DAILY DIRT: Only the Dark Knight could take down Bane

Daily Dirt for Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024

A pumpkin spice-scented trash bag? … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,089 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Welcome to our final chapter of memorable bad guys from the decades of the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.

Overall, this might be the most eclectic collection in our three-day series. Each of today’s picks is strangely bizarre in his own right, so … let’s get this party started:

Gold medal

Tom Hardy as Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012): This was the conclusion of “The Dark Knight” trilogy (featuring Christian Bale as Batman). Bane provided one of Batman’s most feared opponents, complete with his brutish strength, dominating presence and the iconic muffled voice due to the partial mask he wore, which was reminiscent of the old “Mad Max” movies.

Silver medal

Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva in “Skyfall” (2010): Silva possessed just about every characteristic you would want in a bad guy, including a serious mental instability. He was subtly, but extremely complex and bloodthirsty. His performance is a key reason for this James Bond film being considered one of the finest in the series. Bardem is also credited with another major role, having won an Oscar for his role as Anton Chigurh in “No Country For Old Men” in 2007.

Bronze medal

Hugh Keays-Byrne as Immortan Joe in “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015): A warlord whose style is a combination of brutality and theatricality. He is, in every sense, a total monster in the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max, a series that produced numerous memorable bad guys over the years.

Honorable mention

Leonardo Di Caprio as Calvin Candie in “Django Unchained” (2012): Candie is a charming but cruel Southern gentleman who uses his wealth and social status to justify his penchant for violence and position as a slaveholder.

2. Did you know (Part 154)

• That Hefty is currently offering pumpkin spice-scented trash bags.
• That Firehouse is now offering a Thanksgiving turkey sub that has carved turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo on a sub roll.
• That Walmart’s Bettergoods premium cookie brand is unveiling Berry Chantilly (with “real” strawberries, blueberries), Cinnamon Roll (with an orange glaze), Lemon Chiffon and Wedding (with almond flavor, powdered sugar) cookies.
• That Werther’s will soon be featuring a new caramel apple-flavored hard candy. If you haven’t seen it yet at your favorite supermarket, it should not be long.
• That some new flavors of KitKat candy bars on the way, including Ghost Toast and Vanilla. Also watch for Hershey bars with crunchy waffle cone pieces, Reese’s with vanilla tops and chocolate bottoms and a Reese’s Big Cup with fudge. 

3. The most popular dog names? Well, according to usnews.com, they are:

• 1. Bella
• 2. Luna
• 3. Max
• 4. Daisy
• 5. Charlie
• 6. Coco
• 7. Buddy
• 8. Lucy
• 9. Milo
• 10. Bailey

Steve Thought O’ The Day — I have never met a dog named Luna in my entire life, but there is a dog named Bella in our neighborhood. I will now acknowledge it with the “No. 1” salute.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He’s the one flipping off dogs named Bella in his subdivision.