2025 NFL Position Rankings: Top 20 Punters

()=2024 ranking

+=Unranked or ineligible in 2024

20.(+) Sam Martin (Panthers)

19.(12) Thomas Morstead (49ers)

18.(+) Tory Taylor (Bears)

17.(+) Matt Araiza (Chiefs)

16.(20) J.K. Scott (Chargers)

15.(+) Riley Dixon (Buccaneers)

14.(17) Tress Way (Commanders)

13.(2) Bryan Anger (Cowboys)

12.(7) Corey Bojorquez (Browns)

11.(6) Braden Mann (Eagles)

10.(+) Ryan Rehkow (Bengals)

9.(+) Bryce Baringer (Patriots)

8.(4) Ryan Stonehouse (Dolphins)

7.(5) Blake Gillikin (Cardinals)

6.(11) Rigoberto Sanchez (Colts)

5.(13) Tommy Townsend (Texans)

4.(10) Logan Cooke (Jaguars)

3.(18) Jack Fox (Lions)

2.(3) Michael Dickson (Seahawks)

1.(1) A.J. Cole (Raiders)

Quick Movie Reviews: F1, M3GAN 2.0, Jurassic World Rebirth, Heads of State

F1: Joseph Kosinski's first big screen venture since Top Gun: Maverick transformed his career is an easy movie to like. Kosinski uses the same dedication to immersive realism that made the aerial action in Maverick pop by using car-mounted camera rigs and insanely loud, detailed sound design to craft exhilarating race sequences that put the viewer right in the middle of the action, the four leading actors (Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem) bring the magnetism to their roles you'd expect from performers of their caliber and Ehren Kruger's script executes the expected underdog sports movie, cocky young buck vs. cocky seasoned pro beats in rousing fashion. Everything was set up for an easy win... until disaster struck out of nowhere. For the lack of a better phrase, F1 starts to really spin its tires in the final act. Whether it or got derailed by adding an unnecessary contrivance or two in an effort to further up the stakes at the last minute or just simply overstayed its welcome is up for debate, but I do know that I had more than enough of watching the movie by the time the climactic race rolls around and that's not exactly ideal for a movie that belongs to a genre where the final bout is supposed to feel like life or death. Shaving 20-30 minutes off the runtime would've probably done wonders and hopefully if a sequel materializes, Kosinski will tighten things up because the movie was really humming until it careened into the wall on the last lap.     

Grade: B

M3GAN 2.0: Reinventing the titular sentient AI killer robot as an action hero for her second trip to the big screen was the right call. Having M3GAN get revived in order to get revenge on her creator (Allison Williams) would've been a very easy direction to go in for the sequel. It also would've almost certainly been an inferior rehash of the original. Despite boasting such a strong, refreshing hook for a sequel, M3GAN 2.0 ends up falling short of its predecessor anyways due to its struggles to get where it wants to go as a B-action movie.

Even in practice, there are plenty of moments where the vision for M3GAN 2.0 fully materializes. M3GAN drops some great one-liners that are befitting of her new action hero status, the fight scenes are a thoughtful, campy homage to an action star of yesteryear that is directly namechecked multiple times (often in hilarious fashion) and AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) is a solid, stoic antagonist that opposes the campiness surrounding her in a natural fashion. Where M3GAN 2.0 goes astray is in its bewilderingly strong commitment to its increasingly convoluted plot. Having the movie basically pause for an exposition dump every 15-20 minutes does a real number on the energy level, particularly in the third act when you find out who is pulling out AMELIA's strings (spoiler alert: you probably won't be shocked at all!) and they spend what at least feels like the next 10 minutes explaining their actions. Returning writer/director Gerard Johnstone being behind this ill-advised creative choice makes it even more head-scratching. This seems like a classic case of overthinking derailing a good idea and one has to wonder how much Johnstone would've cooked here if he had just allowed the camp elements of the film run wild.               

Grade: B-

Jurassic World Rebirth: Not as gleefully idiotic as the previous three Jurassic World movies nor the "back to basics" ode to the masterful original that the creatives behind claimed it would be, Jurassic World Rebirth is instead just a movie that ushers in yet another planned Jurassic trilogy in the most inoffensive, competent manner imaginable. Quite frankly, your enthusiasm level towards Rebirth will likely be determined by how excited you are to see dinosaurs on the big screen again and the three actors (Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey) tasked with leading a doomed expedition to a remote island somewhere around the Equator to tango with a bunch of inbred, mutated dinosaurs that were too gnarly to make the trek over to John Hammond's theme park. For me, the leads were a notable enough improvement from the Chris Pratt/Bryce Dallas Howard duo we got from 2015-22 and the dino action was good enough for me to enjoy my time in the theater watching Rebirth. Let's do this again in 3 years, shall we?         

Grade: B

Heads of State: Here's some fun propaganda for streaming Evangelists: Heads of State is a more entertaining, better constructed movie than its fellow July 2nd release Jurassic World Rebirth. While it's still not quite good enough to be considered a great movie, it's a knowingly silly romp that has no problem remaining breezy throughout thanks to making great use of the combative chemistry that Idris Elba and John Cena established in The Suicide Squad as they play the presidents of their respective real life home nations (UK/US) who are forced to overlook their disdain for each other in order to remain alive after narrowly surviving an attack onboard Air Force One in route to a NATO conference in Italy that is believed to have been carried out by someone in one of their inner circles and delivering a half dozen or so of the kinetic, manic action sequences that have become the calling card of director Ilya Nilhauser (Hardcore Henry, Nobody). Even the last second mid-credit scene sequel tease doesn't dampen the consistent fun that preceded it. In terms of turn your brain off home watches meant for (trying) to escape from the blistering heat of summer, Heads of State is pretty much perfect, and that's really all it needed to be to be deemed a success.         

Grade: B

2025 NFL Position Rankings: Top 20 Kickers

()=2024 ranking

+=Unranked or ineligible in 2024

20.(11) Younghoe Koo (Falcons)

19.(+) Chad Ryland (Cardinals)

18.(19) Tyler Bass (Bills)

17.(+) Blake Grupe (Saints)

16.(+) Matt Gay (Commanders)

15.(6) Jake Elliott (Eagles)

14.(10) Cairo Santos (Bears)

13.(14) Jason Myers (Seahawks)

12.(+) Jake Bates (Lions)

11.(+) Brandon McManus (Packers)

10.(+) Cam Little (Jaguars)

9.(17) Jason Sanders (Dolphins)

8.(9) Daniel Carlson (Raiders)

7.(18) Wil Lutz (Broncos)

6.(2) Harrison Butker (Chiefs)

5.(15) Kai'mi Fairbairn (Texans)

4.(8) Chase McLaughlin (Buccaneers)

3.(4) Brandon Aubrey (Cowboys)

2.(3) Cameron Dicker (Chargers)

1.(7) Chris Boswell (Steelers)

2025 in Music: Mid-Year Review

Maybe it's because I've deliberately been listening to fewer new records in an effort to spend more time with each record I listen to and develop a better realized take on my feelings towards them, but I currently feel very good about the quality of the music I've heard in 2025. There have only been a few real letdowns in the bunch, my current top 10 records (particularly the top 6) of the year are among the strongest in recent memory and I've discovered some artists (Jane Remover, Orthodox, Your Spirit Dies) that have really grabbed me. Hopefully this momentum can carry into the final 6 months, but there's obviously no guarantees on that, particularly with the murkiness that always surrounds the album release calendar. Below, you'll find a list of every record I've heard in 2025 ranked from worst to best along with my picks for the top 25 songs and some awards. Hope you enjoy,

EP's:

None.

LP's:          

36.Sleep Token-Even in Arcadia (C-)

35.Playboi Carti-MUSIC (C)

34.The Halo Effect-March of the Unheard (C+)

33.A Day to Remember-Big Ole Album Vol.1 (C+)

32.Architects-The Sky, the Earth & All Between (C+)

31.Sleep Theory-Afterglow (B-)

30.Bodybox-3 (B-)

29.Rivers of Nihil-Rivers of Nihil (B-)

28.Thornhill-Bodies (B-)

27.Banks-Off with Her Head (B-)

26.Bad Bunny-Debi tirar mas fotos (B-)

25.Behemoth-The Shit Ov God (B-)

24.Tate McRae-So Close to What (B-)

23.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-Phantom Island (B-)

22.Paleface Swiss-Cursed (B)

21.Obscura-A Sonication (B)

20.Cabal-Everything Rots (B)

19.Killswitch Engage-This Consequence (B)

18.Kali Uchis-Sincerely, (B)

17.Lorde-Virgin (B)

16.Coheed and Cambria-Vaxis: Act III: The Father of Make Believe (B)

15.Lady Gaga-Mayhem (B)

14.Mac Miller-Ballonerism (B)

13.Miley Cyrus-Something Beautiful (B)

12.FKA twigs-EUSEXUA (B+)

11.Turnstile-Never Enough (B+)

10.Your Spirit Dies-My Gnawing Pains Will Never Rest (B+)

9.Allegaeon-The Ossuary Lens (B+)

8.Whitechapel-Hymns in Dissonance (B+)

7.Shadow of Intent-Imperium Delirium (B+)

6.Fallujah-Xenotaph (A-)

5.The Weeknd-Hurry Up Tomorrow (A-)

4.Orthodox-A Door Left Open (A-)

3.Jane Remover-Revengeseekerz (A-)

2.Spiritbox-Tsunami Sea (A-)

1.The Callous Daoboys-I Don't Want to See You in Heaven (A)

Awards:

Biggest Surprises:

1.Lady Gaga-Mayhem

2.Miley Cyrus-Something Beautiful

3.Tate McRae-So Close to What

Biggest Letdowns:

1.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-Phantom Island

2.Playboi Carti-MUSIC

3.Rivers of Nihil-Rivers of Nihil 

Most Underrated:

1.The Weeknd-Hurry Up Tomorrow

2.Your Spirit Dies-My Gnawing Pains Will Never Rest

3.Cabal-Everything Rots

Most Overrated:

1.Sleep Token-Even in Arcadia

2.Playboi Carti-MUSIC

3.Architects-The Sky, the Earth & All Between 

Records I'm Most Excited to Hear from July-December (Note: Only Records with Confirmed Release Dates Were Considered):

1.Tallah-Primeval: Obsession // Detachment

2.Lorna Shore-I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me 

3.Between the Buried and Me-The Blue Nowhere

Top 25 Songs (in alphabetical order by artist name): 

The Callous Daoboys-The Demon of Unreality Limping Like a Dog

The Callous Daoboys-Schizophrenia Legacy

The Callous Daoboys-Tears on Lambo Leather (feat. Adam Easterling)

Coheed and Cambria-Play the Poet

Dying Wish-I Brought You My Soul (Your World Brought Me Despair)

Fallujah-Xenotaph

FKA twigs-Girl Feels Good

Jane Remover-Dreamflasher

Jane Remover-Psychoboost (feat. Danny Brown)

Lady Gaga-Shadow of a Man

Loathe-Gifted Every Strength

Lorna Shore-Oblivion

Orthodox-Godless Grace

Orthodox-Step Inside

Paleface Swiss-Youth Decay

Shadow of Intent-Infinity of Horrors

Spiritbox-Fata Morgana

Spiritbox-No Loss, No Love

Spiritbox-Ride the Wave

Tallah-augmented

Tallah-A Primeval Detachment

Turnstile-SOLE

The Weeknd-Cry for Me

The Weeknd-Wake Me Up (feat. Justice)

Whitechapel-Mammoth God

2025 in Movies: Mid-Year Review

Going into 2025, it looked like it was going to be a hell of a year for movies. A combination of the residual effects of delays from COVID and the SAG/WGA strikes (mostly) coming to an end and the good fortune of having a ton of great directors with films on the release calendar provided a level of excitement that arguably hasn't been seen since 2019. While the next six months will determine whether or not the slate lived up to the hope and hype that surrounded it, it's definitely off to a pretty strong start. 

Ryan Coogler hit a towering home run with his first ever original movie (Sinners). The Philippou Brothers followed up Talk to Me with the bleak, grisly and surprisingly emotional Bring Her Back. Just over 7 months after Longlegs became the biggest hit of his career thus far, Osgood Perkins showed there's another register to his signature darkness with the hilariously morbid mediation on the cruel randomness of death that is The Monkey. Marvel popped out one of its best movies in a good long while with the scrappy teamup movie Thunderbolts*. Newcomers Drew Hancock (Companion), Lawrence Lamont (One of Them Days) and Andrew DeYoung (Friendship) authored the kinds of strong directorial debuts that will be hailed for years to come. Given that many of the heaviest hitters slated for this year have yet to release, having this many gems in the opening portion of the calendar is a great sign of things to come as we officially enter the back half of the 2025 calendar today. Below, you'll find a complete list of every 2025 movie I've seen so far ranked from worst to best alongside some awards and other stuff that I felt like putting into the ether right now. Hope you enjoy.         

Stil need to watch:

28 Years Later

The Alto Knights

The Assessment

Baby Invasion

Becoming Led Zeppelin

Bob Trevino Likes It

Borderline

Cleaner

The Damned

Demon City

Eephus

Eric LaRue

F1

The Friend

G20

Holland

I Don't Understand You

Inheritance

In the Lost Lands

Karate Kid: Legends

The Legend of Ochi

Locked

The Luckiest Man in America

M3GAN 2.0

Neighborhood Watch

A Nice Indian Boy

Nonnas

O'Dessa

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

On Swift Horses

Opus

The Parenting

Parthenope

Ponyboi

Queen of the Ring

Riff Raff

Sacramento

Sharp Corner

The Shrouds

Sister Midnight

Sorry, Baby

Summer of 69

The Ugly Stepsister

The Wedding Banquet

51.The Electric State (D)

50.Back in Action (D+)

49.Hurry Up Tomorrow (C-)

48.You're Cordially Invited (C)

47.Snow White (C)

46.The Woman in the Yard (C)

45.Shadow Force (C)

44.Clown in a Cornfield (C)

43.The Amateur (C+)

42.Captain America: Brave New World (C+)

41.Final Destination Bloodlines (C+) 

40.Wolf Man (B-)

39.Dog Man (B-)

38.Black Bag (B-)

37.My Dead Friend Zoe (B-)

36.The Accountant 2 (B-)

35.Dangerous Animals (B-)

34.Another Simple Favor (B-)

33.Presence (B-)

32.Death of a Unicorn (B-)

31.Until Dawn (B-)

30.The Phoenician Scheme (B-)

29.Hell of a Summer (B)

28.Heart Eyes (B)

27.A Working Man (B)

26.Predator: Killer of Killers (B)

25.Havoc (B)

24.The Ballad of Wallis Island (B)

23.Last Breath (B)

22.Fight or Flight (B)

21.The Surfer (B)

20.Elio (B)

19.Freaky Tales (B)

18.Ash (B)

17.Novocaine (B)

16.Drop (B)

15.Love Hurts (B)

14.Mission-Impossible: The Final Reckoning (B)

13.One of Them Days (B)

12.Mickey 17 (B)

11.The Life of Chuck (B+)

10.Warfare (B+)

9.The Monkey (B+)

8.Ballerina (B+)

7.Thunderbolts* (B+)

6.Materialists (B+)

5.Companion (B+)

4.Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (B+)

3.Bring Her Back (A-)

2.Friendship (A)

1.Sinners (A)

Awards:

Top Movie: Sinners

Top Director: Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Top Lead Performance (Male): Tim Robinson, Friendship

Top Lead Performance (Female): Sophie Thatcher, Companion

Top Supporting Performance (Male): Delroy Lindo, Sinners

Top Supporting Performance (Female): Sally Hawkins, Bring Her Back

Top Breakthrough Performance: Sora Wong, Bring Her Back

Top Script: Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Top Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners

Top Editing: Michael P. Shawver, Sinners

Top Score: Ludwig Goransson, Sinners

Top Visual Effects: Thunderbolts*

Top Sound: Ballerina

Top Villian: Laura (Sally Hawkins), Bring Her Back

Worst Villian: The Evil Queen (Gal Gadot), Snow White

Best Performance in a Bad Movie: Jenna Ortega, Hurry Up Tomorrow

Worst Performance in a Good Movie: Normani, Freaky Tales

Top Piece of Overacting: Jai Courtney, Dangerous Animals

Worst Piece of Overacting: Gal Gadot, Snow White

Top Action Sequence: "Flamethrower Fight", Ballerina

Worst Action Sequence: "Car vs. Speedboat with Turret on It", The Amateur

Top Performances:

1.Tim Robinson, Friendship

2.Delroy Lindo, Sinners

3.Sally Hawkins, Bring Her Back

4.Sophie Thatcher, Companion

5.Sora Wong, Bring Her Back

6.Billy Barratt, Bring Her Back

7.Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

8.Gerard Butler, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera

9.Meghann Fahy, Drop

10.Keke Palmer, One of Them Days

Most Underrated:

1.Den of Thieves 2: Pantera

2.The Monkey

3.Love Hurts

Most Overrated:

1.Black Bag

2.Final Destination Bloodlines

3.The Accountant 2 

Biggest Surprises:

1.Thunderbolts*

2.Ash

3.Fight or Flight

Biggest Letdowns:

1.Wolf Man

2.Final Destination Bloodlines

3.Death of a Unicorn

Top Acting Ensembles:

1.Sinners

2.Bring Her Back

3.Companion

4.Materialists

5.Thunderbolts*

July-December Releases I'm Most Excited to See:

1.Superman

2.Marty Supreme

3.The Running Man

4.The Naked Gun

5.Bugonia

Top Miscellaneous Things I Couldn't Praise Above:

1.The goopy gore, eerie score and psychedelic cinematography that powered the disorienting, visceral atmosphere of Ash.

2.The consistently inventive ways the main character's inability to feel pain was worked into Novocaine's bone-crunching fight scenes.

3.Kate Mara being able to hang with the unpredictable comedic force of nature that is Tim Robinson and delivering some of the biggest laughs in all of Friendship.

4.The strong hangout movie vibe of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera that separated from its grizzled predecessor without removing the unapologetic grime that made it a standout heist movie. 

5.Jay Ellis demanding to get an action movie of his own with his badass action hero turn in the final chapter of Freaky Tales.

6.The beautifully cartoonish costuming of every villain and lighting choices of the various places they gather in A Working Man.

7.Love Hurts bringing back the playful silliness and energetic, creative fight choreography of Jackie Chan's pre-Rush Hour ventures in the US.

8.Celine Song baiting people into thinking they were going to see a cutesy love triangle romantic dramedy with Materialists and instead giving them a deeply cynical look at how the superficial commodification of modern dating has taught people to devalue themselves and the humanity of the others, which in turn has made the rare miracle that is real love even harder to find.

9.Havoc shaking off its pretty rough, needlessly convoluted start with a final hour that is full of some of the most relentlessly brutal carnage to appear in any film in the past decade.

10.The perfect needle drops in Companion that elevate several of the funniest moments in the movie.        

Mahershala Ali Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Mahershala Ali-whose latest project "Jurassic World Rebirth" releases in theaters on Wednesday. 

Mahershala Ali's Filmography Ranked:

14.Supremacy (C-)

13.Roxanne Roxanne (C)

12.Hidden Figures (C)

11.Alita: Battle Angel (C+)

10.Free State of Jones (B-)

9.The Place Beyond the Pines (B)

8.The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 (B)

7.The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1 (B)

6.Predators (B)

5.Leave the World Behind (B+)

4.Green Book (B+)

3.Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (B+)

2.Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (A-)

1.Moonlight (A)

Top Dog: Moonlight (2016)

8 years after calling it vastly overrated and unworthy of winning Best Picture, I watched Moonlight again and it floored me. Barry Jenkins authored such a beautiful, tragic and thoughtfully rendered portrait of a man named Chiron (played by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes as a child, teenager and adult respectively) wrestling with his identity as he comes of his age in the crime-ridden, impoverished Liberty City neighborhood of Miami during the 80's/90's. The performances from not only the 3 actors who play Chiron, but Naomie Harris as Chiron's abusive, crack-addicted mother and Ali as the kind, soft-spoken crack dealer Juan who serves as a father figure for Chiron as a kid are all deeply powerful, James Laxton's serene cinematography is some of the best of any film in recent memory and the ending packs a serious emotional punch that also serves as the purest, rawest distillation of the film's themes. This movie really is a masterpiece and I'm retroactively thrilled that it was able to knock off La La Land to win Best Picture.             

Bottom Feeder: Supremacy (2015)

With the exception of 2019's Black and Blue, Deon Taylor has consistently run into trouble when he tries to attach social commentary to a trashy thriller concept. Supremacy is a particularly egregious case of concocting a misguided attempt to saying something poignant about a very real problem in the world (in this case, white nationalism and racism) as the moments where it attempts to be profound feel very forced and jarring when everything else about the movie feels like a cheap direct-to-VOD home invasion thriller where the invaders (Joe Anderson, Dawn Oliveri) just happen to be proud bigots hiding out from the cops after the man-who was released from prison after doing a 15-year bid that very same day- killed a cop (Ali) during a traffic stop gone awry. Taylor's talent for generating suspense at key moments prevents it from falling completely on its face, but it's a still pretty poor effort on the whole.    

Most Underrated: Predators (2010)

Is Predators the best Predator sequel? No, Prey earned that title nearly three years ago. Is Predators the most underrated and unfairly shat upon Predator sequel? Absolutely. The joys this movie provides are vast and (mostly) completely unique within this long-running franchise. Laurence Fishburne shows for up 15 minutes in the second act and goes absolutely berserk before dying in spectacular fashion! A predator creates a bobby trap that involves replicating the voice of a guy they just killed off-camera! The Yakuza guy (Louis Ozawa Changchien) fights a predator with a sword! There's a shocking, strange twist involving a main character at the end of the movie for no real reason at all! Adrien Brody is doing a Sylvester Stallone impression the whole movie and it kind of rules! Movies that are full of cool shit and not much else are cool!   

Most Overrated: Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Every time Alita: Battle Angel looks like it's going to be able to find its groove via its kinetic action sequences or the strength of Rosa Salazar's excellent performance as the title character that beautifully captures the juxtaposition of child-like curiosity and the unbreakable spirit of a battle-hardened solider, James Cameron's awful script steps in and mucks shit up by introducing another crap subplot that makes the film cornier and more incoherent than it was previously until it naturally reaches its wet fart of an ending. It's really a blessing that Cameron is too focused on making Avatar movies to shit out anything else these days.          

2025 NFL Position Rankings: Top 50 Safeties

()=2024 ranking

+=Unranked or ineligible in 2024 

50.(+) Kamren Kinchens (Rams)

49.(+) Ji'Ayir Brown (49ers)

48.(19) Justin Simmons (Free Agent)

47.(38) Jaquan Brisker (Bears)

46.(+) Quentin Lake (Rams)

45.(+) Bryan Cook (Chiefs)

44.(+) Ronnie Hickman (Browns)

43.(21) Talanoa Hufanga (Broncos)

42.(24) Alohi Gilman (Chargers)

41.(20) Kyle Dugger (Patriots)

40.(48) Malik Hooker (Cowboys)

39.(22) Geno Stone (Bengals)

38.(25) Xavier Woods (Titans)

37.(37) Donovan Wilson (Cowboys)

36.(31) Julian Blackmon (Free Agent)

35.(15) Andre Cisco (Jets)

34.(29) Grant Delpit (Browns)

33.(44) Tony Adams (Jets)

32.(+) Jeremy Chinn (Raiders)

31.(+) Coby Bryant (Seahawks)

30.(+) Elijah Molden (Chargers)

29.(27) Camryn Bynum (Colts)

28.(30) Harrison Smith (Vikings)

27.(41) Jimmie Ward (Texans)

26.(+) Josh Metellus (Vikings)

25.(+) Nick Cross (Colts)

24.(16) Kamren Curl (Rams)

23.(39) DeShon Elliott (Steelers)

22.(28) Tre'Von Moehrig (Panthers)

21.(+) Jalen Pitre (Texans)

20.(32) Amani Hooker (Titans)

19.(26) Jalen Thompson (Cardinals)

18.(6) Jabrill Peppers (Patriots)

17.(42) Justin Reid (Saints)

16.(7) Jevon Holland (Giants)

15.(47) Brandon Jones (Broncos)

14.(3) Tyrann Mathieu (Saints)

13.(9) Kevin Byard (Bears)

12.(23) Reed Blankenship (Eagles)

11.(18) Budda Baker (Cardinals)

10.(14) C.J. Gardner-Johnson (Texans)

9.(12) Derwin James (Chargers)

8.(+) Brian Branch (Lions)

7.(13) Julian Love (Seahawks)

6.(1) Antoine Winfield Jr. (Buccaneers)

5.(4) Minkah Fitzpatrick (Steelers)

4.(+) Kerby Joseph (Lions)

3.(2) Jessie Bates III (Falcons)

2.(8) Xavier McKinney (Packers)

1.(5) Kyle Hamilton (Ravens)

2025 NBA Free Agency: Top 10 Players Available

Luxury tax concerns are looming large over the flurry of major NBA trades we've seen over the past couple of weeks. The other, far less discussed factor behind these potentially league-altering moves is just how barren this year's free agency class is. You would be hard pressed to find a class in recent history that has as little juice as this one. There's arguably not a single max level player in the bunch and a couple of the more exciting players that were expected to hit the market (Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams) have already re-upped with the Rockets. Of the group that is hitting the market, the most appealing players largely consist of high-end role players and young guys with upside that could take a step forward on their second contract. Here are my picks for the 10 best players hitting the market on Monday.   

(Note: LeBron James, James Harden and Julius Randle were all excluded from the list as they're expected to remain with their current teams)

10.Bobby Portis, power forward (2024-25 team: Milwaukee Bucks)

A unique combination of board-getting/post-scoring bully and talented outside shooter, Portis is a solid veteran role player whose game should age well as he moves into his early 30's.

9.Kelly Oubre Jr., shooting guard (2024-25 team: Philadelphia 76ers)

One of the closest things that resembled a bright spot for the 76ers during their nightmare 2024-25 campaign was the steadiness that Oubre Jr. brought to the floor every time he was out there (he played in 60 games, which was shockingly the 3rd most of any player on a roster that had more guys in street clothes than in uniform on the bench most nights). While his status as a pretty poor outside shooter will definitely limit his market to an extent, he's a willing mid-range shooter/slasher to the basket who just so happens to be coming off the best shooting season of his career (47%) and underrated defender who has a good track record of disrupting passing lanes and forcing guards/wings into tough shots.  

8.Ty Jerome, point/shooting guard (2024-25 team: Cleveland Cavaliers)

Jerome finally came into his own under the tutelage of Kenny Atkinson in Cleveland last year, emerging as a high-end sixth man who could score efficiently and facilitate when called upon. As ideal as a return to the Cavs would be for both parties, it's very possible that he'll be too expensive to retain in this tricky apron-era of the NBA and will have to hope that he can continue to make a big impact off the bench elsewhere.      

7.Cam Thomas, shooting guard (2024-25 team: Brooklyn Nets)

Are Thomas' numbers inflated from being on a terrible Nets team? No question. But anybody who has seen this kid play know that his ability to be a bulk scorer would translate to any offense and that will make him a valuable asset on the market, especially since he'll come relatively cheap given that this will only be his second contract in the pros.  

6.Jonathan Kuminga, small/power forward (2024-25 team: Golden State Warriors)

There is a level of risk that comes with bringing Kuminga into the fold as he's kind of the NBA's poster boy for untapped potential right now. He seemingly gets banged up every season and his relationship with Steve Kerr has reportedly been quite poor, which inevitably raises questions about the 22-year old's attitude. However, Kuminga's youth and the eye-popping flashes he's shown-particularly on the offensive end-make him a really appealing dice roll option for a really well-coached team that's hoping to add young talent to their roster.      

5.Brook Lopez, center (2024-25 team: Milwaukee Bucks)

At 37 going on 38, Lopez is unquestionably in the final act of his sneaky great NBA career. His shot-blocking prowess and perimeter-driven offensive game has allowed him to remain a valuable starter into his late 30's and with his 7-year tenure with the Bucks likely coming to an end as their championship window appears to have closed for good now that Damian Lillard is out indefinitely after suffering an Achillies tear in their first round playoff series against the Pacers in April, he should have no problem landing with a contender that will allow him to pursue his second ring. 

4.Malik Beasley, shooting guard (2024-25 team: Detroit Pistons)

Journeyman sharpshooter Beasley had his best season since 2020-21 with the Wolves in 2024-25 with the Pistons, settling in nicely to his role as a spark scorer off the bench for a young team that really benefitted from having an elite 3-point shooter around. Beasley's lack of contributions outside of shooting from beyond the arc and erratic play in a higher leverage role in the 2 seasons prior to last year could affect the size of his market, but any team looking to add a pure shooter to their rotation should definitely consider taking a serious look at him.  

3.Naz Reid, power forward/center (2024-25 team: Minnesota Timberwolves)

Reid is one of the best bucket-getting big men in the league and really the only thing holding him back at this juncture are the continued questions about whether or not he's a strong enough defender to go from his current sixth man role to a full-time starter. If he's adamant about becoming a starter, it'll have to be outside of the Wolves organization since Julius Randle is expected to return as of now, and despite his continued struggles defending outside of the paint, Rudy Gobert is too valuable of a rim protector to ride the bench.  

2.Josh Giddey, point/shooting guard (2024-25 team: Chicago Bulls)

There's a 0% chance that this Bulls team as currently constructed would be eager to let go of one of the pieces they envision as leading their young corps alongside Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Matas Buzelis, especially considering how good Giddey played once Zach LaVine was traded to the Kings in early February. That being said, this free agent class is so thin that it's not inconceivable that some team will come in and ink Giddey-who boasts elite size, playmaking skills and outside shotmaking ability for a point guard that should only continue to get better as he gets more experience under his belt-to the type of absurdly high offer sheet that the Bulls won't have the stomach to match. For the sake of preserving whatever optimism exists in their currently murky future, Bulls fans have to hope that this scenario doesn't play out and Giddey remains with the team.     

1.Myles Turner, center (2024-25 team: Indiana Pacers)

There's a massive gap between Turner and everyone else in this free agency class. The veteran big man who has spent his entire 10-year career to this point with the Pacers is firmly in his prime at 29, has the defensive versatility to guard multiple positions from the rim all the way out to the perimeter and recently added a lethal 3-point shot (39.6% this season) that has turned him into a really strong, floor-stretching secondary scoring option on a near nightly basis. If he elects to seriously consider leaving the Pacers, there should be a healthy number of teams vying for his services.         

Other Notable Players Available: 

Al Horford, power forward/center (2024-25 team: Boston Celtics)

Amir Coffey, shooting guard (2024-25 team: Los Angeles Clippers)

Ben Simmons, point guard (2024-25 teams: Brooklyn Nets/Los Angeles Clippers)

Bruce Brown, point/shooting guard (2024-25 teams: Toronto Raptors/New Orleans Pelicans)

Cameron Payne, point guard (2024-25 team: New York Knicks)

Caris LeVert, shooting guard/small forward (2024-25 teams: Cleveland Cavaliers/Atlanta Hawks)

Chris Boucher, power forward (2024-25 team: Toronto Raptors)

Chris Paul, point guard (2024-25 team: San Antonio Spurs)

Clint Capela, center (2024-25 team: Atlanta Hawks)

D'Angelo Russell, point/shooting guard (2024-25 teams: Los Angeles Lakers/Brooklyn Nets)

Dalano Banton, shooting guard (2024-25 team: Portland Trail Blazers)

Davion Mitchell, point/shooting guard (2024-25 teams: Toronto Raptors/Miami Heat)

Dennis Schroder, point guard (2024-25 teams: Brooklyn Nets/Golden State Warriors/Detroit Pistons)

Dorian Finney-Smith, small/power forward (2024-25 teams: Brooklyn Nets/Los Angeles Lakers)

Gary Payton II, shooting guard (2024-25 team: Golden State Warriors)

Gary Trent Jr., shooting guard (2024-25 team: Milwaukee Bucks)

Guerschon Yabusele, power forward (2024-25 team: Philadelphia 76ers)

Jae'Sean Tate, small/power forward (2024-25 team: Houston Rockets)

Jake LaRavia, power forward (2024-25 team: Memphis Grizzlies/Sacramento Kings)

Jaxson Hayes, center (2024-25 team: Los Angeles Lakers)

Keon Ellis, shooting guard (2024-25 team: Sacramento Kings)

Kevin Porter Jr., point/shooting guard (2024-25 teams: Los Angeles Clippers/Milwaukee Bucks)

Kevon Looney, power forward/center (2024-25 team: Golden State Warriors)

Larry Nance Jr., power forward (2024-25 team: Atlanta Hawks)

Luke Kennard, shooting guard (2024-25 team: Memphis Grizzlies)

Luke Kornet, center (2024-25 team: Boston Celtics)

Malcolm Brogdon, point/shooting guard (2024-25 team: Washington Wizards)

Mo Wagner, power forward/center (2024-25 team: Orlando Magic)

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, point/shooting guard (2024-25 team: Minnesota Timberwolves)

Paul Reed, center (2024-25 team: Detroit Pistons)

Precious Achiuwa, center (2024-25 team: New York Knicks)

Quentin Grimes, shooting guard (2024-25 team: Dallas Mavericks/Philadelphia 76ers)

Russell Westbrook, point/shooting guard (2024-25 team: Denver Nuggets)

Sam Merrill, shooting guard (2024-25 team: Cleveland Cavailers)

Santiago Aldama, power forward/center (2024-25 team: Memphis Grizzlies)

Spencer Dinwiddie, point/shooting guard (2024-25 team: Dallas Mavericks)

Talen Horton-Tucker, small/power forward (2024-25 team: Chicago Bulls)

Taurean Prince, small/power forward (2024-25 team: Milwaukee Bucks)

Tim Hardaway Jr., shooting guard (2024-25 team: Detroit Pistons)

Tre Jones, point guard (2024-25 teams: San Antonio Spurs/Chicago Bulls)

Tyus Jones, point guard (2024-25 team: Phoenix Suns)

2025 NBA Mock Draft

The 2025 NBA Draft is here! For the first time in league history, it'll be a two-night event with the first round taking place tonight beginning at 8 PM EST and the second round taking place tomorrow night with the same 8 PM EST start time. Outside of potential superstars Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper being locked in as the top 2 picks, there's an intriguing amount of mystery surrounding this polarizing class of prospects that could very well intensify if, yet another big trade goes down before the start of or during the festivities tonight. Here are the 59 names I expect to be called over the next two nights as of 10:15 AM EST on the 25th.  

1st round:

1.Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, forward/guard (Duke)

2.San Antoino Spurs: Dylan Harper, guard (Rutgers)

3.Philadelphia 76ers: V.J. Edgecombe, guard (Baylor)

4.Charlotte Hornets: Tre Johnson, guard (Texas)

5.Utah Jazz: Jeremiah Fears, guard (Oklahoma)

6.Washington Wizards: Kon Knueppel, forward/guard (Duke)

7.New Orleans Pelicans: Ace Bailey, forward (Rutgers)

8.Brooklyn Nets: Khaman Maluach, center (Duke)

9.Toronto Raptors: Kasparas Jakucionis, guard (Illinois) 

10.Phoenix Suns: Derik Queen, center/forward (Maryland)

11.Portland Trail Blazers: Egor Demin, guard (BYU)

12.Chicago Bulls: Danny Wolf, forward (Michigan)

13.Atlanta Hawks: Carter Bryant, forward (Arizona) 

14.San Antonio Spurs: Collin Murray-Boyles, forward (South Carolina)

15.Oklahoma City Thunder:  Thomas Sorber, center (Georgetown)

16.Memphis Grizzlies: Asa Newell, forward (Georgia)

17.Minnesota Timberwolves: Jase Richardson, guard (Michigan State)

18.Washington Wizards: Noa Essengue, center/forward (Ratiopharm Ulm)

19.Brooklyn Nets: Cedric Coward, guard (Washington State) 

20.Miami Heat: Liam McNeeley, forward (UConn)

21.Utah Jazz: Nique Clifford, guard/forward (Colorado State)

22.Brooklyn Nets: Walter Clayton Jr., guard (Florida)

23.New Orleans Pelicans: Joan Berringer, center/forward (Cedevita)

24.Oklahoma City Thunder: Nolan Traore, guard (Saint-Quentin)

25.Orlando Magic: Maxime Raynaud, center (Stanford)

26.Brooklyn Nets: Robert Fleming, forward (Saint Joseph's)

27.Brooklyn Nets: Drake Powell, guard/forward (North Carolina)

28.Boston Celtics: Hugo Gonzalez, forward (Real Madrid)

29.Phoenix Suns: Will Riley, forward (Illinois)

30.Los Angeles Clippers: Ben Saraf, guard (Ratipharm Ulm)

2nd Round:

31.Minnesota Timberwolves: Tyrese Proctor, guard (Duke)

32.Boston Celtics: Ryan Kalkbrenner, center (Creighton)

33.Charlotte Hornets: Yanic Konan Niederhauser, center (Penn State)

34.Charlotte Hornets: Adou Thiero, forward (Arkansas)

35.Philadelphia 76ers: John Tonje, guard (Wisconsin)

36.Brooklyn Nets: Alex Toohey, forward (Sydney Kings)

37.Detroit Pistons: Jamir Watkins, forward (Florida State)

38.San Antonio Spurs: Noah Penda, forward (Le Mans Sarthe)

39.Toronto Raptors: Chaz Lanier, guard (Tennessee) 

40.Washington Wizards: Rocco Zikarsky, center (Brisbane Bullets)

41.Golden State Warriors: Johni Broome, forward/center (Auburn)

42.Sacramento Kings: Dink Pate, guard/forward (Mexico City Capitanes)

43.Utah Jazz: Brice Williams, forward/guard (Nebraska)

44.Oklahoma City Thunder:  Yang Hansen, center (Qingdao Eagles) 

45.Chicago Bulls: Kam Jones, guard (Marquette) 

46.Orlando Magic: Alijah Martin, guard (Florida)

47.Milwaukee Bucks: Javon Small, guard (West Virginia)

48.Memphis Grizzlies: Max Shulga, guard (VCU)

49.Cleveland Cavaliers: Bogoljub Markovic, forward (Mega Basket)

50.New York Knicks: Sion James, guard (Duke)

51.Los Angeles Clippers: Brooks Barnhizer, guard/forward (Northwestern)

52.Phoenix Suns: Ryan Nembhard, guard (Gonzaga)

53.Utah Jazz: Lachlan Olbrich, forward/center (Illawarra Hawks)

54.Indiana Pacers: Hunter Sallis, guard (Wake Forest)

55.Los Angeles Lakers: Tamar Bates, guard (Missouri)

56.Memphis Grizzlies: Eric Dixon, forward (Villanova)

57.Orlando Magic: Micah Peavy, guard/forward (Georgetown)

58.Cleveland Cavaliers: Vlad Goldin, center (Michigan)

59.Houston Rockets: Amari Williams, center (Kentucky)

Brad Pitt Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Brad Pitt-whose latest project "F1" opens in theaters Thursday. 

Brad Pitt's Filmography Ranked:

29.The Tree of Life (F)

28.Ocean's Twelve (D-)

27.The Counselor (D+)

26.Allied (C-)

25.The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (C-)

24.Killing Them Softly (C-)

23.Mr. & Mrs. Smith (C)

22.Burn After Reading (C+)

21.Megamind (B-)

20.Fury (B-)

19.The Lost City (B)

18.Kalifornia (B)

17.World War Z (B)

16.12 Years a Slave (B)

15.Ad Astra (B)

14.Thelma & Louise (B)

13.Ocean's Thirteen (B+)

12.12 Monkeys (B+)

11.The Big Short (B+)

10.Bullet Train (B+)

9.Babylon (B+)

8.Seven (A-)

7.True Romance (A-)

6.Moneyball (A)

5.Ocean's Eleven (A)

4.Inglorious Basterds (A)

3.Once Upon a Time in Hollywood... (A)

2.Snatch (A+)

1.Fight Club (A+)

Top Dog: Fight Club (1999)

As great as Seven is, I think Fight Club is the film where David Fincher really became the filmmaking legend that he is known as today. Fight Club doesn't just beautifully capture the tricky darkly comedic tone and biting takedown of toxic masculinity that drives Chuck Palahniuk's novel, it has sharper teeth and more laughs than its brilliant source material. This would've been brutally butchered in the hands of most directors, so it's really a miracle that Fincher was the one who ended up handling the adaptation.    

Bottom Feeder: The Tree of Life (2011)

Many of the movies the I considered to be the worst I've ever seen are films with high artistic ambitions. There's just something that I find to be really obnoxious and grating about movies that masquerade as having something to profound to say, but at the end of the day, are more about the director stroking their ego than delivering a story that has any real weight behind it. With the possible exception of Alfonso Cuaron's Roma, no film has embodied this tiny sliver of the cinematic landscape better than The Tree of Life. It took no more than 20 minutes for me to begin losing my mind over the seemingly endless parade of naval-gazing trash that Terrence Malick put into this non-linear wankfest that ponders what the up-and-down life of an ordinary American family (Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Tye Sheridan, Laramie Eppler) circa the 1950/60's means in the grand scheme of this centuries-old planet we call Earth. Being exposed to Sean Penn's-who plays the present day (2010) version of McCraken's character-droning voiceovers, the seemingly endless supply of unbroken nature shots that appear damn near every time the camera leaves the O'Brien family home and countless arguments between Pitt and Chastain had me on the verge of having a mental breakdown by the end of this grueling 139-minute feature. If presented with the choice of watching The Tree of Life again or sawing one of my arms off, I'd think long and hard about the pros and cons of going through life with one arm.      

Most Underrated: Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

While I considered going with Damien Chazelle's polarizing, misunderstood Hollywood takedown/love letter Babylon here, the film has gained such a strong cult following among cinephiles that calling it underrated feels a bit disingenuous. This left only one real strong choice among the films in Pitt's filmography that I've seen: Ocean's Thirteen. The finale of Steven Soderbergh's caper trilogy took the series back to its slick, effective heist comedy basics after the uh, experimental failure of Ocean's Twelve and what do you know, the Hollywood blockbuster magic that drove the first installment came rushing back. It's nearly as cool as Ocean's Eleven, Al Pacino has a blast chewing up the scenery as the dickhead casino baron who becomes the latest target of our lovable thief heroes and the execution of the big heist/scheme in the final act is impeccable. When WB inevitably returns to the Ocean's well within the next 5-10 years, I'll be crossing my fingers that they can at least get back to this level (Ocean's 8 is a worthy addition to the franchise, it just didn't match the juice that this one and Ocean's Eleven have).     

Most Overrated: The Tree of Life (2011)

Given the muted reception to the 5 films (To the Wonder, Knight of Cups, Song to Song, Voyage of Time, A Hidden Life) he's released since and the seemingly eternal post-production process of his 11th film The Way of the Wind, The Tree of Life will be in all likelihood be the last time that Terrence Malick-who will turn 82 in late November-has a film be nominated for Best Picture. If I was a time traveler who decided to misuse this perpetually coveted piece of hypothetical technology to establish the least harmful, lowest stakes dictatorship in the history of the world by installing myself as the sole Oscar voter, I would begin my regime in the fall of 2011 in order to ensure that The Thin Red Line was Malick's most recent Oscar nominated film. Fuck The Tree of Life!!!!!!     

2025 NFL Position Rankings: Top 50 Cornerbacks

()=2024 ranking

+=Unranked or ineligible in 2024

50.(50) Tyson Campbell (Jaguars)

49.(47) Kader Kohou (Dolphins)

48.(+) Jaylon Jones (Colts)

47.(+) Mike Sainristil (Commanders)

46.(26) Paulson Adebo (Giants)

45.(32) Brandon Stephens (Jets)

44.(31) Jonathan Jones (Commanders)

43.(+) Tykee Smith (Buccaneers)

42.(+) Nate Wiggins (Ravens)

41.(+) Andru Phillips (Giants)

40.(+) Mike Hughes (Falcons)

39.(+) Jourdan Lewis (Jaguars)

38.(+) Kristian Fulton (Chiefs)

37.(35) Nate Hobbs (Packers)

36.(18) Trevon Diggs (Cowboys)

35.(16) Darious Williams (Rams)

34.(+) Kamari Lassiter (Texans)

33.(+) Tarheeb Still (Chargers)

32.(45) Tariq Woolen (Seahawks)

31.(14) Mike Hilton (Free Agent)

30.(38) Jaycee Horn (Panthers)

29.(24) Taron Johnson (Bills)

28.(27) Darius Slay (Steelers)

27.(+) Zyon McCollum (Buccaneers)

26.(+) Quinyon Mitchell (Eagles)

25.(+) Kyler Gordon (Bears)

24.(+) Garrett Williams (Cardinals)

23.(+) Cooper DeJean (Eagles)

22.(20) Marshon Lattimore (Commanders)

21.(33) Carlton Davis (Patriots)

20.(25) Deommodore Lenoir (49ers)

19.(+) Byron Murphy Jr. (Vikings)

18.(19) Denzel Ward (Browns)

17.(2) Charvarius Ward (Colts)

16.(3) Jaire Alexander (Ravens)

15.(17) Jamel Dean (Buccaneers)

14.(13) A.J. Terrell (Falcons)

13.(11) Kenny Moore (Colts)

12.(7) DaRon Bland (Cowboys)

11.(34) Derek Stingley Jr. (Texans)

10.(23) Devon Witherspoon (Seahawks)

9.(+) Christian Gonzalez (Patriots)

8.(28) Christian Benford (Bills)

7.(10) D.J. Reed (Lions)

6.(6) Jaylon Johnson (Bears)

5.(1) Sauce Gardner (Jets)

4.(21) Marlon Humphrey (Ravens)

3.(4) Jalen Ramsey (Dolphins)

2.(8) Trent McDuffie (Chiefs)

1.(5) Patrick Surtain II (Broncos)

2025 NFL Position Rankings: Top 35 Inside Linebackers

()=2024 ranking

+=Unranked or ineligible in 2024

35.(31) Micah McFadden (Giants)

34.(26) Elandon Roberts (Raiders)

33.(33) Azeez Al-Shaair (Texans)

32.(35) Zaire Franklin (Colts)

31.(10) Ernest Jones (Seahawks)

30.(15) Patrick Queen (Steelers)

29.(+) Daiyan Henley (Chargers)

28.(+) Edgerrin Cooper (Packers)

27.(+) Dre Greenlaw (Broncos)

26.(+) Nakobe Dean (Eagles)

25.(+) Jamien Sherwood (Jets)

24.(+) Jack Campbell (Lions)

23.(24) Tyrel Dodson (Dolphins)

22.(18) Jordan Hicks (Browns)

21.(+) Drue Tranquill (Chiefs)

20.(14) Frankie Luvu (Commanders)

19.(20) Robert Spillane (Patriots)

18.(+) Jordyn Brooks (Dolphins)

17.(11) Foyesade Oluokoun (Jaguars)

16.(19) Blake Cashman (Vikings)

15.(12) Quincy Williams (Jets)

14.(5) Matt Milano (Bills)

13.(+) T.J. Edwards (Bears)

12.(13) Kaden Elliss (Falcons)

11.(22) Devin Lloyd (Jaguars)

10.(+) Pete Werner (Saints)

9.(21) Logan Wilson (Bengals)

8.(8) Bobby Okereke (Giants)

7.(6) Lavonte David (Buccaneers)

6.(7) Nick Bolton (Chiefs)

5.(2) Roquan Smith (Ravens)

4.(3) Demario Davis (Saints)

3.(+) Zack Baun (Eagles)

2.(4) Bobby Wagner (Commanders)

1.(1) Fred Warner (49ers)

2025 NFL Position Rankings: Top 35 Outside Linebackers

()=2024 ranking

+=Unranked or ineligible in 2024

35.(+) Arnold Ebiketie (Falcons)

34.(+) Pat Jones II (Panthers)

33.(+) Anfernee Jennings (Patriots)

32.(25) Uchenna Nwosu (Seahawks)

31.(+) Keion White (Patriots)

30.(+) Chop Robinson (Dolphins)

29.(+) Kayvon Thibodeaux (Giants)

28.(34) Byron Young (Rams)

27.(13) Bryce Huff (49ers)

26.(+) Leonard Floyd (Falcons)

25.(+) Nick Herbig (Steelers)

24.(+) Alex Anzalone (Lions)

23.(32) Zaven Collins (Cardinals)

22.(7) Jaelan Phillips (Dolphins)

21.(22) Boye Mafe (Seahawks)

20.(29) Arden Key (Titans)

19.(31) Tuli Tuipulotu (Chargers)

18.(33) Yaya Diaby (Buccaneers)

17.(+) Nolan Smith (Eagles)

16.(21) Harold Landry (Patriots)

15.(+) Haason Reddick (Buccaneers)

14.(+) DeMarcus Lawrence (Seahawks)

13.(+) Jonathon Cooper (Broncos)

12.(15) Odafe Oweh (Ravens)

11.(14) Josh Sweat (Cardinals)

10.(+) Nik Bonitto (Broncos)

9.(10) Andrew Van Ginkel (Vikings)

8.(+) Jared Verse (Rams)

7.(5) Bradley Chubb (Dolphins)

6.(19) Kyle Van Noy (Ravens)

5.(+) Brian Burns (Giants)

4.(3) Alex Highsmith (Steelers)

3.(9) Jonathan Greenard (Vikings)

2.(2) Khalil Mack (Chargers)

1.(1) T.J. Watt (Steelers)

Danny Boyle Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Danny Boyle-whose latest project "28 Years Later" releases in theaters Thursday. 

Danny Boyle's Filmography Ranked:

9.Sunshine (D+)

8.Shallow Grave (C)

7.Slumdog Millionaire (C+)

6.Trance (B)

5.T2: Trainspotting (B)

4.127 Hours (B+)

3.Steve Jobs (B+)

2.Trainspotting (A)

1.28 Days Later (A+)

Top Dog: 28 Days Later (2002)

Saying that 28 Days Later opened my eyes to the morbid pleasures of the horror genre would be disingenuous since I didn't develop a real appreciation for the genre until roughly a decade ago, but it certainly left a huge impression on me nonetheless and remains my favorite horror movie. Between the "zombies" that are basically rabies-infected humans with heightened speed, agility, etc., Boyle's atmospheric direction and the really grainy way in which it was shot (RIP charming low-resolution early 2000's digital video cameras), there's a really urgent, visceral and hopeless terror on display in nearly every frame here that is unlike anything else I've ever seen from the genre. If Boyle and Alex Garland's return to the franchise they birthed can deliver even half of the unrelenting terror that occupies 28 Days Later, 28 Years Later will go down as a major win.          

Bottom Feeder: Sunshine (2007)

Sunshine has plenty of fans out there that like to make their voices particularly heard whenever the opportunity to lament Chris Evans' choice of projects over the past 15 years arises (which is far more often than you would think!). I am not among them. Unlike Boyle and Garland's work on 28 Days Later, Sunshine fails to generate much tension or excitement and instead just kind of plods along with convoluted sci-fi mindfuck nonsense until it reaches an absolutely laughable conclusion. 

Most Underrated: Steve Jobs (2015)

Steve Jobs is Aaron Sorkin at his most unapologetically indulgent and an entire movie built around stereotypical Sorkinism's (snappy dialogue, long monologues, smug characters) will naturally beat some people down to the point where they're deeply annoyed or completely checked out by the end. As a fan of most of his work, I found Steve Jobs to be a great vessel for Sorkin's writing. The three-act play (each scene-taking place in 1984, 1988 and 1998 respectively-unfolds in real time in a single location on a single day) structure of the narrative is a creative way to examine who Jobs was, the performances (Michael Fassbender as Jobs, Kate Winslet as Apple marketing executive/Jobs' top confidant Joanna Hoffman, Seth Rogen as Apple co-founder/top programmer Steve Wozniak, Jeff Daniels as original Apple CEO John Sculley, Michael Stuhlbarg as Apple/Mac engineer Andy Hertzfeld, Katherine Waterston as Jobs' ex-girlfriend/mother of his daughter Lisa Chrisann Brennan) are outstanding across the board and Boyle's direction is steady enough to make it feel cinematic enough where the onslaught of long conversations/arguments that Sorkin writes don't feel like they're part of a stage performance.        

Most Overrated: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Outside of The Artist, there has not been a more forgettable Best Picture winner in the past 20 years than Slumdog Millionaire. The only things I remember about this movie are the plot having something to do with a poor kid cheating on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, the "Jai Ho" song that won the Oscar for Best Original Song, the backlash it was met with for its depiction of poor people in India and it being the first time I saw Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto in anything. Other than that, this movie kind of just exists in the ether for me and I'm not really all that interested in seeing if a rewatch intensifies my feelings towards it one way or the other.   

Dakota Johnson Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Dakota Johnson-whose latest project "Materialists" releases in theaters today. 

Dakota Johnson's Filmography Ranked:

20.Beastly (F)

19.The Lost Daughter (D)

18.Suspiria (D+)

17.Madame Web (C-)

16.Fifty Shades Freed (C-)

15.Fifty Shades Darker (C-)

14.Fifty Shades of Grey (C-)

13.How to Be Single (C+)

12.The Nowhere Inn (B-)

11.The Peanut Butter Falcon (B-)

10.Am I OK? (B-)

9.Our Friend (B-)

8.The Five-Year Engagement (B-)

7.Black Mass (B)

6.The High Note (B)

5.Need for Speed (B)

4.Daddio (B+)

3.Bad Times at the El Royale (B+)

2.The Social Network (A)

1.21 Jump Street (A)

Top Dog: 21 Jump Street (2012)

Before their stock went through the roof with The LEGO Movie and Spider-Verse movies, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were busy making their live action feature directorial debut with a comedic adaptation of 21 Jump Street. As they have with the majority of their other projects, they knocked it out of the park. The combination of its sharp, meta humor and incredible ensemble cast led by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as a perfectly matched bumbling buddy cop duo tasked with going undercover as high school students to thwart a synthetic drug ring led by a popular student (Dave Franco) made 21 Jump Street an incredible surprise that-along with its sequel 22 Jump Street-ended up going down as one of the funniest movies of the 2010's.

Bottom Feeder: Beastly (2011)

The popularity of Twilight opened up the floodgates for YA novel adaptations that were hoping to ride the same teen-friendly melodramatic wave that got Bella, Edward, Jacob and the gang to the peak of pop culture relevance. Unsurprisingly, most of these films failed by any metric you wanted to use to judge their level of success. From a strictly quality standpoint, I can say without hesitation that Beastly was the worst one that I saw by a monumental margin. Daniel Barnz's adaptation of Alex Flinn's 2007 novel of the same name is a deeply uninspired riff on Beauty on the Beast set in modern day New York City that adds elements of crime and gothic romance to the classic fairy tale, but these "grittier" flourishes are so ridiculous and clumsily deployed that it just makes this horrendous melodrama that's centered around one of the most unconvincing romances (Alex Pettyfer as the "Beast", Vanessa Hudgens as the Belle stand-in) ever committed to screen even cringier to watch. At least Neil Patrick Harris-who plays a blind tutor employed by Pettyfer's wealthy news anchor father (Peter Krause) to teach his now-disfigured son in the shadows-seemed to be having fun! 

Most Underrated: Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)
Until his ABC procedural crime drama series High Potential made it to air and quickly became a pretty big hit for the legacy broadcast network last fall, Drew Goodard was basically MIA from Hollywood after the commercial failure of Bad Times at El Royale. What's particularly unfortunate about this situation that kept him on the creative sidelines for close to 5 full years is that the movie that landed him in director's jail is quite good. The non-linear, late 60's-set hyperlink noir thriller that sees the lives of six strangers (Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Johnson, Lewis Pullman, Cailee Spaeny, Jon Hamm) intersect at a seedy rundown hotel located on the California and Nevada line is a really compelling flick full of explosive twists and incredible performances that make the quieter character moments just as thrilling as the violent or crazy ones (in addition to the aforementioned performers who all play characters who are guests or employees at the hotel, Chris Hemsworth turns in one hell of a performance in a bit part as a vicious cult leader who eventually shows up to the hotel to try and take Spaney's character back to his commune). Now that the profile of damn near the entire cast has raised considerably in recent years, maybe this will be able to find the audience that it couldn't in the fall of 2018.      

Most Overrated: The Lost Daughter (2021)

Maggie Gyllenhaal's ode to mothers that have an overwhelming contempt for their children throws all of the goodwill of its refreshingly blunt observations about motherhood out the window with its brutal pacing and poor script that only offers up a surface level exploration of why its main character (Olivia Colman) became so withdrawn from her children that she abandoned being their mother entirely. 

First Film I Would Direct People to After They Say She Can't Act: Daddio (2024)

Johnson has been battling the widespread perception that she can't act since she became known to most of the world with her breakout role as Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades trilogy from 2015-17. This is the same bullshit narrative that has plagued Robert Pattinson and Kirsten Stewart post-Twilight and will continue to follow every other actor that first finds tremendous success as part of a trashy, soapy franchise for as long as movies remain a part of the world. Continuing the parallels between Pattinson and Stewart in particular, Johnson's best work has come away from the eyes of most general audiences in the indie film space and her few forays into more mainstream studio fare post-Fifty Shades were either so little seen that they might as well have been indie projects  (Bad Times at the El Royale, The High Note) or further reenforced the perception that she can't act as the film went onto become a huge meme that she had the misfortune of being the face of (Madame Web). Whether Materialists can help shatter this popular belief about Johnson's acting ability remains to be seen, but for now, I invite anyone that feels that Johnson is unqualified to be in her profession to fire up Netflix and watch Daddio ASAP and see if they still feel this way after it's over. 

This minimalist drama from writer/director Christy Hall depicts a conversation between a young woman (Johnson) and the driver of the cab (Sean Penn) she gets into after landing at JFK airport playing out in real time as they navigate a major traffic jam in Manhattan in route to her apartment. Penn's credentials don't need to be sold to anyone. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest actors of his generation (the pair of Oscars he has on his mantle back that up) and the moving, nuanced performance he gives here is one of the purest displays of his immense gifts that we've seen recently. Johnson is able to hold her own with him the entire time. A movie that is entirely based around a frank, wide-spanning conversation between two strangers who make an unlikely connection wouldn't work if the actors involved weren't completely natural in their roles and Johnson does a remarkable job of navigating the situation her character is dropped into by displaying a strong standoffishness that slowly transforms into a grounded, unflinching honesty. If she couldn't act, she couldn't make her character's journey feel so seamless and real, especially alongside an actor of Penn's caliber. This edition of "Chris defends Dakota Johnson's acting ability" has reached its conclusion. Stay tuned for the next episode that will probably surface in the near future!       

2025 NFL Power Rankings: Top 35 Defensive Tackles

()=2024 ranking

+=Unranked or ineligible in 2024

35.(+) Mike Pennel (Chiefs)

34.(28) Shelby Harris (Browns)

33.(+) Devonte Wyatt (Packers)

32.(+) Bobby Brown III (Panthers)

31.(16) Kenny Clark (Packers)

30.(22) DaQuan Jones (Bills)

29.(19) Grady Jarrett (Bears)

28.(24) Jordan Davis (Eagles)

27.(9) Arik Armstead (Jaguars)

26.(33) Dalvin Tomlinson (Cardinals)

25.(27) Keeanu Benton (Steelers)

24.(+) Gervon Dexter (Bears)

23.(+) Teair Tart (Chargers)

22.(12) Christian Barmore (Patriots)

21.(6) D.J. Reader (Lions)

20.(17) Osa Odighizuwa (Cowboys)

19.(35) Jarran Reed (Seahawks)

18.(26) B.J. Hill (Bengals)

17.(+) Travis Jones (Ravens)

16.(+) T'Vondre Sweat (Titans)

15.(+) Poona Ford (Rams)

14.(25) Ed Oliver (Bills)

13.(21) Grover Stewart (Colts)

12.(34) Jalen Carter (Eagles)

11.(23) Kobie Turner (Rams)

10.(5) Christian Wilkins (Raiders)

9.(14) Nnamdi Madubuike (Ravens)

8.(8) Vita Vea (Buccaneers)

7.(15) Alim McNeill (Lions)

6.(3) Quinnen Williams (Jets)

5.(4) DeForest Buckner (Colts)

4.(10) Jeffrey Simmons (Titans)

3.(2) Dexter Lawrence (Giants)

2.(7) Cameron Heyward (Steelers)

1.(1) Chris Jones (Chiefs)

Movie Review: Dangerous Animals

Veteran Australian horror director Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones, The Devil's Candy) brings an earnestness to his latest feature Dangerous Animals that is pretty admirable. He made a movie about an eccentric boat captain (Jai Courtney) who owns a shark cage diving business in Gold Coast, Australia that loves sharks so much that he kidnaps female tourists and feeds them to them while he gleefully records the meal on a grainy old video camera whose well-oiled operation is suddenly threatened when he grabs an American surfer (Hassie Harrison) in the parking lot of a local beach who refuses to go quietly into the chum-filled waters that takes its premise very seriously. That's not to say that there's no campiness present as Courtney is having a blast hamming it up as this maniacal serial killer, it just isn't the kind of movie that's constantly winking at the camera, breaking up the tension with quips or having characters make dumb decisions simply to advance the plot. Having a movie that takes having a silly premise so seriously makes Dangerous Animals somewhat of a refreshing departure in an era where most B-movies choose to really play up the absurdity/stupidity factor.

Unfortunately, its strong conviction to play things pretty straight isn't paired with a movie that consistently delivers on the promise of its premise. Nothing from Byrne's direction to the other performances (Josh Heuston, Ella Newton, Rob Carlton and Liam Grienke round out the cast) come anywhere close to matching the excitement Courtney generates with the choices he makes every time he's on screen, the tension never quite reaches a real boiling point despite primarily taking place onboard a cramped boat that's docked in the middle of the terrifying vast abyss that is the open ocean and the only true wince-inducing moment in the entire film doesn't even involve one of the kills (shark-related or otherwise)-which are all surprisingly tame for an R-rated movie that boasts the words "bloody" and "grisly" in its MPA ratings descriptors. A movie that has such a fun premise and great villain should be more entertaining than this and it's a bummer that Dangerous Animals is ultimately nothing more than a decent genre exercise that will fade from my memory in relatively short order.                 

Grade: B-

Movie Review: Ballerina

 

Whatever happened during the extensive reshoots that delayed the release of Ballerina-the first feature spin-off of John Wick-by a full year worked really well (after seeing it, the rumor that Wick architect Chad Stahelski stepped in for credited director Len Wiseman certainly seems plausible). The project that introduces us to a new revenge-seeking assassin protagonist in Eve Maccaro (Ana de Armas)-who was taken in by the Ruska Roma (aka the ballerina assassin clan headed up by Anjelica Huston's The Director that was introduced in John Wick: Chapter 3) as a child following the murder of her father (David Castaneda) and trained in their ways for over a decade before deciding to go rogue after a successful job unexpectedly puts her on a collision course with her father's killer (Gabriel Byrne)-makes for an organic, exciting expansion of the Wick universe. de Armas is able to make Maccaro a crafty, scrappy badass assassin who is driven more by a naive sense of revenge largely brought on by her greenness in the contract killing game opposed to Wick's grizzled reluctance as someone who had hoped he escaped this life for good before the universe decided that wasn't possible, some more cool Wick lore is introduced (Byrne plays the head of a sadistic assassin cult that has formed an uneasy centuries-long truce with the clans of the High Table-which gives them the freedom to operate as an independent entity that occupies an entire secluded village community in Austria) and the increasingly relentless parade of fight scenes are the exact kind of creative, amusing and breathtakingly choreographed bursts of pure adrenaline-fueled action movie bliss that the Wick brand was built on. While Ballerina may not reach the dizzying heights of the latter two entries in the main franchise, it's absolutely in the same ballpark of quality as the first two installments. Ballerina is without question the first great pure action movie of 2025 and demands to be seen on the big screen by anyone that considers themselves a fan of the John Wick franchise.        

Grade: B+

2025 NFL Power Rankings: Top 35 Defensive Ends

()=2024 ranking

+=Unranked or ineligible in 2024

35.(33) Mike Danna (Chiefs)

34.(21) Malcolm Koonce (Raiders)

33.(+) Sebastian Joseph-Day (Titans)

32.(+) Isaiah McGuire (Browns)

31.(+) Javon Hargrave (Vikings)

30.(+) David Onyemata (Falcons)

29.(28) Chase Young (Saints)

28.(27) Kwity Paye (Colts)

27.(34) George Karlaftis (Chiefs)

26.(30) Dorance Armstrong (Commanders)

25.(+) Travon Walker (Jaguars)

24.(+) Joey Bosa (Bills)

23.(29) Zach Allen (Broncos)

22.(+) Laiatu Latu (Colts)

21.(+) Will McDonald IV (Jets)

20.(+) Milton Williams (Patriots)

19.(+) Jonathan Allen (Vikings)

18.(+) Montez Sweat (Bears)

17.(16) Rashan Gary (Packers)

16.(24) Carl Granderson (Saints)

15.(8) Derrick Brown (Panthers)

14.(26) John Franklin-Myers (Broncos)

13.(20) Calias Campbell (Cardinals)

12.(23) Greg Rousseau (Bills)

11.(+) Zach Sieler (Dolphins)

10.(15) Will Anderson (Texans)

9.(9) Danielle Hunter (Texans)

8.(18) Leonard Williams (Seahawks)

7.(4) Maxx Crosby (Raiders)

6.(5) Josh Hines-Allen (Jaguars)

5.(7) Aidan Hutchinson (Lions)

4.(2) Nick Bosa (49ers)

3.(6) Trey Hendrickson (Bengals)

2.(3) Micah Parsons (Cowboys)

1.(1) Myles Garrett (Browns)

Lance Reddick Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of the late Lance Reddick-whose final project "Ballerina" releases in theaters tomorrow. 

Lance Reddick's Filmography Ranked:

16.Jonah Hex (D+)

15.Oldboy (C)

14.White Men Can't Jump (C)

13.The Domestics (C)

12.Don't Say a Word (B-)

11.Angel Has Fallen (B-)

10.White House Down (B)

9.Faults (B)

8.Little Woods (B+)

7.One Night in Miami... (B+)

6.Godzilla vs. Kong (B+)

5.The Guest (B+)

4.John Wick: Chapter 2 (A-)

3.John Wick (A-)

2.John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum (A)

1.John Wick: Chapter 4 (A)

Top Dog: John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Does the recent confirmation that Lionsgate is at least trying to make John Wick 5 happen cheapen the success of John Wick: Chapter 4 a bit? Absolutely. The film works exceptionally well as a swan song for the character as it's a sweeping epic that puts a bittersweet bow on his inevitably doomed journey back into a dangerous world that he had hoped he'd be able to leave behind for good until fate had other plans for him when the idiot son of a Russian mobster killed the dog that his late wife left behind for him and it sucks that Lionsgate's desire to improve the long term outlook of their balance sheet is canceling it out. Despite this unfortunate reality coming to pass, I also can't sit here and pretend that Chapter 4 still isn't the best entry of this tremendous franchise and one of the best action movies I've ever seen.     

Bottom Feeder: Jonah Hex (2010)

This may just be a case of wishful thinking or full-blown delusion, but I do sincerely believe that there is a version of Jonah Hex that would've worked. Josh Brolin hits the right slick antihero notes as the titular Confederate soldier-turned-bounty hunter that gains the ability to speak to the dead after being revived by the "Crow People" (a Native American tribe that primarily lives in Southern Montana) following an attack by his vengeful former general (John Malkovich) that killed his entire family and left him with a prominent facial scar and the pulpy supernatural western vibe it's going for gives it a unique identity that is inherently cool. The version of Jonah Hex that first debuted on cinema screens 15 years ago this month, on the other hand, kinda sorta really fucking stinks. Animation vet Jimmy Hayward directs with negative flare, the performances outside of Brolin's are all bad (joining Malkovich in the supporting cast are Megan Fox, Michael Fassbender, Will Arnett, Wes Bentley, Michael Shannon, Aidan Quinn, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Reddick) and at just 81 minutes long, the entire movie feels cartoonishly rushed.      

Most Underrated: Little Woods (2019)

Before Nia DaCosta was getting thrown under the bus by Disney for the financial failure of The Marvels and being handed the difficult task of directing a 28 Days Later sequel that immediately follows one directed by franchise co-creator Danny Boyle, she burst onto the scene with the indie drama Little Woods. Tessa Thompson does career-best work as a parolee struggling to get by doing odd jobs in her small hometown on the Washington/Canada border that is forced to return to her ugly past life as a drug runner to secure enough cash to prevent her late mother's house from being foreclosed on and pay for the abortion that her estranged half-sister (Lily James, also great)-who is a single mother that is also struggling financially-wishes to have but can't afford. While the ending is probably a bit too clean for an otherwise raw, bleak story, everything else here is honest and compelling enough to solidify Little Woods as a pretty great movie.        

Most Overrated: N/A

Televison is where Reddick made his biggest impact as a performer as he consistently racked up everything from lead roles in acclaimed series (The Wire, Fringe) to recurring roles (Oz, Corporate) to memorable guest turns (American Horror Story: Coven, Lost) from the late 90's until his death in March 2023. His tendency to land work on the small screen is the primary reason he avoided having a movie appear here as his relatively limited film work came almost exclusively in tiny indie movies and genre movies that weren't shooting for the stars. In fact, I would argue that the John Wick movies are the only works of his that were well-received/widely seen enough to earn the overrated declaration and that is obviously the last thing word I would use to describe any of those 4 magical films. Kudos on a hell of career Mr. Reddick. Your always welcome presence on the big and small screen is sorely missed.       

2025 NFL Position Rankings: Top 20 Centers

()=2024 ranking

+=Unranked or ineligible in 2024

20.(+) Robert Hainsey (Jaguars)

19.(+) Cooper Beebe (Cowboys)

18.(+) Luke Wattenberg (Broncos)

17.(19) Jake Brendel (49ers)

16.(16) Coleman Shelton (Rams)

15.(14) Ted Karras (Bengals)

14.(9) Ethan Pocic (Browns)

13.(+) Elgton Jenkins (Packers)

12.(+) Cam Jurgens (Eagles)

11.(+) Connor McGovern (Bills)

10.(5) Ryan Kelly (Vikings)

9.(11) Tyler Biadasz (Commanders)

8.(+) Zach Frazier (Steelers)

7.(18) Hjalte Froholdt (Cardinals)

6.(+) Joe Tippmann (Jets)

5.(6) Erik McCoy (Saints)

4.(13) Aaron Brewer (Dolphins)

3.(4) Drew Dalman (Bears)

2.(3) Tyler Linderbaum (Ravens)

1.(2) Creed Humphrey (Chiefs)

Movie Review: Bring Her Back

Twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, also known as RackaRacka in their days as YouTubers, set the horror world on fire with their 2023 debut Talk to Me. While there have been plenty of supernatural horror/demonic possession flicks that tackle weighty themes released in recent years (the film primarily deals with depicting how easily substance use can transform from casual fun to full blown addiction with potentially fatal consequences), none of them have the same bold style and unflinching, pervasive bleakness that Talk to Me has. The downside to hitting a home run that made major waves with your first feature film is that there is suddenly a tremendous amount of pressure placed on you to deliver the goods again or risk being banished from the good graces of the same film-loving communities that were effusively singing your praises just a couple of years prior. The Australian brothers answered the bell and then some as their sophomore feature not only matches but manages to improve on Talk to Me in every way imaginable.

The fresh portal to hell that the Philippou's have opened up with Bring Her Back confronts the most popular subject in the world of indie horror over the past 10-15 years: grief. While you'd be hard pressed to be find too many horror fans out there that were clamoring for another movie about the tremendous toll death has on the living, the Philippou's have remarkably found a way to make the subject matter feel novel again. We've seen plenty of movies about grief where the power of love, friendship, etc. allows people to handle the crippling burden of the loss of a loved one or loved ones. Bring Her Back is the story of somebody who never recovered from the loss. 

The scarred individual in question is named Laura, played with sadistic menace and surprising compassion by the great Sally Hawkins. Laura's blind daughter Cathy (Mischa Heywood) drowned in her backyard pool years prior, and she's become a completely different person following this tragic fatal accident. She appears to be channeling her suddenly unused paternal energy into something positive by taking on foster children, but as her newest foster kids Andy (Billy Barratt) and his vision-impaired stepsister Piper (Sora Wong)-who are going through their own ordeal with loss after recently finding their father (Stephen Phillips) dead in the shower following a fall-quickly discover, Laura's grief has transformed her into a monster. She keeps her other foster child Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips in an all timer of a creepy kid performance) locked away in his room most of the time, uses Piper's inability to see anything besides shapes and colors to manipulate her into thinking that Andy doesn't care about her and appears to be using all 3 kids in her care for an unspeakably sinister purpose.

Laura's elaborate reign of terror and the far-reaching implications it has on these kids that are already dealing with the immense trauma of their own loss is the engine for many standout sequences that reinforce the Philippou's gift for establishing a viscerally uncomfortable sense of dread through nightmarish imagery/sounds (the kitchen scene in particular is FUCKED) and a willingness to take their stories to dark, thorny places that many modern filmmakers wouldn't dare go. But what really elevates Bring Her Back over the already great Talk to Me is the strength of the relationship between Andy and Piper. From their first scene together, it's immediately evident how much they care about each other and how they have each other's backs even in situations where no one else could or would. As the story unfolds and more revelations about their family history come to light, the way the viewer see Andy changes significantly, but one thing never wavers despite the unearthing of his past sins and how they possibly came to be: the purity of his love for Piper and willingness to do whatever it takes to protect her. Their relationship is beautifully written and performed by Barratt and Wong and the care taken in portraying it with sensitivity and raw honesty leads to the last thing I expected from a movie made by the guys behind something as overwhelmingly grim Talk to Me: an ending that packs a strong enough emotional wallop that it had me on the verge of tears. There's way too much evil/distressing shit going on Bring Her Back to call it hopeful or beautiful or anything else that else that has any form of positive connotation attached to it, but what this brother/sister arc does do is confirm that the Philippou's have far more than just unrelenting darkness in their storytelling arsenal and they're already better off for it.

Bring Her Back is one of the best horror flicks I've seen this decade and in a year without Sinners, it would've had an excellent chance of going down as the absolute best. The Philippou Brothers already have their craft down pat 2 films in and the possibilities of where they can go from here feel limitless. May A24 and the Australian government's arts initiatives continue to fund whatever brutal, twisted shit they want to make for as long as they remain interested in making movies.                                         

Grade: A-