The Skolney Blog

VIKINGS 39 PACKERS 22 The Vikings opened their 2026 season by beating the Packers by 17 points. You might think that means the Vikings kind of dominated the game. But oh, how that wasn't the case. These two teams have played each other 132 times, and this has to go down as one of the goofiest, weirdest entries.  If you believe in omens, the Vikings season couldn't have begun much worse. On the opening drive, on Kyler Murray's 1st pass, he threw a hideous lob ball interception, firing up all the smelly Packers fans who infiltrated the purple palace.  The Packers didn't move the ball, but their rookie kicker (named Smack) hit a long field goal. The rest of a bad first quarter saw the Vikings fall behind further, as Christian Watson had an 81-yard catch and run touchdown through a Vikings secondary that spent much of the day looking hideous. Following that TD came the biggest blow. On a scramble, Murray slid down and got hit (illegally) by two Packers. The good news is it ...

Let's get this out of the way quickly.  I think the Vikings are winning the NFC North at 10-7. I think the division could be won by anybody and could finish in any order. So, in that scenario, why not just pick the Vikings? I don't expect Kyler Murray to have a sensational season, but I do think he will be an effective playmaker and distributor. I expect a big Justin Jefferson season. Addison and Jennings will get theirs (both are playing for their own dollars). I think Hockenson has something left. The run game has never been satisfactory under KOC, but, well, hopefully, this year, it's an asset. We got a healthy Darrisaw. If Brandel can hold down center, the OL should be rock solid. And the defense could be the best we have had since peak Zimmer. Gone are some of the crappy veterans. The run defense has been an evergreen issue, but with Banks and Orange added to a talented bunch of youngsters that should improve. Linebackers are good, and Dallas Turner is primed for a sta...

In theaters: THE END OF OAK STREET The kind of fun late summer movie that always goes down well. A suburban neighborhood is mysteriously transported from the 80s to the age of the dinosaurs. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor have to keep their family (including daughter Maisy Stella!) safe. Watching Hathaway fire a shotgun at dinos is quite enjoyable. I really liked this movie, even though its ending backs off one of its more daring twists.  COYOTE VS ACME A movie that Warners tried to bury for tax purposes finally sees the light of day. And it deserves to be seen. It's a really fun, zippy mix of Looney Tunes and live action, centered on the coyote suing ACME for always making defective products that keep him from catching that roadrunner. Will Forte, a great match for material, is the lawyer the coyote hires. Pretty much all the usual characters pop up, but this is mostly a coyote tale. Lots of clever comedy here, and even a sweet little bit at the end that recontextualizes a relati...

1986: We now arrive at the first movie I cared about.  I was 7 years old in 1986 (do the math, I'm old), and by far my favorite bit of what would later come to be commonly called "IP" was the Transformers. I watched the animated series all the time. I had tons of the toys. And then here comes this movie. So I didn't understand things then about TV seasons or character continuity or all that. I just knew the show and characters. So I probably didn't even know what the movie itself was, other than thatnit was a movie. I had only seen a few movies in theaters at that point, and I think they were all tied to birthday parties. So Transformers: The Movie marked the first time I went to a movie because I wanted to see that movie. I have some vague memories of seeing the commercials for it. I didn't know anything about release dates or anything like that. I don't even remember what theater I saw this at. Honestly, I don't even recall the experience...

PHILLIES 7 TWINS 5 Okay, we had some fun. We had some laughs. But it's time to admit the Twins aren't only not making the playoffs, they never were.  Since I last set foot in Target Field, we had the trade deadline. And for the first time in years, the Twins were absolute buyers (albeit buying from the bargain bin), bringing in starting pitcher Dean Kremer and relievers Jeff Hoffman and AJ Minter.  The other thing that happened, though, is that the Twins went in the tank. They came into Sunday 4-7 since the deadline. Hilariously, this hadn't cost them too much ground in the "race" for the 3rd wild card, cause all these other teams "fighting" for the spot have stayed bad, too.  But Sunday proved one thing pretty conclusively. We have all been fooling ourselves. The Twins are not at all eliminated from the playoffs, but they will NEVER make it.  Sunday was close to a must win game. The Phillies had clobbered the Twins in consecutive games, including the Fi...

"Marvel is cooked," they said. Idiots. The 4th MCU Spiderman entry, Brand New Day picks up shortly after the end of No Way Home, where everybody forgot who Peter Parker is. Peter is still Spiderman, and still fighting bad guys, and working with the police. Good. It's a tired trope to have the cops hate Spiderman. But he has no friends, and still stalks MJ and Ned on social media (not in a weird way). The only people he sort of has are a friendly police chief, and Frank Castle! Yes! Jon Bernthal's Punisher is in this, and quite a bit. Obviously, he is toned down from his show, and there's a lot more comedy in his testy relationship with Peter.  The early part of the movie is kind of an extended montage, pushing through about 4 years, just long enough for MJ and Ned to finish college, return to NY, and be involved in the plot. The main plot involves a mystery figure or entity or something taking people over, and going after Damage Control, the government...