interest when I shared information on a recent Mainland Chinese science fiction movie, I thought it would be worthwhile to let the users here know about the top ranked urban fantasy television series Mystic Nine that is the hit of the summer with a 30% market share in China.

If you’re looking to try a 20th century fantasy show with a touch of horror and monsters, timey wimey shenanigans, lots of humour, cute dogs, great vfx and the kind of fantastic action scenes that Chinese television excels in, this is the one. (If you are a fan of Moopsy in Star Trek Lower Decks, this show definitely has something for you.)

Mystic Nine (2026) is a 30 episode x 40 minute series produced for Youku but more easily accessible internationally through Rakuten Viki.

It’s part of a larger Lost Tomb IP novel and television franchise that involves 9 clans responsible for the 9 gates of the city Changsa in the Republican Era. Think of Raiders of the Lost Ark meeting Republican Era factionalism.

This entry takes place in 1935 and the book author was reportedly closely involved in the adaptation. It’s a good entry into the IP and the opening credits give a nutshell summary of the clans.

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A review and update on the latest IDW comic offering in the Godzilla franchise as well as a reflection on the evolution of comics as separate narratives from screen.

Flash forward to the modern era and Godzilla comics are just fucking weird! No concept seems to be too outlandish. No crossover too absurd. No retcon too sacrilegious.

Indeed, if you’ve picked up a book from IDW lately (the custodians of the brand as far as print is concerned), you’ll have been exposed to some of the wackiest takes on the King of the Monsters imaginable. He’s been sent to hell (both Norse and Catholic), corrupted by the Venom symbiote, fought 16th-century pirates, and been the subject of a geopolitical conspiracy that triggered the respective assassinations of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Bugsy Siegel and Abraham Lincoln. Some of those things all happened in the same batshit story!

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Since Ellison committed to hold off on the merger until the case was resolved, based on this decision,, the merger is years away if happening. Paramount is unsurprisingly unhappy at such a late trial date as they’d asked for a trial date no later than November 2026.

The judge hearing the antitrust case seeking to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger has issued a preliminary scheduling order, with a trial set to start in March 2027 — considerably later than Paramount was hoping for.

Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin on Tuesday issued a ruling that said the trial will run a total of 12 court days, beginning Tuesday, March 2, 2027, and ending March 19. In her order, she said a final pretrial conference will be held Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2027. The judge said the parties must submit a joint case management statement by no later than noon on Aug. 13, 2026, for an initial case management conference on Aug. 19.

9

Breaking news on Godzilla Minus Zero world premiere.

The 2026 NY Film Festival will host the world premiere of Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus Zero.

The sequel to sleeper hit Godzilla Minus One will screen as the Spotlight gala selection on Sept. 26 at the 64th annual event.

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submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website to c/quarks@startrek.website

David Ellison announced yesterday, as financial markets closed, that the Paramount-WB merger would be paused until mid 2027 in response to ongoing antitrust concerns. The 12 intervening states successfully obtained a restraining order last Monday.

From the Gizmodo article:

Paramount has agreed to a delay of its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery after a group of 12 states sued to stop the $111 billion deal. The states, led by California, brought the lawsuit over antitrust concerns, and Paramount has agreed to close the deal until five days after a potential trial is held or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first, according to a court filing.

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Cool article about a great initiative.

If you’re not reading articles frequently from The Japan Times, the paywall shouldn’t kick in.

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submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website to c/monsterverse@startrek.website

A suitably summery Godzilla cartoon from Grickle. Available for purchase from the creator at the link to their website.

7

Titans in a theme park ride set in the Hollow Earth? Sounds cool.

A press release describes it as a “multimedia dark ride,” as well as “the world’s first attraction to integrate Legendary’s Monsterverse into a fully immersive theme park experience,” and it’s joining Lotte World Adventure‘s slate of attractions starting July 24. Here’s an effects-heavy trailer setting the mood but not giving too much actual insight into what to expect.

Wish it were closer than Seoul, South Korea. Perhaps Canada’s Wonderland could add something like this?

12

This coverage by Variety of the legal challenges to the Paramount-WB merger is intriguing.

Are blockbuster films a separate market? Or are they interchangeable with other forms of entertainment?

The $111 billion ParamountWarner Bros. merger may hang on that question. On July 13, a coalition of 12 states sued to block the deal, arguing that it will lead to excessive concentration in the theatrical and basic cable markets. The strongest claim may be that the combined entity will control 30% of the market for “anticipated top-grossing films.”

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A new official trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero was dropped today by Toho.

Enjoy!

I’ll come back with another post with links to some of the trailer analyses out there after a few days

[-] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 99 points 4 months ago

It’s a silver lining to see Shatner using his platform for the greater good.

[-] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 53 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

”…the show failed to find its significant audience.”

Put a show on a streamer that is targeting a completely different audience, and let the entitled vocal fans run wild with unchecked brigading, and then be surprised by low “crowdsourced” ratings.

Sigh.

This is depressing, if accurate, in that it may also be a signal that the new owner is looking for a new production company to manage the franchise just when things had finally and consistently stabilized with Secret Hideout.

I’m not hopeful for an SNW continuation in a Year One show, or Tawny’s project either.

[-] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 27 points 3 years ago

I thought she’d directed episodes of Voyager too.

Memory Alpha credits her with Voyager episodes ‘Riddles’ and ‘Workforce Part II’.

[-] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 39 points 3 years ago

There are exceptions. Someone who was up until recently a teacher may fall into the category of being in a position of trust or authority towards the minor. Without knowing the legal precedents, it’s hard to know how much of an edge case this is.

From the JusticeThe following factors may be taken into account when determining whether a relationship is exploitative of the young person:

From the* Justice Canada webpage on Age of Consent*

Sexual exploitation A 16 or 17 year old cannot consent to sexual activity if:

  • their sexual partner is in position of trust or authority towards them, for example their teacher or coach
  • the young person is dependent on their sexual partner, for example for care or support the relationship between the young person and their sexual partner is exploitative

The following factors may be taken into account when determining whether a relationship is exploitative of the young person:

  • the young person's age
  • the age difference between the young person and their partner
  • how the relationship developed (for example, quickly, secretly, or over the internet)
  • whether the partner may have controlled or influenced the young person
[-] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 54 points 3 years ago

There’s still very low understanding of how devastating and threatening the convoy protests were for the residents and businesses in the core of Ottawa.

Residents, businesses and people who work downtown in Ottawa roll with protests day-in and out. Large ones usually are usually respectful of the legal limits, and local people know how to plan their days to avoid them if they need to.

This protest damaged hearing with unremitting high decibel air horns, polluted the air with weeks of nonstop truck emissions, actively harassed, intimidated and threatened local residents trying to get to work and essential services, filled the streets with garbage and feces.

They also created significant fire hazards and risked major explosions, including by creating a large stash of gasoline in tanks in Confederation Park - directly across the street from city hall, an armoury, and close to a high school as well as right across the narrow Rideau canal from National Defence headquarters.

But it was the utter lack of consideration for the most vulnerable that truly showed the incredible selfishness and lack of compassion of the protesters.

There are many lower income, disabled and senior residents in coop apartments downtown. Many rely on visiting services from care workers who could not get through the protests on most days. A small proportion had family and friends who were able to host them outside the area of the protests, most were trapped, isolated and terrorized.

[-] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 27 points 3 years ago

While in no way intending to minimize the economic hardship inflation has had on Canadian’s lives, to be clear, this is ‘standard of living’ defined as real GDP per capita.

That is it measures the arithmetic mean or average of what the economy produces adjusted for general inflation. It says nothing about how income or wealth is distributed or other key factors that determine wellbeing at an individual, household or societal level.

This is not generally viewed as the best measure of quality of life or societal wellbeing. Critics from across the political spectrum globally have been critical of the focus on GDP per capita for decades. It says something that TD as a bank is still focused on it.

The OECD Finance Ministers adopted a Wellbeing Framework to measure and compare across countries. Canada has its own version that StatsCan is reporting on.

[-] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 29 points 3 years ago

There just doesn’t seem to be a limit to the amount of hype I’m willing to soak up in anticipation of this crossover.

Nothing close to too much as yet.

[-] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 35 points 3 years ago

Well, I have to give the OP credit for outrageous audacity.

Coming to the main community on the dedicated Star Trek instance to argue that users should subscribe elsewhere is inherently a criticism. It says a lot about the tolerance of the mods and admins here that it’s been left to stand.

I myself appreciate a well moderated community because I believe it enables more discussion not less.

[-] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 29 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago)

What stood out to me in the article was the disingenuous quote from the Oil & Gas industry saying that tax breaks aren’t subsidies because they are part of the tax system.

Those familiar with the tax system and public finance will be aware that Finance Canada has published a list of Federal Tax Expenditures and their value for a long time. There’s even a distinct section for fossil fuels.

Tax subsidies are subsidies.

[-] StillPaisleyCat@startrek.website 27 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago)

Overbooking is regrettably the long standing practice of Air Canada.

Missing a holiday of a lifetime is really unfortunate. We’ve nearly experienced more dire circumstances travelling with small children when Air Canada attempted to bump us when we were connecting overseas from a codeshared flights.

Dan Gardner is right to profile his experience. I especially appreciate his underscoring that no matter how many steps he took as a customer - early online checkin 24 hours before the flight, arrival and in person checkin the airport well in advance, he and his son were still mysteriously taken off the flight at the gate at boarding with no explanation. The blithe disrespect that the staff at the checkin and gates have towards the travellers in such situations is one of the things that make flying with Air Canada so incredibly stressful.

Once upon decades ago, Air Canada used to offer vouchers for free additional flights as an incentive for travellers to agree to take a later flight. Now Air Canada feels it has the right to impose significant financial and personal cost on it customers without compensation, recourse or explanation.

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StillPaisleyCat

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