Ted Lasso

 Ted Lasso is one of the funniest and most heart warming shows of the year. Jason Sudeikis does his best work here in a naïve yet caring coach. Every character has depth and every character grows, every ploy feels important and all have pay off. At times it reminded me of Goon only substitute Canadian hockey for European futball.  A wholesome lead in charge of a group of underdogs might not be anything groundbreaking but it is what is needed for the year we have had, plus the ending is far from cliche. 

Match of the Year

 

1. Walter vs Ilja Dragunov : NXT UK(October)

2. A-Kid vs Trent Seven: NXT UK(November)

3. Undertaker vs AJ Styles: Boneyard Match: WWE Wrestlemania(April)

4. DIY vs Moustache Mountain: NXT Worlds Collide(January)

5, Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens: WWE TLC(December)

 
6. Jonathan Gresham vs Flip Gordon: ROH Final Battle(December) 

 
7. Finn Balor vs Kyle O'Reilly: NXT Takeover(October)

 
8. Imperium vs Undisputed Era: NXT Worlds Collide(January)

9. Testsuya Naito vs Kazuchika Okada: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom Night 2(January)

 
10. Tetsuya Naito vs Jay White: NJPW Wrestlekingdom Night 1(January) 

11. Hiromu Takahashi vs Will Ospreay: NJPW Wrestlekingdom Night 1(January)

12. Finn Balor vs Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa: NXT(September)

 
13. Roman Reigns vs Jey Uso: WWE Clash of Champions(September)

14. Randy Orton vs Edge: WWE Backlash(June)

15. Charlotte vs Rhea Ripley: NXT Wrestlemania(April)

16. Johnny Gargano vs Tomasso Ciampa: NXT(April)

17. Brody King vs Dalton Castle. ROH (November)

18. Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre .WWE Survivor Series(November)

19. Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens: WWE Smackdown(December)

20. Kyle O'Reilly vs Pete Dunne: NXT(December) 

 
21, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett vs Vincent and Bateman: ROH Final Battle(December) 

  
22. Trent Seven vs Dave Mastiff. NXT UK(November)

23. Kylie Rae vs Pipen Nevin . NXT UK(November)

  
24. Sasha vs Bayley: WWE Hell in a Cell(October) 

 
25. Tracey Willims vs Jay Lethal: ROH (October)

26. Roman vs Jey Uso: WWE Hell in a Cell(October)

27.  Damien Priest vs Johnny Gargano vs Bronson Reed vs Cameron Grimes vs Velveteen Dream  NXT Takeover(August)  

28 Finn Balor vs Timothy Thatcher: NXT Takeover(August)

 
29 Adam Cole vs Pat McAfee : NXT Takeover(August)

 
30 Hangman Page and Kenny Omega vs the Young Bucks: Tag Titles: AEW Revolution(February)

Match of December

Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens: TLC 

Jonathan Gresham vs Flip Gordon: Final Battle 

Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens: Smackdown 

Kyle O'Reilly vs Pete Dunne: NXT 

Matt Taven and Mike Bennett vs Vincent and Bateman: Final Battle  

 Joe Cofey vs Alexander Wolfe: NXT UK 

Shane Taylor vs Jay Briscoe: Final Battle 

Tomasso Ciampa vs Timothy Thatcher: War Games 

Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt: TLC

Mustafa Ali vs Ricochet: Raw 

Tom Lawlor vs Lowki: Fusion 

Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham vs PCO and Mark Brisco: Final Battle 

Shotzi Blackheart vs Raquel Gonzalez: NXT

Tracy Williams and Rhett Titus vs Fred Yehi and Wheeler Muta: Final Battle 

Impereum vs Grizzled Young Veterans: NXT 

I Used To Go Here

 I Used To Go Here is the first Kris Rey film i have truly enjoyed. It's a quick watch with likable characters, involves familiar situations and feels like you are just hanging out. Gillian Jacobs is great in these type of roles, and her and everyone else just ooze great chemistry. Some call it mumblecore mainly for Rey being a former Swanberg, but don't let that push you away, there is alot of quirk to dig into here! 

Letterkenny Season 9

 I see alot hating on the ninth season of Letterkenny. I missed the last two seasons so binged them before this and honestly maybe it is because i found Season 7 to be weak but i enjoyed the hell out of the latest. Sure it seemed dependent more on run on word gags but what do you expect with this show? Nothing will top the first few pre Hulu seasons but it is still one of the funniest shows on the air! 

Hillbilly Elegy

 Ron Howard's Hillbilly Elegy is a mess to say the least. I can tell there is meat to this story, not saying all true stories based on memoirs have meat but the story feels like it does. Unfortunately like most Ron Howard pictures, it falls flat. Everything falls flat, the acting, the plot, the look of the film, it feels like anyone could have directed this and done a better job. Honestly if this had been a low budget indie helmed by someone like Miranda July or Harmony Korine it would have been so much better, sure more surreal or fucked up, but with this story it could have worked. 

Superintelligence

 Superintelligence, the latest from actor/director Ben Falcone continues the rich history of his filmography with another piece of crap. I have really begun to  like Melisa McCarthy she has been doing work closer to her pre Bridesmaids days, except when Ben comes calling, and being married to a person is well honorable. I hated Tammy, never saw The Boss, honestly didn't mind Life of the Party, but Superintelligence falls somewhere in-between..   

Jingle Jangle

Late to the Christmas party but watched Jingle Jangle. I think Netflix over does it with alot of original films and they are treading on Hallmark territory with the amount of Christmas flicks and shows they are doing. However i'm a sucker for musicals so gave this a shot. It was refreshing, joyous and whimsical with great wardrobes and set designs. 

Soul

 Soul might be my new favorite Pixar film. Up has held that honor for over a decade  but this might just be their best. Not many Pixar films have i loved, the first Toy Story, Up, Onward, that's about it but Soul just feels like a different beast. The animation in the Great Beyond/Great Before feels different than most Pixar films, that plus the story is one we can all relate to. Doesn't matter if you're a jazz enthusiast, music lover, or a person stuck in a rut, we all have a passion that gives a spark and that is the point, the soul of the film. It's a touching story and feels more adult than their previous films, actually it feels more like a Disney Short. The film is a shroom trip of a journey with an upbeat and inspiring ending. 

WW84

 Wonder Woman 84 is a fun flick. It doesn't overdo the 80s nostalgia, in fact i would have taken a bit more, and the light and humorous moments aren't the type that derail the story like the MCU. Gal Gadot and Chris Pine have great chemistry plus Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig continue DCEU's trend of having interesting villains, Wiig giving her best performance since the Skeleton Twins and Pedro might be having the nine best Fridays ever. Some of their characters have elements borrowed from Pfeifer's Catwoman, and the plot device of Carey's Riddler. Fast paced, good action and and some cool WW moments. 

Spell

 Spell is far from anything great but it's a atmospheric watch filled with solid acting. The story is unique and it has a message but it still feels bland. It's a great idea stuck in a pale film, it doesn't look bad but it feels no better than a Shudder film but with Paramount's name on it. Way better than the reviews it has previously received but doesn't feel theatrical at all. 

The Midnight Sky

 The Midnight Sky might be George Clooney's best since the Ides Of March but that is like saying your latest shit didn't smell as bad as the past two days. It looks his best since Good Night and Good Luck but boy, is this film boring. I backed it when he trashed Tenet, but competing at the box office didn't happen in the summer, competing on streaming might be happening but competing for most boring is neck and neck. 

Sputnik

 The story of Sputnik intrigued me, however the final results felt more like a video game cut scene. When i say cut scene i mean cut scene and no game play. This is all very survival horror yet with the threat being overly subtle. This is a good film but it feels forgettable and untapped.  

Kajilionaire

 It was 6 years between Me and You and Everyone We Know to The Future. Now it was 9 years between the Future and Kajilionaire. If Miranda July's next film is 12 years from now it will be worth it. All three films share her voice and her uniqueness should be admired. In a time where many indie directors jump on board director for hire projects, she takes her time and doesn't make a film just to make a film, she makes them when she has something to say. 

The Craft Legacy

 When the trailer for the Craft Legacy hit it was met with alot of hate, not because it looked bad(which it did) but because everyone acted like the original was sacred. Many crapped on the sequel thinking it was a remake, but the original, while entertaining, is far from untouchable. To many it is a film of their teen years, i get it, but those that are fans should watch Legacy. Where as the first was built around grunge, this here is more in the woke era. Some of the plot does feel contrived and rushed but it moves fast and has a good message. Besides that i found the characters far more likeable in this chapter. 

After Midnight

 After Midnight, the third film from Jeremy Gardner, and his second co directed with Christian Stella, feels like the film i've been waiting for since The Battery. The Battery is still one of the best zombie films in the past decade and with After Midnight he creates one of the best monster films of the past decade. It is far from non stop horror, in fact it is a character study and part coming of age. Instead of non stop gore we get characters discussing life. The monster is kept mostly in the shadows and it is more effective that way. 

Letters to Satan Claus

 Letters to Satan Claus is the best Christmas flick in two years. A horror send up of Hallmark films with the big city girl that hates loves and Christmas returning to her home town, except Satan is accepting letters and killing the townsfolk. It is hilarious, bloody, full of charm, and the cast nails how they are supposed to act. We're all aware of Hallmark movies, so even those of us that do not watch them can be in on the joke. 

The Pale Door

The Pale Door is an awesome slice of southern gothic horror. The atmospheric tale of outlaws vs a brothel of witches is oozing is blood, boobs and nods to the Evil Dead. I kept imagining Ethan Hawke, Josh Brolin, and Walton Goggins in the roles but honestly the cast they had was perfect for it, instead of star power it relies on chemistry, scenery and effects! Instead of robbers on the run hiding at the Titty Twister and attacked by vampires in From Dusk til Dawn we get train robbers on the run hiding in a secret town's brothel attacked by demonic witches. It makes me wish we get more horror westerns. 

Tenet

 Tenet, the film Christopher Nolan forced into cinema, is a film about preventing something worse than a nuclear holocaust, is a film that could have prevented millions of getting sick of Covid if only Christoper Nolan wasn't such a smug, boring, self indulged,  studio suck ass that can't think of an original idea that isn't pretentious and overly ambitious. The film might be the worst film i have ever seen, this was excruciating, i'd rather have more torture ans have my dick ripped off. I can't think of a film i have ever hated this fucking much. A pure convoluted, boring, and ugly piece of shit. This film was total garbage for two and a half hours, the only redeeming quality might have been the first sixty seconds, then it goes pure Nolan and blows its load and makes us watch it's "brilliance". Just because a film is well shot doesn't mean it is good, this is far from it. It is far from visually stunning and the acting will put you to sleep better than ZzzQuil. Just because your script adds surrealism and time travel with too many layers doesn't make your film smart. In fact i think i would feel more intellectual after fucking  Kim Kardashian in a Wamart parking lot while listening to Donald Trump on the radio. Fuck you Christopher Nolan for forcing Warner and cinemas to open for your trash, fuck you for making a film that was this bad, fuck you for knowing your film would bomb and thus WB is now changing their 2021 rollout plan. You wanted to save film but instead you fucked it up the ass with your herpectic covid dick. Many will say "you didn't get it" i'm glad i didn't because atleast i wont be lying to myself. There is nothing to get other than Nolan being a guy that hasn't made a good film in almost a decade. 

The Mandalorian

 The first season of the Mandalorian was excellent but season two topped it, in fact the season finale might be the best thing since Empire Strikes Back. The action sequences, the sets, background characters, the ships, the costume design, THIS is Star Wars. The show had several moments for original trilogy fans to mark out over, plus there was more heart this season than i have felt in any SW property since Return of the Jedi. With the announcement last week of all the new SW projects i do fear over saturation and that they will not feel as special. Regardless of how anticipation builds for those shows, or how they turn out, nothing can take away the magic that we feel when we watch The Mandalorian. This is the pre existing Sci Fi/Horror property turn series i have wanted all my life. Every week we essentially get a serial, which for SW is the way. 

Love and Monsters

 Love and Monsters is a fun flick. A big budget SyFy channel movie that at times felt like an 80s film. Part kaiju flick, part survival film, and part coming of age story. It has alot of heart, solid performances, great chemistry with Dylan O'Brien and his dog, and some pretty cool monster effects. 

The Wilds

 That show where a plane crashes on a mysterious island, only the survivors begin to have tension and they suspect there are others on the island, and it is accompanied by flash backs of the survivors. No, not my favorite show of all time, LOST, but the Wilds. This is a gripping shows filled with characters with depth that grow, it keeps you guessing  and is full of social commentary and studies. It's a Young adult, feminist, stripped down version of my favorite series, and i want a season 2!  

Toys of Terror

 I don't if i wanted a Child's Play knock off, a Demonic Toys rip off or a companion to go with THe Banana Splits, but Toys of Terror did not deliver the toys i wanted. THe effects looked Full Moon bad, as was the plot, effects, and acting, and for a SyFy film the story was even bad. They've done awesome shit, just not this. Ho ho horrible. 

Centigrade

 Films like Open Water, Frozen, Buried, and Burning Bright are usually good for the suspense. The latest in the trapped in a confined space genre is Centigrade, a film much like Frozen but instead of a ski lift it is a car buried under a blizzard of snow. Supposedly based on true events and spawning almost two weeks, it does show the mental breakdown one would have but it just feels tired. I've seen better versions of this, not only that it just goes on and on. At 90 minutes it feels like 3 hours. The end made me find the characters unbelievably stupid, but it has an aura of realism i suppose. Of course stuff could have melted for the plot device but looking around it doesn't seem to be the case. Regardless no suspense was felt, just pure boredom. 

Jungleland

 I became aware of Max Winkler with Flower, a highly underrated gem from 2018. His latest is technically a better film but not quite as enjoyable. What i mean by that is i loved Flower, but this shows his growth as a filmmaker. Great acting from all three leads, great boxing choreography, a riveting story. Best boxing film since Creed 2. 

Parallel

 Parallel started off great. This was a cool flick about a mirror and the multiverse. I've always been fascinated with the concept of multiverses plus i had a story i once wrote about mirrors bringing alternate realities. The second act got a little screwy but i didn't hate it, i waited to see how it played out. The third act got even messier, and so messy that it could not be cleaned. I only became aware of this film the other day but knew i needed to see it. I haven't seen a film i loved so much for thirty minutes morph into a film that was so fucking bad.  I will give the ending props for a pretty innovative and radical kill however. Plus the film ends on a down note so i will give it props there. 

Archenemy

  Archenemy, the new superhero flick from Adam Egypt Mortimer, is a welcome addition to the non superhero superhero genre. His first film, Some Kind of Hate, was mean spirited and not very memorable. His second, Daniel Isn't Real, was a vast improvement. This here falls in the middle, definitely better than the first but not as good as the second. It's a superhero film about a homeless man that no one believes is a superhero let aloe outer space. The villain is a drug dealer, so it brought up thoughts of Super, Project Power and plenty of others, so some tropes sure, but the cast all meshes well and the "cut scenes" with comic art are pretty damn sweet. The film overall though feels a bit rushed and contrived, it is far from a bad film though and i welcome a flick like this over the tired blockbusters. It honestly feels like a film that should have been released by Amazon or Hulu but i think it will find it's audience through Dollar Tree. It sounds weird but this feels like a flick that will be talked about in hunt videos within the next two years. 

Black Bear

 I don't know what the fuck i just watched, Black Bear starts off feeling quite dream like, Aubrey Plaza is pool side, heads on in, then we cut to her arriving at the same place. I thought something felt off but it wasn't until the second half that it made sense. THAT made sense, the rest of the film, not so much. A film within a film where the film we saw is not the film at all and the film we see is the filming of a film that runs parallel to the film we saw in the first half. Maybe? Whatevs, it had good acting and showed how hectic a film set can be, made me miss it.  

Fatman

 Fatman is the best thing Mel Gibson has done since Payback. This is also the best Christmas flick of the year. Mel Gibson as Santa, Walton Goggins hunting him? That is all you need to know. This is very B movie of the 70s, not in a cheesy way but in content, the premise, the action scenes/violence, but unlike alot of post Grindhouse films, this feels authentic. Think of the Cannon Films actions films of the 80s, it is badass. 

Deathcember

 Deathcember, like most horror anthologies, is a mixed bag. Some are good, some are bad, some themselves are mixed. None are perfect, none are boring, some are ambitious, others are by the numbers. Atleast this has Christmas cheer to keep it moving, even though the 2 hour and 22 minute run time is a bit much, which includes 20 minutes of trailers(with two stingers). Regardless there is plenty of boobs and blood to keep you happy. Ho ho horror! 

The Call

 The Call, the new 2020 South Korean Netflix film, since it is a popular name, is one of the more effective supernatural films of the year. Oozes atmosphere, and has a fresh and original take. Solid acting, a creepy score and an overall sinister premise make this one of the best to come from Korea this year. 

Smiley Face Killers

 Smilley Face Killers could have been grand. It has the director of Rivers Edge, Crispin Glover AND Bret Easton Ellis. Now Tim Hunter, the director, doesn't have the best track record. Ellis, while my favorite author, has had some pretty shit times in film/tv the past decade. Glover is always just Glover so that can go either way. This is the most boring, uninteresting, shitty made, crap written, wooden acted piece of shit i have seen this year. Ellis no longer does riveting, provocative, intelligent work, and that alone is worth a sad face and not a smiley face . 

The Vast of Night

 The Vast of Night could be the best sci fi film of 2020. This is the film Steven Spielberg would have made if he came up with Ty West and Adam Wingard, but with dashes of Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson. The science fiction doesn't even take place until the end but the various long takes, and Sam Raimi camera angles add to tension and paranoia. The 50s setting is perfect and super refreshing for a tale like this. Instantly you are hooked on the characters and you find their jobs become super fascinating(yesterdays jobs, today's hobbies). This is a unique film with slight nods towards old school anthology sci fi series, but it feels totally authentic.  

Powerbomb

 Powerbomb is one of the best wrestling films in quite a while. Zach Shildwacher and BJ Colangelo i have known for years and am super happy for their feature film. It highlights how toxic fandom can be, done to an extreme, it features how grinding in the indies can break one down, and shows a balance between work and home lives. Matt Cross is great in this playing a fictionalized version of himself, as solid as he is in the ring the dude also has acting chops, even Britt Baker delivers here! COngrats you guys! 

Castle Freak

 Castle Freak was not a film that needed to be remade. The original is not a classis by any means but it doesn't lend it self to a remake unless you're going all out. This here felt cheap, just as cheap as the Full Moon original. The original atleast had some camp to it, all this has is tits and ass, very nice tits and ass but if i wanted that i could just watch porn. Speaking of porn i have seen better made porns, better acted porns. This felt like porn, just not as good. "Hey Lovecraft Country will be out next year, let's remake a film loosely based on his work. 

Mank

 Mank is a gorgeous telling of the process of writing Citizen Kane. It is a film fan's film, full of imagery, music, script breaks, cigarette burns and how Hollywood can fuck one in the ass. To me this is a step up for David Fincher, as unlike Gone Girl, this feels like it has heart and passion behind it. It is a bit oscar baity sure but what film about Citizen Kane wouldn't be? It is also Trent Reznor's best score since the Social Network. 

Sound of Metal

 Sound of Metal might have the best acting of the year. Riz Ahmed delivers another powerful performance, this time as a drummer that loses his hearing. It's a story of love, passion, addiction of overcoming life's obstacles. Shit can hit the fan and we have various paths we can enter, and the end of the film truly showcases that. 

Jasper Mall

 Jasper Mall is a documentary about not only the decline in mall culture but also a showcase a town of eclectic hillbillies. This mall was no Mall of America, it was a dirt mall, sure it had anchor stores and national chains but the car show, antique show, southern baptists gospel songs and local floral arrangements gives it that honor. This is a mall i would have hung out in, only i think i would have judged all the people in it sadly. Sure i don't think i'd agree with these people politically but they all have heart and kindness. Don't pass judgement and try to support your local mall. They're dying. 

Anything for Jackson

 Anything For Jackson is a creepy, atmospheric and disturbed take on grandparents love, kidnapping and the supernatural. Part hostage film, for demonic possession, this film is way better than i anticipated and has pretty stellar acting. Most enjoyable film from Shudder in about two months.

Utopia

 Well Utopia is a series that truly needed a second season. Five comic book nerds at  convention each want to see a rare comic that was found, people are killed, but it seems the comic holds some facts. The lead character of the comic is real and "protecting" the nerds, meanwhile Cpt. Coronavirus and his Impossible Whopper is here to send people to the con to kill everyone. Luckily Rain Wilson has the vaccine, but he'll need help from an 8 year old girl. People die, bum underground syndicates are sought out, synthetic humans are on the rise....and we are cancelled after one season....this show was sweet, contrived but sweet. 

Iron Mask

 Iron Mask, the sequel to Viy, is a mess but a gorgeous mess. Even when the effects and scenery looks cheap it still looks gorgeous. The dragons are badass, the fights are fun and Jackie Chan along with Arnold Schwarzenegger ham it up and steal the show. Their fight in particular is hilarious, the film itself is not very good but i had a fun time with it. 

Match of November

A-Kid vs Trent Seven. Heritage Cup

 Brody King vs Dalton Castle. ROH TV

Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre . Survivor Series 

Trent Seven vs Dave Mastiff. Heritage Cup

Kay Lee Rae vs Pipen Nevin . NXT UK. Womens Title