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ewh111 · 5 years ago

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Annual List of Favorite Film Experiences of 2019

Happy New Year! All the best to you for a fabulous 2020 and new decade!

2019 was a busy year of traveling. Work took me back to China (three times), Japan, Korea, and first time visits to the Czech Republic and Australia.

I had the opportunity of a lifetime when I helped lead a group of Harvard-Westlake faculty members on a culture and food themed trip to China with James Beard Award-winning food writer/chef Fuchsia Dunlop. As a big fan of hers, I invited her to join us as our culinary tour guide and she accepted, leading us through three regions of China with distinct cuisines (Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Shanghai). Over ten days, she curated 19 meals with over 300 different courses! For more, go to my first annual food post: https://ewh111.tumblr.com/post/189972112494/2019-food-lists

And now, here are my favorite film experiences of the past year.

Cheers, Ed

The Best and The Favorite of the Year

Parasite

The less you know before viewing this metaphorical, fiercely dark, genre-bending comedy/horror/social satire of haves and have nots where everyone is arguably a parasite, the better. Korean filmmaker Boon Joon-ho creates a memorable, twisty, thought-provoking film experience with exquisite storytelling, stunning visuals, sudden tonal shifts, unexpected turns, and a terrific cast. Just take the journey and enjoy this masterful work that may be the best film of the year. Trailer: https://youtu.be/isOGD_7hNIY

Jojo Rabbit

Appealing to my affinity for the quirky, this one is my favorite film of 2019. Who knew that a story during the waning days of WWII about a 10 year old Hitler Youth, his imaginary friend Adolph Hitler, and his single mom who is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic would be so sweet and funny. While an absurdist witty satire on the surface, it’s really an anti-hate, coming-of-age story as we experience the world through the eyes of 10 year old Jojo as he confronts and reconciles “the other” he’s been taught to hate in the world around him. Delicately balancing whimsy and seriousness, Jojo Rabbit is a beautiful and soulful film thanks to a great cast, including a terrifically endearing Scarlett Johansson (while likely to garner more attention for Marriage Story, this is the more memorable character to me), the audacious Jewish-Polynesian director Taika Waititi as the sophomoric Hitler bestie, Sam Rockwell as an SS officer with a heart, and a wonderful Roman Griffin Davis in the title role. Trailer: https://youtu.be/tL4McUzXfFI

Racing Against Time

1917

Wow. Daring and bold filmmaking in one of the most realistic and visceral war film experiences since the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. In a role that may be overlooked during awards season, George MacKay is a standout as one of the two soldiers sent on an impossible mission through No Man’s Land to deliver a message to prevent British forces from entering a massive German ambush. Oh, and via pure movie magic, director Sam Mendes and master cinematographer Roger Deakins tell this story in what seems like one continuous shot. I was totally drawn in by the Gallipoli-esque race against time, the real-time pacing of 24, and the immersive POV of a video game. The result is breath-taking as the camera dances around the soldiers, trenches, bunkers, and towns in a beautifully choreographed dance without distracting from the gripping storytelling. Trailer: https://youtu.be/gZjQROMAh_s

Ford v Ferrari

An exhilarating, high octane, crackling thrill ride. The story of two obsessively passionate crazies, ex-racer and car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and British race car driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale), who join forces with American corporate titan Ford to defeat Ferrari at the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1966. It’s pure adrenaline that non-racing enthusiasts can enjoy because of the well-crafted story and performances. Trailer: https://youtu.be/I3h9Z89U9ZA

Unforgettably Creepy and Disturbing

Joker

Joaquin Phoenix disturbingly and completely transforms himself into the pathologically deranged, downtrodden, and delusional part-time clown/aspiring comic Arthur Fleck in this origin story of Batman’s arch nemesis. Joker is a deeply disturbing character study of how an emotionally fragile individual on the fringes of society gets pushed deeper and deeper into the downward spiral of insanity to the breaking point. Dark, edgy, and unsettling, Joker is not for everyone. But there’s no denying Phoenix’s brilliant, tour de force performance. (Unfortunately, my edginess was heightened in my screening by an audience member who was similarly laughing inappropriately like Phoenix’s character, which had me looking for the closest exit in the event of a disturbance). Trailer: https://youtu.be/zAGVQLHvwOY

In his sophomore directorial effort, Jordan Peele has gone beyond the horror and social commentary of Get Out, and into even deeper, more chilling existential territory. In Us, Peele has created an All-American family terrorized by a creepy scissor-wielding doppelgänger family and spirals into more terrifying and mysterious terrain with a fabulous dual performance by Lupita Nyong'o. Who is Us? Is Us them? I’ll leave the metaphorical debate for later. Trailer: https://youtu.be/hNCmb-4oXJA

**Midsommar deserves notable mention in the creepy category–a slow-burn, dark tale of a young American couple’s vacation in the remote Swedish hinterland at a once-in-lifetime summer festival that goes creepily and morbidly wrong. Trailer: https://youtu.be/1Vnghdsjmd0

Masterworks by Tarantino and Scorsese

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

Perhaps Quentin Tarantino’s most mature film, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood beautifully captures in painstaking detail a specific moment in time: Hollywood, 1969. A passionate homage and love letter to Los Angeles and the Hollywood scene, Tarantino blends a concoction of history and fantasy (a la Inglourious Basterds) in a buddy movie with Leonardo DiCaprio as declining TV hero/star and an endearing scene-stealing Brad Pitt as his stalwart stunt double/best friend whose lives fatefully intersect with Sharon Tate and the Manson family. While at times meandering (it’s less plot and more a series of vignettes), it is also at times spellbinding (an on set encounter between DiCaprio’s character and a fellow 8 year old child actor; Margot Robbie’s Sharon Tate watching herself on screen inside Westwood’s Bruin Theater). As the title implies, this is a quintessential Tarantino fairy tale: funny, yet warm, and, of course, violent. Trailer: https://youtu.be/ELeMaP8EPAA

The Irishman

An epic, career-capping entry into Martin Scorsese’s mob-themed oeuve, The Irishman appropriately brings De Niro, Pacino and Pesci together in this elegaic saga, complete with de-aging technology to tell the story of mob hitman Frank Sheeran (De Niro) through multiple flashbacks. And for those of us old enough to remember, the story helps to answer the unsolved question, what happened to Teamster head Jimmy Hoffa. Trailer: https://youtu.be/RS3aHkkfuEI

Family Dramas

Marriage Story

Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver are top-notch in this raw, yet poignant, and ultimately life-affirming journey through the disintegration of a marriage and the logistical mechanics of the divorce process and custody fight seen from both sides as each struggles to reestablish priorities in their lives and redefine family. Trailer: https://youtu.be/BHi-a1n8t7M

The Farewell

We are told the film is “based on an actual lie” in the film’s opening titles; director Lulu Wang’s heartfelt, deeply personal, and charming film stars Awkwafina as a young woman whose grandmother (in China) has been diagnosed with terminal cancer but the entire family has decided to keep it a secret. Under the guise of a hastily planned family wedding, the family gathers to say goodbye to grandma. Capturing the uneasy tension between Chinese and American culture, questioning where one belongs and the role of family in our lives, Awkwafina shines in her first dramatic role, as does the rest of the supporting cast. Trailer: https://youtu.be/RofpAjqwMa8

Little Women

Director Greta Gerwig follows up Lady Bird with another achievement, giving the classic 19th century Louisa May Alcott period piece a thoroughly modern feel with an effervescent cast and 21st century non-chronological storytelling. Saoirse Ronan leads a fantastic cast. Trailer: https://youtu.be/AST2-4db4ic

Two Funny Smart Girls, Two Religious Guys, and Only One Baby Per Family, Please

Booksmart

More than just a female version of Superbad, Booksmart is an impressive directorial debut for Olivia Wilde with the fantastic duo of Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein (HW ‘11) as the “study hard” academic besties on a mission to “play hard” on the last night before graduation. Also memorable is the scene-stealing Billie Lourd (HW ‘10). This very funny and delightful coming-of-age pic stands out in the pantheon of teenage comedies not only for its quirky and smart tone, but for its inclusive and diverse three-dimensional characters, including LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming teens whose sexuality don’t define who they are. Trailer: https://youtu.be/Uhd3lo_IWJc

The Two Popes

I didn’t expect a film that is essentially an extended conversation between two people would be so intriguing and gripping. The imagined conversation in 2012 involves two very different men, one the sitting pope who finds himself standing increasingly in the way of progress, and the other, his eventual successor looking to retire from an institution he is increasingly frustrated with. But with spot-on casting and terrific performances from Jonathan Pryce as the ABBA-humming future Pope Francis and Anthony Hopkins as the stoic, humorless intellect Pope Benedict XVI, The Two Popes is a joy to watch. Trailer: https://youtu.be/T5OhkFY1PQE

One Child Nation

This one’s a doc. From 1979 to 2015, China instituted the “One Child Policy” as a means of population control to stave off mass starvation. Documentarian Nanfu Wang, herself an exception to the policy and now a first-time mother, explores the enduring ripple effects of the policy that included forced abortions, sterilizations, abandonment of baby girls, and child trafficking. This powerful and devastating documentary looks at the multi-layered trauma–how it was carried out and the heartbreaking human and societal toll it has taken. Trailer: https://youtu.be/gMcJVoLwyD0

**Other documentaries to check out: Cold Case Hammarskjold, Where’s My Roy Cohn, The Biggest Little Farm, Leaving Neverland.

All Out Pure Fun Movie Experiences

Knives Out

An enthusiastic bundle of joy, Knives Out is Rian Johnson’s stellar, intricately crafted, Agatha Christie-like whodunit with a stellar cast who seem to be having as much fun as the audience. Trailer: https://youtu.be/qOg3AoRc4nI

Rocketman

Can’t help but compare this to Bohemian Rhapsody, but Rocketman is the superior and more entertaining musical biopic (using the term loosely). It’s bold, magical, and fantastical, as befits Elton John. Trailer: https://youtu.be/S3vO8E2e6G0

Other notables: The King, Avengers: Endgame, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Honey Boy, Yesterday, Velvet Buzzsaw.

In the queue: Pain & Glory; Uncut Gems; Bombshell; Richard Jewell, The Last Black Man In San Francisco.

Favorite Binge-worthy TV Shows

Dark, Succession, When They See Us, Chernobyl, Mindhunter, Barry, Veep, Sex Education, Silicon Valley, Stranger Things 3, Don’t F**k with Cats

Special Shout Out to Dark

With elements of the mysterious strangeness of Twin Peaks and Stranger Things (minus the humor and camp) and the intricate intertwined storytelling and compelling characters of The Wire, Dark is the story of four families who live in a tiny German town situated next to a nuclear power plant (add a little of Chernobyl) who are inextricably connected through some strange cosmic phenomenon. Oh, and throw in a big dose of time travel. Dark is incredibly compelling and addictive. It is hands down the most complex and thoughtful (i.e., sophisticated and makes sense) time travel-themed story I’ve seen. Do yourself a favor and resist Googling anything about the show to avoid spoiling the experience. Just watch. There are two seasons worth at Netflix. And one more on the way. Trailer: https://youtu.be/S3vO8E2e6G0

#favoritemovies2019 #favoritefilms2019 #submission

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pigballoon · 6 years ago

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(Jordan Peele, 2019)

In his follow up to his outstanding directorial debut Get Out, Jordan Peele displays a major leap forward in ambition. Unfortunately i think that in this case that proves to be as much of a negative as it is a positive.

Indeed, as filmmaker, wielder of camera, Peele is operating on a ridiculously high level in this movie. From the unsettling, off kilter distance and space he utilizes in the unnerving prologue that is apparent, and remains so through all of the killer use of close ups, and while his use of cross cutting, time jumping in his final act may prove a bit much for some, I think it adds quite brilliantly to the visual energy and style of the movie. In fact I think to watch this movie on mute might prove a greater experience than to do so with the sound on.

That speaks not only to the visual strength of the movie, but also to the aforementioned weakness. For while Us certainly stands as representation of its creators growth as a visual storyteller from the generally more simplistic framings of Get Out, it also lacks that movies streamlined approach to narrative. Through the guise of horror and a relatively straightforward allegory, Peele's debut told its story very simply, his sophomore effort also comes at its targets allegorically, also utilizes (much more overt, in your face, obviously unsettling, and more often jump scare reliant) horror, but lacks its predecessors clarity. It leaves it feeling something of a muddled affair, a less satisfying overall effort that when it gets it right gets it very, very right, often conjuring up the same sort of righteous fury that Get Out managed.

Sadly when it gets it wrong... I mean, in case you think you might not get a lot of what it is going for, fear not, on 2 separate occasions the movie spoon-feeds much of what it wants to say to the audience via monologue, and as if that clunkiness isn't bad enough, on its course to being narratively a sort of straightforward horror movie it also has its characters more than once succumb to the stupidest horror cliches that in a post-Scream world nobody who is putting any effort into what they're doing should be making anymore. On at least one occasion a moment of said stupidity does lead to an interesting subversion of said tropes, but there certainly isn't enough of that sort of thing going on to totally forgive or ignore such tackiness. Is this really Us, or are they just more stupid horror movie characters?

Anyway, a lot of this weakness in the writing is papered over by the strength of Peele's cast. When not being saddled with a raspy monologue Lupita Nyong'o is fantastic. For anyone that thought her Oscar winner was an unremarkable flash in the pan moment, behold her here in all her glory, the sheer discomfort and distress she displays physically, and through those eyes, its first class, and her work in the final act in particular is triumphantly visceral. In addition, she (and everyone else, to be fair) plays their respective doppelgangers so incredibly you might be forgiven for thinking they're being played by different people.

The younger members of the cast are particularly tremendous at that duality - Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, and Madison Curry all look like skilled pros, and special word should also be reserved for an actual skilled pro, the great Elisabeth Moss, transforming what could have easily been a bog standard horror movie massacre into something unforgettably creepy with an animalistic, Joker-like scene at the centre of the movie, a legit comfort to anyone who after her first couple of scenes may wonder why someone so good is being put to so little use. Balancing all that out is Winston Duke, going to the other end of the spectrum than everyone else, doing a damn fine job bringing a little heart, warmth and much needed humour to allow you to breathe a bit in the middle of all the discomfort.

That work Peele gets from his actors goes a long way to saving his movie in its more troubling moments, and its another sign of his strengths as a director. That's a very good thing, because while Us might be far from a perfect movie, it is for sure one so interesting and accomplished that it doesn't go letting all the air out of the balloon when it comes to its creators future.

Not only does Peele continue to prove himself so thoroughly thoughtful a filmmaker, one so clearly, thankfully interested in exploring subjects through genre and indirect paths, and in love with the history of the medium (the movie is littered with references to its influences) but he's established in just two movies a style, a look, a feel, that in spite of its reverence for movies past is undeniably his own. The sketch comedy guy from MADtv has gone and made an auteur out of himself.

#us #jordan peele #lupita nyong'o #winston duke #shahadi wright joseph #evan alex #madison curry #elisabeth moss #2019 #reviews #film #films #movie #movies #horror

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joeygoeshollywood · 7 years ago

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My 25 Favorite Films of 2017

It’s hard to believe that 2017 is already coming to a close. Here’s my 25 favorite films from the year!

25. Girls Trip

Perhaps it’s the Bridesmaids or The Hangover of 2017, Girls Trip is a fun, buddy comedy about a group of women who try to rekindle their friendship during a trip to New Orleans. Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith are always reliable and Regina Hall is an underrated lead, but it’s breakout star Tiffany Haddish that gets the biggest laughs.

24. All The Money in the World

All The Money in the World is a good film on its own, but what makes it historic is what went on behind the scenes. Ridley Scott pulled off the impossible by replacing its disgraced star Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer with only roughly a month ahead of its original Christmas release. The film is based on the events of the 1973 kidnapping of John Paul Getty’s grandson. All The Money is a highwire thriller, but it’s Plummer’s brilliant, cold-hearted performance that steals the show.

23. Okja

Korean director Bong Joon-ho behind such films as The Host and Snowpiercer debuted this gem. Okja follows a girl’s battle to protect her “superpig” from a juggernaut company that plans on turning her pet into food. This action adventure was easily one of Netflix’s strongest original films to date. The stellar cast includes Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal, Steven Yeun, Lilly Collins, and newcomer Seo-hyeon Ahn.

22. Battle of the Sexes

Emma Stone and Steve Carrell face off as Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in the most historic tennis match in history. Battle of the Sexes is a fun, empowering, nostalgic sports dramedy from Little Miss Sunshine’s Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.

21. Stronger

Based on the incredible true story, Stronger follows Jeff Bauman and his struggle for normalcy after surviving the Boston Marathon bombing. Time and time again, Jake Gyllenhaal proves to be one of Hollywood’s most under-celebrated actors today as he arguably gives the most challenging performance of his career. Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) also deserves praise for her raw, emotional supporting role. Stronger is a powerful, moving biopic that reminds us that there’s always hope even in the darkest moments.

20. Split

After releasing numerous duds, it appears that M. Night Shyamalan is finally making a comeback. Split kicked off 2017 with a wild psychological thriller surrounding the kidnapping of three young women who’ve been imprisoned by a man with multiple personality disorder. James McAvoy gives a memorable performance as he channels well over a dozen personalities.

19. Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman broke the glass ceiling on many fronts: one being the first female-lead superhero blockbuster and such a blockbuster was directed by a woman. Gal Gadot made her big-screen debut as the Amazon princess in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but she absolutely nails it in her first solo flick. Many have considered this film to be the strongest film in the DC Cinematic Universe yet.

18. Alien: Covenant

Ridley Scott certainly kept himself busy this year. In the latest chapter of this deep-space horror franchise, a colony ship makes a fatal detour on a planet filled with our favorite aliens. Accompanied by an all-star cast, Michael Fassbender is on double duty with two fantastic performances. While Prometheus settled the groundwork, Alien: Covenant returned to its heart-pounding roots that made these films such a big success.

17. It

Very rarely do remakes exceed its predecessors, but the 2017 remake of Stephen King’s It really deserves praising. Bill Skarsgård managed to make Pennywise his own with his terrifying interpretation of the murderous clown. That being said, the film heavily relies on the tremendous cast of young actors including Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, and Jeremy Ray Taylor. Filled with good scares and disturbing imagery, It will have a new generation afraid of clowns.

16. Darkest Hour

Gary Oldman gives a transformative, Oscar-worthy performance as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. The film takes place during the chaotic transition period the United Kingdom face in the midst of WWII and gives a glimpse of Churchill’s bumpy start to his successful era of leadership. Darkest Hour is a captivating drama with sprinkled humor throughout.

15. Get Out

Part horror, part thriller, part social satire, Get Out marks the directorial debut of funnyman Jordan Peele. An interracial couple is put to the test when the black boyfriend visits the white girlfriend’s family, but once he gets there, he’ll learn that her family may have something sinister planned for him. While it’s sort of hard to explain it, Get Out is a unique, thought-provoking, movie-going experience unlike any other in 2017 that’s carried by a strong cast and an intriguing plot.

14. The Wedding Plan

Chances are you haven’t heard of The Wedding Plan, but it’s one of the most relatable films of the year. This Israeli romantic comedy follows an anxious bride-to-be who decides to keep her wedding date after her fiancé dumped her just weeks before and literally relies on faith in order to find a groom before she walks down the aisle. Yes, the plot’s that zany, but Noa Koler’s heartwarming and heartbreaking performance truly carries the film.

13. Dunkirk

It’s been three long years, but Christopher Nolan returned with an immersive war flick Dunkirk, which depicts the underdog WWII rescue effort of the British military that was surrounded by German troops. While there isn’t exactly a straight-forward plot, the incredible cinematography, editing, and sound design keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

12. War of the Planet of the Apes

An epic conclusion to one of the strongest trilogies in recent memory, War of the Planet of the Apes was a rare reboot that actually exceeded its predecessors. For three films, Andy Serkis brilliantly humanizes the lead ape Caesar as the climax escalates the brutal battle between human and ape.

11. The Shape of Water

If Beauty and the Beast and Creature From The Black Lagoon had a beautifully weird baby, it would be Guillermo del Toro’s latest film The Shape of Water. The story surrounds a mute janitor who forms a relationship with a creature trapped in the laboratory she works at and her personal mission to help him escape. She doesn’t even speak a word, yet Sally Hawkins gives one of the best performances of the year and she’s joined by a spectacular supporting cast including Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, and Michael Stuhlberg. Visually stunning and emotionally enthralling, this is del Toro’s best film since Pan’s Labyrith.

10. Call Me By Your Name

An emotionally complex film, Call Me By Your Name tells the story of a romance that blossoms between a 17-year-old boy and his father’s 24-year-old research assistant. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, such an inappropriate relationship would/should be frowned upon, but as viewers, you sympathize with Elio and Oliver not just because they’re likable characters but for the powerful performances that came with them, particularly from breakout star Timothée Chalamet.

9. The Killing of a Sacred Deer

The closest thing to an Alfred Hitchcock film in 2017, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a suspenseful, psychological thriller that virtually no one saw. The film follows teenager who gets brutal revenge after a doctor failed to save his father’s life. Newcomer Barry Keoghan, who you’ve might have seen in Dunkirk, gives a unsettling, outstanding performance. Between this and his last film The Lobster, writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos is proving to be a filmmaker Hollywood should watch out for.

8. The Disaster Artist

If you haven’t seen The Room, it’s a 2003 film that has earned a cult following because it’s so incredibly bad, it became unintentionally hysterical. The Disaster Artist is about the making of that film with James Franco starring, producing and directing the film. Franco manages to earn big laughs and also give a transformative performance as the infamous Tommy Wiseau. With tons of A-list cameos and a brutal glimpse of the film industry, The Disaster Artist made the making of a painfully bad film painfully funny.

7. The LEGO Batman Movie

Not only was this a great animated movie, it was also a great Batman movie. The LEGO Batman Movie allows its self-awareness to drive the narrative that examines Batman’s relationship on a psychological level. Filled with tons of fun Easter eggs and references to previous Batman films, this LEGO movie will leave you nostalgic and laughing til it hurts.

6. Lady Bird

Actress Greta Gerwig makes a strong directorial debut with this down-to-earth coming of age comedy about a Sacramento teen transitioning into adulthood. In film after film, Soirse Ronan shows that she’s one of the best actresses in the millennial generation and Laurie Metcalf, who may win the Oscar playing her heartfelt but judgmental mother, shows that she’s one of the most under-celebrated actresses of our time.

5. The Big Sick

The greatest romantic comedy since Silver Linings Playbook, The Big Sick is a rare film because it feels authentic and real... and that’s probably due to the fact that it’s based on the stranger-than-fiction true story behind Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon’s relationship. Nanjiani essentially stars as himself (which he does a terrific job) and has great chemistry with his co-star Zoe Kazan. Ray Romano and Holly Hunter give hilarious, heartwarming performances as the parents who meet Nanjiani as their daughter is in a coma. From the culture clashes, the comedy industry, to the modern era of dating, The Big Sick feels more relevant than ever and can resonate with any audience.

4. Coco

Disney/Pixar has a gift of continuously melting people’s hearts. And they do so again with their beautifully-animated latest, Coco. Miguel is an aspiring musician in a family that has banned music after his great grandfather abandoned them for pursue stardom. And after being transported into the Land of the Dead, Miguel must track down his ancestor in order to return home. The importance of art is obviously a theme, but the heart of the film is about family, pursuing our dreams, and the significance of leaving a legacy. Coco is rich with a cast of lovable characters, great music, and a satisfying ending that may leave you in tears.

3. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri may be a mouthful, but it’s also masterful work from writer/director Martin McDonagh. Frances McDormand gives an Oscar-bound performance as grieving, no-nonsense mother determined to pressure the police to solve the murder of her daughter. She is accompanied by a strong ensemble cast which include strong supporting performances from Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson. Three Billboards is the only film this year that will make you laugh, cringe, and anxious all at once. It’s the closest thing to Fargo since Fargo... and the Fargo TV series.

2. Baby Driver

Edgar Wright, the mastermind behind Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, finally found commercial success with Baby Driver, a terrifically-edited heist film with the greatest film soundtrack in recent memory. Aside from the uncomfortable fact this will go down as Kevin Spacey’s last great film, Ansel Elgort proves he’s got the chops for a leading role. With lots of well-choreographed action sequences and even some laugh, Baby Driver is absolute fun and is why we go to the movies.

1. I, Tonya

Who would have thought that it would take a dark comedy to make Tonya Harding look sympathetic? I, Tonya is a unique, Goodfellas-like biopic that gives multiple, not entirely reliable perspectives surrounding the infamous attack of Nancy Kerrigan. Margot Robbie offers a layered, grounded depiction of someone who was painted as a cultural villain. Allison Janney also knocks it out of the park as her cruel yet hilarious mother. The works of director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Steven Rogers have spanned decades, but their collaboration here is the best of their careers. Combined with great editing and an awesome soundtrack, I, Tonya is a rare film in 2017 that isn’t just another remake, sequel, or ripoff; it skates on its own.

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thesportssoundoff · 6 years ago

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“Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard deserve raises and hazard pay” The UFC 230 Preview

Joey

October 30th, 2018

So dig this action, Jackson. You're the UFC. You've drawn up this card for Madison Square Garden on paper----but all of your main event concepts fall apart. Woodley/Till winner vs Covington? Surgery for the winner of that fight. Holloway? Needs more time to heal up. Cejudo vs Dillashaw? 2019. GSP? On bad terms, sorry. Whittaker is hurt so you've got no 185 lb fight which in turn means you can't roll out him vs Gastelum either. You've loaded up this card with no main event and desperation starts to sneak in. Jones vs Romero for an interim title fight? Romero is hurt and Jones can't make the weight on short notice. You come up with an acceptable-ish main event with Shevchenko vs Eubanks but nobody wants that so you gotta back off of that because fans hate WMMA main events. Eventually somehow you find a way to luck into a really good intriguing HW fight sort of kind of. DC vs Derrick Lewis is probably the best you could do on short notice and at the very least, you get to have your HW champ style on a personable dude who is coming off a massive finish. Then bad gets worse:

-If you had been a betting man, you would've bet Nate Diaz doesn't make it to the dance. Instead it's Dustin Poirier who is hurt but not hurt enough to be back in early 2019. Go figure.

-That's fine, you still got a damn good co-main event! Well...then Luke Rockhold does as he do and now you gotta find a replacement, thankfully you loaded up on those, riiiight? Well see the problem is that by remaking one fight, you have to call on a replacement for the other SO:

Derrick Lewis vs Daniel Cormier Nate Diaz vs Dustin Poirier Chris Weidman vs Luke Rockhold Ronaldo Souza vs David Branch Yoel Romero vs Paulo Costa

TURNED into

Derrick Lewis vs Daniel Cormier Chris Weidman vs Ronaldo Souza Jared Cannonier vs David Branch Jack Marshman vs Karl Roberson Israel Adesanya vs Derek Brunson

It's at this point that I go back to the header; Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard are underpaid. No other profession asks you to deal with this level of chaos in short order. In any other sport, injuries create excuses but these dudes are expected to reshake up cards on a moment's notice and do it with pride and joy. That's really hard. UFC 230 is the weaker of the three cards upcoming but it's not for a lack of effort. Maynard and Shelby handled some bad situations and turned out an acceptable card. Not a GREAT card but an acceptable one.

Fights: 13

Debuts:

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations:8 (Valentina Shevchenko OUT, Roxanne Modaferri IN vs Sijara Eubanks/Nate Diaz vs Dustin Poirier CANCELLED/Yoel Romero vs Paulo Costa CANCELLED/Luke Rockhold OUT, Ronaldo Souza IN vs Chris Weidman/Ronaldo Souza OUT, Jared Cannonier IN vs David Branch/Ruslan Magomedov OUT, Adam Wierozcek IN vs Marcos Rogerio De Lima/Sultan Aliev OUT, Ben Saunders IN vs Lyman Good/Domingo Pilarte OUT, Motel Jackson IN vs Brian Kelleher)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 9 (Derrick Lewis, Daniel Cormier, Ronaldo Souza, Chris Weidman, Israel Adesanya, Derek Brunson, David Branch, Roxanne Modafferi, Lando Vannata)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 1 (Jason Knight)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 3 (Daniel Cormier, Derrick Lewis, Israel Adesanya)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2016 (in the UFC): 31-15

Daniel Cormier- 4-0 (1 NC) Derrick Lewis- 8-1 Chris Weidman- 1-2 Ronaldo Souza- 3-2 David Branch- 2-1 Jared Cannonier- 3-3 Karl Roberson- 1-1 Jack Marshman- 2-2 Israel Adesanya- 3-0 Derek Brunson- 4-3

Divisional Breakdown:

Middleweight- 4 Featherweight- 3 Heavyweight- 2 Welterweight- 1 Bantamweight- 1 Women's flyweight- 1 Lightweight- 1

Too Low- Julio Arce vs Sheymon Moraes

There are two fantastic featherweight fights on this card. The one I didn't choose was Shane Burgos vS Kurt Holobaugh; two strikers of various styles which normally make for a big money action fight. That and I'd like to see how Burgos responds to the challenge of his first loss in a high profile spot. Gimme Moraes vs Arce though; two tremendous strikers with Arce having a bit more versatility to his game. Moraes is an ascending talent at 145 lbs while Arce is on a crazy hot streak right now. That's the fight to make on the main card in my eyes especially if you have plans to do more South American cards.

Too High Up- Karl Roberson vs Jack Marshman

So I like Karl Roberson and I kinda get what the UFC sees in him. They see an ascending talent at a division that's beginning to grow some legs and teeth currently. I get it even if I don't really agree with it given the weaknesses Roberson showed in his pro loss. He vs Marshman on paper is an intriguing battle of strikers since Marshman will throw hands with Roberson who should sign in that sort of a capacity. The UFC might've rushed Roberson vs Cezar Mutante BUT I get what the hope was. They were aiming for something and missed which happens sometimes. Having said that, this being on a main card feels like a waste. Make it your prelim headliner or do whatever you want with it but this fight as a main card fight? Definitely not easing Roberson in after a rough loss.

Stat Monitor for 2018:

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 27-35-1):

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 27-20): Adam Weiczorek, Roxane Modafferi, Montel Jackson, Jared Cannonier, Ben Saunders

Second Fight (Current number: 35-27): Matt Frevola, Montel Jackson, Sijara Eubanks, Kurt Holobaugh

Cage Corrosion (Current number: 19-34): Chris Weidman, Jack Marshman, Lyman Good, Marcos Rogerio De Lima

Undefeated Fighters (Current number: 29-21-1): Israel Adesanya

Keeping An Eye On But Not Really:

The UFC Win Check Test The records of fighters who have 4 or more UFC fights (or three full calendar years in the organization) but 0 wins against people still in the UFC: Marcos Rogerio De Lima

Ponderings are inside, y’all.

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- Don't overthink this main event. It's going to be fun.

2- Can Cormier avoid chaos? MMA is all about chaos. The short notice dude pulling off the upset, the weight cut snafu, the PED testing alarm. Can Cormier avoid the fact that Derrick Lewis well and truly has a few weapons to beat you with but he seems to use said weapon insanely well? Lewis has won 9 of his last 10 fights and a portion of those were late round stoppages where he SHOULD be falling apart but just kind of finds a way to survive until you dip yourself into a fuck up and get finished. Is Cormier SO good that even he can avoid the chaos?

3- If Daniel Cormier lifts and slams Derrick Lewis, I think we're all going to lose our shit.

4- Chris Weidman and Jacare Souza may be old and broken down but let's be entirely fair at the same time here. Weidman is still a tremendous fighter even as a more beat up version of what he used to be. It was barely over a year ago that he beat Kelvin Gastelum to pretty much save his career and we all know how good KG is. Similarly Jacare gave Gastelum fits at times in their fight and it could be argued that Jacare's more complete now as a fighter than he ever was---unfortunately becoming more complete at a time where he's just naturally eroding due to age. Jacare's only REALLY been soundly ran over once and that was by Robert Whittaker. Chris Weidman, even in his current form, is still really good. This is one of those rare fights where old and broken down is right----but "still really good is also right." What's more, I'm most excited to see the grappling exchanges between these two which could be a gas however long it lasts.

5- Chris Weidman is talking like he's going to get a title shot if he wins. Y'all up for that?

6- Jared Cannonier going down to 185 lbs just SEEMS like a risky proposition. Cannonier could probably continue to exist at 205 lbs as a weirdly solid kinda decent kinda bad LHW who just never gets cut because he can always beat SOMEBODY but the drop to 185 lbs just feels like going from the old and bad division to the old and still pretty good division. Risky.

7- Did ANY fighter see his career turn around at such a dramatic rate the way poor Jason Knight's did? Knight went from being a really exciting up and coming prospect to start 2017 to coming off three losses. Losing to Ricardo Lamas is no shame (but also losing to Lamas if you're a prospect feels like you can't jump over an important hurdle at 145 lbs) but he didn't even show up vs Moggly Benitez. Now part of that is due to how damn solid Moggly Benitez is but everything about Knight seemed off that night. Against Makwan Amirkhani, I thought he performed a lot better but still fought like a dude who is either at war with what he thinks he is as a fighter or out of touch with the skills and abilities he actually has. The fact that Knight fights anybody and is the rare "scrapper with genuine skills" makes him a guy who will stick around as long as he wishes but you get the feeling he vs Jordan Rinaldi is a way to reset Jason Knight's stock a bit.

8- The last time a UFC card had this many lightweights on it? UFC 155 in 2012. Want a gander at how quickly the quality of 185 seemed to jump up? The middleweight fights on THAT card were Tim Boetsch vs Costa Philippou, Alan Belcher vs Yushin Okami and Chris Leben vs Derek Brunson on short notice. Comp that to the what we're getting here and the only fight below the quality of those three combined is the Marshman-Roberson fight. This division HAS improved even if we still poke fun at it.

9- Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker feels like the sort of fight the UFC thinks will sell big in Australia----only to come back and be like "I guess not" in reality.

10- There are three featherweights on this show and we sort of hit up Knight/Rinaldi but the other two ones are the REAL dandies. Shane Burgos was racking up wins all over the place and then he ran into Calvin Kattar. What's interesting is Burgos made a lot of very intriguing key adjustments in that fight to at least give himself a sporting chance vs Kattar. I had it tied up going into the third before a perfect Kattar read and one of the best uppercuts you'll ever see ended the fight for him. Burgos has been gone a LONG time but I'm still hopeful and optimistic on his upside. He gets probably the perfect opponent in Kurt Holobaugh who is a solid all around 145er who Burgos should be able to beat while also getting tested. If he struggles, we'll open our eyes and have to reassess him. On the other hand also on the card is a genuinely stupendous battle between Sheymon Moraes and Julio Arce. It's pretty crazy to think the UFC didn't think Arce was worth a deal right out of the Contender Series but an injury opened the door for Arce to get in and thus far he's been great; bullying Dan Ige and finishing Daniel Teymur in 2018. Moraes was one of WSOF's more enjoyable fighters to watch and after getting steamrolled by Zhabit, he bounced back to take a decision win over Matt Sayles. On the feet, this should be great and this is one of those fights at 145 lbs where it's such a shark tank that even when you want to avoid running two prospects against one another, it just inevitably has to happen. This is IMO talent wise one of the best fights of the night.

11- Cage Corrosion has been a fun study thus far and so I'd like to point out that cage corrosion eligible fighters are 3-7 in their last 10 bouts. After a September where they went 3-1, October brought a six fight losing streak. November starts off with a really good fighter in Chris Weidman but also has some questionable dudes like Jack Marshman and Pezao. Gonna be interesting to see how the picture shakes out there.

12- What is the appropriate buyrate for this one? DC's lowest is vs Gus at around 250K and his highest are obviously the Jones fights (725K and 850K). As a solo act outside of those guys, he's a comfortable-ish mid to high 300K range dude. Does Lewis help him hit that mark again? What's more, is the fact that there's even a SHOW at this point considered a win?

#MMA #UFC #Derick Lewis #Daniel Cormier #Chris Weidman #Jacare #New York #Combat sports

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fan-of-mulligan · 4 years ago

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FOM BLOG: ACCRINGTON STANLEY 0-1 GILLINGHAM

My Thoughts On Accrington Stanley 0-1 Gillingham..........

After Gillingham had lost 3-1 to Northampton Town, 1-0 against Plymouth Argyle and 1-0 against Burton Albion, and especially after the 1-0 home defeat against Burton Albion, No-one was confidant that Gillingham could get a result against Accrington Stanley, and with Gillingham playing two away matches in a row against two very good sides in Accrington Stanley and Lincoln City (The Lincoln City Away Match Was Postponed Because Of A Water-Logged Pitch) If Gillingham were to lose both matches and lose five league games in a row, then serious questions were going to be asked regarding Steve Evans future as Gillingham Manager and whether if a managerial change is required to ensure that Gillingham maintained there League One Status ??? - A Draw would at least stop the rot, and pre-match, If someone offered Gillingham Supporters A 1-1 Draw, we would have taken that, and even the most optimistic of Gillingham Supporters were only predicting a draw, So to see Gillingham pick up all three points and keep a clean sheet against a very good Accrington Stanley Side is fantastic, and these three points are three points which were completely unexpected.

This Was How Gillingham Lined Up Against Accrington Stanley On Saturday,,,,,, Jack Bonham, Ryan Jackson, Jack Tucker, Connor Ogilvie, Tom O'Connor, Callum Slattery, Alex MacDonald, Jordan Graham, Olly Lee, Kyle Dempsey, Vadaine Oliver Substitutes Joe Walsh (GK), Robbie McKenzie, Matty Willock, Stuart O'Keefe, Jacob Mellis, Tyreke Johnson and John Akinde - After seeing Gillingham's Starting Line Up Confirmed On Social Media, I mentioned the following On Twitter,,,,, Hopefully Slattery and Lee both starting will see Gills try and keep the ball on the deck more rather then over-relying on the long balls to Vadaine Oliver, It's great to have the option to knock the ball long to Oliver, But we have the players in the line up to retain possession.

There were doubts that this match was going to go ahead, but when the team sheets were announced, and we saw photo's of the pitch on Accrington Stanley's Official Account, then those doubts were clarified and Accrington Stanley V Gillingham was going to go ahead, and I tend to buy My I Follow Match Pass on the day of the, but this time, I waited for the team-sheet to be announced before buying my match-pass, just to make sure that there was no postponement, If supporters were going to Accrington Stanley V Gillingham, I would be hoping for a pitch inspection at the earliest possible time, so that we knew for sure if the match was going to go ahead, or, if the match was going to be called off, also, A Away Trip To Accrington Stanley is a away trip you want to be doing for A Saturday Afternoon League Game, rather then making the long trip On A Tuesday Night - especially if your making that long trip to Accrington Stanley on A Tuesday Night In January.

And as for how well Gillingham played against Accrington Stanley, I was impressed with our performance, we wanted to see Gillingham respond to that dreadful 1-0 defeat against Burton Albion, and that is precisely what we saw on Saturday, If Gillingham drew 1-1, and we saw the same level of performance we saw from the players at the weekend, we can take the encouraging sign's from that performance into the next three league games against Lincoln City, Rochdale and Crewe Alexandra - Now Rochdale, Crewe Alexandra and Sunderland - But we saw a encouraging performance, Gillingham pick up all three points, Gillingham kept a clean sheet, and we saw a very good team performance where you could name seven or eight players as serious contenders for The Man Of The Match Award, two of those seven or eight candidates would be Olly Lee and Callum Slattery, with both players putting in encouraging displays on there debuts for The Gills.

FIRST HALF:

But things could have been so different if Accrington Stanley scored first, and that is almost what happened in the sixth minute of the match when Dion Charles had let the ball run through to Colby Bishop from A Accrington Stanley Throw On, And Colby Bishop plays a return pass through to Dion Charles, And Dion Charles takes one touch to control the ball and another touch to smash the ball goal-wards and Jack Bonham was quick off his goal-line to narrow the angle to make a very brave save, Because Jack Bonham had saved the ball with his face and deflect the ball out of play for A Accrington Stanley Corner Kick - It is important to note that Dion Charles and Colby Bishop were both on the score-sheet when Accrington Stanley won 2-0 against Gillingham At Priestfield Stadium, and both strikers had caused Gillingham a lot of problems that evening, and both strikers look likely to cause Gillingham more problems defensively in this fixture as well.

And having almost opened the scoring with that effort on goal from Dion Charles, Gillingham managed to hit Accrington Stanley on the counter attack, And Jordan Graham managed to pick out Olly Lee with a low diagonal cross towards the far post, And Olly Lee's first time shot towards goal hits the side netting from a very a acute angle, Had Jordan Graham crossed earlier, then maybe Olly Lee could have opened the scoring for The Gills, The next goal-scoring opportunity see's Alex MacDonald test Nathan Baxter in-between the sticks, Ryan Jackson's long throw is not dealt with and Connor Ogilvie's initial effort on goal is blocked, And Connor Ogilvie manages to pass the ball square to Alex MacDonald inside Accrington Stanley’s Penalty Area, And Alex MacDonald see’s his shot towards goal saved by Nathan Baxter and Accrington Stanley manage to clear there lines.

Eleven Minutes Into The Match, And Matt Butcher is down on the deck and requires treatment after a collision with Callum Slattery, and this head collision eventually lead to Matt Butcher having to be substituted, Accrington Stanley Chairman Andy Holt has strongly criticised The Football League for the huge financial gap between The Championship, League One and League Two, and has also been critical of The Premier League, But he thought Callum Slattery should have been sent off for the aerial challenge with Matt Butcher, which I completely disagree with, the ball was there to be won, and Matt Butcher is taller then Callum Slattery and Callum Slattery won the ball in the air.

Fifteen Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring, Callum Slattery times his sliding challenge to perfection, and Olly Lee lays the ball off to Kyle Dempsey, And Kyle Dempsey takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball square to Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald takes a touch to control the ball before running forwards in possession of the ball, And Alex MacDonald’s shot towards goal takes a slight deflection off Seamus Conneely, and Nathan Baxter has to dive at full stretch to turn the ball around the post at the expense of conceding a corner kick - Callum Slattery, Olly Lee, Kyle Dempsey and Alex MacDonald were all involved in the build up to that goal-scoring opportunity, and it was great to see Alex MacDonald get a shot off towards goal from outside the penalty area as well.

Thirty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Accrington Stanley are awarded a free kick after Connor Ogilvie had been penalised for a foul on Dion Charles, And Callum Slattery prevented Accrington Stanley from taking a quick free kick, But Accrington Stanley came close to taking the lead from this set play, Sean McConville whips in a high and hanging cross into the heart of Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Michael Nottingham chests the ball under control but Connor Ogilvie manages to partially clear the ball towards the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, and Seamus Conneely’s first time fiercely driven shot towards goal fails to hit the target, and that was the chance for Accrington Stanley to take the lead.

Forty Four Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham were awarded a free kick because Ross Sykes was penalised for a foul on Jordan Graham, And The Accrington Commentary Team kept making it a big deal about why Ross Sykes was booked, the fact that Ross Sykes booted the ball fifty yards away in frustration was why he was booked, and this kept being brought up in reference to every foul made throughout the rest of the match, and from the resulting free kick, Jordan Graham whips in a dangerous cross towards the edge of Accrington Stanley’s Penalty Area, and the ball is headed partially clear towards Ryan Jackson, And Ryan Jackson takes a touch to control the ball before trying to pick out Jordan Graham with a cross-field cross pass, and Ross Sykes manages to intercept the ball before passing the ball short towards Dion Charles, And Dion Charles passes the ball down the line towards Ross Sykes, And Ross Sykes tries to pick out Colby Bishop with a cross towards the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, and Jack Tucker wins the initial aerial challenge and Callum Slattery wins the second aerial challenge up against Jon Russell, And Alex MacDonald is on to the loose ball for The Gills, And Alex MacDonald manages to pick out Jordan Graham with a diagonal cross-field cross ball down the left side of the pitch in Accrington Stanley’s Final Third, And Jordan Graham gets the ball under control, runs inside Accrington Stanley’s Penalty Area in possession of the ball and Jordan Graham passes the ball centrally to Alex MacDonald, And Alex MacDonald flicks the ball back towards Kyle Dempsey, who curls the ball into the far right corner of the net with a fantastic first time finish and there was nothing that Nathan Baxter could do about that to prevent Gillingham from taking the lead - ACCRINGTON STANLEY 0-1 GILLINGHAM

Fantastic goal from The Gills, and just before half time as well, and with Alex MacDonald seeing two efforts on goal saved and Olly Lee hitting the side netting, and with the way Gillingham have performed in the first half, then Gillingham deserved to go in at half time with a one goal lead, and the goal Kyle Dempsey scored was superb as well, And Kyle Dempsey is a player who has put in some noticeable performances in recent weeks and Kyle Dempsey has scored for Gillingham against Doncaster Rovers, Northampton Town and now against Accrington Stanley, Dempsey is getting himself on the score-sheet on a regular basis for The Gills.

HALF TIME: ACCRINGTON STANLEY 0-1 GILLINGHAM

I uploaded the following status update on to Social Media At Half Time,,,,, HALF TIME: ACCRINGTON STANLEY 0-1 GILLINGHAM - Kyle Dempsey open's the scoring for Gillingham right on half time, and that goal perhaps reflects on Gillingham's first half performance as a whole, Because Gillingham have put in a very encouraging performance in the first half. Alex MacDonald has seen two efforts on goal saved by Nathan Baxter, And The Accrington Stanley Goalkeeper had to save a awkward cross from Jordan Graham in the opening stages of the match, Olly Lee has seen his shot hit the side netting from a acute angle from Graham's cross. Slattery's pass to Oliver was also saved, But the goal from Dempsey capped off a very encouraging first half performance from The Gills, and I have especially liked the work from Slattery Lee Dempsey Graham & MacDonald in midfield, Lee and Slattery have added quality in midfield, Accrington Stanley have had chances to score, Charles shot on target was saved by Bonham, Conneely's effort on goal from distance has failed to hit the target, Bonham has had to clear a through-ball to Charles out for a throw on, And Accrington have looked a threat from set plays.

I also mentioned the following in another tweet,,,, Graham, Slattery, Dempsey, Lee and MacDonald have all been excellent in midfield today and Alex MacDonald is unlucky not to get himself on the score-sheet with both of his efforts on goal saved by Baxter. - The five man midfield of Jordan Graham, Alex MacDonald, Kyle Dempsey, along with new signings Olly Lee and Callum Slattery have added quality into Gillingham’s Midfield, quality which perhaps has been lacking at times in the last three matches against Northampton Town, Plymouth Argyle and Burton Albion, Now Gillingham have had chances to score in all three matches, but what makes the performance against Accrington Stanley very encouraging is the fact that Nathan Baxter has made a few saves to keep Accrington Stanley in this match and Gillingham perhaps can consider themselves unfortunate to only be winning this match 1-0 at half time.

SECOND HALF:

Forty Eight Minutes Into The Match, And Ryan Jackson has to kick the ball out of play for A Accrington Stanley Corner Kick as Joe Pritchard was looking to breakthrough inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Accrington Stanley should have equalised, Sean McConville whips in a high and hanging cross towards the far post and Michael Nottingham’s Header crashes against the crossbar and Olly Lee smashes the ball clear and away from danger for The Gills, and that was the chance for Accrington Stanley to score the equaliser, And In The Fifty Second Minute Of The Match, Accrington Stanley had the chance to level the game up at 1-1 again, again, this chance was created from a set play as Sean McConville whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Cameron Burgess’s header fails to hit the target and the ball goes just wide of the far right post, And Accrington Stanley are causing Gillingham problems defensively from corner kicks.

Sixty Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had the chance to go 2-0 up, Jack Bonham kicks the ball long down-field and although Vadaine Oliver misses the aerial challenge, the ball bounces through to Alex MacDonald down the left side of the pitch, And Alex MacDonald manages to get the ball under control before evading the attempted challenge from Michael Nottingham, And Alex MacDonald whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Defender Ross Sykes headers the ball partially clear and away from goal and Olly Lee gets to the loose ball first and runs away from goal towards the byline before passing the ball back towards Ryan Jackson, And Ryan Jackson takes a touch to control the ball before passing the ball short to Callum Slattery, And Callum Slattery’s squared pass towards Kyle Dempsey wasn’t the best, But Kyle Dempsey manages to evade the attempted challenge and run forwards in possession of the ball towards the edge of Accrington Stanley’s Penalty Area, And Kyle Dempsey’s fiercely driven effort towards goal is brilliantly saved by Nathan Baxter, And Nathan Baxter manages to parry the ball around the post and out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Tom O’Connor’s in-swinging cross towards the far post is to high for Jack Tucker to get on the end of and the ball goes out of play for A Accrington Stanley Goal-Kick.

Eighty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Ryan Jackson blocks Ryan Cassidy’s shot out of play for A Accrington Stanley Corner Kick, As The Accrington Stanley Substitute tries to level the match up at 1-1, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Accrington Stanley should have equalised, Sean McConville whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Michael Nottingham’s glancing header fails to hit the target and goes wide of the far right post, and another corner kick from the home side has not been capitalised on and Gillingham are trying to hang on to that slender 1-0 advantage.

Eighty Three Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham make there first substitution as John Akinde comes on to replace Vadaine Oliver, Vadaine Oliver may have not got himself on the score-sheet, but his overall contribution to how well Gillingham have performed against Accrington Stanley cannot be under-estimated, Gillingham are sticking with the five man midfield of Jordan Graham, Olly Lee, Callum Slattery, Kyle Dempsey and Alex MacDonald, Had Gillingham been defending a two goal lead, then maybe Matty Willock and Robbie McKenzie could have come on to replace Olly Lee and Callum Slattery, with both debutants likely to be feeling the effects of there first competitive League One Fixture For The Gills.

And In The Ninetieth Minute Of The Match, Accrington Stanley should have equalised, Olly Lee passes the ball down the line towards Jordan Graham down the right side of the pitch in Accrington Stanley’s Half Of The Pitch, And Jordan Graham gets the ball under control before seeing his attempted back-heal run through to Cameron Burgess, And Cameron Burgess passes the ball square to Seamus Conneely, and Seamus Conneely manages to pick out Dion Charles with a cross-field pass down the right side of the pitch in Gillingham’s Final Third, And Dion Charles runs forwards in possession of the ball before running into a more central position on the pitch, And Dion Charles whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Colby Bishop gets the faintest of touches to header the ball goal-wards and Jack Bonham makes a fantastic point blank save and Jack Tucker passes the ball square to Tom O’Connor, And Tom O’Connor boots the ball long down-field towards John Akinde, and although Gillingham do not get the ball into Accrington Stanley’s Final Third, anywhere will do as far as Gillingham are concerned - THAT WAS A SENSATIONAL SAVE FROM JACK BONHAM TO PRESERVE GILLINGHAM’S ONE GOAL LEAD!!!!!!!!!

But there was a huge talking point in second half stoppage time with Accrington Stanley appealing for a penalty kick with the hosts pushing for that equaliser, Nathan Baxter kicks the ball long down-field for Accrington Stanley, And Cameron Burgess flicks the ball on towards Colby Bishop, who gets the ball under control, and Colby Bishop clips the ball across Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And I have got to say that I thought Tom O’Connor had bundled Mark Hughes down to the deck and I was just expecting Referee Darren Drysdale to point to the penalty spot, and when the penalty kick wasn’t awarded, I have to say that was a massive let off for The Gills, Because Accrington Stanley looked like they had a case for a penalty kick there.

Stuart O’Keefe then makes his first appearance for Gillingham since the penalty shoot-out win against Coventry City In The Second Round Of The League Cup back in August, And Stuart O’Keefe has come on in place of Jordan Graham, and the final noteworthy moment of the match see’s Accrington Stanley awarded a free kick with Connor Ogilvie penalised for hand-ball on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Accrington Stanley have the chance to equalise with what surely is the final goal-scoring opportunity of the match, and from the resulting free kick, Sean McConville has curled the ball over the wall, and over Gillingham’s Crossbar, and with Sean McConville’s free kick failing to hit the target, Gillingham manage to held on to three valuable points away against Accrington Stanley.

FULL TIME: ACCRINGTON STANLEY 0-1 GILLINGHAM

POST MATCH THOUGHTS

I uploaded the following status updates on to social media after the full time whistle,,,,, FULL TIME: ACCRINGTON STANLEY 0-1 GILLINGHAM - Kyle Dempsey's goal for Gillingham right on half time was the difference between both sides at full time as Gillingham pick up three valuable points against a very good Accrington Stanley Side. Accrington Stanley had there chances to score in the second half, Nottingham's Header crashed against the crossbar, Burgess failed to header the ball on target as Accrington looked threatening from corner kicks, Baxter saved Dempsey's effort on goal to deny Gills a second goal. Burgess curled his effort wide as Accrington were pushing for the equaliser, Jack Tucker did brilliantly to block Pritchard's low effort towards goal, and Nottingham failed to hit the target with his header on goal at the far post, and Jack Tucker clears the ball off the line. Jack Bonham also made a fantastic save to deny Bishop from heading in the equaliser for Accrington Stanley, and the hosts had a huge penalty appeal waved away in second half stoppage time. But this is a fantastic win for The Gills, and a clean sheet against a good side as well.

It was great to see Stuart O’Keefe make his first appearance for Gillingham since breaking his leg against Coventry City In The Second Round Of The League Cup, It may well only be a short cameo appearance from the substitutes bench in stoppage time, but even if Stuart O’Keefe can only make ten to fifteen minute substitute appearances for The Gills in the next few weeks, then having Stuart O’Keefe back on the pitch is going to be so important as he adds that experience and know how that Gillingham have perhaps lacked in midfield in quite a few matches this season, also, with five substitutes allowed in every league game, there is more flexibility to give Stuart O’Keefe those substitute appearances for The Gills.

The Midfield were excellent for Gillingham throughout the entire match, there is a clip on social media with Jordan Graham spinning past two Accrington Stanley Players in midfield, but it wasn’t that one piece of skill that summed up how well Jordan Graham played for Gillingham against Accrington Stanley, Kyle Dempsey scored the winning goal and was unlucky not to score a second goal for Gillingham in the second half, Alex MacDonald saw two efforts on goal saved by Nathan Baxter and he assisted Kyle Dempsey’s goal, And Olly Lee and Callum Slattery were both superb on there Gillingham Debut’s, Callum Slattery was breaking up play and doing the basics very well, as well as showing great intelligence to prevent Accrington Stanley from taking a quick free kick, And with Jacob Mellis and Stuart O’Keefe on the substitutes bench, along with Matty Willock and Robbie McKenzie, Gillingham’s midfield options probably look the strongest they have been all season.

That is harsh on Josh Eccles, Declan Drysdale and Scott Robertson, With all three loan signings going back to Coventry City and Celtic respectively, But Stuart O’Keefe and Olly Lee are more experienced players, And Callum Slattery has played in The Premier League for Southampton, So Callum Slattery perhaps is more developed compared to the three loanee’s, Declan Drysdale was more of a utility player at Gillingham, playing centre back and central midfield and he even played one game up-front for The Gills, I cannot see Callum Slattery playing as a striker, but he put in a superb display for Gillingham in midfield against Accrington Stanley.

And whilst I am praising the midfield for there performance against Accrington Stanley, the back five of Jack Bonham, Ryan Jackson, Jack Tucker, Connor Ogilvie and Tom O’Connor helped Gillingham to pick up all three points against Accrington Stanley, And a win, three points and a clean sheet against a very good Accrington Stanley Side was completely unexpected before kick off, But we are delighted with the performance and the result that Gillingham have picked up, especially as this result combined with results elsewhere has seen Gillingham increase the gap between themselves and The League One Relegation Zone to eight points - nine if you include goal difference - and avoiding relegation into League Two is all I am thinking about at this moment in time, obviously, the sooner this objective is achieved, then Gillingham can start to look up the table, but until our League One Status is assured for The 2021 / 2022 Season, I think it would be sensible to look over our shoulder at The Relegation Zone for the time being.

Everything we wanted to see from Gillingham against Accrington Stanley has been ticked, Gillingham have won the match and picked up all three points, Gillingham have kept a clean sheet against a decent Accrington Stanley Side, We saw a very encouraging performance with Jordan Graham, Olly Lee, Callum Slattery, Alex MacDonald and Kyle Dempsey adding some much needed quality and creativity to Gillingham’s Midfield, Gillingham have tested the opposition goalkeeper, and had it not been for Nathan Baxter then Alex MacDonald and Kyle Dempsey could have scored two goals each in a convincing 4-0 away win for The Gills, The players have responded after a dismal result against Burton Albion, And even Stuart O’Keefe coming on as a late substitute was a added bonus.

The challenge now for Gillingham is to take that performance against Accrington Stanley into the next two league matches against Crewe Alexandra and Rochdale, and six points from these two home games will see Gillingham move up The League One Table, hopefully, Gillingham can pick up three of those six points with a home win against Rochdale at the weekend - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!

#AccringtonStanley #Gillingham #Lee #Slattery

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jazzviewswithcjshearn · 4 years ago

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Artemis (Blue Note, 2020)

Renee Rosnes: piano; Melissa Aldana: tenor saxophone; Anat Cohen: clarinet, bass clarinet; Ingrid Jensen: trumpet; Noriko Ueda: bass; Allison Miller: drums; Cecile McLorin Salvant: vocals.

The super group can be a mixed blessing. In rock, The Band thankfully equaled the sum of its parts, in classical there was the Three Tenors, in jazz throughout the 90's and early to mid 00's all star groups are pretty much the norm for record dates and festival gatherings. At their best, the synergy is like a band who has been playing for years, while when these combinations don't work, it's usually when the artists don't concede to a greater whole, or too much time has passed. Artemis, the new super group consisting of Blue Note veteran (recording her own leader dates in the late 80's and early 90's) Renee Rosnes on piano, Melissa Aldana on tenor saxophone, Anat Cohen on clarinet, Ingrid Jensen on trumpet, bassist Noriko Ueda, drummer Allison Miller and vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant thankfully lives up to the all star status and really demonstrates it can be a real band, moving forward.

Before looking at some of the music on this album, having an all female super group on Blue Note warrants a brief history of women on the label and why this is so important. In the so called “classic” era of Blue Note that runs from 1954-1970, there have only been three women who lead leader dates. Jutta Hipp, the German pianist lead At The Hickory House during the label's watershed year of 1956 (which saw Jimmy Smith's debut that changed the landscape forever, the unique piano of Herbie Nichols, and Horace Silver's smash “Senor Blues”) the rarely recorded singer Dodo Greene released My Hour of Need in 1962, and legendary vocalist Sheila Jordan recorded her debut, the cult classic Portrait Of Sheila the following year. In the United Artist era that ran through Horace Silver Plays The Music Of The Spheres, the final Blue Note release until the label's resurrection under EMI Manhattan in the mid 80's, the label had success with flautist Bobbi Humphrey and vocalist Marlena Shaw. However, it was not until 2002 with the release of Norah Jones' Come Away With Me that female artists on Blue Note became huge. With that release, Jones single handedly revitalized the label once more, because it was and is the biggest selling Blue Note in history, the label was also able to begin a massive reissue campaign that put long out of print items back into circulation in their RVG and Connoisseur series lines. Within the past few years, the signing of Kandace Springs has also bolstered the female presence to a large degree.

Artemis brings to mind past ensembles like Super Blue, the Blue Note All Stars, and Out Of The Blue in the post bop aim of the project. Like the Blue Note All Stars' Our Point Of View rather than being a group of up and coming players, it's a group of established stars, veterans and leaders. Their performance at the Newport Jazz Festival impressed label president Don Was and prompted him to sign them, and this is their first offering. There is truly an egalitarian group aesthetic here, no one dominates the ensembles, and through the varied front line colors, the compositions take on a large timbre palette. Alison Miller's “Goddess Of The Hunt” has some wonderful use of unison lines employing Cohen's bass clarinet and Ueda's acoustic bass after bass and piano play the same figure, replaced by Rosnes' piano. The churning chord progression used for the melody is the bed for Aldana's scalding tenor sax solo with notable use of altissimo register. Rosnes' follows with her signature clarity and depth of ideas, and Jensen's trumpet to soar blending a Freddie Hubbard bravura with the wide intervallic leaps of Woody Shaw. Cohen takes a cue from the last phrase of Jensen for a solo without excess before the ensemble returns. The melancholy “Frida”, written by Aldana, perfectly captures the personality of the pioneering painter, with strong spots for the saxophonist and Rosnes.

Vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant shows a wide stylistic range appearing on two selections, Stevie Wonder's “If It's Magic”, and the admittedly quite dated lyrics of “Cry, Buttercup Cry”, a 1948 hit for Maxine Sullivan. In both cases, McLorin Salvant's warm, expressive voice transforms the material. Cohen's sensual “Nocturno” features stellar turns for her clarinet, and especially Noriko Ueda's melodic bass. The album closes with a slinky, funky, off the beaten path version of Lee Morgan's “Sidewinder” that in an effort to forge it's own identity wisely dispenses with the famous Bob Cranshaw pick up in the bass line, and a deeper in the cut feeling.

Sound:

Recorded by James Farber and mastered by Mark Wilder, who regularly produce outstanding work, Artemis leaves a bit to be desired in the sound department. The mix seems quite narrow, with clarinet and tenor on the right and trumpet towards center left, but for the huge sound they create the sound stage is not as deep and wide as it could be. On “Goddess Of The Hunt” and “Frida” it sounds as if there are multiple instances of peak distortion on Aldana's tenor sax and Cohen's clarinet. A positive spot though is Ingrid Jensen's Harmon muted trumpet has a bright sparkle. While the sound is not brick walled, it is not the equal of the work Wilder has done on the catalogs of Miles, Monk, and CTI Records to name a few. The music lacks the dynamic range and punch of other fantastic work he has done. Granted, this is how the artists wanted things to sound but compared to say, the recent Immanuel Wilkins Omega a release that has fantastic sound and dynamics, it's underwhelming.

Concluding thoughts:

Artemis is an overall impressive debut by a wonderful all star band that focuses on the sum of it's parts. A group such as this could easily give in to ego and meaningless displays of fireworks, the emphasis is on tight, varied compositional frameworks with concise solos from players with distinct individual voices. Women have been breaking much needed ground in the instrumental realm, and this is a group with a chemistry that could gain serious mileage, with several tunes that could be staples in the modern jazz repertoire.

Music: 9/10

Sound: 5/10

Equipment used:

HP Pavilion Laptop

Yamaha RS 202 stereo receiver

Focal Chorus 716 Floor Standing Speakers

Schiit Modius DAC

Musicbee (for CD quality WAV file playback)

Amazon HD Music (for high resolution 24/96 file playback)

youtube

#artemis #Blue Note records #renee rosnes #melissa aldana #cecile mclorin salvant #alison miller #anat cohen #ingrid jensen #noriko ueda

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jakelace · 7 years ago

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2017 IN FILM - FINALE (TOP 10)

10. Molly’s Game

“I was raised to be a champion. My goal was to win. At what and against whom, those were just details.”

Let’s not beat around the bush on this one. My love for this film comes almost exclusively from my love for Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue. Sorkin’s quick-witted way of writing is certainly not realistic by any stretch of the imagination, but allows for great lines and a thrilling way of telling a true to life story that might otherwise come off as a bit bland. Molly’s Game follows Molly Bloom (expertly portrayed by Jessica Chastain) who became a target of the FBI after running an underground poker game for years. It’s a truly larger than life story, which, knowing Sorkin’s penchant for twisting facts for a better story, probably is. But in the moment that doesn’t matter. I was fully engrossed by the fast paced dialogue, the top-notch performances, and the thrilling pacing of this outstanding story.

9. The Disaster Artist

“Greg, you have to be the best. You have to be the best you can be. And never give up.”

When I first heard that a film was being made all about the making of one of the best so-bad-it’s-good films ever made, I was on board. Although I would have never predicted the end product would be something so inspirational. The Disaster Artist follows Greg Sestero who, after meeting the infamous Tommy Wiseau, moves to Los Angeles to star in The Room. While the comedy and performances surrounding this retelling of a cinema-changing event are certainly very well done, it’s the inspiration I found in Wiseau that made me love this film. It’s easy to laugh along at The Room for its utter incompetence as an example of the entire medium, but when I took a step back to look at the passion and love for this story that Wiseau so obviously had, and his uncompromising dedication to making sure his directorial vision shone through, I began to see the man behind the film in a much different light, and one that inspired me to ‘be the best I can be. And never give up.’ ‘What a story, Mark!’...okay, I’m done now.

8. The Big Sick

“I’m guessing it’s a young, single Pakistani woman who just happened to be driving by our house, which is on a cul-de-sac.”

I shouldn’t have waited to watch The Big Sick as long as I did. It became instantly clear as soon as the credits began to roll that this would become the new standard that all romantic comedies are held to. Kumail Nanjiani’s performance is one of the most hilarious and heart-breaking of the year as he plays himself in a dramatization of the time Emily V. Gordon, Nanjiani’s girlfriend at the time, went into a medically induced coma with a mysterious disease. The writing is what really stands out here, with the entirety of it being written by Gordon and Nanjiani themselves. The laugh-out-loud moments mixed with the emotionally moving plot, affected me in a way few films have, making this one of the greatest rom-coms to ever exist. Oh, also, Holly Hunter is hilarious in this.

7. Get Out

“Now you’re in the sunken place.”

Get Out’s position has fluctuated the most out of any other film this year. Unsurprisingly though, it has always stayed quite high. Jordan Peele’s debut film is one that even veteran directors would be proud to have made, considering there are so few movies that even come close to how clever this film is in both its horror and social commentary. Every frame is so jam-packed with details that, though they may feel arbitrary at the time, provide us with a deeper look at characters, their motivations, and even their deeper psychology. Every moment is important with no time being wasted. Every performance (especially Daniel Kaluuya’s) is layered and nuanced with excellent characterizations. Get Out is a horror masterpiece that I am certain will be looked back on with the highest regards in years to come.

6. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

“Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to.”

I would have never guessed that putting a Star Wars film this high on an end of the year list would warrant so much controversy, but here we are. While I can understand a few of the complaints surrounding a few moments in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, I honestly cannot wrap my head around calling this an objectively bad film. It is quite possibly the most expertly shot and cleverly written film in the entire franchise, and the directions Rian Johnson decided to steer the franchise are some of the most exciting yet. It takes everything we thought we wanted out of a follow up to The Force Awakens and turns it on its head. It delivers wonderful characters to us, both new like Rose Tico, and old like Luke Skywalker. Most importantly, it gives me a story that makes me proud to be such a fan of a galaxy far, far away. Also, I’m now a huge fan of the space battles. I’m not really sure when or how that happened.

5. The Killing of a Sacred Deer

“A surgeon never kills a patient. An anesthesiologist can kill a patient, but a surgeon never can.”

Once again this year, we have another Colin Farrell led Yorgos Lanthimos film as my number five film of the year. While The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a different genre than last year’s The Lobster, his truly unique style of direction and dialogue remains. Lanthimos is a master at creating the cinematic feeling of an idyllic utopia, whilst making nearly every moving part feel off at the same time. His style is very ‘uncanny valley’ in that way, and while that may turn people off from his films, I can’t help but be glued to the screen. I was riveted by his off-kilter method of storytelling and his purposefully wooden dialogue. Farrell gives another great performance here, with Nicole Kidman stealing the show as she injects a small amount of actual emotion and fear into the picture. For those looking for something unconventional and disconcerting out of their cinema, I can’t recommend The Killing of a Sacred Deer enough.

4. Dunkirk

“If we go there we’ll die.”

Dunkirk is, without a doubt, Christopher Nolan’s most masterfully crafted film. Inception may still stand as my favorite, but when it comes to the sheer skill and effort on display, it’s nearly impossible to see this as anything less than a technical masterpiece. Nolan’s knack for creating emotional moments, intense heart-pounding action sequences, and non-linear stories perfectly works its way into the setting of World War 2, while also introducing me to an inspiring story I had never heard before. And yes, I still like to call this Anxiety: The Movie. If you’d like to read more of my thoughts on Nolan’s magnum opus, you can do so here.

3. Baby Driver

“The moment you catch feelings is the moment you catch a bullet.”

Though I don’t normally set up my rankings with subcategories in mind, if I did, Baby Driver would win Best Soundtrack without a single hesitation. Edgar Wright’s creative vision for this music-based heist film is absolutely stellar. Each scene is interwoven with music of all different sorts of genres and time-periods, with each of the heists and action sequences in the film playing out in-time with each song. It’s honestly a marvel that it was done this expertly. From the very opening scene I was smiling ear-to-ear and tapping my foot along with every backbeat and wheel-screech I could hear. Baby Driver, though fairly played-out in its story, survives and even thrives on the style that is oozing out of every frame. Edgar Wright is a directorial genius, and I can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeve next. Oh, and it you didn’t want to drive around listening to John Spencer Blues Explosion’s “Bellbottoms” directly after listening to this...you’re lying.

2. A Ghost Story

“I don’t think they’re coming.”

Rooney Mara eats an entire pie for four and half minutes in this film, and I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t bawling with every bite she took. That’s just A Ghost Story for you though. By the time the credits began to roll my face hurt because of how long I had been ugly crying. Though I’m certain not everyone will have this strong of a reaction to the film, David Lowery’s deeply introspective film about loss and the inability to stop time from slipping through our fingers struck a massive chord with me. Every small motion, every flashback to happier times, and every major life event that flashes by left me emotionally devastated. It tapped into my own personal fears about love and legacy and whether or not we’ll be remembered when we pass, all the while providing one of the most compelling stories about the supernatural using barely any dialogue at all. A Ghost Story is a fantastically made and deliberately paced film that will haunt me for years to come...sorry, that pun was just too easy.

1. Lady Bird

“Don't you think maybe they are the same thing? Love and attention?”

Here we are, my number one favorite film of 2017. It’s been a long time coming, and we’ve discussed many other great films from the year, but in the end it could have only been Lady Bird, couldn’t it? There’s a certain undeniable love and connection I feel to coming of age films, and Greta Gerwig’s semi-autobiographical masterpiece is no exception to that. Lady Bird follows a young woman (Saoirse Ronan) in her last year of high-school as she struggles to make a place for herself in the world. Ronan is an absolute delight as Lady Bird and has a chance to show her range as one of the greatest up-and-coming actresses through outstanding comedy and emotionally heartfelt moments. It’s honestly hard for me to describe what it is I love about this film so much though. Like most coming of age films, everything I took from Lady Bird feels so personal to me. Gerwig’s writing is so uncannily realistic and resonant in my life because she is able to capture the wild absurdity of growing up while also handling complex issues and relationships in such interesting ways and through her weaving of nostalgia and comedy, she creates one of the greatest films about growing up that I have ever seen. I don’t want to spoil any larger character moments or fantastically written emotional climaxes, so I will leave you all with something I can say with the utmost confidence. Lady Bird is one of the few film experiences that everyone should have.

#Molly's Game #The Disaster Artist #The Big Sick #Get Out #Star Wars: The Last Jedi #The Killing of a Sacred Deer #Dunkirk #Baby Driver #A Ghost Story #Lady Bird

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Best Modern Horror Movies

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Every once in a while, someone likes to declare that the horror genre is dead, and so far, every one of those predictions has been wrong.

Horror movies have been around almost as long as filmmaking itself, and while the genre has always been cyclical in nature –dipping, sometimes drastically, in both quality and quantity from time to time — all it usually takes is a well-timed box office hit, a fresh new angle or a hot young filmmaker to reanimate it again.

The 21st century has been, overall, an extremely healthy one for horror. There’s been the usual amount of dross, of course, but the genre has branched out in a number of interesting new directions as well. We had absolutely no problem tallying the initial batch of movies for this article, and have just continued to update it ever since, starting with the newest and going back in time from there.

So here are over 50 terrifying favorites that you can use for your own personal Halloween film festival — and we promise that this lineup delivers. Brace yourselves for a look at the best horror movies of the 21st century.

These are the very best modern horror movies…

Saint Maud (2020)

As our own Rosie Fletcher said in her review, Saint Maud is “a strange, gorgeous, and deeply disturbing chiller which mixes psychological, religious, and body horror to form something that feels utterly original.” She added that the film “messes with your perceptions of what’s real and what isn’t and comes with an ending that’s so simultaneously euphoric and horrific it feels like a punch in the heart.”

She’s right on the money. Morfydd Clark is outstanding in the title role, a private nurse who believes she can speak directly with God and decides it’s her mission to save the soul of the dying, debauched professional dancer (Jennifer Ehle) she is caring for. Maud lives right on the knife’s edge between spiritual ecstasy and mental illness, and director Rose Glass’ debut feature captures the surreal, horrific netherworld that is this tormented young woman’s life.

Saint Maud is out in theaters in the UK now.

Relic (2020)

The horror film at its best allows us to experience our deepest real-life fears in metaphorical terms, which is what the excellent Relic does with specificity, empathy, and atmosphere to spare. Emily Mortimer plays Kay, a workaholic single mom who gets a call from the police that her elderly mother Edna is missing from her home in the Australian countryside. When Kay and her daughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) drive out from Melbourne to the house, Edna (Robyn Nevin) reappears after two days–but cannot recall where she’s been.

Edna’s house–untidy, dark, and littered with odd notes and markings–and behavior lead Kay and a local doctor to surmise that the headstrong Edna is slowly sinking into the grip of dementia. But something else is at hand — an unseen presence that can seemingly bend reality — and the feature debut of director Natalie Erika James works so well because of its complete cohesion between characters, theme and imagery. Grief and loss ooze from every frame of the film, along with an impending sense of dread and claustrophobia.

Watch Relic on Amazon

SpectreVision

Color Out of Space (2020)

Color Out of Space adapts what legendary horror author H.P. Lovecraft considered his personal favorite short story, “The Colour Out of Space.” Although the film is set in the present, it is faithful to the original 1927 narrative, in which a family is both driven to madness and altered physically by the presence of an alien entity that has landed on their farm in a meteorite.

Starring a typically unpredictable Nicolas Cage, Color Out of Space is flawed in many ways, but is distinguished by three things: the return of director Richard Stanley (Hardware) after too many years away from features, a plethora of eerie and downright disturbing imagery, and an overall atmosphere that comes damn close to that of Lovecraft himself.

Watch Color Out of Space on Amazon

Neon

The Lodge (2020)

The Lodge stars an excellent Riley Keough as Grace, a troubled young woman in love with Richard (Richard Madden) a journalist who wrote a book about the suicide cult she is the only survivor of. Their relationship triggers Richard’s estranged wife (Alicia Silverstone) to commit suicide, leaving the former couple’s two children devastated.

Six months later, Richard, Grace and the children head up to Richard’s remote winter lodge in an effort for all of them to heal. But a series of unexplained events occur that may be tied to Grace’s past or the death of the children’s mother — or both. Directed by Austrian filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (the harrowing Goodnight Mommy), The Lodge reeks with dread and leads to a thoroughly unsettling finish.

Watch The Lodge on Amazon

Wounds (2019)

This Hulu original stars Armie Hammer as Will, a New Orleans bartender whose discovery of an abandoned mobile phone in his place of business portends the arrival of an unspeakable evil, a malevolence that infects him, his girlfriend (Dakota Johnson) and almost everything in his life.

British-Iranian director Babek Anvari (2016’s supremely eerie Under the Shadow), creates an atmosphere of extreme dread and rot here, from the cockroaches Will is constantly killing behind the bar to the frightening images and sounds that keep appearing on that damn phone. Based on a novella called The Visible Filth by acclaimed horror writer Nathan Ballingrud, Wounds leaves much unexplained but that’s kind of the point: horror is often most effective when it can’t be rationalized.

Watch Wounds on Hulu

Tigers Are Not Afraid (2019)

There’s a reason why no less a maestro than Guillermo Del Toro is a fan of this deeply felt and moving film: it covers much of the same territory that he has explored in some of his greatest works like The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth — the place where imagination, childhood innocence and real world corruption intersect in a surreal, dangerous yet fantastical landscape.

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After her mother goes missing in the latest cartel rampage through an unnamed and anarchy-plagued Mexican city, a young girl (Paola Lara) finds herself living on rooftops with a small band of little boys and haunted by an apparition that may or may not be her mother. Director and writer Issa Lopez wrings emotion, humor and even minor triumphs out of this dark scenario, while not shying away from its more disturbing implications.

Watch Tigers Are Not Afraid on Amazon

Ready or Not (2019)

Darkly funny and subversive, Ready or Not is an out-of-nowhere surprise that deftly weds (pun intended) an acidic black comedy about income inequality and the politics of marriage to a more gruesome thriller about being chased around an old, dark house by a deranged family of Satanists. If that doesn’t pull you in, nothing will.

Samara Weaving is an appealing lead as the young woman who marries into a clan of vast wealth and privilege, only to find out where they came from and what the family must do to maintain them. Weaving is excellent at both the comedy and horror, while Andie MacDowell and Henry Czerny lead a sparkling supporting cast of cracked characters. It may not be especially scary, but ready or not, this one’s a real crowd-pleaser.

Watch Ready or Not on Amazon

Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

Who would have thunk that the third time would be the charm for this popular Conjuring spin-off series? First-time director Gary Dauberman — who wrote all three entries in the sub-franchise — rises to the challenge and brings a wonderful sense of atmospherics and dread to the proceedings that was lacking in the earlier films. Anyone who channels the lighting schemes of horror legends like Mario Bava is all right in our book.

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Annabelle Comes Home also proves to be the sharpest-written of the bunch, as four girls — one of them the daughter of Conjuring ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who cameo here) — try to fight off the evil title doll as she unleashes hell on them over the course of one night. The cast is given depth and agency, which makes us care all the more when Dauberman turns the movie into a full-on monster mash. This one’s old school fun.

Watch Annabelle Comes Home on Amazon

Midsommar (2019)

Ari Aster blew everyone away in 2018 with his writing and directing debut, Hereditary (see below), a frightening tale of family dysfunction, grief, memory and naked witches summoning an ancient demon (Was that a spoiler? Sorry). His follow-up, Midsommar, wears its direct influences on its sleeve and tries a little too hard to signal its own importance, but it’s supremely eerie in its own way and quite nasty in what it shows and what it hints at.

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Four college friends — including disintegrating couple Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) — are invited by an exchange student to Sweden, where they’ll visit the reclusive commune in which he was raised. Fans of films like The Wicker Man will have a pretty good sense of what’s coming, even if Aster doesn’t quite answer all the questions he raises. What he does do, however, is chill the blood with both the way the travelers turn on each other and how the Harga find spirituality and transcendence in their deeply disturbing rituals.

Watch Midsommar on Amazon

Us (2019)

The second feature from Get Out writer/director Jordan Peele still cleverly uses the horror genre for social commentary, but the focus is less directly on race this time and more on class and privilege. Lupita Nyong’o is outstanding as Adelaide, whose well-off family is terrorized by savage doppelgangers intent on murdering them. Who those duplicates are, and what they mean, provides for a biting commentary on the haves and the have-nots.

Some of the story logic is fuzzier this time around, but Peele is still adept at creating a genuine atmosphere of dread while deploying well-worn horror tricks in unique new ways. He also gets tremendous performances out of his cast, including Black Panther’s Winston Duke and The Handmaid Tale’s Elisabeth Moss, in what is ultimately a solid sophomore outing for the director.

Watch Us on Amazon

Halloween (2018)

After years of mostly lackluster sequels and reboots, director David Gordon Green (and his co-writer Danny McBride) take this horror icon both back to the roots and into the future. The result is a direct sequel to the original that ignores all the other films and concentrates, with stark precision, on two ideas: the concept of Michael Myers as a primal force of evil and the theme of PTSD as exemplified by Jamie Lee Curtis’ powerful performance as a permanently damaged Laurie Strode.

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Both a thrilling rollercoaster ride and a chilling exploration of an unknowable psyche, the new Halloween is also relevant to what’s happening in 2018 — making The Shape a valid and still scary vessel for whatever metaphor you want him to represent.

Mandy (2018)

Dream-like, surreal and hypnotic — when it’s not screaming with rage — Mandy may be more interested in atmosphere and imagery than story (the plot is admittedly far too simple for the movie’s two-hour length) but is an unnerving experience nonetheless.

At the center of this boldly experimental assault from director Panos Cosmatos (Beyond the Black Rainbow) is a primal performance from Nicolas Cage, whose reputation for gonzo performances does a disservice to the raw emotion he can still deliver as a lumberjack out for vengeance against a frightening cult. Mandy might try your patience, but its visual poetry and uncaged (ha ha) star are never dull.

Watch Mandy on Amazon

Hereditary (2018)

It’s still hard to believe that this is the first feature ever from writer/director Ari Aster, who brings a literal parade of horrors to his terrifying exploration of a family’s complete breakdown from forces within and without.

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Toni Collette is off-the-charts stunning as the mother who tries to hold her clan together even in the face of unspeakable tragedy and the knowledge that her own family history is working against them. Harrowing and thoroughly unsettling, Hereditary is perhaps the best example yet of a new wave of genre films that are about something while still scaring the living shit out of you.

Watch Hereditary on Amazon

The Endless (2018)

Two brothers (played by Justin Benson and Aaron Morehead, who also directed, produced, edited and wrote the film) return to the cult they once belonged to as youths, each carrying different memories of their time there and different expectations of what they’ll find in the present. But neither sibling is prepared for the inexplicable events that occur once they arrive.

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Following their features Resolution and Spring, the Benson/Morehead team once again prove themselves adept at creating believable, atmospheric, dread-infused horror with limited resources. These guys clearly know what they’re doing, and the eerie The Endless is a strong next step for them.

Watch The Endless on Amazon

A Quiet Place (2018)

Who knew that mild Jim Halpert from The Office would end up directing one of the most acclaimed and outright scary movies of the past few years? In his third outing behind the camera (which he also co-wrote and stars in), John Krasinski uses silence — which can be deployed to great effect in horror movies — in the most ingenious manner possible. He, Emily Blunt and their three children live in a near-future world overrun by hideous, blind creatures that use their superior hearing to track prey by sound, thus necessitating that the human survivors remain as quiet as possible.

The result is a thriller in which literally every footstep is suffused with dread and a rusty nail becomes an object of extreme terror. While the script creaks a bit and could have used some better development, there’s no doubt that Krasinski directs this for maximum tension while getting terrific work out of himself, his wife and the kids. A Quiet Place is not just compelling horror, but a loud announcement of an outstanding new directorial talent.

Watch A Quiet Place on Amazon

It (2017)

It’s been a long time since a Stephen King screen adaptation really got the author’s work and intent right, but It does so and then some. Full of heart and warmth for its seven young main characters — all of whom are perfectly cast — It sets them against an insidious evil in the shape of Bill Skarsgard’s unforgettable Pennywise the Clown.

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Director Andy Muschietti’s take on King’s masterpiece is humane, moving and even funny — a coming-of-age story that also happens to be an engrossing and unsettling monster tale. It’s very rare that a truly “epic” horror movie is released, but It can stand proudly in that rarefied category.

Watch It on Amazon

It Comes at Night (2017)

Was this movie mismarketed? Or did audiences just reject its overwhelming, unrelenting bleakness? Either way it’s one of the overlooked horror gems of the past few years. Writer/director Trey Edward Shults is not interested in the whys or hows of his post-apocalyptic setting — he just puts regular, fearful human beings into the aftermath and lets us watch them as any chance for survival slowly unravels.

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Understated, incredibly claustrophobic (the house is a character itself) and stocked with great performances from Joel Edgerton, Carmen Ejogo, and the rest of the cast, It Comes at Night is as naturalistic as a horror movie gets — and is all the more terrifying for it.

Watch It Comes at Night on Amazon Prime

Split (2017)

This was the film we had the toughest time deciding whether or not to include on this list. Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan gives it the structure, atmosphere and tone of a horror movie, yet it’s clear now that it’s also an origin story for a comic book-style supervillain and a de facto sequel to his Unbreakable.

But for most of its running time, Split is a harrowing, darkly humorous psychological thriller anchored by an incredible performance from James McAvoy as a man with 24 different personalities in his brain — as well as a monstrous 25th that is about to emerge.

Watch Split on Amazon

The Girl with All the Gifts (2017)

Not just one of the best horror movies of 2017, The Girl with All the Gifts was one of the best movies of that year. Moving and compassionate while at the same time frightening and dread-inducing, the movie puts a fresh spin on the zombie genre and creates memorable, empathetic characters who grapple with questions of not just what it means to be human, but what it means to be alive.

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Stars Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine and Glenn Close give top-shelf performances, but the movie belongs to young Sennia Nanua as the flesh-eating yet fully sentient Melanie, who may be a forerunner of a new, unexpected step in the evolution of whatever the human race ends up becoming. Gripping from start to finish.

Watch The Girl with All the Gifts on Amazon

Raw (2017)

Deeply graphic and disturbing, yet also rich with symbolism and subtext, Raw is both as grisly and sophisticated as horror movies come. The movie also touches on gender politics and family dynamics in its tale of two sisters at a French veterinary school who awaken to the power of their own bodies as well as primal, vicious hungers neither one of them thought possible. Director/writer Julia Ducournau stages the film in gritty, intimate style, making the gnawing on human flesh all the more horrific to watch. Raw is a movie that lives up to its name.

Watch Raw on Amazon

Get Out (2017)

The directorial debut of comedy writer/actor Jordan Peele is a sharp, funny and creepy horror satire on race relations, white liberal hubris and socal justice. It’s also a genuinely suspenseful thriller, albeit with nods to earlier movies like The Stepford Wives, and proves that horror continues to be an effective genre through which to tell culturally and socially relevant stories.

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Daniel Kaluuya plays Chris, a young African-American photographer who heads to the country with his white girlfriend (Alison Williams) to meet her parents for the first time. The meeting does not go well as Chris realizes that the seemingly nice yet awkward Armitages (led by an excellent Catherine Keener) are not what they appear to be at all. Get Out is thrilling, refreshing and a nice change of pace for the genre.

Watch Get Out on Amazon

Under the Shadow (2016)

International cinema has been exploring genre with great success in recent years, and this intimate yet mournful thriller, set in 1980s Tehran during the ongoing and brutal war between Iran and Iraq, is one of the more thoughtful and unique horror movies to emerge from that creative wellspring.

Iranian politics and social mores are woven carefully into the plot, which follows a woman and her daughter who are haunted by a djinn (an evil spirit) that may have been unleashed when their apartment building is shelled. The metaphor of the evil set free by war is fairly on the nose, but director Babak Anvari still constructs an atmosphere of slowly ascending terror and macabre imagery.

Watch Under the Shadow on Amazon

Train to Busan (2016)

Just when you thought the zombie genre had been utterly exhausted, someone comes along and reinvigorates it. Director Yeon Sang-ho’s South Korean production brought something back to the genre that had been gradually draining out of it: humanity.

Sure there’s a bit of sentimentality too in this story of a father trying desperately to get his daughter to her mom by train as a zombie plague breaks out, but the movie’s well-drawn characters, subtle social commentary (some on the train feel they are more worthy of survival than others) and frightening action sequences add up to a thrilling and emotionally powerful ride.

Watch Train to Busan on Amazon

The Wailing (2016)

South Korea struck again with this epic-length (156 minutes!) story of possession and exorcism in a small village from director Na Hong-jin. Once again a father must fight to save his daughter’s life: in this case he is a cop (Kwak Dowon) investigating a series of mysterious and violent deaths, only to discover that they have a supernatural cause that soon infects his family.

Despite odd moments of humor here and there, The Wailing is almost unremittingly bleak and its imagery is thoroughly unsettling. Deliberately paced and building an atmosphere of unspeakable dread, The Wailing is a standout of Asian horror.

Watch The Wailing on Amazon

The Invitation (2016)

This intense little psychological thriller from director Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body) starts off as a weirdly off-kilter domestic melodrama and shifts disquietingly into outright paranoia as it explores the dynamics of grief, modern relationships and how well we really know our friends and neighbors.

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Kusama’s deft handling of the material and setting (an angular and eventually sinister L.A. house), as well as a superb cast (led by Logan Marshall-Green and Tammy Blanchard, with support from the always creepy John Carroll Lynch) elevate the standard dinner party thriller into something a bit more special. And the final scene is a knockout.

Watch The Invitation on Amazon

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The Conjuring 2 is a rare example of a horror sequel equaling or even surpassing the original. This time the focus is more directly on paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) as their skills, courage and faith are tested by England’s famous Enfield Poltergeist.

Director James Wan once again proves himself a master at using negative space, sound (or lack thereof) and period detail to wring goosebumps out of even the most jaded viewer, and the deeper characterizations make the stakes that much higher as well. There are few horror “epics,” but The Conjuring 2 comes close to being one.

Watch The Conjuring 2 on Amazon

The Witch (2016)

A stunning feature film debut from director Robert Eggers, The Witch tells the story of a 17th century Puritan family who are excommunicated from their village and build their own farm on the edge of a vast forest — only to be preyed upon by an ancient, malevolent witch who lives deep in the woods. Touching on themes of religious persecution and mania, sexual awakening and humanity vs. nature, The Witch is a fully immersive and wholly terrifying experience.

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Director Robert Eggers maintains astonishing control of mood and texture throughout, and the entire cast — including newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy as the family’s teen daughter — seems eerily snatched out of the past. The Witch is classic supernatural horror.

Watch The Witch on Amazon Prime

The Visit (2015)

M. Night Shyamalan began a welcome and long-overdue comeback with this quirky and creepy little found-footage experiment, which focuses on a teen brother and sister who make an unforgettable and eventually terrifying trip to visit the grandparents they’ve never met.

Shyamalan seems comfortable working within the lower-budget confines of the Blumhouse scream factory, and he manages to inject both a nice streak of morbid humor and enough of his trademark character touches to keep us off-balance. The movie has an unsettling tone throughout and, for the first time in a long time, the “twist” is well-earned and shocking.

Watch The Visit on Amazon

It Follows (2014)

One of the best horror films of the past couple of years is, like all the genre’s standout entries, rich in metaphor and subtext – is the curse passed through sex among the movie’s characters a stand-in for AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, or is the sex act itself a way to affirm life or at least postpone the inevitable onset of death? Writer/director David Robert Mitchell keeps it ambiguous – much to some viewers’ chagrin – and instead focuses on the movie’s overall atmosphere and tone, which is dream-like and full of dread.

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Lead actress Maika Monroe is a star in the making, but the most unforgettable thing about It Follows is its implacable walking phantoms, who cause your flesh to crawl every time they enter the frame.

Watch It Follows on Amazon

The Babadook (2014)

An instant classic upon its release, this Australian shocker is, astoundingly, the debut film from writer/director Jennifer Kent, who retains the kind of complete and unwavering grip on her story, themes and tone that you would expect from a much more seasoned filmmaker. Essie Davis is outstanding as Amelia, a widowed mother still reeling from the loss of her husband Oskar as she does her exhausted best to raise their troubled six-year-old son Sam (Noah Wiseman), who was born the night that Oskar died.

Enter the Babadook, the subject of a frightening storybook that Sam finds and an entity that is soon terrorizing mother and child. Thoroughly frightening and unnerving, The Babadook is also quite profound as it touches on the nature of grief and parenthood, hinting that both can drive a person to the edge of madness — or into the clutches of the Babadook.

Watch The Babadook on Amazon

Oculus (2014)

Following his ultra-low-budget indie debut Absentia, writer/director Mike Flanagan expanded his short student film into this striking tale of supernatural and psychological terror. Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) stars as a woman who believes that an antique mirror has been responsible for the tragic history of her family, and sets out to destroy it by any means she can. The mirror, however, has other plans.

Set in two parallel timelines that eventually intersect, Oculus is original, creepy and filled with mounting tension; the film is steeped not just in the atmosphere of ‘70s horror cinema but also modern supernatural literature. With more features to his name since (including Ouija: Origin of Evil, his adaptation of Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game, and Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House) Flanagan is a talent to watch.

Watch Oculus on Amazon Prime

You’re Next (2013)

Home invasion movies can kind of be formulaic after a while, but director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett (The Guest) find a way to freshen it up by turning You’re Next into a macabre soap opera as well. In the meantime, however, there’s a ton of suspense and bloody mayhem to satiate fans of visceral horror, and the family dynamics at work make for a nice counterpoint to the terror.

The cast is terrific, a mix of horror vets (Barbara Crampton, Larry Fessenden) and mumblecore regulars, and Sharni Vinson is outstanding as the dinner guest with a secret of her own.

Watch You’re Next on Amazon

The Conjuring (2013)

A film about real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren had been in development for nearly 20 years — outlasting Ed himself — before finally coming to fruition in 2013 as The Conjuring. Based on a case the Warrens investigated concerning the haunting of a family farm by a witch, the film afforded director James Wan the change to take the horror skills he had honed on his previous project, Insidious, and apply them to a larger scale Hollywood production.

The result was a genuinely scary experience with plenty of atmosphere and just enough empathy for the family and the Warrens to elevate the movie about the usual shock tactics. It was also a major box office hit, making it that rare genre entry that was enjoyed by both critics and audiences.

Watch The Conjuring on Amazon

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Both a deconstruction of the genre and one of the 21st century’s best horror movies in its own right, The Cabin in the Woods could only be the work of Joss Whedon (co-writer) and Drew Goddard (co-writer and director), whose love and understanding of both the genre and the wider pop culture context around it make this one of the smartest satires in recent memory. Proposing that the standard template for a horror film is what keeps the real horrors at bay, the movie turns that formula on its head yet works it to maximum effect.

Goddard is assured in his directorial debut, the cast (including a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth and a brilliant Richard Jenkins as one of the weary “technicians” pulling the strings) is game, and the movie nails its meta premise perfectly.

Watch Cabin in the Woods on Amazon

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Adapted from Lionel Shriver’s novel and directed by Lynne Ramsay, We Need to Talk About Kevin is the perennial “evil child” story disguised as an arthouse film. But the combination works, thanks to Ramsay’s striking direction and imagery and two knockout performances by Tilda Swinton as the mother and a frightening Ezra Miller as Kevin. Swinton’s anguished portrayal deepens the film’s themes and offers a searing and complex picture of a parent’s occasional ambivalence toward their own child.

Yet the movie doesn’t skimp on its horrors either, both psychological and physical, and stretches the boundaries of what can be considered a horror movie.

Watch We Need to Talk About Kevin on Amazon

Kill List (2011)

With just one feature to his credit before this (Down Terrace), director and co-writer Ben Wheatley hits his second film clear out of the park, fashioning it into a mash-up of gritty crime thriller and chilling Lovecraftian horror tale. The result is a unique movie that’s not quite like anything else on this list and will you leave you shaken to the core. Two former British soldiers turned hit men (Neil Maskell and Michael Smiley) take a job in which they must kill three people — a priest, a video archivist, and a member of Parliament — but soon find out that they have gotten involved with something far beyond their experience and understanding.

The somber mood, ambiguous plot (Wheatley deliberately and correctly leaves much unexplained) and almost unwatchable bursts of violence come to a boil in the truly horrifying and enigmatic climax.

Watch Kill List on Amazon

Insidious (2011)

After one hit (Saw) and a couple of misses (Dead Silence and Death Sentence), writer/director James Wan and his writing partner Leigh Whannell scored with this tiny ($1 million budget) indie that became a huge hit (and sadly spawned two lousy follow-ups). But Insidious deserved its success: it’s a genuinely scary film, with Wan displaying a tremendous talent for utilizing the camera frame, darkness and silence to create an oppressive atmosphere of dread only enhanced by some truly bizarre manifestations.

In pulling tricks from all eras of horror, Wan came up with something original, terrifying and entertaining – a horror ride that all fans could enjoy.

Watch Insidious on Amazon

I Saw the Devil (2010)

Director Kim Ji-Woon (A Tale of Two Sisters) sends an intelligence agent (Lee Byung-hun) on a mission of vengeance against a sadistic serial killer (Choi Min-sik) in this shocking and stunningly depraved cat and mouse thriller in which all notions of morality go out the window along with numerous bloody body parts. Yet Kim keeps you invested in the characters as well, and this Korean epic has an undertone of sadness that’s hard to shake. Kim holds it all together masterfully, creating a horrifying experience like nothing else we saw the year it came out.

Watch I Saw The Devil on Amazon

The House of the Devil (2009)

Indie auteur Ti West’s homage to the horror movies of the ‘70s and ‘80s is replete with stylistic touches from both decades, ranging from the old-school opening credits to the use of zoom lenses to the 16mm film stock meant to look retro. But this isn’t just a pastiche: while The House of the Devil is the definition of a “slow burn” film — which may leave some viewers impatient — the payoff is worth it as babysitter Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) is subjected to a night of Satanic horrors that will leave you shaken.

West is an expert at leading us along and then tightening the screws hard, and if you told me that The House of the Devil had actually come out around 1981 or so, I just might have believed you.

Watch House of the Devil on Amazon

Paranormal Activity (2009)

For better or worse, Oren Peli’s homemade, shoestring thriller kicked off a tidal wave of films using the “found footage” or “faux doc” style of moviemaking, an esthetic that has proven increasingly confining and exhausted. But there’s no denying the strength of a few early contenders, starting with this. Peli shows us almost nothing in terms of visual effects, which only heightens the experience: you can’t help but feel a powerful sense of dread every time his camera sits and stares into the shadowy abyss of the couple’s bedroom while they sleep.

Tons of sequels, rehashes and rip-offs later, Paranormal Activity remains authentically frightening and deserves its berth on a list of the century’s best horror movies.

Watch Paranormal Activity on Amazon

Let the Right One In / Let Me In (2008/2010)

In an era of endless bloodsucking YA hotties, leave it to an 11-year-old girl to create the best and eeriest vampire seen on the screen in years. Based on a novel by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist and directed by fellow Swede Tomas Alfredson, this is the story of the friendship that grows between lonely, bullied 12-year-old Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) and the little girl who lives in the apartment next door, Eli (Lina Leandersson) — an ancient vampire inside the body of a child. Let the Right One In is scary, funny, romantic and also quite mournful, tackling themes of youth, sexuality, loyalty, loss of innocence and love within a terrific and haunting vampire tale.

The two child actors are outstanding, with Leandersson projecting an otherworldliness and weariness far beyond her years. Credit is also due to the English-language remake by director Matt Reeves, who stayed largely faithful to the original while tweaking its meaning slightly (his actors, Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee, are fine if not quite as good as the Swedish cast).

Watch Let the Right One In here and Let Me In here!

Martyrs (2008)

Brutal and almost unwatchable, Martyrs represented perhaps the apex of the French extreme horror movement. A young woman (Morjana Alaoui) finds herself the subject of vicious “tests” by a secret society, aimed at creating a “martyr” whose suffering can give them a transcendental glimpse into the afterlife. The ordeal she goes through is just the grand finale of a nihilistic exercise in depravity. Director Pascal Laugier’s plunge into unrelieved sadism is given context by its powerful, eerie climax — if you can make it to the end.

Watch Martyrs on Amazon Prime

The Strangers (2008)

Writer and director Bryan Bertino made quite a splash with his debut feature, which relied more on a mounting sense of dread and escalating suspense than violence and gore. The story is a simple, straightforward home invasion narrative, but Bertino keeps it creepy and unsettling throughout thanks to some eerie imagery and his three terrifying antagonists. Bertino has directed some features since – the direct-to-video found footage thriller Mockingbird and The Monster – but The Strangers remains an impressively chilling calling card.

Watch The Strangers on Amazon

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Michael Dougherty’s Halloween-themed anthology sat on the shelf for nearly two years until finally (and criminally) getting just a direct-to-home-video release, but the wait was worth it. Dougherty wrote and directed a loving homage not just to the year’s most haunted holiday, but to horror movies and ghost stories in general, delivering four interconnected tales that each serve as a nasty, creepy and thoroughly entertaining exercise in traditional horror, with just the right amounts of atmosphere, scares and gore.

A lot of the best horror movies of this century aim to get under your skin in an unpleasant way, whereas Trick ‘R Treat just wants to have fun – and does.

Watch Trick ‘r Treat on Amazon

[REC] (2007)

This nasty shock to the system from Spanish horror specialist Jaume Balaguero uses the “found footage” style in logical fashion, as it’s told from the point of view of a news team that accompanies a fire brigade to a call at an apartment building. Things quickly take a turn not just for the bad but for the unspeakable as our heroes confront a zombie plague of a horrific nature, and [REC] rubs your nose in every nightmarish moment. The building itself is a spectacular, claustrophobic setting, and what [REC] lacks in meaningful character development it makes up in relentless terror and dread.

Take a good, stiff drink before watching.

Watch [REC] on Amazon

The Mist (2007)

A faithful and pretty great Stephen King adaptation, The Mist is terrifying not just for the macabre monsters that come streaming out of the title cloud to lay siege on a small group of people trapped in a supermarket, but for the way those people turn so quickly on each other as well.

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Writer/director Frank Darabont, nailing his third King-based adaptation after The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, innately understands that King’s stories are often so disquieting because of the human monsters in them as well as the slimy, tentacled ones. In this case the threat is Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), a religious fanatic who quickly does her best to divide the supermarket into two hostile camps — I’ll let you work out the metaphors.

Beyond that, however, The Mist is a genuinely scary monsterpalooza, with one of the bleakest endings ever. When you go even darker than the King original, that’s saying something.

Watch The Mist on Amazon Prime

The Orphanage (2006)

The debut feature from Spanish director J.A. Bayona (The Impossible) was produced by his friend Guillermo Del Toro, and frankly feels like it. It certainly has many of the hallmarks of Del Toro’s own Spanish-language horror films, with its focus on children, its marvelously atmospheric setting, its short bursts of shocking violence and its ghostly apparitions.

Either way, it’s a rich, beautifully crafted film that becomes unexpectedly and powerfully emotional at the finish. Belen Rueda is sensational as Laura, who returns to her childhood home — an old orphanage — with her husband and adopted son, only to find that it is not exactly empty. An English-language remake was planned for a long time, but perhaps fortunately, it has not happened.

Watch The Orphanage on Amazon

The Descent (2005)

Six women go exploring an unmapped cave system, with tragic and terrifying consequences, in writer/director Neil Marshall’s (Dog Soldiers) riveting horror hit. Marshall subverts the genre with his strong all-female cast (not a male hero in sight), refusing to dumb them down, but then puts the screws to them by introducing the blind humanoid inhabitants of the caves, surely one of the most horrific monster creations of the decade.

The movie is unstoppably scary, showing no mercy to the characters or the audience (one shock early in the film makes this writer jump to this day), but also examines how far people will go to survive in seemingly impossible circumstances. The Descent is a harrowing, suffocating masterpiece.

Watch The Descent on Amazon

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

This loving homage to the films of George A. Romero — the father of the modern zombie movie — and to the horror genre in general launched the careers of director Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost outside of the U.K. And deservedly so: Shaun is a near-perfect blend of horror and comedy, energized by Wright’s visceral style of directing and flavored with clever pop culture and genre references that are even more delicious if you’re a fan.

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Pegg and Frost are perfect as two slackers who must contend with a zombie apocalypse — two of the least likely but most endearingly goofy heroes you’ll ever meet.

Watch Shaun of the Dead on Amazon

Saw (2004)

Saw is now so closely associated with the torture porn genre that its numerous sequels almost singlehandedly gave birth to that people often don’t remember that the original is more of a suspenseful police procedural and genuinely gripping puzzlebox than an outright exercise in sadism. Not that Saw is a sitting-room drama either: there are plenty of visceral moments in the film, and even in his feature debut, director James Wan (The Conjuring) displays a surprising amount of control and confidence in his handling of the horrors.

Saw may or may not be a truly great film, but its influence is enormous and it still packs one of the best endings the genre has ever seen.

Watch Saw on Amazon

28 Days Later (2002)

Looking at Danny Boyle’s revisionist zombie film now, its grimy handheld video esthetic is getting perhaps just a wee bit dated — but even that fails to dilute the sheer aggressive energy of Boyle’s take on the horror genre.

The movie, like its spiritual forefather Night of the Living Dead, is also rich in political and social subtext, while balancing moments of outright terror with passages of almost poetic reflection. Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland expertly reinvigorated a subgenre that had been nearly moribund, paving the way for both the superb (The Walking Dead) and the silly (the film version of World War Z).

Watch 28 Days Later on Amazon

The Ring (2002)

It was a foregone conclusion that the Japanese horror smash Ringu (1998), after becoming an underground sensation internationally, would be the subject of a big-budget Hollywood remake. But who imagined it would be this good? Director Gore Verbinski and writers Scott Frank and Ehren Kruger retain the original’s focus on atmosphere and creepy imagery over cheap scares, while Naomi Watts — fresh off her sensational turn in Mulholland Drive — is excellent as the reporter and mother who discovers the haunted videotape that causes viewers to die in seven days.

The American version fleshes out a few more narrative points that the Japanese film left ambiguous, but never wavers from its tone of quietly mounting terror. There have been plenty of J-horror remakes in the wake of The Ring, but it remains the first and the best.

Watch The Ring on Amazon

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Debate rages (even now, between this writer and his editor) over whether Mulholland Drive is actually a horror movie, but the simple truth is that filmmaking legend David Lynch has incorporated elements of horror into many of his films. No one comes as close to capturing the essence of a nightmare on screen, and Mulholland Drive contains two of the century’s most skin-freezing scenes: the infamous diner sequence and the discovery of a decomposing corpse in a darkened apartment.

Even if the plot didn’t invoke the genre in other ways — including a supernatural force at work in Hollywood and the Repulsion-like disintegration of a young woman’s mind — those two scenes would be enough to earn a spot on this list.

Watch Mulholland Drive on Amazon

The Others (2001)

Alejandro Amenabar (Open Your Eyes) wrote and directed this elegant ghost story. Nicole Kidman is superb as Grace, who relocates herself and her two small children to a remote country estate in the aftermath of World War II. Their highly structured life — the children are sensitive to sunlight and must stay in darkened rooms — is shattered by mysterious presences in the house. Amenabar relies on mood, atmosphere and a few well-placed scares to make this an excellent modern-day companion to classics like The Haunting and The Innocents.

Watch The Others on Amazon Prime

Session 9 (2001)

“Location, location, location” is what makes this tiny independent chiller from writer/director Brad Anderson (The Machinist) work so well and keeps its reputation intact. A five-man asbestos abatement team is hired to clean out the abandoned Danvers State Mental Hospital in Massachusetts, but the crew, led by the stressed-out Gordon (Peter Mullan), soon finds itself at the mercy of both personal tensions and an unseen force inside the facility.

Anderson shot the movie at the real Danvers, and the empty treatment rooms and labyrinthine underground tunnels create an undeniable atmosphere of disquiet and uncertainty. The nearly gore-free movie is a model of how a fantastic setting, a solid cast and an almost complete lack of jump scares can make for a thoroughly haunting viewing experience.

Watch Session 9 on Amazon

The Devil’s Backbone (2001)

Guillermo Del Toro has made several great movies in his career so far, but for our money this remains his best, scariest and most profoundly affecting work (Pan’s Labyrinth is a close, close second). The Devil’s Backbone is a ghost story set during the waning days of the Spanish Civil War, at an orphanage for boys where an unexploded bomb is embedded in the courtyard and a spirit is wandering the halls at night.

The movie is drenched in both a heavy atmosphere of dread and a blanket of sadness; its mournful elegance counterbalances some of its more chilling scenes of terror. This is dark supernatural storytelling at its finest and a marvelous example of just how high the horror genre — so often maligned by critics — can reach.

Watch The Devil’s Backbone on Amazon

Kairo (2001)

Films like Ringu and Juon were the cornerstones of the Japanese horror explosion of the late ‘90s, but for my money, Kairo is the pinnacle of that era. Director/writer Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s film is one of the most unnerving exercises in surreal horror ever made, with one frightening image after another washing onto the screen. Although the movie’s central idea – -that the realm of the dead is infiltrating our world through the internet – is original and compelling, its presentation is somewhat murky. But Kurosawa doesn’t necessarily feel the need to spell things out: he wants to instead lure you into a living nightmare – which Kairo accomplishes over and over again.

Watch Kairo on Amazon

That’s our list — did we miss any of your favorites that you’d like to add? Let us know below!

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Everton 2-2 Newcastle United: Magpies rescue late point at Goodison Park

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Everton 2-2 Newcastle United: Magpies rescue late point at Goodison Park

Substitute Florian Lejeune scored both Newcastle’s late goals

Newcastle boss Steve Bruce said his side’s comeback at Everton was “remarkable” as two injury-time goals from substitute Florian Lejeune earned a dramatic point.

Bruce’s injury-hit side were slipping towards defeat after Moise Kean scored his first Toffees goal before Dominic Calvert-Lewin made it 2-0 to the hosts with his 12th of the season.

But as the clocked ticked into injury time, Lejeune took advantage of some slack defending at a corner to crash an overhead kick past Jordan Pickford in the 94th minute.

And a minute later, Carlo Ancelotti’s side threw away what was an otherwise good performance by failing to clear a free-kick with French defender Lejeune taking advantage of another scramble to fire in.

It was a sensational end to a game which Everton had dominated, as Bruce’s side added to the injury-time win they earned against Chelsea on Saturday, sending their travelling supporters into delirium.

Bruce, whose side are seven points clear of the relegation zone, said: “It’s quite remarkable. I can’t fault the players for their endeavour or effort.

“We probably didn’t deserve to get anything but we didn’t give up. It just shows you what can happen.

“It’s a wacky game that’s for sure – but it’s great. It just shows you shouldn’t leave a game early.”

Reaction from Tuesday’s Premier League games

Everton will be dismayed by how they let the game slip from their grasp after Kean produced his best performance of the season before being substituted to a standing ovation on 70 minutes.

The Toffees could have narrowed the gap to fifth-placed Manchester United to two points but are now 12th, one place above Newcastle who also have 30 points.

Ancelotti said: “I’m really pleased for the way we played. The players are really sad at this moment, but I told them I have more experience than them.

“I’ve lost a Champions League final after leading 3-0 [with AC Milan against Liverpool] so it can happen sometimes.”

Everton throw away positive performance

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Everton played a ‘fantastic’ game – Carlo Ancelotti

For 93 minutes, Everton looked like they were in control and had answered calls from Ancelotti to be braver, while Kean emphatically answered his manager’s hopes for a quick improvement.

Having failed to score in his previous 21 appearances, the 19-year-old was a menace alongside Calvert-Lewin, who also repaid Ancelotti’s faith in him after the Italian tipped the 22-year-old for an England place.

Kean has been through a difficult spell since he arrived on Merseyside for £25m, having been disciplined for lateness and suffering the humiliation of being a substituted substitute during Duncan Ferguson’s brief reign.

And it looked like his lean spell might continue when he somehow failed to connect with Theo Walcott’s low cross before his moment of huge relief arrived.

Gathering Bernard’s through ball, he took a poor touch, but after steadying himself, he fired under Martin Dubravka before running away to the corner flag in delight where he was greeted by Everton’s thankful supporters.

There were further chances to follow for the Italian international, but Calvert-Lewin showed his budding promise once again by making it 2-0 after collecting Lucas Digne’s pass and clipping in left-footed.

When Kean left the field, he was cheered by all four stands at Goodison Park and probably felt he had done enough to earn a third successive home win for Everton.

Newcastle had other ideas, but Ancelotti said of Kean: “The goal was good for his confidence, of course, and after that he played really well.

“He worked hard, he pressed forward, what I asked, he did. He has to improve, because he’s young, he has to improve technically and tactically, but he’s on the right way.”

Newcastle profit from Everton’s panic

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Steve Bruce praises Magpies’ fighting spirit in ‘remarkable’ game

In keeping with their injury-time win over Chelsea on Saturday, Newcastle spent most of the match defending, but their lack of possession had little effect on the result.

Whereas Chelsea paid for their poor finishing, Everton were far more clinical and in truth could have had several other goals as Bernard and Kean wasted good chances.

But perhaps the injury crisis which has engulfed Newcastle is galvanising Bruce’s side.

With nine players on the treatment table, which was added to by a season-ending injury to Jetro Willems on Saturday, Bruce had to play two midfielders in wing-back positions and for much of the game they were disjointed.

They had trouble containing Kean and the impressive Bernard down Everton’s left.

However, once the pair were withdrawn, Everton began to retreat.

But having failed to register a shot on target until Lejeune’s late double there was little sign of what was to come in injury time.

Newcastle merrily profited from two moments of panic in the Everton box after a performance from the hosts which means Ancelotti has lost only one of six league games in charge.

Man of the match – Moise Kean (Everton)

The result may not have gone Everton’s way but Kean was rewarded for his efforts up front with a maiden goal for the Toffees

‘We keep showing determination’ – what they said

Newcastle manager Steve Bruce speaking to Match of the Day:“It’s quite remarkable. I can’t fault the players for their endeavour. Joelinton was struggling after 50 minutes; I nearly put a centre-half up front.

“We keep showing determination. We were a tired team tonight but we found a bit of energy from somewhere. When we scored Mike Dean said there are 40 seconds left – and you’re thinking ‘can we score in 40 seconds?’ We rode our luck certainly but they never gave up.

“There is a good spirit and attitude in this team – we looked tired but we played people out of position. We didn’t have much coming off the bench in terms of forward players but the attitude was fantastic.

“It’s a wacky game that’s for sure – but it’s great. It just shows you shouldn’t leave a game early.”

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti speaking to Match of the Day:“There are things in football you cannot control. We conceded without any reason but the performance was good.

“We played a fantastic game and we were unlucky but nothing changes – our Premier League continues, we have to stay focused. We were two-nil up, had opportunities to score and we played attacking football. I’m really pleased with the performance. These results are not frequent but they can happen.

“We have to stay on the game for 90 minutes but I’m not saying anything to my players. They played well and it can happen. It’s just unlucky for this game.”

Magpies celebrate late goals – the stats

There were just 102 seconds between Newcastle’s two goals against Everton. It is also the first time in Premier League history that the Magpies have scored two goals in the 90th minute onwards in a single game.

Everton have conceded seven goals in the 90th minute onwards in the Premier League this season, four more than any other side in the division.

Newcastle defenders have scored 12 goals in the Premier League this season, four more than any other side in the competition.

Seven of Lucas Digne’s nine Premier League assists have come at Goodison Park, including each of his five this season.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the first Englishman to score 10 or more goals in a Premier League season for Everton since Wayne Rooney in 2017-18.

At 22 years and 311 days old, Calvert-Lewin is the third-youngest Everton player to reach 100 Premier League appearances for the club after Michael Ball (21y 68d) and Ross Barkley (22y 60d).

Everton’s Bernard has been directly involved in four goals in his 15 Premier League appearances this season (2 goals, 2 assists), as many as he recorded in 34 games in his debut campaign last season (1 goal, 3 assists).

Moise Kean has scored his first goal for Everton with what was his 26th shot in all competitions. He’s the first Italian to score a Premier League goal for the Toffees since Alessandro Pistone in April 2002. Furthermore, he is the first Italian to score under Carlo Ancelotti in the Premier League.

What’s next?

Newcastle host Oxford United on Saturday in the FA Cup fourth round (15:00 GMT), while Everton are next in action on Saturday, 1 February in the Premier League against Watford at Vicarage Road (15:00).

#Goodison #Point

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weekendwarriorblog · 5 years ago

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The Weekend Warrior for January 10, 2020 – 1917, Like A Boss, Just Mercy, Underwater

Well, it looks like we’re back to the usual business now that it’s 2020 with the first weekend with four wide releases – two new movies and two expanding after opening in limited release over Christmas. I’m running a little behind on this so I’ll work on finishing a few reviews before Friday but for now, you can just get a general idea of what’s coming out so you can make some moviegoing plans.

The big movie that I’m most excited for people to see is Sam Mendes’ WWI epic 1917 (Universal), starring George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman as two soldiers sent on an urgent but dangerous mission to the frontlines to prevent an invasion that could leave thousands of British soldiers dead. It’s one of the most exciting movies I saw last year, which is why it ended up on my Top 25 at #2. I already reviewed the movie for ComingSoon.net and did some interviews for VitalThrills.com, so I probably don’t have a ton more to say about it, but it is the one movie I can recommend whole-heartedly this weekend. It is easily one of the best movies I saw last year (twice!)

This weekend also brings the high-concept R-rated comedy LIKE A BOSS (Paramount), which pairs Rose Byrne with Tiffany Haddish and Salma Hayek, three very funny women and great actors in a movie directed by Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl). Essentially, Byrne and Haddish play long-time besties who have been building a small grassroots make-up company and then Hayek comes along as a huge corporate mogul who wants to buy them out who makes a deal that will allow her to get a larger percentage if the two friends break up. You can probably guess the rest. (My review will be posted later tonight since it’s under embargo.)

Mini-Review: It was almost immediately apparent as Like a Boss began that this movie wasn’t going to be for me. It wasn’t the premise or the characters as much as it was the fact that it expects the viewer to be somewhat savvy about the make-up business, something I know (and care) little about.

Byrne and Haddish play best friends Mel and Mia, who have turned their shared love of make-up into a thriving local business that gets the attention of Salma Hayek’s Claire Luna, a big-shot exec at a corporation who wants to buy a stake in their business but with a catch. If for some reason the friends break-up, Luna gets the majority share of the company. This is literally the difference between a 51% and a 49% stake… so not really that big a deal.

I’m not even sure where to begin with this because there’s so much talent involved that generally deserves better, but Haddish has yet to deliver anything on par with her Girls Trip role, and that doesn’t change here. Mind you, I’ve been a big Rose Byrne fan for quite some time, and she’s really been great in movies that allow her to go between humor and drama, but it feels as if she’s trying way too hard to keep up with Haddish, who has actually toned back her character to be more of a 4 or 5 on the Haddish scale.

Jennifer Coolidge seems to be doing the exact same thing she’s done in everything from Legally Blonde to Two Broke Girls, basically acting like a dimwit, and it’s a shame because it’s not really a good part. There’s also Mel and Mia’s three best friends who are so useless at bringing anything to the story that it’s unclear why they’re in the movie at all except to act as a Greek Chorus. This leaves it up to Billy Porter to steal the movie with but just one scene, and pretty much the only one that delivers a laugh.

I’m not sure if the makers of this movie thought that it would be seen as another pro-feminist movie that women flock to, but the problem might be the simple fact that it’s written and directed by men. That certainly couldn’t have helped, especially since this movie is clearly trying to be another Bridesmaids by pushing the R-rated envelope.

The thing is that if you’re going to make a comedy, you should at least try to make some effort for it to be funny, and the fact that Jennifer Lopez’s Second Act takes place in a similar environment but finds a way to be funnier is telling that Like a Boss just isn’t up to snuff.

It’s doubtful Like A Boss will be anyone’s worst movie of the year, but that’s because it isn’t particularly memorable and will likely be forgotten by February.

Rating: 5/10

Another movie expanding nationwide after a platform release is Dustin Daniel Cretton’s prison drama JUST MERCY (Warner Bros.), which stars Michael B. Jordan as young defense attorney Bryan Stevenson, who finds himself trying to get prisoners on Death Row exonerated. The movie also stars Jamie Foxx as Walter McMillian, a man falsely accused of murder who becomes Bryan’s biggest case to date while Brie Larson plays Eva Ansley, who works with Bryan. I was kind of bored by the movie the first time I saw it, but I gave it another chance recently and generally liked it more, especially towards the last act. I may write a review before Friday if I can find any time but I’m pretty slammed this week.

The last movie of the weekend is actually one I’ve been looking forward to, since the sci-fi thriller UNDERWATER (20th Century Fox) is my kind of movie. It stars Kristen Stewart, Jessica Hardwick (from the Netflix series Iron First), TJ Miller, Vincent Cassell and John Gallagher, Jr. as a team of scientists who are trapped 6 miles below sea level when their station is hit by a catastrophe and they learn that they’re not alone down there. It’s the new movie from William Eubank, a talented filmmaker who I interviewed years agofor his movie The Signal. I’m also still working on my review for this so please check back tonight/tomorrow for it.

Mini-Review:

It’s a bit of a bummer this new undersea horror-thriller probably won’t get a fair shake from critics, because it’s being released in January. Far too many film critics just love their clichés, and when it comes to January movies (other than the ones premiering at Sundance), they expect everything to be horrible. They go in with that thought in mind and then nitpick to make sure they’re theory is right. Maybe it’s true, but it’s also not particularly fair when you have a movie like Underwater that delivers exactly what’s being sold.

The underwater drilling station Kelper rests on the outskirts of the Mariana Trench, and no sooner then we meet Kristen Stewart’s electric engineer Norah, Kepler is hit by a powerful earthquake that tears the station apart, as she and a few of her colleagues do what they can to survive. They soon learn that they’re not down there alone.

Yes, the premise is a bit of a horror cliché we’ve seen many times before, mostly in space thrillers like the classic Alien, but director William Eubank (The Signal) clearly has chops to direct a much bigger-scale movie like this that involves a lot of underwater FX-work.

While the dialogue isn’t always great, and the attempt to make TJ Miller the film’s comic relief doesn’t always work, you generally like the characters played by Stewart, Hardwick, Cassell and Gallagher, which tends to be half the battle when it comes to horror films. You actually care about them as they face bigger and bigger jeopardy.

I’m sure some women will take issue with Stewart spending a good portion of the movie in a skimpy bathing suit, as soon as she’s out of the bulky deepsea suit she wears for the rest of the movie, but you won’t hear any complaints from me about that.

Like I said, the movie gives you exactly what is being advertised and Eubank has created a movie that’s suitably claustrophobic and at times, legitimately terrifying.

Rating: 7/10

LIMITED RELEASES

The movie opening in limited release that I can recommend highly is Ladj Li’s police thriller LES MISERABLES (Amazon Studios), an amazing police thriller about a group of French detectives trying to deal with issues taking place at the local projects. I thought this French film (France’s shortlisted selection for the Oscar “International Film” category) was fantastic and shows a promising new talent in Li, who wrote and directed the film. If it’s playing in your area, I recommend checking it out, although I’m guessing it will be on Amazon Prime sometime soon as well.

I haven’t seen Jon Avnet’s THREE CHRISTS (IFC FIlms), which has Richard Gere playing Dr. Alan Stone, a psychiatrist in charge of dealing with three schizophrenic patients who all believe they’re Jesus Christ, as played by Peter Dinklage, Walton Goggins and Bradley Whitford. It will open in select cities and On Demand shortly after.

Opening Friday in the States roughly eight months after it opened in the United Kingdom is Ron Scalpello’s crime-thriller THE CORRUPTED (Saban Films), starring Sam Claflin as Liam, an ex-con trying to win back the love of his family, while trying to get out of the tangled web of corruption surrounding him. The movie also stars Timothy Spall, Hugh Bonneville and Charlie Murphy.

Josh Hartnett and Margarita Levieva star in Anthony Jerjen’s Inherit the Viper (Lionsgate), playing siblings Kip and Josie, who are dealing in opioids as their only means of survival. Kip’s attempts to get out of the family business put him and his sister and younger brother (Owen Teague) in danger. it will open in select cities and On Demand.

Ofra Bloch’s documentary Afterward (1091) debuted at DOC-NYC last year with its look at the issues between Israel and Palestine that came out of the Jews being driven out of Germany during World War II and settling in Israel where they were seen as an enemy by the Palestinians, while trying to give and receive forgiveness. This is a fantastic doc that will open on Friday and then be on VOD January 28.

Alison Reid’s doc The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (Zeitgeist/Kino Lorber) is a little more obvious what it’s about, as it follows Anne Innis Dagg’s solo journey to South Africa in 1956 to study giraffes, featuring voicework by Tatiana Maslany, Victor Garber and more. It opens at New York’s Quad Cinema on Friday and at the Laemmle in Los Angeles on February 21.

Opening today at the Film Forumin New York is Renaud Barret’s doc System K (Artification Release), which looks at the city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the street artist performance scene that criticizes government corruption and the poverty that has struck the area.

The Sonata (Screen Media) stars Freya Tingley as a virtuoso violinist who inherits the mansion of her composer father (the late Rutger Hauer) after his sudden death, where she discovers a mysterious score with strange symbols that she tries to decipher with her agent and manager (Simon Abkarian).

This week’s Bollywood offering is Meghna Gulzar’s Chaapaak (FIP), starring Deepika Padukone as a woman attacked with acid in New Delhi in 2005 and how she survived it.

REPERTORY

It’s a new year so we’re back with more cool repertory stuff!

METROGRAPH (NYC):

My favorite local rep theater is beginning with two movies by Your Name and Weathering with You director Makoto Shinkai: 2007’s 5 Centimeters per Second and 2011’s Children Who Chase Lost Voices. On Saturday night, the Academy is back at the Metrograph screening Lina Wermüller’s 1976 movie Seven Beauties. Also on Thursday, you can see two “Metrograph Standards,” Jack Hazan’s A Bigger Splash (1974) and Edo Bertoglio’s Downtown 81. Welcome To Metrograph: Reduxwill screen Richard Quine’s 1958 film Bell, Book and Candle, Late Nites at Metrograph will screen Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low (1963) while the Playtime: Family Matinees selection is Danny Devito’s Matilda from 1996.

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

Folllowing up FilmLinc’s amazing Korean cinema series from last year, this week, they’re doing a special “The Bong Show” retrospective, highlighting the work of soon-to-be Oscar nominee Bong Joon-Ho, as well as other related films with Director Bong in person for some of them. It runs through January 14 and besides all of his feature films, there will be a showing of all his shorts on Friday night, January 10, as well as Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cure (1997), Deliverance (1972), Intentions of Murder (1964), John Frankenheimer’s Seconds (1966), John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) and more.

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE BROOKLYN (NYC)

Tonight’s “Weird Wednesday “is the 1984 Supergirl movie, starring Helen Slater, which is almost sold out. Thursday’s “Cherry Bomb” pick is the 1988 film Shy People. Next week’s “Terror Tuesday” is the horror classic Ghoulies (1984) and “Weird Wednesday” is Tarsem’s The Fall, the latter hosted by Vaiance Films founder Dylan Marchetti.

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

Today’s “Afternoon Classics” matinee is Norman Jewison’s 1967 film In the Heat of the Night, while the Weds./Thurs night double feature is Secret Ceremony and Boom!, both from 1968, both starring Elizabeth Taylor. Friday’s “Freaky Friday” is the 1985 film Re-Animator, while Tarantino’s own Django Unchained is the Friday midnight movie. This weekend’s Kiddee Matinee is the Studio Ghibli film Ponyo, while the “Cartoon Club” is also running this weekend. The Saturday midnight movie is Martin Scorsese’s classic Taxi Driver (1976). Monday’s “Monday Matinees” is the Stephen King adaptation Misery (1990), while the double feature running from Monday through Thursday are newer films, Greta Gerwig’s Little Women and Sofia Coppola’s The Beguilded from 2017, both in 35mm.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

On Wednesday, Film Forum will begin screening a 4k restoration of Russian filmmaker István Szabó’s Mephisto (1981) along with screenings of his other movies, Confidence (1980) and Colonel Redl (1985). This weekend’s “Film Forum Jr.” is one of my all-time favorite comedies, Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot(1959), starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Apparently, the Egyptian now has two theaters? Sweet! As part of the theater’s “New Year’s Resolutions” its screening the 1993 horror anthology, Necronomicon: The Book of the Dead on Friday in the Spielberg Theater, followed at 10pm by Roar (1981). The Egyptian’s usual theater will screen a double feature of Airplane! (1980) and Stripes (1981) on Friday. On Saturday, you can see Pacino in Scarface (1983), the sci-fi classic The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and Terrence Young’s Valley of the Eagles (1951) with an introduction by Joe Dante (schedule-permitting). Also on Saturday night is a double feature of Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Other (1972). Sunday’s “New Year’s Resolution” is “Get More Sleep!” in the form of Akira Kurosawa’s later film Dreams (1990), plus you can also see a 35mm print of The Blue Angel (1930), starring Marlene Dietrich as part of the theater’s “Sunday Print Edition.” Sunday’s New Year’s Resolution is Deliverance (1971)andWake in Fright (1972).

AERO (LA):

As part of the series “The Films of Marty and Bob, the Aero will screen a matinee of Taxi Driver (1976) on Thursday – two days before the Alamo. (Oops!) Thursday night is a double feature of Douglas Sirk’s 1955 film All That Heaven Allows and Fassbinder’s 1974 film Ali: Fear Eats the Soul. Friday begins an “All About Almodóvar” series with a double feature of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) and All About My Mother (1999), Saturday is Bad Education (2004) and Talk to Her (2002) then Sunday is some of the filmmaker’s earlier work, The Law of Desire (1987) and Matador (1986).

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

This weekend, the Quad will screen four movies by Bernard-Henri Lévy: 2012’s The Oath of Tobruk, a double feature of Peshmerga and The Battle of Mosul, and Bosna! With an introduction by Lévy. Sorry, but I’m not really familiar with his work enough to elaborate.

MOMA (NYC):

The Museum of Modern Art has started a new series called “Show Me Love: International Teen Cinema” running through January 19 with some interesting selections including Diane Kurys’ 1977 film Peppermint Soda, Greg Araki’s 1993 filmTotally Fucked Up, Satyajit Ray’s Teen Kanya (Two Daughters) (1961) and more. Another series that will run through February is Modern Matinees: Jack Lemmon, which will show some of the comedic actor’s best movies, including 1963’s Irma La Douce on Wednesday, Blake Edwards’ Days of Wine and Roses (1962) on Thursday, George Cuckor’s It Should Happen to You from 1954) this Friday. (Most of the movies will be repeated later in the series.) Tuesday’s matinee returns to “The Films of Marty and Bob” with New York, New York(1977).

IFC CENTER (NYC)

The IFC Center is in the middle of a comprehensive “Films of Studio Ghibli” series with a bunch of Studio Ghibli animated films, which will run through next week, as will the 75thanniversary digital restoration of the cinema classic Casablanca. This week’s Late Night Favorite selections are David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and Eraserhead, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining and Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days (1995).

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

MOMI is in the midst of a “Curators’ Choice 2019” made up mostly of new movies vs. repertory stuff. Saturday will be a tribute to the late Carol Spinney with a screening of the 2014 doc I Am Big Bird.

ROXY CINEMA (NYC)

The Nicolas Cage love continues with the 1997 action movie Con Air.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART (LA):

Friday’s midnight movie is Rene Laloux’s 1973 animated familyFantastic Planet.

Next week, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are reunited for Bad Boys for Life, taking on Robert Downey Jr. as (Doctor) Dolittle.

#TheWeekendWarrior movies Reviews 1917 JustMercy Underwater LikeABoss repertory

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sinceileftyoublog · 5 years ago

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Eye Flys Interview: Tin Foil Hats For Good

Photo by Megan Elyse Lloyd

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Eye Flys have given us a taste of what they can do. The debut release from a group made up of members of grindcore beasts Full Of Hell, Backslider, and Triac, Context is 6 songs of pummeling, blistering noise rock lasting only 13 minutes. Yet, each song brings something specific to the table both in terms of theme and style. From the socially conscious blasts of energy (“Stems”, “Weaponize”, “Fuckface”) to the nihilistic dirges ( “Dosed”, “Crushing of the Human Spirit”) to the fantastical (“The Triumph of Hagbard Celine”), Eye Flys go in many different directions, all tied together by the lyrical urgency and desperate barking of lead singer and guitarist Jake Smith.

Earlier this week, Smith answered some questions about Context, which is out next Friday via Thrill Jockey. Read below as he talks about the inspiration behind the record, making the record, and generally playing different roles in different bands.

Since I Left You: What, if anything specific, was Eye Flys trying to communicate to the general public with the formation of this group and Context?

Jake Smith: I don’t know that we had anything specific to communicate when we got started, outside of wanting to do something different and explore influences we hadn’t previously been able to in other projects. Context was more or less an attempt to musically break new ground for all of us, and lyrically, there wasn’t too much focus on how it would be received. I wrote the lyrics to these songs, and before this band, I hadn’t been tasked with that since I was a teenager playin’ in punk bands. So I think the last serious lyrics I wrote for a band were about George Bush and Dick Cheney, haha.

SILY: What does Eye Flys allow you to do artistically that you don't necessarily accomplish with Backslider?

JS: It’s so much different in a lot of ways. In Backslider, the guitarist and main songwriter is my close friend Logan [Neubauer] who is a true musical visionary. And though I place an equal amount of importance in both projects, my role in Backslider is very much about realizing the greater vision he has for it while bringing another perspective to his ideas and that works well for us. With Eye Flys, I feel like I'm on a playground, kind of, especially as we get ready to hit the studio at the end of the month to record the follow up to Context. I consider myself a guitarist first, though I've most actively been playing bass the last handful of years in most of my heavy projects. [Patrick Forrest] (our drummer, and formerly of Backslider) and I often bring riff ideas to each other and then jam them out and make big changes or write entire parts on the spot, which is really fun and exhilarating and often leads to a wave of inspiration that we can hammer out and feel good about, sometimes just in an evening. It's cool to be playing a style where you're not just learning a riff and then playing it a million times to get it down because it's difficult to play. Instead, it's like, "Here's this 3 chord riff--let's figure something to go with this other rhythm we dig to follow it up." The difference in process helps makes both bands continually interesting, and nothing blends together. I've had that problem in the past in other projects. Also, there's the lyrical aspect ,as I mentioned earlier. I don't write any lyrics in Backslider, obviously, so this gives me the opportunity to yell about things I care about or think are interesting, which is definitely artistically exciting.

SILY: "Stems" and "Weaponize" call out the egocentric and the bullshit artists--in the second person. Do you find listeners come to your projects with too many pretentious pre-conceived notions?

JS: "Stems" is mostly in response to people being so sure of things that aren't so easily understandable or without thinking critically before settling into a belief. My tendency towards agnosticism causes me to get a little worked up about that sometimes. "Weaponize", though, is certainly a call-out to bullshit artists. Some people really like to cover up their own shortcomings and damaging behavior by slinging shit at others, regardless of how much information they have or where they get it. As someone who has somewhat removed myself from the heavier social aspects of the East Coast punk world, I watch some of this stuff happen over and over again from "afar," and it can be upsetting, and that's basically what I'm addressing in that song. Of course, it also should be said that a lot of people are doing wonderful things to lift each other up and hold each other to better standards in more inclusive ways, and that stuff is super important to the survival of the greater underground music community.

To address the second part of the question, most of the music we all like and are involved in is niche. So people have really strong feeling about what these things should and shouldn't be. I can understand these feelings and share them in ways, but by the nature of this music’s natural exclusivity (through lack of "accessibility" or whatever), you're always going to encounter the pretentious folks who think your shit is "False" because it doesn't fit some definition or their version of it...that stuff is fine though. It doesn't bother me a whole lot these days. I'm kind of looking forward to some shit talk on the forthcoming EF material because we don't fit some sort of expectation or mold, haha.

SILY: The album's most energetic track, "Dosed", is followed by one of the sludgier entries, "Crushing of the Human Spirit". How did you decide upon the album's sequencing?

JS: Ya know, I think about sequencing a lot when putting together a record and also when listening to one...I'd like to think most people do. However, for this, I feel like it was easier than in most situations. I think we basically had 2 different track list ideas that had been put forth by members of the band, talked about it, and quickly agreed on one. We knew which ones were going to open and close the album before we even recorded, and it kind of seemed obvious from there. I suspect it may be a little trickier for the follow-up LP, though.

SILY: What about Illuminatus! made you want to draw inspiration from it for "The Triumph of Hagbard Celine"?

JS: I've always cited it as one of my favorite books, and Robert Anton Wilson will always mean a lot to me. He coined the term "Maybe Logic", and it will always ring true with me and the way I look at the world. The story (and all of his writing) is rich with synchronicity that seems to manifest itself out of the pages and into my life. Linear time isn't something I can subscribe to, and the way his writing fucks around with time jumping is fun for me. I always have a lot of fun with conspiracy theory stuff, and it's nice to have a writer who identifies as an Anarchist (as is one of the main characters, Hagbard Celine) and utilizes those themes in his writing...because boy howdy am I sick of these goddamn conservative pricks taking over all the tin foil hat algorithms and somehow trying to align the shit with white supremacy and incel garbage. I'm certainly not done referencing RAW's work in my lyrics. FNORD!

SILY: Was there a specific event that caused you to write the anti-toxic-masculinity anthem "Fuckface"? Or was it a feeling that had long been brewing that finally boiled over? Where in your daily life do you tend to experience toxic masculinity the most?

JS: You could say that there was an event that caused me to write it, which is not something I feel okay about putting on blast, but we'll say this man is a habitual line stepper. You could also say that it was a brewing feeling that finally boiled over. These stories aren't anything new, and I think it's important for men to be talking about this stuff. The patriarchy is so deeply embedded in our culture; men often feel owed access to women's bodies and attention for simply existing adjacent to them. This attitude and sense of entitlement is passed down over and over again through generations, and I feel like it's our job to keep these conversations moving forward and break the cycle of abuse and marginalization. This will also be a continuing theme in my lyrics, as I can't really narrow down the times and places I tend to experience these things. It's a constant in how most of society seems to carry itself.

Songs like this are good for me as well when it comes to channeling the toxic parts of my own masculinity. I have a big reactionary testosterone-y man within me that wants to go beat people up for this stuff, and it's nice to have an outlet to channel those things through without having to act like a caveman (or get my ass kicked).

SILY: What's the inspiration behind the album title? The album art? The band name?

JS: I wanted to call the album "Context" early on in the process of making it. To me, I felt like it makes sense with some of the the lyrical themes and how they relate to perception, but also with the idea that this group of musicians is putting our efforts into a different musical context than we are used to.

The art was done by this fella Justin Stubbs. [Guitarist] Spencer [Hazard] brought him into the fold, as he's done work for Full of Hell in the past. We gave him some ideas of what we were going for aesthetically, and he really delivered. I think the art resonates with the title and some of the themes quite well. People can be so sure of things that the context of their life becomes a corner that they’re stuck in facing the goddamn wall. It sort of came together by chance, but I think it's relevant, and we're happy about it. And the band name we stole from the Melvins. The first song from their first full length Gluey Porch Treatments is called Eye Flys; we're all obviously big fans.

SILY: How have you adapted these songs to the stage?

JS: We play ‘em loud and mean and noisy!

#eye flys #thrill jockey #spencer hazard #jake smith #patrick forrest #kevin bernsten #interviews

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ramajmedia · 5 years ago

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Tigers Are Not Afraid is 2019's Best-Reviewed Horror Movie So Far

Tigers Are Not Afraid is the best reviewed horror movie of 2019 (so far) on Rotten Tomatoes. A supernatural horror mystery drama written and directed by Mexican filmmaker Issa López, the indie flick premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2017 and gained support from horror titans like Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, and Neil Gaiman over the months that followed. Despite this, it continued to tour the film festival circuit all the way through 2018, in an effort to attract a distributor. Finally, it was picked up by Videocine for a limited run, ahead of its launch on Shudder this fall.

Set against the backdrop of Mexico's drug wars, Tigers Are Not Afraid follows a group of orphaned children who are gifted with three magical wishes, but find themselves being haunted by the ghosts of their past in addition to the cartel that murdered their parents. Its blend of magical realism, folklore, and political allegory has been compared to del Toro's earlier Spanish-language films (Cronos, The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth), and the film has been Certified Fresh on RT after 58 reviews. In fact, its score is strong enough to land it the top spot among horror movies in 2019 overall.

Related: Antlers Trailer Teases Guillermo del Toro-Produced Horror Film

RT has confirmed Tigers Are Not Afraid is the best-reviewed horror title of 2019 and currently sports a 95% Fresh rating (including, all Fresh reviews from the 13 Top Critics who've weighed in so far). That places it ahead of such acclaimed horror films as Jordan Peele's Us (93% Fresh), Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett Ready or Not (89% Fresh), and Ari Aster's Midsommar (83% Fresh).

While there are still four months left in 2019, there's a chance Tigers Are Not Afraid will hold onto its top spot among horror films on RT. Its main competition at the moment appears to be Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse. The filmmaker's followup to his acclaimed horror feature debut, The Witch, is currently sitting at 98% Fresh after 52 reviews, but has yet to screen for critics outside the festival circuit ahead of its October release. The Stephen King horror movie sequels IT Chapter Two and Doctor Sleep will also arrive over the next three months and are expected to play well with critics and general audiences alike. However, IT Chapter Two is generating mixed-to-positive buzz after its early screenings, so it probably won't be as well-received as its predecessor (which is at 86% Fresh after 359 reviews on RT).

Either way, it's always great when an original, independent genre film like Tigers Are Not Afraid breaks out the way it has. It's all the more noteworthy, considering how long it took for a distributor to acquire the movie in the first place. The film is only playing in 6 theaters right now and opened with $30K in the U.S. this past weekend, so hopefully the publicity from its RT rating will help Tigers Are Not Afraid to attract a larger crowd that's just now learning it even exists in the first place.

NEXT: 2019 Fall Movie Preview: The 30 Films to See

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

source https://screenrant.com/tigers-not-afraid-horror-movie-best-reviewed-2019/

#screenrant

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grizzlefur · 7 years ago

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WWEm - Too Much Shit For One Man to Kick

In which Emma’s heart grows three sizes.

Broadcast date: Monday 4/Tuesday 5 September 2017

Now that I've torn myself away from the combination of Destiny 2 and trying to fix my phone, it's time for MONDAY AFTERNOON RAW!: The Nacreous Gem Around The Intrusive Sand Of Roman Reigns Trying To Cut A Promo

trialling a new slogan

daniel's uncle's idea

apparently owning the building means you can give production advice

price of free offices, i guess

anyway, i'm like 70% sure he doesn't read these, so i can say whatever

but yes, the actual show

the bright orange blur in this tumbnail suggests we may be hearing from one mr cena

straight in on a recap video of the contract signing from last week

only presumably without cena kicking a hole in the fourth wall like the fucking shockmaster

also they've edited it to remove roman forgetting how to english

some damn good promos, though

i'm just loving all the shots of kurt in the background gawking like oh god what have i wrought

oh, apparently this is labour day

you'll pardon me for not exactly giving a shit

and we're in omaha

and here's the cena himself

here to cene all over us

oh, apparently we're just kicking straight into a match

and booker's back

i never thought i'd be glad to hear that slurred bullshit

and here comes jason jordan and his dodgy synth music

here to fight cena for unspecified reasons

oh, so we can play the clip of cena debuting against kurt 15 years ago

back when he was ruthlessly aggressive

who doesn't love cross-generational parallels

omaha is super behind cena, possibly for his music containing actual instruments and vocal tracks recorded at the same time

jason goes straight into the amateur mat game, which is not exactly cena's forte

lots of lingering hugs

i think booker just managed to get jason and cena mixed up, but let's be real, i wasn't listening

my mind just levels out everything booker says into a kind of mealy blur

but hey, that's better than the unignorable shittiness of the jerry

(my favourite kundera book)

cena gets a comeback phase, including whipping jason so hard he also faceplanted himself into the mat

that seems poorly thought out

tries to deploy his five moves, jason manages to counter out my backflipping out of a suplex and dropkicking him

fuck you, cruiserweight division

jason takes a five knuckle shuffle, then counters an aa into an indescribably weird rollup

takes an stf for ages, then reverses into a crossface/chinlock thing

cena says fuck you, i'm john cena, stands up out of it and goes for another aa

jj counters out into a beautiful rolling double nothern lights suplex

straps come down, jj unleashes his true power level

and immediately eats an aa for the pin

way to disprove roman's argument that cena buries young talent

oh hye, speaking of

-slips into pre-emptive coma-

and he's got a mic

fantastic

roman's like why the fuck did that take you 20 minutes that guy's been on the show for like a month

roman really needs to work out what point he's making

so yeah, argument today is that cena's not as great as he thinks he is

and is a lion

fake-ass little bitch

"Roman, I'd say I'm happy to see you, but...I'm disgusted by your whole face."

cena is all out of shits to give

like stop trying to use your brain, it's not your thing

cena immediately addresses roman's inconsistent point

and that his fly is open

which roman turns into lol cos i'm the big dog

men

and cena counters with a balls joke, and roman with a gay joke

fuck's sake, guys

there's a bar, at least make a cursory effort to get over it

cena takes it to roman for having everything handed to him, like damn dude i fucking hate the miz but at least he works for his shots

this is all true

cena's mostly just exasperated

like damn dude, get a clue

so roman's like hey if you want to beat me up let's do that

roman, stop being smug

or just, yknow, go away

cena does not beat him up, so roman's like hey fuck you dude and walks off

that worked, i guess

but later, we apparently have braun/show in a cage

so we can play the gif of those two crushing the ring

also later jeff hardy has an ic title match

but now, enjoy this advert for total bellas

or don't, very much up to you

but now, here come the not-shield

entering to dean's intro

they're gonna be on announce for slater and rhyno vs the kkb

seth and dean should totally rebrand as the sword

god, i love that they've managed to get a dragon ball reference into their entrance

dean's like welp, that's a great entrance,can't take that away from them

confirmation that we've got their title rematch at no mercy

dean goes off on a tangent about jurassic park and getting your face eaten by velociraptors

seth starts giggling

send for the man

corey asks if seth and dean are getting on as a team, dean's like eh, i've had five years to punch this guy in the face, i'm kind of over it by now

back in the ring, heath slater is getting the fuck kicked out of him

but then, that's what he does

inevitable hot tag so rhyno can get some offence in

and then eat a brogue for the pin

dean starts talking smack on the bar, then he's like well we're the bar now hey we should steal their name

dean talks like he fights

cesaro and sheamus do their fusion dance in the ring, and i'm like 90% sure their fusion would be goro from mortal kombat

although more the plasticine fantasticine version from the film, tbh

that's science right there

toasty

cut back to the announce team, where seth and dean have evaporated

and they talk to book about the hurricane

briefly

but now, renee interviews the hardyz

matt breaks in with a semi-broken accent

crowd goes mental

and jeff's like yuuuup gonna win this or get myself killed with the FIRE THAT BURNS WITHIN ME

man can preach

so that's next, i think?

after this ad for randy/shinsuke on smackdown

insert comment about what competition means

and here comes the match

starting with the hardyz

jeff's wearing a connor's cure tabard over all his other clothes, and seriously, i think the man has a problem

it also makes it very hard for him to rock out to their music

cole makes a reference to them wanting to delete paediatric cancer

well played

and enter the miztourage

maryse has a new vest/pvc leggings/sparkly knee boots combo, and as ever, i want it

also perilously close to real human clothes

apparently it's just over 10 years since jeff had the ic belt

bell rings, jeff goes straight for a rollup because fuck wrestling

miz cowers against the ropes like please mr hardy don't beat me

and uses it to throw jeff out to his cronies

a scheme

who would have thought

back in the ring, jeff just punches the hell out of miz's oh-so-punchable face

whisper in the wind for a nearfall

it's taken this long for jeff to jump off something, he must be taking it seriously

sets up for a swanton, bo distracts the ref so curtis can pull jeff off the turnbuckle

sparks a brawl outside the ring, ref is just like fuck this noise all three of you can fuck off

matt is deeply offended like how could you do this to me i was defending my brother's honour

miz counters out of jeff's crotch leg drop, which is good to see, because it is such a trivially easy move to counter

this match is actually p good

it's been like 60% reversals

maryse is still at ringside, which can't possibly be foreshadowing anything

ooh, she's gone with acid-green nails as well

maryse is just my style icon

(as if you didn't know)

miz pulls jeff off the apron, then collapses against the barricade in fornt of a small child in a cena shirt who's like um what

miz gets a figure four one, jeff just goes to counter by punching miz in the face

makes sense when you think about it

eventually gets to the ropes

then hits miz with a stunner, nearfall when miz gets the rope

live by the rope break...

miz crawls out of the ring while the ref shouts at jeff, then immediately eats a baseball slide

and then poetry in motion off the steps

kind of feeling sorry for miz atm

he's bumping like a demon

maryse pulls her husband out fo the way of a swanton, leaving jeff to fuck himself upon the mat

goes for a twist of fate, miz counters into a finale for the pin

damn good match, solid finish

but now, women do things

or so i am assuming by this recap package of banks/bliss

oh yeahb, and nia's inevitable betrayal

announcement: sasha has her rematch at no mercy

and now nia accosts kurt backstage

she's not impressed that she doesn't get a title shot

and emma interrupts to talk about her twitter analytics

she also wants a title shot

nia's just like fuck off or i will actually break you

kurt holds them apart, and hatches a plan

nia/emma v sasha/alexa tonight

if the undercarders win, he'll make the title match a four-way

foreboding shot of the cage, insistent mentions of the ring being reinforced

and have some more recap videos of brig showman fucking the ring

never noticed how hard the ref bumps to the outside when it happens

caught it now, of course, because they've replayed the clip from SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN FUCKING ANGLES

but now it's time for cruiserweights to not get an intro

dar, nese and gulak already in the ring

and cedric and gran metalik get to enter with enzo, because seriously, nobody's getting a fucking intro

except enzo, who's brought a mic as usual

enzo tries to spin cheating to win matches as some kind of god-given right because it gets you wins

babyface?

despreately hypes 205 like please watch my show

he introduces cedric and metalik in the shittiest way possible

i spoke too soon, his smacktalk introductions for the other three are even worse

match kicks off with cedric/tony doing the cruiserweightiest wrestling ever

and enzo tags himself in to ruin everything

drew tags in to kick a non-trivial amount of shit out of enzo

not all of it, of course

the man contains too much shit for one man to kick

the heel team start doing rolling tags to take turns fucking up enzo's shit

and then they all just cruiserweight over everything and i can no longer narrate

stereo topes from cedric and metalik, during which enzo tags himself in because he's a twat

and then sticks a thumb in drew's eye to get his stupidly-named finish for the pin

the alleged faces celebrate as drew's outside with his friends like aaaaaaaaaaa i am blind

end segment

and now alexa collars sasha in the locker room to bitch about their opponents tonight

alexa has a cancer shirt too because she's a face by default tonight

this conversation quickly turns into a huge row

that match'll go well

up next, finn bálor wears a shirt

boo

and an advert for the myc, which continues to be great

and here comes everyone's favourite irish possible serial killer

-does the arms-

goes 'this is bálor club' like he's introducing his new talk show

waxes lyrical on his previous titles and how bray wyatt's a dick

finn has chosen his fate

or possibly faith?

this just in, he has an irish accent

calls bray out, immediate wyatt cut

and now we're in the void with bray

talking about learning to hunt as a kid

and the day he decided to stop using a bow and just kill things with his bare hands

i think we could have all filled in that backstory, tbh

taunts finn for only being able to beat him using the demon as his weapon, rather than doing it with his own power and will

and obliquely challenges him for no mercy

finn starts shouting back at him, which is a rarity for these segments

bray calls finn a rabbit, wyatt cut, end thing

so yeah, bray v human!finn for no mercy, presumably

oh hey, more ads for smackdown and total bellas

and now it's women's tag time

cole claims total bellas stars alexa bliss, corey's like um dude that's just a lie

she is here though

this much is true

oh my god i had forgotten how fucking angry i was about emma's new music

although that said, i think it's changed again

it's still not as good as her proper music, but better than last week

cfo$ are clearly going through a weird phase atm

corey is critiquing emma's hashtag efficiency

someone had to

the basic theme if this match thus far is 'tagging yourself in for giggles'

my inner bitch is loving the reluctant passive-aggressive teamwork in this match

(also my outer bitch)

(aka me)

as the smaller woman in the team, emma is performing her proper function of getting fucked on relentlessly

this rule does not apply to alexa, because her rage gives her virtual height

she's like one of those tiny dogs that will FUCKING HAVE YOU

emma finally gets a tag to nia, alexa gets a chance to vent at her

and get creamed

eats a big-ass samoan drop, sasha breaks up the pin after a moment of internal conflict

gets the tag, shining wizard for a nearfall

emma blind tags, nia leg drops sasha, emma gets the pin

i'll be honest, i was not expecting that

four-way should be good, though

emma celebrates extravagantly in the middle of the ring, nia's like um

and samoan drops her

nia will also fucking have you

back to the ambiguous backstage room, where renee has acquired a braun

asks what he's thinking before his first cage match

he's like really what the fuck was kurt thinking, this match might hurt me before my title match at no mercy but will definitely hurt company property

the man does a surprisingly good promo

but up next, seth and dean are back

their walk backstage is briefly interrupted by elias thrashing out a new song

long beat as they just kind of stand there like what's up with this guy, then shrug and carry on, dean playing along on the air

but next, they fight the good brothers

after these ads for every show we make

back from ads, sheamus and cesaro are in the ring arguing with gallows and anderson for some reason

who am i kidding, you don't need a reason to bitch on those guys

seth and dean still using dean's intro

like, if you're going to just use one, seth's is way better

BURRRRRN IT DOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWN

ref eventually manages to usher the kkb out of the ring, match can commence

sheamus and cesaro seem to have settled on just sarcastically applauding from ringside

someone needs to get them popcorn

this match is a little formulaic, but damn do i love how in sync seth and dean still are as a team

seth/dean v jordan/gable v gargano/ciampa v dawson/wilder

give them a whole show, best tag match possible

as opposed to this particular long-ass superplex setup that didn't even work

dean counters a chokeslam into a dropkick, which is p cool

seth gets the hot tag, commences to jump off every goddamn rope before braun and show fuck them up

dean tries to join in, does a shitty suicide dive

seth hits a lovely top-rope frankensteiner on anderson, the kkb try to interfere, seth gets the pin anyway because they're just that good

and then the good brothers take sheamus and cesaro out while they're distracted

they take a long moment to consider their options, then go back to the ring to fuck up anderson and gallows

and now here's the connor's cure video basically the same as last year, because history and cancer haven't changed much

and they've got the wwe makeup department in to give kids superstar redesigns

that's kind of sweet

and steph giving them all hype ring announcements is cute

dammit, i've fallen for a cute ill kids advert

and they brought alexa, miz, and finn

which seems like a super weird collection

to inspire these kids with cancer, we've brought our resident bitch, a self-important asshole, and a guy who draws power from being possessed by a demon

perfect sense

but up next, main event time

but first, cruiserweight recap vt?

because now we see enzo and his mates in the locker room being annoying

cue sarcastic clapping from neville

and news that those three have all qualified for a five-way elimination match for a title shot at no mercy

neville sows dissesnsion with a few ominous geordie words

closeups of techs reinforcing the ring

and now charly interviews the ref from the ring explosion match, of all people

oh, apparently the ring's double reinforced

not just reinforced

fancy

he's like welp this match is gonna be carnage i'm just going to focus on dodging

and now renee gives big show a hype chat

gah, i'd forgotten his new hairlessness

come on show, give us a YOUUUUU DID THISSSSS TOOO MEEEEEEEEEE

Shockingly, Giant Baby Show says Braun ain’t shit

the dramatic climax of the promo is just show telling us his own nickname

you know how i said braun could promo surprisingly well?

well...not that

seriously guys, how many ads do we need for total bellas?

it's back

we know

ad for 205, in which we learn that the other two slots in the 5-way are kendrick and nese, for no adequately established reason

wait, has anyone seen kurt and show at the same time?

feels like we might have a dr angle and mr show thing going on

corey just referred to braun as "the steam-breathing monster"

i have no clue what to say to that

is he coal-powered?

bell rings, braun kicks show in the face

and starts bodychecking him into the cage

weirdly, it goes wrong on the fourth one

show counters with a magic fist, doesn't climb the cage for some reason, cut to ads

cut back and nothing at all has happened

ecept show is now taking his turn to throw his opponent into the cage walls

show starts climbing, braun follows

weird scale going on, since they can both stand on the top rope and touch the top of the cage

show gets crotched really hard

guys, stop doing that spot

it is not good for you

show sets up on the top rope, everyone goes wtf

and does an elbow drop for the first time in like two decades

doesn't connect properly, but still a good moment

goes for the pin, braun kicks out at two because fuck you i'm braun strowman

show crawls for the door, braun walks over, grabs it, and hits show in the face with it

then braun tries to walk over show to get the door himself, and show does eexactly the same thing back to him

see, that was just dumb

braun kind of wanders into a chokeslam, then counters into a ddt for a nearfall

few spots later, show manages to land the chokeslam, braun kicks out because see the above re: fuck you

show goes for a magic fist, braun counters into a powerslam, show counters out and throws braun into the wall

show goes for the climb, followed by braun

gets his chest over the top before braun drags him back down because NOT FINISHED WITH YOU

i have never seen big show on the top rope this much before

braun gets a superplex in, the double reinforcement does its job

still a hell of a crash

and running powerslam for the pin

okay, i'm not usually one for large man punch fights, but that was actually really good

braun looms ominously over his fallen foe, then somehow acquires a mic

calls out brock to see big show's corpse as an object lesson

long ominous beat, then tells big show it's time to go to pasture, picks him up, and powerslams him through one wall of the cage

crowd goes wild

next time they should maybe think about also double reinforcing the cage

show lies on the broken cage wall going aaaa i'm dying, braun stalks off and roars, end show

in all senses

right, well, i've got some bad news

the horizontal line's off in Marbella this week, so we're gonna have to roll straight on

-checks the list of test slogans again-

MONDAY AFTERNOON SMACKDOWN!: Takes Hotter Than Your Dad.

i swear, the things i do so we can have somewhere to record this show that's only occasionally filled with vengeful woodland animals

so yes, the raccoon incident aside, let's watch mackdown

or indeed smackdown

mackdown is the wrestling dating sim i am now going to have to make

opening on a weirdly-saturated recap package of the orton/nakamura situation

the worst holmes story

and yes, the best thing about smackdown today

i'd had it spoiled, but still

JBL IS FUCKING GONE

he's off to do charity work, so we get the double whammy of disadvantaged kids getting support and me not having to listen to his voice

and they've replaced him with corey, making pretty much the ideal announce panel

Tom: "Did you miss me, Graves?" Corey: "Yes!" Tom: "I...am surprised!"

i live for these two talking shit

so yes, orton/nakamura tonight for a title shot at hiac

and here's randy, standing in three-quarter profile in a dimly lit corridor

yknow, like people do

and giving a speech about how he' gonna fuck shinsuke up

cut to shinsuke shadow boxing in the locker room

tells us about how he's gonna fuck randy up, i mostly get distracted by his left shoulder, which i hadn't noticed before

it's kind of fucked

i'm guessing that's a dislocation that healed weird

cut to the ring, and ellsworth announces his bae

only to be interrupted by...kevin?

he's decided he's going to be guest referee for carmella's match with nattie

begins trying to intimidate the ref into taking his shirt off

here's shane

who may have opinions on this fuckery

takes a moment for a cheap pop before getting into professional mode

he's just like kevin

dude

sort your shit out

long tense faceoff

shane's like maybe take responsibility for all these failures which are in all ways your fault

kevin's like fuck you i don't even want to be on this show

shane's like well yeah, cos this isn't the bullshit show where we just give people belts

kevin calls shane out on him needlessly inserting himself into eveything on the show

mentions his dad, gets an ooooooh, mentions his kids, shane immediately gets in his face like fuck you

kevin spins the helicopter crash into this, says his family would all be better off if he'd died there

mentions his kids again, shane explodes on him

well, he did warn him

trips getting out of the ring, killing the moment a bit

throws kevin over the announce table and just absolutely goes to town on him

security pull them apart, bryan turns up to be like the fuck are you doing dude that's an employee

and give the most disapproving dad look you've ever seen

and...cut to an ad for total bellas

way to maintain the mood, guys

and recaps of what happened thirty seconds ago

in which they've edited out shane tripping

backstage, kevin staggers through the room supported by three officials

bryan comes out to apologise

kevin promises to sue shane, wwe, and the entire mcmahon family

bryan's like wow, that seems wildly disproportionate

kevin's like fine, i'll go press assault charges insteads

cut back to announce, corey and byron are both like well he totally deserved that

but yes, now we actually have that carmella/nattie match

recap from last week reminds me precisely how fucking awful carmella's singlet was

thankfully, she's back to normal gear today

provided you count bright orange leggings with leopard-print piping as normal

announce team start spinning next week's 'Sin City Smackdown'

carmella gets her face punched off, retreats to her ellsworth

pan out to naomi watching the match with a look of deep concentration as carmella does a long-ass guillotine choke

nattie powerslams her out, gets a comeback

carmella superkicks nattie, gets a nearfall, ellsworth gives the ref the briefcase

carmella's like wtf no i'm not cashing in give my that back, throws it at ellsworth, and gets rolled up for the pin

ellsworth comes back into the ring to apologise profusely

carmella starts being all magnanimous, then opens up on him

including using the same line twice

calls him a 'genetic defect'

and asks how he's still employed at wwe

really, the question we were all asking

"You are a charity case, and your mother should have given you away at birth!"

wow

harsh

and officially dumps him

takes her case, struts off

leaving james in the ring and the depths of despair

backstage, here's shane looking conflicted

up next, dolph ziggler re-debuts

i have no clue how this is going to go

expect everything

after these ads for the myc and no mercy

and tom giving us a talk about paediatric cancer

roll the video again

refer to my comments above

well, that gave me plenty of time to curate my itunes library

fringe benefits

and here's the dolph

looking...exactly the same

he's got a mic

presumably to tell the fans to go fuck themselves

yup

railing at the fans for not appreciating the greatest performer in the company

and they'd prefer some dumb gimmick

lights go back down, and here he is again

doing cena's entrance

all credit to the crowd for the DOLPH ZIGGLER SUUUUUUUCKS singalong

dolph's like hey, did that not work? i'll try another

lights go down again, and now he's...who had land of hope and glory?

-research break-

yeah, thought it was him

dude, if you're gonna do a macho man entrance, you could at least have the shades

gives up on it, shouts at the crows for not doing the usual nostalgia pop

sends his valet away

and now he promises to have exactly what the crowd want and deserve

and...now he's naomi

the fuck is this

does the knee slide, then gives up

all gimmicks are defeated by ennui

and now he's back to railing against the idea of gimmicks, because anyone can do them

says he, after clearly showing that not everyone can dance like naomi

tells the fans they make him sick, stomps off backstage

so that happened?

up next, sami zayn v aiden english

because this is 2014 nxt, apparently

aiden gets about one line into his aria before sami's music interrupts him

oh yeah, this is the rematch from last week when kevin fucked on everything

and aiden gets a rollup out of nowhere

that lasted about 90 seconds

the bookers have some sort of problem with sami

and aiden's got his mic back

so he can give us some more singing

swiftly tailing off as sami chases him out of the room

let's have yet another recap of shane brutalising an employee

pan out to bryan rewatching it

only to get interrupted by the new day

here to lift his spirits

oh, and here are the usos

to do the opposite

announcing the stipulation for next week

street fight

which seems ill-advised when you're fighting a team of three

bryan gets a call, ushers the new day out

someone bryan calls 'sir' (so vince) wants him to do something in the ring

i know what, because i have a dreadful habit of going on twitter and getting spoilers, but i'll maintain the mystery for now

bryan disagrees, is shut down

and he's going to do............IT right now

(couldn't resist)

and here he is in the arena

gets in the ring, calls shane to come too

he doesn't

finally, here he comes

with nary a HERE COME THE MONEYYYYYYY

not sure i've ever seen either of these this sombre

bryan's like remember last year when the miz was pushing me every week and i made the bold choice to NOT FUCKING ATTACK HIM?

bottom line, you can't assault our employees

fair policy

shane's like yeah sorry but when people talk about my family i go crazy

bryan's just i don't give a single shit you've endangered this entire show because we both know kevin's a vindictive bastard who'll take us for everything

shane offers to go and reconcile with kevin

bryan's like no, i talked to your dad, you're suspended indefinitely

and leaves

shane's left in the ring like welp

why would you leave him there if he was suspended?

eh, wrestling logic

many crowd chants later, shane slumps off

gets a lot of thank you chants for a man who's just been suspended for attacking an employee

and now renee is in the blue curtain room to interview jinder

in an ugly-ass houndstooth suit

asks which guy he'd rather fight, he doesn't give a shit

claims he represents asia better than shinsuke ever could, despite shinsuke actually being from fucking asia

does the promo again in punjabi to speak to 3% of the great nation of india

back in the arena, aj's on announce

to talk about paediatric cancer

(i feel like i'll be writing that phrase a lot in the next few weeks)

and here's baron

sidebar fact: "Won the Money In The Bank ladder match earlier this year"

guys, maybe stop reminding people of that

recap vt of styles/dillinger last week

and of baron being a tool

i feel like i might need to specify that more

and here's tye

and they haven't synced his music with his new tron, so the sexy number voice says 10 when the video's on about 6

kind of love the KO'S A BITCH sign in the crowd

works on many levels

baron slides out of the ring to face off with aj, so tye just jumps out and fucks him up against the barricade

solid advice: maybe keep an eye on the other guy in the match

cut to ads, come back to a really slick spot of baron lariating tye's head off

tye tries to set up for the tye breaker, is thwarted by his opponent being large and heavy

and baron continues to stop having the match he's actually having so he can shout at aj

and i love the complete lack of shit aj gives

baron scores a cheap shot to tye's throat, angering aj, and end of days for the pin

actually a pretty good match

you forget that tye's got a lot of skill in the ring

aj is shocked at baron's lack of honour

because he doesn't watch the show, i guess

up next, "a special look at bobby roode"

ok, whoever edited it to go directly from saying that to a total bellas advert needs firing

backstage, aj congratulates tye on his fight and says next week, the us open challenge will only be open to him

dude

that's not an open challenge

that's just a challenge

and now for a bobby roode video package

enhanced by corey being on this show now so he can run hype for him

and now we're backstage with ellsworth pleading for carmella to forgive him

and being like yes i'm subhuman and i don't deserve anything please take me back

this is not healthy

carmella says from now on, they're doing things her way

gives him a huge kiss, then slaps his face off

flounces off, leaving ellsworth to be like the actual fuck is my life

but now we have a main event

here comes the very finest in flailing japanese men

and adverts for all our other shows

and also a fucking snaaaaaaake

loving the contrast of entrances

incredibly theatrical alien dance vs walking slowly down the ramp

cut over to jinder and the singhs in his skybox

tom mispronounces kinshasa even before the bell rings

this is why we got corey on here

whoever you are trying to get your MAGA sign to constantly show up on hardcam, kindly fuck off

randy does a massive hotshot, aided by shinsuke being an extremely floppy man when he wants to be

randy goes for his draping ddt out to the floor, shinsuke reverse out because that would be dangerous as fuck if he hit it

throws shinsuke into the announce desk, corey's like this is the worst first day ever

shinsuke just decides to get a comeback spot like oh hey maybe i should just kick him in the face a bunch

superplex to shinsuke, and the setup only took a small percentage of my life this time

lovely spot as shinsuke's reeling on his knees then just leans back into doing his cmoooooooon

goes for a kinshasa, randy counters into a snap powerslam

into a draping ddt, because you know randy's spots

strikes up the snake, which is still weird when your whole thing is hitting it out of nowhere

goes for an rko, shinsuke counters into an armbar then transitions to a triangle

that was fucking lovely

randy powers out, shinsuke counters an rko into a backstabber

see, this is how you preserve finishers

and kinshasa for the pin

oh, sorry corey

KINSHAAAAAASSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAA

(totally why corey's here)

well thank fuck for that, i'm not sure i could have taken another orton/mahal rematch without taking up amateur tattooing or something

backstage, bryan tells kevin they're done

kevin's like fuck that, imma run the show next week

and bryan drops the bomb that vince'll be there next week to sort shit out

great

ah well

and brief cut back to shinsuke partying so we have something to end on

and thus we finish the week's shows

by which i do of course mean last week's shows

one day i'll actually get my shit together and be punctuahahahahaaaa sorry i couldn't get through that

[Don’t forget to follow Emma on Twitter, where she’s @Waruce]

#WWE #WWE Raw #wwe smackdown #Wrestling

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