Last Flag Flying

Richard Linklater is one of those directors where i films i love, make me love him more than his whole filmography. Slack and Dazed & Confused are great, the Before Trilogy is great, actually most of his pre School of Rock films are great, since then i have enjoyed his films but mainly only loved a Scanner Darkly and Boyhood. This here is a great film, but not one that i suspect will stick with me, all three leads are GREAT, it is a shame non are being considered for awards, as this is a very award esque film. Went by with out much fanfare too sadly.

Downrange

It's is no where near as awesome as Versus, but Ryuhei Kitamura's latest film shows why he has a great track record. The dude makes exploitation, and Downrange to me feels like a 90s Artisan Video release. It has that down & dirty vibe to it, it makes for a good lazy day flick. Nothing special, but very solid. I hope he goes back and does something as kick ass as Versus though. For now i will gladly take a film like this, bloody, tense, and in the realm of possibility.

2018 Most Anticipated Films

1. Jay & Silent Bob Get a Reboot
Kevin Smith returns to the Askewniverse.

2. Halloweeen
Danny McBride & Jody Hill are doing a straight up sequel to John Carpenters original, i am weary that they might might change too much from the original(they claim there sequel takes place after an alternative universe ending) but it has JC's vote plus Nick Castle is back as the Shape.
Also check out The Predator. Shane Black finally directs a Predator film, if it was a Shane Black film, it would be enough for me, but him directing an action slasher that he has a passion for, all the more reason to be stoked!
Also check out Insidious the  Last Key, i don't expect much, but i love the first two.

3. Ready Player One
This is the Steven Spielberg i wanted BFG to be, one of wonder & awe. This will be pure geekgasms throughout, the amount of film, comic, game characters is insane, and not just blockbuster references like the Delorean, no sir, Spielberg directs fucking Chucky and Freddy!

4. Avengers: Infinity War
Does this really need an explanation?
Also check out Black Panther. The film that is the go home show for the Avengers!
Also check out, Ant Man & the Wasp. the film that takes place between the two last Avengers films.
Also check out, Venom. Marvel Cinematic Universe's working relationship with Sony's Spiderverse, which has no real MCU ties outside of Peter Parker.....delivers us the first Spideyverse Spin Off film.
Also check out. X Men: Dark Phoenix, the new Disney acquisitions, has to be better than the last X Men film.
Also check out. Deadpool 2, the X Men Universe's harder edged brother. Hopefully it does more for me than the last one. HOPING FOR SOME WINKS AT THE CURRENT STATE OF FOX/DISNEY/XMEN/MCU.
Also Check out New Mutants. X Men with horror, sounds sweet.
Also check out Aquaman. DC's 2018 film.
Also check out Hellboy. The non Marvel or DC superhero film!

5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Speaking of Spielberg, sure it isn't his film but it is still his franchise, the last one was a perfect companion the his original, this one here looks like pure dino carnage!
Also check out, God Partlicle. The third Cloverfield film, not much is known, but it is the third Cloverfield film!
Also Check out Rampage. The Rock stars in the video game of the same name, love that kaiju movies are becoming a thing in the states.

6. Sicario 2: Soldado
The first blew me away, it might be the film i recommend to people more than any other from the last five years. Hell i wish it had gotten awards attention it is that brilliant. If this one is even a smidge as tense & gripping as the first, we are in for a fantastic time. According to early word, it makes the first look like a comedy.

7. Peanut Butter Falcon
Take a fantastic cast with the likes of Jon Bernthal, Shia LeBeouf, John Hawkes, Bruce Dern & Thomas Haden Church, mix in a plot that involves pro wrestling, hell just say pro wrestling and i am there!

8. Isle of Dogs
All you need to know, Wes Anderson and Stop Motion! Nuff said!
Also Check out, Wreck it Ralph 2. One of the few DIsney CGI toons i like, hoping this one is just as awesome as the first one.

9. Solo
Star Wars........yup. Hopefully Ron Howard is too dull with it.
Also check out Creed 2. Yes, another modern sequel of a 70's property. The last one was fantastic, rumors are Drago's son is the opponent, i am stoked.

10. Hold the Dark
From the director of Green Room
Also Check out, Under the Silver Lake. From the director of It Follows
Also check out Bad Times at El Royale. From the director of Cabin in the Woods.
Also check out, The Happy Time Murders. From the director of A Muppet Christmas Carol.....about murdered puppets!
Also check out, The Irishman.....um, Martin Scorsese, that is all!
Also check out Mute. The film Duncan Jones should have made after Moon.
Also check out, THe Kid Who Would Be King. From the director of Attack the Block
Also check out, First Man. From the director of Lala Land.
Also check out Summer of 84. From the directors of Turbo Kid.
Also check out Annihilation. From the director of Ex Machina.
Also check out Alita. From Robert Rodriguez
Also check out Don Quixote. Terry Gilliam's passion project.
Also check out Nightmare Cinema. A new anthology from the minds behind Gremlins, Hard Candy, Versus, & Juan of the Dead.
Also check out The Current War. From the Director of Me & Earl & the Dying Girl.
Also check out the Beach Bum. From the director of Spring Breakers.
ALso check out Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade . From the director of I Saw the Devil
Also check out the Quiet Place, from John Krasinski

11. Oceans 8
I love Oceans 11, this looks fun.
Also check out, Mission Impossible 6. i love this series.
Also check out, Maze Runner 3. This series is superior to the Hunger Games, fight me!

12. Mid 90s
Jonah Hill's directorial debut, and it sounds amazing. 90s nostalgia is strong right now, i am very nostalgic for it(i was a little kid in the 90s)
Also check out, Wildlife. Paul Dano's directorial debut.

13. Red Sparrow
All you need to know is it is Jennifer Lawrence looking all hot & badass and kicking ass.

14. Bohemian Rhapsody
I love Queen, i am stoked Rami Malek is playing Freddy Mercury, but with the troubled production, i am a little weary.

15. Thoroughbreds 
This looks like a cool flick. A smaller film, so plenty more like these will be popping up after Sundance.

All the Money in the World

Ridley Scott, oh Ridley Scott, I am not a big fan of his non genre efforts such as Alien & Blade Runner. They are solid, but that is about it, i hesitated to see this, but figure fuck it, with the controversy surrounding Kevin Spacey, might as well give it a shot. Christopher Plummer does a great job, especially considering the short amount of time he had to rehearse. Scott, gives a bland story more flair, so the two deliver a one, two punch. Kind of wish he would have directed Blade Runner 2 instead, and that Dennis Vileneuve had directed Sicario 2 but then again Alien Covenant may not have been as awesome. Man, Alien is great.......

Mayhem

WHOA, Joe Lynch, mother fucking Joe Lynch. I have always been a fan of the man, but the only films i really dug were Wrong Turn 2, a film that made that franchise, and Chillerama, i film i truly love, and a film where i met Lynch at an after party at the San Diego Comic Con. His other flicks i enjoyed, but not to the same extent. Enter Mayhem, this is the flick i kind of wanted the Belko Experiment to be, i enjoyed that flick, but this seemed to flow better. Steven Yeun from the Walking Dead, and my new crush Samara Weaving from the Babysitter, are awesome in this, the gore is great, it's a fight to the top of corporate america. Take the skyscraper badassery of Die Hard, the fuck the system thoughts of Mr. Robot, and add in splat & blood, and you have a recipe for success! 

Darkest Hour

I keep hoping for Joe Wright to give us another Hannah. His films have been solid but nothing i really enjoyed other that the aforementioned film.  Darkest Hour, the remake of the  Emile Hirsch alien flick but flick is about Germans instead for some reason. The changes are carefully done, but not worth remaking. Plus we already had a Dunkirk film this year.......i kid, it's just a remake. Seriously though, it is a solid film, and the main reason i wanted to see it was Gary Oldman, and he doesn't disappoint.

Top Shows of 2017

1. Stranger Things Season 2
This is somehow better than the first season, it is a pure event when this show hits. A horror cinephiles wet dream.

2. Mr. Robot Season 3
The second season was batshit, this one wasn't quite as crazy, but it delivered three of the best hours in television history!

3. I'm Dying Up Here
A show that truly went under the radar, if you like Martin Scorsese, check it out, feels like a project of his, but if you love the 70s or stand up comedy, check it out.

4. Happy!
Only four episodes in, but holy shit, what a batshit, insane series.

5. Z Nation Season 4
Yep, better than Walking Dead.

6. Silicon Valley Season 4
Best sitcom on TV, show gets better each year.

7. Santa Clarita Diet
I was weary of this, but wound up LOVING it. My old crush Drew Barrymore in a splatstick comedy, hell yes!

8. Game of Thrones Season 7
The show redeemed itself this year but a soso season 6.

9. Orange is the New Black Season 5
Best season of the series!

10. Vice Principals Season 2
Smartest showrunners you can find, they knew they were ending after 2 seasons, more shows need to take note.

11. Glow
A wrestling marks perfect show. It shows the silliness of my sport, but it also shows the passion. Now GLOW was more of a forefather to Lucha Underground(with the exception of LU being legit trained stars) than being a legit promotion, but i watched the legit GLOW, and i love all of pro wrestling.

12. Room 104
Another under the radar show, i am surprised with as many hipsters that love the Duplass brothers. Kind of what Twin Peaks should have been.

13. Wet Hot American Summer 10 Years Later
I ADORE the film, and this is a fan service series, a fan service that doesn't give a fuck.

14. Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 9
A couple in the middle were meh, but the final few were some of the best episodes in the entire series.

15. The Good Place
Season 2 is still on, but it is great thus far.

16. Love Season 2
Brutally honest show about modern dating.

17. Man Seeking Woman Season 3.
See above, but weirder.

18. It's Always Sunny Season 12
12 years in, and one of the best seasons of the show, which i might think every year.

19. Workaholics Season 7
Going to miss this show.

20. THe Simpsons season 29
Honestly the only reason it is on the list is to round out a top 20.

Top 50 Matches of 2017

1. Takeover: Authors of Pain vs DIY vs The Revival for the NXT Tag Titles : Takeover Orlando 

2. Authors of Pain vs DIY: NXT tag titles, Takeover Chicago

3. Wargames: Takeover Wargames 

4. Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bates: UK Title, Takeover Chicago 

5. Aleister Black vs Velveteen Dream: Takeover Wargames 

6. Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bates: UK Title NXT TV

7. Andrade Cien Almas vs Johnny Gargano: Takeover Brooklyn III

8 Nikki Cross vs Asuka: Last Man Standing NXT TV

9. Wrestlemania: The Hardy Boyz vs The Club vs Enzo & Cass vs Sheamus & Cesaro in a ladder match for the Raw Tag Titles

10. Johnny Gargano vs Lars Sullivan vs Aleister Black vs Killian Dain : NXT TV

11. Ricochet, Jason Cade, Sami Calihan, AR Fox & Desmond Xavier vs Will Ospreay, Marty Scurll, Lio Rush, Drew Galloway & Ryan Smile: Wrestlecon Supershow. 

12. Christopher Daniels vs Adam Cole 15th Anniversary Show

13. The IELD vs the Bar: No Mercy for the Raw Tag titles 

14. Finn Balor vs AJ Styles: TLC

15. Cody Rhodes vs Christopher Daniels ROH: Title Best in the World 

16. Kushida vs Marty Scurll TV Title: Best in the World

17. Marty Scurll vs Jay Lethal: Final Battle

18. Usos vs New Day: Hell in a Cell for the Tag Team Titles

19.  Kushida vs Will Ospreay: WCPW World Cup Finals 

20. Sanity vs Authors of Pain: NXT Tag Titles: Takeover Brooklyn III 

21 . Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon: Hell in a Cell 

22. Andrade Cien Almas vs Johnny Gargano: NXT TV 

23. Aleister Black vs Hideo Itami: NXT Takeover Brooklyn III 

24. Marty Scurll Vs Will Ospreay: Power Struggle 

25. Bobby Roode vs Shinsuke Nakamua: Takeover San Antonio  

26. John Cena vs AJ Styles: Royal Rumble 

27. Omega vs Ishi US Title G1 Special

28. The Bar vs Hardyz 

29. The Briscoes vs Tommy Dreamer & Bully Ray: Final Battle 

30.. Brock Lesnar vs AJ Styles: Survivor Series

31. Pete Dunne vs Johnny Gargano: NXT TV UK Title 

32. Kevin Owens vs Roman Reigns: Royal Rumble 

33. BROCK LESNAR VS BRAUN STROWMAN VS ROMAN REIGNS VS SAMOA JOE : WWE UNIVERSAL TITLE: SUMMERSLAM 

34. OKADA VS KENNY OMEGA IWGP TITLE: DOMINION 

35. KAZUCHIKA OKADA VS KENNY OMEGA: WRESTLE KINGDOM 

36. KAZARIAN VS HANGMAN PAGE VS PUNISHMENT MARTINEZ VS CHRIS SABIN VS CHEESEBURGER VS SILAS YOUNG: 15TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

37. MATT TAVEN VS WILL OSPREAY: FINAL BATTLE 

38. Randy Orton vs Luke Harper: Elimination Chamber

39. Pete Dunne vs Mark Andrews: NXT TV

40. Austin Aries vs TJP vs Jack Gallagher vs Mustapha Ali in a number one contenders match for the cruiserweight title. 205 Live

41. Tye Dillinger vs Eric Young: Steel cage NXT TV

42. Martin Kirby vs BT Gunn vs Travis Banks vs Doug Williams vs Ricochet vs El Ligero vs Marty Scurll: WCPW Bulletproof

43. Keith Lee vs Donovan Dijack Evolve 84 

44 Killshot vs Dante Fox: Lucha Underground 

45 Christopher Daniels vs Jay Briscoe on ROH TV

46. Yano, Ospreay, Hashi vs Cody Rhodes, Marty Scurll, Kenny Omega ROH TV 

47. Marty Scurll vs Matt Sydal ROH TV Title, War of the Worlds

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

49. Christopher Daniels vs Adam Cole vs Zack Sabre JR: Bulletproof

50. Tyler Bates vs Jack Gallagher: NXT Tv: UK TITLE

Match of December

1. Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bates: UK Title NXT TV

2. Johnny Gargano vs Aleister Black vs Lars Sullivan vs Killian Dain

3. Marty Scurll vs Jay Lethal: Final Battle

4. The Briscoes vs Tommy Dreamer & Bully Ray: Final Battle

5. Matt Taven vs Will Ospreay: Final Battle

David Lynch Ranked

So i recently watched David Lynch: The Art of Life, great documentary of a man that influenced me greatly as a teen and young adult.

Eraserhead
His most influential on me!

Blue Velvet
His best!

Dune
His most hated, but i love it!

Inland Empire
Possibly his most bizarre.

Mulholland Drive
THe film that got me into Lynch, kept reading about this film and it led me to renting the rest of his filmography.

Lost Highway
Great horror film with a great soundtrack.

Wild at Heart
One of his coolest flicks, weird yet somehow accessible

Fire Walk With Me
Twin Peaks prequel but not as tight nit as the series.

Elephant Man
Such a strange follow up to Eraserhead, but perhaps that is what makes the film feel strange was this choice. Not as surreal as the rest but just as good.

John Waters Ranked

As a teen i loved John Waters films for the trash they were, then as i got older i began to see a bit of satire in them, these days, i still enjoy them but not nearly as much as  i used to. He is still a high influence on me, but not all of his films hold up, atleast when watching em in a binge. I saw him last week live, little let down that the show was only 80 minutes and he barely covered film making but it was a good experience regardless.


Pink Flamingos
His opus. Trash? Yes. Brilliant? At times! Funny? Yes! Influential? You damn right!

Cecil B Demented
A cinephile & aspiring filmmakers essential viewing should be this film, it is a pure labor of love for the medium, and celebrates cinema.

Pecker
Besides Flamingos, probably the one i have seen the most. It used to be on Comedy Central, i honestly love this period of Waters career along with Cecil B Demented. 

Serial Mom
One of his most quotable and one of pure passion, his love of the macabre is seen throughout.

Polyester
His most innovative of his trash films!

Cry Baby
The one many assume is his cult film, when all really are. This one is a tad more accessible for, not the masses, but for nerds not quite weird enough for Flamingos.

Hairspray
The fiilm that set him on his course of being respected, sure broadway had a bit to do with it, but this is one of his best. 

Female Trouble
Pink Flamingos but not quite as shocking or good. Still enjoyable

Desperate Living
See above!

A Dirty Shame
Pretty a pure exorcise in fetish 101

Multiple Maniacs
A tad more refined Mondo Trasho

Mondo Trasho
His earliest feature, defineitely rough around the edges.

The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman is a visually stunning film with a great cast, spectacular sets, and a timeless underdog story. With that said, as entertaining as a film as it is, the musical numbers are to be desired, great production, fine music, but the lyrics truly lack. If would almost be better if it were not a musical, however without being a musical i doubt the film would have been made, the story kind of called for it, to give it that extravagance. I think it would have been handled better by someone that had films under their belt, as this was a first time effort from Michael Gracey. I had passion behind it for sure, just the songs needed to be better.

Alexander Payne Ranked

I am an Omaha native, as is Alexander Payne. I am an Omaha film maker, as is Alexander Payne. He makes films that get great reviews, i have friends wear dresses and stab each other. He is one of the folks in charge of bringing my favorite theatre back, and i just had to see his latest film and said theatre.

1. Election
Funny flick, witty flick, great cast, oozes Omaha. Very quotable, his best script and in my opinion his best film.

2. Citizen Ruth
Pretty much all the reasons to love Election, work for this film aswell.

3. Sideways
His most mature, i loved it when it came out, but upon getting in to wine, i have grown to enjoy it more.

4. Downsizing
Quirky sci fi film, getting mixed reviews, but this is easily one of his most enjoyable films. Great ideas in this motion picture.

5. Nebraska
His most raw, i love the blakc & white, the minimalist nature of it, and the bitter feels of each character.

6. About Schmidt
I think this is a very well made film, and one i followed production on by attempting to sneak onto sets at a 14 year old, but it is one that i need to revisit.

7. The Descendants
It was good, that's about it. 

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

I grew up in the 90s, so of course i saw Jumanji in theatres as a wee lad, i liked it, that was about it. At many birthdays and hangouts, it would be played on VHS, so i became familiar with it. The remake didn't bother me, then it was announced it was a sequel....and it is. The plot directly ties in to the ending of the original, except the transforms into a game, and instead of the game invading out world, we are fully immersed within the game. The cast is great, Jack Black steals the show, i love Karen  Gillan, the Rock is always the shit, and Kevin Hart....well, he is passable here, sorry not a fan of his. The plot is fun, the real life characters have a Breakfast Club vibe, and the tributes to Robin Williams & the original are very well done. Some of the jokes work, most feel dated but overall, super fun flick!

Guillermo Del Toro Ranked

1. Blade 2
I love the Blade films, in fact as much as i would love to see him in the MCU, i am hesitant cause of my love of the first 2 Blade flicks. Del Toro did an amazing job here, it oozes style and has some great gotchic imagery.

2. Hellboy 2
Pretty much everyone reason i love Blade 2 fits in for Hellboy 2, this one is more traditionally Del Toro in themes but i prefer Blade.

3. The Shape of Water
Part Creature from the Black Lagoon, part King Kong, but way more erotic than both. Crazy how much awards buzz it is getting, but well deserved.

4.  Devil's Backbone
As far as Spanish Del Toro films go, this one here tops the list everything with this......
5. Cronos......and this are the reason i fell in love with the auteur known as Del Toro

6, Hellboy
It is not a perfect film, but it was there for me as a teen and i wanted to see indie comics getting film adaptations.

7. Pan's Labyrinth
I was really stoked for this film in 2006, i love the fantasy elements but the war plots kind of drags at times.

8 Mimic
Really fun horror flick from an era of post modern teen slashers.

9 Pacific Rim
Highly underwhelming but still enjoyable.

10. Crimson Peak
Style over substance.

Bright

David Ayer is interesting, Harsh Times is a solid flick, as is his follow ups Street Kings & End of Watch, gritty crime flicks. Sabotage sort of sabotaged his career, it is enjoyable, but the response hasn't left. Suicide Squad honestly might be his worst, but it is also my favorite of his. THe Suicide Squad began his new found sci fi years, which brings us to Bright. It too is getting shit on by critics but for no reason, it has a great style to it, it is a fun film, the acting is what you would expect but it has really good social commentary. Glad netflix ordered a sequel, as i will gladly watch a second one. I didn't love this flick, but i liked it, you can like a film, and not love or hate it. If this had been released in the 70s, 80s, or 90s it would not be getting hate, but modern nerds with their internet connections and thoughts of grandeur cause they are fed byproducts of Disney. Critics still may have been harsh, but atleast it would have found an audience, it still might, but there will be plenty of detractors.

Christmas Story

So yeah, doing Live versions of movies is getting old, or doing Network remakes of musicals, or even worse live musicals. Grease, Dirty Dancing, Hairspray, Rocky Horror, now we a Christmas story. Chris, this was tough to sit through, it lacked all the charm & wonder of the original, the new Ralphie was a pain to watch, the musical numbers were even worse.

Final Battle & the Clash of the Champions

The end of 2017 saw two very different ppvs.

Final Battle

1. Matt Taven beat Will Ospreay

The right man won, the Kingdom is only moving up, the best line up yet in my opinion, love the new gimmick.

2. War Machine beat the Addiction

Not a bad match, War Machine impressed me here.

3. Jay Lethal be Marty Scurll

Amazing match, amazing tribute to Eddie.

4. Motor City Machine Guns beat Best Friends 

Not as good as it could have been, but a great match regardless.

5.Silas Young beat Punishment Martinez, Kenny King & Shane Taylor 

I was pulling for Martinez, it was a sloppy match but he shined. Easily Silas's second best match this year, not a huge fan of his but he impressed here, match was still sloppy.

6/ Briscoes beat Bully Ray & Tommy Dreamer

Fantastic hardcore match, blood shed, Hammerstein Ballroom, lightsabers. Thank you Bully, if it is your final match.

7. Hung Bucks beat Dragon Lee, Titan & Flip Gordon 

Amazing six man. I would have booked the post match a little different with Scorpio Sky joining the Addiction to jump the Hung Bucks and Flip. Bullet Club needs to just be face. 

8. Dalton Castle beat Cody Rhodes.

I marked the fuck out with the Dalton win.

Clash of Champions

1. Mojo Rawley beat Zack Ryder

Mojo has the future, i get it, but fuck, i hate him.

2. Dolph Ziggler beat Baron Corbin & Bobby Roode

I am glad Dolph is champion, i am not a Corbin fan. Roode will win it on SD soon.

3. Usos beat Rusev/English, New Day & Shelton/Gable

Best match of the night....only good match of the night? Rusev is massively over, so thought English had the win a few times, he was made tonight. 

4. Charlotte beat Nattie

Sloppy match, tried to advance the Riott Squad, failed.

5. Bludgeon Brothers beat Breezango

Squash. Not much of a pay off for the Fashion Files.

6. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn beat Nakamura/Randy Orton

Clusterfuck of a match, terrible heel turn by Daniel Bryan.

7. AJ Styles beat Jinder Mahal

Even AJ couldn't carry this match. 

Z Nation Season 4

So a show that started off as an Asylum production mockbuster of the Walking Dead, soon became a more fun alternative show, and soon became a better show, is now on it's fourth season. Better than Walking Dead? Big time! More fun? Yes! Great characters? Yes sir! This season it got weirder, it got wittier, bloodier, embraced splat stick to the tee. The barbershop episode was AMAZING, the vomit, blood, humor, everything worked. We got new characters, cut ties to older characters and the show got tighter.

Star Wars The Last Jedi

Two years ago, i said nothing would be the same, the anticipation for a new SW would not match that night of the Force Awakens, it didn't for the spin off, Rogue One, and it didn't for The Last Jedi. Anticipation & payoff are two entirely different things however. The payoff for the Force Awakens led me to place it as my third favorite in the series, this here, might be number 5. That is not a bad thing, i loved it, i thought it was great. I grew up with Star Wars, they are a part of me, the figures, the comics, the books, the games, everything. So when Force Awakens opened it was like being a kid again, and the film happened to be such an event i wound up placing it over Return of the Jedi. This here is still a huge event but now we will get Star Wars yearly, it is now a cinematic universe. This one is being championed as the best of them all, it might look the second best, behind Empire, duh, but the best, it is not. The characters are better developed than the Force Awakens, that was our introduction, we knew the characters, now we get to dive into the characters. Rey is more Jedi Luke, Finn is more Tatooine Luke, Poe is Han. The battles are on par, and the fan service is done perfectly, not too much, not too little. The story unfolds greatly, and there are many ways for the plot of this film to go, but it sets us on a fantastic path for Episode 9. Alot called Force Awakens, a New Hope, nope. I call Force Awakens, the Empire Strikes Back of this trilogy, not for quality but for tone. Sure the plot structure was New Hope, but tonally, it was Empire, it ended in a down ending, this here, tonally is more on par with New Hope. Where does that lead Episode 9? Will it end with the Light, or the Dark? In two years we will find out.

Mr. Robot season 3

When Mr. Robot first debuted, i mainly tuned in due to it being at SxSw. The show was brilliant and was my favorite series that year. Last year i expected the show might cater to critics, but nope, it went off the rails and full on bonkers. I dressed up as Elliot for Halloween last year, and while Stranger Things was my favorite show of 2016(and probably of 2017) it still ranked number 2, as it does this year. This season however had atleast 3 hours that i would put up against any oscar winner, The Fight Club esque episode where Mr. Robot is kicking Elliots ass, the E Corp-Protester invasion, and the coming of age episode with Trenton's brother. All were utterly brilliant, but the show doesn't seem to be garnering Emmy Love these days, oh well, fuck em, too many good shows, leave the bonkers, cool shit for us nerds, cult tv, this is it! The stinger, holy hell, can't wait for season 4, the twists & reveals, how will it all be wrapped up? 

The Disaster Artist

Okay, i flat out LOVE the Room. I had seen it a scene of it on Tim & Eric and moved on, read alot about it online, but it wasn't until my local art house that played midnight movies(a Hall of Fame i am apart of) decided to play it in 2009. it blew my mind i loved it instantly. I began dressing up as Johnny, throwing spoons & "throwing" footballs. It was a blast seeing it on the big screen. Alot love it for the midnight experience, i love it for the film itself. for truly how bad it is. I have seen it dozens of times in theatres, countless times on dvd. I have seen all of Tommy's other work, his movies, shorts he has acted i, his series, and i have read the Disaster Artist. The film has a few changes but ultimately captures the the tone of the book, but more importantly it is a gift to the fans of the Room. Both Francos re great in this, GREAT, the directing is amazing, James Franco's best directorial film yet. It is hillarious, intentionally unintentionally, as it is hilarious but the situations had you been there while the Room was made would have made you cringe. The film is a perfect companion piece to the legit film.

South Park 21

This was a rather meh season of a fantastic series, as was last years, i think this one had some improvements, but ultimately it was still too political, and the stand alone episodes didn't pack the same punch they once did. The underlining plots still connected too much, i want pure stand alones like the first 15 or so seasons. I will say this, the finale was fantastic, i loved the 80s music bit, the hsit involving Stranger Things, IT & Rotten Tomatoes. Sadly the rest of the season are pretty bland.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

So after a 6 year hiatus, Curb Your Enthusiasm has returned. The premier was perfect, the next couple were spotty, but holy shit, the remaining episodes were BRILLIANT! This was one of the best seasons of the series, with PC culture being so high right now, and folks bickering over anything, it was the perfect time to bring it back. Larry was classic Larry here, his interactions and situations were at times unredeemable, but that is what i have always loved about this show & Seinfeld. I would love for a tenth season, i mean, most of the seasons were 2 years apart, so who cares if it takes another 6.

5-25-77

I was lucky to see the premier of a new cut of 5-25-77 this evening with director, Patrick Read Johnson, in attendance. The film is a semi auto biography of his desire & passion to be a filmmaker. The film itself is a tad rough around the edges, most jokes fall flat, the sound & picture both need editing, but i admire the ambition within the characters, the heart of the scrip & the charm of the film itself. I am actually looking forward to seeing how the final cut will be. The best portion for me was his q&a, because with the exception of Space Invaders , i am not really a fan of his films but the man himself is a fountain of knowledge. He was pretty brought up in hollywood as a teen, so he has great advice for filmmakers and some truly interesting stories. The film is due out next year, but it is one i have been waiting to see for a decade now. I didn't love it, i didn't dislike it, but the force is with it!