Sharksploitation is another great doc from Shudder. This is where they succeed, they align fans and industry workers and let them talk, from the heart of the subjects. The subject here is the love of Jaws, and how we went from one of the greatest films of all time, to SyFy/Asylum taking two animals, merging them and having them fight another merged creature. All while having fun. I wish it dove more in to the SyFy/Asylum aspect but it was fascinating hearing about actual shark facts.
Usos vs Bloodline: Money in the Bank
Carmelo Hayes vs Ilja Dragunov: NXT Title: Great American Bash
Mens MITB
Dragunov vs Bron Breaker: NXT TV
Womens MITB
FTR vs Jey White & Juice Robinson: AEW Tag Titles: Collision
Is there Comic Book fatigue? No not really, i feel there is just a wall of people wanting something different or conclusive. Did we need The Batman? No, especially since 10 years prior we had both Ben Affleck and Christian Bale in the role, but it was a great film. Did we really need the Flash or Shazam 2? No but they were fun. Moving over to Marvel, did we need Guardians 3? Yes, we needed the final volume of the trilogy. And it was possibly the second best comic film ever, easily the best from Marvel. Did we need Ant Man 3? Hell no, but it wrapped up his trilogy, but his story should have ended after End Game, same with Thor, hell same with Black Panther. Let's look at the shows shall we, WandaVision? Ultimately ended up being pointless though she did turn heel in Multiverse of Madness, Falcon & Winter Solider....great show but pointless, they were in the same spots in the finale as they were the pilot, ultimately skipable. Same with Loki. Then we had Hawkeye, underrated as fuck, She Hulk, annoying as fuck, Moon Knight, surreal as fuck, Ms Marvel....the best of the best.....but now we get possibly the worst of the worst, the definition of pointless and the ammo of superhero fatigue....Secret Invasion. No one asked for this, it was Disney stretching an idea and milking it, and getting nothing. This plot was done better in MI Dead Reckoning, it had deaths no one cared about and made Nick Fury to be one of the most boring characters in the saga. Do we need Echo? Fuck no, Loki 2? Fuck no, Ironheart? Fuck no, Agatha? Oh HELLLL NO. Daredevil? Sure. Bring on adult cinema like Oppenheimer, bring on event films like Barbie, cause MCU might think Secret Invasion is their adult show, but it is a secret invasion of the brain to put you to sleep. MCU might think it is an event, but the only event was me wanting to go to sleep.
Remember when blockbusters felt like event films? Films got diluted and no longer felt like events, multiple Star Wars films, comic properties, it made things feel less special. Well Barbie felt like an event, especially the past month or so with the promotional tools at hand. And upon seeing that theatres were sold out last night, a certain buzz of electricity hit the air. Granted i went to a 9:30 showing at Dundee(a small art house) but the mere presence of how stoked people were felt like the biggest cinematic event since Force Awakens in 2015. People were dressed up and theme drinks & snacks were sold. Now i never played with Barbie growing up, but my uncle had a Kirk & Uhura Barbie set in the package, that was most of my knowledge. As a teen i felt much like the character of Sasha, i found the toy to be a negative reflection and give false ideas, but the film tackles that, it tackles ALOT of things. If you told me 20, 10, 5 years ago that Barbie would be one of the more philosophical films, a film with a message and depth, i would have laughed. Luckily Greta Gerwig avoids the curse many indie darlings face when heading to do big studio projects, she got to keep her voice and injected it into every scene. If this wasn't Barbie this could easily have been a campy cult film like the Apple but she used this to tell a tale that is equal part fantasy, even in the real world, and is a satire for perfection, even in Barbieland. This is the more visually stunning film of the past few years, maybe since LaLa Land, and the sets & costumes deserve recognition as does the cast that put in alot of heart all while having fun.
Quicksand is not a cheap looking film but it embraces the cheapness of The Evil Dead to great effect at one point....in the films only gripping scene. Otherwise this is a tedious film in the vein of Buried and Frozen only not enthralling like those were. Films like this make me want to end my Shudder service for a few months, hell end most services for a few months. Enough about the services, let em sink, just like the characters i wish sunk in the first 30 minutes here.
65 had a SyFy Chanel Premise but with Adam Driver. I love dinosaurs so i was instantly stoked for this, but then it came out and i just didn't feel the desire to go....now it is on Netflix and i have no desire to write about it. It is a dull film and honestly feels cheaper at times than a SyFy film. I love Adam Driver but he is trying his hardest and it just is not clicking. There are some laughably bad moments here but unlike the Room it doesn't feel fun to mock, give my Asylum any day!
Like most of the Mission Impossible franchise, Dead Reckoning once again tops the last. So many times in espionage films the threat don't feel dire, but here the stakes feel high even if the viewers and the characters themselves don't truly know what it is. There is an aura of mystery and the plot unravels in typical MI fashion, contrived yet gripping, all while being the longest film in the saga yet the fastest paced. There is some unintentional topical moments which adds to the plot in an eerie way. The action scenes are at an all time best here with the train sequence and one of the best car chases in recent memory. Also we get Pom Klementieff, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, and Hayley Atwell all in one film! And with that said this may also have the series best acting!
I have enjoyed all the Insidious films but the previous two prequel instalments definitely lacked the punch of the first two. The Red Door is a sequel to the second one and while unneeded they find a way to make it work while giving it a proper "conclusion?". There are some decent freaky moments but honestly i was more into the subplots than the horror elements. Quite a bit of this reminded me of the Devil's Candy only i wish it had the depth of that. Nothing really felt like a major threat here, alot more should have been done in the Further.
Children of the Corn is a film that i think it great, but the sequels and remakes have all been terrible. This is in contention as worst horror franchise for me, and this latest, just released on Shudder, is possibly the worst in the series. I do respect the origin esque take but my fuck watching this film is more torture than these kids unleash on the townsfolk.
Bryan Danielson vs Okada: Forbidden Door
Will Osprey vs Kenny Omega : IWGP US Title: Forbidden Door
Seth Rollins vs Bron Breaker: World Title: NXT
