On this latest episode of the Substandard (subscribe, review, tell your friends), we discuss Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his latest movie, Rampage. How bankable is he? As a lead actor, he's not as big at the box office as you'd think. JVL crunches the numbers. Sonny gives us the Big Boy Review (you can read his Free Beacon review here). And I took a pass—you couldn't pay me to see another CGI flick based on a video game involving a giant gorilla not named King Kong and a giant lizard not named Godzilla. That the movie has thus far grossed about $35 million domestic means I am not alone. Although it's playing to big numbers in China.
But wait, there's more! JVL actually saw this movie (for once), and he did so with his mother in law. Go figure. I went rummaging through my closet, deciding to part with a pile of clothes I simply no longer wear or have never worn—probably because it was too tight around my neck (the story of my life). I found a blazer from Britches of Georgetown. Not sure if I have any article of clothing left with a Structure tag. But I do have a sweater from Chess King (I kid!). But most interesting is Sonny's anecdote of walking around Georgetown University with the director William Friedkin. Sonny had never been on campus before and found it quite lovely. Needless to say, tensions were high.
And lastly, we are taking our Substandard show on the road! That's right: On Friday, May 11, we will be recording our show in front of a live audience at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., along with the rest of the Ricochet Podcast Universe. We're talking GLoP, the Remnant, Uncommon Knowledge hosted by Peter Robinson, and more. In other words, we need to represent. So mark that date on your calendars. More details to come. See you there!