Darkest Hour

Posted on December 24, 2017 by Doc

Gary Oldman is a masterful actor. He has been a consistent performer who can lose himself in a role. He has a history of doing that over the years and now, he is going back in history for his next great role.

Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of England during the darkest time the British was facing during the early days of World War II. He was not the popular choice, but he was the choice that was believed to be able to cross over party lines and unite the country.

In this film, we see how close that came to not being the case.

With opposing forces within his own War Council, Churchill faced constant problems. Former Prime Minister Nevelle Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) and everybody’s real choice for PM Viscount Halifax (Stephen Dillane) represented the other party in the council and wanted Churchill to negotiate a peace treaty with Hitler. Churchill wanted no part of tat, but felt as if his hand was being forced by events and by the situation.

This was all going on at the same time as 300,000 British troops were being trapped at Dunkirk, only adding to the pressure on Churchill.

Oldman brilliantly shows the progression of the curmudgeon Churchill from nervously awaiting an appointment to facing overwhelming odds. One of the best scenes in the movie had Churchill on a train, discussing what he should do with the people. This really showed the connection that Churchill had with the “normal” people of Britain and why he is such a beloved figure.

The dialogue is wonderfully written and that is vital since Churchill was known for his biting wit and sharp comments. Even the King of England admitted to being “scared” of Churchill. Oldman delivers these lines with a gusto that you expect from him.

While the acting is top notch, this would be another version of a film where the performance elevates the story. The plot itself is not the strongest aspect of Darkest Hour, but with every word, Oldman makes everything better. I would compare this to another World War II movie- The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch. Cumberbatch brings so much to the role of Alan Turing that he makes the movie better by his presences. Gary Oldman does the very same thing. This could be considered the quintessential Winston Churchill performance ever put to film.

Much more accurate than the other movie today (Greatest Showman), Darkest Hour presents the tale of a singular time in the life of Winston Churchill and it does it with a career performance by a great actor in Gary Oldman. The film may run a little too long, but that scene on the train had me getting goose bumps. I would expect to see Gary Oldman’s name in future Oscar consideration.

3.6 stars

The Greatest Showman

Posted on December 24, 2017 by Doc

The Greatest Showman Movie Poster

The latest big screen musical is the story of the life of P.T. Barnum, albeit leaving much, if not most, of his life. This is less of a biopic than it is a piece of historical fiction.

Phineas T Barnum (Hugh Jackman) was a young boy from a lower class family who falls in love with a higher class young lady Charity (Michelle Williams), and he swears that he is going to give her a great life. PT eventually lead to creating a “circus” including some talented “oddities” and striving for the stars.

I will say that when the young boy version of PT (Ellis Rubin) started to sing his song, it kind of threw me off. I knew this was a musical, but the first song really caught me off guard. It was a weird feeling.

I got past that feeling as the movie continued. I will say that I found most, if not, all of the songs really enjoyable. They were toe-tapping and the choreography was wonderful. There was a song with Zendaya and Zac Efron where they were singing with the trapeze rope that was breath-taking.

I thought the acting here was very strong with the cast doing a great job. However, I think most of the story was pretty surface level and the plot points did not go into any real depth. The writing was average and did not create the characters into more than two dimensional.

Great singing and dancing, but average to below average story and characters, The Greatest Showman does have some redeeming qualities. If you are a fan of musicals, you’ll probably enjoy this film, but there are some definite items lacking here.

3.1 stars

Top 25 Schmoedown Matches and More

Posted on December 24, 2017 by Doc

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This is a new category to add to the Year in Review section of the EYG site. That is because the Movie Trivia Schmoedown has become a huge thing on the internet and I never miss an episode. So I compiled a list of matches from 2017. I have also linked the YouTube video on the list.

After the list, I will be adding some other specific awards connected to the Schmoedown. I know the Movie Trivia Schmoedown will be having their own winners and I have not been swayed by those (since I don’t know what they are a of this writing.)

Oh … and by the way, just like all of these lists in the Year in Review, there are SPOILERS in here, especially for the Schmoedown Spectacular 2, which was just released. Be warned.

Top 25 Matches

#1. JTE defeats Drew McWeeny, Oct. 3. LINK This match up went multiple sudden death rounds and was as full of drama as any have ever been.

#2. Star Wars Iron Man Match- Sam Witwer defeated Ken Napzok Dec. 22 LINK

#3. Rotten Tomatoes defeated IGN, May 23rd LINK

#4. The Patriots defeated Team Trek, Feb. 14th. LINK

#5. Josh Macuga defeated “Finstock” Marc Andreyko, Feb. 3rd. LINK

#6. Dan Murrell defeated Mark Reilly and John Rocha, Triple Threat, July 7th LINK

#7. The Patriots defeated Modok, August 11 LINK

#8. John Rocha defeated Dan Murrell, Feb 17 LINK

#9. Above the Line defeated Wolves of Steel, Sept. 12 LINK

#10. Star Wars 5-Way Match- Sam Witwer becomes #1 contender, Dec. 8 LINK

#11. Free for All- Samm Levine wins. LINK PART 1 LINK PART 2

#12. The Patriots defeated Above the Line, Dec. 22 LINK

#13. Kristian Harloff defeated Jeff Sneider, July 7. LINK

#14. Jeremy Jahns wins Fatal 5-way Innergeekdom match, March 31 LINK

#15. Manager’s Bowl- Emma Fyffe wins, Dec. 22 LINK

#16. Late to the Party defeated Critically Acclaimed, Aug. 25 LINK

#17. Jeremy Jahns defeated Robert Meyer Burnett. May 12 LINK

#18. Kristian Harloff defeated William Bibbiani. May 19. LINK

#19. Top Ten defeated the Schmoes. March 21. LINK

#20. Jason Inman wins Fatal 4-way match. Nov. 24 LINK

#21. Team Action defeated Top Ten. Sept 13th LINK

#22. Jason Inman defeated Hector Navarro, Dec. 22 LINK

#23. Blofeld’s Cat defeated “Nerd’s Watch” Rachel Cushing, hanidcap. Dec. 22 LINK

#24. Hector Navarro defeated Jeremy Jahns. July 7. LINK

#25. Mike Kalinowski defeated Brianne Chandler. Oct 31 LINK

Player of the Year: Samm Levine. This is a no brainer. Levine ended the year as champion after winning the Ultimate Schmoedown singles tournament, winning the Ultimate Schmoedown team tournament (with Drew McWeeny), winning the Free for All. Quite a run this year.

Team of the Year: The Patriots. Duh. You may not like them, but you cannot argue with the fact that JTE and Jeff Sneider defeated everyone they faced this year. Most of the matches were dramatic and close. An argument could be made that Team Trek should have beaten them. But in the end, The Patriots are 8-0.

Rookie of the Year: Rachel “The Crusher” Cushing. Rachel has been on the precipice of being a champion, coming up just short. You forget that Rachel is a rookie. Her battle against Blofeld’s Cat in a handicap match showed how much heart she has. She is a future champion without a doubt.

Best Moment: Andrew Ghai spears John Rocha. I almost made this Ken Napzok turning heel, but when Andrew Ghai of Team Action tackled The Outlaw after Team Action’s loss was completely unexpected. Now, it was so well done that I thought that it was maybe real. If it were real, then I wouldn’t list it here because that would have been a terrible thing. But as a WWE style bit, this was awesome. And big props to John Rocha for taking that spear like a champion.

Best Turn: Ken Napzok turns heel. Star Wars Champion at that time, Ken Napzok turned heel and joined the group he had sworn to fight against, The Lion’s Den. Rachel Cushing talked him down and convinced him to have a match as Nerd’s Watch vs. Blofeld’s Cat. Then, Ken no-showed the match, forcing Rachel into a handicap match. Ken then arrived after her defeat to rub it in. Just a huge heel move from a great performer.

Best Promo: Ken Napzok and Kristian Harloff. This was just epic. After Ken had ditched Rachel, Kristian came into the interview area to confront Ken, and what happened was absolute gold. Ken was absolutely on fire, spouting off perfect excuses for his turn, reasons that you could understand. Ken even brought up Kristian not naming Ken commissioner. It was amazing work from both of these men and it really added a gravitas to the storyline.

Best Special: Schmoedown Spectacular 2, Dec. 22nd. Every special has been tremendous, but this one was extra special. Great matches, lots of storyline work, amazing graphics from Bryan Ward, every back stage vignette is great. It was so much fun and we got a good chunk of Kristian Harloff and Mark Ellis (in the world’s greatest Tetris suit).

Best Faction: The Lion’s Den. They had a tough night at the Spectacular but they are easily the one that is above the others. Now, perhaps Emma Fyffe will put together an awesome one, but, for now, the Lion’s Den continues to be the top faction.

Best Manager: Tom Dagnino. Another one who you may hate, but Tom Dagnino is entertaining. He is great on the mike and just engages the audience to hate him.

Truly love the Movie Trivia Schmoedown and I am so looking forward to the next season of the show. Congrats to Kristian Harloff and Mark Ellis and everyone else involved in creating such a fantastic program for YouTube.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Posted on December 24, 2017 by Doc

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The “reboot/sequel/re-imagining” of the 1990s Jumanji really only has minimal connections to that film. This is a new version and, to be honest, I liked it a lot more than I did the first one.

Although I loved Robin Williams (still do by the way), I was never a big fan of the first Jumanji movie. I mean, it was okay, but I wanted more from it. So I was not overly excited for a “reboot/sequel/re-imagining” of the franchise…even with the Rock in it.

Still, the trailers looked entertaining and word of mouth was good, so I went into Welcome to the Jungle with reasonable expectations. And I was entertained.

Instead of Jumanji being a board game that frees dangerous rampaging creatures into our world, the game has adapted itself into a video game format and, instead, pulls the players into the world of Jumanji.

So when four high school students in detention find themselves with the option of playing this video game, they take up the controllers and wind up in the jungles of Jumanji. Each student found themselves inside an avatar of the character that they chose to play.

The initial set up to this movie is a bit slow, but, as a teacher in middle school, I recognized these types of students. Once they arrive in the jungle, and we have Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan appear on screen, the movie truly takes off.

Johnson played nerd/video game expert Spencer, a geeky boy who was scared of pretty much everything. Hart played Fridge, a large football player struggling to get through school. Gillian was the wallflower Martha, who was shy and withdrawn. Finally, Jack Black played Bethany, a snotty, blonde Instagram using teen mean girl. So each avatar is very much playing against the type of the character that had chose them, and this is where most of the comedy for the movie comes from.

And this is extremely funny. I would say, especially with Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black. These two actors really got into the contradictions of their characters. Jack Black especially was just brilliant as the teenage girl who has lost her phone. There are so many subtitles to Jack Black’s performance that it makes it all the better. He is a total riot (including the discovery of the penis).

Kevin Hart is basically Kevin Hart. He is using his same shtick that he uses in most of his films. However, he does seem to be able to create something more here, perhaps because of his chemistry with The Rock and the others in the cast. I would have liked Hart to have tried something more than just being Kevin Hart.

Karen Gillan has a lovely relationship with Dwayne Johnson’s character and these two are amazing playing two awkward kids trying to find their way to one another. Just the thought of these two beautiful people having any insecurities at all really is a funny concept. Funny and real.

The action in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is good, especially with the helicopter scene. I also loved how the film played with the idea that they were in a video game. Characters had skills, talents, weaknesses that they could access, limited number of lives, and there was music cues when important things were going to happen. There were NPC (non-player characters) who were there only to deliver scripted lines and they would repeat those even if a character asked them a specific question. This was very clever.

Yes, the film also has Bobby Cannavale playing a character named Van Pelt, who is the villain of the movie and does have some creepiness involving insects, but has zero motives, zero personality or zero charm. However, he does seem to be able to do more than just speak previously scripted dialogue like all the other members of Jumanji. That fact is never dealt with and it could be seen as a plot hole. Van Pelt is really no more than the “Big Bad” at the end of the video game and is the one that the heroes have to defeat. His inclusion does seem to be a weakness of the movie and a waste of the skills of Cannavale.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle feels like a throwback to those films from the 1980s that are action/adventure with slight stories that were just fun. This is not going to be a deep, thought provoking film dealing with issues. Instead, it is a fun time with some great comedic performances and some good action tossed in.

I had a lot of fun with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

4.1 stars

Pitch Perfect 3

Posted on December 24, 2017 by Doc

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Pitch Perfect 1 was a huge surprise for me. I had not intended on seeing it, but the fates got me to go and I really enjoyed it. Pitch Perfect 2 was considerably down from the first one.

And now there is Pitch Perfect 3.

This one is terrible. I really disliked almost everything about the film.

The only thing I liked about Pitch Perfect 3 was the songs. They were, once again, a toe-tapping good time.

The story? Non-existent. The comedy? Unfunny. I think I may have laughed once or twice, tops. Characters? Either surface level or repeated from previous installments.

How do you waste an appearance from Jon Lithgow? How are the scenes starring Jon Lithgow the worst in your movie? Who though DJ Khaled was an actor?

I struggled to stay in my seat for this one as I contemplated leaving the theater. I stayed ’til the bitter end, though.

Why does there need to be explosions in a Pitch Perfect movie? Those scenes seemed to be the wrong tone when we saw them in the trailer and they are just as out of place in the film.

Any time this film was not singing, there was just too much stupidity going around to care about anything. When they were singing and dancing with lovely choreography, the film is watchable. I liked the addition of the bands with their instruments (though the film introduced them and then left them completely out of the rest of the film), but there was just too much time spent being stupid than singing.

1.5 stars (because of the music)

Top Network TV Shows of 2017

Posted on December 23, 2017 by Doc

The next category of television we will be looking at will include the Network shows. I have had less here than in past years, and there are many here that I have slowly faded out of my watching queue. There are only so many hours in a day.

Still, there are some that I must see each and every week.

#10. The Mayor (ABC). Okay, so this is one that I have fallen behind again. Each episode has had some familiarity to it and I have not caught up. Still, it has appealing actors and a cute story to it.

#9. Ghosted (FOX). I have really liked this series, especially with the relationship between LeRoy and Max. I wish the show had more time to expand on each episode’s story. It should either have two part episodes or it should be an hour. But so far, Ghosted has been very entertaining.

#8. Scandal (ABC). This is the final season for Scandal, and, unfortunately, they have turned the White Hat wearing Olivia Pope into a master villain, like dear old dad. I assume the ending will be her eventual redemption, but, for me, it might be too late already.

#7. Designated Survivor (ABC). President Kirkman has had less conspiracy this season and more internal White House drama. At times, the show is extremely solid, and other times it feels a tad fluffy. Still, Kiefer Sutherland is always enjoyable. But what about that final scene with Kirkman’s wife?

#6. Speechless (ABC). This comedy has been very consistent each week with a lot of laughs, some bad behavior, and a family who loves one another. J.J. is allowed to be every bit as bad as his siblings can be and that is refreshing.

#5. How to Get Away with Murder (ABC). Holy crap, that mid season finale was intense. Those scenes with Annalise desperately trying to save the newborn baby was insanity. I was literally holding my breath the entire time until that cry came out over the black screen. Amazing.

#4. Whose Line is it Anyway (CW). Improv continues to be fun and enjoyable as the best improvisation comedians on the planet show what they can do. Colin, Ryan and Wayne are brilliant. We also got a guest star of Chip Esten. Greta stuff.

#3. Riverdale (CW). Melodrama everywhere. The first season was a creepy and extremely fun adaptation of Archie and his friends. It reminded some of Twin Peaks. Season two has been a little less solid as the Black Hood storyline has stalled the season so far. Hopefully, Riverdale can get back on track.

#2. Gotham (FOX). Last year’s number one is still very high on my list. I loved the Professor Pyg story that Gotham told this year (though I am not a fan of how it has seemingly ended) and you get compelling characters such as Penguin, Ed Nygma, Harvey Bullock etc. Bruce Wayne needs a good spanking, but other than that… Gotham hits some serious heights.

#1. Agents of SHIELD (ABC). SHIELD reclaimed the number one show after we saw Ghost Rider, the LMD storyline, and this season’s trip into the future and space to battle the Kree. AoS is well written and extremely witty every week and never fails to double down on the show’s strength… and that is the wonderful group of agents we love. Friday night may not be a great night for SHIELD rating wise, but it still is the best show around.

Others: Once Upon a Time, Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon,

Worst show I watched: Inhumans.

The Anna Devane Kick Ass Female

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Doc

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This is the third year for the Kick Ass Female Award. In a world where women’s power has become something even more apropos, this is the award for the ladies. I have always been a fan of kick ass females, all the way back to Anna Devane on General Hospital. So here is the official award, now and forever named after Finola Hughes’ GH character, one of my favorite females of all time.

Previous Winners: Rey (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Mockingbird (Marvel Comics)

#10. Nebula (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2). Nebula came back and fought her sister Gamora and came to an understanding. Nebula may have a big role against her father in the upcoming Avengers movies.

#9. The Amazons (Wonder Woman). The Amazons, led by Queen Hippolyta, were a major part of the DC movie Wonder Woman and they had an important scene in Justice League as well.

#8. Lorraine (Atomic Blonde). Lorraine had one of the best fight scenes of the year inside a hallway in a movie that was somewhat entertaining.

#7. Carol (The Walking Dead). The queen of the apocalypse continues to be the most dominant female on the Walking Dead. Heck, I would rather see Rick, Daryl, Negan or any other character coming after me rather than Carol.

#6. Hela (Thor: Ragnarok). Hela became Thor and Loki’s sister in Thor: Ragnarok and came back to kick some Asgardian ass after the death of Odin. Hela showed off both her dominant side and her beauty thanks to gorgeous Cate Blanchett.

#5. Eleven (Stranger Things). The one and only Eleven came back from the Upside Down to grab control of her powers and help battle the monsters tormenting her friends. Plus, she got to dance with Mike.

#4. Rey (Star Wars: The Last Jedi). Rey has assumed the place at the top of the mountain among the Jedis and she battled Kylo Ren in the throne room of Snoke. This fight scene was one of the best of the year. Spoilers…. she then lifted some rocks.

#3. Valkyrie (Thor: Ragnarok). One of the true standouts of one of the best movies of the year, Tessa Thompson brought us a great character as well as a kick ass woman. Valkyrie had her story that fit beautifully into the film, and she showed off her mighty skills.

#2. Laura (Logan). She who would be X-23 was a brutal and wild animalistic little girl cloned from Logan. Of course, the wild child was more than just a beast. She was a huge part of the heart of one of the best movies of the year. And the acting job Dafne Keen gave was amazing.

Related image #1. Wonder Woman (Wonder Woman) However, it had to be. After starring in one of the most beloved movies of the summer and easily the most beloved DCEU movie ever, Wonder Woman, as portrayed by Gal Gadot, shut all the haters and the doubters up. I did not think Gal Gadot had it in her, but I was proven oh so wrong. Wonder Woman was a transcendent figure in pop culture this year, and I can say that it is about time.

Pottersville

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Doc

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There are some real sweetness about Pottersville.

Unfortunately, there are way more that is stupid about Pottersville.

Pottersville had that cheesy, sweet Christmas movie feel from the early 1980s, but there were so much that was dumb that it cannot be ignored.

Maynard (Michael Shannon) is a kind-hearted shopkeeper in the small and unsuccessful town of Pottersville. When Maynard discovers that his wife is having an affair (SORT OF…), he gets drunk, puts on an ape outfit and runs through the night (It makes more sense in context…somewhat). When the people of the town think that he is Bigfoot, the town suddenly is engulfed by news agencies, people coming to hopefully get a glimpse of the ‘squatch, and the arrival of reality star Brock Masterson (Thomas Lennon) preparing to shoot a new episode of Monster Finder in the town.

Of course, once Maynard realizes that the town is profiting and becoming successful from his accidental bigfoot romp, he continues to don the costume, only to make people happy.

There is so much stupidity in this plot that you have to really shut your brain down to enjoy the story at all. There are some great actors here, Michael Shannon, Jusy Greer, Ron Perlman, Ian McShane, Michael Torpey, but none of them elevate the material beyond a stupid saccharine-sweet made for TV Christmas movie.

The dialogue is atrocious. It does not sound like real people at all. Thomas Lennon could have been a great villain out of the shades of Carl Hiaasen’s villain of his fantastic book Chomp, Derek Badger. Thomas Lennon’s Brock Masterson just falls flat.

All the scenes of the group in the woods are extremely reminiscent of teh reality show Finding Bigfoot, right down to the tree knocks, the night vision camera and the squatch calls. I feel like I have seen it before.

The whole story ends up with a Scooby-Doo reveal that was only missing the line” and I would have gotten away with it, if it hadn’t been for those meddling kids.” Of course, that is not the exact end because the movie should have a happy ending.

The film is meant to be filled with a big heart and a lot of humor. The problem was none of the humor worked. It was low brow and stupid.

I was actually looking forward to this, being a fan of bigfoot, but this was not worth the time. Michael Shannon is always good, but there is only so much he can do.

1.8 stars

Bright

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Doc

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Netflix has been huge in 2017 for their scripted television programs, but you know that they want more than that. They have been releasing movies all year too, in a varying degree of success, looking to become a force in the world of cinema.

The next step in that attempted evolution of the streaming service was Bright, the new film by Will Smith and Joel Edgerton. That is two big names in the world of movies (not Adam Sandler and his latest travesty) and there were high hopes that this might be the film that put Netflix into that next level. Not only do you have Smith and Edgerton, but the film is written and produced by Max Landis, who just had a hugely entertaining series based on the Dirk Gently book. Sounds as if the film was going all in.

Unfortunately, Bright was not the epic film that Netflix had hoped for. It is not bad and it certainly has its share of positives, but the fact is that this is nowhere near the tent pole film that Netflix had hope it to be.

Will Smith played police officer Daryl Ward who, despite his own protests, had been assigned the world’s first Orc police officer, Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton). The fantasy world was filled with Orcs and fairies and elves. It felt like the world of Dungeons and Dragons held in Los Angeles.

After recovering from being shot, Ward returned to work among whispers and hatred for Nick. Ward would tell anyone who would listen that he did not want to have Nick as a partner and he tried everything to get rid of the Orc. What Ward did not know was that a powerful magical artifact had turned up in the city and that mystical forces were arriving to try and reclaim it. Ward and Nick got sucked into the search and found themselves at the center of the problem.

My biggest issue with Bright is that it tries to do too much, so most of the story felt crammed into the film. It tried to set up too dense of a mythology for the two hour run time. While I appreciate the attempt to include such fantasy creatures as it does, there was overkill with all of the different races. This felt like it would have been more fleshed out as a Netflix original series. If Bright had six-eight episodes, I feel that there would have been some really great storytelling happening here.

Will Smith was his typically great self, bringing the most he could to the role. The connection between Ward and Nick was a tad forced and made it more difficult to accept this as the buddy cop movie that it was intended as. I also thought that, though his performance was solid, Joel Edgerton’s character of Nick was all over the place and too inconsistent to be effective. Edgerton was good for what he was given though.

The film looked great, with some solid effects and some exciting action scenes. Admittedly, there are probably too many gun fights, and there were too many scenes that felt like the conclusion of the Suicide Squad.

David Ayer directed Bright and you could see his touches throughout the film. I did very much enjoy the opening musical montage scene where the camera moves around the city seeing the graffiti on walls, telling you stories of the creatures in the world. That worked very well. And seeing Will Smith kill a fairy with a broom was a great scene.

Bright was an uneven film that had some solid work, but also had too much mythology for its time and some questionable choices. Still, it isn’t the worst films you can watch on Netflix (Hi Adam Sandler). It just is not the next huge hit.

2.8 stars

Frontera (2014)

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Doc

A friend and colleague of mine recommended I check this movie out. It was released in 2014 and I think I remember some of the trailers for the movie. So I gave it a shot tonight on Hulu.

It was okay. Well acted with a solid cast. I have always enjoyed Ed Harris and Micheal Pena. Eva Longoria might have stolen the show with her performance.

I wonder if Donald Trump had seen this movie and formed his border policies on what he saw here. I couldn’t help but think of him as I watched some of the plot points that happened in the movie.

So Miguel (Michael Pena) is illegally crossing the border from Mexico to the United States with a family friend (Michael Ray Escamilla) when they meet Olivia (Amy Madigan) on a horse. She gave them water and pointed them in the direction of possible work. Her husband, a former sheriff Roy (Ed Harris) likes to do things his own way, she said, explaining why she had no work for them. Little did they know that three teens were taking up position to shoot at the illegal Mexicans crossing the land.

The boys did not intend for anyone to get hurt. They just wanted to scare the Mexicans, as they said. Problem was that Olivia heard the shots and, when she went to check on them, her horse was spooked and threw her. She hit her head on some rocks and would die.

Roy also heard the shots and came rushing to the site, just in time to see Miguel standing over Olivia, his wife, with the bridal of the horse in his hand. He assumed that Miguel had hurt Olivia trying to steal her horse.

Miguel retreats and Roy nearly shoots him, but he pauses, allowing Miguel to escape. Taking his wife in his arms, Roy holds Olivia as she dies.

As I said, there was solid acting in the film, especially from Harris, who was solid as the grieving husband who still wants justice to be done, and from Eva Longoria, the wife of Miguel who faces dangers of her own as she tried to get to America herself to see her arrested husband.

I did have some problems with the movie, though. First, it felt like everything really fixed itself quickly. Terrible things happen to these characters, but then a scene or two later the situation resolved itself, setting up the next one. It just seemed as if the movie wanted to show everything that could happen to or because of illegal aliens, but just did not have enough time to go into specifics in any plot. Because of that, we did not have the chance to really get involved in enough of the story. It was as if it was on fast forward most of the time.

I seriously wonder if Trump saw this movie prior to his infamous “They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people” comments. SPOILERS: the film even ends with Miguel putting up a fence on the border. Build a wall???? I wouldn’t be surprised.

I try to remain non-political here, but that was going through my head so much that it affected how I saw the film.

In the end, this is a well acted film that does not spend enough time on any one storyline to truly be effective. Ed Harris, Michael Pena and Eva Longoria are good here, and this is not a bad movie to watch on a lazy night with nothing else to do. It was okay.

funtime

Cable Actors/Actresses

Posted on December 21, 2017 by Doc

Here are the top actors and actresses from the cable section of the television awards.

Supporting Actor on a Cable TV Show

#7. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead)

#6. Paul Bettany (Manhunt: Unabomber)

#5. Tyler Labine (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency)

#4. Elijah Wood (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency)

#3. Alfred Molina (eud: Bette and Joan)

#2. Joe Gilgun (Preacher)

#1. David Thewlis (Fargo)

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One of the great villains of the year, David Thewlis truly was imposing and intimidating to the poor people on Fargo. Complex and compelling, Thewlis could never be ignored.

Supporting Actress on a Cable TV Show

#7. Izzie Steele (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency)

#6. Fiona Dourif (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency)

#5. Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel)

#4. Jackie Hoffman (Feud: Bette and Joan)

#3. Jean Smart (Legion)

#2. Melissa McBride (The Walking Dead)

#1. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Fargo)

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She started as a con woman/villain Nikki Swango and quickly became someone whom everyone wanted to root for. Her relationship with Ray in the series really was an honest and heartfelt one and provided much of the emotion for Fargo. She was awesome.

Actor on a Cable TV Show

#5. Dan Stevens (Legion)

#4. Freddie Highmore (Bates Motel)

#3. Sam Barnett (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency)

#2. Evan Peters (American Horror Story: Cult)

#1. Ewan McGregor (Fargo)

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This is the third win for Fargo in these categories, but this is probably the most deserving. Ewan McGregor was so good in his dual role that it was hard to tell that he was the same actor. His work as Ray was heartbreaking and then how Emmit went off the deep end after killing his brother was a tour de force of acting.

Actress on a Cable TV Show

#6. Amanda Marks (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency)

#5. Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story: Cult)

#4. Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black)

#3. Carrie Coon (Fargo)

#2. Susan Sarandon (Feud: Bette and Joan)

#1. Jessica Lange (Feud: Bette and Joan)

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What kept Fargo form winning all four categories? Two astounding performances from two brilliant actresses in one epic series. The top of those two performances belongs to Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford. Lange constantly filled each scene with the pain and the struggles of this star actress trying to keep relevant in a world that wanted to bring her down. It was a raw and painful performance in many ways and showed just how powerful Jessica Lange could be.

EYG Top Ten Christmas Movies

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Doc

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Happy Holidays everyone. We are a week away from Christmas and in honor of that, the Top Ten Show this week focused on Christmas Movies. It was another entertaining episode with John Rocha and Matt Knost, as their opinions on movies really fluctuated during this topic.

Matt Knost, in particular, had a wildly expansive variety of films. He included some of the old Rankin-Bass specials such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It was his list and I respected that.

As for the EYG list…

Related image #10. It’s a Wonderful Life. I am not much of a fan of this film. I have seen it, but when I saw it as a younger person, I found it boring. Maybe I should watch it again as an adult. Still, it is undoubtedly one of the most famous Christmas movies in history. Remember when those bells are ringing, an angel is getting its wings.

Related image #9. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. This is another one of the massively popular Christmas films that I think is okay. I have been a big fan of the Vacation series and the Christmas Vacation is no exception. There are certainly some funny moments here though and should be recognized as an iconic holiday film.

Image result for the ref movie #8. The Ref. I hadn’t remembered that this was a Christmas movie until Matt Knost brought it up on this week’s Top Ten Show, and he reminded me that I really enjoyed this film starring Denis Leary. It was dark, funny and a true breakout role for Leary.

Image result for scrooged #7. Scrooged. Just watched this in prep for this list, again because both of the Top Ten guys had real positive things to say about this. I will say that most of the film felt too hectic to me, but I loved the ending of the film. The monologue Bill Murray gives at the final act of the film is just amazing and shows what a strong actor he could be.

Related image #6. The Ice Harvest. This is a great film that you probably haven’t heard of. It is a dark comedy with John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton. There is also some really funny lines from a drunk Oliver Platt. Cusack and Thornton are trying to get out of town with their stolen money, but they can’t see a way to get out of town because of this ice storm. Really funny and very dark.

Image result for a christmas carol 1951 #5. A Christmas Carol (1951). This is the version of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol that I grew up watching and I can’t help but think of this version when I picture it. Alastair Sim was iconic as Scrooge for years. It may not be my favorite version of this story (more to come later) but I will always see this as the vintage version.

Image result for the man who invented christmas #4. The Man Who Invented Christmas. This is the most recent film on the list and I really enjoyed this one. Dan Stevens (from Legion) starred as Charles Dickens and this was a way to show how Dickens created the story of A Christmas Carol. The film is kind of a fantasy biopic. We go into the mind of Dickens and see him actually interacting with the characters, implying that this was how the creative process took place for him. It was a surprise to me how much I loved this one.

Related image #3. Home Alone. Macaulay Culkin became a major celebrity because of this home invasion movie based around a young child being left behind by his family over Christmas. Of course, this house would also be targeted by the Wet Bandits. But who knew that these two crooks would meet their match in a Looney Tunes like finale where the Wet Bandits basically became Wile E. Coyote. Plus, there is a nice message about loving your family no matter how obnoxious they could be.

Image result for die hard christmas #2. Die Hard. Okay, Die Hard is one of my favorite movies of all time, but I could not put it on top of this list because there is some reasonable arguments against it being a Christmas movie. I have it as a Christmas movie, but I can understand why some one may say that it is not. It does take place on Christmas Eve at a Christmas office party at Nakatomi Plaza and there are Santa hats and Bruce Willis writing on a dead guys short “Now I have a Machine Gun, Ho Ho Ho.” This might be a near perfect action movie.

Related image #1. Muppet Christmas Carol. I watch this every year. I love this movie. I cry every time Tiny Tim, played by Robin, has died and you hear the pain in the voices of Miss Piggy and Kermit, as the Cratchits. It is extremely funny, with Gonzo playing the omniscient author Charles Dickens. It has one of the great Scrooge performances, this time by Michael Caine. I loved the songs. Fuzziwig. The Marley Brothers (two, not one) as Statler and Waldorf. The Muppet versions of the Christmas Ghosts are excellent- especially the Ghost of Christmas Present which is how I picture that character from now on. The Muppet Christmas Carol is one of the greatest Muppet films ever made and is my favorite Christmas movie ever.

Honorable Mentions: The Santa Clause, Krampus, A Nightmare Before Christmas, Arthur Christmas, Trading Places, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, A Christmas Story

Top 10 Cable Shows of the Year

Posted on December 19, 2017 by Doc

The second list of television programs will contain those shows that you can watch on cable. HBO and Showtime and those types of networks are not included here. They fall into the streaming list.

Top 10 Cable TV Shows

#10. Mr. Robot (USA). I have lost a lot of interest in the USA show. I watched the first couple of episodes of the third season, and I have fallen behind because there were other shows I was more interested in seeing. This is still one of those that I may try to catch up with.

#9. American Horror Story: Cult (FX). Still behind on this, but the real life type horror story based on the political climate of the world makes it all the more terrifying. Plus… clowns.

#8. Manhunt: Unabomber (Discovery). The story of the chase to capture the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski was compelling each week. While some of the acting was at times average, Paul Bettany’s Ted was always top notch. The way the FBI eventually brought down the Unabomber was extremely fascinating.

#7. Legion (FX). Mutants on television. But not just any mutant, but one of the trippiest ones ever. Dan Stevens is amazing as Legion, the mutant who appears to be crazy. It is an unbelievable world that we live in where the Shadow King can be a network TV villain.

#6. Fargo (FX). The third season of the anthology series may have been the worst, but the worst of Fargo is still better than most shows on TV. There were great performances from Carrie Coon and Ewan McGregor and a great villain in VM Varga.

#5. The Walking Dead (AMC). This was a number one show for several years, but now it is number five on the cable section. The Walking Dead has had its issues lately, but there is still enough there to be hopeful. The bite heard round the world seemed to have sealed the fate of Carl. Negan is a great character. So hopefully, this great show will find its way back to prominence.

#4. Bate Motel (A&E). The final season of Bates Motel was great, but it never reached the level of the fourth season final couple of episodes. Sheriff Romero did not get his proper respect as a character, but there was some great one on one between Norman and his brother Dylan.

#3. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (BBCA). Based on a book by Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently is a weird and wild adventure full of fun and wit. Everything is connected? Everything is connected to fun.

#2. Feud: Bette and Joan (FX). A brilliant series focusing on the feud between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Add in two amazing performances from Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange and the show is as compelling as possible. Lange was heartbreaking as Joan Crawford. It was only 8 episodes and it was over way too soon.

#1. Rick and Morty (Cartoon Network). Pickle Rick! I discovered Rick and Morty this year, binged the whole series on Hulu, and enjoyed the third season very much. Each week this show would push the limits more and more. Heck, we had an episode with the return of the Vindicators where drunk Rick set up death traps, killing most of the team. You don’t get things like that anywhere else. These ten episodes were over before you knew it and we have no idea when exactly we may see Rick and Morty again. So enjoy these episodes while you can. Pickle Rick!!!!

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World of WWE

Posted on December 19, 2017 by Doc

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I am an unapologetic fan of the WWE. I have been a fan of wrestling since I was a little boy watching with my father and my grandmother. I have been a WWE fan for years, since the days of Bob Backlund and Superstar Billy Graham.

I do not watch other forms of wrestling. Not that I dislike other organizations such as New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) or Ring of Honor (ROH), but I do not watch them much. I prefer the WWE. Much like Marvel in the world of comics, I am a part of the WWE Universe.

So these will all focus on WWE/NXT stars and matches. I am sorry if that annoys you.

Match of the Year

#10. SHIELD vs. The New Day (Survivor Series)

#9. Wargames (NXT Takeover Wargames)

#8. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman (WWE Great Balls of Fire)

#7. Aleistar Black vs. Velveteen Dream (NXT Takeover Wargames)

#6. Usos vs. New Day (Hell in a Cell)

#5. #DIY vs. Authors of Pain, Ladder Match (NXT Takeover: Chicago)

#4. A.J. Styles vs. Brock Lesnar (Survivor Series)

#3. A.J. Styles vs. Finn Balor (TLC)

#2. Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dune (NXT Takeover: Orlando)

#1. Authors of Pain vs. Revival vs. #DIY (NXT Takeover: Orlando)

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Wrestler of the Year: A.J. Styles

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AJ Styles became a two-time WWE Champion after defeating Jinder Mahal on Smackdown Live. He then had a classic match with Brock Lesnar. AJ may be the best in-ring performer in the world right now. He is a well deserving Wrestler of the Year for the 2nd consecutive year.

Runners-Up: Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns

Mike Man: Paul Heyman

No one can tell a story on the microphone as Paul Heyman. He has the audience in the palm of his hand and his ability to put over the opponent is masterful.

Runners-Up: Kevin Owens, New Day, The Usos

Feud of the Year: Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

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They built this feud brilliantly. They made both men look tremendous, especially Braun Strowman. Strowman was allowed to win matches against Reigns and it made him into the “Monster Among Men.”

Runners-Up: The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan, DIY vs. Authors of Pain, The Bar vs. Rollins and Ambrose, The Usos vs. New Day

Show of the Year: Smackdown Live

Runners-Up: RAW, NXT, Mae Young Woman’s Tournament

PPV: NXT Takeover: Chicago

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Runners-Up: Great Balls of Fire, Wrestlemania 33, SummerSlam, NXT Takevoer: Orlando, NXT Takeover: Wargames

Misused Star of the Year: Bayley

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No performer was more misused than Bayley. She was as big of a star as she could be in NXT, and when she arrived on the main roster, she was as over as anyone. And then creative slowly dropped the ball with Bayley. Now, she is just another woman in the locker room.

Runners-Up: Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt

Breakout Star of the Year: Braun Strowman

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Braun Strowman was the breakout star last year as well, but this year was truly the truth. He is now a main event star and the most dominant and fear-inducing performer in years.

Runners-Up: Asuka, The Miz, The Usos, Rusev

Woman of the Year: Asuka

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Asuka was (and still is) undefeated in her NXT run and her arrival on RAW. She is the most dominant female we have seen perhaps ever.

Runners-Up: Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, Natalya

Tag Team of the Year: The Usos

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The Usos moved away from Roman Reigns, turned heel, and became the best tag team on the roster. The Uso Penitentiary shows no signs of stopping.

Runners-Up: The Bar, The New Day, The Authors of Pain, Ambrose & Rollins

The D Bryan Shining Through the Crap Award: Cedric Alexander

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Cedric Alexander has been waiting patiently for his push. Alexander is one of the most talented of the cruiserweights. He may just now be getting what he is due.

Runners-Up: The Miz

Worst Turn: Jack Gallagher

Best Return: Kurt Angle

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Runners-Up: The Hardy Boys

Worst Storyline: Kurt Angle’s Illegitimate son, Jason Jordan

The TV Week That Was

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Doc

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Welcome back to another episode of The TV Week That Was here at EYG. Here is what is happening this week.

promo The Movie Trivia Schmoedown finished its season, preparing towards the Schmoedown Spectacular II on December 22nd. There was only one match this week, but it was a doozy. “The Pit Boss” Ken Napzok no showed his Nerd’s Watch teammate Rachel”the Crusher” Cushing in their team match with The Lion Den’s Blofeld’s Cat. Cushing, as a competitor who did not want to forfeit, took on the duo by herself. She showed great heart and battled to the very end, but eventually fell to the team Blofeld’s Cat. At that point, Ken Napzok came out from the back and revealed that he had officially joined the Lion’s Den and that he had left Rachel alone on purpose. The ensuing promo between Movie Trivia Champion and former Commissioner Kristian Harloff and Napzok was right out of the WWE book. Harloff, and especially Napzok, was just tremendous with the passion and the story they told with their words. When the Collider series adds these type of storylines, it certainly adds dimensions to the program. The game is untouchable, but the storylines bring even more excitement to the show. The Schmoedown Spectacular II looks to be awesome this coming Friday.

Image result for kree villain on Agents of shield season 5 fitz Agents of SHIELD continues to move along as the ABC show has taken its main crew into the future. The Kree has captured Daisy and figured out that she is Quake, Destroyer of Worlds, thanks to Deke. However, Deke is playing a long game and may not necessarily be opposing the agents. Kasius plans on selling Daisy to the highest bidder and taking that money and leaving the remains of the earth. Mae might have gotten beat in the inevitable confrontation with Lady Sinara. Everything looked bad for our heroes until an unexpected face arrived. With the removal of a helmet, we see Fitz, who had been left in the past had found his way to the future somehow. The scenes for next week look as if we get the story of Fitz and how he arrived in the dark future.

Image result for dirk gently season 2 finale Saturday night saw the finale of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency season two as Dirk gets the boy back to Wendimoor, to complete the prophecy and bring the story to a happy conclusion. The boy was able to fix all of the terrible things that had happened over the last several episodes. Meanwhile, Blackwing looks to be under complete new leadership in Ken, after Friedkin derailed it and helped Dirk return to Wendimoor. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency finished a tremendous season with a happy ending unlike season one.

Image result for runaways hulu episode 6 I will say that I found this week’s Runaways fairly underwhelming after the last few weeks of awesomeness. The kids were trying to get the video of their parents released out into the world but the party that they decided to do it at was some kind of big party for Prime. We also got big bad Jonah who seems to be Karolina‘s real father. We also saw Chase’s dad dropped Image result for runaways hulu episode 6 stan lee from his brain tumor, but apparently cured by a unknown injection. The standout of the episode was clearly the Stan Lee cameo as the limo driver.

Ten Days in the Valley, which I had watched on Sunday nights for the first four episodes, had then disappeared. It reappeared here on Saturday night. I haven’t had the chance to watch it yet, but it does not speak to the future of the show to have it pulled off Sunday nights, a big TV night, only to be dropped on the worst TV night, Saturday.

Image result for riverdale black hood Riverdale seemingly killed the Black Hood vigilante this past week, but there is some question that this story was actually over. The Black Hood was revealed to be the school janitor Joseph Svenson, but he had been eliminated as a suspect last episode and Archie still talks about his eyes. Either way, Riverdale continues its homages to Twin Peaks as we get the Black Hood doing his best Killer Bob impersonation in one of Betty’s dreams.