Jason Momoa 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 Jason Moma-whose latest project "A Minecraft Movie" releases in theaters today. 

Jason Momoa's Filmography Ranked:

15.Braven (C-)

14.Once Upon a Time in Venice (C-) 

13.Johnson Family Vacation (C-)

12.Sweet Girl (C)

11.Justice League (C)

10.Slumberland (C)

9.Conan the Barbarian (B-)

8.Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (B-)

7.Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (B-)

6.Bullet to the Head (B-)

5.Zack Snyder's Justice League (B)

4.The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (B)

3.Aquaman (B+)

2.Fast X (B+)

1.Dune (B+)

Top Dog: Dune (2021)

While I'm not as bewitched by Dune as most people out there, it's hard to deny how impressive of a feat it is. Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel that served as the primary inspiration for Star Wars had long been considered to be unadaptable until Denis Villeneuve gave it a crack and knocked it out of the park. He's able to coherently build up the vastness of this universe without being overwhelmed by the imposing scope and the precision, passion and proficiency present in the technical elements (cinematography, sound, editing, production design, VFX) of the film are as high as anything you'll see in modern cinema.         

Bottom Feeder: Braven (2018)

A not completely joyless but instantly forgettable C-level action movie where a logging company owner (Momoa) has to face off with a drug kingpin (Garrett Dillahunt) and his goons after his knucklehead employee (Brendan Fletcher) secretly stashes a whole shipment of coke at his family's secluded cabin after getting into a car accident nearby. This brand of low rent VOD action movie probably would've been Momoa's permanent lane if Aquaman wasn't such a huge hit, so big shoutout to the global audiences that saved him from a fate that is his beneath his talent level.       

Most Underrated: Fast X (2023)

For the first time in a long time, the loudest, proudest Fast and Furious defender on the Eastern Seaboard has logged on. Fast X rules because it answers the question of what the F and F answer to Infinity War would look like. There's something really satisfying about watching this band of outlaw street racers turned globe-trotting secret agents get outmatched for the first time and Momoa's playful, thrillingly demented performance makes Dante Reyes the best villain this franchise has ever had. Who knows if we're ever going to get the absurd franchise finale that was teased at the end of this, but if we don't, at least one of the greatest blockbuster franchises of the 21st century didn't go sad.         

Most Overrated: None 

That's right, the man who's appeared in Dune, Aquaman and a bunch of shit that very few people actually enjoyed has been spared from the obnoxious ritual of me naming one of his films overrated. Perhaps, this will change one day, but with A Minecraft Movie and R-rated action comedy Animal Friends being his only films currently slated for release this year, this clean run appears set to remain intact for at least a little bit longer.

2025 NFL Draft: Top 25 Prospects Available

2025 marks the 11th year that I've done a deep dive on the NFL draft. After evaluating roughly 50 prospects over the past month, I can say without hesitation that this is the weakest draft class I've seen over this period. While there's good depth at quite a few positions including defensive tackle, running back and edge rusher, there's a staggeringly low volume of potential All-Pro/Pro Bowl players sitting at the top of the draft board. Perhaps some of the guys that are projected to go outside of the top 5-15 picks will be able to overcome the modest expectations that are currently being placed on them or there are some diamonds in the rough who will emerge as I descend further into the player pool, but as of right now at least, having a high draft pick this year feels like more of a burden than a blessing. Here are the 25 prospects that I feel have the best chance of succeeding in the NFL at this stage of the evaluation process.     

Still Need to Evaluate: Josh Simmons, Tyler Booker, Josh Conerly Jr., Shavon Revel, T.J. Sanders, Xavier Restrepo, Tyleik Williams, Azareye'h Thomas, Bradyn Swinson, Jayden Higgins, Carson Schwesinger, Shemar Turner, Benjamin Morrison, Aireontae Ersery, Alfred Collins, TreVeyon Henderson, Jalen Milroe, Jack Sawyer, Ozzy Trapilo, Will Howard, Omarr Norman-Lott, JT Tuimolau, Jared Ivey, Kaleb Johnson, Josiah Stewart, Kyle Kennard, Jared Wilson, Chris Paul Jr., Tez Johnson, Donovan Jackson, RJ Harvey, CJ West, Tre Harris, Quinn Ewers, Dillion Gabriel, Mason Taylor, DJ Giddens, Jaylin Noel, Marcus Mbow, Vernon Broughton, Wyatt Milum, Riley Leonard, Terrance Ferguson, Jordan Burch, Isaiah Bond, Elijah Roberts, Jonah Savaiinaea, Lathan Ransom, Devin Neal, Tate Ratledge, Joshua Farmer, Savion Williams, Andrew Mukuba, Jordan Phillips, Damien Martinez, Kyle McCord, Kevin Winston Jr., Jalen Royals, Harold Fannin Jr., Willie Lampkin      

1.Abdul Carter, edge rusher (Penn State)

2.Travis Hunter, cornerback/wide receiver (Colorado)

3.Mason Graham, defensive tackle (Michigan)

4.Tetairoa McMillan, wide receiver (Arizona)

5.Tyler Warren, tight end (Penn State)

6.Ashton Jeanty, running back (Boise State)

7.Mike Green, edge rusher (Marshall)

8.Armand Membou, tackle (Missouri)

9.James Pearce Jr., edge rusher (Tennessee) 

10.Luther Burden III, wide receiver (Missouri)

11.Donovan Ezeiruaku, edge rusher (Boston College)

12.Will Johnson, cornerback (Michigan)

13.Kelvin Banks Jr., tackle/guard (Texas)

14.Will Campbell, tackle/guard (LSU)

15.Malaki Starks, safety (Georgia)

16.Omarion Hampton, running back (North Carolina)

17.Kenneth Grant, defensive tackle (Michigan)

18.Emeka Egbuka, wide receiver (Ohio State)

19.Matthew Golden, wide receiver (Texas)

20.Walter Nolen, defensive tackle (Ole Miss)

21.Cam Skattebo, running back (Arizona State)

22.Cam Ward, quarterback (Miami)

23.Jihaad Campbell, inside linebacker (Alabama)

24.Colston Loveland, tight end (Michigan)

25.Jahdae Barron, cornerback (Texas)

Quick Movie Reviews: A Working Man, Death of a Unicorn, The Woman in the Yard

A Working Man: You're never going to believe this gang, but the new Jason Statham movie is exactly what you would expect it to be like. A Working Man sees the Stath-man reuniting with David Ayer just under 15 months after the release of their previous collaboration The Beekeeper for yet another Amazon-backed piece of gleeful B-action idiocy. This time around Statham plays a widowed construction worker who's forced to return to the violent life he left behind when he retired from the Royal Marines and moved to Chicago after his bosses' (Michael Pena, Naomi Gonzalez) 19-year-old daughter (Arianna Rivas) is kidnapped by human traffickers that are tied to the Russian mob. There have been plenty of riffs on Taken since that film became a global phenomenon 16 years ago, but A Working Man is the first to feature the hero threatening a pair of meth dealers by menacingly pouring syrup over a stack of waffles, David Harbour as a blind retired commando with a secluded country home full of customized firearms that can't be traced back to him and cartoonish villains that wear flamboyant outfits and hang out in the most garishly lit spaces the human mind could possibly conceive. Stupid ingenuity is what has made the burgeoning creative partnership between Statham and Ayer work so well and these eccentric details go a long way in helping to atone for the choppy fight scenes and less tongue-in-cheek tone that contribute to this film being a bit less fun than The Beekeeper. May these gents continue to make pure-hearted B-action flicks for as long as Statham can still handle the physical toll of being an ass-kicking machine.           

Grade: B

Death of a Unicorn: Death of a Unicorn marks the feature debut for writer/director Alex Scharfman and for better or worse, it's evident throughout. There's several different movies competing for breathing room here ("eat the rich" satire, blunt commentary on mankind's desire to disrupt/destroy the natural world for their own benefit, earnest father/daughter story, a creature-driven splatter comedy) and it leads to some pacing issues (particularly in the first half) and a whole lot of ideas that are varying degrees of underdeveloped. Scharfman's lack of focus brought on by his greeness ultimately gets bailed out by a game ensemble cast (Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Tea Leoni, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani, Jessica Hynes, Will Poulter-who is the runaway MVP with his impeccable line deliveries) who do a good job of playing up the deadpan comedy that emerges out of this absurd premise and some tense setpieces and satisfyingly gnarly kills that occur when the unicorns extract their revenge on the greedy humans in the second half of the film. Despite Death of a Unicorn's pervasive shagginess, Scharfman does enough good things here to make me cautiously optimistic that there are better days ahead in his filmmaking career.      

Grade: B-

The Woman in the Yard: I was onboard with The Woman in the Yard for most of its running time. There's a foreboding atmosphere present in nearly every frame as a grief-stricken family (Danielle Deadwyler, Peyton Jackson, Estella Kahiha) confronts the looming threat of a mysterious veiled woman (Okwui Okpokwasili) sitting outside their home who appears to be getting closer with each passing hour, many of the film's technical elements (cinematography, sound design, camerawork, score) are pretty great and underrated veteran director Jaume Collet-Serra (Carry-On, Non-Stop) once again dips into his slick back of directorial choices to create some solid setpieces that make clever use of its isolated farmhouse setting. Then, the final 20 minutes happened and a lot of that good will went out the window. Admittedly, Collett-Serra and writer Sam Stefanak are taking a big swing with the final act. As commendable as their ambition is, the execution couldn't have been clumsier. The final scenes seem to be crafted with the hope that the viewer will be eager to debate what was actually happening on screen, but all of the material that's intended to be open to interpretation is delivered so rapidly that it becomes more disorienting, and obnoxious than endearingly ambiguous. Between this and Wolf Man, Blumhouse has been in the business of making frustrating movies that fall short of their potential to kick off 2025. Hopefully, next week's Drop can put a stop to this unfortunate run before it snowballs into a full-blown trend.        

Grade: C

2025 NFL Mock Draft (3/31)

1.Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, quarterback (Miami)

2.Cleveland Browns: Sheduer Sanders, quarterback (Colorado)

3.New York Giants: Travis Hunter, cornerback/wide receiver (Colorado)

4.New England Patriots: Abdul Carter, edge rusher (Penn State)

5.Jacksonville Jaguars: Mason Graham, defensive tackle (Michigan)

6.Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Jeanty, running back (Boise State)

7.New York Jets: Armand Membou, tackle (Missouri)

8.Carolina Panthers: Shemar Stewart, edge rusher (Texas A&M)

9.New Orleans Saints: Jahdae Barron, cornerback (Texas)

10.Chicago Bears: Mike Green, edge rusher (Marshall)

11.San Francisco 49ers: Will Campbell, tackle/guard (LSU)

12.Dallas Cowboys: Jalon Walker, edge rusher/inside linebacker (Georgia)

13.Miami Dolphins: Kelvin Banks Jr., tackle/guard (Texas)

14.Indianapolis Colts: Tyler Warren, tight end (Penn State)

15.Atlanta Falcons: Tetairoa McMillan, wide receiver (Arizona)

16.Arizona Cardinals: Donovan Ezeiruaku, edge rusher (Boston College)

17.Cincinnati Bengals: Will Johnson, cornerback (Michigan)

18.Seattle Seahawks: Grey Zabel, tackle/guard (North Dakota State)

19.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Maxwell Hariston, cornerback (Kentucky)

20.Denver Broncos: Emeka Egbuka, wide receiver (Ohio State)

21.Pittsburgh Steelers: Trey Amos, cornerback (Ole Miss)

22.Los Angeles Chargers: Colston Loveland, tight end (Michigan)

23.Green Bay Packers: Josh Simmons, tackle (Ohio State) 

24.Minnesota Vikings: Tyler Booker, guard (Alabama)

25.Houston Texans: Josh Conerly, tackle (Oregon)

26.Los Angeles Rams: Jihaad Campbell, inside linebacker (Alabama)

27.Baltimore Ravens: Kenneth Grant, defensive tackle (Michigan)

28.Detroit Lions: Mykel Williams, edge rusher (Georgia)

29.Washington Commanders: Omarion Hampton, running back (North Carolina)

30.Buffalo Bills: Luther Burden III, wide receiver (Missouri)

31.Kansas City Chiefs: Walter Nolen, defensive tackle (Ole Miss)

32.Philadelphia Eagles: Malaki Starks, safety (Georgia)

2025 NFL Free Agency Recap: Winners and Losers, Best and Worst Deals and Best Players Still Available

Biggest Winners: Minnesota Vikings

Some tough decisions had to be made out in Minneapolis at the top of free agency. They had about a zillion impending free agents on both sides of the ball and had to choose whether they were going to commit to Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy-who is coming off a meniscus tear that cost him his entire rookie season- at QB moving forward. The guys that found themselves not being included in the Vikes long-term plans were Darnold and safety Cameron Bynum, which isn't completely shocking as they were the two impending free agents that were poised to get the most lucrative deals.

As tough as it was to cut ties with two key veteran pieces from their excellent 2024 team, the money that opened up from letting Darnold and Bynum walk away allowed the Vikings to add and retain more assets. They were able to bring back key contributors like #1 corner Byron Murphy, starting running back Aaron Jones and longtime team leader Harrison Smith, significantly upgrade the interior offensive line that got pummeled at the end of the season by replacing Ed Ingram and Garrett Bradbury with Will Fries and Ryan Kelly and add a pair of veteran bruisers to their interior defensive line in Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Kudos to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for knowing what areas of the roster needed to be improved after a brutal ending to 2024 and doing what needed to be done to make these moves happen.  

Honorable Mentions: Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders  

Biggest Losers: Tennessee Titans

It's not exactly surprising that the Titans decided to take it relatively easy in free agency this year after last year's spending spree only drove them further into league's basement with a 3-14 finish that earned them the top pick in next month's draft. However, their use of the resources they did allocate to free agency this season is downright puzzling. 

About the only understandable move they made was not bringing in a high-profile veteran QB. Sam Darnold landing with the Seahawks to reunite with Klint Kubiak was a foregone conclusion once Geno Smith got traded to the Raiders, Justin Fields is a dart throw that they probably can't afford to make with Brian Callahan on the hot seat after a terrible rookie season and none of the older guys available on the market (Jameis Winston, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers) or via trade (Kirk Cousins) make much sense for a team that seems much more ready to commit to a rebuild now than they were a year ago. They ended up settling for Brandon Allen as their new veteran backup, which makes sense since he was with Callahan with the Bengals for 3 seasons. Outside of that, their moves have been hard to justify. 

Overpaying for somebody like Dan Moore Jr (more on that in a minute) is a move that reeks of desperation to find a LT after Ronnie Stanley and Alaric Jackson re-upped with the Ravens and Rams before the legal tampering period began. Kevin Zeitler is one of the best guards in the league, but he just turned 35, is on a 1-year deal and probably won't feel compelled to stick around once the Titans inevitably stink again this year. Xavier Woods is a journeyman safety coming off back-to-back terrible seasons with the Panthers. Failing to retain Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in favor of signing Van Jefferson and James Proche has made an already lackluster WR corps even weaker. Cody Barton is a merely average inside linebacker who is only marginally better than last year's starter Kenneth Murray-who they traded to the Cowboys at the start of free agency. And last but not least, rolling the dice on Dre'Mont Jones and Lorenzo Carter-who were two of the most inefficient pass-rushers in the league last season-at edge after cutting ties with Harold Landry is arguably gridiron malpractice at a position that has given the Titans a lot of trouble for years now. We'll obviously have to wait and see how the draft shakes out before completely dogpiling on him, but it's hard to have any confidence that new GM Mike Borgonzi is going to turn this thing around based on what he's done so far in Nashville.         

Dishonorable Mentions: Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers

Best Individual Signing: Charvarius Ward to the Colts (3 years/$54 mil/$34.8 mil guaranteed)

You'll be hard pressed to find a better combination of need and value than this. Ward was one of the most reliable outside corners in football from 2019-23 and ended up getting less money on account of his well-documented down year in 2024 that was derailed by injuries and the tragic death of his infant daughter last October than projected #2 corners D.J. Reed and Carlton Davis did from the Lions and Patriots respectively. Given that he's firmly in his prime at age 29, don't be surprised if Ward returns to form in Indy and this deal ends up going down as a much-needed home run for embattled GM Chris Ballard.     

Honorable Mentions: Jevon Holland to the Giants (3 years/$45.3 mil/$30 mil guaranteed), Zack Baun Returning to the Eagles (3 years/$51 mil/$34 mil guaranteed), DeMarcus Lawrence to the Seahawks (3 years/$32.49 mil/$18 mil guaranteed),

Worst Indvidual Signing: Dan Moore Jr. to the Titans (4 years/$82 mil/$50 mil guaranteed)

Dan Moore Jr. was destined to be the odd man out in the Steelers tackle rotation. They'd drafted Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu in back-to-back years, and he arguably held onto his starting LT job by default in 2024 after Fautanu dislocated his kneecap in Week 2 and ended up on season-ending IR. Don't feel too bad for Moore because his exit from Pittsburgh led to the Titans making him one of the highest paid tackles in the league. Moore's big payday begs an obvious but necessary question: How the hell did this happen? If Moore was truly worthy of getting such a huge deal, the Steelers would've never let him go. Left tackle is arguably the hardest position to fill in all of football outside of quarterback and teams aren't exactly in the business of letting the good ones leave-especially when they're 26 going on 27. As the decision to draft 2 tackles to potentially succeed him speaks to, Moore is about as average of a left tackle as there is in the league. Making him one of the highest paid players at the position is an absurd move that came to pass solely due to the comically thin LT market and the desperate measures teams will undergo to find somebody that they believe can fill this high leverage role. Braxton Jones' agent has to be salivating over this deal and dreaming of the potential $100+ mil payday he could fetch if he elects to leave the Bears next offseason.         

Dishonorable Mentions: Milton Williams to the Patriots (4 years/$104 mil/$63 mil guaranteed), Aaron Banks to the Packers (4 years/$77 mil/$27 mil guaranteed), Tershawn Wharton to the Panthers (3 years/$45 mil/$30 mil guaranteed)

Best Player Still Available: Asante Samuel Jr., cornerback (2024 team: Los Angeles Chargers)

An injury-shortened 2024 and a reputation for being overaggressive in pursuit of INT's and completely uninterested in tackling has left Samuel Jr. with no real suitors during the first 2 weeks of free agency. As a nearly 26-year-old corner who is just 2 years removed from his best pro season, Samuel Jr. has an upside that's rare for a player hanging around the open market at this stage of the game-which makes him an ideal buy-low candidate for teams that are seeking a playmaking spark in the secondary.       

Honorable Mentions: Amari Cooper, wide receiver, Julian Blackmon, safety, J.K. Dobbins, running back  

David Ayer 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 David Ayer-whose latest project "A Working Man" releases in theaters tomorrow. 

David Ayer's Filmography Ranked:

9.Harsh Times (C)

8.Bright (B-)

7.Fury (B-)

6.The Tax Collector (B-)

5.Suicide Squad (B-)

4.Sabotage (B)

3.The Beekeeper (B)

2.Street Kings (B)

1.End of Watch (A)

Top Dog: End of Watch (2012)

Ironically, the only time Ayer has made a movie where the cops are actually good people also happened to be the only time he directed a really great movie. While End of Watch doesn't completely remove itself from the LA gang culture that has been at the forefront of the majority of his work from Training Day through the present day, Ayer really focuses on character work for the first time since Training Day with his depiction of the special bond that exists between a pair of longtime LAPD partners (Jake Gylenhaal, Michael Pena-both excellent) and how unexpectedly finding contraband during a routine traffic stop suddenly puts them in the crosshairs of some really dangerous people. Centering this story around the brotherly love these two men have for each other provides this raw, gritty action flick with a deep emotional connection to the characters that movies like this don't tend to have, which makes the inevitable tragic ending hit really hard.     

Bottom Feeder: Harsh Times (2006)

As tends to be the case when he shows up in something, Christian Bale does riveting work as a veteran battling PTSD who turns to a life of crime after struggling to find an honest job upon returning home. It's a shame that everything else around him in Harsh Times kind of sucks. Ayer's handling of mental illness is pretty clumsy and since this was his first movie as a director, the filmmaking isn't kinetic enough to overcome the treasure trove of LA hood film cliches that have become his calling card post-Training Day.    

Most Underrated: Street Kings (2008)

Street Kings is very much a bread-and-butter Ayer affair as it deals with crooked cops and how they're just as, if not more dangerous than the criminals that they're bringing to "justice". What elevates it above the majority of his other films that have tackled similar subject matter is some really terrific performances headlined by Keanu Reeves in a complete off-type role as an immoral, short-tempered cop with a lengthy history of killing perps who stumbles upon a sinister conspiracy within the LAPD after his ex-partner (Terry Crews) is executed in public shortly after he began talking to an internal affairs officer (Hugh Laurie) about his past conduct, some really tense shootouts and an old school noir sensibility of bad vs. badder that particularly shines through in the final moments where it eschews a clean "the villains have been defeated moment" for something that's disarmingly bleak and quite frankly, probably true to the world of real life policing.          

Most Overrated: Fury (2014)

More by-the-numbers "war is hell" movie than a straight-up bad one, Fury struggles to establish any sort of meaningful emotional attachment to its tank crew protagonists (Brad Pitt, Michael Pena, Shia LaBouef, Jon Bernthal, Logan Lerman) or deliver much of anything compelling outside of the excellent combat sequences that keep this thing from totally collapsing. 

Movie Review: Ash

When it comes to movies, I believe that execution is more important than originality. That's not to say that telling a unique story isn't important, I just feel that proficiency in delivering whatever vision the filmmakers had for the movie they made tends to be the top deciding factor in whether something works or not. Flying Lotus' second feature directorial effort Ash is the perfect example of this take in action. 

Narratively, Ash contains zero surprises. It more or less puts The Thing, Alien and Event Horizon in a blender with some really fucking strong psychedelics as it weaves the tale of an astronaut (Eiza Gonzalez) stationed on a distant planet who wakes up to find her whole crew (Iko Uwais, Beulah Koale, Flying Lotus) dead with zero reelection as to how it occurred and another astronaut (Aaron Paul)-who claims to be responding to a distress call that she made-knocking on the door of the ship's airlock. Gonzalez's character-who is haunted by fragmented visions of her crew's deaths and struggling to trust that Paul's character is who says he is-spends the first 2/3's of the movie in detective mode until all is revealed in a third act that delivers the onslaught of goopy, cosmic body horror that anybody who sat down to watch Ash signed up for.

Like any good director would, Flying Lotus gets in the kitchen and adds a whole lot of seasoning that makes Ash's standard issue sci-fi horror plot feel a lot more exciting than it would've been in the hands of a more traditional chef. He gets right down to the business in the opening frames, establishing a disorienting nightmarish atmosphere via unorthodox shots that are exploding with a wide array of bold colors, intricate production design that completely immerses the viewer into its setting of a heavily damaged spaceship stuck on an unknown desolate planet that appears to have some form of alien life on it and an abrasive industrial score that he composed himself that mimics the confused, terrified headspace Gonzalez's character is in. Eventually, the answers to who/what was behind the dead bodies onboard the space station is revealed, and the movie goes from disorienting to pure gory chaos. This shift in register gives the film's gnarly, badass creature effects the chance to shine throug, which adds a layer of unnerving urgency to the film's viscerally uneasy mood. A full-time musician who makes movies on the side directing with this much skill and passion may be a different brand of alien shit than what he appears on screen in Ash, but it deserves to be celebrated just the same. 

After watching this crazy little mood piece in theaters, I'll happily follow FlyLo to whatever dark, weird corner of filmmaking he wants to explore next. He directs with a natural ease, particularly when it comes to creating striking visuals and stomach-turning unease, that's pretty rare in this industry. While it's definitely too soon to declare if he has "the juice" or not, Ash could very well be the movie that marks the start of a special directorial career.     

                      

Grade: B