2016-TV Cable

Posted on December 24, 2016 by Doc

The second of the new categories for 2016 in television is cable. The onslaught of cable TV has been only increasing each year as the number of cable TV networks have increased. Here are the top ten shows from 2016 on cable.

Top Shows

#10. Dead of Summer (Freeform). This show from creators of LOST started really strong, starring LOST alum Elizabeth Mitchell, but it got silly as the season progressed. I lost interest about episode 8, but I did wind up finishing up. The horror genre had a great year in 2016, and this was a television example of that.

#9. Orphan Black (BBC America). I will admit to not having finished season 4 of Orphan Black. It is something that I need to get done, but it is still worth inclusion on this list, if not only for Tatiana Maslany.

#8. OJ: Made in America (ESPN). From the 30 on 30 series, this five part documentary was remarkably engaging. It did not just focus on OJ Simpson, but the way the country was- with race relations and celebrating celebrity. One of the best pieces ESPN ever did.

#7. Preacher (AMC). Based on a comic book, Preacher is another one that took some time to gather itself. However, by the finale, Preacher was cooking with gas. The whole Heaven-Hell aspect of the show is something we have never seen before and Cassidy is the best vampire currently on TV.

#6. Mr. Robot (USA). This is easily the show that is too smart for me. Half the time I am not sure what is happening on Mr. Robot, but I am always entertained. The “sitcom” episode of Mr. Robot is one of the year’s best episodes and Rami Malek is a gem.

#5. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (BBC America). One of the most recent additions to the list, Dirk Gently was a book written by Douglas Adams and adapted for television by Max Landis. It was weird and funny and worth every second. Great chemistry with the show’s stars (Samuel Barnett and Elijah Wood), who might be the best buddies of the year. Plus, the moment when Gordon arrives and Dirk and Todd expect explanations only to discover that Gordon doesn’t know what is going on either is one of my favorite TV moments of the year. I laughed loudly at that.

#4. The Walking Dead (AMC). The show that normally had ruled this category has slipped a little bit. The big cliffhanger reveal could not mask the fact that the show has had some pretty poor episodes over the last couple of seasons. The Walking Dead is still appointment TV, though and with the best villain of the year, Negan, anything could happen.

#3. American Horror Story: Roanoke (FX). After AHS: Hotel, I felt that AHS might be finally slipping. I was not a fan of Hotel, so I approached the new, “mysterious” AHS with trepidation. And they just knocked it out of the park. I loved everything about Roanoke. The faux reality show set up with actors recreating the parts to the “real” people giving commentary were all fabulous. And then, the second part of the season was even better as they returned to the spot of the horror from “My Roanoke Nightmare” for even more frights. Awesome job from Ryan Murphy and crew.

#2. Bates Motel (A & E). Just a fabulous season as Norman Bates creeps closer to the persona of the Psycho killer that we knew was coming. We see how Norma Bates dies this season in one of the biggest surprises there was. Making it all the more tragic was the amazing relationship the show created with Norma and Sheriff Romano. Norma and Alex stole my heart in their all-too-few scenes together. Seeing Alex holding the dead body of Norma was heart wrenching, and makes me want him to get Norman. Of course, he probably won’t do that. Bates Motel will be entering its final season this year and it should be epic.

#1. American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ (FX). On a normal year, Bates Motel would have taken this place easily. However, we had one of the greatest 10-episode series ever in The People vs. OJ. I could not believe how engaging this show was, considering we all knew the outcome. The world watched this trial develop in real time during the 1990s, so you wouldn’t think a scripted show about that same trial would be successful at all. Yet, it was magnificent. Each role was perfectly cast and deserve the awards that have been heaped upon it. This might have been the overall number one show of the year for me.

Best Actor- Cable

#5. Dominic Cooper (Preacher)

#4. Freddie Highmore (Bates Motel)

#3. Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead)

#2. Rami Malek (Mr. Robot)

#1. Courtney B. Vance (American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ)

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Best Actress- Cable

#5. Lily Rabe (American Horror Story: Roanoke)

#4. Melissa McBride (The Walking Dead)

#3. Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black)

#2. Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel)

#1. Sarah Paulson (American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ)

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Best Supporting Actor- Cable

#5. Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead)

#4. Joseph Gilgan (Preacher)

#3. Christian Slater (Mr. Robot)

#2. Nester Carbonell (Bates Motel)

#1. Sterling K. Brown (American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ)

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Best Supporting Actress- Cable

#5. Lauren Cohen (The Walking Dead)

#4. Ruth Negga (Preacher)

#3. Adina Porter (American Horror Story: Roanoke)

#2. Kathy Bates (American Horror Story: Roanoke)

#1. Carly Chaikin (Mr. Robot)

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Best TV- Network

Posted on December 24, 2016 by Doc

I split the television categories into three separate sections. They would be Network, Cable and Streaming/HBO/Showtime. It is amazing that there are so many great TV shows out there now a days that I have to categorize them. It was just a few years ago (after LOST went off the air) that I thought I had nothing to watch.

First category to cover will be Network TV. This will include ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and CW shows.

First up: TV Shows

#10. Scandal (ABC). This one has been higher up in past years, but it has been damaged for me. Ever since the “Olivia Pope was kidnapped” story line, I have found Scandal to be slipping. I still watch it every week though, so I haven’t given up on this Thursday night staple.

#9. The Big Bang Theory (CBS). Another long time show that has seen better days. I do like the advancement of the three main couples on the show, and it is still a funny show. Sheldon Cooper has probably changed the most of any main character on a TV show.

#8. Flash (CW). The Flash has been up and down for me. I go through time when I think the show is really great and other times when it feels like the same old stuff. This year’s midseason finale was very strong though so hopefully the second half of this season will be solid. The Flash has great characters and entertaining actors. The whole “Flashpoint” part of this show felt rushed and weak. I have enjoyed the addition of Tom Felton.

#7. Speechless (ABC). This one was unexpected. A comedy about a boy in a wheelchair who has cerebral palsy? Who thought that would work? But it is really funny. They took it to the only reasonable level… making these characters anything but the typical lovable characters we see on TV. These characters have edges to them. And Minnie Driver is just fantastic! Kudos to Micah Fowler as well. He is really good in this show.

#6. Agent Carter (ABC). Sadly, this looks to be the final season of this show. Agent Carter was a great show with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) as an early age agent and the scene stealing star Jarvis (James D’Arcy). We also got Madame Masque in this season! What happened on Agent Carter has also affected the world of Agents of SHIELD.

#5. The X-Files (FOX). Mulder and Scully returned for some fun episodes and some serious nostalgia. The episodes were uneven, but it was great just to see Mulder and Scully back together again. And the episode “Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster,” was classic X-Files fun.

#4. How to Get Away With Murder (ABC). This show recovered from a weaker season two to recapture some of the magic from the first amazing season. It did it on the back of a serious surprise. SPOILER… Wes was the dead body under the sheet. Wes? Who saw that coming?

#3. Designated Survivor (ABC). The highest new series on the network list, Designated Survivor brought Kiefer Sutherland back to TV and put him in the White House. It also threw a ton of behind the scenes Machiavellian tricks and machinations. Is it kind of hard to believe? Sure, but it is always exciting. And the midseason finale? I can’t wait for this one to come back.

#2. Agents of SHIELD (ABC). This one had Ghost Rider! That’s right…Robbie Reyes was a regular on Agents of SHIELD. His scenes with Daisy were great and these two had chemistry off the charts (unlike the lack of chemistry Daisy had with Lincoln). The end of last season had knocked this show down a bit, but it returned strong this year. Plus, we got a “Slingshot” online mini-series.

#1. Gotham (FOX). Yes, I typed that. I know… I can’t believe it either. Season one of Gotham was pretty bad. Season two got better early, but slipped into the realm of camp during the second half. I was not thinking much about Gotham. Then this season started and we were introduced to Jervis Tetch (aka The Mad Hatter) and the season was off to a sprint. And it just got better each week. Each story was exciting and must see. Everything was working. I just hope it can maintain this pace in the second half of the season.

Best Actor

#5. Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory)

#4. David Duchovny (X-Files)

#3. Grant Gustin (Flash)

#2. Kiefer Sutherland (Designated Survivor)

#1. Clark Gregg (Agents of SHIELD)

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Best Actress

#5. Gillian Anderson (X-Files)

#4. Felicity Huffman (American Crime)

#3. Hayley Atwell (Agent Cooper)

#2. Minnie Driver (Speechless)

#1. Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder)

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Best Supporting Actress

#5. Candice Patten (Flash)

#4. Ming-Na Wen (Agents of SHIELD)

#3. Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory)

#2. Bellamy Young (Scandal)

#1. Chloe Bennet (Agents of SHIELD)

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Best Supporting Actor

#5. Jack Falahee (How to Get Away With Murder)

#4. James D’Arcy (Agent Carter)

#3. Robin Lord Taylor (Gotham)

#2. Gabriel Luna (Agents of SHIELD)

#1. (TIE) Cory Michael Smith and Benedict Samuel

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Assassin’s Creed

Posted on December 24, 2016 by Doc

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One of these years there will be a movie based on a video game product that is good. However, Assassin’s Creed is not that movie.

And it was a shame, because I really thought this could have been the one. After Warcraft earlier this year was not very good, we turned our attention to Assassin’s Creed, starring the excellent Michael Fassbender. Trailers looked entertaining. The question about if this would be the movie that finally broke the trend of crappy video game movies was raised.

Then, we saw the film.

Assassin’s Creed was poorly written, boring, and wasted that opportunity to be a trend setting film to bring the genre of video game movies into respectability.

Cal Lynch (Michael Fassbender) was on death row and was executed for some crime involving a pimp (apparently). However, he was brought back to life by a company led by Sofia (Marian Cotillard). How did they do that? Well, you know, by doing it. That was a detail that was not important here. Instead, what they wanted was to hook Cal up to a machine that could send him back into the past (15th Century Spain to be exact) where he would be inside an ancestor of his named Aguilar, a member of the group known as The Assassins. Through Aguilar’s eyes, Cal would try and find a MacGuffin called the Apple of Eden. The Apple apparently held the power to cure the human race of free will or some kind of crap. Sofia was backed by the Templars, an organization that has always been fighting the Assassins and who wanted the Apple for their own nefarious and underdeveloped reasons.

Plus, when hooked up to the machine, not only did Cal get sent back into the body of Aguilar, but his present day body did all the same actions and movements of the body from the 15th Century.

Oh, and Jeremy Irons was here too. He played Jeremy Irons as the father of Sofia.

I was sorry to be watching this movie ten minutes into it. I was bored and wishing it was done almost immediately. As soon as the movie showed us young Cal (Angus Brown) seeing his mother dead by his father’s hand, things began going downhill.

By the way, Christopher Columbus appears in this movie (played by Gabriel Andreu).

This film had a lot of potential but it squandered it away with a rotten and needlessly convoluted story, dull characters with muddied motivations, and some full out dumbness. Even the action, which was okay, was hard to follow since the camera was constantly cutting form one scene to another. It was impossible to see any of the potentially good action scenes.

The film was filled with cliches as well. At one point, a runaway wagon pulled by horses rushed toward a cliff. Seriously, haven’t we seen this a hundred times?

This film tried to be two different films and, by doing that, really damaged both. It made little sense and was dull, dull, dull.

Assassin’s Creed, with its great cast, could have been the movie that made the video game movie genre not be the butt of the jokes any longer. Unfortunately, this is not even close to being as good as Warcraft. That is a really sad thing to say.

1 star

Sing

Posted on December 21, 2016 by Doc

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Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best.

The newest animated film, Sing, is nothing groundbreaking or wildly original. It is just a good time with great music and a lot of fun.

We meet our main character Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) as a young koala as he is being enthralled by the theater. Young Buster decided right there that the life of the theater would be the life for him. Unfortunately, it had not worked out quite as well as he hoped. Wracked with money problems and several shows that failed, Buster needed to come up with something amazing to save the theater from repossession.

He decided to throw a singing contest. He was going to offer a prize of $1,000, but an error in printing led to the prize being advertised as $100,000 instead. Buster was having to scrape together everything he had to make the $1,000, so $100,000 wasn’t going to work. The problem was Buster did not realize it until it was too late, and he had cast his show.

The list of amateur performers who were looking to cash in on the non-existent grand prize included ape Johnny (Taron Egerton), who was supposed to drive getaway car for his father’s big robbery, Ash (Scarlett Johansson), a porcupine who is selected over her boyfriend in the contest, mouse Mike (Seth MacFarlane) who crooned like Sinatra, Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), the housewife pig who with her 25 piglets and unobservant husband was being beaten down by life and Meena (Tori Kelly) the beautifully voiced but painfully shy elephant.

The animation was okay, but hardly anything that could be compared to Pixar or Laika, but the cast of voices here is fantastic, and, along with the fabulous music, is easily the standout aspect of Sing. There are all kinds of great songs performed by these characters as well as wonderful songs played in the background. The soundtrack of Sing kept my toes tapping the entire time. Sure there are some songs that you would absolutely expect to show up here (“Hallelujah” anyone?), but that is not a negative. There is a reason why these songs are included. They are beloved.

I really liked Buster Moon as well. McConaughey brought a great voice to the character who was part huckster, part inspirational speaker. He was Kermit the Frog from the Muppet Show mixed with PT Barnum. You always knew where Buster’s heart was found and, even when he would lie about the money, you could understand what he was trying to accomplish.

Sure, the story is simple, but that is not a bad thing. This is not the complex Zootopia with its cultural commentary, or Kubo and the Five Strings with its grand epic narrative. Sing finds its groove early and sticks to what it does best. These musical performances were excellent and took a simple story and filled the theater with entertainment. Plus, there were some feels as we had several characters complete their arcs successfully. Predictable, perhaps. Yet, fully engaging and enjoyable.

The whole family can enjoy Sing and parents will not be bored. The music energizes the film and elevates the material to another level. Jukebox musicals do not always work, but Sing is one that does.

4.1 stars

Best and Worst Sci-Fi Movies

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Doc

Best Sci Fi

We’ve had better years in the past in science fiction than in 2016. Still, we have our first official movie award for 2016. That is the Best and Worst Science Fiction Movie of the Year.

Best

Arrival.

Arrival is a true science fiction film. It is smart, well-acted, well-written and full of drama. Amy Adams is magnificent and Jeremy Renner is great as well. Arrival is the best Sci-Fi movie of the year!

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Runners-Up

#2. 10 Cloverfield Lane– This one was actually close, because this is such a great movie. John Goodman is exceptional in this surprise sequel.

#3. Star Trek Beyond. A great sequel for the Star Trek series. This is the third strong film in the new world of Star Trek.

#4. Midnight Special. It was a bit of a familiar story, but great performances elevated this.

#5. Nerve. One of the surprises of the year. I enjoyed this online game more than I ever thought I might.

Worst

Independence Day: Resurgence

How do you follow up one of the classic movies of the 1980s? With garbage, stupidity and bad, bad writing. The characters from the original were jokes, there was no sign of Will Smith (I wonder why…) and the new characters were waste of time. A terrible movie.

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Runners-Up

#2. 5th Wave. One of the YA adaptions that were terrible. An alien invasion? Yawn.

#3. Max Steel. a movie based on a toy? I didn’t know that when I saw it. It was just bad.

#4. Allegiant. This film is so bad that they decided to take the conclusion of this series and make it a TV show with new actors. Hm.

#5. Morgan. Bio-engineered girl who kills people. Oh well.

Best and Worst of WWE

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Doc

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This year has been an up and down year for my favorite wrestling company. They did a brand split, Smackdown went live, but I found it harder to cheer for very many performers. Gone are my favorites such as CM Punk, Daniel Bryan (in ring, at least), and some of my other favorites such as Cesaro and Sami Zayn seem to get passed over for other, less interesting wrestlers. I will admit to being bored by much of RAW lately.

Still, there are many positives out there as well. And I am going to hit on them here.

Wrestler of the Year: AJ Styles AJ Styles arrived at the Royal Rumble this year and went into a feud with Chris Jericho. From there, he tore down the house with John Cena and became one of the few to win a feud with Cena. He is the WWE Champion on Smackdown Live and should be considered one of the best performers in the world. Runners Up: Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn

Tag Team of the Year: New Day. The combination of Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods held onto the WWE World tag Team Championship for most of the year. They set a record for holding the title for over 483 days before losing the title at Roadblock. The New Day was consistently entertaining and funny and worked as both a heel team and a face team. They had been given a losing gimmick, but they made it amazing. Runners-Up: The Revival, American Alpha, DIY, Cesaro and Sheamus

Woman of the Year: Charlotte. Charlotte Flair won the RAW Women’s Championship four times this year. She main evented a PPV. She and Sasha Banks were in a Hell in the Cell. Charlotte and Sasha switched places multiple times this year and either one could have been the Woman of the Year, Charlotte ended up on top and so she gets the duke. Runners-Up: Sasha Banks, Bayley, Asuka, Becky Lynch.

Misused Superstar of the Year: Sami Zayn. Sami Zayn has many match of the year matches yet creative seems to not have much for the talented star to do. I will never understand why they let someone like this sit on the back burner when he could be a main event star. I have a slight hope since they have been doing something with Sami and Braun Strowman but I am still afraid that that program is more for Braun than for Sami. Runners-Up: Cesaro, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper

Wrestling Show of the Year: CWC. The Cruiserweight Classic was must see TV for several months on the WWE Network. The best 32 Cruiserweights in the world participated in a tournament to crown the first ever CWC Tournament Champion. Many performers from outside the WWE came and participated and we got several amazing matches. Plus with Mauro Ranallo and Daniel Bryan on commentary, it was clear that you had two men who loved the sport we ere seeing. This is far and away the best show of 2016. Runners-Up: NXT, RAW, Smackdown Live

Feud of the Year: John Cena vs. AJ Styles. Cena and Styles were great together and Cena did not wind up winning the feud. The had several amazing matches. Styles is a perfect opponent to put opposite Cena. And this one may not be over yet. Runners-Up: Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins, The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan

Mike Man of the Year: Kevin Owens. Kevin Owens is great on the mike. He is funny, but he is also a true heel. He yells at the crowd. He insults people. He can talk them into the building. His combination with Chris Jericho near the end of the year is just gold. Runners-Up: Paul Heyman, Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose, The Miz

Breakout Star of the Year: Braun Strowman. He looks like a monster. He is destroying people and he looks so much better than when he was stumbling around with the Wyatt Family. He is one of the biggest successes from the brand split. Strowman looks to be a huge mountain for anyone to climb. Runners-Up: Bayley, American Alpha, New Day, Cedric Alexander

Daniel Bryan Shining Through the Crap Award: Sami Zayn. Just for the fact that Sami Zayne has multiple match of the year contenders, Sami has been used poorly this year. I just can’t believe they don’t do something with this stud while he is young and healthy. Runners-Up: Cesaro, Kevin Owens, The Miz, Dean Ambrose

Top 12 Matches of 2016

#12. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch (Wrestlemania). Charlotte came out on top, but Becky and Sasha were great as well.

#11. Zack Ryder wins Intercontinental Championship in Ladder Match at Wrestlemania. Biggest surprise of the year. Who saw Zack Ryder win this match? No one. But he did. Of course, he lost it the next night, but that did not take away from the improbable victory on the grandest stage of them all.

#10. Raw vs. Smackdown Live Survivor Series. Smackdown Live came out on top, but this match went all over the place and was full of dramatic moments. Especially Roman Reigns spearing Shane McMahon while Shane was doing the coast to coast. Shane was legit hurt and the visual was astounding.

#9. AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose TLC Match (TLC). A great Tables, Ladders and Chairs match that ended when James Ellsworth, Dean’s “little buddy”, caused Dean to lose the match.

#8. Johnny Gargano vs. Tomasso Ciampa (CWC). Tag team partners from NXT, “Johnny Wrestling” and Ciampa tore into each other in the Cruiserweight Classic in an amazing show of athleticism and drama. At the end, the team survived and Johnny Gargano moved on.

#7. American Alpha vs. The Revival (NXT: Takeover: The End). The Revival is a team to watch. They are like Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. These two are fantastic old school type wrestlers. Put them in with the athletic American Alpha and magic happens. The Revival won this match to regain their titles.

#6. John Cena vs. AJ Styles (Money in the Bank). AJ’s first big win over Cena, but this was not clean. In the end, his buddies in the Club helped him win. Better was yet to come.

#5. DIY vs. The Revival 2 out of 3 Falls (NXT Takeover: Toronto). This was a show stealer for sure. Gargano and Ciampa finally got the victory over the Revival that had been eluding them. It was such a feel good moment that you wonder why the main roster cannot put on matches like this on a regular basis.

#4. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn (NXT Takeover: Dallas). NXT is all over this top twelve list. This was the best NXT match of he year. This was Sami Zayn’s last NXT match against the debuting “King of Strong Style”. You kind of new what was going to happen, but the pathway was spectacular.

#3. Cedric Alexander vs. Kota Ibushi (CWC). This was the best match in the CWC and it brought Cedric Alexander a WWE contract. You knew this one was going to be fantastic and these two did not disappoint.

#2. John Cena vs. AJ Styles (SummerSlam). Remember these two? They were in an earlier match of the year candidate, but this one was a clean victory by AJ Styles. He kept John Cena from tying the Ric Flair record. I did not expect that. This was a classic.

#1. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens (Battleground). This was billed as the final match between the two former friends (although it was not) and they always have a great match. This was the best of their series. Sami Zayn picked up the win.

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2016 Kick Ass Females

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Doc

Woman Power in 2016 once again! Here are our top ten female kick ass character from TV, Movies, comics etc.

#10. Tulip O’Hare (Preacher). AMC’s new series based on the comic book featured the strong female presence of Tulip. Played by Ruth Negga, Tulip showed her bad ass side through the entire season.

#9. Elektra (Daredevil). Elektra joined in on season two of Daredevil on Netflix giving Matt Murdock a love interest and the Hand a dangerous weapon. Sounds as if she will be back for Defenders.

#8. Captain Marvel. Carol Danvers was one of the two major sides to the battle over the Inhuman Ulysses in Civil War II. Captain Marvel believed that they should be using Ulysses‘ foresight powers to prevent crimes while Tony Stark did not like what was happening. Carol became the authority.

#7. Jyn Erso (Rogue One). Jyn Erso is the daughter of the man who built the Death Star and she led the mission to retrieve the plans for that very station. Jyn was played by Felicity Jones.

#6. Lee (American Horror Story: Roanoke). She was the lone survivor of the bloody reality show that took place at Roanoke, and she actually got away with the murder of her husband. Lee was not a heroic character here, but there can be no doubt that she was a survivor. Not even the Butcher could bring her down.

#5. Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad). One of the best parts of the Suicide Squad movie was Margo Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn. She was so popular that Warner’s Brothers wanted to give her a movie of her own. Gotham City Sirens is the reported title.

#4. Wonder Woman (Batman v. Superman). Also probably the best thing about this movie, Gal Gadot eased a lot of concerns over her casting as Princess Diana. She came into the final battle with Doomsday and looked like she was having a blast. Plus, she was involved in one of the best trailers of the year. Wonder Woman could be higher on this list next year.

#3. Moana (Moana). Disney’s newest “princess” is different than normal. Moana stands up to The Rock and makes it clear that she fits with him. Plus, she sings like an angel. Moana brings the Polynesian culture to the big screen in an animated Disney film for the first time.

#2. Deloris (Westworld). We thought Deloris was just a “host” at the park, but she became so much more than that as the HBO show progressed through the season. Yes, she was an artificial intelligence, but pop culture is filled with moments where AIs are trouble. And Deloris is all the trouble that can be handled.

#1. Mockingbird. She was the star of the best comic of 2016. Bobbi Morse was funny, intelligent, and full of energy. Written by the wonderful Chelsea Cain, Mockingbird was the most original comic and the best female character of the year. It is still a shame that Marvel couldn’t have stuck with her for a longer run.

I Am Not A Serial Killer

Posted on December 18, 2016 by Doc

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In the year of the horror movie, I found another one.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, this film was released limited in August. It never came anywhere near here. However, I found it on Netflix and decided to give it a try.

And this is another horror winner for 2016.

Teenager John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records) is seeing a therapist. The reason? He has homicidal tendencies. He shares many of the same traits as other serial killers, yet, he is not one. Or at least, he seems to be trying to avoid becoming one. So he has rules. When he has the feeling that he wants to hurt someone, he makes himself give them a compliment. John keeps himself in check this way.

Of course, his own family life is out of control. He works with his mother at the local funeral parlor, while his sisters fight with her. His father can’t be bothered. It tends to make a sociopath upset.

With a local murder taking place, John suddenly discovers that his neighbor, the nice old man Mr. Crowley (Christopher Lloyd) is not only the murderer, but that he is more than what he seems.

This is a very creatively original movie that had me sucked into its tale early on. John is such an interesting protagonist because, being a clinically diagnosed sociopath, his choices and decisions are pulled into question. He struggles with his own internal strife while also trying to figure out exactly what is going on with Mr. Crowley.

Christopher Lloyd is wonderful here. He gives a riveting performance as the old man with a dark secret. The fact that he really loved his wife (Dee Noah) gives this creature humanity. Everything he has done is for her. How many times can you relate to the monster involved in a horror movie? This is certainly one of the times. Heck, there are moments when you wonder if John is the actual monster here instead of Crowley.

This avoids most of the horror genre tropes and really creates something original. It is one more horror winner for 2016.

4.4 stars

2016 In Memoriam

Posted on December 18, 2016 by Doc

2016 was a terrible year because we lost a lot of the greats. From Ali to Prince, from Alan Rickman to Gene Wilder, 2016 brought sadness to many.

We salute these amazing individuals who brought joy and drama to all of our lives.

EYG- In Memoriam

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EDIT

Unfortunately, 2016 is not done. Two more have since passed.

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Edit 2

Well, Hell.

I had hoped that the heart attack she suffered would not claim her, but unfortunately, Carrie Fisher succumbed after all. RIP Princess Leia.

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Just a few more days of 2016, which has seen way too many people taken before their time.

Edit 3

Okay, this is just getting ridiculous now.

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Edit 4

Dammit. The year is almost over, but it had to claim one more. #2016MustGo

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Manchester By the Sea

Posted on December 17, 2016 by Doc

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Casey Affleck really knocks this one out of the park.

Manchester By the Sea could be considered a downer of a movie, and, to be fair, there are plenty of parts of this film that are depressing, but when the pieces are all brought together, this is a real somber tale of damaged people and their struggles to survive the pain of their past.

When word reached Boston handyman/janitor Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) that his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) had died, Lee headed back to his hometown of Manchester, a town that held devastating memories of loss for him. Discovering that Joe had left Lee as the guardian of Patrick (Lucas Hedges), his son, Lee does not know what he can do.

As he tries to get by, Lee continues to be haunted by the memories of his past, and the reason why he moved away from Manchester in the first place. He has to see his ex-wife Randi (Michelle Williams), Patrick’s alcoholic mother Elsie (Gretchen Mol) and his brother’s friend and partner George (CJ Wilson).

This story is a real human story. There are none of the manipulative emotional notes like those that are crammed in your face like in Collateral Beauty. The subtlety in this film is perfect and real and hits the audience hard.

Director Kenneth Lonergan is quite the storyteller as Manchester By the Sea spends much of the time using flashbacks to reveal the history of Lee and why he is acting as he is. The tragic circumstances really make you understand why Lee is the unlikable jerk that the film seems to be showing. These flashbacks are seamlessly woven into the fabric of the narrative beautifully, creating a very original feeling story.

Casey Affleck will gain many awards and nominations for his amazingly layered and complex performance in this movie. He could easily have been over the top but his acting choices creates such a rich character that he carries this film. Michelle Williams is also wonderful in a smaller role. Every time Williams is on the screen, you know something powerful is going to happen. And the connection between Lee and Patrick is strong despite actions by both characters that could damage that connection. Lucas Hedges is remarkable here, spending most of his time opposite the stellar Affleck and holding his own.

The dialogue of the film is so true that if you told me that they just filmed real people talking, I would believe it. There are no weak points in the writing of the dialogue or any other aspects of the script.

Manchester By the Sea can be a tough movie to watch because it takes you on such a roller coaster ride of emotions but it also challenges an audience to take that trip naturally, without the manipulations that many tear-jerkers try to use. It is a wonderfully performed film, with realistic dialogue and flawed characters.

4.2 stars

Collateral Beauty

Posted on December 17, 2016 by Doc

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Sentimentality at its worst.

This film had some possibilities, especially with a very solid if not spectacular performance from Will Smith, but the writing of this was sloppy, the story itself was predictable and at times cruel, and only one of the film’s two twists nailed. Still, this is not as bad as some critics have made it out to be.

Admittedly, this feels as if it would be more at home on Lifetime or Freeform as a TV movie, Collateral Beauty has an A+ cast. Unfortunately, I would say that the cast averages out to a C+ performance.

Howard (Will Smith) is an advertising executive who suffers a great tragedy and loses his daughter to a rare cancer, and find that his life has little meaning. His partners and friends from the agency (Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, and Michael Peña) try to snap him out of his trance in order to save their company by selling it. The problem, they cannot move forward without him (because he has voting rights). So this threesome decide to hire three actors to portray Love, Death and Time after the discovery that Howard has been writing letters to them.

That’s right. Howard’s friends try to gaslight their grieving friend and colleague to make him believe that he is going crazy.

Their cruelty is meant to be offset with their individual personal issues. Whit (Edward Norton) has a daughter who doesn’t want to see him because he cheated on her mother, Claire (Kate Winslet) wonders how long she has before her biological clock stops ticking and Simon (Michael Peña) is dying of cancer.

One of the major problems of this movie is that these people are horrible people and their selfishness is not an excuse for them to pull the manipulation that they do.

The three actors hired by this trio included Helen Mirren as Brigitte, Keira Knightley as Amy and Jacob Latimore as Raffi. These three want their play financed and are willing to do whatever to Howard that is necessary. Amy does show some doubt about the plan, but she does go through with it in the end.

Meanwhile, Howard is struggling with an attempt to go to a grief group filled with other parents who lost a child. Madeleine (Naomi Harris) leads the group and has a bond with Howard almost immediately.

Will Smith is really good here, as he completely envelopes the role, and the relationship with Madeleine seems intriguing and hopeful. I must say that, although I thought Smith was really good for most of the movie, the scenes of him on his bicycle riding around the city making a variety of faces bordered on hilarity. Except for those moments, Smith was excellent.

The same can not be said for some of the other actors in this movie. Edward Norton seemed to be going through the motions and I haven’t seen as poor of a performance from Kate Winselt in a long time. Both of these actors looked to be cashing a paycheck for these roles. Michael Peña was okay, but I had a hard time buying his motives in this movie.

Helen Mirren was her normal solid self. She seemed to be the only one of the three actors, she was hired as Death, to have much of anything. He scenes with Smith were all very good, and she got more out of Peña than expected. Unfortunately, her work was wasted in this garbage story.

There were two surprises at the end of the film. One involved the relationship between Howard and Madeleine, and I thought that was fabulous. I did not see that coming, and it made a nice little bow on that story. However, the second twist was telegraphed so early in this film that it really took away any magic that might have been generated by the movie.

The movie tries really hard to tug on your emotional strings, but all of this baggage felt forced and manipulative. These emotions did not come naturally from the story, but shoehorned into it by weak writing.

A few good performed scenes does not make a good movie, and Collateral Beauty is not one. I heard someone claim that this was the worst movie of the year, but that is not the case. It is not that bad. But it is nowhere near a good movie either. There is no Christmas magic here.

2 stars

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Posted on December 17, 2016 by Doc

I will admit that at one point, I did not think the idea of Rogue One was a good idea. I mean, why did it matter how the Rebel Alliance got the plans of the Death Star in Star War: A New Hope? They just did.

Then I saw Rogue One. I was wrong. It was important to know. It made the original Star Wars better.

Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) was the daughter of an Imperial scientist/inventor (Mads Mikkelsen) who was taken away from her when she was but a child by the Empire. The Empire wanted Jyn’s father, Galen Erso, to design the weapon that would become the Death Star. Jyn, alone, was discovered and raised by extremist rebel Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker). Later in her life, she was recruited by the Rebels to try and find her father.

Without spoiling too much, I am going to leave the story right there.

We are introduced to a series of amazing new characters in this film, as we filled in point of contention from the original Star Wars and built a cohesive story around what did not feel like a major gap in continuity.

Let’s look at some of these great new characters we got in Rogue One. Jyn is an amazing, kick ass female lead who you could relate to. She was deserted as a child, wanting only to find her father and regain what she had lost. She was really well done.

Saw Guerrera was not in the film enough to really connect to him, but Forest Whitaker is always a solid actor. I believe that the character of Saw could be the focus of other prequels. Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) had that lovely rogue role that Star Wars seemed to need. I did like the actor and the character grew on me enough to look past him as a han Solo ripoff. However, K-2SO (vocied by Alan Tudyk) stole every scene he was in as a former Imperial droid who was working with Cassian.

Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen) was a great addition to the cast, playing the blind warrior dedicated to the Force. He was protected by Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang) to the nth degree. Sure, Chirrut is not a new character (Daredevil’s Stick has been blind fighting for decades before), but this pairing brought another classic Star Wars trope to the front.

We also got Riz Ahmed, who was brilliant in this past year’s HBO show The Night Of, as former Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook.

Are all these characters basically constructs from past Star Wars movies? Yes, that is true. However, there was enough chemistry among the cast and enough exciting action to carry the film through. However, I get the feeling that had I read some of the books and stories from all of the Star Wars canon, I might have thought more of these characters than this. For me, they were all basically the same type of archetype that I have seen before.

I thought the film as a little slow at the start as we were being introduced to our new cast, but the second and third acts really picked up. The battles in the third act were full of drama and action. This was a war movie set in a Star Wars universe.

There was also plenty of nostalgia involved in Rogue One. We see toss-backs to past movies, including what looked like the exact location from Return of the Jedi. We see characters we loved make cameos and appearances. and of course…

Darth Vader.

We know Vader makes an appearance in the movie from the trailer. I think they used Vader a perfect amount. They did not over use him, and when he did appear, he was shown to be one bad ass man. The voice of James Earl Jones is perfection coming from one of the greatest movie villains of all time. Now, he does make a pretty rotten pun that almost wrecked the first scene he was in, but we the second time we get Vader makes up for that in spades.

I also feel that the ending of this film was really well done and was quite brave. To avoid spoilers, I will leave it at that for now. I am impressed how much uncertainty there was despite knowing that the ultimate mission (to find the plans of the Death Star) was going to be successful. I never dismissed parts of this story because I knew that those plans would find their way into R2D2.

Rogue One was a beautifully shot film, and Gareth Edwards, director, does a fantastic job shooting this massive film. I believe that this film fit perfectly in with the Star Wars films, filling in gaps that might have been problematic issues. Rogue One feels like both a different Star Wars film than we ever have seen before as well as a comfortable fit into the continuity and Star Wars world. That is quite an accomplishment.

4.2 stars

I’m Dreaming of a Loot Crate Christmas

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Doc

I always do a theme for the Christmas Tree. I started this tradition a few years back with my Spider-Man tree. I have done a WWE tree, a Star Wars tree, and a Lord of the Rings tree. But I must say that I struggled with the concept for this year’s tree. Nothing was popping into my head. I thought about a Marvel tree, but I was not feeling that one. I did not want to do something like I did with Star Wars last year where I went out and spent a mint getting ornaments for the tree. I was flummoxed.

And then it hit me. One of my favorite things this year has been Loot Crate. I even have a little song I sing when the Loot Crate box arrives at the house. I can actually remember a couple of times when seeing the black box took a bad day and made it so much better.

So, the 2016 EYG Geek Christmas Tree is in honor of Loot Crate.

Golden Globes Nominations 2017

Posted on December 13, 2016 by Doc

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The Golden Globes ceremony is to be held on January 8, 2017

Best Motion Picture, Drama

“Hacksaw Ridge”

“Hell or High Water”

“Lion”

“Manchester by the Sea”

“Moonlight”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

Amy Adams, “Arrival”

Jessica Chastain, “Miss Sloane”

Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”

Ruth Negga, “Loving”

Natalie Portman, “Jackie”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

Casey Affleck, “Manchester By the Sea”

Joel Edgerton, “Loving”

Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”

Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic”

Denzel Washington, “Fences”

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

“20th Century Women”

“Deadpool”

“Florence Foster Jenkins”

“La La Land”

“Sing Street”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Annette Bening, “20th Century Women”

Lily Collins, “Rules Don’t Apply”

Hailee Steinfeld, “The Edge of Seventeen”

Emma Stone, “La La Land”

Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Colin Farrell, “The Lobster”

Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”

Hugh Grant, “Florence Foster Jenkins”

Jonah Hill, “War Dogs”

Ryan Reynolds, “Deadpool”

Best Motion Picture, Animated

“Kubo and the Two Strings”

“Moana”

“My Life as a Zucchini”

“Sing”

“Zootopia”

Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language

“Divines” (France)

“Elle” (France)

“Neruda” (Chile)

“The Salesman” (Iran / France)

“Toni Erdmann” (Germany)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Viola Davis, “Fences”

Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”

Nicole Kidman, “Lion”

Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”

Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”

Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”

Simon Helberg, “Florence Foster Jenkins”

Dev Patel, “Lion”

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, “Nocturnal Animals”

Best Director, Motion Picture

Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”

Tom Ford, “Nocturnal Animals”

Mel Gibson, “Hacksaw Ridge”

Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”

Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture

Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”

Tom Ford, “Nocturnal Animals”

Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”

Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”

Taylor Sheridan, “Hell or High Water”

Best Original Score, Motion Picture

Nicholas Britell, “Moonlight”

Justin Hurwitz, “La La Land”

Johann Johannsson, “Arrival”

Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka, “Lion”

Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams and Benjamin Wallfisch, “Hidden Figures”

Best Original Song, Motion Picture

“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” — “Trolls”

“City of Stars” — “La La Land”

“Faith” — “Sing”

“Gold” — “Gold”

“How Far I’ll Go” — “Moana”

Best Television Series, Drama

“The Crown,” Netflix

“Game of Thrones,” HBO

“Stranger Things,” Netflix

“This Is Us,” NBC

“Westworld,” HBO

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama

Caitriona Balfe, “Outlander”

Claire Foy, “The Crown”

Keri Russell, “The Americans”

Winona Ryder, “Stranger Things”

Evan Rachel Wood, “Westworld”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama

Rami Malek, “Mr. Robot”

Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Matthew Rhys, “The Americans”

Liev Schreiber, “Ray Donovan”

Billy Bob Thornton, “Goliath”

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy

“Atlanta,” FX

“black-ish,” ABC

“Mozart in the Jungle,” Amazon

“Transparent,” Amazon

“Veep,” HBO

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy

Rachel Bloom, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”

Sarah Jessica Parker, “Divorce”

Issa Rae, “Insecure”

Gina Rodriguez, “Jane the Virgin”

Tracee Ellis Ross, “black-ish”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy

Anthony Anderson, “black-ish”

Gael García Bernal, “Mozart in the Jungle”

Donald Glover, “Atlanta”

Nick Nolte, “Graves”

Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent”

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

“American Crime,” ABC

“The Dresser,” Starz

“The Night Manager,” AMC

“The Night Of,” HBO

“The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story” FX

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Felicity Huffman, “American Crime”

Riley Keough, “The Girlfriend Experience”

Sarah Paulson, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”

Charlotte Rampling, “London Spy”

Kerry Washington, “Confirmation”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Riz Ahmed, “The Night Of”

Bryan Cranston, “All the Way”

Tom Hiddleston, “The Night Manager”

John Turturro, “The Night Of”

Courtney B. Vance, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Olivia Colman, “The Night Manager”

Lena Headey, “Game Of Thrones”

Chrissy Metz, “This Is Us”

Mandy Moore, “This Is Us”

Thandie Newton, “Westworld”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Sterling K. Brown, “The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story”

Hugh Laurie, “The Night Manager”

John Lithgow, “The Crown”

Christian Slater, “Mr. Robot”

John Travolta, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”

Villains!

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Doc

If you don’t have great villains, your heroes suffer. Every year we look at the best of the antagonists from the year past.

SPOILERS TOO BY THE WAY

BEST of 2016

#10. The Evil Queen and Mr. Gold (Once Upon a Time). These two together have created quite the stir in Storybrooke. The Evil Queen was forcibly separated from Regina, but was able to stay around. Mr. Gold (aka the Dark One, aka Rumpelstiltskin) had relationship troubles with Belle. Together, they are trouble.

#9. The Butcher/Agnes (American Horror Story: Roanoke). Kathy Bates played two roles. She played the supernatural creature known as the Butcher on the “show within a show” My Roanoke Nightmare and she played the actress playing the Butcher on My Roanoke Nightmare. Agnes found herself sinking deeply into the role, taking the idea of method acting too far.

#8. Gordon Rimmer (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency). Probably one of my favorite scenes on tv this year happened with Gordon. He had Dirk and Todd prisoner and they were sure that he would give them answers…only to find out that he didn’t know what was going on either. Classic!!!

#7. The Man in Black (Westworld). He turned out to be William, but the Man in Black was such a problem all year long. He was in search of the maze, but he was after more than that. He was after the challenge. He got it too. A great portrayal by Ed Harris.

#6. Cottonmouth (Luke Cage). Cornell Stokes, played brilliantly by Mahershala Ali, was the first antagonist in the Luke Cage Netflix series, and he was perhaps the best one. There were layers about this character and when he died at his cousin’s hand, the series went in an entirely surprising and different direction.

#5. Zemo (Captain America: Civil War). Some people complained that this was just another weak MCU villain, but I disagree. Zemo was great. He was a manipulator. He worked in the shadows. He could not fist fight with the Avengers, so he got them to do it for him. You understood why he did what he did and you could even relate to him. Daniel Bruel was great and, even better, this was like Zemo’s origin. More from him please.

#4. Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad). One of the best parts of Suicide Squad was the portrayal of Harley Quinn by Margot Robbie. While some people disliked Jared Leto’s Joker, everyone loved Harley. She brought a special charm to Suicide Squad and is in line for a movie of her own.

#3. Norman Bates (Bates Motel). This has been a slow burn. We knew that Norman would go psycho one day, but we hoped against it because Freddie Highmore was so damn charming and enjoyable. Well, he has succumbed to his insanity as he killed Norma in a failed murder-suicide attempt. His jealousy over Alex and Norma’s wonderful relationship finally pushed Norman to the side of evil. He had been moving that direction, but now there is no going back.

#2. Jervis Tetch (Gotham). The Mad Hatter has done the impossible. He made Gotham great again. Tetch and his craziness has been the driving force behind the new season of Gotham and he has brought that menace and that wickedness that they had been lacking among their other villains. The writing got better too, but Tetch stood out among them all.

#1. Negan (The Walking Dead). We waited all season 6 for him. We heard that Jeffrey Deam Morgan was cast as Negan and we all couldn’t wait. And then they dragged it out until the finale. AT the finale, we see him bludgeon someone to death. We had to wait for months before we found out it was Abraham. And then he killed Glenn too. And he broke Rick by almost having him cut off Carl’s hand. And he walked around with charisma to spare, being just downright evil. You hate the guy, but you love him as well. Negan is the villain of the year.

Worst Villains

#2. Lex Luthor (Batman vs. Superman). Jesse Eisenberg was the wrong choice… or perhaps the direction of Eisenberg was wrong…but this was not Lex Luthor. And that would have even been okay if they had just gone all in. As it was Eisenberg was playing a better Riddler or Toyman than Lex. Lex Luthor is too iconic of a villain to do that to.

#1. The Enchantress (Suicide Squad). She was just horrible. I did not hate the Suicide Squad, but this villain is just the worst of the year. Every one of the weak Marvel villains was much better than the Enchantress.