2017 Oscars

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 This year's Oscars are possibly the most Oscar Bait worthy i have seen in over a decade, hell some i haven't even seen, which is a first in over a decade as well. Here are my picks of who should win, who will win and who is more deserving that others.

Picture
Arrival(A Monster Calls should have been nominated)
Fences (have not seen)
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures (have not seen)
La La Land (should win & will win)
Lion (have not seen)
Manchester by the Sea (Swiss Army Man should have been nominated)
Moonlight (have not seen)

Directing
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival (J.A. Boyana for A Monster Calls should be nominated)
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Damien Chazelle, La La Land (should win & will win)
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight (have not seen)
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea (Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert for Swiss Army Man should be nominated)

Best Actor
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea(will win but i think Paul Dano for Swiss Army Man should have been nominated)
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land (should win)
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences (have not seen)

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight (have not seen but will win)
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water (should win)
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea (John Goodman for 10 Cloverfield Lane should be nominated)
Dev Patel, Lion (have not seen)
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

Best Actress
Emma Stone, La La Land (should & will win)
Natalie Portman, Jackie (have not seen)
Ruth Negga, Loving (have not seen)
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins (have not seen)
Isabelle Huppert, Elle

Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis, Fences (have not seen but thinking she will win)
Naomie Harris, Moonlight (have not seen)
Nicole Kidman, Lion (have not seen)
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures (have not seen)
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea (Felicity Jones should be nominated for a Monster Calls)

Adapted screenplay
 Lion, by Luke Davies (have not seen)
 Arrival, by Eric Heisserer (Patrick Ness for a Monster Calls should be nominated)
 Moonlight, by Barry Jenkins (have not seen)
 Hidden Figures, by Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder (have not seen)
 Fences, by August Wilson (have not seen)

Original screenplay
 Manchester by the Sea, by Kenneth Lonergan (Daniel Scheinert & Daniel Kwan for Swiss Army Man should have been nominated)
 Hell or High Water, by Taylor Sheridan
 La La Land, by Damien Chazelle (should & will win)
 20th Century Women, Mike Mills
 The Lobster, by Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos (Shane Black for The Nice Guys should have been nominated)

Cinematography
Bradford Young, Arrival (Natasha Braier for The Neon Demon should have been nominated)
Linus Sandgren,La La Land (should & will win)
Greig Fraser, Lion (have not seen)
James Laxton, Moonlight (Have not seen)
Rodrigo Prieto, Silence

Documentary feature(have not seen any)
Fire at Sea
I am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
OJ: Made in America (will win)
13th

Documentary short:(have not seen any)
Extremis (will win)
4.1 miles
Joe’s Violins
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets

Foreign language film(have not seen any)
Toni Erdmann, Germany (will win)
The Salesman, Iran
A Man Called Ove, Sweden
Tanna, Australia
Land of Mine, Denmark

Sound editing
Sylvain Bellemare, Arrival (A Monster calls should have been nominated)
Wylie Stateman and Renée Tondelli, Deepwater Horizon (have not seen)
Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright, Hacksaw Ridge
Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan, La La Land (should & will win)
Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman, Sully (Green Room should have been nominated)

Sound mixing
Bernard Gariépy Strobl and Claude La Haye, Arrival (A Monster Calls should have been nominated)
Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace, Hacksaw Ridge
Andy Nelson, Ai-Ling Lee and Steve A. Morrow, La La Land (should & will win)
David Parker, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Mac Ruth, 13 Hours (Neon Demon should have been nominated)

Original score
Justin Hurwitz, La La Land (should & will win)
Mica Levi, Jackie (have not seen)
Nicholas Britell, Moonlight(have not seen)
Volker Bertelmann and Dustin O'Halloran, Lion (have not seen)
Thomas Newman, Passengers (Neon Demon should have been nominated)

Original song
 City of Stars, La La Land (should & will win)
How Far I’ll Go, Moana (have not seen)
Audition, La La Land (instead of two for Lala Land i would have put the Riddle of the Model of Drive it Like you Stole It from Sing Street in here)
The Empty Chair, Jim: The James Foley Story (have not seen)
Can’t Stop the Feeling!, Trolls (have not seen)

Production design
Patrice Vermette, Paul Hotte, Arrival (Imperium should have been nominated)
Stuart Craig, Anna Pinnock, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Nice Guys should have been nominated)
Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh, Hail, Caesar! (Neon Demon should have been nominated)
David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, La La Land (should & will win)
Guy Hendrix Dyas, Gene Serdena, Passengers (Star Wars should have been nominated)

Visual effects:
Craig Hammack, Jason Snell, Jason Billington and Burt Dalton, Deepwater Horizon (have not seen)
Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli and Paul Corbould, Doctor Strange
Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Dan Lemmon, The Jungle Book (should & will win)
Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean and Brad Schiff, Kubo and the Two Strings (have not seen)
John Knoll, Mohen Leo, Hal Hickel and Neil Corbould, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (A Monster Calls should have been nominated)

Makeup and hairstyling
Eva von Bahr and Love Larson, A Man Called Ove (have not seen but will win)
Joel Harlow and Richard Alonzo, Star Trek Beyond (should win)
Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson, Suicide Squad (Hacksaw Ridge should have been nominated)

Costume design
Mary Zophres, La La Land (should & will win)
Madeline Fontaine, Jackie (have not seen)
Consolata Boyle, Florence Foster Jenkins (have not seen)
Colleen Atwood, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Neon Demon should have been nominated)
Joanna Johnston, Allied (have not seen)

Film editing
Joe Walker, Arrival (Swiss Army Man should have been nominated)
John Gilbert, Hacksaw Ridge
Jake Roberts, Hell or High Water
Tom Cross, La La Land (should & will win)
Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon, Moonlight (have not seen)

Live-action short (have not seen any)
Ennemis intérieurs, Selim Azzazi
La femme et le TGV, Timo von Gunten
Silent Nights, Aske Bang, Kim Magnusson
Sing, Kristof Deák, Anna Udvardy (will win?)
Timecode, Juanjo Gimenez

Animated short film(have not seen any)
Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl (will win?)
Piper

Animated feature film (have not seen any)
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootopia (will will)

Get Out

2017, how I love you, so far there have been 5 films this year that have been awesome. For this early in the year, that is fantastic. From now on, January & February will no longer be considered dump months, look at the reviews for Split, Lego Batman, John Wick 2, look at the money they made, hell this weekends Get Out is currently sitting at a 100%. The film is fucking amazing, it starts off in a classic horror way, from there we get to know the leads, and then we enter her family, the whites that seem to have a lot of black servants. I predicted the twists at the start, but that did not ruin my enjoyment. Bradley Whitford & Catherine Keener are great in this, their son, Caleb Landry Jones runs with his role, Allison Williams does her best acting yet, way better than Girls(except her ass eating scene). The lead, Daniel Kaluuya, is super charming in this, i have been a fan of his since Sicario, and and re watched his work in Kick Ass 2 and saw his episode of Black Mirror, dude is destined to be a star! Through his acting you legit feel his nerves, anxiety, paranoia and fear. His best friend, LiRel Howery, steals the show, the dude blends humor in such a great way that it doesn't distract you from the horror. And this is a horror film, a legit creepy one, one that makes you think, i wonder if this could happen. Jordan Peele i love, i loved Key & Peele plus on interviews, the dude is a legit nerd, and this film is directed to perfection, the camera moves in great ways, the edits & sound mixing add a lot to the film and at times it feels like a 70s horror film, but not in a throwback sort of way. The font on the opening credits geeked me out, the score is perfect, and the imagery is at times simple and other times surreal, yet all brilliant! This is the sort of horror film Kevin Smith should aspire to make, nay the type of film anyone should aspire to make!

The Great Wall

On paper, a sci fi, fantasy retelling of the Great Wall of China, should be a B Movie fans dream. Only this film doesn't portray itself as a B Movie, instead it is dead serious. Overly serious fantasy is the go to in film & TV these days with Game of Thrones, but unlike Game of Thrones, this here is wooden, and not at all entertaining. Atleast it is well crafted right? I mean it comes from Yimou Zhang, the director of Hero and Curse of the Golden Flower....nope, it still sucks, this is indeed an awful film across the board. Matt Damon must have really thought he was doing the Chinese justice when he signed on to this, plus the great Willem Dafoe is wasted in this film, and you just don't waste his greatness.

Fist Fight

Charlie Day is great, in It's Always Sunny, is is amazing, in his cameos in films such as Vacation, he steals the show, hell he is even the best part of the Horrible Bosses films. Ice Cube was great in Friday, together, the two have chemistry, they just needed a better film. This is indeed a comedy that critics are hating that i will agree with. Comedy seems to be the new punching bag, and i don't want to beat a dead horse as to why this film is bad, but the very talented cast, deserves a better script. The script doesn't need a master director, anyone could do this picture, it's just the jokes are lame and the plot screams 00's Adam Sandler. Perhaps is this was in the hands of Will Ferrell it would have fared better, but somehow, i doubt that.

The Comedian

Take the best parts of the King of Comedy and Funny People, add them together.....well obviously it is better than the Comedian, now take the worst parts of those films, they are still better than the Comedian. The cast phones it in, the script is dull, nothing works. If you want a real film about comedy, watch Sleep Walk With Me or Don't Think Twice It is not that the film is awful, it just isn't good.

A Cure For Wellness

A Cure For Wellness is a Cure for Gore Verbinski! The dude has always made solid flicks(well maybe not the past decade) but has always come off as a studio director for hire. Now he has a film with a vision, a film with atmosphere, a film he directed the fuck out of! If Richard Matheson wrote a book, a book that Stanley Kubrick wanted to direct but never did. If Richard Kelly decided to adapt it in tribute to Kubrick but wanted Terry Gilliam to direct, plus Damon Lindelof produced it along with Zack Snyder being the Director of Photography, then this would be that film. Congrats Gore, you made a compelling film, an unnerving film, a film with shades of Ken Russell, and yes, this film is, as i mentioned unnerving. It build up slow, but not with a slow pace, it lure you in, you take your hit of acid, and wait, then you feel it, and it is great, you don't know what to expect, then blood & fire, oh yes, the come down period. This film is an acid trip of a film, and i would love to trip while watching this, and fully intend to actually do so in the future. The plot even deals with experimental drops on the tongue, and is full of 60s psychobabble quack doctors. The acting is great, the art direction is beautiful, the cinematography is gorgeous, the set design & costuming is top notch, the effects are fantastic.....why the fuck is this rotten on Rotten Tomatoes? I loved every single second of this film, and it fully inspired me, it reignited the passion i have been losing, as a matter of fact, this is the third film from 2017 to do so, along with Split & John Wick, this year has been amazing for films so far!This is the type of film i wanted to make a decade ago, i was highly influenced by Lost, Donnie Darko, 12 Monkeys, Eraserhead, A Clockwork Orange, and other mind fuckish & mind altering films. I don't care, i found this to be perfect! THe marketing, not so much, some ads are saying you will have trouble sleeping, many will go in expecting a satanic or supernatural film, but it is scarier than that, it is about the human mind, and the sick fucks that populate this planet. Now i am going to eat an orange, go to sleep and have amazing dreams because of the fucked up & hauntingly beautiful images i saw in this motion picture. Because it is full of amazing shots....but as beautiful as it is at times, it is equally as dark, there is one scene towards the end that is rather tough to watch, but that was the intention, this film has balls & is innovative, even if the plot is the Prisoner meets Shutter Island, it does so with a twist!

Top 5 Matches of January

1. Bobby Roode vs Shinsuke Nakamua: Takeover San Antonio

2. John Cena vs AJ Styles: Royal Rumble

3. Kevin Owens vs Roman Reigns: Royal Rumble

4. Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega: Wrestle Kingdom

5. Adam Cole vs Kyle O'Reilly: Wrestle Kingdom

The Space Between Us

I didn't expect this flick to be this bad, the trailer looked good i thought, lil sappy, but good. The date being pushed back, and back and back, was not good. The reviews were horrendous, but alas i gave it a shot. The cast does as good of a job as they can with the script at hand. It really goes no where, and just feels lazy, great concept but it doesn't know how to build on itself.

Monster Trucks

This was a fun flick, nothing great, but a fun throwback to films of the 60s, with a touch of 90s kids films. The cast is charming, you can tell they are having a fun time, the flick has a cool concept, and cool visual, the story is a little weak, but fuck it. If you are a horror fan and looking to connect with your child, and build a bridge to better films, this is it!

Death Race 2050

Fuck yes, over the top action films are back! Roger Corman is also back, him producing got me excited for this, and the film didn't let down. Fuck the remakes, this is a sequel we should have had in the 80s but it is even better now, as it feels like a love letter! Remake by way of a sequel sort of thing. Boobs, gore, dark humor, everything you should want in a B Movie, an Action movie. I wish it would have had a theatrical run, as this would have been awesome to catch on the big screen, but alas it is streaming on Netflix, so check it out. The satire is there, and in today's climate, satire is good, so earn your points and enjoy the film for whatever reason, satire, comedy, action, whatever, it hits all the right notes!

Justice League Dark

What the fuck? The past few years DC has been delivering solid animated films, so solid that i decided to start putting them on my year end lists, but last year's Killing Joke was pretty bad, sure we got Return of the Caped Crusaders, but that was a tongue in cheek 66 inspired film. The other night i saw the Lego Batman movie, possibly my favorite animated film in a decade or so, if not longer, but again, tongue in cheek. Most of the Batman comic inspired animated films have had dark undertones, Dark Knight Returns being the best of the bunch, Killing Joke had the R rating, but it did nothing with it, it also did nothing with the script, but compared to Justice League Dark, it is a masterpiece. Constantine is awfully boring in this, Zatanna is dull as fuck, Swampthing is perfect, and i hated Batman. THe story makes Suicide Squad look like a Wes Anderson script, this is easily the worst thing DC has done since the live action Green Lantern.

Favorite Films of 2016

1. LaLa Land
Possibly the best film of 2016, gorgeous film, great music, i hope it sweeps the awards!

2. Swiss Army Man
Super emotional & though provoking film, Paul Dano & Daniel Radcliffe are perfect!

3. Green Room
One of the most intense films in recent years, Anton Yelchin is fantastic in this, and will be missed, i would have loved to have seen him & Jeremy Saulnier to continue to work together.

4. Rogue One
It may not be Force Awakens, but this flick gets better every day, and it isn't nostalgia, the second time i saw it, it was just as good!

5. Monster Calls
I teared up a few times, it works as a great coming of age film, a depressing drama, brilliant animation & fantasy!

6 Neon Demon
Easily the most beautiful film of the year, par none! Oh and has the ballsiest ending for a theatrical film in years!

7. 10 Cloverfield Lane
A sequel that isn't really a sequel, and is actually better than the first! John Goodman does the best acting of 2016 in this film!

8. Jungle Book
My favorite Disney Animated film is the Jungle Book, this flick is actually a wonder if only for the visuals but if you love the cartoon, i hope you love this!

9. Nice Guys
The wittiest film of the year!

10. Sing Street
I loved the songs in Once but this is perfect! I loved it, great coming of age flick, goes deep in to relationships, friendships & ones art, perfect film!

11. TMNT Out of the Shadows
This flick made me totally re-fall in love with the Turtles, to me it was a adaptation of the cartoon.

12. Star Trek Beyond
Easily the most episodic feeling episode of any of the Trek films!

13. Phantasm Ravager
I don't know all what happened, but i enjoyed every minute! I adore this franchise!

14. Hectic Knife
Low budget done right, trash cinema in a hilarious way, meta all the way.

15.Hell or High Water
Bad ass flick, great shoot outs, glad it is getting award attention.

16..Edge of 17
Most John Highes esque film in years, YEARS!

17. Nerve
Fun, fun fucking flick! Great concept and totally surprised me!

18. Hush
Best slasher film in a few years!

19. Morris From America
Much like Edge of 17, another great coming of age

20. 2Lava2Lantula & Sharknado the Fourth Awakens(Tie)
Stupid ass film yet brilliant film, hardcore meta. Not the best in the series but a blast to watch!

21. War Dogs
A lot hate this, i loved it. So many said it was a disgrace for Todd Phillips to homage Martin Scorsese, fuck that noise, the dude is trying to grow, and made his best film!

22.  Southbound (Tie)
A film that all aspiring horror filmmakers should watch.
 They Look Like People(Tie)
This is the type of film folks that say there is nothing on Netflix need to watch, look for the smaller flicks!

23. Return of the Caped Crusaders
Best animated film of last year, if you are not a fan of the 60's series, don't bother!

24. Batman v Superman
Sure it needed a better script, but visually, it was a great comic flick.

25. Yoga Hosers
Not a perfect Kevin Smith film, i mean none that aren't in the Askewniverse are, but this was a lot of fun. He is still better than this!

26 The Purge Election Year(Tie)
Not quite as good as the previous installment(which was on my top 5 that year) but still a fun ride! Hope the next one is nothing but chaos as a prequel. Like a year one!
Conjuring 2.(Tie)
Not the masterpiece the first was, but still better than most theatrical horror films.

27. The Shallows(Tie)
If it were not for the ending, this film would rank so much higher!

DOn't Breathe(TIe) Super tense film that i didn't expect to be great. 

28. Keanu
A comedy version of John Wick but with a cat? Sold! Underrated film from last year!

29. Hardcore Henry
High concept, great concept and a cool fucking flick!

30. Mr Right
The best script Max Landis has written, Sam Rockwell is the shit in here as is  THE Anna Kendrick.

31. Doctor Strange
Best Marvel film since Guardians of the Galaxy.

32. Civil War
To me the Marvel films are beginning to feel the same, which isn't a bad thing, hell so many of the Friday the 13ths feel the same, but you expect more from Marvel. I think they need more daring directors. Fun flick though!

33. Don't Think Twice

Possibly the best film about comedy, atleast about improv.

34 Fundamentals of Caring
I love road films, and this film has a great cast, and a cast that brings so much life to the quirky characters!

35. Imperium
This film should be nominated for awards in acting, directing and best picture, criminally overlooked.

36. Patterson
Jim Jarmusch's best film in over a decade!

37 Magnificent 7
You know what? I think i like this almost as well as the first remake, almost!

38. Demolition
Best Jake Gyllenhaal performance in a while(and that is saying something)

39. Midnight Special
Pretty much a non remake remake, of Starman!

40. The Accountant
It isn't quite John Wick but this is a fun shoot em up! I think critics wanted a Oscar bait motion picture but instead got a B Movie.

Lego Batman

When it comes to animated flicks, i usually only check out ones that speak to me. Coraline, Wreck IT Ralph, Big Hero 6, etc. I love the DC animated films but last year gave us a high piece of anticipation that failed in the Killing Joke & a highly entertaining Return of the Caped Crusaders. THe Lego Movie i was underwhelmed by a few years ago, but now all is forgiven, DC has delivered possibly the funnest animated film they have ever been attached to plus a Lego movie that I wanted. This was a geeky ass flick celebrating Batman comics, the serials, the 60s series,  the Burton/Shcumacher flicks, the Nolanverse and Batfleck. Booms & pows, arrogance, being a playboy,  the innuendo of Batman & Robin, a great score, funny ass easter eggs(such as a sign stating Batman Forever) plus it is now a christmas movie as the mother fucking GREMLINS are in it! I want to see this again just to attempt to catch everything i missed. This was a love letter to Batman fans, to toy fans and all around one of the funniest films i have seen in a while, on top of being the best animated film i have seen in years.

John Wick CHapter 2

Whoa....and not a Keanu Reeve whoa, a whoa i give, cause i say whoa in these things all the time....now, Whoa, that one was for Keanu! Holy shit, this is how you do a sequel! It was more insane than the first, the fighting & shootouts seemed more stylized, seeing it in theatres you could feel the gun shots in the vibrations. You want the plot? John Wick kills people, much like the first one, and honestly, I don't know which one i liked better! From the first scene we are tossed in to this chaotic world of assassins & crime, all in vibrant colors & blood mixed in with the black suits, from there we get introductions of the main villain, shit blows up, vengeance is to be served, and we know exactly what the fuck to expect, 90 minutes of beautiful violence, holy fuck is this a beautiful film! The set design, costume design & sound are all amazing and does the cast justice, this may not be an actors film, but everyone is having fun, and it translates to the audience. I was worried the film may have been tame after the last one, to appease critics, but nope, it went all out, balls to the wall, blood on the screen, jizz in your pants!

Royal Rumble Matches Ranked

It has now been a week since the Roman Rumble, oops, i mean the Royal Rumble, damn you number 30. Well here is a ranking of the matches, starting with my personal favorite!

2001
This was a perfect Rumble, the star power alone gave it a huge feel, Undertaker, Kane, Big Show, The Rock, Steve Austin, Rikishi, it was loaded with main eventers. The mini hardcore rumble was fun, Kane destroying everyone was brilliant, his reunion with his brother was well done, Austin beign assaulted and coming back to win the whole thing, great storytelling!


2004
Who won this one? I am still not sure, Big Show got eliminated by someone. Seriously though, Benoit was a wonder in this match, the in ring work along makes this one of the best.

2007
This ranks high for two reasons, The Undertaker & Shawn Michaels, the final two was almsot a mini match, and a foreshadowing of the Mania classics.

2002
The returns of Mr. Perfect & Goldust, the gimmick revivals of  the Godfather & Val Venis, the big fight feel of HHH vs Steve Austin, pretty much a perfect Rumble!

2003
Rumble debuts of many legends, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Batista, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, and it shows how great & underrated the Ruthless Aggression era was.

2005
The coming out party of John Cena & Batista, ignore the spotty finish with Vince, everything leading up to it, and taking place after was terrific!

2006
Another great Ruthless Aggression Rumble, and one that has a lot of heart. The Rey victory almost tear jerking, sure i wanted Matt Hardy to win, but sadly that wish was DELETED!

2016
Yep, the best in a decade, well over a decade, sure we knew HHH would win but there was that hope that Dean Ambrose was going to pull it off! Oh and i marked the fuck out hardcore for AJ Styles!

2010
One of the most underrated Rumbles, plus the return/victory of Edge cemented it!Plus CM Punk's mic work was amazing!

2008
There is something about Madison Square Garden, so when Jimmy Snuka & Roddy Piper had their showdown, and the rest of the stars in the ring let them duke it out and show respect, you know it was a special novelty. Hell even MSG popped for the return of Cena!

1992
Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels, yep, it happened here, Flair steals the show, and steals the victory, along with the WWF title!

2011
Say what you want about the 40 man Rumble but the anticipation of the Corre vs the Nexus(a feud that never happened) the blowout of CM Punk vs Cena, hell pretty much everything Punk in this match was great. The false finish with Santino Marella was perfect!

2009
This is a Rumble that gets better on repeated viewings, the story of HHH vs Legacy was hinted at, as it was the Mania main event and was the focal point. Sadly the rest of the year was rather bland.

1999
Fuck you, i like it, Austin vs McMahon, Austin vs the Corporation, The Corporation vs DX, stars like Edge making their Rumble debut, this was jsut a fun Mania.

2000
MSG, you did it again, this was the Rock's Rumble, but besides that, it was alot of fun, the run ins by Kai En Tai & the Mean Street Posse became overdone but serves their point, the dance off with Too Cool marked me out as a 12 year old(fuck i feel old) and a tease at what type of monster in the Rumble that Kane would become.

2017
Fuck Roman at number 30, but other than that, i highly enjoyed this years Rumble, sure Taker, Brock & Goldberg were kind of wasted, but it is all to build the bigger picture, fuck it we had Tye Dillinger!

1998
I didn't watch it live, but listened to it on scramble, and knowing Austin won, was golden for me. Watching it now, it is underated, the shit with Mick Foley & Terry Funk was fun, Foley entering three times was a great idea, the ring pausing to take out Austin was perfect, i am highly nostalgic for 1998 in general!

1991
This was a VHS go to for me, they lacked star power but i loved the feel of this one(actually loved the undercard) plus in a way, it was the first where the winner faced the champion, though not intended.

1997
A lot of jobbers in this, a lot of talent that didn't deserve to be in there, but Stone Cold Steve Austin single handedly saved this match.

2012
The match should have been won by Chris Jericho, even though i was hoping for Kofi Kingston(i hope for him every year) but i think the mvp was the Miz!

1994
First with a screwy finish but Bret Hart & Lex Luger were both treated as stars.

2014
Sure it screwed over Daniel Bryan, but the Shield told the story, the hints at their split, the rise of Roman Reigns, ugh, fuck it, he should have got the upset win, and gone on to be a badass, instead of the joke he is today.

2013
The final 4 was one of the best, sure i may not be big on three of em, but Ziggler was in the final four! As for Cena, Ryback & Sheamus, it was the three babyfaces WWE wanted you to cheer so that alone felt huge!

2015
Roman fucking Reigns, it was expected, but it was so forced....ugh.

1990
Warrior vs Hogan, that is all!

1996
Rather  bland match, luckily HBK won, this entering him fully into the main event!

1995
Terrible Rumble partipants with the exception of HBK & Davey Boy Smith, they stole the show

1993
What a cluster fuck of a year, this Rumble match foreshadowed just how bad Mania would be.

1989
Not much to write home about, just  a battle royal where participants came out one at a time, nothing special

1888
See above

Santa Clarita Diet

Whoa, this is a fun fucking show. Some hate comedic zombies, but this here isn't a zombie show per se. Drew Barrymore dies, comes back to life and needs to eat flesh, that is about it, other than that, she is a normal human, a normal human that happens to be married to Timothy Olyphant and he happens to help kill people for her to eat. I have had a crush on Drew since i was little, and it continues in this, she is funny & charming and very sexy in it. Olyphant is fantastic, his comedic timing is perfect here. Their daughter played by Liv Hewson, is a new crush(shush it, she is 21 in real life), great comedic timing, super cute, spunky, she will hopefully have a great career! Her best friend/boy crushing on her/next door neighbor is the nerdy Skyler Gisondo, and he gives a sweet & humorous performance. Even the recurring characters & guest stars shine. You care for the characters, laugh when you need to, and are wowed by the gore. A lot of reviews are hating it for  the gore factor, fuck that noise, it is a horror series, get used to it! The show ends  in a cliff hanger of sorts, and leaves you wanting more. If we must wait 2 years, so be it, but i am stoked for more episodes! It is pretentious, it is fast paced, in today's television climate of shows trying too hard, this is a breath of fresh air and how a sitcom & a fun horror show should be.

Paterson

Jim Jarmusch is an odd one, i admire his early films but the past decade has been spotty, enter Paterson, his best in the past ten years, and one of his most simple. Simplicity is a beauty though and Jarmusch shows that, Adam Driver as the lead is a simple man, no technology, just driving his bus, and writing his poems. His girlfriend paints everything, aspires to be a county star or a cupcake baker. There is love between them, there is love of their city, it is romanticized even  though the film itself is not romantic. THe film is a poem, it is an odd film, if you study it, twins everywhere, set designs in a highly artistic & beautiful way, poems read throughout the entire film, events that at time almost feel surreal, life is beautiful, and life is art, love your friends, love what you do. For losing what you put your heart into can destroy you, and by happenstance you might just meet a peer that will set you back on the right track. This film is an athouse film to the tee, pretentious at some points but overall an experience of celluloid. Driver is such a ho hum individual in this that  when he experiences happiness it seems like a forced smile, and when he experiences sadness he just shuts down, the actor is brilliant in these hipster roles. There is a whimsy in the film that has lacked from Jamusch's films in recent years, not just a whimsy but a rawness. The more i think about the film, the more i enjoy it! Life might be repetitive, but make the most of it, don't give up on your art, for if you do, you give up on yourself.

Rings

I am a fan of Ringu, i actually think the American remake is better. It had brilliant marketing, theatres would leave VHS tapes on seats, great throwback to William Castle. The sequel, had its moments but ultimately was rather bland, the short film Rings was actually better. Now here we are 12 years later, the third, has a cool concept, film students trying to crack the code, but it doesn't stick with that story, instead we follow some uninteresting characters on  their quest to burn a corpse. Yep that is about it, fuck this film was laughable.  

Plan 9

I had been wanting to see this for years, i LOVE the original, in fact I don't even rank it as a bad movie, i mean technically it is, but i can watch it, as a legit film. The Room, Troll 2, Birdemic, I can not, but Plan 9 From Outer Space is special. Ed Wood is a huge influence on me, from his no budger approach, to his oddness, he has always spoke to me. This remake starts out as a shot for shot remake, until it becomes meta, after that, it becomes a solid remake. it knows what type of film it is, in fact it is rather Troma esque, gore, boobs, tons of humor. This film is a blast! I wish that some day, someone does remake Plan 9 as a legit straight forward film, maybe i will, i doubt it but who knows. This is exactly the kind of film i wanted it to be, dumb & fun, effect driven & humorous. It has a tongue planted firmly in cheek!