2015 NFL Position Rankings: Top 20 Punters

20.Dustin Colquitt (Chiefs)
19.Mike Scifres (Chargers)
18.Brad Nortman (Panthers)
17.Jon Ryan (Seahawks)
16.Ryan Allen (Patriots)
15.Ryan Quigley (Jets)
14.Tress Way (Redskins)
13.Marquette King (Raiders)
12.Steve Weatherford (Giants)
11.Brett Kern (Titans)
10.Sam Martin (Lions)
9.Shane Lechler (Texans)
8.Thomas Morstead (Saints)
7.Bryan Anger (Jaguars)
6.Kevin Huber (Bengals)
5.Andy Lee (Browns)
4.Sam Koch (Ravens)
3.Brandon Fields (Dolphins)
2.Johnny Hekker (Rams)
1.Pat McAfee (Colts)

Album Review: Thy Art is Murder-Holy War

The glory days of the deathcore genre are long gone. A majority of the genre's notable acts have either broken up (Despised Icon, Arsonists Get All the Girls), slid into the depths of obscurity (As Blood Runs Black, All Shall Perish) or have moved onto explore other genres (Winds of Plague, Job for a Cowboy). Thy Art is Murder is a complete paradox to this trend as they're a veteran deathcore act that has stuck to their guns musically and remained relevant while the genre has rapidly diminished in popularity. The Australian quintet reaffirm why they've stayed in the forefront of the scene for so long on third LP, Holy War, which is a refreshing throwback to the glory days of the genre. While Thy Art is Murder aren't exactly leaders in the innovation department, their ability to perfect the traditional deathcore blueprint makes them worthy of admiration and respect. The frequent breakdowns are well-utilized, guitarists Andy Marsh and Sean Delander drop ton of great, punchy riffs and C.J. McMahon is arguably the most monstrous and proficient vocalist in the entire genre. Holy War is a firm reminder of just how damn enjoyable and satisfying deathcore can be when it's executed properly.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Coffin Dragger
2.Violent Reckoning
3.Child of Sorrow

Movie Review: Ted 2

In the summer of 2012, America fell in love with a talking teddy bear named Ted. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane's feature-film debut about the exploits of a foul-mouthed, marijuana-loving teddy bear and his human best friend John (Mark Wahlberg) was a widely praised smash-hit that went onto be the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy of all-time, making just shy of $219 million in the United States alone. Three years later, the thunder buddies have returned for another outrageous, nonsenscial adventure in Ted 2.

Ted 2 picks up five years after the original left off. Ted (voiced by MacFarlane) has just married his longtime girlfriend Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) and John is in the middle of a deep depression following his divorce from Lori (Mila Kunis, who does not appear here). After the newlywed bliss wears off, Ted and Tammi-Lynn can not stop fighting , and eventually decide the only way to save their marriage is to have a child. After failing to find a sperm donor and finding out that Tami-Lynn can not bear children after years of heavy drug use, the couple try to adopt a child. During the adoption process, Ted is told that he and Tammi-Lynn can not adopt a child because he not is legally recognized as a person. Ted's attempt to adopt a child causes a ripple effect as he subsequently loses his job and has his marriage to Tami-Lynn annulled because of the ruling that he is property and not a person. With the aide of a young lawyer (Amanda Seyfried) and John, Ted takes his fight to be recognized as a person to court with the hope that that his life can return to the way it once was.

For the first half of the film, Ted 2 seems bound to repeat the hilarity of the original. MacFarlane's off-the wall pop-culture references, clever crude humor and use of completely unexpected cameos lead to near-constant strong belly laughs and the three leads all kill their respective roles. Then around the halfway mark, the film kind of hits a wall. The jokes land a lot less frequently and the film gets way too committed to an unnecessary and really stupid subplot involving yet another scheme from Donny (Giovanni Ribsi) to kidnap Ted. With the exception of the first Ted, MacFarlane has repeatedly shown in both his small and big-screen projects that he has a really hard time creating consistently amusing material. He has a terrible habit of beating jokes into the ground and relying way too heavily on stupid toilet humor and cheap racial and sex jokes at times, and it definitely undermines the many strokes of brilliance he shows along the way. Ted 2 is still a really solid comedy, but if the comedic momentum hadn't slowed down in the second half, it could've been one of the all-time great comedic sequels.
4/5 Stars    

Hidden Netflix Gem of the Week: The Wood

Netflix streaming has changed the way people around the world consume entertainment. The streaming service has given people access to a deep library of films and television of releases that spans from the early 1900's to the present day. While Netflix is an undeniable phenomenon, there are hundreds of great movies and shows available in Netflix's catalog that slip through the cracks and don't get the attention they deserve. That's why starting today, I'm going to launch a weekly column highlighting an under-the radar film or TV series that's currently available for streaming on Netflix. If even one person finds a piece of art they love from this series, I've done my job. Thank you for reading and I hope you check back every Friday for another recommendation!  

The Wood (1999):
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
Director: Rick Famuyima
Starring: Omar Epps, Taye Diggs, Richard T. Jones
Buddy comedies are one of Hollywood's most beloved and frequently-used staples, but few have as big of a heart or as much thoughtful insight on the importance of friendship as The Wood. The Wood weaves the tale of a lifelong friends Roland (Diggs), Mike (Epps), and Slim (Jones, who grew up and still reside in Inglewood, California. Roland is about to get married, but on the morning of the wedding he disappears, sending his friends and his bride (LisaRaye McCoy) into a panic. Mike and Slim proceed to go on a frenzied search for Roland and eventually receive a call from his ex-girlfriend (Tamara Jones) informing them that's he at her house and he's drunk out of his mind. After retrieving Roland, Mike and Slim have two hours to talk him out of his cold feet, sober him up and prepare him for the next chapter of his life with the woman he loves. The Wood is largely driven by its excellent script and the dynamic between the three lead actors. The script from Famuyima and Todd Boyd deeply develops these characters with excellent use of flashbacks to detail how they became friends and morphed into the men they are in the present tense of the story while Epps, Jones and Diggs effortlessly make the brotherly bond between the trio believable and genuine. The Wood is a funny, touching and authentic film about the value of friendship and how having compassionate, loyal can help you get of the darkest situations life throws at you. 

2015 NFL Position Rankings: Top 20 Kickers

20.Matt Prater (Lions)
19.Nick Novak (Chargers)
18.Graham Gano (Panthers)
17.Nick Folk (Jets)
16.Randy Bullock (Texans)
15.Greg Zuerlein (Rams)
14.Josh Brown (Giants)
13.Caleb Sturgis (Dolphins)
12.Shaun Suisham (Steelers)
11.Cody Parkey (Eagles)
10.Blair Walsh (Vikings)
9.Mason Crosby (Packers)
8.Dan Carpenter (Bills)
7.Phil Dawson (49ers)
6.Matt Bryant (Falcons)
5.Adam Vinatieri (Colts)
4.Steven Hauschka (Seahawks)
3.Dan Bailey (Cowboys)
2.Justin Tucker (Ravens)
1.Stephen Gostkowski (Patriots)

2015 NFL Position Rankings: Top 30 Safeties

30.Robert Blanton (Vikings)
29.Kendrick Lewis (Ravens)
28.Morgan Burnett (Packers)
27.Dwight Lowery (Colts)
26.Ron Parker (Chiefs)
25.Mike Mitchell (Steelers)
24.Tyrann Mathieu (Cardinals)
23.Eric Reid (49ers)
22.Da'Norris Searcy (Titans)
21.Nate Allen (Raiders)
20.George Iloka (Bengals)
19.Aaron Williams (Bills)
18.Charles Woodson (Raiders)
17.Will Hill (Ravens)
16.Antrel Rolle (Bears)
15.Malcolm Jenkins (Eagles)
14.Rahim Moore (Texans)
13.Mike Adams (Colts)
12.Tashaun Gibson (Browns)
11.T.J. Ward (Broncos)
10.Antonie Bethea (49ers)
9.Reshad Jones (Dolphins)
8.Glover Quinn (Lions)
7.Donte Whitner (Browns)
6.Harrison Smith (Vikings)
5.Jairus Byrd (Saints)
4.Devin McCourty (Patriots)
3.Eric Weddle (Chargers)
2.Kam Chancellor (Seahawks)
1.Earl Thomas (Seahawks)

The Best and Worst of Mark Wahlberg

Film Starring Mark Wahlberg I've Seen:
Boogie Nights
Three Kings
The Perfect Storm
Planet of the Apes
Rock Star
The Italian Job
I Heart Huckabees
Four Brothers
Invincible
The Departed
Shooter
We Own the Night
The Happening
Max Payne
Date Night
The Other Guys
The Fighter
Contraband
Ted
Broken City
Pain & Gain
2 Guns
Lone Survivor
Transformers: Age of Extinction 
The Gambler

Best Performance: The Departed (2006)
Wahlberg's greatest strength as an actor is his comedic chops and in his scene-stealing turn as Boston police Sgt. Sean Dignam in 2006 Best Picture winner The Departed, he's never been funnier on screen. In a cast full of elite actors including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson, Wahlberg managed to run away with the most memorable performance in the entire film.

Worst Performance: The Happening (2008)
No actor in Hollywood has deeper extremes in terms of the quality of their work than Wahlberg. In other words, he's either absolutely incredible or laughably bad in just about every movie. His turn in M. Night's Shyamalan's sci-fi clunker, The Happening, perfectly exemplifies the type of dramatic catastrophes that ensue when he's off his game. Wahlberg spends the entire film staring blankly into the camera and delivering the film's ridiculous dialogue without even a hint of irony. While it's sometimes amusing to watch him go into emotionless drone mode, it's kind of sad to watch a really gifted actor embarrass themselves to the extent Wahlberg does here.

Best Movie: The Departed (2006)
Wahlberg has starred in a lot of excellent movies over his 20-year film career, but The Departed is the clear number one. With its complex, twist-heavy narrative, multi-faceted characters and brilliant acting across the board, The Departed is the epitome of a perfect crime drama. 

Worst Movie: The Happening (2008)
I firmly believe that M. Night Shyamalan's career died as soon as soon Mel Gibson uttered the line "Swing away" to a baseball-bat wielding Joaquin Phoenix during the ludicrous finale of his 2002 alien-invasion film Signs. Ever since that faithful line of dialogue was spoken, Shyamalan has released five films that have ranged from below average at best (After Earth) to completely unwatchable (Lady in the Water). While The Happening is not the worst thing he's ever done (that distinction goes to the aforementioned Lady in the Water), it's still a moronic and unintentionally hilarious movie from a director that was once touted as one of the brightest directors in Hollywood.



Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next Week I'll take a look at the best and worst work of Magic Mike XL star Channing Tatum.
 

Album Review: iwrestledabearonce-Hail Mary

Since arriving on the scene with their self-released, self-titled EP in 2007, iwrestledabearonce has developed a reputation as the biggest goofballs in metal. A majority of their song titles are either obscure pop culture references or cheap jokes (ex: "Tastes Like Kevin Bacon" and "Karate Nipples"), their songs heavily featured unexpected forays into weird genres such as disco and lounge music, and all of their music videos are loaded with immature humor. On their fourth album, Hail Mary, iwrestledabearonce takes themselves completely seriously for the first time in career and that change in tone allows them to craft the most cohesive album of their career so far.

Anyone who has heard any of iwrestledabearonce's music before will be completely thrown off by Hail Mary. The variations of metal/deathcore they've played on their previous three albums has been swapped out for an ultra-technical chaotic mathcore sound that is reminiscent of acts like The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza and The Number Twelve Looks Like You. This change in style suits them remarkably well and allows them to write the most complex and focused material they've ever created. Save for the fully clean-sung and melodic "Doomed to Fail Part 2", Hail Mary is a gut punch of an album that hardly ever lets up for the duration of the 45-minute runtime. Guitarists Steven Bradley and Mike Stringer drop a constant stream of dizzying leads and punishing grooves that absolutely pummel the listener. Even when they came up for a moment on songs like "Trips", "Green Eyes" and the album's centerpiece track "Doomed to Fail Part I", the breakneck intensity doesn't ever really go away. Guitarwork this consistently technical can get old after a while, but Bradley and Stringer do an excellent job of keeping things fresh by constantly switching the riffs up. The duo hardly stick to same riff or tempo for more than 10-15 seconds at a time and that brilliant musical A.D.D. plays a large role in making Hail Mary such an invigorating listen.  

iwrestleabearonce's new sound is further solidified by the performance of vocalist Courtney LaPlante. LaPlante joined the band during the writing cycle for their last record, 2013's Late for Nothing, after the sudden departure of Krysta Cameron right before their appearance on Warped Tour 2012. While LaPlante did a more than respectable job on Late for Nothing, it was clear when listening to the record that she was still trying to develop a rapport with the band. Based on her excellent work here, it's safe to say that adjustment period is over. Hail Mary is the first record where LaPlante had the chance to fully immerse herself in the writing process and it shows in the confidence and quality of her performance. Her high and low screams are nothing short of commanding and she does an excellent job of matching the frantic nature of the music with her equally manic delivery. Her clean vocals, which was her Achilles' heel on Late for Nothing, are also greatly improved. While her clean vocals are used much more sparingly here(only five of the 14 songs on this record feature clean vocals), she delivers chillingly beautiful vocals every time she's called upon to sing. Any doubt that LaPointe wasn't a good fit for the band or an apt replacement for Cameron should be silenced after hearing her behemoth of a performance on Hail Mary.

Hail Mary is a textbook example of a band using a sound overhaul to find themselves as a group. They showed flashes of real potential and garnered some serious laughs from time to time with their over-the-top goofy sound in the past, but iwrestledabearonce has never sounded as fluid or precise as they do on Hail Mary. Dropping their absurdest sense of humor and embracing their dark, serious side is without question the band has ever made in their eight-year history and if they keep on this track, Hail Mary should be only the first of many standout releases for iwrestledabearonce. 
4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Doomed to Fail Part I
2.Remain Calm
3.Trips

Movie Review: Dope

Every January, The Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah becomes the center of attention for the film industry as independent films are screened in competition and subsequently bid on by studios for distribution rights. Rick Famuyiwa's (The Wood, Brown Sugar) coming-of-age comedy Dope was one of the most buzzed about films at this year's festival, inciting a bidding war between a number of Hollywood studios (mid-level distributor Open Road Films ultimately won out.) Five months after its premiere, Dope has become one of the first films from the festival to open in theaters and it sets the bar incredibly high for the rest of the Sundance acquisitions slated for release this year. 

Dope weaves the tale of high school seniors Malcolm (Shameik Moore), Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) who live in the Inglewood section of Los Angeles. Malcolm, Jib and Diggy don't really fit in with their counterparts in Inglewood as they're more focused on "white shit" like 90's hip-hop and punk culture, skateboarding and doing well in school than the gang-banging and drug-dealing that consumes a majority of their neighborhood. However, the trio of geeks lives get dragged into the world they've worked so hard to avoid once a drug dealer (A$AP Rocky) stashes a large shipment of molly in Malcolm's backpack after the cops break up his birthday party at a local nightclub. After being intimidated by the drug supplier (Roger Guenveur Smith), Malcolm and his friends are forced to sell the contraband so they can stay alive and go onto pursue their dreams of attending college and getting out of the hood for good.

A slew of coming-of-age films are released every year, but few are as inventive or effective as Dope.  Famuyima's script is loaded with brilliant one-liners and laugh-out-loud situations for the main characters to get into. Even when the film's narrative hits some snags in the second act, Famuyima's ability to fill every conversation in the film with clever, natural dialogue prevents the film from losing any traction. Famuyima also did an excellent job of assembling a pitch-perfect cast of largely unknown actors. Moore, Revolori and Clemons possess a tremendous chemistry as a collective and all demonstrate that they have the chops to have long, successful careers in the industry while the supporting cast- headlined by Workaholics'  Blake Anderson and Divergent's Zoe Kravitz- is loaded with scene-stealers who make a serious impression in very little time on screen.

While Dope is largely a breezy, engrossing comedic affair, there's also some sharp and incredibly timely messages amidst the sea of jokes. The film's commentary on how society views people from the inner city is painstakingly relevant. Although the narrative is clearly a bit over-the-top at times, the film's goal of showing that black kids from the inner city can be every bit smart as anyone else in the world and deserve the same opportunities as their suburban counterparts is very-well executed and poignant. In the middle of one of the most lackluster summer blockbuster seasons in recent memory, Dope is an under-the-radar gem that deserves to be a smash hit.

4.5/5 Stars

Concert Review: The Dillinger Escape Plan-- Boston, MA-- June 18th, 2015

Boston was one of the six lucky cities in the U.S. to get a stop of The Dillinger Escape Plan's mini-headline tour before the prolific mathcore act takes a brief break from the road for members Greg Puciato, Ben Weinman and Liam Wilson to pursue their other musical ventures. Unsurprisingly, the band who is widely known in the scene for their high-intensity live shows once again delivered the goods during their show at the Royale last night. 

Primitive Weapons, a Brooklyn-based band signed to Weinman's Party Smasher Inc. record label, got things started a little after 8:00. Primitive Weapons played a style of crust punk-infused mathcore that sounded like a watered-down version of Seattle's Trap Them. All of their songs sounded pretty much the same and they lacked the balls-out energy and barrage of quality riffs that makes this style of metal tick. While there could've been far worse openers, Primitive Weapons' set was the epitome of mediocrity.

The vibe in the room changed extremely fast once direct support group Mutoid Man took the stage. I'd never listened to them prior to the show and within the first few notes of opener "Friday the 13/8", I immediately resented myself for not checking out their material beforehand. With the likes of Cave In vocalist/guitarist Stephen Brodsky and Converge drummer Ben Koller in their ranks, the quality of Mutoid Man's music shouldn't have been such a massive surprise to me. Their music is a really interesting hybrid of post-hardcore, stoner rock, mathcore and sludge metal. This unique sound makes perfect use of Brodsky's wide vocal range and allows the band to perfectly execute every single one of their frequent tempo changes. The one common thread between all the sides of their sound was a slew of amazing riffs. Every single song featured at least two or three standout riffs that grabbed my attention and forced me to rock out like an idiot in the middle of the venue. Mutoid Man is without question the most surprisingly great live band I've seen in the past few years and I will be purchasing their new record, Bleeder, as soon as its released on June 30th.

After an approximately 20 minute changeover, Dillinger Escape Plan hit the stage and proceeded to blow the fucking roof off of the place. Like the previous five times I've seen them, Dillinger destroyed everything in their wake for the 70 minutes they were on stage. Where this show differed from the previous times I'd seen them was the set's focus on material from 2004's Miss Machine. If there's one knock on Dillinger's live show its their tendency to play a nearly identical setlist on every tour they do, so it was awesome to see them mix it up and play a lot of material (including a number of rarities that have only been played a handful of times before this tour) from their breakout album. All of the Miss Machine material sounded fantastic, but was it was especially great to see some of my absolute favorite Dillinger songs like "Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants", "Unretrofied" and "Baby's First Coffin". After seeing Dillinger flat-out ignore Miss Machine outside of "Panasonic Youth" and "Sunshine the Werewolf" every time I'd seen them previously, the idea of hearing other material from the record seemed highly improbable. Hell, it's been about 16 hours since the show ended and I'm still in disbelief that I saw them play five rare songs from Miss Machine during the same set. Hopefully they'll continue to mix their sets up like this more in the future because it was a genuine treat to see them play this material live. The non-Miss Machine material was equally great with staples like "Milk Lizard", "43% Burnt" and "Farewell, Mona Lisa" killing as always. Dillinger ended the evening with one last surprise, breaking out "Good Neighbor" from 2010's Option Paralysis for the first time on this tour. While Dillinger was slightly less bat-shit insane on stage than usual, this was easily the most musically-sound, fun and well-rounded performance I've ever seen them give.

Side Notes:
-Ben Koller is one of the most criminally underrated drummers on the planet.
-Some dude got on stage after "Baby's First Coffin" and proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes.
-Watching a handful of drunken metalheads hug the newly engaged couple afterwards was hilarious.
-The "Sunshine of Your Love" intro to "Sunshine the Werewolf" was surprisingly badass.      

Scores:
Primitive Weapons 5/10
Mutoid Man 8.5/10
The Dillinger Escape Plan 9.5/10

Setlists:
Mutoid Man (taken from setlist.fm):
Friday the 13/8
Sacriledge
Sweet Ivy
1000 Mile Stare
Bridgeburner
Reptilian Soul
Scrape the Walls
Lost in the Hive
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Nina Simone cover)
Beast
Dead Dreams
Scavengers
Gnarcissist

The Dillinger Escape Plan:
Prancer
Milk Lizard
Happiness is a Smile
One of Us is the Killer
Farewell, Mona Lisa
When I Lost My Bet
We are the Storm
Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants
Panasonic Youth
Highway Robbery
Unretrofied
Baby's First Coffin
Sunshine the Werewolf (with the first verse of Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" as an intro)
43% Burnt

Encore:
The Mullet Burden
Good Neighbor

2015 NFL Position Rankings: Top 50 Cornerbacks

50.Kyle Arrington (Ravens)
49.Leon Hall (Bengals)
48.Cortez Allen (Steelers)
47.Perrish Cox (Titans)
46.Tramaine Brock (49ers)
45.Buster Skrine (Jets)
44.Brandon Browner (Saints)
43.Jason McCourty (Titans)
42.Bradley Roby (Broncos)
41.Bashaud Breeland (Redskins)
40.Captain Munnerlyn (Vikings)
39.Davon House (Jaguars)
38.Jeremy Lane (Seahawks)
37.Leodis McKlevin (Bills)
36.Keenan Lewis (Saints)
35.Darius Slay (Lions)
34.Tramon Williams (Browns)
33.Kareem Jackson (Texans)
32.K'Wuan Williams (Browns)
31.Josh Norman (Panthers)
30.Rashean Mathis (Lions)
29.Antonio Cromartie (Jets)
28.Bene Benwikere (Panthers)
27.Brandon Boykin (Eagles)
26.E.J. Gaines (Rams)
24.Tim Jennings (Bears)
24.Casey Hayward (Packers)
23.Jonathan Joesph (Texans)
22.Alterraun Verner (Buccaneers)
21.Sean Smith (Chiefs)
20.Xavier Rhodes (Vikings)
19.Brandon Flowers (Chargers)
18.Sam Shields (Packers)
17.Chris Culliver (Redskins)
16.Stephon Gilmore (Bills)
15.Aqib Talib (Broncos)
14.Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Giants)
13.Byron Maxwell (Eagles)
12.Corey Graham (Bills)
11.Orlando Scandrick (Cowboys)
10.Jimmy Smith (Ravens)
9.Prince Amukamara (Giants)
8.Desmond Trufant (Falcons)
7.Patrick Peterson (Cardinals)
6.Brent Grimes (Dolphins)
5.Chris Harris Jr. (Broncos)
4.Joe Haden (Browns)
3.Darrelle Revis (Jets)
2.Vontae Davis (Colts)
1.Richard Sherman (Seahawks)

The Best and Worst of Bill Hader

Film Starring Bill Hader That I've Seen:
You, Me and Dupree
Knocked Up 
Hot Rod
Superbad
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Pineapple Express
Tropic Thunder
Adventureland
Year One
Paul
Men in Black 3
Monsters University
The To-Do List
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
They Came Together 
The Skeleton Twins

Best Film: Superbad (2007)
I'll never forget how hard I laughed when I saw Superbad in the theater on opening weekend in August 2007. Almost seven years after its initial release, the film has aged incredibly well and is somehow even funnier now than it was the first time I saw it. This film's barrage of colorful characters and nearly endless amount of quotable lines paired with a cast of actors that were mostly unknown at the time of release (Hader, Jonah Hill, Emma Stone, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse) giving star-making performances makes Superbad the greatest teen comedy of all-time.

Worst Film: Year One (2009)
The late Harold Ramis was without question one of the finest comedy filmmakers of his generation. During his three-decade long career in comedy he brought the world a number of classics including National Lampoon's Vacation, Groundhog Day and Caddyshack. Unfortunately, his swan song as a filmmaker was not even close to worthy of his rich legacy. Year One squanders a brilliant premise (a pair of Neanderthals are banished from their tribe after eating forbidden fruit and go on to encounter a number of Biblical characters on their journey to find a new home) and excellent cast led by Jack Black, Michael Cera and Olivia Wilde on a film that is almost completely devoid of laughs and is shockingly boring for a slapstick comedy. 

Best Performance: The Skeleton Twins (2014)
After strictly starring in comedies for the first decade of his career, Hader successfully transitioned to drama with his powerhouse performance in The Skeleton Twins. Hader's turn as a gay man who is reunited with his twin sister (Kristen Wiig) after attempting to commit suicide is remarkably powerful and was one of the biggest Academy Award snubs of 2014.  

Worst Performance: Men in Black 3 (2012)
This was a hard choice to make as Hader has never turned in a truly terrible performance up to this point in his career, but his work in Men in Black 3 definitely wasn't up to quality of acting we're used to seeing from him. Hader went a little too overboard with zaniness in his role as a fictionalized version of real-life artist Andy Warhol, who is secretly a member of the titular alien-defense agency, and comes off as more annoying than funny in his brief time on screen. 
  
Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next Week I'll take a look at the best and worst work of Ted 2 star Mark Wahlberg.
 

Movie Review: Jurassic World

22 years ago, a group of scientists and their children were terrorized by a group of lab-engineered dinosaurs in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. Spielberg's blockbuster delighted audiences and redefined blockbusters with its groundbreaking visuals and special event feel. The series went on to spawn two financially successful but middling sequels that didn't leave much of a lasting mark on the filmgoing public.   After a 14-year hiatus, the Jurassic Park series has come roaring back to the screen with Jurassic World, which brings the series' prehistoric horrors to a new generation of moviegoers.

Its been over two decades since disaster rocked tech-billionaire John Hammond's dinosaur theme park, but after some good PR and successful re-branding, guests have been flocking to Jurassic World on the remote island of Isla Nubar. Attendance has been steady since the park reopened, but according to focus groups run by the park's operators, the people want to see bigger, more lethal dinosaurs at Jurassic World. The public's desire for bigger dinosaurs forces park owner (Irrfan Khan) and manager (Bryce Dallas Howard) to have the park's chief geneticist Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong, reprising his role from the first film) and his team cook up a brand new dinosaur in their lab. What Wu comes with up is a hybrid dinosaur known as the Indominus Rex- which contains the DNA of numerous predatory dinosaurs and other animals such as the tree frog and the cuttlefish. Of course, the Indominus Rex ends up being much scarier, deadlier and intelligent than the park runners had hoped,and their creation soon breaks out of its habitat and begins freely roaming the park, killing anything that gets in its path. Now it's up to the park's raptor trainer and resident dinosaur expert Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) to stop the Indominus Rex before it eviscerates the thousands of guest and employees that are on the park's property.

Jurassic World is about as dumb and flat-out absurd as a blockbuster can be. The screenplay is littered with gaps in logic and underdeveloped characters/subplots, a majority of the characters make decisions so mind-bogglingly stupid that they make stereotypical brainless horror movie characters look like Rhodes Scholars, and the acting-save for Pratt, whose work here further solidifies his standing as one of the best action heroes in the business- ranges from bad to subpar at best. No matter poorly-conceived or corny it is at times, Jurassic World is never less than absurdly entertaining to watch. The film is designed as a spectacle to watch badass dinosaurs wreak havoc on a group of unsuspecting humans and in that regard, the film is a smashing success. Director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) transitions gracefully from the world of indie comedies to ginormous blockbusters, packing each action sequence with a liberal amount of edge-of-your-seat suspense.  The choice to pile on the dino carnage is enough to make you forgive and forget about the film's deficiencies in just about every other area. Jurassic World isn't even close to being the game-changer the 1993 original was, but it's exactly the type of loud, idiotic and fun thrill ride the summer movie season is built around. 

3.5/5 Stars

2015 NFL Position Rankings: Top 25 Inside Linebackers

25.Jerod Mayo (Patriots)
24.Danny Trevathan (Broncos)

23.D'Qwell Jackson (Colts)
22.James Laurinaitis (Rams)

21.Daryl Washington (Cardinals)

20.Paul Worrilow (Falcons)

19.Preston Brown (Bills)

18.Rolando McClain (Cowboys)
17.Jerrell Freeman (Colts)
16.Stephen Tulloch (Lions)
15.Sean Lee (Cowboys)
14.Donald Butler (Chargers)
13.Kiko Alonso (Eagles)

12.Derrick Johnson (Chiefs)
11.Mychal Kendricks (Eagles)
10.David Harris (Jets)

9.NaVorro Bowman (49ers)
8.Brian Cushing (Texans)
7.Brandon Marshall (Broncos)
6.Daryl Smith (Ravens)
5.C.J. Mosley (Ravens)
4.Karlos Dansby (Browns)

3.Lawrence Timmons (Steelers)
2.Bobby Wagner (Seahawks)

1.Luke Kuechly (Panthers)

The Best and Worst of Chris Pratt

Films Starring Chris Pratt That I've Seen:
Wanted
Take Me Home Tonight
Moneyball
What's Your Number?
The Five-Year Engagement
Zero Dark Thirty
Movie 43
Delivery Man
Her
The Lego Movie
Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Performance: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
The performance that exposed the long-ignored Pratt to most of the free world also happens to be his finest work to-date. Pratt used the charm and sharp comedic timing that made him a weekly scene-stealer on NBC sitcom Parks & Recreation to make Star Lord one of the most dynamic and badass heroes in the vast Marvel universe. 

Worst Performance: What's Your Number? (2011)
Pratt's role in What's Your Number? is pretty small, but he's on screen long enough to completely embarrass himself in a generic "nice guy" romantic comedy role that completely suffocates all of his rich comedic talent. I'm thoroughly convinced he only agreed to appear to in this turkey as a favor to his wife Anna Farris, who was the film's lead.

Best Film: Moneyball (2011)
Pratt's first big-screen foray into drama couldn't have come in a better film. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and director Bennett Miller's look at the life of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) and how he made the cash-strapped A's one of the best teams in baseball through finding unheralded young players and veterans who were considered to be past their prime nobody else would take a chance on (Scott Hatteberg, the player Pratt portrays, falls into the latter camp) is one of the most engrossing and collectively well-acted sports films of all-time. 


Worst Film: What's Your Number? (2011)
It was a true toss-up between this and Movie 43 for the worst film Pratt has ever starred in, but What's Your Number? gets the edge as it was somehow even more unfunny than the notorious star-studded trainwreck that was Movie 43. What's Your Number? is about as formulaic and brainless as a romantic comedy can get and features some of the most annoying characters to grace the screen in recent film history. Not even the presence of the always-great Anna Farris and Chris Evans in the two leading roles could make this dumpster fire of a movie more tolerable. 

Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next Week I'll take a look at the best and worst work of Inside Out star Bill Hader.

Concert Review: Juicy J-- Boston, MA-- June 10th, 2015

Everyone's favorite cannabis and codeine-loving Academy Award-winning hip-hop artist Juicy J brought his month-long "The Hustle Continues" tour to Boston last night. On the first truly beautiful and warm day in Boston in at least two weeks, the Memphis-based rapper successfully turned the House of Blues into the most lively party spot in the city.

In typical hip-hop show fashion, the festivities did not get started on time. Out of the 90 or so non hip-hop shows I've been to only two or three have started late. Meanwhile every single one of the 10 hip-hop shows I've been to have started at least 30 minutes late. While it's commonplace for hip-hop shows to get going well after the listed start time, Juicy J is the new champion for concert tardiness, hitting the stage over 90 minutes after the show's scheduled 8:00 start time. Once Juicy finally came out, things did not start off smoothly as he barley even rapped any of set opener "Throw Dem Racks" from his new mixtape Blue Dream & Lean 2. After watching him mostly stand there and let the backing track play without actually rapping for most of the first song, I became really nervous that I had just wasted $40 to see Juicy J vibe out to and not actually perform his music. My fear that I wasted my money didn't last long as Juicy started rapping on the following track "Stoners Night" and only pulled the jam-out-to-the-backing-track-and-only sporadically chime-in-routine on a few other songs for the rest of the night. When Juicy was actually rapping, he was pretty impressive. He got through a majority of his verses without screwing up and his hard-hitting party songs were even more fun in a live setting. However, what really made the show was the level of showmanship he displayed. Juicy J has been in the game for over two decades and that level of experience shows in his stage show. He's an extremely charismatic and hilarious dude (I could honestly write a lengthy follow-up piece containing all of the brilliant one-liners and anecdotes he dropped during the show) and was able to create and maintain an electric atmosphere in the room, despite being in a walking boot from his recent ankle surgery that limited his ability to move around on stage. Juicy J is a born entertainer and that quality masked almost all of the flaws with his performance. While Juicy J is hardly near the top of best live acts I've ever seen, the man knows how to on a fun show. With his alleged impending retirement from rapping on the horizon after the release of his next album Pure THC: The Hustle Continues, I'm glad I got to see this hip-hop icon perform before he hangs up the mic.

Side notes:
-Because of his ankle injury, Juicy had a number of stools and a king's throne complete with colored strobe set up at various spots of the stage so he could sit in-between songs.
-I did not witness any twerking at any point of the show.
-The amount of hipsters at the show was nothing short of shocking. If you looked at a majority of the crowd, you could've easily mistaken this for an indie folk or art pop show.


Score:
Juicy J 8/10

Setlist (missing 3-5 songs. Songs listed are in correct order.):
Throw Dem Racks
Stoners Night
Low
For Everybody
All I Need
So Much Money
I'm Sicka
Bandz a Make Her Dance
Already
She Knows (Ne-Yo song)
I Don't Mind (Usher song)
Show Out
Whole Thang
420 Freestyle (play off of Drake's "Energy")
Bounce It
Three 6 Mafia medley (Poppin' My Collar/Sippin' on Some Syrup/Stay Fly/Slob on My Knob)
We Still in this Bitch (B.o.B song)
Scholarship
Stop It
A Zip and a Double Cup
Workin' Hard
Don't Trust
Pulled Up (Young Dolph song)
Riley
Stoners Night Pt. 2

Concert Review: Lana Del Rey (Endless Summer Tour)-- Mansfield, MA-- June 9th, 2015

Fresh off a headlining set at the Governor's Ball music festival in New York City on Sunday, Lana Del Rey brought her "Endless Summer Tour" to the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts last night. Although the stage might have been a bit smaller than her previous show, Del Rey still put on a massive, memorable performance.

The show's opener, Canadian synthpop artist Grimes, was a few songs into her set when I got to my seats. Her last album, Visions, was obnoxious as all hell and her live show was just as, if not more grating than her studio material. Her vocals are so densely processed with electronic effects and her production is so repetitive and flat that makes every single minute of listening to her music is completely intolerable. It also cracks me up that her sound is so lifeless despite the fact that its heavily rooted in electronica. Even the worst electronic music typically has some passion and energy behind it, but Grimes lacks even a hint of either. I'm sure here music is perfect for really sad, low-energy raves, but in any other setting, it's just laughably bad. After this putrid performance, I can say without any doubt in my mind that I'll never voluntarily listen to or see Grimes live ever again.

Shortly after Grimes finished up, the sun finally set at the Xfinity Center, setting the perfect tone for the haunting darkness of Lana Del Rey's music. Going into the show, I'd heard all sorts of conflicting things about Del Rey's ability as a live performer. I'd read numerous reviews pointing out how visibly uncomfortable she is performing and ranting about she can't sing or hold notes live while others have hailed the quality of her voice and how well her vintage-inspired art/indie pop translates to big stages. Other than the sometimes spotty sound mix and way too loud backing tracks on the choruses of "Blue Jeans" and "West Coast", her performance at this show was pretty much flawless. The raw power of her vocals and low-key nature of her show made the nearly 20,000 capacity venue seem far more intimate than it actually was. Del Rey sounded absolutely amazing throughout her 75-minute set, displaying her wide vocal range and hitting just about every complex note with ease. Her set was further aided by a setlist that included almost all of the best material from her two most recent LP's Born to Die and Ultraviolence. There wasn't a single song on the night that wasn't excellent, but the more subdued, emotionally-charged songs ("Shades of Cool", "Summertime Sadness", "Video Games", "Cruel World") and the rousing, guitar-driven rendition of "Off to the Races" to finish off the set sent chills through my entire body. Any fans of Del Rey that have been skeptical about seeing her after hearing the mixed word-of-mouth about her live shows or watching her much-maligned Saturday Night Live performance from 2012 need to go and out see her the next chance they get. Lana Del Rey's live shows are every bit as immense and breathtakingly beautiful as her albums and can not be missed by anyone who has any sort of appreciation for her music.

Scores:
Grimes 2/10
Lana Del Rey 9/10

Side notes:
-If there was a world record for most short white girls with flowers in their hair at a concert, this show would easily have it.  
-The new song "Serial Killer" off her upcoming third LP Honeymoon sounded amazing and much more in-line with the trip-hop sound of Born to Die than the bluesy sound of Ultraviolence
-Lana smiled far more than I expected her too.
-Grimes sucks.

Setlists:
Grimes:
Circumambient 
Oblivion
REALiTi
Nightmusic
Be a Body
Go
Phone Sex
Symphonia IX (My Wait is U)
Genesis

Lana Del Rey:
Cruel World
Cola
Blue Jeans
West Coast
Born to Die
Ultraviolence 
Summertime Sadness
Chelsea Hotel No. 2 (Leonard Cohen cover)
Brooklyn Baby
Shades of Cool
Serial Killer (new song)
Video Games
Off to the Races

Quick Movie Reviews: Spy, Entourage and Mad Max: Fury Road

Spy: The third pairing of Paul Feig and Mellisa McCarthy is yet another success story for the comedic dream team. Feig shows a clear affection for spy films a la 007 and Mission Impossible and that love and knowledge of the genre allows to accurately skewer all of its tropes. McCarthy brings her usual manic comedic energy and top-flight talent to her role as Susan Cooper, a veteran FBI agent sent into the field for the first time to stop a Bulgarian crime kingpin (Rose Byrne, showing her hilarious work in Neighbors was no fluke) from selling a nuclear weapon to a similarly notorious American crime lord (Bobby Carnavale). Spy sputters a bit of the gate as it sets up its central conflict and develops Cooper as a character, but once Cooper sheds her nervousness about being in the field and the hardened British spy Rick Ford (Jason Statham, who run away with the movie by brilliantly skewering the overly macho archetype he's made a career off of playing) the fold, the jokes start landing and the film subsequently hit its stride. Spy doesn't have as many as belly laughs as Bridesmaids or The Heat, but it's a still rock-solid comedy that further solidifies McCarthy and Feig's standing as one of the most powerful actor/director combos in Hollywood.
3.5/5 Stars 

Entourage: It's been nearly four years since we last heard from Vince, Johnny Drama, Turtle, E and Ari. But as soon as Entourage starts, it feels like this colorful band of goons had never left your television. The Entourage film beautifully tows the line between being the perfect continuation for fans of the show and a fitting introduction for people who have never seen the HBO series the film is based on. The bond between the five leads (Adrian Grenier, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon, Kevin Connolly and cast MVP Jeremy Piven) is as authentic as ever and writer/director Doug Ellin is able to recover gracefully from the show's late season woes with a script full of great dialogue and laugh-out-loud gags. People that are easily offended and/or are bothered by a non-stop barrage of cameos and glorification of the celebrity lifestyle should steer clear, but anyone looking for a raunchy, engrossing and most importantly, fun as hell summer movie, look no further than Entourage.
4/5 Stars

Mad Max: Fury Road: After spending the last twenty years crafting long-forgotten kids films like Babe: Pig in the City and both Happy Feet films, Australian director George Miller has made his return to the post-apocalyptic action franchise that put him on the map in the late 70's/early 80's with Mad Max: Fury Road. The long-delayed fourth installment of the Mad Max series has largely been hailed as a masterpiece and one of the greatest, if not the greatest action film of all-time. To be frank, I just don't see it. The blueprint of a good action film is to have numerous great action scenes, likeable heroes that the audience can root for and a charismatic and/or menacing villain who serves as a formidable opponent for the film's protagonist. Mad Max: Fury Road has none of those things. The long-cut action scenes are too repetitive and cluttered to be memorable, the heroes are bland and one-dimensional,  the film's villain is beyond lame and worst of all, the film's is mind-numbingly corny without even an ounce of irony. If Miller had not taken this ridiculous world full of live-action cartoon characters so god damn seriously and thrown some variation into the action scenes, the results probably would've been much different. Not even the typically great Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron can get out of this film unscathed. Hardy mumbles his way through a wholly forgettable turn as the titular character while Theron lacks the grit required to make a battle-hardened character like Furiousa work. That being said, Hardy and Theron are awards-worthy compared to Hugh Keays-Byrne performance as the film's villain Immortan Joe. Keays-Byrne sound like a confused child every time he delivers a line and is firmly in the running for least menacing oppressive warlord in the history of cinema. The whole plot of the film hinges on how evil and ruthless Immortan Joe is and no matter how hard the film tries you to sell on that fact, Keays-Byrne's corny trainwreck of a performance prevents him from being even remotely imposing. The film's heavy use of practical effects and feminist agenda in the male-centric world of action films are worthy of praise, but it's not nearly enough to save Mad Max: Fury Road from being an underwhelming viewing experience. I'd be shocked if this doesn't end up being the most overrated film of 2015.
2/5 Stars

2015 NFL Position Rankings: Top 50 Outside Linebackers

50.Erik Walden (Colts)

49.Courtney Upshaw (Ravens)

48.Aaron Lynch (49ers) 

47.Dan Skuta (Jaguars)

46.Nick Perry (Packers)

45.Brooks Reed (Falcons)

44.Alec Ogletree (Rams)

43.Spencer Paysinger (Dolphins)

42.Akeem Ayers (Rams)

41.Chad Greenway (Vikings)

40.Jelani Jenkins (Dolphins)

39.Manny Lawson (Bills)

38.Ahmad Brooks (49ers)

37.Bruce Carter (Buccaneers) 

36.Quentin Coples (Jets)

35.Bruce Irvin (Seahawks)

34.Melvin Ingram (Chargers)

33.Jared Allen (Bears)

32.Brandon Graham (Eagles)

31.Trent Cole (Colts)

30.Brian Orakpo (Titans)

29.Telvin Smith (Jaguars)

28.K.J. Wright (Seahawks)

27.Vincent Rey (Bengals) 

26.Calvin Pace (Jets)

25.Pernell McPhee (Bears)

24.Anthony Barr (Vikings)

23.Sio Moore (Raiders)

22.Khalil Mack (Raiders) 

21.Julius Peppers (Packers)

20.Nigel Bradham (Bills) 

19.Whitney Mercilus (Texans)

18.Derrick Morgan (Titans)

17.Robert Mathis (Colts)

16.Don'ta Hightower (Patriots)

15.Junior Gallete (Saints)

14.Tamba Hali (Chiefs)

13.Vontaze Burfict (Bengals)

12.Jamie Collins (Patriots)

11.Elvis Dumervil (Ravens)

10.Connor Barwin (Eagles)

9.Aldon Smith (49ers)

8.Ryan Kerrigan (Redskins)

7.Thomas Davis (Panthers)

6.Terrell Suggs (Ravens)

5.Clay Matthews (Packers)

4.DeAndre Levy (Lions)

3.Lavonte David (Buccaneers)

2.Justin Houston (Chiefs)

1.Von Miller (Broncos)

2015 NBA Finals Prediction

Like any championship series, the matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers has no shortage of story lines. LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. A team that was mostly built through the draft and lacks a traditional superstar vs. a team that was built around signing a superstar then recruiting assorted role players from around the league to join him. Anyway you look at this NBA Finals, it's full of intrigue and it's the matchup a majority of basketball fans wanted as these two teams were the best in their respective conferences all season long. The Warriors and Cavaliers are pretty evenly matched as both teams can put point up a ton of points in the paint or from three-point land and screw up an offense's rhythm with stifling defense. What I believe this series will come down to is the health of Cavaliers superstars James and Kyrie Irving. They may have had a week and a half to rest before the start of this series, but James and Irving been battling lingering injuries and that may not be enough time for their health to improve by a notable margin. James should continue to solider on through his back injury without much drop in production, but if Irving's foot injury keeps his offense limited to isolated three's and outside jump shots, there could be some serious issues. Guys like Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova can't be counted on to make strong scoring contributions night after night and when James puts too much scoring responsibility on himself, the team has suffered. The let James fire away strategy may have been worked against the Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals, but the Warriors are too physical and aggressive on the boards and too good at capitalizing off of turnovers (the Cavs averaged 11.8 turnovers per game in the Eastern Conference finals) to allow the Cavs offense get away with being sloppy with the ball and score a ton of second-chance points like the Hawks did. I also believe the Cavs don't have an answer for the Warrior's bigs. Draymond Green has been playing lights out for the entire playoffs, containing the likes of Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol defensively and putting up consistently strong offensive showings with his combination of strong post play and a surprisingly decent outside shot while Andrew Bogut has backed up his reputation as one of the toughest defensive players in the NBA with his excellent rebounding and shot-blocking ability. Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov are solid players who are no slouches on the boards and can put up points when called upon, but they lack the offensive fluidity and high-motors defensively to hang with Green, Bogut and Festus Ezeli for an entire series. 

Prediction: Warriors over Cavaliers in 6
Finals MVP: Stephen Curry

2015 NFL Position Rankings: Top 30 Defensive Tackles

30.Tony McDaniel (Seahawks)
29.Vince Wilfork (Texans)
28.Sharrif Floyd (Vikings) 
27.Michael Brockers (Rams)
26.Paul Soliai (Falcons)

25.Henry Melton (Buccaneers)

24.Linval Joesph (Vikings)
23.Steve McLendon (Steelers)
22.Bernie Logan (Eagles)
21.Tyrone Crawford (Cowboys)
20.Jared Odrick (Jaguars)
19.Jonathan Hankins (Giants)
18.Nick Fairley (Rams)

17.Star Lotulelei (Panthers)
16.Dan Williams (Raiders)
15.Brandon Williams (Ravens)
14.Damon Harrison (Jets)
13.Haloti Ngata (Lions)
12.Kawann Short (Panthers)

11.Geno Atkins (Bengals)

10.Terrence Knighton (Redskins)

9.Brandon Mebane (Seahawks)
8.Sen'Derrick Marks (Jaguars)

7.Jurrell Casey (Titans)
6.Aaron Donald (Rams)
5.Kyle Williams (Bills)

4.Dontari Poe (Chiefs)

3.Marcell Dareus (Bills)

2.Gerald McCoy (Buccaneers)

1.Ndamukong Suh (Dolphins)

The Best and Worst of Jason Statham

Films Starring Jason Statham That I've Seen:
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Snatch 
The Transporter
The Italian Job
Cellular
Transporter 2 
Crank
War
The Bank Job
Death Race
Transporter 3
Crank: High Voltage 
The Expendables
The Mechanic
Gnomeo and Juliet
Killer Elite
Safe
The Expendables 2
Parker
Homefront
The Expendables 3
Wild Card
Furious 7

Best Performance: The Bank Job (2008)
Statham almost exclusively stars in pure action films and over the course of his 18-year acting career, he's solidified himself as one of the finest action stars in the business. That being said, he can be a beyond serviceable dramatic. called upon and those chops were prominently displayed in Rodger Donaldson's fact-based heist drama The Bank Job. Statham anchors the film as a cash-strapped car salesman who is recruited by an old friend (Saffron Burrrows) to rob a safety deposit box containing scandalous photos of Princess Margret. Statham's deep, nuanced performance here makes me wish he would do dramatic films more often.

Worst Performance: War (2007)
Even the most consistent actors whiff once in a while and Statham's biggest misfire came with his overly serious turn in War. To be fair, the film's cliched and often ridiculous script didn't give him much to work with, but Statham's performance here lacked much of the charisma and larger-than-life screen presence that's made him a longtime staple in the world of B-action movies.

Best Film: Snatch (2000) 
Statham has starred in a number of truly excellent films over the years, but none have reached the towering heights of Guy Ritchie's comedic crime saga Snatch. Statham's underground, bare-knuckle boxing promoter is one of the many colorful characters in Ritchie's engrossing, hysterical and often insane look at the Britian's criminal underworld. Snatch is a film that gets better on each subsequent viewing and is firmly planted near the top of my list of the best movies ever made. 

Worst Film: Gnomeo and Juliet (2011)
I know it's hard to believe that a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet featuring lawn gnomes isn't one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all-time, but Gnomeo and Juliet ultimately can't live up to the genius of its brilliant and totally not moronic premise. I'll fully admit that the first half-half or so was surprisingly amusing, but once the core love story kicks in, the film becomes nauseatingly corny and unfunny. Gnomeo and Juilet is without question the worst animated film inspired by Shakespeare featuring the music of Elton John to ever be released.

Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next Week I'll take a look at the best and worst work of Jurassic World star Chris Pratt.