Captain Marvel Easter eggs

Hilarious image stolen from hilarious interwebs.

Heads up. This is spoiler country.

I'm going to tell you about some of the specific nerdy foiled-wrapped chocolate nuggs Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, their co-writers, and their Marvel overlords left behind for you to find in Captain Marvel. I'll admit that some of these aren't technically "Easter eggs" but are rather "nerdy comic book details loosely related to things I saw in the movie", which is way less catchy than "Easter eggs".

So if you stumbled in here by accident, you can still leave now without doing yourself a spoiler-related injury. I'm just padding out this top bit of the article in case you did stumble in here by accident. It happens all the time on the internet.

If you were looking for an actual review, here's one I prepared earlier. It's so spoiler-free I haven't even named Brie Larson's character in it. Shop around - you won't get a better deal than that.

Pictured: The Woman Without A Name.

Ok, still padding.

You still have time to leave. How about reading this ranking of all the MCU movies?

Oh, you're still here.

Ok, here we go then.

Monica Rambeau

Carol Danvers' best bud in the film is Maria Rambeau, but it's her daughter Monica Rambeau that you need to keep an eye on. Played by awesomely named youngster Akira Akbar, Monica grows up in the comics to be a character called Photon. You know, just like her mum's nickname, as painted on the side of her mum's jet. When Monica Rambeau was introduced in the comics, she was known as Captain Marvel. Then she became Photon. Oh, and Pulsar, Daystar, Sceptre, Lady of Light, Monica Marvel, Sun Goddess, and Spectrum. Just pick a name already. Anyway, she's got some serious powers in the comics.

Photon isn't the only kid floating around in the MCU destined to become a superhero. Cassie Lang, AKA daughter of Scott "Ant-Man" Lang, is known as Stature in the comics, and shares Ant-Man's size-changing abilities.

Goose the Flerken

In one of the best running jokes in the film, Goose the Cat is actually Goose the Flerken. According to the comics, a Flerken is an alien species that just happens to look like a cat. Flerkens are a somewhat rare race of creatures that contain pocket realities, which makes them somewhat like the Tardis - their insides are bigger than their outsides. And aside from the tentacles that can extend from their mouths (as seen in the film) they can lay up to 117 eggs. Makes you look at your cat a bit differently now, right? Also, it's pretty fair to assume Goose (renamed from Chewie in the comics) is named after the Top Gun character, given the film has a real Top Gun vibe at times.

Stan Lee's cameo

Stan Lee's cameo in Captain Marvel sees Stan Lee playing... Stan Lee. He's sitting on a bus reading the script for Mallrats, the comic book-loving Kevin Smith movie from 1995 that Stan Lee cameoed in... as Stan Lee. Kevin Smith subsequently tweeted that he wept tears of joy at this nod to his own oeuvre, partly because it means technically his films exist in the MCU.  It's a sweet gesture not only to Lee, but to Smith, who is a massive comic book nerd. Smith loves this shit, and it means the world to him. Watch him talking about it (and tearing up about it) here:

His humility and passion is a beautiful thing. He seems like a wonderful man. And so was Stan Lee, and this film not only pays homage to the Marvel icon via a cameo, but also through the opening Marvel logo and a nice acknowledgement.

The Supreme Intelligence

The Kree ruler in the film, as it is in the comics, is known as the Supreme Intelligence. In the film, the Supreme Intelligence appears differently to different people, kinda like the Wizard of Oz in L. Frank Baum's original book. But in the comics, the Supreme Intelligence is basically a fat ugly head floating in a jar. Why did they change this for the film? Two reasons (probably). Firstly, it allowed them to plant a seed about the mysteries of Captain Marvel's past - why is this woman appearing in Captain Marvel's dreams and why is she the personification of Captain Marvel's version of the Supreme Intelligence? But secondly, this was probably changed because the Supreme Intelligence is a fat ugly head floating in a jar. And that's fucking weird.

Mar-Vell

The first Captain Marvel in the comics was known by many names. His true Kree name was Mar-Vell, and his Earth identity was Dr Walter Lawson. In the film, he becomes a she, with Annette Bening playing Mar-Vell AKA Dr Wendy Lawson. Don't expect Mar-Vell to get her own origin story or spin-off - it might be too confusing to have a Mar-Vell movie and a Captain Marvel movie. But it's a nice nod to the character that kicked off the whole "Captain Marvel".

Secret Invasion

Firstly, some spoilerific stuff I couldn't mention in my Captain Marvel review. As a comic book fan, I actually like what they did with the Skrulls in the film, ie. made them not the bad guys. While obviously not straight-up-and-down good, the flip of making them victims meant the film had some surprises, even for the most well-read Marvel fans. It's great that these films can still keep us guessing. 

The introduction of the Skrulls means were probably going to get one of the biggest Marvel comic events in film form at some point soon - Secret Invasion. The basic premise is that Skrulls invade Earth by impersonating a few superheroes. It's the ultimate "who can you trust?" storyline. In fact, there are already fan theories floating around that this character or that character is probably already a Skrull and has been for several films. Expect plenty more of that in the future. Which isn't a good thing.

The mid-credits sequence

Does this even need explaining? Ok, fine. Nick Fury used his final act before turning to dust in Avengers: Infinity War to summon Captain Marvel with the quasi-futuristic pager she gave him in Captain Marvel. So that's her showing up (or responding to the page as it were) and meeting the unsuspecting Avengers in the mid-credits sequence. Got it? Good.

Captain Marvel

(M) ★★★½

Director: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck.

Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, Jude Law.

The new ticket inspectors were a bit full on.

Despite the Marvel Cinematic Universe being a money factory and the biggest film franchise of all time, there's a lot riding on Captain Marvel. The main reason for this is that normal well-adjusted comic-book movie fans are hoping the film makes a metric shit-ton at the box office and gets plenty of critical kudos to silence the dickheaded horde of tiny-cocked, neckbearded incels who are too insecure to handle a female-led superhero movie or star Brie Larson suggesting it would be nice to have more diversity among critics.

The good news is Captain Marvel is good. It's not mind-blowing, but it's damned good fun, has a great sense of humour, and does more than enough to keep you guessing and entertained.

The plot centres on Larson's outer-space warrior, who is part of an intergalactic battle between two alien races. In between fights, she's been struggling to remember her past and learn more about the incredible power she has.

When a mission goes wrong, she finds herself stuck on Earth chasing some rogue aliens led by the devious Talos (Mendelsohn). Teaming up with government agent Nick Fury (Jackson) may be her only hope of catching Talos, but it also might help her uncover her past.

Firstly, it's awesome to see Marvel finally give us a female-led film. While it would have been nice to get a Black Widow or Scarlet Witch movie before now, the wait has certainly been worth it. Captain Marvel doesn't skimp on the girl power, but it doesn't make a big deal about it. And in reality, it's about overcoming adversity, disproving the naysayers, and getting back up when you get knocked down - core themes from the superhero subgenre for as long as its been around.

Captain Marvel's biggest strength is Larson. She's a firecracker, injecting humour and bravado with a lightness of touch that keeps things fun and firing. The film is at its best when she's teamed up with Jackson's Fury, who is an old hand at this, but seems like he's having the time of his life. Law also seems to be relishing his big superhero moment, while Mendelsohn does his best to bring some humanity to his role despite being buried under layers of prosthetics.

The film works best when Jackson and Larson are together. Their pairing harks back to the buddy cop action-comedies of the '80 and '90s, but this is the closest the film gets a distinctive style or identity like, say, the psychedelic Doctor Strange, the tribal-futurism and black power of Black Panther, or the first two Captain America films, which were heavily influenced by Raiders Of The Lost Ark and '70s spy paranoia films respectively. 

This leaves Captain Marvel feeling a little samey and occasionally generic. While its '90s setting and soundtrack help set it apart, it sometimes feels forced, particularly in its unsubtle wedging of Nirvana and No Doubt into two key moments. It obviously hopes to ape Guardians Of The Galaxy's Awesome Mixtape Volume 1, but it doesn't work anywhere near as well. 

But Captain Marvel has enough going for it to overlook its stylelessness and occasional heavy-handed musical moments. For starters, its plot is genuinely surprising, and the way it weaves its amnesia mystery is refreshing for a superhero movie. In place of the usual origin story, we have the origin as a question that we have to find the answer to, and the way that answer is wrapped up into the film's wider plot (and indeed the entire MCU) is intriguing. 

Captain Marvel has its flaws, but most of these only stand out because other MCU films have done these things better. Its connectivity to the wider franchise is good, but it suffers a little by comparison. Still, Captain Marvel is a funny and fun introduction to one of Marvel Comics' mightiest Avengers. 

Did Green Book deserve the best film Oscar?

(M) ★★★★

Director: Peter Farrelly.

Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Dimiter D. Marinov, Mike Hatton, Iqbal Theba.

"And then I said 'Jamaica? No she wanted to go!'."

Firstly, let's address the headline question. The short answer is "no", the longer answer is "no, but it's still a great movie".

Of the other best film nominees at the most recent Oscars, Roma and A Star Is Born are better films, and though I haven't seen BlacKkKlansmen or The Favourite yet, the general consensus seems to be they are also superior.

But that's not to say Green Book is a bad film. It's actually really good - simplistic yes, but thoroughly enjoyable. It has its detractors, and maybe it isn't the best film of 2018, but far worse films could have won (and have in the past).

So should we begrudge it its best film Oscar win? No. Much of the criticism of the film and its big win hinge on the many controversies floating around about how truthful it is and the way it deals with the heavy themes in its story. Almost every film seems to attract controversy these days, rightly or wrongly, but Green Book is a surprisingly enjoyable and sweet story set against a backdrop of prejudice and ugliness.

(The controversy, with its defenders and detractors, is best examined in this excellent Hollywood Reporter article - I'm not going to dig too deep into the controversies here, but I really recommend reading this article if you're wondering what all the fuss is about.)

But can we set the controversies aside for a minute and look at whether the film itself is actually any good under the usual criteria of criticism?

It's the story of Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga (Mortensen), an Italian-American nightclub bouncer who is hired by African-American pianist Don Shirley to be his bodyguard and driver on a tour of the Deep South in the 1960s. Tony is a brutish racist, and Don is an elitist trying to fight the good fight, and their journey through the most prejudiced parts of the US in a difficult time will test them both.

It's weird but there's nothing especially groundbreaking or provocative about Green Book. It's been described more than once as a race-flipped rehash of Driving Miss Daisy, which isn't totally inaccurate, and the film's themes have been dealt with a hundred times in more dynamic ways. But the central relationship between the two leads is nicely nuanced, and while it might be a somewhat simplistic tale of overcoming prejudice, it's a good one. Both characters learn from each other in interesting ways, and the script has fun with their arcs. The accusation of the Magical Negro trope is a lazy criticism and doesn't give the script enough credit - this is two people progressing and growing, like most good characters should.

None of it would work if their was no spark between the leads. Thankfully, Ali (a worthy Oscar winner) and Mortensen have great chemistry and fully inhabit their roles, which definitely elevates the film above its simplistic notions of "don't be racist" and "don't be classist".

As well as faking a good piano, Ali carries himself perfectly in every second of the film, whether he be eating, speaking, sitting at a piano, walking into a room, or whatever - it's a complete performance. And Mortensen is just as good. From the New Jersey/Little Italy accent through to Tony Lip's formidable physical presence, Mortensen totally nails this (as he does with every role he plays). But he also brings a lightness to the performance which sits perfectly in the tone of the film.

It's that tone that has perhaps rubbed some the wrong way. Green Book has its heavy moments, but it skims like a rock across a dark pond a lot of the time. It's what makes the film so unexpectedly funny, and feelgood, despite its inherent grimness. This is also part of what makes it so strong. It's got light and shade, which appears to be a nice reflection of the real life relationship between Shirley and Vallelonga (it's hard to imagine the relationship working any other way to be honest - there has to have been moments of levity amid the darkness of their travels together).

It's the script and performances that really make Green Book work. Farrelly's direction is unobtrusive but his background in comedy pays off. And the screenplay (which won an Oscar) is compact and colourful. It never feels tired or like it's stretching to make a point.

Green Book will probably get a reputation as an unworthy best film Oscar winner, which won't tell the whole story. It may not have been the best film of 2018, but it's a worthy nominee and still well worth your time.

Stan & Ollie

(PG) ★★★½

Director: Jon S. Baird.

Cast: Steve Coogan, John C. Reilly, Shirley Henderson, Nina Arianda, Rufus Jones, Danny Huston.

The horse was eventually sacked by the studio, but Laurel and Hardy continued as a duo.

It's a cruel shame that John C. Reilly's 2018 features a Razzie nomination for Holmes & Watson, but not an Oscar nomination for Stan & Ollie. Hidden under a fat suit, his turn as Oliver Hardy is one of the key reasons to watch this decent biopic about the latter days of iconic comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.

Coogan's performance as Laurel is also good (if a little caricaturish at times), and this starring pair goes a long way toward making up for the shortcomings of this dramedy.

After an impressive single-take intro that shows Laurel and Hardy at work in their heyday in 1937, the story skips forward to 1953, where the ageing pair begin a lengthy theatre tour of England and Ireland amid lacklustre promotion from their producer Bernard Delfont (Jones). As the tour progresses and Delfont finally gets some publicity happening, the crowds begin to improve, but the relationship between Laurel and Hardy is on the decline.

For a film about one of the greatest comedy pairings of all time, Stan & Ollie isn't as amusing as you hope it would be. The recreations of some of their best bits is a hoot (their "Double Door" routine is a classic), as are some of Laurel's one-liners, but it's not as funny as you would expect.

The drama element is also a little underdone. Tensions supposedly simmering for many years aren't evident in the way the relationship is predominately portrayed - instead they burst almost out of nowhere in one scene, and the damage is then repaired all too quickly. Thankfully there are other issues to overcome, so the film is never dull, but given that the relationship is the centrepiece of the film, some more ups and downs would have helped.

In spite of the slightly undercooked drama and the need of a bit more comedic spice, Stan & Ollie is an enjoyable meal. As mentioned, Reilly's performance is the highlight, and the way he and Coogan work together, particularly in the skit recreations, is a real joy.

The story itself is interesting, and a good vehicle for exploring the nature of Laurel and Hardy's legacy. In many ways, it's a nice tribute to their careers, as well as the obvious fondness they shared for each other. 

I wanted to laugh and cry more in this, in part due to the obvious affection the filmmakers, Reilly and Coogan seemingly have for these two giants of comedy - an affection you can't help but share by the time the credits roll. In lieu of these emotional extremities, Stan & Ollie suffices as an okay-enough look into the later lives of two legends. 

Alita: Battle Angel

(M) ★★★

Director: Robert Rodriguez.

Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Mahershala Ali, Keean Johnson, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. 

Tomato sauce - the next big thing in cosmetics.

If you're working in the sci-fi/action/horror/superhero genres, there's no such thing as making just one film anymore. No, every movie is merely a pretext for a franchise; a trilogy at least, but more likely a full cinematic universe of spin-offs, sidequels, prequels and other such moneymakers. As much as I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it has a lot to answer for in this regard.

The latest of these franchises-in-waiting is this adaptation of Yukito Kishiro's manga series Gunnm AKA Battle Angel Alita, which has already been made into an anime series. In the hands of Rodriguez and writer/producer James Cameron, it aims for the sci-fi heights with its blend of Astroboy, Rollerball, Blade Runner, and Cameron's own Dark Angel.

But, as is the case with so many of these wanna-be cinematic universes, there are too many eyes on the future, and not enough on the film at hand. Alita: Battle Angel is like a wounded magpie - it's close to flying but is distracted too often by shiny, fast-moving things.

The titular Alita (Salazar) is a cyborg, salvaged from a scrapheap by cybernetic surgeon Dr Ido (Waltz). Despite not remembering her past, it soon becomes clear Alita is something special. She's a warrior, and she has awakened in an unrecognisable and dangerous future where people are out to get her.

Amazing CG work is par for the course these days: if your effects look shitty, you haven't given your visual FX houses enough time or money. So it should go without saying that Alita looks amazing. Alita herself, despite sitting pretty in the uncanny valley, is an impressive piece of motion-capture, and her not-quite-realness works because she's not-quite-human. 

The action sequences are also excellent. They're well choreographed and packed with slow-mo and wide shots to make them easy to follow and enjoy. But as pleasing to the eye as these scenes are, so many of them, particularly those featuring the violent sport of motorball, feel superfluous. The script does its best to make them important to the plot, but they regularly slow and bloat the story. 

The screenplay borders on excellent at times, especially in its opening half and early worldbuilding. However it stumbles too often as it progresses, not just with dire dialogue, but with its characters. Love interest Hugo (Johnson) is not conflicted enough or as well-drawn as he should be for someone who is supposedly a nice guy doing bad things, while the changes of heart displayed by him and other players feels overly simplistic. 

Perhaps worst of all though is the obvious "save it for the sequel" mentality that is going on. A largely unseen Big Bad and Alita's mostly unremembered past could be seen as enigmatic, but the film doesn't have that vibe. Instead it feels like its keeping too many pay-offs up its sleeve, instead of telling a full self-contained, well realised story. 

Alita: Battle Angel is at its best when Rodriguez embraces the noirish tones he brought to Sin City. The murky underworld filled with bounty hunters and body-part bandits is fascinating and gives the film a sense of style that's more interesting than many of the video game-esque CG bonanzas. The brawls and encounters that take place in the bars and back alleys have a look and tone to them that make them stand-out.

The other aspect that makes the film work much better than it probably should is Salazar. She gives a solid, endearing and at-times powerful performance from beneath a layer of pixels. Her turn is all the more impressive because her character is so richly written, which is in stark contrast to the parts of Waltz, Ali and Connelly; all of whom do their best with some questionable material.

It remains to be seen whether the box office will propel Alita to its desired status as a franchise, so the real question "is does it deserve to be one?". The best answer I can muster is a Futurama quote: "All I know is my gut says maybe." It has its moments, and in Alita it has a worthy heroine to hang sequels on, but the film itself doesn't have me clamouring for more.

On The Basis Of Sex

(M) ★★★½

Director: Mimi Leder.

Cast: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Stephen Root, Kathy Bates, Sam Waterston, Cailee Spaeny, Callum Shoniker, Jack Reynor, Ronald Guttman, Chris Mulkey.

It's tempting to make a fart joke here, but I'm better than that.

The life of Supreme Court Justice and civil liberties lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg is certainly worthy of a film. While not the first woman to take on the male-dominated courtrooms of America, she was a trailblazer in helping to overturn laws that discriminated on the basis of sex.

Hence the title of this biopic, which explores a pivotal decade-or-so of Bader Ginsburg's life. It's an earnest effort to distil some of her influence and experience into two hours, buoyed by a strong latter half and solid performances from Jones and Hammer, but let down by a patchy start and an inability to be as groundbreaking as its subject.

Jones is The Notorious RBG (as she would come to be known, but don't expect any of that stuff here), who we meet as a first-year Harvard law student. Her husband Martin (Hammer) is a second-year student, and together they share the duties of raising their daughter Jane (Spaeny). But as a strong and intelligent woman in a man's world, Bader Ginsburg faces many obstacles as she strives to be a lawyer.

Finally Martin presents an opportunity to tear down some of those obstacles - a taxation case in which a man has been discriminated against... on the basis of sex. It's the chance to change the world that Ruth has been waiting for, but is she up to the challenge.

On The Basis Of Sex works best as a courtroom drama. When it gives Bader Ginsburg her big opportunity as a legal eagle, the film blossoms, and the seeds sown in the preceding hour of patchy storytelling start to bloom.

It's not that the first half is unwatchable - it's just that it meanders and feels secondary compared to the better latter half. It sets up the characters well, but it doesn't have the tension, urgency or drama of the big court case that dominates the final acts. The opening sections, while interesting and contextual, feel underdone and have all the hallmarks of a by-the-numbers biopic. And for a film about an incredibly intelligent woman, it has a few too many dumb lines in its first hour.

But it gets better. The courtroom scenes and lead-up sequences where the case is built focus the various ideas and personalities into a tighter, punchier piece of storytelling.

Jones does an excellent job in the lead role, aided by a script that thankfully paints her as far from flawless, particularly in some central moments regarding Bader Ginsburg's relationship with her daughter Jane. Hammer is also good, despite the script struggling to find extra dimensions to his character - Martin is portrayed as an exemplary man of his time, but little more, and some added depth might have elevated the opening portions of the film. Kathy Bates, Justin Theroux and the under-rated Stephen Root help ignite the much-needed spark in the second half.

On The Basis Of Sex isn't truly disappointing, like say, Mary Queen Of Scots, but you can't help but feel it could have been better. It comes home with a head full of steam, which makes its opening chapters suffer by comparison.

Overall it's a heartfelt and decent-enough portrayal of an important person, and it does a thankful and well-meaning job of paying tribute to her.

Five things learnt from Double J's 1998 Hottest 100 redux

Youth broadcaster triple j and their grown-up sister station Double J have had a bit of fun lately, stretching the Hottest 100 party out for a full week and a half. In the wake of the official countdown, triple j has played the songs that came 101-200, and replayed the full countdown from 100 to 1. Meanwhile Double J replayed the Hottest 100 from 1998, and then announced they were going to have a re-vote on it.

It wasn't going to change the official 1998 result, but it would be an opportunity for the masses to overturn one of the more controversial results of Hottest 100 history - finally, we could right the wrong that saw The Offspring's Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) top the poll! The do-over results were both incredibly surprising, but also very unsurprising.

It appears unlikely that Double J will release the whole list, but here's what we know (original 1998 positions in brackets):

1. The Offspring – Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) (#1)
2. Regurgitator – ! (Song Formerly Known As.) (#6)
3. Rob Zombie – Dragula (#75)
4. TISM – Whatareya (#36)
5. Garbage – I Think I'm Paranoid (#57)
6. Metallica – Unforgiven II (#67)
7. Beastie Boys – Intergalactic (#25)
8. Josh Abrahams & Amiel Daemion – Addicted To Bass (#16)
9. Rage Against The Machine – No Shelter (#66)
10. Marilyn Manson – The Dope Show (#44)

And from Twitter we have learnt the following:

12. Massive Attack - Teardrop (#23)
20. Hole - Celebrity Skin (#4)
29. Radiohead - No Surprises (#55)

So let's break it all down, and see what it means (because I'm somewhat obsessed with the Hottest 100).

Pretty Fly? Again?

Despite The Offspring even tweeting that they shouldn't have won in 1998 (and urging people to vote for The Living End's Save The Day in the redux), in hindsight it was probably inevitable that Pretty Fly would win again.  This is because three key voting groups were always going to vote for it again - 1) the genuine fans of the song, 2) the trolls, and 3) the weird people who didn't seem to get the idea that this was all a bit of a lark and not officially rewriting history (seriously, there was a surprising number of comments on Double J's Facebook page along the lines of "how dare you rewrite history?"). The bad news is that with the masses confirming the 1998 result, it's probably unlikely Double J will bother doing this again, as fun as it was. With more than 65,000 votes and The Offspring apparently "clear victors (winning) by a truckload of cargo shorts", it seems the people have spoken. Again. And said the same thing.

Couldn't we have at least picked this far superior Offspring song, which came in at #62?

Metal forever!

There's more metal in this re-voted top 10 than most Hottest 100s in recent years. Seeing Marilyn Manson's Dope Show at #10 was a genuine surprise, but Rob Zombie's Dragula up #72 spots had me picking my jaw up off the ground. Throw in Metallica and Rage Against The Machine, and it seems the voters are sending a clear message - Double J needs more metal. And preferably retro metal (probably). What's Andrew Haug doing these days?

At least we've still got a sense of humour

I'm fairly certain Pretty Fly being re-instated at #1 shows the voters have a sense of humour. But if you really needed confirmation, TISM landing at #4 with Whatareya? nails it. Given the huge amount of songs with a touch of the comedic in the 1998 Hottest 100, especially compared with, say, the oh-so-serious 2018 countdown, it was always likely some jokier numbers would be among the reduxed 1998 top 10. Add in Regurgitator, who always loved a gag (pun intended), and it's good to see those of us who were voting again still think humour belongs in music.

Aussie, Aussie... wait, what?

The re-voted top 10 saw the number of Aussie entries drop from seven to three. What's really fascinating about this fact is that some of our biggest '90s legacy bands (Powderfinger, Jebediah, You Am I, The Living End) were tipped out to make way for underdogs such as TISM, Regurgitator, and Josh Abrahams & Amiel Daemion. TISM and Regurgitator certainly have their fans, are iconic Aussie bands, and their top 10 entries come from landmark albums, but this somehow feels like a win for the little guys.

No Surprises? Nah, lots of surprises

Pretty much everything about the new-look top 10 was a surprise (which is great). It's hard to say what was the bigger surprise. Beastie Boys, Regurgitator and The Offspring make sense to me in some way, but it was genuinely surprising that people had such undying love for Rob Zombie's Dragula, Metallica's Unforgiven II, and Marilyn Manson's Dope Show after all these years. Especially those latter two songs, which came at points in their respective careers when these bands supposedly jumped the shark (Metallica cut their hair and Manson went glam). The whole thing was an exercise in nostalgia, so these songs obviously speak to the teenagers hidden inside the 30/40/50-somethings who have migrated from triple j to Double J. And that's what made this whole thing so great.