#truly an underrated gem of a line from john

[lastweeksshirttonight]

John: "Success in a K-pop band is 90% confidence."

Stephen: "The rest is knowing how to sing in Korean."

(Happy 4th anniversary to this clip!)

[doamarierose-honoka]

Starting in 1982, Marvel Comics began a line of graphic novels and trade paperbacks aimed at adults. This venture vanished in 1993, but Marvel resurrected it 20 years later in in 2013. While DC is better known for its mature comic collections, both the first and the second generation of Marvel Graphic Novels have some gems shining in their vaults.

Marvel Graphic Novels feature dozens of different characters, from obscure figures, like Marada the She-Wolf, to some Marvel fan favorites like Thanos. To their credit, they encompass nearly every genre, from fantasy to noir crime thrillers to pure superhero fiction. These graphic novels are inarguably the best of Marvel's bunch.

10: Marada the She-Wolf Is Underrated

The daughter of Caesar's firstborn daughter and a princess turned slave, Marada Starhair is a legendary warrior with arcane powers and weaponry expertise. A collection of stories from Marvel's Epic Illustrated, Marada the She-Wolf follows her adventures throughout the Roman Empire, combining the sensibilities of Conan stories with a Heavy Metal art style that still holds up today.

Marada is one of Marvel's most obscure heroes but Marada the She-Wolf is one of the greatest graphic novels of its era. John Bolton's art is truly marvelous and it goes great with Claremont's fantastic take on this character. While Marvel has a long history with sword-and-sorcery characters like Conan and Red Sonja, Marada is their long-neglected sibling and this book shows off her many merits.

9: The Pitt Is Weirdly Realistic

By focusing on three different characters -- Nelson Kohler, Colonel Browning, and Professor Jenny Swensen -- Byrne and Gruenwald did a terrific job at conveying the powerlessness of this kind of disaster in The Pitt. This graphic novel is a gruesome story with emotional dialogues and plenty of dark panels. The Pitt is perfect for those who want to read something serious with a true-to-life take on superheroes' actions.

8: Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir Is a Great Thriller

Starlin's Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir is a noir crime graphic novel featuring two of the darkest Marvel superheroes. When Black Widow disappears during a serial killer investigation that put her on the radar of a sadistic telepath. Daredevil will have to find her before she becomes their next victim.

Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir has great art, a story full of epic twists and turns, and an incredible team-up. This story takes the reader by the hand into a full thriller from Daredevil's perspective and his thoughts only make things darker. Chiodo's blurry lines and soft colors add to its cinematography. Daredevil and Black Widow make for an uncommon pairing -- especially post-MCU. However, Abattoir proves that they deserve more projects together.

7: Fans Will Love Kingpin in Daredevil: Love and War

In order to save Vanessa from a mysterious illness, Wilson Fisk kidnaps the wife of a doctor, forcing him to work for him. In the meanwhile, Daredevil tries to find them. Daredevil: Love and War follows this race from the perspective of Kingpin, offering readers an interesting insight into the villain's mind, turning him into a sympathetic villain.

By focusing on Fisk's perspective, Miller paints the pathetic picture of a desperate man in love, which almost makes readers believe that Daredevil is in the wrong for trying to stop him. This kind of emotional complexity in a villain is exactly what graphic novel readers want to see.

6: Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment Features a Rare but Interesting Team-Up

Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment follows an uncommon team-up. Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange join forces to free the former's mother from the most diabolic Hell forces. The first step of their quest is to travel to Mephisto's Infernal realm, where their souls will change forever -- including a tear-jerking ending.

Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment is basically a Marvel buddy film plus pumped full of a spooky atmosphere and heavy lore -- especially since Doctor Strange, Doctor Doom, and Mephisto are all lore-heavy characters. Its unique premise makes it stand out from other graphic novels, as well as the masterful way in which it interconnects the three characters' backgrounds.

5: Amazing Spider-Man: Hooky Is Great for All Ages

Amazing Spider-Man: Hooky pits Spider-Man against a monstrous villain, Tordenkakerlakk. This beast, created by Kurudred the Blood Drinker, only gets stronger each time Spidey defeats it. Given this, it slowly and steadily becomes one of his biggest challenges yet.

For Amazing Spider-Man: Hooky, Spider-Man travels to a fantasy realm. This makes Hooky very different from most of Spidey's stories. However, that's exactly what makes it great. It's quirky, it's full of magic, and it's quite unpredictable. Since Spider-Man teams up with Marandi Sjorokker, a 12-year-old sorcerer, this novel is a great option for kids too.

4: Claremont Did a Terrific Job With X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills

X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills follows the fight between Reverend William Stryker, a mutant-hating preacher who killed his own son, and Magneto, who is investigating Stryker's crime. After Stryker kidnaps Professor X to use him as a catalyst for a mutant massacre, Magneto teams up with the X-Men to save him. Since X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills was written in the '80s, amidst the rise of televangelists, this comic delves into some uncomfortable truths.

X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills premise is simple, but it's a great tale about anti-mutant prejudice. Stryker is a terrific villain and the Magneto/X-Men team-up opens the door for any possible plot twist. Claremont understands his X-Men perfectly. Originally an outside-of-canon graphic novel, X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills became canon following 2003's X-2. Since then, it's been a central story for X-Men at least in popular culture.

3: Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business Has Great Pace

One of the most iconic Spider-Man stories ever, Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business sees Spider-Man learn about his own past at the same time as the reader. When he becomes the target of Kingpin's most recent plan, CIA agent Teresa Parker, aka his own sister, will become Peter's most important ally.

Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business stands out from other Spidey graphic novels because it has great cinematographic quality. It basically puts Spidey into a Bond-like mission, which is a change of pace for this character. Regardless, it works perfectly. Gabriel Dell' Otto and Werther Dell'Edera's art is amazing too, as it definitely keeps up with the narrative dynamic vibe.

2: Avengers: Rage of Ultron Explores Serious Topics

Titan falls and Ultron rises by taking control of the whole planet. In order to fix this, Starfox contacts the Avengers. When Starfox seeks the Avengers' help, he finds them in the middle of an ethical conflict due to Hank Pym's use of AI in his experiments.

Ultron as a whole planet -- possessing its inhabitants, even -- puts the Avengers in a true problem due to the scale of the villain. The battle against Planet Ultron makes for a thrilling story. By combining it with the complex discourse of the novel -- fatherhood, artificial intelligence, ethics --, Remender offers one of the best Avengers storylines ever.

1: The Death of Captain Marvel Is Incredibly Emotional

The Death of Captain Marvel follows Captain Marvel's fight against Nitro, a battle in which he gets cancer. The comic features this fight, as well as the aftermath, in which Mar-Vell dies due to this illness, surrounded by all his friends and allies, such as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and the Avengers.

Marvel's first graphic novel ever is also its best work. The Death of Captain Marvel is an emotional ride. It starts as an action-packed romp, allowing Mar-Vell to showcase all his abilities. However, it soon turns into a sad, realistic take on a terrible illness. Captain Marvel's death was such an important milestone, so much so that -- contrary to most heroes in this universe -- Mar-Vell hasn't returned from the death yet.

[im-happy-at-home]

I was lying in bed in the middle of the night, listening to Queen, and thought, “The Millionaire Waltz is better than Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Hear me out, don’t get triggered just yet. 

The Millionaire Waltz’s piano and bass duet opening is so amazing. Fred and Deaks really have great musical chemistry. When we got some of Brian’s guitar in there, it was like adding in something you didn’t know was missing. Then there’s the soft guitar and piano slowly getting louder, the boys harmonies appearing and leading into the rock and roll portion with Brian and Roger’s electric guitar and energetic drums really stealing the show. Then there’s the actual waltz with Brian and Freddie. It’s magical, like time traveling between two eras, the Victorian era and the rock and roll era, which somehow fit together really well. I bet those lords and ladies would have loved the electric guitar, it melds so well with the piano. When Deaky jumps in with the bass to add extra swing and Roger with his cymbals to add more grandeur, the effect is mesmerizing. Again, it’s like listening to two eras at once. Then it slows down and leads up to my favorite part: the harmonies. It’s amazing. The amount of layers of vocals they put in this section is dumbfounding. Every voice and tone is in perfect harmony with each other and the effect is magical. Then it reaches its majestic ending with a resounding bass and cymbal combo. Perfect. A true work of art.

But before you all go:

I decided to give Bohemian Rhapsody a fighting chance, so I listened to it immediately after TMW with an open mind (as if I haven’t heard this song a million times, but eh, I’m not complaining). 

As soon as the acapella part begins, it’s obvious that the band grew incredibly in The Millionaire Waltz in terms of making their harmonies much cleaner. But there’s something more mysterious and edgy in the acapella section of BohRap. Plus with the sudden enter of the piano, it truly feels like the beginning of, well, a rhapsody. An epic poem. Plus, you’re totally taken in by the mesmerizing vocals and more importantly the lyrics. “Anyway the wind blows doesn’t really matter to me.” Then begins Freddie’s piano and his soul pouring lyrics that we still don’t know the true meaning of 40 years later. “Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters.” When the drums came in, I literally got shivers down my spine. I’m NOT kidding. The electric guitar, and the ethereal “Any way the wind blows” in the background give me goosebumps. Freddie’s voice is so raw and vulnerable as he sings, “I sometimes wish I’ve never been born at all!” No matter how many times I’ve heard that line, it never gets old. Here come the Gallileos. Then the Magnificos. The Bismillahs. The Mamma Mias. No song today has ever gotten close to the majesty of this sequence. Then the build up to one of the most iconic guitar and drum numbers of all time. Head banging is a must. Then from the chaos, it slows down, focusing again on Freddie’s vocals and his lyrics. “Nothing really matters to me.”

So there I was, with the legendary rock and roll ballad in one hand and the underrated work of art in the other. Which would reign supreme? Which would be the song to end all songs? 

I decided: both.

Bohemian Rhapsody is definitely a masterpiece. It’s rich, it’s mysterious, it’s soulful, it’s rock and roll, it drags you in. You can hear the technical flaws but, like what Brian May said in an interview once, that’s just the way it is, just like life. So many people can identify and relate to the lyrics and the overall raw feel, sound and emotion of the song. That’s why it’s so timeless.

The Millionaire Waltz, on the other hand, is actual proof of how talented every single member of Queen is, and how far they’ve grown as artists after recording BohRap. While BohRhap is generally labelled as “Freddie’s song,” which it is, The Millionaire Waltz is 100% a QUEEN song. It joyous, it’s astounding, and it showcases what every single member of the band can do. A good example is how we get to hear John show off a little, whereas in BohRhap he takes a backseat and instead compliments the others. It’s a song that perfectly displays what they each can do, and how well they go together.

In conclusion, one is THE song that will remain timeless and in the hearts of those who hear it forever, while the other is a precious gem hidden amongst some of Queen’s best work, waiting to be discovered and appreciated. While this does not settle the argument between which is better, it gave me the closure I needed to realize they don’t need be compared. They can both be loved individually. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Thanks to @skywardblaze @wereallgoingtodie and @graffiti-national-monuments for being interested in this! What do you guys think?

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Prana Crafter

Portland’s Prana Crafter, aka William Sol, works with guitars, synthesizers and singing bowls to create free flowing improvisations rooted in organic sounds.  He’s recorded his kosmische flavored psych rock and acid folk on labels including Beyond Beyond is Beyond, Eiderdown, Deep Water Acres, Reverb Worship, Sunrise Ocean Bender and Cardinal Fuzz Records.  Jennifer Kelly reviewed his latest, a split with Tarotplane, approving, “a feedback blistered, electric attack that is nonetheless somewhat pastoral, like Neil Young through a thick filter of codeine.” Check out a Listed from Prana Crafter’s partner-in-psych, Tarotplane, here.  

Ash Ra Tempel—Live at Cologne/Köln (1973)

When I first heard Göttsching I felt like I had finally heard someone as engaging and creative as Garcia and Hendrix, and I still feel that way about him and he’s a continual source of inspiration for me. Ash Ra Tempel is something that I listen to consistently and part of what brought Tarotplane (PJ) and I together. PJ is a true encyclopedia of knowledge about European psychedelic music, and when he read that there was some guy out in the PNW being written about with descriptions including references to bands like Ash Ra Tempel and Popol Vuh, so he had no choice but to check out some music and see how far off the mark these writers were, but luckily he liked what he heard and reached out to talk to me about AR & Machines! A bit later he turned me onto this live Ash Ra Tempel set from ’73 which I hadn’t heard and it blew me away. What I attempted to do with my side of Symbiose was to follow the path that Manuel laid out all those decades ago and do some really exploratory guitar work in an improvised fashion, across a broad canvas in terms of time-scale. A nice bit of trivia is that my side of Symbiose features a killer delay pedal that PJ sent me from to help me in my explorations of what I could do within the medium of solo guitar based music.

Terry Riley—Shri Camel (1977), Holland Festival

Terry Riley is up near the top of my list of artists I listen to on a regular basis, the flow of his creative stream resonates really deeply with me when I am in a contemplative or creative mind-set. I do a lot of writing and reading and his music I find to be like cognitive-creative nectar. This particular clip is really a classic and something that I come back to often to watch and be absorbed within, it’s a blessing this was recorded and that all these years later we can enjoy watching the birth of something so beautiful and truly innovative.

Don Cherry—“Chenrezig”

I didn’t learn about Don Cherry until a few years ago when I heard his duo work with Terry Riley. I knew right away I had been missing out and quickly rectified the situation by delving into as much as I could find, and I’m so glad I did. There is something so special about his phrasing, so alive and brimming with mojo, I’m pretty sure I could pick a Cherry riff out of a line-up with cotton balls in both ears.

The Grateful Dead—Jam 5/19/74, Portland Memorial Coliseum

I make no qualms about my love for Jerry Garcia and obsession with the Dead sound and energy between the late 60s and early 70s. This jam, released as part of the PNW box-set last year is fantastic in that it comes at the end of my favorite era, so it has shades of early-Dead, and foreshadows future trajectories, it’s funky and smooth, but still sharp and glistening with that psychedelic afterglow of the early 60s.

Garcia & Wales—“Space Funk”

Although it seems very odd due to his godlike status among many, I actually think Jerry Garcia is underrated in the sense that many people just see him as either a ‘rock’ guitarist, or a psychedelic icon, but if you dig into his acoustic and jazz work, you really hear what a humble master he was. Probably nothing in my collection gets more play than Garcia & Wales Side Trips Vol. I and Hooteroll!, what can I say, it’s just absolutely phenomenal stuff. There is a live recording floating out there which is really great, but besides that it’s hard to find anything else featuring these two masters together. From what I understand, Wales still lives and performs occasionally around Marin County.

Bill Frisell & James McNew—“Dark star -> comes a time 10/05/2014,” Seattle, WA

Of all modern jazz guitar players, I’m really drawn to Frisell, Ribot, Conners, and Scofield, and have been listening to Frisell for a long time. So when a friend named Joel Berk (Joel released a great track on Hypnic Jerk tapes under the moniker Ragenap) turned me onto this live recording of Frisell and James McNew doing a very loose but dynamic dark star -> comes a time in my neck of the woods, my ears were drooling. I love having friends with impeccable musical taste because they facilitate this constant process of being surprised and delighted by sonic treasures.

Medeski, Martin, & Wood—“Shack Man”

I first heard MM&W when I was going to the Evergreen State College here in Washington, this was almost 20 years ago now and some of the jam-band type things that are still around now were really in their prime and a lot of people at the school were from that scene, but also loved things like Zappa, and MM&W, and that’s where I first heard this type of modern improvisational jazz. It was cool for me because for part of my childhood my mom was married to a guy who played in a jazz quintet and they practiced at our house, so seeing and hearing MM&W was like going back in time and feeling that group improv vibe again, but this time oozing out of psychedelic beatnik seeming guys instead of the more uptight orchestra crowd.

Donovan—“Jersey Thursday”

I listen to a lot of acoustic based folk music from the 60s and 70s and Donovan has been a favorite since I was a kid and my dad would play ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’ on his old 1950s Martin guitar. He told me that when he was younger and a friend would be having a bad trip, they would put Donovan on, medicinally, to mellow the person out, I’m guessing it wasn’t ‘Season of the Witch’, I imagine it to be something more like this absolute gem ‘Jersey Thursdays’ or maybe ‘Wear your love like heaven’, and definitely ‘first there is a mountain…’

Friends of Dean Martinez—“All in the Golden Afternoon”

Of modern psychedelic bands, Friends of Dean Martinez are one of my favorites, I really enjoy the spaced out pedal steel and really ominous tone of the whole band as they meld together and create a truly cinematic sound that I’m surprised hasn’t inspired more copy-cat acts across the country over the past couple decades. This particular track is my favorite of their material and I think it probably always will be.

Sandy Bull—“Electric Blend (E Pluribus Unum)”

Sandy Bull is someone I really admire in terms of his approach to improvisation and the really primitive vibe he conjures, even when playing an electric guitar. Terrence McKenna used to talk about a ‘primitive revival’ in which people would be drawn back to a stronger connection with the natural world and a primitive way of relating to life, and when I hear Sandy Bull I feel like I’m listening to something timeless, as if I could be hearing the same thing 1,000 years ago on a remote mountainside, a mustached Sandy Bull sitting in the doorway of his hut, snaking his way around the strings of a homemade Oud, grinning that cosmic smile. This was the B-side of his classic album E Pluribus Unum from Vanguard and I’d be remiss here not to mention my love for John Fahey as well, and although I’ve never had the honor of releasing on Vanguard myself, one of the nicest things a writer has written about my music was Dave Thompson from Goldmine Magazine who wrote this about my first CD release on Deep Water Acres: “if you want to play a really good trick on your snobbiest friends, slap an old Elektra or Vanguard label on the CD and make them guess who it is.”

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Tel Aviv 2019: Straight outta Slovenia to Eurovision with a dreamy couple

Oh boi, now here comes another NF I wasn’t interested in. I don’t hate EMA as a thing, it’s just that it’s infamous for not listening to what people want most of the time, often axing their faves (BQL, Raiven, Nika Zorjan, even going as far back as Saša Lendero and Nina Pušlar...). This year it seemed like Raiven finally had what it takes with her post-dubstep-era dubstep tune, “Kaos”. BUT did she go? Oh nope

Instead we got possibly the best thing that ever happened to Slovenia. That thing is this one entry sung by a cute crossover of Lorde and that trombone fetus thing from Courage the Cowardly Dog (well, at least she looks better than him, hence why ‘cute���), Zala Kralj, and she has her 2-year-long partner Gašper Šantl by her side too, to make up the musical part for the couple’s Eurovision 2019 entry for Slovenia, “Sebi”.

Let’s start reviewing this by complimenting its atmosphere. It’s cosmic. It’s pure. It’s pleasant. I feel like I’m floating among the stars... in the same way as if someone is projecting a star backdrop on a wall and I’m just against the projection, dancing silly. I feel like I’m covered in stardust. This is achieved by the composition of the song, which is very melodic, although a bit background-music-like. It incorporates a lot of those softened hi-hats, soaring synth waves and harmonious additional backing vocals (I think I heard those? whatever that was that adds more depth and gorgeousness to the song...). The lyrics are also cute, the poetry here is pretty fascinating, and I love the hints of intimacy and nature. The chorus reminds me that you have to stay true to what you are and who you stand for, and you don’t need to apologize for being different. Something along the lines of this. And Zala sounds like a person that could do a vocal ASMR therapy - and I imagine that as something that gives tingles to my neck everytime I hear it. You just need to strip the melody away and let me listen to more of those silent, soft-spoken, eerie whispers, and usually I feel creeped out and want it to stop, but at the same time it’s seducing and oddly enough I want some more.

This song has its faults though - it’s supposedly the song being repetitive (look at that chorus’ lyrics, just repeating 3 lines during it doesn’t really suffice, especially with the song being composed like THAT), Zala’s vocals being so hauntingly chill they even sound too calming or too monotonous, and this song is a simple electronic track with it just flowing all so well? Like, it’s something you’d find more on an unknown project’s Bandcamp page and that project usually has 1500 views or so on their videos. It’s a soothing ocean, it’s a galaxy, but sometimes the silence overwhelms you too much you just want to fucking scream... or fall asleep and miss the beauty of it all.

So as a whole it’s a stellar ride through galaxies and supernovas: the song. Great production, slight lo-fi vibe (idk how to explain it but everything here feels so... hmm... soft tune and quiet vocals make it to be something of the more indie-er side of a lower-cost production I suppose?) and sparks of pure bliss raining down on me whenever I remember or hear it. Truly, truly some indie goodness.

The most interesting part? The guys seem too overwhelmed about their Eurovision experience! Sure, Eurovision doesn’t require a too-laidback approach from the participants, but there always are Eurovision non-enthusiasts (seriously, don’t yell at Eurovision participants on Youtube comments when they fail to recognize a language of a song’s from a previous year! Just because they didn’t hear it and/or forgot the language, doesn’t mean they need to be put at stake), or those who just didn’t expect to win their NFs and then are like “shit um now I need to do something about that Eurovision thing I guess”. Salvador never really watched it before, AWS didn’t really hope to participate in Eurovision at the early stages of their NF, now we don’t really hear much Eurovision news and shit from these two Slovenians... well except of them releasing a shortened version of their song so it could comply to Eurovision’s lenght rules (giving it an apt sub title - “Dare to Dream Version”), declaring that one line of the song’s will be sung in English so that everyone not speaking in Slovenian could understand it better (just like Lea sang the end of “Hvala, ne!” in Portuguese because... well we all understand either of them, do we? lol) and that their staging will be similar to the one they had in EMA, and that their stage clothes won’t be the same but of a similar light color. They do have Eurovision in mind, but not quite as much as some other participants, and that’s perfectly fine. As long as they do their job right, that matters.

Approval factor: I may let you in on a little secret here - this is, in fact, my absolute favourite Slovenian entry this decade, if not overall. I have a hard time approving Slovenian entries because they end up lacking something at the end. This one... kinda fits in well with me, so Zala and Gašper did enough of THAT to warrant a big fat thumbs up for me.

Follow-up factor: Wasn't a big fan of Lea's song, BUT I can confirm that she started something good for Slovenia in Eurovision, especially after qualifying. And the couple certainly continued it, so it moves on well! ^^

Qualification factor: Now that's an interesting question... I might be wrong but a part of me fears for them to become the fan favourite duo/couple with a really pretty song that doesn’t qualify, like it already happened to Norma John and ZiBBZ before. They even have been drawn to semifinal 1, ffs. But maybe there’s still a spark of hope somewhere for the two, and I’d be inclined to believe that there is. I don’t wanna see sLOVEnia flop on the year I like their song, ffs. So I’m seeing a borderline result for thee, you the nation of usually fairly-underrated songs. Maybe this cosmic sea beauty will be in them finals.

NATIONAL FINAL BONUS

So, EMA 2019, eh? I guess that was a thing that happened. I at least admire the fact that they used dancing robots for their “not-so-postcards-but-postcards” that played before each performance (I mean, you’d get camera shots of the stage being set up for the act to perform next with their info graphic in the NF’s LED background and next to it there was a re-creation of The Creation of Adam with the other hand being one of a robot’s <3, then cut to EMA’s visual design of the year and the dancing robot person, another shot to the performing act, and then lights out). They had a good time there. And there was a duet singing Salvador Sobral’s ESC winning song, one of them performed by a person who had to be Salvador for a TV show. Ah, fun. I wasn’t all in up for the she-bang (instead I watched A Dal Semi 2 and Supernoval final on that night), but I got some other goodies that I noticed that people noticed before me, for y’all to reminisce. Here are some moments and some songs that lost to this lovely pair:

• So what’s the deal with Raiven, anyway? She’s on the show for her third time, and has already firmly grasped onto the iconic NF partaker’s status, together with.. well... other NF 3-timers (that are mostly from Sweden). This time she went all her way out to prove y’all that “dubstep’s not dead in 2019!!!1″ with her song, “Cows” “Kaos”, and a rather interesting effect show taking place on her face. I don’t know why but Raiven’s and Aly Ryan’s from Germany stagings remind me of each other, maybe because of them being so interesting? Anyway, like as usually, this multicolored songstress failed to grasp the victory of her country’s national final, and honestly, good for that to happen because in my irrelevant opinion, the dubstep in “Kaos” is ridiculously unnecessary and it doesn’t make the song flow very well. Just rework the chorus to make it more suited to the song and maybe it could have worked, as the last 30 seconds and the verses actually rock! I love me some songs that make me feel like I’m listening to sunset transcribed to actual melodies and sounds.

• The 2015 entrant couple, Raay and Marjetka, are incredibly restless for some reason, and it’s that because they have co-written quite a few songs over the past few years even since their eventual victory as themselves in 2015. Maybe they’re the Slovenian Stig Rästa, probably as in “we loved the Eurovision green room experience so we always want some more!” kind of way. This year they did 2 songs: an electro-swing inspired number about Fridays and “spending some quality time with one’s girls” for the Slovene JESC debutee Ula Ložar and a radio-pop-esque track for a lady named Kim (not Verson). The one that I gravitated towards more will have its video down below and it is probably obvious a bit now. And if it was my will, I’d’ve replaced Raiven with the below lady in the superfinal because... frankly, yet again, I’ll restate that imo it wasn’t Raiven’s year even without the eventual winners having participated...

• For a country of whose NF’s I didn’t seem to care about, they indeed had quite a few nice numbers. I already shed my thoughts on 2 of them, now here’s another one. Somehow, most countries out there shied away from having rock songs (well except Hungary because I don’t really see any other NF with more than 3 of those clearly audible rock/metal tracks, maybe has to do with the fact they already sent one last year), and as a result, none of the actually submitted ones won because things didn’t really go well with even the slightest rock-sounding songs last year (except one of them almost got into top 10). So one of the rock gems we happened to lose came from Slovenia. INMATE brought the 00s American alt-rock sound that was popular with uncomfortable teens that acted outrageous with their song “Atma” (which somehow means “soul”??). And man they were banging.

• There’s not much I want to say about the rest of the NF’s gems that you missed. Well, there was one song about horses that is considerably well-received by the fandom, perhaps because of the slow and relaxing ballad sound that surrounds it (but they don’t know the lyrics enough to start hating it). And a song co-written by last year’s Svenskfloppen winner that, as he was destined to, flopped in Melodifestivalen as well. And a decent club track that was actually one of my other favourites, together with “Atma”. And some 00s teen sitcom theme song performed by a completely-careless-about-their-image-band (they call themselves Lumberjack but they dress nothing like ‘em, I assure you) with chill-surfer-attitude-bearing, long-haired lead singer. They brought in a nice vibe at least with their color-splashing LED images and slightly energetic performance. And like I said about how the lead singer looked... well just look at him and try to not see him as a troublemaker teen archetype from a high school rom com or at least irl that can’t score a date:

Damn, Manel Navarro really let himself go.

• Lea Sirk, besides performing the ESC winning song from two years ago in a duet with someone, and obviously re-appearing to be a honourable guest after having won EMA last year after like 4-5 tries, also served her part as a jury member. Y’know, one of those people that maybe visibly or not visibly tried to push Raiven to her eventual EMA win after her 3 tries so that she wouldn’t become an annoying NF hogger for years on end. Well that didn’t happen because the televoters went for the Zalšper couple! You gotta love it when the teleaudience picks that song for Eurovision that is performed by those that didn’t specifically submit it because they wanted Eurovision, right? Well apparently, Lea took the loss of Raiven as a small stab to her heart and was heard complaining about the unexpected outcome (simply not being able to believe Raiven lost), out loud, to the viewing audiences at home and in front of computer screens. Yep, THAT happened... And I couldn’t be bothered to find a clip of it anymore, so instead I’ll post some pictures of a visibly shook Lea with her new hairdye on fleek (I guess that was to reflect Raiven’s love for hair dye?):

noooo why do I have to give a trophy to those whom I did not support to win... well fine I will

With all that out of the way, I just really hope for this lovey-dovey duo all the best possible with having to carry the responsibility of representing a country in a very big European music competition on their shoulders. They aren’t seemingly stressed out themselves from the looks of it (if they were in a Brantsteele’s Hunger Games simulation, they’d be those people who’d pick flowers all the time), but you know what happens when you’re given such a big honour but you let what the honour stands for down, upsetting the others who look up to the honour somehow. Terrible, terrible things. Hope the haters don’t grind these two down if anything happens. Srečno!

[joeygoeshollywood]

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. 

[aion-rsa]

Best Movies Coming to Netflix in August 2021

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As quickly as the summer movie season of 2021 seemed to come upon us, it’s already about to begin its long, languid slide through the dog days of August into fall. That’s not to say that theaters won’t still have plenty of interesting fare to encounter, with films like The Suicide Squad, Free Guy, Respect, Candyman and The Night House all on deck. Hopefully the other hideous sequel happening at the moment — Pandemic 2: The Delta Variant — won’t set any of these potential hits back.

In the spirit of keeping August entertaining, Netflix is rolling out a slew of new streaming additions as well, including an underrated Spielberg gem, fantastic teen comedies both old and new, a couple of stoner classics and perhaps the finest film from the canon of one of the modern era’s most revered directors. We’ve rounded up our recommendations below, and hope you stay cool and healthy whatever you’re watching!

Universal

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Beethoven (1992)

August 1

Hollywood in the 1990s was a glorious and furry era when studio executives never met a family movie that couldn’t be improved with the addition of at least one animal character. Beethoven is one of the most successful examples of this winning formula. Directed by Brian Levant from a script co-written by John Hughes himself (alongside Mystic Pizza co-writer Amy Holden Jones), Beethoven is basically the story of how a husband and father, Charles Grodin’s George Newton, feels threatened by the attention his family gives their new dog, a St. Bernard named Beethoven.

George eventually works through some of his issues and accepts the charming Beethoven into the family, a process that comes to a head when Beethoven is dog-napped into an animal experiment scheme run by evil veterinarian Dr. Herman Varnick. (Honestly, the plot isn’t dissimilar to the story in cinematic masterpiece Paddington.) The deep supporting cast includes Bonnie Hunt, David Duchovny, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Oliver Platt, Stanley Tucci, and Everybody Loves Raymond‘s Patricia Heaton. The film’s sequel, Beethoven Second, will also be available on Netflix starting on August 1st.

Dreamworks

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

August 1

As one of Steven Spielberg’s most charming and laid-back efforts, Catch Me If You Can is a breezy and star-studded entertainment. The story is loosely based on the real grifts of conman Frank Abagnale Jr., who beginning as a teenager was able to pass himself off as a pilot, lawyer, doctor, and many other things. But really, this is a cat-and-mouse chase movie between a still baby-faced Leonardo DiCaprio as Abagnale and Tom Hanks as the FBI stiff who hunted him down. It’s all good stuff, with the movie enjoying a light touch and fresh take on Spielberg’s favorite subject matter: fathers and sons.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

August 1

A shockingly entertaining B-movie about a bunch of genetically engineered super-sharks which break out and take over a testing facility, this is horror silliness at its best with great turns from Samuel L Jackson, Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows and LL Cool J. Partially shot on sets built around the same water tanks used for Titanic, with animatronic and CGI sharks, Deep Blue Sea is action-packed, schlocky fun from director Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger).  

STX Entertainment

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

August 1

A bit like Lady Bird before there was a Lady Bird, Kelly Fremon Craig’s Edge of Seventeen is an underrated gem that stars a teenage Hailee Steinfeld as a young woman stumbling through an especially awkward time in her life. Steinfeld is terrific in her best performance since True Grit, playing Nadine as a bundle of insecurities, yet still nobody’s victim. Also of special value is Craig’s hilarious and authentic script, which captures the specificity of growing up in the social media age while being near-universal in its accessibility and empathy for a wide ensemble which also includes Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, and Woody Harrelson.

Paramount

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

August 1

Just in time for the dog days of summer comes one of the best summer movies ever. Relying on charm and sharp characterization instead of special effects for its spectacle, John Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a truly great teen comedy that follows the easygoing bon vivant (or secret sociopath?) of a high school’s senior class when he decides to take the day off in the best fashion: by faking he’s sick and then guilting his BFF into giving him the keys to his dad’s Ferrari.

Read more

TV

Should Netflix’s Pokémon Live-Action Series Explore the Franchise’s Dark Side?

By Matthew Byrd

TV

Never Have I Ever Season 2 Review: This Netflix Teen Comedy Deserves to Run and Run

By Louisa Mellor

It’s silly yet curiously honest stuff about the pressures of young adult life, at least in 1980s suburban America, and a beguiling showcase for an ensemble that includes Matthew Broderick in his coolest role, as well as Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Grey, and a seriously stoned Charlie Sheen. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re due.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Inception (2010)

August 1 Still Christopher Nolan’s most complete and satisfying film to date (yes, even more so than The Dark Knight), Inception is a cerebral sci-fi set of stacking dolls combined with a rollicking James Bond adventure that all happens to be mostly situated inside one guy’s head. Leonardo DiCaprio leads a team of professional thieves who steal things from people’s minds — only this time they’re hired to implant an idea, even if they have to dive deep into the mark’s subconscious to do it.

Mind-bending imagery and several jaw-dropping action sequences are wrapped around a surprisingly emotional core, with only the usual unwieldy exposition there to remind you that there are some things Nolan may never get right.

Lionsgate

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

August 1 Based on a novel by crime writer Michael Connelly, this gripping, suspenseful 2011 drama arguably kicked off “the McConaissance,” a shift from rom-coms to more serious roles by Matthew McConaughey that launched a new, largely acclaimed phase of his career.

McConaughey is formidable as attorney Mickey Haller, a slick lawyer who works out of his Lincoln Town Car and undergoes a crisis of conscience as his new case starts to feel disturbingly like an old one. In addition to McConaughey stepping up his game, this Brad Furman-directed thriller is the kind of character-driven, literate melodrama we don’t see much on the big screen anymore — although we see plenty of them these days on, of course, Netflix.

Paramount Classics

The Machinist (2004)

August 1 Director Brad Anderson followed up his cult classic 2001 horror effort Session 9 with this surreal, Kafka-esque psychological thriller. Christian Bale plays Trevor Reznik, whose inability to sleep leads him to cause an accident at his industrial job that costs a co-worker (Michael Ironside) his arm. Already physically and mentally deteriorating, Reznik begins an even deeper descent as he tries to unravel what’s happening to him and why. Bale is intense and viscerally shocking as the emaciated Reznik, with his riveting performance anchoring an atmospheric, visually striking film that is sometimes an exercise in style over substance.

New Line Cinema

Magnolia (1999)

August 1

Boogie Nights pushed director Paul Thomas Anderson into the spotlight, but it was his massive, sprawling jigsaw puzzle Magnolia that made him into a superstar filmmaker. Following multiple narratives and numerous characters all finally brought together by a climactic storm of frogs, this is high art packed with standout moments.

Read more

Movies

Top Gun: Maverick Footage Shows Tom Cruise in Real Jet Behind the Scenes

By David Crow

Movies

Best Modern Horror Movies

By Don Kaye

Tom Cruise is electric as a toxic motivation speaker, Julianne Moore is brittle and tragic as a trophy wife who has grown to love her dying husband, while the burgeoning relationship between Melora Walters’ addict and John C. Reilly’s cop added sweetness and hope to a tale of messed up people and damaged families. Epic.

Sony PIctures

Pineapple Express (2008)

August 1 After its trailer introduced everyone to M.I.A.’s amazing “Paper Planes,” Pineapple Express’s work was already done. It didn’t even have to produce a satisfyingly funny movie on top of that. Thankfully the filmmaking team of Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and David Gordon Green decided to give us one anyway, because Pineapple Express is the ideal of the little-seen-or-attempted stoner action comedy.

Rogen stars as process server and marijuana enthusiast Dale Denton, while James Franco portrays his annoying drug dealer Saul Silver. When the pair witness a murder, they are forced to flee hitmen, a pair of corrupt cops, and worst of all, Danny McBride. The Rogen/Goldberg comedy catalog has very few misses and this one is particularly excellent.

Universal Pictures

Seabiscuit (2003)

August 1

No one would ever accuse Gary Ross’ Seabiscuit of being subtle. With its voice-of-god narration by Ken Burns fave David McCoullough, which helpfully spells out the themes of the movie every few scenes, and its achingly sentimental score and dialogue, Seabiscuit is a Cinderella story which all but asserts its titular race horse ended the Great Depression. Yet Ross captures some of the simple American grandeur of Laura Hillenbrand’s non-fiction source material book, as well as the beauty of this true story where a horse that everyone counted out as worthless was nursed by three men into becoming one of the greatest racing animals of all-time.

It’s the type of feel-good yarn that won people over in the 1930s and which is still winning now. When coupled with a handful of strong performances, including from Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, Tobey Maguire, and a seriously underrated Elizabeth Banks, you have a crowd-pleaser that actually pleases.

Paramount Pictures

Team America: World Police (2004)

August 1 Roger Ebert’s one-star review of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s Team America: World Police sums up the film’s nonsensical political stance nicely. “I wasn’t offended by the movie’s content so much as by its nihilism,” the great film critic wrote.

Rog was right to criticize Team America’s incomprehensible worldview. Nearly 20 years later, its seeming position that Alec Baldwin and Kim Jong-Il are equally bad hasn’t aged that well (despite Mr. Baldwin’s best efforts). But it’s hard to argue that the South Park creators’ nihilism doesn’t lead to some great comedy. The novelty of Thunderbirds-style puppets saving the world amid graphic sex acts and voluminous barfing never quite wears off.

The post Best Movies Coming to Netflix in August 2021 appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

The Top 100 Movies of the 1980s

Ah, the 80s. In terms of art, they were a time of boundless creativity, where it seemed like artists would put any crazy idea out there just to see what stuck. As a result, we got lots of crap... but we also got a whole lot of awesome, memorable, and iconic movies.

This was the decade where fantasy really got big, with unique fantasy films coming out all the time. Sci-fi and horror as well had a good decade, with the latter genre churning out all manner of quirky slasher films in which supernatural madmen killed. Stephen King movies had a good run as well, kicking off the decade with The Shining and getting some other good to great movies along the way. Animation produced a lot of quirky, niche films that only later found the devoted audiences they deserved, but it also put out the film that would launch an animated Renaissance in the next decade. And of course, the 80s truly belonged to one man: Arnold Schwarzenegger, who put out everything from action classics to hilarious comedies to cult classic films.

But that’s enough history; let’s get right on in to the list:

100. Heavy Metal

1981

Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, titties, sex, and awesome music all come together in this fascinating cult classic that loosely strings together a bunch of vignettes that exist solely to show off badass, mindlessly awesome sci-fi and fantasy adventures. It’s one of the most awesome and underrated animated films ever made for sure.

99. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banazai Across the 8th Dimension

1984

One of the strangest films ever, this one is especially notable for having a surprisingly star-studded cast which includes Peter Wellers, Christopher Lloyd, John Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum, and Clancy Brown. It’s a pretty fun sci-fi story too, that asks the REAL questions, like… what’s that watermelon over there for?

98. The Toxic Avenger

1984

Did Troma realize what they were unleashing upon the world when they made this? This epic, trashy revenge film about a janitor dipped in toxic waste due to a mean prank cleaning up crime in his shithole of a town is as awesomely ridiculous as the title implies.

97. The Living Daylights

1987

And they say there were no good Bond films in the 80s! Timothy Dalton’s first outing is rather excellent, and features an awesome scene in which the villain Necros disguised as a milkman lays waste to a house. License to Kill was great too, but this one just has a bit of an edge, mostly thanks to a-Ha’s awesome theme song.

96. The Great Mouse Detective

1986

Disney released a Sherlock Holmes-esque film with mice, and it is perhaps one of their most underrated classics. Aside from the excellent Holmesian mystery story, you have an incredibly risque song number from a stripper mouse and Vincent Price devouring the scenery as an incredibly hammy villain. What’s not to love here?

95. The Dark Crystal

1982

One of the boldest, most daring fantasy films of the 80s, this is some of Jim Henson’s finest work, no doubt. The story may be cliché, but the excellent worldbuilding, puppets, and overall design of everything more than makes up for the flaws.

94. The Return of the Living Dead

1985

Horror and comedy come together in this homage to Romero’s zombie films. Not only does this movie feature the iconic zombie Tarman, it is also responsible for popularizing zombies craving brains in pop culture. Zombie cinema owes this movie quite a debt of gratitude.

93. Fatal Attraction

1987

Some parts of this movie have not aged particularly well, particularly that slasher film-esque ending… the rest of it though? Still excellent, gripping, and dark. Alex Forrest is a disturbing villain for the ages, a woman scorned who takes her vengeance much, MUCH too far.

92. They Live!

1988

This film is a brilliant satire of Reagonomics featuring one of the greatest fistfight brawls in cinematic history, and yet it will always be known best for that one, single line: “I am here to chew bubblegum and kick ass… and I’m all out of bubblegum.” And you know what? That’s ok.

91. The Lost Boys

1987

80s vampire movies don’t get much better than this one, one of the rare well-received films by Joel Schumacher. It has the style, the fashion, the Coreys! It’s the peak of 80s vampirism for sure.

90. Mystics in Bali

1981

This film is incredibly, insanely awesome, a complete and utter mindfuck. It’s basically what happens if you made a kung-fu movie except you replaced the kung-fu with witches and vampiric flying heads whose entrails dangle out their neck hole. This is one of the most batshit movies ever made, and deserves more respect.

89. Dirty Dancing

1987

I’d be remiss to not mention Baby and how no one should put her in a corner, but this movie has more going for it than just that, like an excellent soundtrack and an incredibly dreamy Patrick Swayze. Sure it’s a bit cheesy, but it really just adds to the charm of the film.

88. Twins

1988

Whoever would have guessed that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito would have such excellent onscreen comedic chemistry? More importantly, who could have ever guessed that they could convincingly and endearingly play twins?! Arnold and Danny made quite a few films together, but this one is definitely the best of the bunch, and easily one of Arnold’s best comedy outings.

87. The Adventures of Mark Twain

1985

This is a pretty dark story for a family film, what with it essentially being a man’s journey to commit suicide (that man being Mark Twain). Interspersed with vignette adaptations of his stories, including a scene based off of The Mysterious Stranger that is easily one of the most unsettling sequences of animation ever created, this is an underrated masterpiece.

86. Commando

1985

Somehow, some way, they managed to make an action movie that distilled everything amazing about Arnold Schwarzenegger action films together into one movie. It has one-liners, it has brutal kills, it has Arnold singlehandedly slaughtering his way through armies of goons, it has dozens of lines you can quote… this is a love letter to Arnold movies, starring the man himself.

85. The Last Dragon

1985

Blaxploitation and kung-fu go together like peanut butter and jelly; throw in some weird hokey mysticism and a gargantuan portion of cheese, and you have a cult classic on your hands. Throw in a villain as awesome and memorable as Sho’Nuff, and you have a gem for the ages.

84. UHF

1989

Weird Al only ever starred in one movie, but boy did he make that one movie count. This film is an excellent showcase of his odd, wacky sense of humor, and even then it still has a solid story to carry the jokes along.

83. Creepshow

1982

Horror legends Stephen King and George Romero teamed up with special effects wiz Tom Savini and paid tribute to old school horror comics of the 50s with this masterful string of short stories. Standouts include Something to Tide You Over featuring a shockingly terrifying turn by Leslie Neilsen, The Lonesome Death of Jody Verrill which has Stephen King himself in the titular role, and best of all The Crate, which is about the titular object… or, well, what’s inside it. All this adds together to make the best horror anthology film ever made.

82. Killer Klowns from Outer Space

1988

Step aside, Pennywise! Here comes a whole gang of man-eating clowns from the stars! In an homage to B-grade monster movies of the past, particularly The Blob, at that! Keeping the spirit of the old-school monster movie alive is an easy way to win me over, and doing it with tongue firmly in cheek? Well, that’s just icing on the cake!

81. Bad Taste

1987

Peter Jackson’s early work all truly lives up to the title of this film, but this one takes the cake, or perhaps the barfed-up bowl of goo. With all the gore and nastiness, this is one of the trashiest, most awesome sci-fi films ever inflicted upon this Earth.

80. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

1988

Terry Gilliam’s charming flight of fancy is just as creative as his other 80s works, and honestly? It’s probably my personal favorite. Where else can you see an uncredited Robin Williams as king of the moon, or a young Uma Thurman as Aphrodite herself? Or the Grim Reaper in what might be its most horrifying cinematic interpretation ever?

79. The Land Before Time

1988

You wouldn’t think a film about dinosaur children journeying across the land could be so dark and gripping, but, well, here we are. This is one of the strangest coming-of-age films ever made… and also one of the best.

78. The Running Man

1987

Yet another Arnold classic, this one actually tackles some deeper themes beneath the cheesy 80s action, such as the glorification of violence in media and how the media loves to distort and twist the truth. This was years before reality TV mind you, and yet it was disturbingly accurate. And they say Arnold’s movies can’t be deep!

77. Clue

1985

Anyone who tells you “X is a stupid idea for a movie, it could never work!” is a fucking idiot, because in 1985 they managed to make an excellent screwball comedic mystery out of a popular board game… and it was magnificent! Getting folks like Madeline Kahn, Tim Curry, and Christopher Lloyd involved definitely helped.

76. Lethal Weapon

1987

I think it’s safe to say nearly every buddy cop movie after this one took a page from its book. This is a hugely influential movie, and thankfully it’s really damn good even looking back, giving us one of Mel Gibson’s best performances ever.

75. Christine

1983

What can I say? I love movies about killer cars. John Carpenter did a really good job at making the titular car as badass and menacing as possible, and it stands tall as one of the best films based off of Stephen King’s work.

74. The Brave Little Toaster

1987

Long before Toy Story 3, there was this film, which has a very similar plot, right down to the ending (which is no surprise as many people who worked on this went on to Pixar). With a charming and likable cast and several scenes that range from amusingly strange to nightmarishly memorable, this is one hell of a family film.

73. The Dead Zone

1983

Christopher Walken stars in this supernatural thriller based on a work by Stephen King, proving the 80s were probably one of the best times to be a Stephen King adaptation, because damn this is one hell of a film. Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen turn in fantastic performances in this one, highlights of their careers even.

72. The Untouchables

1987

While it is a somewhat fictionalized and dramatized account, there is no denying Brian De Palma managed to make the tale of Al Capone’s takedown as stylish and cool as you’d hope the story of the legendary gangster’s defeat would be.

71. The Killer

1989

This is without a doubt one of the finest films John Woo ever made. The action is incredible, the story is incredible, and it all culminates in a shootout at (where else?) a church. This is pure, classic, undiluted Woo right here.

70. Beetlejuice

1988

Michael Keaton portrays the ghost with the most, the titular spirit, with so much personality that it makes it nearly impossible to hate this film. It does help the other main characters have a lot of heart and charm to counteract his hilariously douchey antics, though.

69. Re-Animator

1985

Sci-fi and zombies collide in this H. P. Lovecraft adaptation. Jeffery Combs really makes the movie with his stellar performance as Herbert West. This is also probably the only movie where you can see a severed head try and perform cunnilingus on a young woman, so there’s that too.

68. The Name of the Rose

1986

What a strange concept: a detective story, except with a friar doing the investigating in an abbey in the Middle Ages. And yet, it somehow works really well, not in the least bit due to Sean Connery’s excellent performance.

67. Pumpkinhead

1988

One of the best overlooked horror films of the 80s, this is a rather unique demonic horror film. Lance Henriksen turns in a wonderful performance, but the real star here is special effects legend Stan Winston’s awesome creation, the titular monster. This is one hell of a directorial debut, I gotta say.

66. Caddyshack

1980

This is easily one of the best sports films and one of the funniest comedies ever made. Comedy legends like Chevy Chase and Bill Murray turn in excellent and hilarious performances, but as I’m sure you know it’s Rodney Dangerfield who’s busting everyone’s guts with his antics.

65. An American Werewolf in London

1981

This movie is pretty good as a horror film with comedic elements, but there’s no doubt it is most notable for the incredible special effects work from Rick Baker. And if that doesn’t tell you enough about this movie’s quality, Michael Jackson specifically sought out director John Landis and Baker to help him make the music video for “Thriller” solely because of this film.

64. Blow Out

1981

John Travolta stars in this fascinating thriller about a movie sound recordist who accidentally picks up proof that a supposed accident is murder while recording sounds. Dark, gritty, and as thrilling as a good thriller should be, this is one of Travolta’s and director Brian De Palma’s best films, hands down.

63. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

1986

Damn, how is this perennial classic about the ultimate lovable slacker so low? Well, mostly because I kinda find Ferris to be a manipulative douchebag who manages to get away with everything by taking advantage of the good graces of others. But do my feelings toward the titular character change the fact this is a charming work of 80s genius? Nope!

62. The NeverEnding Story

1984

The 80s were a wonderful time for unique and creative fantasy films, and not many were as creative as this one, which has impressive puppet work, incredible designs for the sets and strange beings that populated the world, and a somewhat cheesy but charming and exciting story populated with likable characters.

61. Big

1988

This is a movie that just oozes charm. Part of it is due to it being one of the most lowkey fantasy films of the 80s; the other part comes with it being a unique take on the coming-of-age story. But let’s be honest: most of it comes from the living embodiment of charm himself, Tom Hanks.

60. Return to Oz

1985

This movie has a lot going against it, seeing as it’s something of a sequel to a beloved classic. But instead of going for the colorful and cheerful route of the original (with moments of darkness) this movie goes in the opposite route, with moments of cheerful quirkiness surrounded by some truly unnerving and dark content, such as a witch who steals people’s heads. In all honesty, this makes the film, in a lot of ways, better than The Wizard of Oz.

59. Stand By Me

1986

Many see this as one of the greatest coming-of-age films, and one of the greatest Stephen King movies ever made. And on both fronts, it’s easy to agree. Four boys walking down the train tracks together… is there a more iconic image in the history of coming-of-age films?

58. Ladyhawke

1988

A forgotten fantasy masterpiece of the late 80s, it features Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer as star-crossed lovers, with Hauer turning to a wolf by night and Pfeiffer becoming a hawk by day. This is a creative and unique fantasy romance that definitely deserves more exposure than it got.

57. Willow

1988

What if George Lucas made Lord of the Rings? You’d probably get something like this, which features a story written by him, a story which despite the 80s fantasy cheesiness resonates with all the charm of the early Star Wars films and even featuring one of the franchise’s stars – Warwick Davis, AKA Wicket the Ewok.

56. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

1989

While it is something of a formulaic Indy film, it’s also the single best sequel of the series. Who isn’t a sucker for Arthurian legend, Christian mythology, and Sean Connery fighting Nazis? People you don’t want to spend time around, that’s who.

55. Brazil

1985

This is Terry Gilliam’s magnum opus, a sci-fi masterpiece with a similar dystopia to 1984. The difference here is that there’s a bit more dark comedy – not surprising since Gilliam is a Monty Python alum. Despite being fucked up by executive meddling originally, these days it has become hailed as one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time and a cult classic for the ages. Hard to disagree with that.

54. The Karate Kid

1984

Of course this would be on here. This is one of those beloved classics that has to be on every great 80s film list, in no small part due to Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi and the epic motivational jam “You’re the Best.”

53. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

1988

From the hilarious opening and the creative opening credits to Leslie Neilsen’s hilariously deadpan performance to all the clever jokes, slapstick, and visual gags, this is one of the funniest works in Neilsen’s career, and even in cinema as a whole.

52. The Little Mermaid

1989

Disney was in a dark, troubled time in the 80s… and then this film came along and kickstarted their 90s  Renaissance era with a bang. Unforgettable songs, an entertaining villain, and one of Disney’s most charming main characters (so charming she doesn’t even need to speak!), The Little Mermaid easily stands the test of time, though it isn’t quite as good as some later Disney films.

51. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures

1989

One of Keanu Reeves’ earliest films, this is the story of two lovable doofuses and their journey through time to meet some of history’s greatest mind. Filled with laughs and charm, this is to this day one of Reeves’ best and most enjoyable films. It helps to have George Carlin in your movie.

50. Jason Lives: Frday the 13th Part VI

1986

There were five films before this of varying quality, with the first being a horror milestone, but it’s pretty hard to deny that part six is the best of the bunch. It brings Jason back as a zombie, it adds in some humorous and tongue-in-cheek elements, and most importantly it has Alice Cooper popping out a badass villain theme song for Jason. This is where the series peaked.

49. Big Trouble in Little China

1986

One of John Carpenter’s greatest efforts, this film has truly earned its cult following. Martial arts and mysticism blend together to create a unique tale in which, in the words of Carpenter and Kurt Russell themselves, shows us “...A guy who thinks he’s the action hero when he’s really the comic sidekick.”

48. Spaceballs

1987

Mel Brooks proves he can be funny in any decade he decides to make a movie with this, a spoof of not only Star Wars but sci-fi tropes in general. You’ll be quoting a lot of the lines long after the movie ends, guaranteed.

47. The Elephant Man

1980

One of David Lynch’s most straightforward films… and yet, also one of his best. It is a powerful, emotional story loosely based on the real tale of Joseph Merrick (here in the film named John). John Hurt gives an incredible performance as Merrick, and in an important cultural milestone this film was the movie that helped establish the Best Makeup category at the Oscars following this film getting snubbed for it (it was previously merely a special citation award that had been given out twice).

46. Pink Floyd: The Wall

1982

One of the most infamously trippy and surreal music movies ever made, the deranged animation combined with some horrifying real-life imagery blend together to create one of the most inventive and strange artistic experiences ever put to film.

45. The Secret of NIMH

1982

Don Bluth’s magnum opus, and dark story of a mother’s bravery and love for her child as she goes against insurmountable odds to save her sickly son from death. Well known for its fucked up imagery, it also contains a lot of heart and spirit, particularly in the brilliantly done main character, Mrs. Brisby. There’s a reason this is cited as one of the finest animated films ever made.

44. Conan the Barbarian

1982

Basically every swords & sorcery film owes a massive debt of gratitude to this, the epic Arnold tale of a mighty barbarian’s quest for revenge. When everything from Red Sonja to Samurai Jack owes you a debt of gratitude, it’s safe to say you’re classic.

43. Clash of the Titans

1981

Greek myths have never been brought to life more enjoyably. While there is a fine layer of cheese here – the mechanical owl and Zeus’ disco lights being the chief offenders – it’s all part of this film’s charm. Ray Harryhausen did the work for the stop-motion monsters, and without a doubt his work on Medusa is some of his finest work ever, with her single scene being the stuff of nightmares. And let us not forget his reimagining of the kraken as the stand-in for Cetus; here, the kraken is a massive four-armed fish man, a take that has embedded itself in pop culture enough that other fantasy settings have cribbed this for their krakens.

42. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi

1983

The capstone to the thrilling original trilogy, it is a tad more uneven than the previous installment, but that’s about the only major negative going for it. From the opening scenes in Kabba’s slimy crime palace to the final battle with the Empire on the moon of Endor, this movie set the standard for how you should conclude a trilogy (though it didn’t set the standard on how you should treat Boba Fett).

41. The Last Unicorn

1982

The Rankin and Bass combo is best known for bringing delightfully corny stop-motion Christmas specials to life, but in 1982, they brought this, a gorgeous, dark, magical family film. At times charmingly magical, at others horrifyingly dark, but always stunningly gorgeous, this is one of the greatest hidden gems of the 80s.

40. Highlander

1986

Clever concepts and a fine cast come together beautifully in this unique fantasy film of immortals doing battle. Come for Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert’s excellent performances, stay for Clancy Brown’s early role as the badass and psychotic villain Victor Kruger. There’s plenty of silliness and badassery all around, as is only fitting for an 80s fantasy film.

39. Akira

1988

Motorcycle riding, explosions, telekinesis, psychic kids, horrifying mutations… this anime has it all! There’s even overdramatic shouting of the name of a friend! This film helped show to many that animation had a place beyond just entertaining kids or families, and that adult animation is a viable thing; not only that, it really helped introduce anime in the West, and helped inspire other great works like The Matrix. Truly a landmark, Akira’s place in pop culture and cinematic history can’t be ignored.

38. Pee-wee’s Big Adventures

1985

This film is weird; it’s a Tim Burton film that doesn’t really feel like a Tim Burton film (Large Marge notwithstanding). But that’s a good thing in this case; this charmingly simple tale of an eccentric man on a quest to retrieve his lost bike while getting into misadventures and meeting equally eccentric characters, culminating in an epic chase scene across Warner Bros. lots, is nothing short of fun.

37. Labyrinth

1986

Jim Henson and David Bowie were two of the most inventive, creative, and talented men on the planet, and yet putting the two of them together on one project seems crazy. And yet, it happened, and boy is the result glorious. The incredible puppet work and catchy songs are one thing, but David Bowie’s performance as Jareth the Goblin King is on a whole different level. He does so good he makes up for Jennifer Connelly’s corny acting in spades.

36. The Road Warrior

1981

Before Fury Road, there was The Road Warrior, a movie that lays as much claim to being called one of the most adrenaline-charged action films of all time. Filled with the crazy car stunts and action you would expect of a Mad Max movie, this movie is so good you almost forget you’re cheering for Mel Gibson of all people. Almost.

35. The Breakfast Club

1985

A group of misfits get together in detention, and inner reflection and a tight bond ensue. This is another one of those perennial classics, a teen movie that has stood the test of time and remained relatable through the years. It’s hard not to relate to a bunch of alienated, suffering teens; we were all there once.

34. First Blood

1982

Before the heavily actionized sequels… there was this, a tragic, almost Shakesperean tale of a Vietnam vet who is so traumatized by his experience there is just no place for him in this world. This was far deeper and more politically charged than newcomers to the Rambo movies might expect, but it is all the better for it.

33. The Fly

1986

Remaking a B-grade horror film and turning it into one of the most shining examples of body horror in all of cinema is quite an impressive feat, but David Cronenberg pulled it off! This movie is in many ways superior to the original film, and features one of Jeff Goldblum’s most impressive performances – one that is Oscar-worthy, I might add.

32. The Blues Brothers

1980

Movies based off of SNL skits have a reputation of sucking… save for this hilarious musical masterpiece, which has anything you could ever ask for from a comedy: Nazis getting run over, great songs and choreography, tons of cameos, and the greatest car chase ever put to film.

31. Field of Dreams

1989

If you build it, they will come… and cry their eyes out. This is one of the most tearjerking and heartwarming sports movies ever made, and arguably the best lowkey fantasy film of the 1980s.

30. TRON

1982

Sci-fi hardly got more groundbreaking than this cult classic. This movie just oozes style, what with its glowy video game aesthetics, and features a young Jeff Bridges (which is always a plus) and those kickass lightcycles. These days it has gotten a lot more appreciation due to things like Kingdom Hearts, and that appreciation is not undeserved; what other movie can spawn an awesome sequel three decades after the original?

29. Flash Gordon

1980

You COULD say that this film is nothing but a Star Wars ripoff that shamelessly cribs that series and its aesthetic… or you could say FLASH! AAAAAAAA-AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE! The costumes, the cheesiness, the Queen soundtrack… this movie is the epitome of awesome.

28. Batman

1989

Tim Burton’s first crack at the Caped Crusader is still, to this day, one of the most impressive superhero films ever. Big props to both Michael Keaton in the title role and Jack Nicholson as his archenemy, the Joker; as it should be, these two and their performances make the film.

27. Full Metal Jacket

1987

One of Kubrick’s greatest works, it is a misunderstood work; you don’t just tune out after R. Lee Ermey’s part ends. You come for Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, you stay for him, and then you sit through the Vietnam war bit. Yes, even I’ll admit the Vietnam war part is not quite as good as the first half… but it still is filled with memorable scenes, characters, and quotes. Still though, mad props to Ermey, one of the few men to ever get away with improvising lines under Kubrick’s direction. You can’t understate an achievement like that.

26. Heathers

1988

One of the greatest black comedies, maybe even THE best black comedy, ever made. It’s like a dark parody of films like The Breakfast Club, with high school angst and bitchy cliques taken to their logical extreme.

25. A Nightmare on Elm Street

1984

This was really hard. The Elm Street series maintained a rather consistent level of quality overall throughout the 80s, from the underrated fifth and second installments to the third movie, which I would say is the best of the bunch. But I think that this spot can only belong to the original, without which none of the others would be possible. Wes Craven truly created an icon in the nightmarish Freddy Krueger, and Robert Englund brought him to life. This is truly the finest slasher film of the 80s.

24. This is Spinal Tap

1984

13 spaces away from its ideal spot, this mockumentary follows the world’s loudest metal band on one of their crazy tours. This film has apparently had actual rock stars scratching their heads and wondering what the joke is… apparently this film is too real for them. Whether that makes this better or not is up to you, but there’s really no denying this is a brilliant film either way.

23. Airplane!

1980

Remember the days when spoof movies were funny? This film is a crowning moment of comedic genius; it needs to be seen to truly be appreciated, it’s a comedy no amount of explaining can do justice. Just go watch it and laugh your ass off.

22. RoboCop

1987

Action and comedy are genres that really go hand-in-hand; being a bit tongue in cheek about slaughtering hordes of evil mooks is just amusing on a lot of levels. RoboCop manages to be ultraviolent, funny, bitingly satirical, and just a plain good time.

21. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

1982

Sci-fi rarely gets more Shakesperean than this. There’s very little about this that isn’t absolutely iconic and ingrained in pop culture, from Kirk’s infamous scream of Khan’s name to Khan himself as played by Ricardo Montalban to the tragic final moments of Spock near the end. This is widely considered one of the greatest sequels ever made, and it’s nearly impossible to argue against that.

20. Blade Runner

1982

Harrison Ford. Rutger Hauer. A dark sci-fi dystopia. It’s hard to believe this movie was once a cult classic that didn’t exactly wow at the box office, since it has gone on to be one of the biggest sources of inspiration in the sci-fi genre ever, and managed to produce one of the greatest monologues ever with Roy Batty’s “Tears in the Rain” speech. Some would argue that the recently released sequel surpasses this, but we still gotta give props for all this film gave us.

19. The Terminator

1984

The original unstoppable robot assassin film is truly iconic, and it is one of the films that helped turn Arnold Schwarzenegger into the massive pop culture icon he is today. So many quotable lines and a dark, brooding atmosphere that heightens the intensity, this is a film that, while overshadowed a bit by its incredible sequel, is every bit as good as you could imagine.

18. Gremlins

1984

This is heralded as one of the greatest Christmas movies ever, and it’s hard to argue; this is a charming, quirky, dark holiday monster movie. The creature designs are fantastic, the characters are likable, and the movie just has such a sense of black comedy and dark fun that it’s pretty much infectious. This is the standard by which all holiday monster movies should be judged.

17. Predator

1987

This is the definitive Arnold movie, and one of the manliest movies ever made on the face of the Earth. Not a single line of dialogue, not a single scene, nothing in this movie isn’t dripping with the sheer essence of manliness. Hell, the one woman that is in here is hardly noticeable due to the sheer amount of muscular men surrounding her. And even all the incredible manliness aside, we have one of the most awesome, badass alien antagonists ever put to film, with a unique design and an arsenal of weapons that make it into basically what Boba Fett SHOULD have been. This movie kicks so much ass it’s unreal; watch it, and you too can be a sexual Tyrannosaurus!

16. Scarface

1983

This is probably the best gangster movie ever. Yeah, you heard me: I think this is better than The Godfather, and maybe even better than Goodfellas (at the very least, those two are on the same level). I think the reason I believe this is because Tony Montana is just such a compelling character; his rags-to-riches story and his own paranoia and hubris causing his downfall is like a Greek tragedy, and the movie is like this dark, violent character study. In that way, you could call this the Citizen Kane of gangster films, except this film is also entertaining and engaging.

15. Escape from New York

1981

Kurt Russell has scarcely gotten a better role in his career than he did here. Snake Plissken is a hardened badass, and a pop culture icon who has inspired many incredible characters, from Solid Snake to Hoss Delgado. But the main character isn’t the only thing worthwhile; John Carpenter’s excellent and atmospheric score and the dark dystopian world shown here all help this film carve out its own identity amidst many bleak dystopian films of the 80s. But… yeah, Snake is what really makes this movie. I’m a sucker for ruggedly handsome men in eyepatches, sue me.

14. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

1982

What kind of list would this be without this film on here somewhere? Spielberg really outdid himself here; it’s a heartwarming, tearjerking, incredibly well-done lowkey sci-fi film for the ages. Spielberg somehow managed to make a lumpy brown alien into the most sweet, adorable thing you could ever hope to see, and managed to give us some of the best child acting ever seen with the child leads of the movie. There’s very little about this film that isn’t excellent; it’s no wonder it has gone on to embed itself in pop culture to the extent it has.

13. Blue Velvet

1986

It’s amazing how good straightforward David Lynch movies can be, considering the man is usually at his best with surreal mindfucks. But this somewhat less surreal film is a dark look at the rotten heart behind the cheerful facade of white picket fence America, a darkness completely embodied in the horrifying, insane madman that is Dennis Hopper’s Frank Booth, a frothing lunatic for the ages and one of the greatest villains ever put to screen.

12. The Thing

1982

People who say all remakes are inevitably doomed from the get-go and that there can be no such thing as a good remake are hard to take seriously when movies like The Fly and this, John Carpenter’s magnum opus, exist. Taking an old B-grade horror sci-fi film and reworking it into a gory horror story that acts as a reflection of the then-current AIDS crisis and Cold War paranoia was a stroke of genius, and manages to create a film that truly outshines the original in just about every way. Maybe more directors should try remaking old B-movies.

11. The Goonies

1985

Children going on adventures was a huge thing in the 80s, and for my money, it never got better than this film. This film is like a combination of everything great about 1980s adventure movies: creative death traps, likable characters, memorable music that will instantly get you to think of the film, memorable villains, and a solid plot about saving the neighborhood… all of it seems so cliché, but by god does this film make it all work. And for how cheesy it all sounds and how 80s the film feels, it holds up remarkably well! Goonies never say die, indeed.

10. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

1988

And they say the movie can never be better than the book! Even the guy who wrote the book this is based on thinks the movie is better, and who can blame him? Not only do we have truly groundbreaking effects that really help you believe animated characters and live-action characters are interacting, Daffy Duck and Donald Duck have a scene where they get into a fight, and then later Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny share a scene! Holy shit, for those two scenes alone this movie would deserve a spot on this list, and the fact that the rest of it is as exciting and memorable as those scenes is just a showcase of what a genius work this is.

9. The Shining

1980

It’s hard to believe that Kubrick won the Worst Director Razzie for this movie (well, it’s not that hard to believe, the Razzies fucking suck), since this is one of the most intensely atmospheric horror films ever made. Leave it to an insane perfectionist like Kubrick to make a ghost story as chilling and terrifying as this. This movie is also the poster child for an adaptation that is excellent while deviating quite a bit from the source material. Hardcore Stephen King fans may be disappointed, but for everyone else, this is one of the greatest, most iconic, and most influential horror films ever made. Even King came around to loving it eventually!

8. Evil Dead II

1987

The original movie was a low-budget gorefest about a bunch of kids terrorized by demonic spirits in a cabin in the woods… with all but one person dead, where could they go from there? Why, they could add some more comedic elements and make Ash more badass than ever by giving him a chainsaw for a hand! Equal parts funny and scary, this film manages to improve on its predecessor in every way – and there’s no tree rape here, either, which is always a big plus! Bruce Campbell truly shines in his performance as Ash Williams, and really sets the tone for what the man would become in the equally awesome sequel and TV series. Sure, some of the stuff here is really campy, but there’s no doubt in my mind a lot of the silliness is intentional; it’s all part of the charm.

7. Back to the Future

1985

Time travel plots are tricky to pull off, due to all the tricky logic involved. You’re pretty much always gonna have holes in the time travel logic, so you better be damn sure you have charming, likable characters at the helm to keep the audience from straining their brains trying to make sense of the weirdness… and by god, this film has that! Michael J. Fox, one of the most charming people alive, is Marty McFly, and Christopher Lloyd is one of the most lovably eccentric scientists ever put to screen. It also helps this film takes on a more fun, lighthearted, and funny tone, leading to it just oozing charm. Much like many other films on this list, it’s easy to see why this has become such an iconic movie.

6. Die Hard

1988

This is considered one of the greatest action films ever made, one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made, and just flat-out one of the greatest movies ever made, period. But why is that? Because it’s a story of an average, everyday man thrust into an extraordinarily dangerous situation, and he deals with it like any ordinary cop would deal with a situation as crazy as terrorists taking over a skyscraper. Unlike other 80s action heroes, John McClane isn’t some crazy, invincible badass who can gun down a hundred mooks with ease. He bleeds, he gets hurt, he takes a fucking beating… but he is determined to save the day no matter what, and he perseveres to take out the charming, cunning snake that is Hans Gruber. Of note is that Hans Gruber is an awesome, incredible villain, one for the ages… and in a weird twist, the hero is equally good, if not BETTER than the villain. That’s a rare sight for sure!

5. Ghostbusters

1984

Few films from the 80s have aged as well as this. From the mostly great special effects (yeah, the stop-motion on the demon dogs is not quite up to par with the other effects) to the inventive plot, this movie is not short on good ideas, but the real glue holding this film together is the camaraderie between the four leads. The four Ghostbusters have such great chemistry and play off each other really well, with their differing personalities bouncing off each other with such great results… more movies should take notes from the chemistry that Aykroyd, Murray, Ramis, and (to a lesser extent) Hudson have.

4. Aliens

1986

This right here is how you do a sequel that strays from the original’s tone and even genre a bit while still staying true to the idea. And what do you know, it’s James Cameron doing it, pulling off a feat he’d do again in the 90s with the second Terminator film! The original Alien was a dark, claustrophobic horror film; this movie keeps some of the horror elements, but ups the action, the amount of aliens, and most importantly the amount of Ripley. Sigourney Weaver cements Ripley’s place in the halls of pop culture with her iconic portrayal of sci-fi’s greatest leading lady. It’s a sequel that’s so damn good, it may just be better than the original. Now, if only Cameron could come back to the franchise… Ridley Scott ain’t doing so well with it.

3. The Princess Bride

1987

The 80s was not short on great fantasy films whatsoever… but none of them can hold a candle to the masterpiece that is Rob Reiner’s comedic fantasy adventure. All of these characters are memorable, the dialogue is infinitely quotable, there’s just never a dull moment… and long before Dave Bautista wowed audiences in Guardians of the Galaxy, we had Andre the Giant showing us all wrestlers could deliver great film performances. There’s not really anything bad I can say about this movie… except that it ends. Ah well, nothing great lasts forever.

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark

1981

Cinematic adventures just don’t get better than this. There’s hardly anything I can say about this movie that hasn’t been said a million times better by a million other reviewers; this is a fun, exciting adventure with a bit of light fantasy elements tossed in to spice everything up. And you know, in this day and age, seeing an all-American badass bookworm beating the shit out of Nazis is just really damn refreshing.

1. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

1980

The dawn of the 80s saw the release of what very well may be the single greatest sequel ever made. It takes everything that was good about the original movie and just runs with it; there’s more aliens, more exotic locales, more Jedi action, more drama, more Han Solo… And then we have truly iconic moments, lines, and characters like the battle of Hoth, Lando Calrissian, Boba Fett, Yoda, “I am your father,” “I love you.”/“I know.” This is one of the crowning achievements of the sci-fi genre, the magnum opus of the Star Wars saga, and without a doubt the finest film of the 1980s.  

[auburnfamilynews]

https://twitter.com/AuburnFootball/status/1207509376497532930

A closer look at all 22 players that signed with Auburn yesterday

Funny how fast things can change in recruiting. On Tuesday afternoon and evening, the Auburn family wasn’t feeling great about the direction of this 2020 class. 3* OT Jeremy Flax had just chosen Kentucky over Auburn, Alabama was trending for 4* TE Jeremiah Pegues, 4* DB Eric Reed Jr still seemed like a pipe dream and it was hard to tell what exactly was going to happen with 3* Buck Romello Height. It looked like Auburn might only be adding one more player to its 2020 class and would head into January with quite a few spots still left to fill.

But a lot changed in 24 hours. By the end of the day Wednesday, Auburn had gone 4/5 on their top targets, signed 18 of their 20 commits and surged to just outside the top 5 of 247 Composite team rankings. So much for a poor close huh?

If you want a full play by play of what happened yesterday, checkout the live thread. I did my best to document things as they happened so if you are a normal human being who spent their day working instead of following the decision of high school athletes, you can at least get a feel for the flow of the day.

Here’s a breakdown of who signed yesterday.

Quarterback

3* Chayil Garnett (EE)

It was going to be hard to find a blue chip prospect willing to sit for at least 2 years behind Bo Nix. So Auburn went out and tried to hunt down a developmental player who has the tools they believe can be successful in Auburn’s scheme and can develop over the next 2 years. They found that in Garnett.

He’s a true dual threat QB with the raw tools to be a very good player at the next level. His senior season did not go as hoped in large part because of a nagging injury but he will be on campus this spring and have a chance to compete for the back up spot. It’s vitally important Auburn have confidence in their #2 trigger man so that they feel comfortable using Nix’s legs in the offense. It wouldn’t be a shock if AU went out and found a 2nd QB in the late period.

Bringing that dual-threat attack to The Plains. #WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/EmdmSuw1PZ

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Running Back

5* Tank Bigsby (EE)

One of the reasons Gus Malzahn decided to move on from long time running back coach Tim Horton was his desire to add a more dynamic recruiter to the staff. Horton is an outstanding coach and a very good recruiter but it was clear that Auburn’s rivals had an edge on the trail in terms of signing elite talent.

Enter Carnell Williams.

In his first year as Auburn’s running back coach he reeled in the #4 RB in the country per 247 Composite and the Tigers’ only 5* prospect. Not bad for a debut.

As for Tank, he’s everything you want in a running back. Malzahn called him a “one-play drive type of guy” and that’s a great description of what he brings to AU’s backfield that’s missing right now. This was a huge win for the Tigers and I fully expect Bigsby to be apart of the offense next year. With Boobee, DJ, Shivers, Joiner, Mark-Antony Richards and Bigsby, the Tigers are as deep at that position as they have been in quite awhile.

Tank rolling onto The Plains. #WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/kamjVqsURl

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Wide Receiver

4* Kobe Hudson (EE), 4* Ze’Vian Capers, 4* J.J. Evans, 3* Elijah Canion

Kodi Burns once again did work on the trail. He’s been a very good recruiter since joining Auburn’s staff but this 2020 group might be his best yet.

Kobe Hudson was the leader of this 2020 class, committing the earliest of the signees and staying loyal through an 8-5 season. He’s a playmaker that has a knack for making defenders miss in space and elite short area quickness. Hudson actually reported yesterday afternoon to Auburn and will participate in bowl practice. Don’t be shocked if he’s apart of the WR rotation in 2020.

Capers, Evans and Canion provide Auburn with some much needed size to Auburn’s WR corps. All three are listed at 6’3” plus and bring some physical traits the Tigers have been lacking. Capers is an explosive weapon in the open field who can also stretch a defense vertically while being a nightmare matchup in the redzone. Evans is a true deep threat who isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty blocking on the edge. The staff thinks Canion is one of the more underrated prospects in this class with Malzahn comparing his skillset to Seth Williams. At least one, possibly two signees from this group will make an impact next season.

Can't wait to see that ⚡️ in Jordan-Hare!#WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/3uJ5BxJxya

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Adding to this dynamic group of receivers! #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/HQbGYhpEOF

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Makin' folks miss all the way to The Plains.#WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/afNo4Rrx25

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Pure play-making ability! #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/ID3XHaPLUc

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Tight End

4* Jeremiah Pegues (EE)

One of the most unique athletes in this class, Auburn was able to hold off a late surge by the Crimson Tide to ink their top tight end target. Pegues is penciled in to play the 3-back position in the Tigers’ offense and brings as complete a skillset to that position as any player Auburn has had. He can carry the football, block on the edge, split out wide or even play a little Wildcat QB all at 6’2” 290+ lbs. Pegues is an early enrollee and will have a chance to push for playing time behind John Samuel Shenker in 2020.

Big man bringing his athleticism to The Plains. #WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/fUCidXuToH

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Offensive Line

3* Avery Jernigan (EE), 3* Kilian Zierer (EE), 3* Brenden Coffey, 3* Tate Johnson (EE), 3* Jeremiah Wright

Gus Malzahn promised that the 2020 OL class would be one of his biggest yet last signing day and has delivered on that promise. Avery Jernigan and Tate Johnson were the stars of social media yesterday accurately predicting every single one of Auburn’s commitments. They also give Auburn two outstanding interior players for the future. They became leaders of this 2020 class and I suspect will one day be leaders for Auburn’s football program. Both are enrolling early and will be roommates their freshman year on the Plains.

Wright is an interesting prospect. Malzahn stated in his press conference yesterday that he believes Wright would be more highly regarded if he played in more highly trafficked areas such as Atlanta. The gist being they think they’ve found an underrated gem. He’s a massive human being at 6’5” 340 lbs who could play tackle or guard for the Tigers. I personally think his future is inside but he will likely start out at right tackle.

Finally, Auburn reeled in two of the top three JUCO offensive tackles in the 2020 class. Kilian Zierer only started playing football a couple of years ago but has already blossomed into a top JUCO prospect. Unfortunately, an ACL injury will keep him out of spring practice which likely impacts his chances of winning the starting job. Coffey won’t be an early enrollee but might be the best pure athlete of Auburn’s 5 OL signees. He will arrive in the summer and will attempt to at least crack the two deep in 2020.

It wasn’t all roses though on the trail for Auburn at this position. Losing Flax hurt because he was an early enrollee and had three more years of eligibility. Auburn also lost their top ranked prep prospect last week in Javion Cohen. I fully expect Auburn to sign at least one more offensive tackle in February.

Another big time OL joining the Family. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/fOnGNRVBBy

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Ready to get the big man on The Plains! #WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/PAZBk8LeTW

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Welcome to the squad, @TateJohnson76! #WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/yBUxq9gfru

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Another big man coming to The Plains! #WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/6OMZiMZ5cd

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

That's a BIG MAN headed to The Plains! #WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/36OQhSI4cA

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Defensive Line

4* Zykeivous Walker (EE), 3* Romello Height (EE), 3* Daniel Foster-Allen (EE)

Always trust Rodney Garner. Jay Hardy not signing early takes a little luster off this group but overall hard not to be very happy with this threesome. All three are early enrollees who will have a chance to find a way into Auburn’s rotation next season.

Walker was one of Auburn’s biggest victories on the trail beating out the Dawgs for the nation’s #7 SDE. The staff is extremely high on this kid and there is a strong belief he will be an impact player in 2020.

Height was a surprise flip from Miami who brings a skillset to Auburn’s defensive line they don’t really have right now. He has a combination of length, quickness and bend that is needed to be an elite pass rusher. Auburn’s defensive line was the best in the land this past season but if there was a weakness it was the lack of a truly dominant edge rusher ala Jeff Holland or Carl Lawson. Height has the skillset to make that type of impact.

Finally, Auburn likes Foster-Allen a lot. He’s only 17 years old and still growing so don’t be surprised if he’s eventually a 6’5” 300 lb force in the interior. He will need to get stronger if he wants to play immediately but getting him on campus early is big. I expect him to eventually develop into a very important piece of Auburn’s DL rotation.

Another DE ready to make a BIG impact. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/GLn0mNR6ii

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Bringing chaos to backfields across the country.#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/bcABB4CtwP

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Another BIG TIME defensive end joining the squad. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/QVJu9keRkN

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Linebacker

4* Wesley Steiner, 4* Desmond Tisdol, 4* Cam Riley

It’s been a wild year for Auburn’s linebacker recruiting. They lost two top 50 players in Trenton Simpson and Demouy Kennedy that absolutely hurt. But Travis Williams still signed a three man blue chip class who look likely to continue Auburn’s resurgence at linebacker.

Steiner is a special athlete. As I have mentioned pretty much every time I write about Steiner, he beat Owen Pappoe’s SPARQ score this past July which should tell you what type of athleticism this kid possesses. Desmond Tisdol is a big time athlete as well who WANTS to be an Auburn Tiger and looks to be a future starting MLB. Then there’s Cam Riley who had an incredibly productive senior campaign and could play any number of positions for the Tigers moving forward.

Losing 5*s hurt but this is still a durn good linebacker class that should have fans excited for the future.

.@ItsYa_Boi_Wes ready to bring the #WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/kZh9PeXu9A

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

.@T_WILL4REAL adding another big hitter to the squad. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/64mBITMHaL

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Another heavy hitter for @T_WILL4REAL. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/QJrniLHinO

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Defensive Backs

4* Eric Reed Jr, 4* Ladarius Tennison (EE), 4* Chris Thompson Jr (EE), 4* Marco Domio (EE)

Auburn is starting to show some encouraging consistency in signing blue chip defensive backs. In the past, Auburn often relied on overlooked athletes that they developed into DBs. Now the Tigers are beating top programs in the country for big time talent. That’s an important change considering the continued growth of dynamic passing attacks in the SEC.

Reed Jr, in my opinion at least, was the big time win yesterday. He’s an elite talent that UGA really wanted. Auburn was able to beat out the Dawgs for the LA native who can do a little of everything. It’s likely he will start out at cornerback but he can play almost anywhere in the secondary.

If Noah Igbinoghene leaves early that would mean Auburn is down four starting DBs including both corners. Roger McCreary was a de facto starter and will lock down one spot next season. But the Tigers will need someone ready to go day 1 next season from this 2020 class. That’s where Marco Domio fits in. Auburn fought off LSU and A&M for his commit earlier this summer. He’s an early enrollee so don’t be surprised if he’s starting for the Tigers September 5th, 2020.

Then there the Bash Bros (I am trying to make this a thing) in Chris Thompson Jr and Ladarius Tennison. They have completely different body types but produce the same results - pain. Auburn plucked Thompson away from the in state Longhorns in a shocker over the summer. Tennison is a former Miami commit (Manny Diaz is probably not an Auburn fan) who is a freaky athlete that isn’t afraid to deliver some punishment. Both will practice this spring and have a chance to carve out role in Auburn’s defense in 2020

⬇️#WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/bUZhRxW3P5

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

A firecracker joining the defensive backfield! #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/xxRzSOuLVJ

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Another big time DB headed to The Plains! #WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/6SCEoF8cnb

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

Another ⬇️ CB on the way! #WarEagle x #AUNSD20 pic.twitter.com/TVYeyiBKcP

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 18, 2019

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/12/19/21029906/2020-auburn-football-recruiting-early-signing-day-class-recap

[ncmagroup]

Written by Kayla Kozan

Motivational Movie Clips

“Boiler Room”: To get you hungry for success

“Hidden Figures”: To remind you of the importance of being first

“Friday Night Lights”: To motivate you to work as a team

“Wolf of Wall Street”: To get you fired up

“Erin Brockovich”: To highlight why you should play the long game

“Glengarry Glen Ross”: To make you feel like a closer

“Braveheart”: To inspire your courage

“Joy”: To put a smile on your face

We all need a little kick sometimes. Whether you’re gearing up for an interview, call, client pitch, or just a Monday morning, these videos will put you at the top of your game.

With a healthy dose of social science, words of wisdom, and an intense Alec Baldwin monologue, these 13 gems cover all the bases.

Sales Motivational Videos and Clips

Disclaimer: Some of these videos contain language you may not feel comfortable blasting out to the whole office. Put on your headphones and proceed with caution (especially when you get to #7).

1) The Affleck Address

A young Ben Affleck nails it with this classic “Boiler Room” speech. Fifteen years later and this interview scene still racks up thousands of hits on YouTube. Why? He’s not joking.

Million Dollar Line: “You will make a million dollars within three years of your first day of employment at J.T. Marlin. There is no question as to whether or not you’ll become a millionaire working here. The only question is how many times over.”

2) The Data-Backed Hacks

Bow down to the queen of keynotes. Amy Cuddy brought in an impressive seven million views for this TED talk, placing it among the top 20 TED talks of all time — and for good reason.

This video is full of interesting tidbits about the nonverbal cues you’re giving every minute, every day. Her advice on “power posing” is invaluable when it comes to sales meetings. Remember: Your prospects are not only evaluating your pitch but your confidence and how you carry yourself.

Million Dollar Line: “If you feel like you shouldn’t be somewhere: Fake it. Do it not until you make it, but until you become it.”

3) The Importance of Being First

“Hidden Figures” is the true story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), three African-American women who serve at NASA as part of astronaut John Glenn’s historic launch into orbit.

This clip highlights Jackson’s fight to be allowed to attend classes that would further her work as a NASA engineer. Never underestimate the value of a well-worded, thoughtful speech in winning someone over.

Million Dollar Line: “Out of all the cases you’re going to hear today, which one is going to matter a hundred years from now? Which one is going to make you the first?”

4) The Secret to Sales Success

Steve Jobs. Arguably the best salesperson of our generation explains what really makes us salespeople tick: The love of what we do. Remind yourself of this and you will succeed every time.

Million Dollar Line: “If you look at the ones that ended up being successful in the eyes of society, oftentimes it’s the ones that loved what they did so they could persevere when it got really tough.”

5) The Locker Room Tearjerker

It has been said that sales are the ultimate contact sport. Football or sales, every day you go out there and hustle your way to the top. Whether you’re in the locker room or sitting at your desk, this one pulls on the heartstrings.

Million Dollar Line: “Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It’s not about winning. It’s about you and your relationship to yourself and your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn’t let them down.”

6) The Motivational Montage

A quick search for “motivational speech” will bring you 2,150,000 YouTube results, but when it comes to quality, Mateusz M is the king of the catalyst. Mateusz has created an art of his own. “Dream” is a personal favorite. A montage made from the very best of “Into The Wild,” “Rocky 4,” “Seven Pounds,” “Pursuit of Happiness,” and “A Beautiful Mind,” completes this piece of gold.

Million Dollar Line: “Greatness is not this wonderful, esoteric, elusive, god-like feature that only the special among us will ever taste. It’s something that truly exists — in all of us.”

7) The Token Wolf Of Wall Street Clip

This entire movie is full of outrageous monologues, but if you don’t have hours to spare, here’s a three-minute refresher. A quick recap of this blockbuster: Jordan Belfort (the real-life “Wolf of Wall Street”) gets out of jail, writes a New York Times bestselling memoir, and sells the film rights to Red Granite Productions. The biopic grosses $392 million worldwide and Leo lands a Golden Globe for Best Actor. Everybody’s happy!

The (Only SFW) Million Dollar Line: “So you listen to me and you listen well. Are you behind on your credit card bills? Good — pick up the phone and start dialing!”

8) The Young Guru

The youngest motivator to grace this list, this six-year-old superstar’s words of wisdom are so moving they have been made into dozens of autotune remixes. A T-Pain in the making.

Million Dollar Line: “Thumbs up everybody — for rock and roll!”

9) The Lame-Ass Offer

Erin Brockovich is a legal clerk and environmental activist who was instrumental in building a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California in 1993 despite her lack of formal education.

Julia Roberts famously brought Brockovich to life in the eponymous film, showing just what planning, hard work, and grit can do to turn a meeting or a deal your way.

Million Dollar Line: “By the way, we had that water brought in special for you folks.”

10) The Classic

I’m just going to say it: This is the most iconic sales monologue of all time. Alec Baldwin completely demolishes this scene from 1992’s “Glengarry Glen Ross.” In terms of practical advice, you might be better off with Amy Cuddy but Alec instills a bit of good old-fashioned grit. Who’s a closer? You’re a closer!

Million Dollar Line: “A-B-C. A: always, B: be, C: closing. Always be closing!”

11) The Best of Braveheart

Alright, so Mel isn’t really talking about sales here but it’s too epic to not make the list. Channel your inner William Wallace while you work through those cold calls.

Million Dollar Line: “They may take our lives but they will never take our freedom!”

12) The Burning Question

How bad do you want it? Perhaps one of the most underrated speeches on this list comes from Eric Thomas, motivational speaker, and youth activist. While you’re at it, download this as an MP3 and put it on your gym playlist. Get your elliptical on.

Million Dollar Line: “Listen to me — you will never be successful until I don’t have to give you a dime to do what you do.”

Bonus Million Dollar Line (too great to leave out): “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.”

13) The Saleswomen

“Joy” is the true story of entrepreneur and QVC star Joy Mangano. During a tour of the QVC sound stage, executive Neil Walker (played by Bradley Cooper) explains what makes stars Joan Rivers and her co-host Cindy so great at selling.

He highlights their timing and the warmth they bring to their sales segments. It’s more than just who they are and what they’re pitching, it’s that they’re masters of knowing their audience and closing deals.

Million Dollar Line: “The stars, they always make the mistake — they think it’s about the face but it’s not. It’s really about the hands and the eyes.”

Bonus: My Locker Room Speech

If I’m ever asked to give a motivational speech to millions of salespeople (which I haven’t been yet), I’m ready. Here, for the first time, my “locker room” speech:

Ahem. Sales isn’t an easy career path. Sales aren’t the career you choose if you’re looking for the easy way out. After you’re hung up on for the 10th call in a row after your prospect said they would buy but changed their mind after everyone has left for the night but you’re still dialing –you might question why you’re even in sales at all. But never forget, you got into sales for a reason. [10-second break for suspense] Because you were born a hustler. Now set these 13 videos on loop and keep them close by! Listen to them at the gym, in the shower, on the bus, on your coffee break. Hung up on 10 times? Pick up the phone 11 times. You already have it in you. Now go close a deal.

I truly hope you’ve found this list inspiring. In sales, we face a lot of rejection (even more than I did at my first elementary school dance) but resilience trumps rejection every time.

Go to our website:   www.ncmalliance.com

13 Inspiring Motivational Videos That Will Get Your Blood Pumping in 2018 Written by Kayla Kozan Motivational Movie Clips "Boiler Room": To get you hungry for success "Hidden Figures": To remind you of the importance of being first…

[musicvoyage]

Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, 1977

1977; what a legendary and beautiful year for music. Not only did disco music become a very popularized genre during that time, but it was also the year when many sub-genres of rock (such as soft rock) began to rise. Four decades on and ‘Rumours’ is still considered to be one of the best selling and highest acclaimed albums of all time, selling over 45 million copies. I personally believe It is one of Mac’s finest works and in the following, I will tell you exactly why. I will also include the reason for its huge impact.

Let’s begin with the complicated background story: We all know by now that the album is mainly based on the troubled relationships between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham as well as John and Christine McVie. Mick Fleetwood was also struggling with his marriage. The members had no time to grief or come to terms with the separations as they were already working on their follow-up to ‘Fleetwood Mac’, the first album which included the Buckingham Nicks duo for the first time and spawned commercial success. Additionally, each member developed a serious drug problem. Everyone was battling their own demons yet somehow they ended up creating a masterpiece of an album that built an entire legacy.

The album starts with Second Hand News, which I at first found to be nothing but a mindless tune, only to realize later that none of the songs on this album are mindless. During the chorus, you can hear Lindsey imitating some guitar riffs. However, once I thought more into the lyrics I found the song rather amusingly ironic. The song simply means being not relevant in one former partner’s life, yet still ’laying him down in tall grass and letting him do his stuff’. As Stevie is used for the background vocals, you can hear her frustration. Which will become more evident in the next track; Dreams. Not only did this song end up being Fleetwood Mac’s highest charting hit song in the US, but this song was specifically directed towards Lindsey. For Stevie, this song was a way of an invitation for Lindsey to leave their relationship as she wanted to leave likewise. Lindsey later on commented on this by saying:

Whatever Stevie’s music was, somehow I was the soulmate that just knew exactly what to do with it and that never went away. It just became bittersweet in terms of wanting to do it. There were times where I had the urge not wanting to help her, and that’s a weird thing to admit but these were the challenging things. – Lindsey Buckingham

In my opinion, this is truly one of the most memorable songs on this album. Not only does the guitar compliment the song so wonderfully, but the melodic vibe you get from Stevie is unforgettable. In contrast to Lindsey’s rather bitter-sweet lyrics, Stevie tried to be condescending and delicate yet honest in this song. Additionally, it becomes evident how each song in this album is a dialogue between the songwriters. Because the members had not the time to take a break from each other, they could let their anger and frustration out towards their former partners in their songs, which Lindsey clearly did. Despite the anger he expresses for Stevie in the song Never Going Back Again, his main statement for this song is rather hopeful and positive. Lindsey sings about how Stevie left him feeling miserable and alone because of the break-up, but once he became involved with another woman, she made him finally realize his life after Stevie can be just as fulfilling and sweet. I would like to praise the simple yet beautiful and uplifting acoustic guitar playing of Lindsey as it compliments the main message of the song very well. Don’t Stop, the infamous song which would later be used for Bill Clinton’s 1993 campaign theme song, is another gem with a powerfully positive message written by Christine McVie. In this song, you can feel the magical chemistry Christine and Lindsey have when it comes to working together on music. Because of the personal problems everyone was dealing at that time, Christine felt obligated to address the issues by making a clear statement that no matter what you are going through right now, it will get better; you just have to be more optimistic.

Another retaliation to Stevie’s Dreams is Go Your Own Way, the band’s biggest radio hit single to date.This was the first Fleetwood Mac song I have ever heard, which is why this song will always have a special place in my heart. The lyrics are yet very similar to those of Dreams, but expressed in a more blunt and bitter way. Stevie was incredibly offended by this song, specifically the line “Packing up, shacking up is all you want to do” as it makes her seem like she wanted to “shack up with other guys”, which she contradicted. Even when you look at the live performances of this song, you can always observe Stevie’s annoyance she has towards this song through her facial expression. This is one of the many reasons why this song is considered to be the greatest, most melodically and rhythmic bitter-breakup rock song to date. In Addition, John’s bass playing is out of this world and blends with Mick’s drums and Lindsey’ guitar playing perfectly. 

Songbird is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated songs on the album, which justifies my point that Christine is truly under appreciated when it comes to her songwriting ability. The general public always seems to give attention mostly to Stevie’s and Lindsey’s relationship, which is why Christine tends to be the shadow of the songwriters in the band. However, in my opinion, Christine is the backbone, who holds the band together. Of course, every member is equally important, but when you think of the great songs that Christine has contributed to this album, I ask myself why she never gets the full credit she deserves. The mesmerizing piano playing alone left me stunned, as it is one of the most beautiful melodies I have ever heard. It gave me goosebumps and made me teary eyed, as it is a very lovely and moving song. Subsequently, It is a great transition to one of the world’s greatest rock songs called The Chain. I will NEVER stop stressing the fact that this is the signature song of Fleetwood Mac. To think that this song would have not been what it is, a timeless gem, if Stevie Nicks hadn’t added the lyrics which she had written during the Buckingham Nicks days, is astonishing. It all started with John McVie’s famous bass line which he had created out of nothing, the rest is history. To me, this is a song about the tensed and broken relationships of the members at that time, which was on the verge of collapsing. Understandably, everyone was sick of each other and strongly believed that this would have been the last Fleetwood Mac album to be ever released, yet somehow the chain kept them together for all these years. No matter how exhausted they were from each other, they managed to put their problems aside and work together as a group. Everyone contributed something to this song and unlike the other tracks on Rumours, the members could finally put all their creative differences aside and record a song in such a perfect harmony. On the contrary, when you listen to the live performances of this song, especially in the earlier years, you can practically cut the tension with a knife since it seems to me like Stevie and Lindsey are having a screaming match.

Christine McVie is probably the only member of the band who wrote somehow optimistic love songs, as the next track You Make Loving Fun proves that. To me, this song felt kind of out of place when I compared it with the other tracks on the album. Nonetheless, it is a wonderfully dreamy and well-written song. Considering the fact that she was dating someone at the time, Christine tends to look things on the brighter side and distributes hopeful and buoyant songs on this album. Nevertheless, Christine dedicates one specific song to the father figure of this band - Mick Fleetwood. On the track Oh Daddy, Christine tries to sympathize with Mick, as he was the only member who did not get involved with any drama in the band, unlike the others who were constantly battling with relationship problems and arguing with each other. Furthermore, Mick was the only member with children, which is why he developed the role of a father in the group. To this day, Oh Daddy is Mick’s all-time favorite Christine-written song. I Don’t Want To Know is the song I truly did not care about after finding out that this was the song that replaced Silver Springs. If you are a Fleetwood Mac fan, you are probably aware of the infamous song Silver Springs and the endless battle Stevie had to go through because none of the members wanted to include the song on Rumours, as it allegedly did not fit on the album. Lindsey would end up re-record the vocals on I Don’t Want To Know, an uptempo breakup song that was written by Stevie during the Buckingham Nicks days. Meanwhile, Stevie had to find out about the devastating news through Mick, who suggested her to re-record the vocals as well. Stevie wouldn’t have contributed anything to this song if it hadn’t been for the fact that she would only have two songs on the album. Consequently, Stevie would establish a solo career years later, since she could never fully express herself artistically. The album ends with what I find to be one of the many highlights of this legendary record; Gold Dust Woman. Stevie’s voice adds a beautifully haunting sound to this excellent song. My favorite part of this masterpiece is probably the outro, in which you can hear a type of wailing sound in the background. I could not find any reasons behind that sound other than Lindsey saying ‘I’d say we were under duress’. This is the only song on the album that indirectly discusses Stevie’s drug addiction, as she ‘’digs her grave’’. Stevie battled her cocaine addiction at that time, which lead to several injuries in her later years. It is evident that she could’ve easily died while living this self-destructive lifestyle. It didn’t help that Stevie constantly worked with her fellow members who were struggling with their own drug problems as well.  It is shocking when you think about the excessive drug consumption the members went through, yet they still managed to survive. As we all know this could have ended up in the complete opposite direction, to the road of demise that unfortunately many artists went to in the 1970′s. 

All in all, this record is the main basis behind this band’s success. This is why their music has been in our lives for over 40 years. Rumours personify all the emotions that someone goes through after a break-up. Imagine having to work with the person you shared your most intimate moments with and now even though you have broken up, you spend every single second together for the sake of making music. Some people could not imagine doing that and yet many bands, in this case, Fleetwood Mac, had to cope with this dilemma. To leave the band or to continue making music despite feeling uncomfortable at first?This album documents one of the most difficult and painful times in the members’ lives; the heartbreak, the sadness, the anger but as well as the sense of hope. Every single track on this album shares a story, a piece of mind that the songwriter felt like opening up to. This album truly has no layers, it is blunt and it is honest yet somehow it sounds like a soundtrack to a drama movie, which is why many people adore it so much. Even if you find the album not to be musically impressive (which is a shame), you should be able to appreciate not only its historical significance but also the lyrical composition. Being in your worst state you could ever be yet still being able to create a masterpiece that would be the blueprint to pop rock music is motivating for all the listeners who are currently going through emotional issues. Remember: no matter what you are going through right now, it will eventually get better.

[nitrateglow]

Movies watched in 2017 (35-45)

My 2017 movie journey continues! On this installment, I come across some foreign silent gems, mediocre superhero movies that make my sister angry, and the colorful madness of a certain Baz Luhrmann.

The Informer (dir. John Ford, 1935)

May just be my second favorite John Ford film after Young Mr. Lincoln. The Informer is a sound picture, but its storytelling and heavy, thorough use of incidental music make it very much like a silent movie. The use of music is a great example of what is now derisively referred to as “Mickey Mousing,” yet it never feels corny or silly because the music underscores the action and emotions of every scene so well.

While the plot is simple (former IRA member betrays a fellow rebel for money), it explores sophisticated moral and political territory. The ending is deeply moving, even if the religious symbolism is laid on a little thick. Then again, the film is heavy with expressionism, so perhaps that is warranted. Such a shame this movie is so underrated. (10/10)

Macbeth (dir. Justin Kurzel, 2015)

Words alone cannot convey my disappointment. Stills and clips made this film look like it was going to be the most stunning version of the Scottish play to date, but alas, it’s a mostly uninspiring affair. Sure, the extreme long shots of the fog-ridden and rocky landscapes are breathtaking. Sure, those fight scenes look cool. But no one seems to have much passion here—all the actors mumble and murmur the lines, every scene feels like it was shot with the trailer in mind and not because the content suited such a style. (5/10)

The Haunting (dir. Robert Wise, 1963)

The original Haunting is both a horror movie and the tragedy of a lonely, trapped woman. Eleanor may or may not be experiencing the supernatural, but there is no doubt she brought many of her own personal demons to that haunted house with her, mainly her craving to belong and be loved. While I found the voice over a little awkward at times, it eventually grew on me. Julie Harris is brilliant in the lead, one of the best horror movie performances ever.

The Haunting reminded me a lot of another gothic 1960s horror, The Innocents. I preferred The Innocents, but both are great movies about lonely women and their ghosts (literal and/or metaphoric).

And no, I do not ever plan on watching that 1990s remake. EVER. (9/10)

Danton (dir. Andrezj Wajda, 1983)

This was a wonderful movie, which makes me embarrassed since I have very little to say about it. It’s about the extremism of the French Revolution and the ideological conflict between the idealistic Robespierre and the less extreme Danton, who feels he is partially responsible for the Reign of Terror and wants to make things right. Their discourse on the nature of revolution and holding to one’s ideals is riveting from beginning to end. Even though Wajda’s sympathies lie with Danton, the film avoids painting Robespierre as a villain, showing him as a man of high ideals that were not born of power lust or evil. Both men become tragic figures in the midst of a troubled age.

The historical atmosphere is great too. Not since Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon have I seen a movie capture the look and feel of the eighteenth century to the point where it feels as though I have actually stepped back in time and am not merely witnessing a recreation. (9/10)

Japanese Girls at the Harbor (dir. Hiroshi Shimizu, 1933)

One of the things the best silent films excelled at was packing the simplest of narratives with beauty and emotion. Japanese Girls at the Harbor is one such film. At little over an hour, it tells the story of a young woman who commits a crime of passion and falls into geisha-dom as a result. At first, the movie’s story resembles a Mizoguchi film like Osaka Elegy or Sisters of the Gion, where women are forced into compromising situations through poverty or the failings of the men in their lives, but as the notes on the Criterion release say, Shimizu is much more optimistic about the potential to overcome society’s prejudice and find some little piece of redemption once you put your mind to it. The ending has a muted sense of optimism; Shimizu makes no guarantees that everything will turn out okay, but he does have hope.

There are some striking cinematic flourishes, such as the progressive close-up which precedes and antecedes a violent act. It made me think of the scene where we see the monster for the first time in James Whale’s Frankenstein. (9/10)

Moulin Rouge! (dir. Baz Luhrmann, 2001)

Part of me finds Moulin Rouge! brilliant; part of me finds it stupid and totally understands the hate it gets—regardless, I really liked it and am itching to watch it again. I first heard about it when Doug Walker claimed it was one of the movies he found most annoying and overrated, and from his description of the fast edits and some of the annoying tropes used in the picture, I expected to dislike it too. Nope. I admire its audacity, its willingness to be nothing less than bat-shit insane and unashamedly naïve in its fairy tale love story. It’s pretty much a live-action cartoon, complete with freaky close-ups, wild gesticulations accompanied by Looney Tunes sound effects, and general campiness all around. The aesthetic is like George Melies meets the 1950s MGM musical meets the 1990s music video.

That said, it isn’t perfect and I did get annoyed once the stakes started rising. I think the part of the movie which does not work for me is the second half. It’s not that the tragic stuff couldn’t work alongside all the goofy scenes (just look at Bollywood movies, which were apparently an inspiration for this movie), but sometimes the characters act way too stupid in order to move the plot along. I understand this isn’t meant to be a psychological study of jealousy or romantic love, but some of the things they do in the latter part of the movie strain credibility, even for a film in which the leads fall in love after one song.

I also feel the film’s themes aren’t explored in a compelling manner—which would not be a problem if the film was content with being mere romantic escapism, but I don’t feel that was the case. The film seems like it wants to be more than an exercise in style or an escapist melodrama with its protestations of the importance of love and artistic fulfillment. Roger Ebert claimed the movie was about the way we deceive ourselves as to our true nature (ex. Satine acts like she’s a heartless gold-digger, but she’s truly a romantic who favors the heart over her wallet; the Duke tricks himself into believing Satine truly loves him; Christian views himself as the quintessential suffering artist), but I felt that was never really developed all the way through the movie. Also the themes of love and jealousy are given the shallowest treatment. You can tell that despite its insane style and embracing of old-fashioned romanticism, it does want to discuss these things on a higher level, one it just does not reach. When your bad guy is like a parody of an entitled aristocrat who says lines like “OOH, DARLING LOOK A FROG!!”, you cannot take this movie seriously as drama.

Nevertheless, I did think the movie was a stylistic delight; we’re still feeling its influence now. Out of the Luhrmann movies I’ve seen, this one is certainly his most memorable, even if not everything works. (8/10)

A Woman’s Face (dir. George Cukor, 1941)

How this is one of Joan Crawford’s least remembered roles, I’ll never know. While on the technical side this movie is not terribly interesting, it is an entertaining noir drama and a commentary on how a woman’s worth is often linked closely to her physical beauty. And then there’s Conrad Veidt—oh swoon, oh man, I love his sensual, selfish villain! His line, “the world belongs to the devil” just personifies the amoral philosophy of so many noir villains throughout the classic cycle. (7/10)

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (dir. Sam Liu, 2017)

I watched this movie with my sister @zany-the-nerd, who is a big Deathstroke fan. If you too are a big Deathstroke fan, I can only tell you that the likelihood of your hating this movie is high, judging by my sister’s reaction to his new characterization. As someone with only secondhand knowledge of the comic this is adapted from, I would say this movie is okay on its own. The animation is good, the fight scenes are entertaining, Nightwing and Starfire are adorable. On the whole, I think it needed a runtime longer than 80 minutes. Tara’s relationships with both the other Titans and Deathstroke could have used more development to make the emotional conclusion more effective. (7/10)

David Copperfield (dir. George Cukor, 1935)

David Copperfield is one of Charles Dickens’ best-loved novels; in 1935, MGM adapted it into this wildly successful film version and populated it with tons of great character actors. One of the delights of this version is how much it resembles the original Victorian illustrations of the novel (even the opening titles are designed to evoke the original cover design of the novel’s first printing).

There are some expressionistic flourishes in the childhood segment, illustrating the innocent David’s clashes with the much harsher adult world and how lost he feels as a disadvantaged orphan within it, and these bits look forward to post-WWII Dickens adaptation such as David Lean’s Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, and the wonderful Brian Desmond Hurst version of A Christmas Carol, all of which had shadowy cinematography that bordered on noir aesthetics. Of course, the film is not wanting in humor, which often appears in the form of several great stars and character actors: WC Fields as an offbeat yet charming Mr. Micawber, Roland Young as a very icky Uriah Heap, Basil Rathbone as the sadistic Mr. Murdstone, Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Peggotty, good God the 1930s had such great performers for this kind of material! My favorite of the bunch has to be Edna May Oliver as Aunt Betsy—I cannot imagine anyone more perfect to play that eccentric, strong-willed woman.

One of the big shocks for me was Freddie Bartholomew as the child David. Child actors in classic-era talkies usually make me cringe, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Bartholomew’s performance. He comes off as sensitive and charming without being cloying, and when he was replaced by the blander Frank Lawton in the latter part of the film, I found myself missing him. About the only scenes where Lawton musters any charisma are the ones with David’s love interest Dora Spenlow (a character I found annoying in the book, but rather liked as played by Maureen O’Sullivan here—maybe I need to revisit the book and re-assess the character). There you’re able to see some of that sensitivity return, but otherwise, he just comes across as callow and passive.

To be honest, the book is much too long and complicated to cram into two hours and ten minutes—a three hour runtime would have served the filmmakers better (that or cutting more out, which they seemed unwilling to do). Apparently producer David O. Selznick wanted to make this book into two movies, which would have been an even better idea, allowing both halves of the story to breathe and develop. While David’s childhood in the first half of the movie is paced well, the second half with his adult counterpart feels more like a greatest hits reel, a quick summary. Agnes and Steerforth in particular are barely developed. As a result, the movie feels kind of rushed toward the end, leaving you less than satisfied. But no matter, this is still a charming, well-made movie, and a treat if you are a fan of Dickens in general. (8/10)

Twilight of a Woman’s Soul (dir. Yevgeni Bauer, 1913)

I was first turned onto 1910s filmmaker Yevgeni Bauer when I saw his 1917 picture Dying Swan last year (FYI, that movie is awesome and you should all watch it). Twilight of a Woman’s Soul is an earlier and slightly less sophisticated work, but by the end of its 48 minute running time, I was impressed nevertheless. It tells the story of a rich young woman named Vera whose life is altered after a vagabond rapes her. She murders him in self-defense afterward and runs off shaken and ill (an event which seems to have next to no effect on what happens next, but still satisfying). Time passes and though she is still affected by what happened, Vera does find romance. Engaged to an upright and tender nobleman, she wonders if she should tell him about her past trauma, only to learn that her allegedly loving spouse sees her as only damaged goods after that.

What ensues is not at all what one would expect from a 1910s melodrama and just in case you watch this film, I dare not spoil it for you too much, as I was incredibly surprised by how progressive it was in terms of gender politics and in terms of how it portrayed rape from the victim’s perspective. Needless to say, the woman is able to find healing and peace without the aid of a love interest to avenge her honor. Heck, she avenges her own honor and doesn’t have to pay for it morally or legally!

Like many films made before WWI, much of the story is depicted in a series of tableaux; a medium shot is the closest the camera ever comes to any human subject. Nevertheless, this is hardly a filmed stage play. For one thing, the static scenes are saved from dullness by lovely composition, each set decorated  and lit with a sensitive eye for detail. The editing is also adventurous for 1913. In an early scene, the filmmakers employ a slow-moving forward dolly shot to create a sense of depth in the space of the heroine’s boudoir. The film suddenly, almost violently, cuts away from the rape and the murder that follows it the split second before each event occurs. The acting is also very subdued, not at all the wild gesticulations 21st century audiences expect from a silent film of this vintage.

And that seems to be the running theme of this journal entry: this movie is not what people would expect from a 1913 picture. Progressive artistically and socially, it has me wanting to watch even more of Mr. Bauer. (8/10)

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #109 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: Yes.

Was it a movie I saw since August 22nd, 2009: Yes. No.

Format: DVD

1) The early 2000s have a lot of truly underrated gems, especially from Disney. Along with The Emperor’s New Groove and Treasure Planet, Atlantis: The Lost Empire is probably one of the most underrated and overlooked films in their catalogue. Which is a true shame because it is such a great film.

2) This film opens with the city of Atlantis being washed away by a great flood, but if there was originally an alternate opening featuring vikings with the Shepard’s Journal in search of the fabled city. I prefer the opening we have, but you can watch the viking prologue if you want.

3) Michael J. Fox as Milo Thatch.

I saw this movie when it first came out in June of 2001. I fell in love with Back to the Future in February of 2009. So when I realized Marty McFly and Milo Thatch were one in the same my love for this film only grew. Fox brings a sincere enthusiasm to Milo, and like with the best voice acting you forget that you’re listening to Michael J. Fox. He BECOMES Milo, the guy who has to deal with everyone doubting him while still clinging true to his beliefs. It is a great character supported by an incredible actor.

4) There is a nice juxtaposition between how Helga sets up Mr. Whitmore (“Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite. Much.”) and the quirky little nut Mr. Whitmore actually is.

An enigmatic man who I would’ve liked to know more of, Whitmore is a little eccentric but comes off as a good hearted man. His relationship with Milo’s grandfather seems to be the defining thing in his life, so much so that he’s funding a multi-million (1914 million) dollar expedition to find a myth. John Mahoney (best known for the role of Frasier’s father on Frasier) gives a strong performance in his little bit of time, but this film is filled with strong voice over performances so it is no wonder his stacks up.

5) This line was improvised by Michael J. Fox:

Milo [after he throws up from being seasick]: “Carrots. Why is it always carrots? I didn’t even have carrots!”

6) Animated films tend to be short and with the added benefit of exaggeration need to establish personalities of supporting characters IMMEDIATELY. This is very true of the expedition’s crew. This starts with Jim Varney as Cookie, a hillbilly type who fits Varney’s comedic styling very nicely. Varney passed away before filming was complete, leaving some lines to have a stand in, but his life is in Cookie all the way.

Helga: “The men need their four basic food groups.”

Cookie [holding up three fingers]: “I’ve got your four basic food groups! Beans, bacon, whiskey, & lard!”

7) Oh my god Vinny.

Every line out of Vinny’s mouth is glorious! Voiced by Don Novello, Novello makes Vinny his own in the same way that James Woods made Hades his own in Hercules. I saw a behind the scenes featurette for this film way back when that said Novello improv-d a lot of lines and most of them are included in the film. Vinny is hysterical, with his penchant for blowing things up and dead pan delivery. The crew is made up of a bunch of great individuals & Vinny is no exception.

8) Rourke...

Rourke is the captain of the expedition and - after the film’s twist - turns out to be the main villain. Voiced by James Garner, Rourke is honestly at his most interesting towards the end when he can be a ruthless bad guy. Up until that point he’s a pretty good commander and seems like an honest man. But looks can be deceiving.

9) There are so many jokes you don’t get in these movies when you were a kid (just wait until I do Shrek). For example:

Mole [about his dirt from different countries]: “England must never merge with France!”

10) Although Vinny is awesome, there’s a good chance that Sweets is my favorite crew member in the film.

He’s fast talking, genuinely kind, a good doctor, and when the crew needs to start acting like bad guys he’s the first to abandon Rourke and his selfish quest (although much more quietly than the other characters). Phil Morris - like the other actors - breathes such life and personality into Sweets that you don’t even question that he’s real.

11) I love the wit in this film.

Sweets [presenting Milo with the vials presented above]: “Here, I’m going to need you to fill these up.”

Milo: “WITH WHAT!?”

12) And to round out the crew, Audrey.

Like most of the crew, we learn more about Audrey in a pivotal scene later. But when we first meet her she’s already impressive. Just a teenager, Audrey is the head engineer on the expedition and tough as nails. She knows her shit and is tough as hell, but that’s not why she’s awesome. Well, that’s not the ONLY reason she’s awesome. But more on that later.

13) The Leviathan.

Mike Mignola, the creator and artist behind the character Hellboy, is credited as a production designer on this film. Nowhere is his influence more clearly scene than the leviathan, the mechanical sea beast meant to defend the entrance to Atlantis. It is an impressive feat of imagination and animation, a creature which is truly menacing in both size and design. The leviathan and its attack on the submarine crew could quite well be the best part of this film.

13.5) Why does a science expedition have battle stations? I mean, now we know because they’re mercenaries. But did this not raise any red flags?

14) God bless Packard. I’m not even sure what her role on the ship is besides announcer, but god bless her.

15) The pivotal scene for so many of these characters in this film is when Milo eats with them for the first time and we get their backstory.

Sweets’ of mixed descent, part black part Native American (I believe he said he’s Navajo). He studied to be a doctor when he got enlisted in the army.

Audrey’s father wanted sons, one to run his auto shop and another to become world boxing champion. Her sister has a shot at the title.

Vinny’s family owned a flower shop and when the business next door blew up, “It was like a sign from god! I found myself in that ‘boom.’”

And then of course we get this line.

Milo: “What’s Mole’s story?”

Sweets: “Trust me on this one. You don't wanna know. Audrey, don't tell him. You shouldn't have told me, but you did. And now I'm tellin' you, you don’t wanna know.”

You see THIS is what fleshes out these characters. Its this one scene which makes them more than jokes or stereotypes or archetypes, but real people. We get their conflict, their history. We learn of Audrey’s family, of Vinny’s boredom with flowers, or Sweets’ history in the army. THIS is what makes the film standout in the way it does.

16) Kida.

It’s too bad Atlantis didn’t do too well at the box-office, otherwise Kida might take her place among the official Disney Princess line. Along the same lines as Mulan, Kida is a warrior princess. A woman who can kick ass but also loves her father and her people very dearly. Cree Summer is an accomplished actress in the voice over world, with Kida possibly being one of her finest roles. Kida is tough but never mean, curious but never overbearing, capable but able to form a meaningful relationship with Milo (while also not being too over the top lovey dovey), and just an all around great character.

17) Hey look, its Spock!

Leonard Nimoy has had a number of voice over roles, particularly in the 21st century. Its nice hearing him in this, even if we don’t get to spend too much time with the king.

18) So you know the trope of a 100+ year old vampire forming a slightly weird relationship with a much younger woman?

Well...

19) The betrayal of the crew wouldn’t have hurt nearly as much as it does if it weren’t for the scene where we get all their backstories.

Notably we don’t get the backstories of the two most evil characters in the film: Rourke & Helga. This is when Rourke becomes REALLY interesting and when James Garner has a lot of fun as the bad guy. He’s a brute! A bully! He’s ruthless, pretty much kills the king, beats on Milo when he’s down, all while cracking a jock and flexing his impressive muscles for a 60+ year old man. Rourke doesn’t get enough credit as a Disney bad guy in my opinion.

20) I love this.

Milo [after Rourke asks him to translate better]: “I know, why don’t you translate AND I’LL WAVE THE GUN AROUND!”

I live for heroes telling bad guys who are “in control” to f*** off.

21) The entire crystal chamber scene is just absolutely gorgeous. The early 2000s were noteworthy for frequent mingling of hand drawn and computer animation, with Atlantis being one of the finest examples of it.

Also this shot is gorgeous:

22) I never got this line.

Rourke (after his crew decide to stick with Milo & the Atlanteans): “PT Barnum was right.”

Only now do I know one of Barnum's famous quotes is, "There's a sucker born every minute." And I had to google it.

22.5) Fun fact: Joss Whedon worked on the story for this film! For you Whedonites out there, doesn’t “PT Barnum was right.” sound like a very Whedon-y line?

(GIF originally posted by @marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer)

23) Okay, as a child and even now I was OBSESSED with crystalized Rourke.

Like that image is just very memorable to me, especially after Rourke was supposedly killed by being encased in crystal. It’s too bad we only got a minute or so of it before the airship crashed, but damn that’s just the coolest thing to me. If there are any Kingdom Hearts fans reading this, imagine this: A Rourke boss fight, where after you beat him the first time you have to fight his crystal form and its an even tougher fight.

24) And of course Milo stays in Atlantis at the end, because it is what he and his grandfather sent their entire lives searching for. What would be the point of returning to the surface where either A) no one will believe him, or B) people will believe him and try to take advantage of this culture they found? It’s a great ending which makes a lot of sense.

I love Atlantis. It’s one of my favorite Disney films, but it maybe wouldn’t be if it weren’t so underrated. If you’re a fan of action, adventure, Disney, animation, or heck, even Stargate, I think you’ll enjoy this film.

[gazzhowie]

My Top 25 Movies of 2016.

Yes, indeed. It’s that time of year again - This year is going to be a lot like last year unfortunately. I’m going to do another blast through a few films that deserve ‘special mention’, then just lay my Top 25 of 2016 out.

No long introduction. No 50 – 26 countdown like previous years. Let’s just bang straight on. Every film mentioned in the preceding paragraphs is well worth seeking out and experiencing whether it be a comedy, documentary, horror, drama, animation or blockbuster. The Top 25 that follows them though is obviously the one’s I regard as absolute must-see’s!

In terms of comedy I seemed to get a great deal more out of Hail, Caesar than most and was genuinely surprised by how hard a ‘cash-in’ sequel like Bad Neighbours 2 actually tried instead of going down the usual route of phoning it beat-by-beat. I liked Sleeping With Other People a great deal and thought Alison Brie gave easily one of the Top Ten best performances of the year. I thought both Goosebumps and Lazer Team were a great deal more fun than they had any right to be, and I thoroughly enjoyed the mixed-tone of The Mermaid though it was a long way off from the majesty of Kung Fu Hustle.

Unlike a lot of people, I seemed to think it was a strong year for documentaries. Two hit my Top 25 in joint position and then there was the horrifying depiction of college rape cover-up in The Hunting Ground which demands to be watched as part of a double-bill with Netflix’s jaw-dropping Audrie & Daisy. Netflix also had a great year in getting Amanda Knox out there which was an engrossing watch but couldn’t help but feel slight. Both The Barkley Marathon: The Race That Eats Its Young and Man VS. Snake (a sort-of sequel to The King of Kong) both finally landed on UK shores and were more than worth the wait. As did Welcome to Leith which was a staggeringly uncomfortable watch that plays out like a found footage horror film – until you remind yourself that it is 100% real. Finally there was Marathon: The Patriot’s Day Bombing which is every bit as moving and upsetting as you would imagine it to be.

Drama-wise, I was very impressed with Lamb and the performances in it. It skirted a line so deftly you don’t know quite whether to slap the label “paedophile drama” on it or whether that is missing the film’s point altogether. Disorder was an extremely solid if unexceptional home invasion type thriller but excels by proving to be one of the most accurate depictions of PTSD captured on film. I liked Room a great deal and was delighted to see the talents of Brie Larson were finally knocked into the stratosphere. As much as it lost its way towards the end, I had a lot of time for John Hillcoat’s Triple 9 which is filled to the brim with talented actors (and Kate Winslet!) doing strong work amidst some truly tense and well-executed set pieces. Ben Wheatley may make uneven movies here and there but he never makes a boring one and High Rise holds true to that. As chase thrillers go, the indie thriller River is well worth a watch just for its unrelenting sense of pace. The heavily maligned and (production) troubled Jane’s Got A Gun turned out not to be the turkey many envisaged and was in fact enormously watchable thanks to strong work from its cast. Norway took on the disaster movie to great B-movie effect with The Wave, Money Monster was a watchable and fun siege-style movie that shouldn’t be taken as importantly as it wants you to. And finally Goat is well worth seeking out. It’s horribly uncomfortable stuff but needs to be seen just for the double-whammy of an excellent Jonas Brothers’ performance AND a tolerable appearance from James Franco.

On the horror front, I was genuinely impressed with both Under the Shadows and The Witch, the final third of both films are ones that still linger and leave me feeling uncomfortable even now, months on. In a year quite barren for old-fashioned ‘creature features’, I sought comfort in and had a great time with the Aussie killer-dog exploitation-er, The Pack. Mike Flanagan absolutely knocked it out of the park with the Netflix exclusive, Hush, and I look forward to seeing it again. I’m normally no fan of the ‘anthology’ movie and there’s certainly a lot of awful ones out there but I was really taken with Southbound and, unlike a lot of those movies, didn’t find a weak link within it. On that note, I’m no fan of the ‘found footage’ movies nowadays but The Good Neighbour proved to be an effective gem that kept me guessing in terms of where it was going and has a typically strong, stoic performance from James Caan. For its first two thirds I was a genuine fan of Lights Out and thought it was on point to secure its place as my favourite horror of the year. Then it floundered into crassness in its final denouement and the film sadly come undone for me.

Animation wise, I liked both Kung Fu Panda 3 and Finding Dory way more than I thought I would given their purpose as ‘cash-grab lazy sequels’. Both found new ways or ideas to light up what should be tired concepts (the former taking a Seven Samurai style ‘train a village to defend a village’ approach and the latter utilising Ed O’Neill’s octopus character to break up the monotony of a beat by beat re-tread). Finally there was Kubo and the Two Strings whose structural issues in its final third were the only things keeping it from an appearance on my final Top 25. It’s a stunningly beautiful piece of work with some tremendously inventive moments (the face-off with the giant skeleton is one of the year’s best sequences!) and I’ll probably become more forgiving of its flaws with further re-watches.

Finally, on the ‘big’ blockbuster-esque front, I enjoyed Jon Faverau’s The Jungle Book a great deal on a technical level but felt flattened by the young lead actor’s VERY ‘stage school-y’ performance. I also thoroughly enjoyed the return of Jason Bourne and feel churlish for grumbling that it is only ‘very good’ instead of an ‘instant classic’ like the first three. It’s all very same-old, same-old in places but it brings out the big pay-off with its Vegas-set car-meggedon finale. I thought Doctor Strange was a tremendous accomplishment in bringing that particular character to the screen and for the most part I got a lot of entertainment from it, but for me Benedict Cumberbatch and that god-awful accent just didn’t work for me. One of the blockbuster surprises of the year was Star Trek Beyond which – bad writing aside (Simon Pegg tends to write very cloth-eared dialogue) – turned out to be relentlessly entertaining and full of gusto in all the ways the inert second movie was not. Possibly the biggest surprise even over that movie though was The Shallows, which was considerably better than it had any right to be. A big, high concept, one location, survival movie with a transfixing performance from Blake Lively, this plummets into the realms of stupidity in its final confrontation but all that goes before it is an absolute B-movie joy! Deadpool was a delight that hopefully blasted the cobwebs off of the comic book movie subgenre with a lead performance from Ryan Reynolds that finally cements his years of being underrated. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story most definitely came good midway into its second act and slowly evolved into one of the best blockbusters of the year, but what went before it was so unnecessarily choppy and uneven that it took a bit too long to settle in for the ride. Netflix’s Siege of Jadotville was a terrifically enthralling Zulu-type true life war movie that far too few seem to have taken the time to check out and far too little are bestowing praise upon. It’s well worth a look. Finally there’s Kill Zone 2, an – in name only – sequel to the Donnie Yen / Sammo Hung martial arts classic. This time Tony Jaa heads up the cast for a head-spinning action extravaganza involving prison kick-offs, organ trafficking, shoot-outs and so much more. It’s a genuinely brilliant blast of action cinema. You don’t have to have seen the first Kill Zone either by the way. They just slapped that sequel title on this unrelated movie.

And now, without further ado, here’s my Top 25 movies of 2016 that - thanks to some blatant cheating on my part - is clearly a Top 27 as I just could not be drawn to pick between the best documentary and the best horror...

25) The Invitation

I went into this sniffily, half paying attention, just so I could rip the terrible guy from Prometheus a new bum-hole and... boy did it start to slowly grip me. Anyone who says they saw the final act coming is a liar. And that final image? One of they year’s most haunting!

24) Victoria

An entire film made up of one take - no cuts - ends up being one of the most enthralling and technically captivating films of the year. It’s lazy to just call it a ‘heist movie’ when it is offering so much more.

23) Keanu

Utterly disrespected on its UK release, this is a must not just for Key & Peele fans but for fans of legitimately funny, laugh-out-loud comedies. This is the sort of film that you see and start passing around amongst your friends as a sort of “You’ve GOT to see this!” secret gift. It’s all the more a must-see in light of George Michael’s death. You’ll see.

22) Tickled / Weiner

I genuinely could not call it between these two documentaries. Both are astounding pieces of work. Tickled takes you from a place of “I ain’t watching no documentary about competitive tickling!” to “Ok, whah! Hold up! What’s going on?” to actual “What. The. Fuck.” And Weiner? Well Weiner is all the more a must-watch in light of revelations that Anthony Weiner could well have inadvertently taken down Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president. It is a total jaw-dropper of a documentary in the sense that you continually question not just how the makers got this level of access but how they were allowed to carry on filming during some of the scenes presented. The McDonald’s scene could well be both the most degrading scene of the year and one of the year’s best action sequences.

21) The Wailing

One part ‘possession’ movie. One part Korean police procedural. Two parts horror movie. And finally one part ‘mystical battle of good and evil’ epic. This is an absolute blast of a film that grabs you extremely early on and holds you tight for its lengthy running time. You never know what’s coming next and that makes the scares - when they drop - all the more strong. Go in knowing as little as possible, and give yourself over to it completely.

20) Zootopia

There was absolutely nothing about this movie (entitled Zootropolis everywhere but the UK, bizarrely) in its marketing that made me think it was something I a) needed to see and b) had not seen done a hundred times before: Cute Disney animals riffing on some well-worn subgenre of cinema to uneven effect. But this was REALLY something different; playing with the police procedural and the beats of the standard buddy movie, this ends up being an excellent lesson in tolerance, racism and persecution. It’s a joy from start to finish.

19) Everybody Wants Some!!

I went into this under a swell of hype because everything Richard Linklater puts his name to seems to get an immediate seal of high quality nowadays. I was really reluctant towards it because I just thought “M’eh. He’s done Dazed & Confused. How good can this actually be?” And you know what? Believe what you hear. It’s a real delight.

18) Arrival

Ignore the trailers that try to sell you this as some sort of Independence Day type movie. Read up on as little about it as you can. Go in completely cold. Give yourself over to it and pay close attention. This movie will get deep into your headspace, warm your heart and change your perception of how the human mind sees and comprehends structure and storytelling for a long time to come.

17) The Revenant

We seem to have thrown the Oscar at Leonardo DiCaprio and pushed this film to the side but in doing so we forget what an absolute tremendous piece of work it is on a visual and technical level. You cannot conceivably discuss the best cinema had to offer this year and not involve this epic revenge ‘poem’ in the conversation.

16) Sausage Party

I really wanted to dislike this. I did. I saw all the reviews and high word-of-mouth and I absolutely thought half the western world was off their fucking rockers, so to speak. But this really is THAT much fun and it absolutely is that hilarious. Not every joke works and when they clunk they thud. Yet there’s more hits than misses - and you’ll not see a better talking food movie about religion and existentialism this year!

15) Hell or High Water

They’ll sell you on this being an ‘all guns blazing’ heist thriller just to get you through the door. But, in reality, this is a thoughtful spin on the ‘greedy banking crisis’ told as a surprisingly elegant modern western. Chris Pine, Ben Foster and Jeff Bridges are all universally excellent. And the final scene is a slow burning, mature reward for your investment. 

14) 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Written off as political propaganda upon its release, this is actually one of Michael Bay’s best movies with a remarkable performance from John Krasinski. It’s a bombastic, relentless, gory, engaging and exhilarating piece of work and I think time is going to be kind to this movie, more than people realise. It’s the best war movie of the year but I think it could go on to be considered one of the best modern war movies of the decade.

13) Bone Tomahawk

Quite possibly the best ever bait-and-switch since Robert Rodriguez took his crime thriller to the ‘Titty Twister’, this is a fabulous assured old-school western with superb turns from Kurt Russell, Richard Jenkins, Patrick Wilson and (yes) Matthew Fox. If you know nothing about this already, go in that way and... well... try to survive! Good luck! 

12) Spotlight

A good old fashioned procedural movie that plays out like the true life dramas of the 1970s - Pull together a great cast, have them go off a great script based on an enthralling real incident, keep the direction clean and unshowy and just sit back and let the results come together as they should. One of the best dramas of the year. Totally deserved of its Oscar, in my opinion.

11) Eddie The Eagle

Absolutely NOTHING about this movie should work in the least. It’s a true life sporting underdog tale where pretty much 95% of the ‘facts’ are unashamedly fictionalised. It’s got a lead performance that you have to warm to because it takes a while to get past the gurning. It’s apparent Hugh Jackman is only there to help the budget... and yet, within the first few beats of the film’s epically retro soundtrack, you are hooked into one of the loveliest and warmest films of the years. It’s very much an explosion of feel-good cinematic hugs.

10) Midnight Special

A father kidnaps his son from the religious cult he’s been held at the centre of and takes him on an obsessive quest to get to a very specific place at a very specific time. That’s all you need to know right there. Seek out nothing else. Head on into a viewing of this with just that information and lie back in the warm embrace of masterful storytelling.

9) The Hateful Eight

Tarantino’s playful homage to both John Carpenter’s The Thing and Agatha Christie’s storytelling of old is a thoroughly impressive piece of work, lauding over its love of its own dialogue, brazen performances and showy directorial flourishes. It’s a ‘guess who’ that - whilst not as clever as it thinks it is - will certainly have you absolutely captivated. The thankfully short appearance from the painful Zoe Bell is the only flaw this otherwise exceptional chamber-piece offers.

8) The Big Short

The true story of the 2008 banking crisis as told by an all-star cast - in the style of a comedic heist movie? With celebrity cameos used as a glossary index? As told by the guy who directed Anchorman? Come on. This should never have worked. This should never have even been considered seriously. And yet, here it is and here it is as one of the best movies of the year. Don’t worry if you leave your first experience of it angry. You’re meant to.

7) Captain America: Civil War

Quite simply, the best blockbuster of the year by a large margin. In amongst the fast-becoming-impenetrable size of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Captain America movies have emerged (especially because of the double whammy of this and The Winter Soldier) as the franchise’s lynch-pin and high bastion of quality. This all-star beatdown should have, by rights, been the clusterfuck that snapped the wheels of the MCU. Instead it is one of the most insanely enjoyable blockbusters of the year and - with that airport sequence - the owner of the best action set-piece of the year! 

6) Hunt For The Wilderpeople

I was desperate to see this because of my adoration for What We Do In The Shadows and it genuinely did not disappoint. It’s funny, moving and really rather lovely with a very subtle but warm performance from Sam Neill that, by rights, should see him nominated for some awards come that particular season.

5) Don’t Breathe / Train to Busan

I couldn’t call it between these two as the best horrors of the year no more than I could between the documentaries. Train to Busan takes the (frankly exhausted) zombie genre, puts it on the tracks and sends it speeding off through a cavalcade of carnage, scares and truly brilliant action sequences. You’ll rip the arms of your chair and scream out loud watching this one. And Don’t Breathe is a truly exceptional reinvention of the home invasion movie in all the ways Busan reinvigorates the zombie movie. Jane Levy and Stephen Lang do work here that should, by rights, get them nominated for a boatload of awards - but sadly won’t because awards councils very rarely respect horror. Yes, it gets a little daft the higher up the dial they turn the tension but that doesn’t undo the fantastic work done here in setting up one of the geographically cleanest and leanest horror films of the year. 

4) Green Room

I love a good siege movie and Jeremy Saulnier most definitely delivers a great one. I was ‘in’ from the outset as I was a huge, huge, huge fan of Saulnier’s Blue Ruin but this more than lives up to expectations. It’s bigger than the ‘punks versus neo-nazis’ longline it hides behind. It is gruelling and gory and exceptionally tense. It is also driven steadfastly by another effortlessly brilliant performance from Anton Yelchin, who died far too young in 2016.

3) Creed

A SEVENTH Rocky movie after the stretch - a lovely stretch, but a stretch none the less - that was Rocky Balboa (aka Rocky VI)? A spin-off about Apollo Creed’s illegitimate son being coached by an aged Rocky? Oh come on! This sounds utterly awful! No better than that dire Rocky VI ‘spec’ script that appeared online in the late 90s with Rocky Jr taking on the son of Ivan Drago. But... But.. BUT, hold up! This film is the real deal. A movie made by die hard Rocky fans for die hard Rocky fans with the actual Rocky up, front and centre giving it his blessing every step of the way. It’s not just a thematic modernisation of the franchise but it is also a pitch perfect spiritual return to the raw, indie-style, rough-and-ready feel of the first classic. Stallone’s Best Supporting Actor nomination was truly deserved. His campaign might have been a little classless but the nomination was earned - if for nothing else that heart-breaking scene in the doctor’s office! 

2) Sing Street

NINE separate people recommended this film to me and I ignored every single one of them. I am not a fan of musicals. I’ve not seen Once. I lasted exactly 10 minutes into Begin Again. I watched the trailer for this, saw the lad from Transformers 4 in a bad wig and just thought “Eurgh! No!” Then a lad who’s opinion I legitimately respect pushed hard for me to give it a go and I threw it on as a 99p iTunes rental one rainy Sunday afternoon and... I was left in tears! It resonated hard with me in a lot of ways from my own childhood, growing up in the 80s. It’s really lovely and special and you can clearly tell that the people behind it are coming from a place of honesty and passion about that era and the music. It’s a fabulous little film and I have no qualms in admitting that I was wrong to pre-judge it.

1) The Nice Guys

I am an obsessive fan of all things Shane Black anyway but this truly was the absolute gift of the year for me. Not only was it a truly fabulous return to the well Black has played around in as director with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and writer with The Last Boy Scout and The Long Kiss Goodnight, it’s a film that will transform your opinion of what Russell Crowe is capable of. Featuring some of the strongest gags of the year, this is a deliberately convoluted shaggy-dog PI tale that slowly mutates from a comedy caper into a genuinely strong shoot ‘em up thriller. I loved it from its opening car crash gag right the way through to its sequel baiting final scene. A sequel that... just like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight, etc... we will NEVER GET TO SEE because APPARENTLY NONE OF YOU FUCK TRUMPETS TOOK THE TIME TO SEE THIS!

Rectify that now. “And stuff!”

[placetobenation]

The Basics: 

16 individuals drafted every main show match in WrestleMania history (along with Neville vs Austin Aries from WrestleMania 33 to keep things even). This gives each person a total of 20 matches selected. The draft was conducted snake style so the individual that had the 16th pick in the draft also had the 17th pick to start round two. Each round will have an individual post leading up to WrestleMania 34 and the draft will culminate in our own Mel Kiper (Brad Woodling) giving his opinions and draft grades for how each person did overall. Place to Be Nation will also be able to vote on their favorite draft overall.

Round 4:

Pick #49: Charlotte Flair vs Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch (WrestleMania 32) – Selected by Jennifer Smith

I definitely knew I wanted a good women’s match so I consulted PTBN’s WrestleMania List-a-Mania from 2017 and drafted the #1 on the Best WM Women’s Match list. Plus, all of these ladies are easy on the eyes.

Pick #50: John Cena vs Batista (WrestleMania 26) – Selected by JT Rozzero

I continued to target underappreciated big time matches, as I feel this one doesn’t get the love it should. It was really good, filled with big bombs and a fun storyline, plus heel Batista at his best.

Pick #51: John Cena vs The Rock (WrestleMania 29) – Selected by Tim Capel

It would seem that I continue to feast on Stacey’s scraps. Unlike Shawn vs. Taker II, this admittedly does feel more like settling for the lesser match. Unwanted though the rematch was by seemingly everybody at the time, Rock and Cena still bring an iconic, big match feel – and with the title on the line to boot. I still admire their efforts in going absolutely nuts with the false finishes to deflect from the foregone conclusion. No regrets here.

Pick #52: CM Punk vs Chris Jericho (WrestleMania 28) – Selected by Chad Campbell

At this point with my top three matches secured, I was looking for best available. I feel like this is an underrated gem that gives you a workrate style main event match with some nice star power that don’t have too many Mania gems elsewhere.

Pick #53: John Cena vs Triple H (WrestleMania 22) – Selected by Brian Bayless

As one era ended in Rock vs. Austin, another begun with Cena winning his first World Championship. Despite the crowd being pro-HHH, Cena showed he belonged in the main event and stayed on top of the company for a very long time.

Pick #54: The Undertaker vs Triple H (WrestleMania 17) – Selected by Scott Criscuolo

The first of a trilogy of Mania matches for these two. On a show already stacked these two could just go out and have a nice tidy brawl all over the Astrodome.

Pick #55: Lawrence Taylor vs Bam Bam Bigelow (WrestleMania 11) – Selected by Neil Trama

Here we get the greatest WrestleMania celebrity match of all time coupled with tons of pomp and circumstance. Plus it puts me on my way to fulfilling JT Rozerro’s prediction that I would draft the entire Wrestlemania 11 card.

Pick #56: Trish Stratus vs Mickie James (WrestleMania 22) – Selected by Aaron George

So I want the full UNEDITED version. With the grabs, the licks, and the audience losing their fucking minds.  There’s a moment where Mickie drops Trish’s throat on the top rope as she falls to the outside, she throws her hands in the air and laughs while the crowd goes ballistic. In that moment I knew I was watching the best women’s match in WrestleMania history. It was then, it is now. It’s legit special, the vibe, the work and the atmosphere are top-notch.

Match time:    9 Mins

Show Time :   48 Mins

Pick #57: Andre the Giant Battle Royal (WrestleMania 30) – Selected by Jordan Duncan

Another aspect I considered was to try to ONLY consider the matches, not the long term results. If you look at this match and it’s long term effects, it failed to make Cesaro a singles star. But on THAT night? He seemed poised to break out as a huge deal. A really fun battle royal with a great finish.

Pick #58: Triple H vs The Big Show vs The Rock vs Mick Foley (WrestleMania 16) – Selected by Steven Ferrari

This match is often overlooked, I think, as a really fun WrestleMania main event. But it has a couple fun storylines, a lot of great action and Rock hitting the People’s Elbow on Stephanie for another classic moment.

Pick #59: Ahmed Johnson & The Legion of Doom vs The Nation of Domination (WrestleMania 13) – Selected by Andy LaBar

Andy Pick: #4    Overall Pick: #59

I know this match isn’t for everyone, but all things considered, this is honestly one of my very favorite WrestleMania matches of all time. It could be part nostalgia, or part HOLY SHIT, but having never seen ECW when this match happened, nor much other hardcore wrestling, the brawl that this match is truly blew my mind. Everything is a weapon, and Road Warrior Hawk is king. Truthfully I almost picked this match with my third pick, and was super happy it fell to me at #59, with my fourth pick. From a card perspective, this match marks where shit is gonna pick up and get really real. We are going to let up ONLY ONCE in these last handful of matches, and we are gonna see spectacle after spectacle. Some say this match may drag on too long, and it may, but it’s fun as hell.

Pick #60: Chris Jericho vs Christian (WrestleMania 20) – Selected by Nick Duke

There were only a few must haves in my mind coming into this, freeing me up to pretty much go with what I felt was the best available match throughout. That came into play here, as Jericho vs Christian is severely underrated and often forgotten in my opinion. Plus, heel Trish. I believe the term is “hache mache.”

Pick #61: Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit (WrestleMania 17) – Selected by Greg Phillips

I believe firmly in variety in wrestling. So far I’ve drafted an all around classic, a Ruthless Aggression era epic, a Hell in a Cell/Attitude Era Brawl match, and now a technical exhibition between two of the finest scientific wrestlers of all time. This match is exactly what it needs to be to fill this niche on the card.

Pick #62: Money in the Bank (WrestleMania 24) – Selected by Stacey O’Louglin

I desperately wanted a Money in the Bank ladder match. While the first couple are more famous and a lot of them run together, I think IV might just be the highest quality match in a vacuum. It’s a crazy balls out spotfest with a litany of reckless and stupid ladder spots, an awesome run in, and a fun surprise winner.

Pick #63: Triple H vs Sting (WrestleMania 31) – Selected by Todd Weber

Sting is one of my top-5 all-time favorite wrestlers, and getting him on this card was a must for me, even if this is a pretty basic and predictable match. Also, this was one of my favorite matches from the first WrestleMania I ever watched live in person! The nWo and D-X run-ins are my favorite part-the stadium rocked!

Pick #64: The Undertaker vs Randy Orton (WrestleMania 21) – Selected by J Arsenio D’Amato

Any dream Mania Card has to have an Undertaker match and this is one of his best.

[cover32-yahoopartner-blog]

Who are the Bears X Factors?

“A player in a team game who leads attacks or brings other players on the same side into a position from which they could score.”

That is the definition of the word playmaker according to Webster’s dictionary, and its something that the Chicago Bears have lacked on both sides of the ball for quite some time. in my last article, I broke down the offensive X-Factors for the Chicago Bears and in this instalment I will do the same on the defensive side of the football.

Defensive Line

What was considered to be one of the biggest questions marks the Bears have had since transitioning to a 3-4 defense a few years ago under Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio has quickly become one of its strengths.

Controlling the football game starts right up front in the trenches, and it starts with the Nose Tackle position. Incumbent starting Nose Tackle Eddie Goldman has been quite the gem for this team since being drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft. When healthy, Goldman grades out as one of the better run stuffers in the NFL, and has shown glimpses of Pass Rushing ability accumulating seven sacks in his two seasons. What has been his biggest problem has been his health, playing in only 6 games last year really put a downer on his potential development. So what did Ryan Pace do? He decided to go out and get some depth, and signed John Jenkins. While Jenkins stats don’t jump off at the page, he is a solid back up should Goldman go down.

On one side of Goldman, you have what many consider to be the Chicago Bears best player, Akeem Hicks. Signed in Free Agency after being a rotational player for the New England Patriots, Hicks came into his own in 2016 to the tune of Seven sacks, and grading out as one of the Defensive Ends in football according to PFF. The best part about Hicks is that he is only 27 years old, its not a stretch to think that he could be productive in the NFL for another 8 seasons, and he’s made it clear that those are seasons he wants to play right here in Chicago, something I believe Ryan Pace is working hard at making happen.

Incumbent starter Mitch Unrein, last years 3rd round draft pick Jonathan Bullard, and late FA addition Jaye Howard seem poised in a battle for the other starter slot. Unrein, was medicore at best last year and got the starter role only after Bullard didn’t live up to his Pre-Draft hype. However, so far this preseason it looks like he has finally turned that corner and has been one of the more impressive standouts for the Bears, stuffing run after run and blowing them up in the backfield for some lovely TFL to watch. His success so far may not have been one that the Bears envisioned, as they brought in Jaye Howard after his surprising cut from the Kansas City Chiefs. Howard, before last year was a highly sought after Free Agent, so when he became available it only made sense for Ryan Pace to do whatever he could to get him here. What Howard is going to have to do is prove his health and stay on the football field. I do believe that if it comes down to him vs Unrein, he will win the job but I don’t see any reason Bullard shouldn’t be starting.

Also on the roster is intriguing prospect, Roy Robertson-Harris. Harris, showed up in a big way against the Cardinals and has many people talking. I personally dont think Harris is an every down player yet, but he should make this team just based on his potential upside alone, 6 foot 7, and 294 lbs and has some impressive speed to go along side with that strength.

Linebackers

The heart and soul of a defense, especially one here in Chicago. Singletary, Urlacher, Briggs are some of the names we had the pleasure of watching patrol the middle of the field here in the windy city. And this group the Bears have currently is incredibly promising. Inside, you have last years prize free agent signing Danny Trevathan and one of the most underrated players in the NFL Jerrell Freeman. If Trevathan cannot start the season, second year man Nick Kwaitkoski should step into the role and preform just fine, the beauty of a 3-4 defense is that the MLB’s are not the most important position, even though for the Bears its a huge strength to have.

The Outside, could still use some work. Leonard Floyd speaks for himself with his explosive body of work and ever improving strength, double digit sacks is not out of the question for him. Pernell Mcphee needs to stay on the field first and foremost, when he IS on the field he is one of the most dominant pass rushers in the NFL, but that’s the problem, he’s been on the sideline longer than he’s been on the field. Willie Young and Lamar Houston provide some veteran depth with at least average production. Houston, much like McPhee needs to stay healthy. Sam Acho was brought back from last year and Dan Skuta was a late addition signing and both provide special teams value and can be thrown in when needed. Look for the Bears to address this position at some point after the final cuts are made around the league.

Secondary

The ever revolving door that is the Chicago Bears secondary. its been a lot of throwing something at the wall and seeing what sticks since the retirement of Charles Tillman really. Free Agents who haven’t panned out, Draft Picks who cant stay on the field, etc. Ryan Pace went out and signed Prince Amukamara who was coming off of a slightly disappointing season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and its presumed he will be the CB1, the former first round pick has had a very impressive camp and has looked pretty good so far this preseason.

Marcus Cooper was also brought in, yes he was a pro bowler (alternate) last year but many looked at this a confusing signing, but nobody did more than Kyle Fuller. The common theme amongst many writers and fans is that Fuller is on the hot seat and could either be traded or cut if he cannot perform up to par these last two games of preseason. Health, has been the common theme of this article but that’s truly been the biggest detractor of Kyle Fuller, when he is healthy and on the field he starts to turn in productive performances, but those performances seem to always be cut short.

Bryce Callahan and Cre’von LeBlanc both showed promise last year as the slot CB for the Bears and seem to be locked into a battle against one another for that spot. And then of course you have BW Webb and Johnathan Banks battling it out for that presumably last spot.

The Safety position has been even more of a revolving door than CB, so Ryan Pace went out and signed Quintin Demps and drafted Eddie Jackson. Demps, had 6 INTS last year and while he is a little older than many Bears fans hope for, he still should have another productive season or two in him as he mentors this young defense.

Eddie Jackson, lets talk about the ball hawk out of the University of Alabama. Jackson is a former MVP of the National Title game and showed so much promise before his unfortunate leg injury, so much promise that he was a projected first or second round pick, instead he fell into the fourth and Pace took a chance on a guy he hopes to be the center fielder of the defense for many years to come.

Outside of these two men, you have former starter Adrian Amos who has failed to live up to his hype coming out of Penn State despite grading out positively, he never developed the playmaking ability many had hoped. He should still provide depth on a cheaper contract and he can play both safety positions.

Harold Jones-Quartey, Deon Bush, Deiondre Hall, Deandre Houston-Carson and Chris Prosinski are all battling it out for presumably one spot. These next two games are going to be crucial for them and I’m curious to see who sticks. If i had to guess, i would say it comes down to former starter HJQ or Hall. Deon Bush has tons of upside and hopefully he can find his way to the PS.

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