Miracle Workers

Miracle Workers, from the creator of Man Seeking Woman, is possibly a product of the Good Place. But where some shows feel liks rip offs, this doesn't, it just happens to deal  with quirky characters in the afterlife. Much like the Good Place it is fucking hilarious. Steve Buscemi is great, Daniel Radcliffe shows yet again that he chooses the best post Potter roles, Geraldine Viswanathan is my new crush, and Karan Soni steals many scenes. This is easily my favorite show of 2019 thus far, and it is refreshing to have two hilarious shows on TV with this and The Good Place, but not just two hilarious shows but two  hilarious and bonkers series. Pure brilliant sitcom!

Critters the New Binge

I love the Critters films so i was stoked for a new series on Shudder. At only 10 minutes it is a quick watch, roughly the same run time as a feature, which this honestly plays out as. I wish episodes had been longer cause 10 minutes feels like a fan film, oh well it is still a fun show, even if some of the jokes & characters feel dated. Bring on a new film!

Dragged Across Concrete

S. Craig Zahler is three for three. First his bloody cannibal western Bone Tomahawk, then his bloody prison revenge film Brawl in Cell Block 99, now his bloody "cop and heist" film Dragged Across Concrete. Cop & heist is used lightly as it involves cops but it isn't a cop film per se, it involves a heist but it is more about the characters, as is the case with all his films. Mel Gibson gives his best performance in years and Vince Vaughn is now two for two with Zahler. I think the best acting though might be from Tory Kittles. As also the case with his films it has a great soundtrack, even if it is only heard in the credits, it sets the mood.Can't wait for his next film, hell even his script for Puppet Master was great!

Us

Jordan Peele had a lot of 70s inspiration in Get Out, not in tone per se but in style. He ups the ante in Us, it is brilliantly crafted, the opening scene sets an uncomfortable & unsettling mood. The film feels like it is influenced by De Palma & Polanksi as far as camera movement & shots go. The music plays a large factor, both the soundtrack & the score are beautiful. Tonally it feels like a 70s satanic cult film, only without the satanic cult. This film feels like a Twilight Zone episode, so that makes me excited for Peele's take on the series. This is part home invasion, part slasher, part survivors on the run(think Warriors only with killer yous trying to off you). The gore is great, the characters are well developed, well built tension, well timed humor, this film floored me. Oh also, who  the fuck brings their baby to a R rated horror film on a Thursday night?

Deadly Class

Deadly Class has one of the greatest pilots of any series, a neon drenched, blood soaked, punk infused assassin series with the best soundtrack possibly in TV history. Some of the episodes were a bit slow and or lackluster but they all served a purpose. The Vegas trip episode was brilliant, their go home show left me luke warm but holy hell what an amazing finale. Blood, brains, bullets, swords everywhere. This show isn't style over substance, it is put together to perfection in writing, directing, set design, acting, this is a fantastic series that fits in well with modern SyFy. The channel has a stigma but it produces some great shows, this and Happy are both brilliant. This is the superior version of Umbrella Academy and Doom Patrol....on that note Doom Patrol is superior to Umbrella Academy. I waited til the season was over, now i can read the comic!

High Maintenance Season 3

What was a great web series became a great HBO series, but said series ran it's course. So much of this season was post modern hipster mumbo jumbo or done for shock value. Of the 9 episodes i enjoyed maybe 3 of them. The show has fallen, call it a day. Maybe do a film to finish it off.

The Passage

The pilot for this show was great, after that i assumed it would go down hill once they got to Project Noah, but fuck was i wrong. This is a 28 Days Later of vampire shows, meaning pure viral carnage. On top of that these are legit characters we get to know, they are so well developed, and once the vampire shit kicks in it doesn't let up. This is a great show, and i loved the finale's time jump. it was alot of years but it brings in so many possibilities. Also Shauna Babcock is my new crush!

Climax

Gaspar Noe does it again, what is it? It is make a stunning film layered in pretentious story telling and self indulgent takes. I don't hate Noe, but i only really enjoy one of his films, Enter the Void. The film has great choreography and it brilliantly shot, but a film about dance requires great choreography, and Noe's films always look brilliant but watching LSD & coked up hotties dance doesn't mean shit if the story is empty. A 5 minute scene of interviews, long takes a of dancing, quick cuts of people talking about scummy shit, long takes of people dancing, tracking shots of people tripping, fucking, snorting & committing violent crimes. is basically the film in a nut shell. It feels like it wants to be Mother, but lacks the acting and haunting story telling. Sure this film has haunting shit cause it forces you to watch fucked up shit involving beating pregnant women, pissing yourself and setting people on fire, but it is post modern Noe, shock for shock value. It wants to be art house exploitation but it just feels pretentious film making with a mean spirited heart. The film has no heart, sure Last House on the Left may not have had heart but it didn't try to be high art. I admire Noe but fuck if his films aren't tough to watch. I still can't stop thinking about it though, i will need to rewatch it, as tedious as it was it is downright fascinating. 

Captive State

I never thought much of Rupert Wyatt, assumed him to be a studio guy to safely direct a film, but with Captive State he shows so much punk, so much underground socio political commentary and style that i am now a fan. The film it self thinks it is smarter than it is, but it pays off at the end, it keeps you wanting to see more. All the acting is great but alot of the characters aren't developed. This lack of development works though as it rings is paranoia and this film has plenty. It feels inspired by Spielberg and especially Carpenter, namely They Live. To me this is the film Neil Blomkamp wishes he could have made.

Captain Marvel

You know, i thought i'd hate Captain Marvel. The trailers made it look overbloated, i figured maybe mediocre at best. The film takes a while to get going but once she lands on Earth and begins pretty damn good exchanges of dialogue with Nick Fury the film really kicks off. Once the "twist" is revealed the first act doesn't seem as jumbled. The relationships & bonds with the characters are the heart of the film. It is highly flawed, highly flawed. The eye moment of Fury's, the color pallet of her attire, and the mid credit stinger, ugh, how rushed can you get?  Also her being gone for 2 decades is rather odd, but a passable gripe. The action scenes are all well done, the humor actually works, i usually hate Marvel humor, and the soundtrack is awesome.. The Stan Lee tribute, fuck...that was touching, gut wrenching....then came the Mallrats script. Amazing! It served it's purpose of the larger Marvel Universe, but it felt forced, oh well still a well done prequel, better than Episode I II & III. I'd love to see more of this story in the 20 some years that happened in between this and Endgame.

Lords of Chaos

While not a giant mark for death metal, i wasn't fully aware of the real life aspects of Lords of Chaos, but as a film itself holy shit! This flick is pretty fucked up, bloody as hell for a biopic of sorts, funny at times yet the humor quickly changes with the images you see. I love cats, so cat torture isn't my bag, This is a pure exploitation film...sex, drugs, rock n roll by way of True Norwegian Death Metal...like this flicks has plenty of tits, tits and blood, it's a perfect horror film that isn't a horror film yet becomes one. Rory Culkin delivers a career best performance, one that will surely be overlooked. This isn't a feel good film, it's a feel dirty film. My dreams might be fucked up tonight, even more so than usual....hopefully the synth music on spotify helps. 

Match of February

1. SmackDown Gauntlet Match: Randy Orton vs AJ Styles vs Kofi Kingston vs Samoa Joe vs Jeff Hardy vs Daniel Bryan
2. Velveteen Dream vs Johnny Gargano: North American Title: NXT TV
3. Grizzled vs Lorcan & Bursch: Tag titles: NXT UK
4. Tony Nese vs Noam Dar: 205 Live 
5. Will Ospreay vs Dalton Castle: Never OpenWeight Title: Honor Rising
6. Nick Aldis vs PJ Black: NWA Title: ROH TV
7. Bandido vs Mark Haskins: ROH TV
8. Tracey Williams vs Finlay: ROH TV
9. Brian Pilman & David Smith vs Tommy Dreamer & Sandman: MLW Fusion
10 Teddy Hart & David Smith vs Lucha Bros: MLW Fusion

Pen15

Pen15 is a total nostalgia trip for the worst years of my life. The show takes place in the seventh grade in the year 2000, the same year i entered that hell of a span of life known as middle school. Everything feels genuine, i mean kids haven't changed that much so mainly just change the hair & clothes and lingo and boom 2000. ALl the situations feel awkward and everything is hilarious, but the show has tons of heart at the same time. Nerdy kid that doesn't even want to sit by the more outcasted girls while he is wearing a wrestling shirt? That was me! The soundtrack is spot on, helping build the nostalgia, and through all of the nostalgia it made me reflect about how glad i am those years are over, with that said, bring on season 2 and the eighth grade!