2018 TV Best Actors & Actresses

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Doc

Best Actor

Network

Runners-Up: Clark Gregg (Agents of Shield), David Duchovny (X-Files), Kiefer Sutherland (Designated Survivor), Cole Sprouse (Riverdale)

Winner: Nathan Fillion (The Rookie)

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Nathan Fillion’s return has been short so far, but his charisma has been welcomed.

Streaming

Runner’s Up: Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Marc Maron (GLOW), Timothy Olyphant (Santa Clarita Diet), Andre Holland (Castle Rock)

Winner: Peter Serafinowicz (The Tick)

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He had big shoes to fill and Peter Serafinowicz fills them admirably.

Cable

Runners-Up: Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead), Aubrey Joseph (Cloak & Dagger), Donald Glover (Atlanta)

Winner: Bruce Campbell (Ash vs. Evil Dead)

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Best Actress

Network

Runners-Up: Chloe Bennett (Agents of SHIELD), Ming-Na Wen (Agents of SHIELD), Maggie Q (Designated Survivor), Lili Reinhart (Riverdale), Camila Mendes (Riverdale), Kerry Washington (Scandal)

Winner: Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder)

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Viola always brings the power.

Streaming

Runners-Up: Alison Brie (GLOW), Betty Gilpin (GLOW), Robin Wright (House of Cards), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones)

Winner: Drew Barrymore (Santa Clarita Diet)

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Drew is hilarious as the zombie wife.

Cable

Runners-Up: Olivia Holt (Cloak & Dagger), Melissa McBride (Walking Dead), Lauren Cohen (Walking Dead), Dana DeLorenzo (Ash vs Evil Dead)

Winner: Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead)

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Michonne faced a ton of problems losing Rick and Carl.

The Mule

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Doc

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The newest Clint Eastwood directed movie features Eastwood as the lead character, and there are some strangely uncomfortable moments in a 2018 movie.

First off, the trailers made this look like something more violent in tone and more like Eastwood’s character is trapped in a life that he did not want to do and was uncertain how he was getting out of it. However, that was not the tone of this movie.

This movie was more comedic than it was violent. It was more weirdly uncomfortable than it was vicious. Eastwood played a character who was an old man with old world values who did not know when he should not say something or know when he was saying something inappropriate…or racist.

Earl Stone (Eastwood) was a 90-year-old horticulturist is having money problems and is shown as a deadbeat father and husband. He takes a job “driving” for some people, who turn out to be a Mexican Drug Cartel, and he is driving drugs. However, Earl does the job very well and the cartel wants to increase his load.

Meanwhile, DEA agents Bates (Bradley Cooper) and Michael Pena (who has no name in the film) are trying to operate a sting inside the cartel which puts them on the trail of earl as the mule.

Earl’s family is having severe problems as well and he finds himself split with his attempts to be there for his family now, making up for the years he missed.

The film is very odd. As I said, Eastwood’s Earl is extremely likable, but he says things that show him to be somewhat racist, or, at the very least, not empathetic toward people of different races. He comes off more as an old guy who doesn’t know any better rather than a racist, though.

He also did not seem to be bothered much about driving these drugs around for this cartel. He liked the money they were paying him for sure. The film did a great job keeping Earl likable despite his outright criminal behavior. Sure he needed the money to help his family, but that really did not excuse his activities.

There were several storylines that began but were dropped. There was a relationship begun between Earl and his “handler” Julio (Ignacio Serricchio), but nothing came from it. Serricchio was a former General Hospital star and was seen recently in Netflix’s Lost in Space reboot. He was good here, but I was looking forward to a pay off of that relationship, but it never came.

There were plenty of things that happened in the plot that did not make a whole heck of a lot of sense either.

It was a strange movie because I found myself unsure of how I felt about the characters involved and Earl just was shuffling his way through this movie and he never felt as if he fit in with the narrative being told. It was in opposition to the trailers that they showed and made me kind of uncomfortable.

That is not a bad thing. The film was okay. It is not up to par with some of Eastwood’s best films, but it was better than many, especially some of the recent one. Eastwood fans should enjoy this movie.

3.4 stars

Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Doc

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What were the odds that I wasn’t going to love this movie? I mean… Spider-man is my all-time favorite character. It seems to be receiving rave reviews from almost everyone. The first time we see Miles Morales. There is Peter Porker Spider-Ham and Spider-man Noir (voiced by Nicolas Cage). Of course I was going to love this, right?

Right?

Am I building the tension? Do you think I am waiting to pull the rug out? No? Of course, I loved this. It was fabulous.

Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse is the origin story of Miles Morales(Shameik Moore) and how he became his universe’s Spider-man. Miles is an incredibly smart and talented young man who is on his way to a new, special school throwing his life into a spin. Unable to talk with his father Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry), Miles heads to his uncle Aaron (Mahershala Ali) for help. After going with Aaron to a secret location, Miles gets bitten by a radioactive spider from Alchemex.

Miles finds himself in the middle of a big fight between Spider-man and the new Green Goblin around a gigantic collider that is potentially tearing a hole in the time-space continuum. Tragedy strikes and Miles winds up with the only thing that can stop the machine.

He is approached by a group of time displaced Spider-people including an older Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), Peter Porker the Spectacular Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), Spider-man Noir (Nicolas Cage) and Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn) and this group is trying to find their way home.

And come one, Spider-Gwen is just cool as can be.

So is Spider-man Noir. The whole black and white thing was such a cool joke.

And Spider-Ham. C’mon.

The story is so tremendous and very deep. The characterization is beautiful, the plot is intense and the relationships between characters, especially between Peter and Miles, is special and original. We get a fun version of Aunt May (voiced by the classic Lily Tomlin).

The animation of Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse was unbelievable and was the most creative type of animation I have ever seen. It felt like a comic book come to life, literally. It was weird, artistically astounding, filled with texture and style. It seemed as if it were in 3D, but it wasn’t. This was not a typical animated movie. They took a chance by making this film different and it worked extremely well. I could see some people having problems with the animation, because it is so different, but I found it to be an awesome stylish piece of art.

Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman were the directors of this movie, but many people seem to be giving a ton of credit for the film to Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who were involved as producers and Lord was one of the writers too. They brought their trademark humor to the film and it worked perfectly for Spider-man. The witty banter from Spider-man is such an important aspect of the character and it is the best example of it here than any previous Spider-man movie to date.

The fact that they showed that Miles Morales is half African-American and half Puerto Rican is a moment of inclusiveness that takes the world to another level.

The only thing I was not wild about was the portrayal of Kingpin. The character was well done and I liked the voice by Liev Schreiber, but the look of the character was something that I had a hard time getting past. It was the one negative that I can state of Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse.

This is one of the best movies of the year. I need to see it a second time to really judge where on that year end list this is going to land, but it will certainly be in the single digits. This film could open up the market for theatrically released superhero movie and that would give the genre even more ability to tell amazing stories.

4.95 stars

EYG Top 10 Animated Superhero Movies

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Doc

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I am so excited about Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse, which comes out December 14th. As a huge Spider-man fan, I cannot wait to see it. So John and Matt paid tribute to that film this week on the Top 10 Show with the Top 10 Animated Superhero Movies.

I immediately, of course, think to myself…how are they going to do that? There were not very many that fit the category, but when they said that they would be adding films that were non-theatrical released, the number of choices multiplied.

10. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns part 1 & 2. There are a bunch of Batman animated movies on this list because DC Animated movies are great. And this adaptation is one of the greatest mini series of all time. Dark Knight Returns is a comic classic (an EYG Hall of Fame member) and it translates beautifully to the screen. This should have been released theatrically. It is the perfect example of what Batman vs. Superman should have been.

#9. Batman: Assault on Arkham. This turns out to really be a Suicide Squad unofficial film and it should have been what the live action Suicide Squad should have been. It is amazing that the animation is so good for DC but their live action films are, at best, divisive. I found this so exciting and dramatic and it shows how good the Suicide Squad could be.

#8. Teen Titans Go to the Movies. I did not think this was going to be any good and then I heard positive word of mouth. Then I saw it and I loved it. It was incredibly funny, completely meta and filled with DC Comic Easter Eggs everywhere. Just sitting in the theater and watching the crowd of heroes at the movie theater and seeing DC characters that you never see on screen. So much fun.

#7. Batman: The Mask of the Phantasm. This is considered one of the best Batman animated movies around, coming off the Batman: The Animated Series success. We had a Bruce Wayne love story at the center of this film as well. It has been a long time since I saw this, hence the reason it is lower on this list.

#6. The Incredibles 2. This year’s big Pixar sequel throws Elastigirl to the front and center of the story as Mr. Incredible stays at home with the kids. Bob has to learn new math, try and fix Violet’s love life and try and wrangle baby Jack-Jack and his discovery of new powers. Jack-Jack and his fight with the raccoon is one of the best scenes of the year.

#5. The Lego Batman Movie. This is my favorite of the Lego movies and it is one of the best film portrayals of Batman in a long time. It is also one of the films that has perfectly shown the sick relationship between Batman and the Joker. It is a laugh out loud movie and it uses the Lego genre beautifully. Who would have believed that one of the side characters in the Lego Movie could carry his own film. Even with it being Batman. But the joke did not wear thin. It was great.

#4. Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox. This was my number one animated movie in 2013. In an alternate timeline (thanks Barry), the world is a much more dangerous place. Batman is now Thomas Wayne. Aquaman is one bad ass. Based on the classic DC Comics storyline, Flashpoint Paradox allows the writers to tell a story where they can do anything they want. It is one of the best Justice League movies you are going to find.

#3. Big Hero 6. Here is a Marvel property that was unexpected, but it turned out brilliantly. Baymax became a huge breakout character in this film and wound up winning an Oscar. The relationship between Baymax and Hiro carry this movie. It is extremely sweet, but it is also a great action movie with some intriguing characters. We also get one of the best Stan Lee cameos around.

#2. Incredibles. The original Pixar superhero movie that created a huge sensation is the Incredibles. The family superhero is a classic trope and this is done perfectly here. And the villain is one of the great ones around in Syndrome. The villain who is connected to the hero and becomes a villain because he is rejected by said hero. The Incredibles will always be one of the great super hero films.

#1. Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker. I love this movie. I wasn’t sure if I should put it at number one, but, as I was debating the choices, I kept thinking about the flashback section of the film where we see the Joker’s death and the trauma that the Joker put Tim Drake through. That was devastating and heart breaking. This is how brutal the Joker can be and how he really would push the boundaries. The whole brainwashed Robin bit was tough to watch. I loved it. The mystery of how the Joker comes back to “life” is tremendous. And the pain and feelings these people had remembering the past was real for me. If you have not seen this before, treat yourself. One of the best uses of Batman Beyond.

Honorable Mentions: There are a bunch of them. Unfortunately, a lot of Marvel animated films are, at best, okay. I almost put Hulk Vs. on the list, but I cut it. Other Marvel films I considered was Ultimate Avengers, Doctor Strange, Planet Hulk. I loved the Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders with voices of Adam West and Burt Ward. Batman: Sub-Zero made Matt’s list and it is fantastic. Batman: Under the Red Hood was another great Batman movie. Justice League: New Frontier and Justice League: Doom are two wonderful Justice League movies. Wonder Woman and Green Lantern are tow awesome movies. Green Lantern had Nathan Fillion voicing Hal Jordan. I am guessing that Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse will be on this list after I see it Thursday night.

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Once Upon a Deadpool

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Doc

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This is a fascinating experiment. Taking the rated R Deadpool 2 and recutting it to make it PG-13 is intriguing. I especially liked the fact that part of the money made from the box office of the movie goes to fight cancer. “Fudge cancer” is the PG-13 version of that.

Then, they shot a bunch of new scenes featuring Deadpool and Fred Savage, whom Deadpool kidnapped, tied him up, dressed him as Fred’s character from The Princess Bride and read him the story of Deadpool 2. This framing device is all new and very creative, filled with a ton of meta jokes.

I LOVED the Fred Savage stuff. Every scene with Deadpool and Fred are GOLD! I absolutely loved watching every second of these creative bits.

The problem is that the rest of the film felt wrong. Maybe the fact that most of the parts that are remaining was the parts of Deadpool 2 that I did not love. I did not love them killing Vanessa. I was not a fan of of the kid, Russell (Julian Dennison). This movie felt as if it really doubled down on these aspects of Deadpool 2.

Then there was Cable (Josh Brolin), who I thought was great as Cable, but Fred Savage had made a joke about Cable in one of the framing sections. Fred was excited in the story when Deadpool mentioned Cable because of how developed and intricate the character in the comics is, but the joke is that the Cable in this movie was nowhere near as developed as the comic. So they were making crap out of their own film character. I found that strange and I hadn’t considered that.

Then, the story itself just felt off. It did not fit the PG-13 rating. What they did with Deadpool 2 was neutered. Even the best part, the introduction and immediate dispatching of X-Force, is considerably less funny here. Maybe I just knew it was coming, but I think the overall brutality of that moment is what makes it so hilarious and it just is not as funny in this one.

Now, what this tells me is that Deadpool can absolutely survive in a PG-13 world, as they prove with the Fred Savage scenes, but Deadpool 2 can not be redone to be PG-13 and be effective or anywhere near as entertaining as the rated R version.

The most emotion that I had in the film was at the last post credit scene which was a tribute to Stan Lee. It almost brought me to tears. It was a beautiful tribute to the man.

When I first saw Deadpool 2, I loved it, but did not think it reached the level of the first Deadpool. Once Upon a Deadpool’s framing scenes with Fred Savage are every bit as good, if not better, than either film. The rest of the movie is just not up to snuff when compared to the other Deadpool movies.

3 stars…(overall- but 5 stars for the Fred Savage-Deadpool stuff)

2018 Anna Devane Kick Ass Female Award

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Doc

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Woman power!

In honor of General Hospital’s super spy Anna Devane, this award goes to the toughest, strongest and smartest females in the world of pop culture. There was a time that this would have been a difficult award to field, but now I can easily fill a top ten list and probably go for even more.

I was in love with Anna Devane when I was young. She was so strong, she could take anyone down, and that British accent…Oh yeah!

So to honor my GH crush, I named this award after her.

Previous winners: Rey (Star Wars), Mockingbird (Marvel Comics), Wonder Woman (DCEU)

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#10. Spider-Gwen. She has had a big year and she is appearing in Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse.

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#9. Ms. Marvel (Marvel Comics). Kamala Khan is on the verge of becoming huge. In a few years, she may be way up this list.

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#8. Wasp (Ant Man & the Wasp). Evangeline Lilly kicks some serious butt in the Ant Man & the Wasp film this year and I love her from her days as Kate.

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#7. Joy Behar (The View). With Donald Trump in the Oval Office and Megan McCain at the table, Joy has to be her strong self to have her opinion heard.

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#6. Emily Blunt from A Quiet Place. For God’s sake, she gave birth with aliens who respond to noise in her house. She deserves her place here. Her character’s name was Evelyn Abbott.

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#5. Tandy Bowen (Dagger). Tandy in Freeform’s Cloak & Dagger is a great character and she carried herself with amazing dominance.

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#4. Elastigirl (Incredibles 2) Elastigirl takes front and center in the world of super heroes trying to help bring them from the shadows.

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#3. Shuri (Black Panther). Not really “kick ass” but certainly one of the best female characters of the year. Perhaps the smartest person in the MCU.

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#2. Okoye (Black Panther). The head of the Dora Milaje, Danai Gurira was perfect in the Black Panther movie and claims her place in the MCU

And the winners of the Anna Devane Kick Ass Female of the Year is….

#1. The Shirewolves (Movie Trivia Schmoedown). “Classy” Clarke Wolfe and Rachel “The Crusher” Cushing, the current Schmoedown Team Champions. The first female champs of the Schmoedown, Clarke and Rachel are amazing performers and remarkably powerful trivia contestants.

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TV Streaming 2018- Year in Review

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Doc

The most shows I watched in 2018 came from the streaming services although,it sure seems as if Netflix has been going on a canceling binge of their own. Several of this list has been cancelled by Netflix so next year’s list could look considerably different.

Starting off with #13…

#13. Lost in Space (Netflix). I know some did not like this. I saw EW name this the worst show of the year. I can’t believe that since I enjoyed the show. I liked the different take on the classic show. Not sure I liked the ending.but on the whole, I liked this.

#12. Orange is the New Black (Netflix). There was just something about this season of episodes that did not catch my attention. I have not seen the ending of the series yet and I am not sure when I am going to do so. I know it was announced that the next season will be Orange’s finals one so maybe I need to go back and finish the season.

#11. Iron Fist (Netflix). Iron Fist season 2 was considerably better than season one. Unlike most people, I did not hate season one, but there is no denying that it is not as high of quality as the other Netflix Marvel shows.

#10. A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix). I enjoyed season two more than season one. Nathan Fillion made a guest appearance and brought the goods. Unfortunately, he did not survive the season. Season three of this series is also the last one so we should see a conclusion to the story of the Baudelaire orphans.

#9. Luke Cage. This was a really great series, but I was not sure I liked the way the series ended. Plus, now that Netflix cancelled this one, that is the end that Luke Cage will have to end with. Mixed feelings on that for sure.

#8. Castle Rock (Hulu). The first non-Netflix show on the list, the Stephen King mash up int he city of Castle Rock was a really strong show. Admittedly, it slowed a bit for my tastes in the middle, but it did not take away from the series.

#7. Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix). This is such a funny show. Nathan Fillion is here too (or was) as a severed head that is still “living.” The show takes steps that few comedies do and it pays off in spades. I love the pairing of Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant.

#6. Cobra Kai (YouTube Red). One of the biggest surprises of the year. This series that continues the story of the Karate Kid via the enemy karate dojo should never have worked but it was so good. It had no right to be this awesome.

#5. Jessica Jones (Netflix). Some did not like season two of Jessica Jones, but I thought it was some of the best work we got. The character of Jessica Jones is really delved into and we learn and meet her mother. The arrival of Jessica’s believe to be dead mother really kicked the series into overdrive. Plus, we got the continued push toward Hellcat in the MCU.

#4. Glow (Netflix). I binged Glow season two in a night. These 10 episode, half hour comedies on Netflix are such an easy binge that they should do more of them. Glow was amazing this season as we continued with the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling struggling to become a success. The episode that was basically the wrestling storyline episode “The Good Twin” was off the charts.

#3. The Tick (Amazon Prime). The second half of season one came to Amazon and brought with it so much Tick goodness that it reminded me how much I loved that character and the world in which he inhabits. Peter Serafinowicz has won me over as the big blue bug of justice.

#2. Daredevil (Netflix) Season three of Daredevil was fantastic and so when it was announced that Netflix had cancelled it, it was a shock to say the least. This season brought back the Kingpin of Crime to the front burner and included the arrival of Bullseye. Again, the villains of this series continue to be the best of the Marvel TV Universe. Hopefully we will be able to see some of these characters again somewhere inside the MCU.

#1. American Vandal (Netflix) Another cancelled series, American Vandal was absolutely hilarious and I loved it completely. American Vandal was another one night binge and I really appreciated that. This season tried to uncover the identity of the Turd Burglar. The mystery this season is better than season one’s mystery (although I think season one was funnier overall). There are some characters in this season that are just transcendent. I am sad that we will not get another season from this consistently funny show. Hopefully someone will pick up the show for a season three.

TV- Network 2018 Year in Review

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Doc

My choice of programs on network television have been slowing over the last few years with most of the list being shows that come on for shortened runs and then go away. I have very few full seasons of TV on here.

I truly believe that is the eventual way we will be moving, not only on cable and streaming but also network in the very near future.

Here are my choices for network TV

#10. Scandal (ABC). I used to love this show. Now, I was very thankful that it ended when it did. There was way too much character assassination going on around Scandal as characters were doing things that I did not believe they would have. I am not sure the show ever recovered from Olivia Pope’s kidnapping. There were still moments that kept it on this list, but certainly nowhere near where it once was.

#9. Riverdale (CW). This is another show that has been falling down for me. The second season was very hit and miss (with a big miss on the Black Hood storyline) but a fun musical episode. I have not watched much in season three at this point and so it is hard for me to say if it has improved. I saw one episode of season three and it was uneventful.

#8. Designated Survivor (ABC). It started at ABC, but it was cancelled after a second season. It was a decent show that I enjoyed. Killing off FLOTUS was ballsy and lead to some good television. However, the end is not the end as President Kirkman’s presidency has been saved by Netflix so we will continue to see the adventures of Kiefer Sutherland in the Oval Office.

#7. Gotham (FOX). It was near the top of the list last season, but it slipped in the second half and the final season has yet to debut. The whole Jeremiah story felt forced and just a way to shock us. Bruce Wayne became even more of a jerk. There was some decisions made that should have had more consequences than it had. The fifth season coming up in 2019 is the final one and I think that is a positive thing.

#6. The X-Files (FOX). The season 11 is reportedly the final season for the FBI most unwanted. Or at least, it is the final season that Gillian Anderson is playing Dana Scully. She told Mulder that she was pregnant in the finale of season 11, one of several true shocks…including the apparent death of their son, who wasn’t actually Mulder’s son. He was created by the Cigarette Smoking Man in a lab. Whoa.

#5. The Rookie (ABC). The only new network program to make the list is here mainly on the strength of Nathan Fillion’s return to TV. I have been enjoying the story being told each week and Fillion is always charming and fun to watch. The Rookie has a nice blend of humor and action and some interesting characters. I am looking forward to how this continues on after the midseason break.

#4. The Gong Show. I don’t know why I like this show so much. It really is silliness, but I looked forward to it every week. Now they did make a terrible mistake by removing the Sing-a-long section with Albert (oh, how I missed Shaving Cream), but the acts were always amazing. Michael Myers in his host costume does a great job and has a lot of fun.

#3. Whose Line is it Anyway (CW). An all-time classic. This past season continued with the great comedy made up on the spot. It was great to see old favorite return (Chip Esten made an appearance) as well as our old favorites Colin, Ryan and Wayne.

#2. The Match Game (ABC). Alec Baldwin is amazing as the host of Match Game. This show is so much fun and Baldwin brings just the right amount of snark to the host gig. The double entendres and euphemisms are really LOL but this year one contestant put Alec on the floor with her non-euphemism. It was unbelievably hilarious.

#1. Agents of SHIELD (ABC). This show just keeps going and getting better and better. This year the agents found themselves in a horrific future where people believed that Quake tore the earth apart with her powers. They had to find their way back to their world and then stop Graviton from doing just that. Along the way, we get amazing team chemistry and the epic Phil Coulson. With Phil and May being left off in Tahiti to await for Phil’s death, the upcoming season of SHIELD could be one that makes us all sad.

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Doc

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Perhaps the most famous MacGuffin in movie history is the Maltese Falcon and this film is one of the most iconic versions of the film noir style of detective stories.

Humphrey Bogart played Sam Spade, a detective whose partner is murdered during a case where everyone is in search of a priceless statuette of a black bird. There are many twists and turns in the noir and Humphrey Bogart is in full glory here.

Peter Lorre and his distinct voice and appearance is in this film as well, playing one of the men searching for the Maltese Falcon. He is an original actor, someone unlike anyone around him. He gives each role a flair and this one is no exception.

The story is beautifully laid out and unveils itself perfectly. Sam Spade seems to always be one step ahead of everyone, able to spin whatever happens to his favor. He is a skilled detective with one part con man. The police have clearly had their fill of Spade too as they were anxious to try and arrest him for whatever they could.

While action is limited, the film does a tremendous job of creating tone and using that tone to create a tension in place of the action. Each scene is vitally important and nothing is filler.

Bogart is easily the standout of this film and this is an example of why people talk about him as such a classic actor.

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TV- YouTube 2018 Year in Review

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Doc

There is a great deal of content available on YouTube that is every bit as entertaining, if not more so, than what is being presented on network or cable TV. Here is the top 10 of the year 2018.

#10. Movie Bob Reviews. I enjoy the wit of Movie Bob. I do not always agree with his assessments of the films he is reviewing, but that is the beauty of film commentary. Two people can see the same movie in completely different ways. And I always get a laugh from Movie Bob.

#9. Josh Macuga plays horror video games. This is a series of videos from Collider that highlight Josh Maguca, one of their employees, playing VR games. Nothing to that, you say? Well, the hook here is that Josh Macuga is one of the most easily scared individuals on the internet and his reactions to the scary imagery in these games is sidesplitting fun. His screams seem fake, but he assures us, they are not.

#8. SJU. Screen Junkies Universe. They discuss the latest movie news with some of the more engaging critics on the internet. Dan Murrell, Joe Starr, Roth Cornet, Spencer Gilbert among many others fill the time with witticism and criticism. This is also the crew behind the successful Honest Trailers.

#7. Honest Trailers. Speaking of Honest Trailers, here it is. Three time Emmy nominated, Honest Trailers picks a different movie each week and makes a trailer that pokes fun at it. However, the best part is the trailer commentaries that they have which, many times, includes the creators of the films themselves.

#6. Collider Movie Review Talk. Starring Scott “Movie” Mantz and two revolving critics a week, this show reviews the week’s new releases and gives you recommendations for streaming movies or Blu-ray films. Scott Mantz’s over-sized personality is the selling point of this show which drops on Collider every Friday.

#5. Collider Movie Talk. This is one of the longest running movie talk programs on YouTube. Mark Ellis is you host of this show that runs Monday through Thursday in the evening hours. They also have a revolving panel of guests featuring personalities such as John Rocha, Perri Nemiroff, Jeff Snyder, Mark Reilly etc.

#4. Fatman Beyond. The new title for Fatman on Batman, a podcast that includes Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin talking to fans about the events happening in pop culture. The show is now recorded at the Star wars inspired Scum and Villainy Cantina in Los Angeles. Kevin Smith is a natural story teller and Marc Bernardin is one of the smartest people around. They are fun together and they have an easy chemistry with each other.

#3. Collider Live. At one time, Kristian Harloff and Mark Ellis, the Schmoes, had a show that they recorded live every week. It involved movie discussion along with all kinds of silliness and overall wild behavior. That show had to go on hold for a while but this year, Harloff brought the concept back to a morning show on Collider. Monday-Wednesday features two hours of talk about all kinds of subjects as well as the trademark silliness. Roxy Striar is one of my favorite additions to the show.

#2. Movie Fights. This show has been readjusted a couple of times since the old days and it seems to be returning to its stride. #HootHoot #OwlNation Hosted by comedian Hal Rudnick, the show gets three individuals together to have them debate questions about movies (the sillier the better). Dan Murrell is here as both the reigning Movie Fights Champion and the fact checker and Danielle Radford looks for dank memes on social media.

#1. The Movie Trivia Schmoedown. Number one for the second year in a row, the Movie Trivia Schmoedown only continues to get better and better. A movie trivia show that includes storylines and characters much like WWE, Movie Trivia Schmoedown, at its worst, is extremely entertaining. At its best, it is a must see competition with unbelievably charismatic men and women who know their movie trivia. The show has several different “divisions” in the league including singles, teams, Innergeekdom, and Star Wars. John “The Outlaw” Rocha, leader of the 5 Horsemen, is the current Movie Image result for schmoedown movie trivia Kristian death stare Trivia Schmoedown Champion of the World. The “Amazing” Mara Knopic is the undefeated Innergeekdom Champion. The team champions are the Shirewolves (also undefeated) who consists of “Classy” Clark Wolfe and Rachel “The Crusher” Cushing. Finally the Star Wars Champion is Alex “The Demon” Damon. The stories may be written but the movie trivia and the emotion and the passion are real. The show has gotten so big that it has had several live shows in Los Angeles this year and are heading to New York in early 2019.

House on Haunted Hill (1958)

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Doc

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A vat of acid. A haunted house. Severed heads. Is it all real or just some wild concoction put together for the execution of a murder? Nobody is really sure, but Vincent Price keeps the mood extremely creepy in this horror movie from the late 1950s.

Eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren(Vincent Price) has invited five strangers to a party in a supposed haunted house and offered them $10,000 each if they can stay the night. As the party gets underway, the strangers realize that they are in for more than they had expected.

Annabelle Loren (Carol Ohmart) is Frederick’s wife, but the pair seem to have a contentious relationship to say the least. They banter about killing one another in a manner that you believe that they have tried before. I enjoyed the unexpected dialogue between Vincent Price and Carol Ohmart. They had a distinct chemistry between them that really made you believe that they were in the middle of a bizarre game of who could murder the other first.

The other main party goers included office worker Nora Manning (Carolyn Craig) and pilot Lance Schroeder (Richard Long). These two were at the heart of most of the action as the party continued. Watson Pritchard (Elisha Cook) was quite crazy, constantly talking about the previous murders that had taken place in the house prior to this party. He was very spooky. Dr. David Trent (Alan Marshal) has his own secrets for being included on the party guest list while Ruth Bridgers (Julie Mitchum) seemed to be included to drink scotch.

There are some twists and turns here that are tricky and reasonably fun. The film works in particular because of Vincent Price and his undeniable creepiness factor.

IMDB has a listing for “Skeleton” playing himself.

funtime

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CABLE-TV Year in Review 2018 TV

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Doc

Cable TV has been hit hard by the streaming services. Even by moving the HBO, Starz, Showtime to this category, I only have a list of four shows here.

#4. The Walking Dead (AMC). This show ruled the roost for several years, but it has seen a steep decline in interest and quality over the last few seasons. I have heard that the last few episodes of season 9 (which I have not seen yet) are somewhat of a recovery for the show, so maybe I’ll have to pick it up again when it returns from its midseason break.

#3. The Runaways (Hulu). The second half of season one was just as great as the first half and I loved the fact that the show felt confident enough in its set up and structure that it was able to develop these characters before they felt the need to make them run away, despite the show’s title. The show returns in December, dropping all of their episodes in one binge-able block.

#2. Cloak & Dagger (Freeform). The pair of unknown Marvel Comics heroes made for a stellar television program. This was another show that took its time and the results really paid off. They used their 10 episode season to near perfection as we really grew to love the characters of Tandy and Tyrone. They slowly learned what they were able to do with these weird powers, they had a huge connection to the MCU with Roxxon Oil and they had one of the best TV episodes of the year with “Lotus Eaters.”

#1. Ash vs. The Evil Dead (Starz). When I found out that season three would be the final one for Ash and the crew, I immediately ended my subscription to Starz in protest. Ash vs. the Evil Dead was the only thing I ever watched on Starz and with it gone, there was no reason to keep it. Ash was as good of a television program as you were ever going to get and I am sad that it is over.

TV Year in Review

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Doc

Television has been in a golden age for the last several years since we have hundreds of locations in which to partake our favorite shows whether it be weekly, monthly or binging in one sitting.

A couple of years ago, I made the decision that with the TV section of the Year in Review, there were just too many shows eligible for the list and that it was impossible to narrow it down. So I made the executive decision to split the TV category into four sections. They were Network, Cable, Streaming, and YouTube.

Now I made a couple of adjustments this year. I moved the networks HBO, Showtime, Starz etc to the cable group instead of streaming. I did take YouTube Red (or whatever it is called now) and made it the streaming. I know that seems odd, but I don’t think that putting YouTube Red series against the ones on YouTube proper was fair.

Then, this year, my consumption of television dropped significantly. There were a ton of TV shows that would have made lists in the past that I just did not follow on even a semi-regular basis. These shows included The Big Bang Theory, American Horror Story, Preacher, How to Get Away With Murder, House of Cards, 13 Reasons Why, Ghosted, Legion, Mr. Robot among others. My time is just limited and I cannot watch all of these shows.

So that is the rules for the television section of this Year in Review. So we shall begin.

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Doc

Mowgli Movie Poster

Netflix’s latest release comes from the mind of director Andy Serkis, and is the newest adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale, The Jungle Book. However, this is not your Disney version of The Jungle Book as Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is considerably darker and edgier than the animated Disney film or Jon Favreau’s live action adaptation from a couple years ago.

The story is similar to start. Mowgli (Rohan Chand) is a baby when his parents are killed by the violent tiger Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch). Mowgli winds up with the wolf pack and is protected from the tiger’s teeth as Khan swears to eventually taste the man cub’s blood. Mowgli is raised in the pack until the tiger returns to cause further chaos by inciting the humans by killing their cattle.

The panther Bagheera (Christian Bale) and the bear Baloo (Andy Serkis) do what they can to protect the man cub from the dangers of the jungle while still trying to teach him how to survive.

There is a lot of violence in this version, so do not mistake this for a children’s movie. This is more in line with the original version from Rudyard Kipling than it is with the other theatrical versions. The dark tone is not a problem as it seems to fit fairly well with the life of these animals.

The CGI of some of the animals are nowhere as smooth as the Favreau version. There are times when these talking animals were simply weird to look at and that is a major drawback after we saw the exact same type of CGI pulled off flawlessly.

While it may not be fair to compare the two versions (or the animated Disney one) of this story, it is difficult to avoid, especially with the said version coming out just a few months ago. And with WB selling this to Netflix for release, there is the idea that WB did not believe that this film would have survived a theatrical release. I think they were probably correct in that assumption.

Again, that does not make this a poor movie. It only makes it one with flaws.

The voice cast is tremendous, including the wondrous Cate Blanchett as Kaa. There was no music, not a sign of “Bare Necessities” anywhere and that is a good thing since it would have felt totally out of place with the story this film was telling. The young actor who played Mowgli, Rohan Chand, was solid in the role. He may not have stood out as much as did Neel Sethi did in 2016, but Chand was respectable.

The film is uneven as it suffered from moments of dullness, despite other moments of freedom and drama. There was not much dealing with the humans that was worth the time in the film, and that connection for Mowgli is lost. Perhaps that was the idea.

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is not a bad time and is most likely a decent watch on Netflix. Most of the film looks good and the story is different enough to keep you invested.

3 stars

The Christmas Chronicles

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Doc

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I have to say… I may not be a big fan of most Christmas movies… the new Netflix film, The Christmas Chronicles starring Kurt Russell, is charming, clever and a load of fun.

Kurt Russell makes a fantastic Santa Claus, updated for the new generation. There are many smart and fun adaptations of the classic Santa tropes in the film that you have to really pay attention to the dialogue or the surroundings to catch them all.

Kurt Russell performs the song “Santa Claus is Back in Town” and it is one of may favorite music moments in movies this year. It was a real jailhouse rock, literally. It was also the moment of the film that won me over.

In The Christmas Chronicles, Santa gets distracted by two arguing children, the boy heading down the wrong track Teddy (Judah Lewis) and his sister, the ever-joyous Katie (Darby Camp). With these two causing a dangerous sleigh accident, Santa is stranded in Chicago with Christmas spirit rapidly dwindling and nighttime hours slipping away. The three of them have to work together to save the holiday.

The film is sugary sweet for sure, and can be completely predictable, but it is a Christmas film. You fond yourself engaged with the struggles of these two young people and the coolness of Kurt Russell as St. Nick is undeniable.

It is not a forever classic, but the film is a fun watch and a great family movie to watch with your kids. Kurt Russell is awesome in the role of Santa Claus. He totally immerses himself into the role, making it feel special. A combination of The Santa Clause and Home Alone, The Christmas Chronicles is a good time.

And the Mrs. Claus cameo is exactly what I had wanted.