Rogue One

If you know me, you know how much Star Wars means to me, I fucking love it, it has been with me since childhood, the films, toys, books, comics, games, all of it. Last year The Force Awakens shook my world, it is easily my second favorite film of the decade, it is amazing. In my post last year i said that the anticipation of Force Awakens will never again be matched,  that once the film begins, it is over, you are now in  the world, enjoy the journey, never forget the moment, yada yada yada. I also said that the spin offs will lack the punch, but emotionally and artistically, as it will weaken the saga and just be a cash cow, which granted, yes George Lucas did himself, but now it is a yearly event. Marvel has become the same way, their films are all one, and not in a connected story sort of way, they just feel manufactured. I had a fear that Star Wars would suffer the same fate, and now i have seen the first spin off/stand alone/Star Wars Story/what have you, in Rogue One. I don't know what to think, a part of me thinks it is a great film, do not get me wrong, i think it is well crafted, well acted, well shot, awesome battles, well timed humor, and full of shit for fans to eat up.....but therein lies the problem, the other part of me is thinking I was fanboying myself by getting off on the references, cameos & inside jokes. However, i didn't get off on them, that is the problem, i chuckled and appreciated them, but nothing really gave me the goosebumps. I did not hate the film, i did not dislike the film, no, i thought it was great, but when i see it again, and yes, i will be seeing it again, i am going to view it differently, this time i tried to watch it as a stand alone piece where i knew the outcome, the second time i will know all but will see if it is indeed the film that is great, or just the references. As I am sitting here typing this, i just had a thought, the battles, the humor, the characters, if you take away the cameos & references, the film would still hold up. I am liking it more and more as i think about it, it was my most anticipated film of the year, and it did not let me down, i just need to know, why did i like it. The original trilogy, i adore, i don't know how many times i have seen them, and the Force Awakens, i have probably watched a good 15 times in the past year. There are two types of films, there are great films like The Revenant, and there are films you love like Mad Max(which is also great), but just because a film is great, doesn't mean you love it, you can respect it for being a piece of art, at the top of the field. The Revenant was great, but i truly doubt i will watch it again, Rogue One is great, but is it great in a film perspective, or is it a film to love. I will decide soon, i am thinking it is the latter, but the second viewing will solidify it. It is not the first three, it is not the Force Awakens. When i view it the second time, all will be checked at the door, i am pretty sure it will be a film to love, cause i am truly liking it more & more with each passing minute. I know some will say, weren't you let down initially by it, no, I wasn't, this isn't The Dark Knight Rises, a film crushed me when i saw it, and again the second time, then the third time, and again the fourth, but Bane kept getting better. This film was great, and as a Star Wars fan, i loved it, but i don't know if it is blind love i felt or just a cinephiles appreciation. To be continued, i will reveal on Facebook in the near future, my final verdict.

Love

Judd Apatow works best on TV, Freaks & Geeks is amazing, Undeclared is just as amazing, Girls is good but i don't love it. In between Undeclared & Girls he became a mega producer, with films such as Superbad & Pineapple Express, and a solid director, now his directorial films needs trimming, they are good but overly long, the films he produces are usually better. However I think around the time he directed Funny People that his films have been lackluster and his productions have been spotty, good, but spotty, but Love is a return to form. Honestly it is the best thing he has produced since Pineapple Express, and it doesn't sound like he was that in charge, Paul Rust, Gus, seems to be the man with the plan, and mabe that is a good thing. The show is hilarious, yet brutal, it shows an overly nice guy, almost too nice, falling for a trainwreck(get it?). Gillian Jacobs plays a total bitch at times, yet i relate to her, the cynical attitude i get, i love it, but i relate to Gus aswell, he is a nerd with passion for his interests, however, holy fuck, does he go into creepy territory at some points(the writer's room scene). It shows how fucked "love" can be and how hook ups consume us. I am a huge trainwreck of a nerd, so i get both characters viewpoints, and but even if you don't, the show is so well made that you will binge it. I wish i had watched it when it started, but alas i was putting it off being disinterested in Apatow, silly me, this show is great!

Ash vs Evil Dead season 2

Now as everyone knows, Evil Dead 2, amped up from the first one. Gore, gags, everything, now i prefer the first, it is more horror, but i love all in the series. The second season of the series is totally the Evil Dead 2, but unlike the films, i prefer the second to the first. This is pure fan service & horror bliss, splatstick gorgasms, and over the top perfection! Ash vs shit? You got it, Ash vs Deadites from previous films? You got it! The tree of rape? Yep yep! Possessed cars? Hell yes! Hallucinations and evil puppets? It makes sense, and it is awesome! This is the type of show cult fans thrive for! It is more fun than Walking Dead, not stupid like Z Nation, not overly serious like Marvel's shows, not corny like DC's shows, the comedy elements are hilarious, the horror elements and top notch 80's goodness, the type of effects & film(series) that all Evil Dead fans should want. Sure each entry gets less horror and more comedy, but figure it this way, Evil Dead was horror, Evil Dead 2 took the gore and ran with it into comedy, Army of Darkness took the comedy and embraced it. The first season was a gift to the fans that wanted a fourth film, and now the second season has proven to be perfection, it takes all the best elements, blends them together and gives us treats for the eyes.  Your screen is painted red, the blood flows more than Game of Thrones and lets the fans get off every episode. You want a stub job, you want to be fucked by a chainsaw? Whatever your thing is.....yeah, i don't know, roll with it, then this show will make sure you cum, and when you cum, it will not be white, it will be red, actually it would probably be green mucus, but still bloody green mucus. This is true nerd tv, it has been fucking perfect! Oh and the music the season ends on? Fantastic!

Office Christmas Party

                                                                                                                                                                       

Mainstream critics, or the critics of the world used to love to hate on horror films, the past few years it seems as though comedy is the new punching bag, some deserve it, films like Paul Blart are pure crap, but then you have stuff like Office Christmas Party, which sure may not be genius and not every joke works, but it get unfairly hated, I laughed enough to warrant it to be funny, and i was entertained throughout. Hell when i rewatch comedies i love, i rarely laugh, only certain films make me laugh again & again, this may not be one of them but point it, i can watch a comedy for pure entertainment purposes. TJ Miller is basically his usual character, as is Jason Bateman, but they play them well as usual and have great chemistry, Jennifer Aniston is a great bitch, Olivia Munn is actually decent in this, and i finally find her hot, Kate McKinnon is on fire this year, Vanessa Bayer is showing chops, Rob Cordry is his usual side chatacter but as usual, does a good job, Abbey Lee from Fury Road & Neon Demon is in a different type of role and it works, Jillian Bell steals the show as she has done in countless films. It may not be like the Night Before and is a new christmas classic but it is a fun watch for sure!

SOuth Park Season 20

Season 19 was amazing, the best season in years, ever since going serial it has been great. This season, was good, but not great. With the shit fest political climate we are in and have been in the past few months, i was expecting more. The presidential stuff was good at first but post real life election, it went down hill. The troll angle was great at first but ran out of steam. Cartman's stance was super intrguining but seemed to be over shadowed at times and put on  the back burner. The member berries were arguably the best part, but wound up falling flat and really not playing a factor at the end as much as i wanted them too.

Westworld

I think the film, Westworld, is awesome, it is fun, i figured the show would be a different beast, and welcomed it. The pilot was amazing, I love JJ Abrams, Lost is my shit, so i figured, cool we will get a mind fuck of a series. What followed were some cool shoot outs, some nice asses, and some boring television, that is until the finale, holy shit, that was cool. There still were some bits that dragged, but that was a bad ass hour & a half of tv, and it too dealt in the mind fuck game. It is no where near as good as everyone says it is, but hell, most shows aren't. Most pander to critics or fanboys too much, but it is simply a good show. I hear the second season will not be on until 2018, which is okay, give it a break, i might return, but if the season 2 premier does nothing, i will throw in the towel. That is, if i decide to watch it, hell 13 months from now, maybe longer, imagine what the world will be like....Trump will be in his second year in office, Episode 8 will already be out, hell might be on dvd already, will dvd still be a thing? Nakamura could be main eventing Mania, i might be married to Alexa Bliss. who knows.

Batman Return of the Caped Crusader

It is no secret i love Batman, i love the comics, the cartoons, the movies, the tv series, i love dark Batman, i love campy Batman, i love the Joker, i love him evil, i love him surfing. I was stoked when the old 1966 Batman series, was getting an animated movie, and it is a gift! It is full of jokes for the fans, it has "cameos" from villains with their actors likenesses such as Vincent Price, it is self aware of it's oh shucks morale, it has various Catwomen, it makes 66 Gotham scared of how Batman can be, and how some assume Nolan's Batman would have become(fascist).  it even knocks that series awful ending, yes i hate the ending to that franchise. It is great having the cast back, i am stoked they are bringing it back again next year with William Shatner as Two Face, if we get more of these i will be happy. Batman's animated films have been great, and this one is the best of the year after the disappointing Killer Joke.