Author Archives: Doc

2025 EYG Favorite Comic Covers by the Week

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January 1

Gold: Iban Coello, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #28

Silver: Fiona Staples, Saga #71

Bronze: Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola, Absolute Superman #3

January 8

Gold: Mark Spears, Return of the Living Dead #1

Silver: Gary Frank, Geiger #10

Bronze: Abigail Jill Harding, Parliament of Rooks #2, variant

January 15

Gold: Gianenrico Bonacorsi & Bjorn Barends, Knights vs. Samurai #4

Silver: Sean Izaakse & Romulo Fajaroo, Challengers of the Unknown #2

Bronze: Jesus Orellana, Juvenile #2

January 17

Gold: Mark Spears, Green Horner/Miss Fury #1 (variant cover A)

Silver: Alex Ross, Immortal Thor #19

Bronze: Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove, Amazing Spider-Man #65. DEATHS

January 23

Gold: Declan Shalvey, Mystique #4

Silver: Francesco Mobili & Chris Chuckry, The Tin Can Society #5

Bronze: Mark Spears, Mark Spears’ Monsters #1 (3rd Printing)

January 29

Gold: Mark Spears, Mark Spears Monsters #3 (Variant Metal Cover G)

Silver: Mark Spears, Mark Spears Monsters #3 (Cover A)

Bronze: Mark Spears, Mark Spears Monsters #3 (Variant Cover E)

February 5

Gold: Ryan Stegman, J.P. Mayer, & Marte Gracia, X-Men #10

Silver: Olivier Coipel, Namor #7 (Variant)

Bronze: Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon, The Ultimates #9

February 12

Gold: Mark Brooks, Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #10

Silver: Adam Kubert & Laura Martin, All-New Venom #3

Bronze: Alex Ross, Immortal Thor #20

February 19

Gold: Jorge Fornes and Werther Dell’edera, House of Slaughter #30

Silver: Declan Shalvey, Mystique #5

Bronze: Mark Spears, Shazam #20

February 26

Gold: Peach Momoko, Bug Wars #1, Variant

Silver: John Scherpenhuizen, The Human Fly #3

Bronze: Jay Martin, Behemoth #2

February 27

Gold:  Jenny Frison, Hello Darkness #8

Silver: Alessandro Oliveri, Ripperland#2

Bronze: Pere Perez & GURU-eFX, TVA #3

March 5

Gold: Geoff Shaw and Arthur Hesli, Doctor Strange of Asgard #1

Silver: JG Jones, Dust to Dust #3

Bronze: Alex Ross, Immortal Thor #21

Bronze: Skylar Patridge, Kill Train #2

March 12

Gold: Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola, Absolute Superman #5

Silver: Hayden Sherman, Batman: Dark Patterns #4

Bronze: Mark Bagley, Darkwing Duck #1 (variant cover B)

March 19

Gold: Fiona Staples, Saga #72

Silver: Joshua Hixson, The Deviant #9

Bronze: Tyler Crook, Out of Alcatraz #1

March 26

Gold: Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire, Absolute Wonder Woman #6

Silver: Dalibor Talajic, The Kids #1

Bronze: Faith Erin Hicks & Lee Loughridge, Universal Monsters: The Mummy #1

March 27

Gold: Trish Forstner & Allen Passalaqua, Feral #11 (Variant)

Silver: Mark Spears, Vampirella #1

Bronze: Leonardo Romero, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4

April 2

Gold: Steve McNiven, Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1

Silver: Davide Paratore, Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #7

Bronze: Mark Spears, Justice League: The Atom Project #4

April 9

Gold: Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman #7

Silver: Mark Spears, Return of the Living Dead #3

Bronze: Yasmine Putri, Phoenix #10

April 16

Gold: Lee Garbett, Godzilla vs. the Hulk #1

Silver: Joshua Cassara, Superior Avengers #1, variant

Bronze: Greg Land & D’Armata, X-Factor #9

April 23

Gold: Tyler Crook, Out of Alcatraz #2

Silver: J.G. Jones, Dust to Dust #5

Bronze: Faith Eric Hicks & Lee Loughridge, Universal Monsters: The Mummy #2

April 30

Gold: Anwita Citriya, Something is Killing the Children #41 (Virgin Variant)

Silver: Mark Spears, Mark Spears Monsters #4

Bronze:  Tyler Boss, You’ll Do Bad Things #2

May 7

Gold: Baldemar Rivas, Two-Face #6

Silver: Marcos Martin, Los Monstruos #1

Bronze: Stefano Cardoselli, Don’t Run With Scissors #1

May 14

Gold: Mark Spears, Silverhawks #4

Silver: Mark Bagley & Edgar Delgado, Spectacular Spider-Men #15

Bronze: Daniel Hillyard & Michelle Madsen, I Was a Fashion School Serial Killer #1

May 21

Gold: Mark Spears, Mark Spears Monsters #1 (5th Printing)

Silver: Haining, Absolute Flash #3

Bronze: Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia, Amazing Spider-Man #4

May 28

Gold: Tony Fleecs & Allen Passalaqua, Feral #13 Variant B

Silver: Faith Erin Hicks & Lee Loughlin, Universal Monsters The Mummy #3

Bronze:  Andrea Milana, G.I. Joe #7 Variant

June 4

Gold: Mark Spears, Return of the Living Dead #4

Silver: Alex Ross, The Immortal Thor #24

Bronze (TIE): Mark Spears, Mark Spears Monsters #5 Variant C

Bronze (TIE): Declan Shalvey, The Terminator #8

June 11

Gold: Tyler Boss, Something is Killing the Children #42 (Variant B)

Silver: Fernando Blanco, W0rldtr33#15

Bronze: Lucas Werneck, Phoenix #12

June 18

Gold: Marianna Ignazzi, Exquisite Corpses #2 (Variant B Cover)

Silver: Mark Chiarello, Past Time #3

Bronze: Christian Ward, Benjamin #1

June 25

Gold: Tim Seeley, Sleep #2 (B Variant)

Silver: Tony Fleecs & Trish Forstner, Feral #14 (B Variant)

Bronze: Mark Spears, Absolute Connected Covewrs

July 2

Gold: Mitsuhiro Arita, Godzilla vs. Thor #1

Silver: Marco Failla & Don Aguillo, Sam & Twitch Case Files #15

Bronze: Pablo Tunica, Godzilla Heist #5 (variant B cover)

July 9

Gold: David Marquez & Matthew Wilson, Uncanny X-Men #17

Silver: Andy Kuhn, Wild Animals #1

Bronze: Federico Vicentini & Neeraj Menon, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #35

July 16

Gold: Nogi San, Spider-Girl #2

Silver: Mark Spears, Gargoyle: Demona #1

Bronze: Daniel Hillyard and Michelle Madsen, I Was a Fashion School Serial Killer #4

Bronze: Jorge Fornes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #10

July 23

Gold: Valentine De Landro, Exquisite Corpses #3 (Stealth Variant)

Silver: Mark Spears, Vampirella: Armageddon #1

Bronze: Trish Forstner & Allen Passalaqua, Feral #15

July 31

Gold: Jay Shaw, The War #1 (Cover B)

Silver: Tula Lotay, The War #1 (Cover C)

Bronze: Mark Spears, Space Quest

August 7

Gold: Suspiria Vilchez, Something is Killing the Children #43

Silver: Mark Spears, Thundercats #17 Cover variant T

Bronze: Bjorn Barends, Red Sonja vs. the Army of Darkness #4

August 14

Gold:  Ashley Wood, Batman: Dark Patterns #9

Silver: Ryan Stegman & Marte Gracia, X-Men #20

Bronze: Alex Ross, Space Ghost #1 (Variant)

August 21

Gold:  Jorge Fornes, Nightwing #129 (variant cover B)

Silver: Mark Spears, Space Quest #4

Bronze: John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz, Amazing Spider-Man #10

August 28

Gold: Patrick Gleason, The Mortal Thor #1, foil variant

Silver: JG Jones, Dust to Dust #6

Bronze: Christian Ward, Benjamin #3

September 4

Gold: Lee Bermejo, Amazing Spider-Man #11 (Variant)

Silver: Julian Totino Tedesco, Batman #1, Blind bag Foil Variant (error copy)

Bronze: Jorge Fornes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #11

September 11

Gold: Hayden Sherman, Batman: Dark Patterns #10

Silver: Lucio Parrillo, Blue Falcon and Dynomutt #1

Bronze: Dustin Nguyen, Tama #2

September 18

Gold: Szymon Kudranski, No Man’s Land #1

Silver: Sebastian Fiumara, Exquisite Corpses #5 (variant)

Bronze: Rahzzah, They Choose Violence #4

September 25

Gold: Mark Spears, Mark Spears Monsters #7 (variant)

Silver: Mike Del Mundo, Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man #2 (variant)

Bronze: Freddie Williams II, The Phantom #1 (variant)

October 2

Gold: Nathan Szerdy, Poison Ivy #37 (pumpkin spicy variant)

Silver: Andrew Tarusov, Pinupocalypse #6 (variant)

Bronze: Miguel Martos, TexArcanum #3

Bronze: Jakub Rebelka, The Last Day of H.P. Lovecraft #1

October 9

Gold: Juan Ferreyra, Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3

Silver: Pye Parr, Super Creepshow #1

Bronze: Mark Spears, Harley Quinn x Elvira #1

October 16

Gold: Mark Spears, The Monsters and the Wolf #1 (Blind bag covers)

Silver: Rahzzah, They Choose Violence #5

Bronze: Bjorn Barends, The War #3

October 23

Gold: Szymon Kudranski, No Man’s Land #2 (variant )

Silver: Declan Shalvey, Terminator Metal #1

Bronze: Szymon Kudranski, No Man’s Land #2

October 30

Gold: Trish Forstner, Feral #17 (variant)

Silver: Francesca Fantini, Stake Presents Jessamy #1.

Bronze: Adam Hughes, Black Cat #3

November 6

Gold: Mark Spears, G.I. Joe #13

Silver: Andy Kuhn, Wild Animals #4

Bronze: Chris Shehan, Star Trek: Red Shirts #4

November 13

Gold: Stephanie Hans, Die Loaded #1

Silver: Tyler Boss, American Caper #1

Bronze: Lucio Parrillo, Blue Falcon and Dynomutt #3

November 20

Gold: Mark Spears, Mark Spears’ Monsters #4 (2nd printing)

Gold: Szymon Kudranski, No Man’s Land #3 (Antlers’ Variant)

Silver: Noah Bailey, High Strangeness #2

Bronze: Ivan Shavrin, Nova Centurion #1 (Foil Variant)

November 27

Gold: Lee Garbett, Detective Comics #1103 (variant)

Silver: Dan Panosian, Infernal Hulk #1, (foil variant)

Bronze: Denys Cowan & Bill Sienkiewicz, Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #1

December 4

Gold: Stefano Simeone, Something is Killing the Children #45 (variant-foil)

Silver: Lucio Parrillo, Blue Falcon and Dynomutt #4

Bronze: Bjorn Barends, Dark Souls: Mother of Mourning #1

December 13

Gold: Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman #15

Silver: Jorge Fornes, Ordained #1

Bronze: Alison Sampson, Pop Kill #1

*

December 18

Gold:

Silver:

Bronze:

Nightbitch

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I thought I was done with new movies in 2024. I was working on the year in review stuff, organizing the best and worst lists when I decided to go to Disney + and see if anything was there. I couldn’t believe what I saw as the movie Nightbitch starring Amy Adams was available to stream. I did not expect Nightbitch on Disney + (it was through the Hulu subscription) so I decided I could watch another movie in 2024.

I am glad I did because I enjoyed the movie very much. It was a weird, unlikely story using dogs as a metaphor for motherhood and the struggles that it brings.

I saw Amy Adams with six nipples.

So that happened.

According to IMDB, Nightbitch is the story of “A woman (Amy Adams), thrown into the stay-at-home routine of raising a toddler in the suburbs, slowly embraces the feral power deeply rooted in motherhood, as she becomes increasingly aware of the bizarre and undeniable signs that she may be turning into a dog.“

Scoot McNairy played Adams’ unobservant husband and their relationship was at the center of the existential crisis Adams was going through. She was finding that she was losing herself in her attempt to be the wife and mother, including sacrificing her art to stay at home. The burden of motherhood weighed on her and her life became more and more out of control. Adams could only find release by transforming into a dog and running around the neighborhood.

Amy Adams does a great job in the lead role. I had no idea that the title of the film was intended to be literal. Although I believe that the whole dog stuff is really just in Adams’s head and that she was just doing these things. How much of this was actually happening and how much was an unreliable narrator in Adams’s character telling us what is happening?

I liked this movie a lot. I was surprised to see it at 59% on Rotten Tomatoes and even lower with the audience score. It does have a female lead and a message of struggles that the woman goes through so maybe it is one of those films that has been dropped down because of the anti-woke crowd who can’t stand a movie from the POV of a woman. I don’t know, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.

4 stars

2024 Year in Review: In Memoriam Part 4

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President Jimmy Carter

Phil Donahue

Maggie Smith

Rickey Henderson

Ron Ely

Akebono

Johnny & Matthew Gaudreau

Alec Musser

Alice Stewart

Chris Gauthier

David Emge

Frank Fritz

John Cassaday

John Ashton

Glynis Johns

Lou Dobbs

Marla Adams

Martin Mull

Shannon Doherty

Bernard Hill

Thom Christopher

Joe Lieberman

Hudson Meek

Greg Gumbel

Rey Misterio Sr.

“The Butcher” Paul Vachon

Bela Karolyi

2024 Year in Review: The Strangelove

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The Strangelove (Best Actor in Movie)

Previous Winners:  James McAvoy (Split), Denzel Washington (Fences), Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Michael Keaton (Birdman), Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips), Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Ryan Gosling (Drive), Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Joaquin Phoenix (Joker), Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick…Boom), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)

We are up to Best Actor, which in EYG land means we are giving out The Strangelove, in honor, of course, of EYG Hall of Famer, Peter Sellers.

Honorable Mentions: Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain), Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice), John David Washington (Piano Lessons), Glen Powell (Hit Man), Justice Smith (I Saw the TV Glow), Kyle Gallner (Strange Darling), Channing Tatum (Fly Me to the Moon)

#10. Gabriel LaBelle (Saturday Night)

#9. Bill Skarsgård (Nosferatu)

#8. Sebastian Stan (A Different Man)

#7. Nicholas Hoult (Nosferatu)

#6. Andrew Garfield (We Live in Time)

#5. David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil)

#4. Ray Fiennes (Conclave)

#3. Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool & Wolverine)

#2. Hugh Grant (Heretic)

#1. Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown)

Timothée Chalamet was masterful as Bob Dylan, with his voice and his singing. He also played the guitar. An overall amazing performance. Hugh Grant played opposite his type in the awesome horror flick Heretic. Ryan Reynolds is now in the MCU with his brazen performance as Deadpool. Ray Fiennes is always awesome and Conclave is no exception. David Dastmalchian is perfect in his found footage horror film Late Night with the Devil. Andrew Garfield is a former winner of this award and is back with Florence Pugh in We Live in Time. Nicholas Hoult and Bill Skarsgård came out of Nosferatu. Sebastian Stan made this list and in honorable mention. Gabriel LaBelle played Lorne Michaels on Saturday Night!

2024 Year in Review: The Liz

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The Liz Award

Previous Winners:  Frances McDormand (3 Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri), Viola Davis (Fences), Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road), Rosemund Pike (Gone Girl), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn),  Yalitza Aparicio (Roma), Renee Zellweger (Judy), Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Rachel Zegler (West Side Story), Danielle Deadwyler (Till), Emma Stone (Poor Things)

It is time for The Liz Award, given to the best actress from 2024. There are a bunch of excellent performances and I’ll kick this off with some honorable mentions and then go into the Top 10.

Honorable Mentions: Kirsten Dunst (Civil War), Jodie Comer (The Bikeriders), Lupita Nyong’o (The Wild Robot, A Quiet Place: Day One)

#10. Scarlet Johansson, (Fly Me to the Moon)

#9. Anna Kendrick (Woman of the Hour)

#8. Willa Fitzgerald (Strange Darling)

#7. Florence Pugh (We Live in Time)

#6. Lily-Rose Depp (Nosferatu)

#5. Alisha Weir (Abigail)

#4. June Squibb (Thelma)

#3. Demi Moore (The Substance)

And we have a tie for #1… just could not decide which one to give it to…so decided to give it to both…

#1. Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)

#1. Mikey Madison (Anora)

Just could not decide between these two. Both performances were spectacular and absolutely key for their movies. So we have a tie for The Liz Award. Demi Moore was a solid number three and really seemed to revitalized her career with this ballsy performance. Love the fact that 90+ actress June Squibb led her own movie this year, and she was great in it. Alisha Weir is our first ever two-time I See Kid Actor Award winner and she makes this list because Abigail simply would not work without her. Lily-Rose Depp has a huge role in Nosferatu and carries plenty of the drama. Strange Darling was a weird movie with a great lead performance form Willa Fitzgerald. Florence Pugh, Anna Kendrick and Scarlet Johansson always do expert work.

2024 Year in Review: The Joker/Hannibal Lecter/Mister Miyagi Award for Best Supporting Actor

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The Joker/Hannibal Lecter/Mister Miyagi Award for Best  Supporting Actor

Previous Winners:  Patrick Stewart (Logan), Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals), Sylvester Stallone (Creed), Edward Norton (Birdman), Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Richard Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Robert Downey Jr (Avengers: Endgame), Sasha Baron Cohen (Trial of the Chicago 7), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Ke Huy Quen (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

I have a much larger list of supporting actors than I did for the actresses, but I am sticking with a list of Top Ten. I will add a Honorable Mention for this category.

Honorable Mention: Samuel L. Jackson (Piano Lessons), Jeff Goldblum (Wicked), Paul Bettany (Here), and Richard Roundtree (Thelma).

#10. Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nosferatu)

#9. JK Simmons (Saturday Night)

#8. Stanley Tucci (Conclave)

#7. Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown)

#6. Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)

#5. Cory Michael Smith (Saturday Night)

#4. Boyd Holbrook (A Complete Unknown)

#3. Chris Hemsworth (Furiosa)

#2. Hugh Jackman (Deadpool & Wolverine)

#1. Mark Eydelshteyn (Anora)

Mark Eydelshteyn does a remarkable job in Anora. The first half of the movie, you love him, root for him and relate with him. The second half of the movie, you hate him. He completely turns away any goodwill you had for him, and he doesn’t really change his character. It is a great performance. Hugh Jackman does not get award respect but he is excellent as Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine. He has some emotional scenes that give you specifics on the character that only Jackman can deliver. Saturday Night has a couple of actors here, including Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase and JK Simmons as Milton Berle. A Complete Unknown as a couple of real life characters too with Johnny Cash, as brought to life by Boyd Holbrook and Edward Norton’s Pete Seeger. Aaron Taylor-Johnson does not get anything for Kraven the Hunter, but he showed what a great actor he is in Nosferatu. Kieran Culkin has been excellent for a long time, and his role in A Real Pain is one of his most complex yet. Stanley Tucci brings some great work in Conclave too.

2024 Year in Review: The Hermione Granger/Furiosa/Rita Moreno Award for Best Supporting Actress

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The Hermione Granger/Furiosa/Rita Moreno Award for Best  Supporting Actress

Previous Winners:  Dafne Keene (Logan), Tilda Swinton (Dr. Strange), Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina), Emma Stone (Birdman), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Sally Field (Lincoln), Jennifer Aniston (Horrible Bosses), Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), Scarlett Johansson (Jojo Rabbit), Margo Martindale (Blow the Man Down), Rita Moreno (West Side Story), Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

Supporting Actress is up first among the acting awards here at EYG Year in Review. This is the top ten recipients for Best Supporting Actress. Honestly, a bunch of these potential Oscar roles are from movies that I have yet to see, so they will not appear on my list. Maybe the June Swoon will be really good this year.

#10. Isabella Rossellini, Conclave.

#9. Joan Chen, Didi.

#8. Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown

#7. Karla Sofia Gascon, Emilia Perez.

#6. Zendaya, Dune: Part Two

#5. Emma Corrin, Nosferatu

#4. Danielle Deadwyler, Piano Lessons

#3. Selena Gomez, Emilia Perez

#2. Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez

#1. Ariana Grande, Wicked

Ariana Grande was a revelation in Wicked. No one expected her to steal the movie, but she nearly did in almost every scene she was in. Of course, her voice was amazing as she blasted out her songs. The trio of actresses from Emilia Perez were powerful in the film and all of them made a spot on this list. Danielle Deadwyler is showing herself to be a master actor as she gives tremendous performances every time.

2024 Year in Review: MORE TV

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So I did the Best series in four separate categories for 2024. Now I am going to do some more individual awards for TV in general.

Best Actor Drama: Colin Farrell (The Penguin)

Best Actress Drama: Anna Sawai (Shogun)

Best Supporting Actor Drama: Lee Byung-hun (Squid Game 2)

Best Supporting Actress Drama: Cristin Milioti (The Penguin)

Best Actor Comedy: Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)

Best Actress Comedy: Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along)

Best Supporting Actor Comedy: Harrison Ford (Shrinking)

Best Supporting Actress Comedy: Patti LuPone (Agatha All Along)

Best Actor Genre: Antony Starr (The Boys)

Best Actress Genre: Danai Gurira (Walking Dead: The Ones that Lived)

Best Supporting Actor Genre: Tim Robbins (Silo)

Best Supporting Actress Genre: Tanya Moodie (Silo)

Best Song: The Ballad of the Witches’ Road (Agatha All Along)

Best Makeup: The Penguin

Best Episode Drama: “A Great or Little Thing,” The Penguin

Best Episode Comedy: “Death’s Hand in Mine,” Agatha All Along

Best Episode Genre: “The Insider,” The Boys

Best Episode Animated: “Remember It,” X-Men ’97

2024 Year in Review: TV

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2024 saw me watch a lot of TV. Not only did I watch the active shows, I was doing rewatches or first time watches of classics such as The X-Files, Battlestar Galactica, Bates Motel, The Greatest American Hero, Moonlighting, Yellowjackets, and Picket Fences.

But we are not looking at those series. These are lists of the best series of the year. I decided to split them into four categories: Drama, Comedy, Genre, Animated.

Some of the categories were really difficult to rank and, of course, only feature those series that I watch. There is so much on TV these days that it is impossible to watch everything.

Let’s kick it off with:

Drama.

Drama had a top six list and featured some of the best shows of the year.

6. Bodkin (Netflix)

5. True Detective: Night Country (MAX)

4. Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

3. Squid Game 2 (Netflix)

2. The Penguin (MAX)

  1. Shogun (Hulu)

Shogun was so good that it just out distanced The Penguin, which had an amazing run on HBO Max. I just finished Squid Game 2 in time for this list.

Comedy

4. The Bear (Hulu)

3. Shrinking (Apple TV +)

2. Agatha All Along (Disney +)

  1. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

This was probably the hardest one to judge. When I split these categories apart, I thought that Agatha All Along would be a shoo-in for Comedy winner, because I loved that show so much. However, Looking over the list of comedies, Only Murders in the Building jumped out at me and regulated Agatha into the second slot. This was an outstanding season of OMitB too with Steve Martin doing some excellent work with his grief over the death of his friend and stunt double Sazz. Number three is Shrinking and that is a genius show too. Harrison Ford is perhaps the biggest scene stealer on this list. The Bear is here because the Emmys list it as a comedy, but it is a stretch to call it that in my opinion.

Genre

#6. Walking Dead: The Ones Who Lived (AMC +)

#5. Echo (Disney +)

#4. Silo (Apple TV +)

#3. Fallout (Prime)

#2. Skeleton Crew (Disney +)

#1. The Boys (Prime)

The Boys had another great season with Butcher on the edge of death, Homelander in full revenge mode and everyone else trying to survive. Skeleton Crew has been extremely fun so far giving us some of the best Star Wars TV we have had in years. Fallout was a fantastic video game adaptation and Silo is top notch sci-fi on Apple TV +. Echo was better than a lot of people gave it credit for and it was nice seeing Rick and Michonne reunite.

Animated

#5. Masters of the Universe: Revolution (Netflix)

#4. Creature Commandos (MAX)

#3. What If…? (Disney +)

#2. Batman: Caped Crusader (Prime)

#1. X-Men’97 (Disney +)

X-Men ’97 was an amazing surprise. It had no right to be as good as it was. The old X-Men series was okay, but this took everything great about it and mixed it with amazing characterization and storytelling. And “Remember It” is one of the best episodes of TV this year, not just animated TV. Batman: Caped Crusader was another great series on Amazon with a new take on Batman and his rogue’s gallery. What If was a bit of a step down but still fairly entertaining and had a great Agatha/Kingo episode. Creature Commandos has been okay for me as some of the humor does not work for me. Masters was a good follow up from Kevin Smith.

2024 Year in Review: “All Right, Mr. Deville, I am Ready for my Close Up” Award for Best Director

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“All Right, Mr. Deville, I am Ready for my Close Up” Award for Best Director

Previous Winners:  A.G. Inarritu (Birdman), Tim McCarthy (Spotlight), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame), Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods), Jon Watt (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Ryan Coogler (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

The role of the director is a vital one in any movie. I have chosen the top ten directors of 2024 to present here. Some of these will be considered for Oscars, others on my list will have to settle for recognition from EYG as I will look at the genre films with a fairer view than Academy voters.

“All Right, Mr. Deville, I am Ready for my Close Up” Award for Best Director Top Ten

#10. Francis Galluppi, The Last Stop in Yuma County. This was an outstanding independent film that I found on Vudu and was completely enthralled by. This was Galluppi’s first feature film.

#9. Coraline Fargeat, The Substance. What a tremendous job done by Fargeat on The Substance, the shocking, body-horror film that brought Demi Moore back into conversation for Oscar.

#8. Jess Eisenberg, A Real Pain. Eisenberg wrote and directed this film about two cousins on a Holocaust tour. Jesse is the only director on this list who also starred in the film which has to make this even more challenging.

#7. Fede Alvarez, Alien: Romulus. Alvarez brought the Alien franchise back to its roots with this outstanding film. It was tense and frightening and beautifully shot.

#6. Sean Baker, Anora. The way this film was shot really highlighted the strengths of each of the characters and switched paths about half way through. Baker is exceptional.

#5. Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two. A gigantic sci-fi epic is not going to be easy to direct and Villeneuve does it spotlessly. His work with the CGI is some of the best you will ever see.

#4. James Mangold, A Complete Unknown. This Bob Dylan biopic was such a great film, with the use of music being front and center, Mangold has had a career of cranking out some excellent movies and this was one more.

#3. Shawn Levy, Deadpool and Wolverine. Shawn Levy has a real bond with Ryan Reynolds and you have to be able to manage that to give us one of the biggest hits of the year. He deserves more credit than he receives for this movie.

#2. Jon M. Chu, Wicked. Another epic film, this time an adaptation of the iconic stage musical. It was a rousing success and Chu’s handiwork is one of the main reasons why.

And the #1 Director and winner of the “All Right, Mr. Deville, I am Ready for my Close Up” Award…

Robert Eggers, Nosferatu

One of the great young directors in the horror genre released his most recent film Nosferatu at Christmas this year and it is completely stylish and gorgeously shot. He is able to get amazing performances from his cast and his visual storytelling is on par with the bests around. Nosferatu is a stunning movie and he deserves this award.

Squid Game S2 E6, E7

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Spoilers

“O X”

“Friend or Foe”

I finished up the second season of Squid Games on Netflix late last night and I have thoughts.

First, it sure ended at a strange place. It almost felt like this was a first part of a season like they did for Stranger Things and Cobra Kai. I have not heard any info on a second part to season two though. Perhaps it is just setting up for season three instead. If so, then season two would absolutely be the Empire Strikes Back of the Squid Games as things went oh so wrong for our heroes (PS… just looked at the end of the episode and it says season three will be back in 2025 so there is that.)

Gi-hun’s whole plan to take it to the people running the show by hijacking guns from the guards was wild and was never going to work. The pink suits had such a huge number of people that the handful of rebels were just not going to get through. However, it got fairly far and might have had a chance if they did not have a rat inside their team. Of course, that is In-ho, 001, who had been inside the game manipulating the situation. His eventual betrayal ended the uprising and led to the unfortunate death of Jung-bae. I had seen a spoiler about a death in the final episode that was shocking and this was the one. For a minute, I actually thought it was going to be Gi-hun instead. That would have been a shocker.

Defying all odds, Geum-ja has survived. I was sure she was going down after her son Yong-sik had changed his vote from X to O. I thought he was going to have to pay for his choice with his mother, but she continues to fight on. It did look like she was a goner during Mingle, but she was thankfully saved.

Speaking of Mingle, that was another game that was intense and very difficult to watch at times. The way alliances were tossed aside by some compared to those that were going out of their way to try and help the others.

Seeing Thanos get his final payment at the end of season six was very satisfying, and of course, brutal. Fork to the neck is not something I expected to see.

For a season that I was not sure was needed, this was a very tense and exciting seven episodes.

What If…? S3 E8

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Spoilers

“What If… What If?”

The final episode of What If…? dropped on Disney + and I would say that it was fine. It seemed as if it fit with the entire third season, which, to me, was fine. It was not great. It was not terrible. It was passing. Overall, probably somewhere around a C.

This started with the Watcher the prisoner of The Eminence and was going to have to face punishment for his breaking of the vow to never intervene with those he watched. They brought Peggy Carter in too, also captured. As we saw last episode, this is when Infinity Ultron arrived along with the Exiles (Storm, Byrdie, Kahhori) and broke out the Watcher and Peggy, leading to a huge superpower fight between the Eminence and the Exiles.

Sadly, this fight was a little dull. I’ve seen it before.

What I was hoping was going to happen was that The Eminence would put the Watcher on trial, and then they would bring in many witnesses from the three seasons to testify, leading to some drama and not just a big super hero fight. I remember in the comics when Reed Richards was put on trial in a galactic setting after he saved Galactus. That felt like something they could have used as a road map for this and really end What If…? on a theological high. Instead, we got the power bolts and such.

There were plenty of flashes of characters throughout Marvel during the episode, but they went so fast it was difficult to keep up with it. I need New Rockstars to do a break down video to show them all.

I loved the daily release schedule of What If…? the last two years. It gave me something to look forward to every day over the Christmas break. I hope they find another animated series to fill that bill in the future.

What If…? has been solid, if not spectacular. The seasons for me are ranked 2nd, 1st, 3rd.

Final Rankings for Season Three

E2 What If Agatha Went to Hollywood?

E7 What If the Watcher Disappeared?

E3 What If The Red Guardian stopped The Winter Soldier?

E8 What If… What If?

E6 What If 1872?

E5 What If the Emergence Destroyed the Earth?

E1 What If the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?

E4 What If Howard the Duck Got Hitched?

2024 Year in Review: The Batman and Robin Award for Rottenness

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The Batman and Robin Award for Rottenness are the annual look at films that just were not good. Some even bad. Yes, I know that it is very difficult to make a movie, and it is something that I have never done. Nobody sets out to make a bad movie (probably) and I have all respect for the men and women who do this job.

Still there are times when the film is just rotten. These awards look at those times. They receive the coveted Batman and Robin.

Worst Movie: See the list at the end of the year. Honestly, there are about six movies competing for this title yet.

Worst Actor: Scott Chambers, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2. Not much anyone can do when this is your script.

Worst Actress: Sofia Boutella, Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver. She never had a chance. This was worse than the last one.

Worst Director: Eli Roth, Borderlands. He clearly had no idea about this video game. This film is easily one of the worst of the year and Roth had a great cast that he did nothing with.

Worst Sequel: Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver. If only we got to see the Director’s edition first. I’m joking. I do not want to watch a longer version of this.

Worst CGI: Madame Web. There was not much about Madame Web that was good. CGI was no exception.

Favorite Rotten Movie: If. Ryan Reynolds’ first hit of the year wound up with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 50% making it rotten. It is a much better film than that. I liked it. I’d even recommend it.

Worst Movie I did not see: Megalopolis. It’s on the list for 2025 June Swoon.

Cashing a Paycheck: Russell Crowe, Kraven the Hunter. Fun little accent he was playing with. Not sure where he was suppsoed to be from. This guy won an Oscar.

Worst Reboot/Remake: The Crow. Why would you do this? The Crow did not need to be rebooted, and this movie did the original dirty.

Most Successful Bad Movie: Despicable Me 4. This made a ton of money dumbing down the youth of our country even more.

Worst Movie Based on a TV Show/Video Game: Borderlands. One of the worst films of the year, setting back video game adaptations just as they were making some progress.

Worst Superhero Movie: Madame Web. Why Sony why? Madame Web is, at best, a C or D level hero in the Spider-Man universe, and that is when she is with Spdier-Man.

Worst Trailer: Transformers One. Already mentioned this in the Logan “Hurt” Award. Almost made me not see the movie.

WTF: Kinds of Kindness. In risk of offending that guy on X who called me names after my review of this movie, I found this a mess.

Worst Performance by an Oscar Winner: Ariana DeBose, Kraven the Hunter. She was truly terrible in that movie after being brilliant in West Side Story.

Worst ADR: Madame Web. The villain in this movie barely moved his mouth. The voice over is noticeably bad and that should never happen.

Worst TV Show that I Watched: American Horror Story: Delicate. The second half of this season is some of the worst TV I have seen. I couldn’t wait for this one to be done.

Worst TV Finale: Grotesquerie. The final episode of this show for its first season was a jumbled mess and was simply unsatisfying.