10 Most Anticipated Movies of Winter/Spring 2019

With the holiday rush currently in full swing and awards season about to kick off, it's easy to forget that a whole new crop of movies from a little year called 2019 are about to start slowly trickling into theaters. January features a pretty barren slate per usual as 2018's holdovers reign supreme, but the latter 3 months of the year's inaugural stretch features a pretty sizable volume of buzzworthy titles ranging from prestige Netflix projects (Velvet Buzzsaw, Triple Frontier, High Flying Bird) to some long-delayed passion projects finally expected to see the light of day (Alita: Battle Angel, Where'd You Go Bernadette) to several superhero titles (Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel, Shazam!, Hellboy) that should be able to make up for the lack of recent output in this scarcely-served genre. Here are the 10 movies I'm most excited to see this winter/spring.

10.Captain Marvel (3/8): While the latest trailer was alarmingly reminiscent of the god awful  Jupiter Ascending, I'm still intrigued by a space opera-inspired superhero flick that features the almost always outstanding Brie Larson in the leading role as well as how the character will factor into the upcoming Avengers movie. 

9.Triple Frontier (3/15): I haven't been overly high on director J.C. Chandor's past work, but this heist thriller's excellent trailer, loaded ensemble cast (Ben Affleck, Oscar Issac, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, Garret Hedlund) and Mark Boal's (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) hand in writing the script is enough for me to overlook those lukewarm feelings I have about the guy behind the camera.

8.The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2/8): The Lego Movie was a surprisingly hilarious, heartful little movie, and with Chris Lord and Phil Miller returning to write the script despite handing off directing duties to industry vet Mike Mitchell (Trolls, Shrek Forever After), there's no reason this shouldn't be at least in the same realm of quality as its predecessor.

7.Captive State (3/29): Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt's return to sci-fi boasts an interesting premise centered around a dystopian future where aliens have taken over as the governing body of Earth and a dynamic cast including the typically great John Goodman, Ashton Sanders and Vera Farmiga that should be able to harvest the most out of this material.

6.Happy Death Day 2U (2/14): Happy Death Day was one of the most fun horror comedies I've seen in ages and hopefully expanding upon the "trying to solve your own murder while constantly reliving it" plot with a seemingly bonkers new set of rules will be enough for the sequel to successfully replicate that clever, tongue-in-cheek formula.

5.Velvet Buzzsaw (2/1): Its art world setting has me a bit concerned that this could turn into the type of meandering, try-hard indie horror flick that I absolutely loathe. That being said, a stellar ensemble cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo and Billy Magnuessen paired with a filmmaker (Dan Gilroy) who's had previous success with crafting deeply unsettling stories gives Velvet Buzzsaw a very intriguing pedigree that only a few other titles set to be released during this period can compete with.

4.The Beach Bum (3/22): Even without any substantial footage or specific plot details to draw from, Harmony Korine looks like he could be in his oddball element directing a stoner comedy that features a blonde wig-wearing Matthew McConaughey in the lead role, Jimmy Buffet playing himself and Martin Lawrence returning to the big screen after an 8-year absence to portray a character named Captain Wack. If it ends being even half as strange, hilarious and transfixing as Spring Breakers, I'll be elated.

3.Cold Pursuit (2/8): We're about to enter the early stages of the calendar year, which means Liam Nesson's annual return to the AARP action thriller game is imminent.This English-language remake of 2014 Norwegian revenge flick In Order of Disappearance, which centers around a small town snowplow driver seeking vengeance against a local crime syndicate following the mysterious death of his son, has a real opportunity to be the most absurd and satisfying entry of Nesson's transportation-based action flicks thus far.

2.Avengers: Endgame (4/26): Marvel fans have been waiting over a decade for the conclusion of this saga and after the universe-altering success of Infinity War, there's every reason to be optimistic that this era-capping finale is going to be a sweeping epic that goes down in the annals of superhero movie history.

1.Us (3/15): The bonkers trailer that dropped on Christmas Day only further solidified the stranglehold Us had on the top spot. Get Out was a multifaceted powerhouse that ranks among my favorite horror movies ever and I'm absolutely giddy to see what Jordan Peele has in store for a follow-up.

Also interested in:
The Last Laugh (1/11)
Replicas (1/11)
The Upside (1/11)
Glass (1/18)
The Kid Who Would be King (1/25)
Serenity (1/25)
Arctic (2/1)
Miss Bala (2/1)
High Flying Bird (2/8)
Lords of Chaos (2/8)
Alita: Battle Angel (2/14)
Fighting with My Family (2/14)
Donnybrook (2/15)
The Rhythm Section (2/22)
Climax (3/1)
Gloria Bell (3/8)
The Mustang (3/15)
The Dirt (3/22)
Greyhound (3/22)
Where'd You Go, Bernadette (3/22)
The Highwaymen (3/29)
Wounds (3/29)
The Best of Enemies (4/5)
Shazam! (4/5)
Teen Spirit (4/5)
Hellboy (4/12)
The Curse of La Llorona (4/19)
Under the Silver Lake (4/19)

The Best and Worst of Ralph Fiennes

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Holmes & Watson” star Ralph Fiennes.

Films starring Ralph Fiennes that I've seen:
Quiz Show
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
In Bruges
The Reader
The Hurt Locker
Clash of the Titans
Wrath of the Titans
Skyfall
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Spectre
Hail, Caesar!
Kubo and the Two Strings
The Lego Batman Movie

Best Performance: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Fiennes' turn as womanizing concierge named Gustave was responsible for me legitimately enjoying a Wes Anderson movie, which is a feat that previously seemed impossible. By bringing just the right amount of manic zaniness to the role, he is able to mine solid laughs and the occasional tender moment out of every absurd situation Anderson throws him into.

Worst Performance: Hail, Caesar! (2016)
On the other side of the quirky Fiennes coin comes his trash performance in this baffling misfire from the Cohen Brothers. His bit part as an overzealous movie director whose tasked with dealing with an inept young actor (Alden Ehrenreich) comes off as nothing but a cheap, charmless impersonation of Gustave from The Grand Budapest Hotel.  

Best Film: The Hurt Locker (2009)
Modern American war films have increasingly become more like political propaganda pieces justifying the United States post-9/11 military actions than stories depicting heroism or the perils of war. As a result of this unfortunate trend, I've come to appreciate grounded, no bullshit exercises like The Hurt Locker even more. Director Kathryn Bigelow portrays combat in a visceral, horrific fashion and unlike the aforementioned "WE'LL STICK A BOOT IN YOUR ASS IT'S THE AMERICAN WAY" movies, a strong script and nuanced performances from its primary cast (Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie) allows the soldiers on the frontlines to be more than just faceless cogs in a patriotic emotional manipulation machine.

Worst Film: The Reader (2008)
Outside of a decent performance from Kate Winslet that won her an Oscar, there's nothing redeeming about this shameless melodrama. Every attempt this increasingly soapy story makes to pull at the heartstrings is futile at best, and it was really hard for me to even consider rooting for a romantic relationship that initially started when the protagonists were 36 and 15 respectively.


Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Escape Room” star Tyler Labine. 

Week 16 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers (2018 Edition)

Quarterback
MVP: Aaron Rodgers (Packers)
An underwhelming 2018 for the perennial MVP candidate ended on a triumphant note. Rodgers straight-up destroyed the hapless Jets defense (442 YDS, 2 TD, 32 Rushing YDS, 2 TD and a 2-PT conversion) in a come-from-behind OT win that prevented the Packers from going 0-8 on the road this season. Fantasy owners will hope the 35-year old star QB returns to dominance under a new head coach in 2019.
Honorable Mentions: Deshaun Watson (Texans), Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers), Russell Wilson (Seahawks)

LVP: Phillip Rivers (Chargers)
Rivers burned the dice-rolling souls that rolled him out against a tough Ravens D during championship week. He failed to get anything going through the air (182 YDS, 0 TD) and threw 2 costly picks in an ugly loss that possibly ruined the Chargers dream of clinching the #1 seed in the AFC. This was a truly unfortunate end to Rivers' best season as a pro in at least 4 years, if not ever.
Dishonorable Mentions: Tom Brady (Patriots), Mitch Trubisky (Bears), Josh Allen (Bills)

Running Back
MVP: Chris Carson (Seahawks) 
The Seahawks imposed their will on the Chiefs defense in an impressive primetime win on Sunday and Carson played a big part in that offensive dominance. His hard running helped control the clock and sealed his impressive bellcow performance (27 carries for 116 YDS) with a pair of TD's-including the eventual game-clincher. While his inconsistent pass-catching ability, durability concerns and constant threat of Rashaad Penny vulturing touches will likely prevent him from being selected in the first 2 rounds, Carson should end up being a 3rd-4th round pick next season.
Honorable Mentions: Alvin Kamara (Saints), C.J. Anderson (Rams), Jammal Williams (Packers)

LVP: Josh Adams (Eagles)
Prominent running backs had themselves an almost universally great week, which makes Adams the clear choice for this dreaded title. The undrafted rookie got eviscerated by the Texans tough front, managing just 21 YDS and losing a fumble on 11 carries. Despite this hiccup, Adams has been pretty decent this season and should have a role in the Eagles backfield committee next season.
Dishonorable Mentions: Tarik Cohen (Bears), LeSean McCoy (Bills), Kalen Ballage (Dolphins)

Wide Receiver 
MVP: Antonio Brown (Steelers) 
Brown saved his best for last in 2018, delivering a monstrous 14 REC/185 YD/2 TD performance against the Saints that undoubtedly swayed a lot of outcomes during championship week. While his yardage total is a bit lower than usual (1,297), AB's career-best TD total (15) and continued consistency/durability in his age 30 season justified his top 5-7 ADP.
Honorable Mentions: Robert Woods (Rams), Robby Anderson (Jets), Doug Baldwin (Seahawks)

LVP: Amari Cooper (Cowboys)
For a 2nd straight week, the Cowboys top WR all but completely disappeared, managing just 20 YDS on 4 catches against a wretched Bucs defense. Cooper is as erratic as they come and will be a risky WR2 regardless of where he ends up playing next season.
Dishonorable Mentions: Antonio Callaway (Browns), Golden Tate (Eagles), Corey Davis (Titans)

Tight End
MVP: Kyle Rudolph (Vikings)
Unexpected explosions are the greatest fantasy gift of all. Rudolph led the Vikings in receptions (9), receiving YDS (122) and doubled his season TD total with 2 scores to cap off a sensational performance against the Lions on Sunday afternoon. If Big Country returns to the field in 2019, he'll remain a boom-or-bust TE1 option.
Honorable Mentions: Zach Ertz (Eagles), Chris Herndon (Jets), David Njoku (Browns)

LVP: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)
Gronkowski's disheartening 2018 ended in appropriately heartbreaking fashion with a stinker against the Bills. He failed to catch any of his 3 targets on a day where Tom Brady was as bad as he could possibly be. With lingering health problems starting to take a notable toll on his production, it's entirely conceivable that the nearly 30-year old future Hall-of-Famer steps away from football at the end of the season.
Dishonorable Mentions: Jared Cook (Raiders), Cameron Brate (Buccaneers), Blake Jarwin (Cowboys)

Defense/Special Teams
MVP: Ravens
Phillip Rivers and co. were no match for the Ravens high-flying D. They held the Chargers dynamic offense to just 10 points while also racking up 4 sacks, 2 INT's, a fumble recovery and a TD. This group has been sensational for the bulk of the season and will likely be one of the first 3-5 defenses off the board next year.
Honorable Mentions: Jaguars, Falcons, Cowboys

LVP: Colts
A week after shutting out the Cowboys, the Colts struggled to contain the Odell Beckham Jr.-less Giants in a 28-27 comeback win. If Malik Hooker didn't make a clutch INT to ice the game on the Giants final drive, the Colts would've registered 0 sacks or takeaways on the day. While they've struggled with consistency all season long, there's a lot of young promising talent here that could help this long-suffering franchise build their most legitimate defense since Bob Sanders, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis left town.
Dishonorable Mentions: Broncos, Browns, Eagles   

2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 17

()=previous ranking

1.(1) New Orleans Saints (13-2) Week 17 opponent: Carolina Panthers
2.(4) Los Angeles Rams (12-3) Week 17 opponent: San Francisco 49ers
3.(2) Kansas City Chiefs (11-4) Week 17 opponent: Oakland Raiders
4.(5) Chicago Bears (11-4) Week 17 opponent: Minnesota Vikings
5.(3) Los Angeles Chargers (11-4) Week 17 opponent: Denver Broncos
6.(7) New England Patriots (10-5) Week 17 opponent: New York Jets
7.(6) Houston Texans (10-5) Week 17 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars
8.(8) Dallas Cowboys (9-6) Week 17 opponent: New York Giants
9.(12) Baltimore Ravens (9-6) Week 17 opponent: Cleveland Browns
10.(11) Seattle Seahawks (9-6) Week 17 opponent: Arizona Cardinals
11.(9) Indianapolis Colts (9-6) Week 17 opponent: Tennessee Titans
12.(13) Minnesota Vikings (8-6-1) Week 17 opponent: Chicago Bears
13.(14) Tennessee Titans (9-6) Week 17 opponent: Indianapolis Colts
14.(15) Philadelphia Eagles (8-7) Week 17 opponent: Washington Redskins
15.(10) Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6-1) Week 17 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals
16.(16) Cleveland Browns (7-7-1) Week 17 opponent: Baltimore Ravens
17.(19) Green Bay Packers (6-8-1) Week 17 opponent: Detroit Lions
18.(17) Miami Dolphins (7-8) Week 17 opponent: Buffalo Bills
19.(20) Atlanta Falcons (6-9) Week 17 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20.(18) Denver Broncos (6-9) Week 17 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers
21.(21) New York Giants (5-10) Week 17 opponent: Dallas Cowboys
22.(23) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-10) Week 17 opponent: Atlanta Falcons
23.(24) Cincinnati Bengals (6-9) Week 17 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
24.(22) Carolina Panthers (6-9) Week 17 opponent: New Orleans Saints
25.(25) Washington Redskins (7-8) Week 17 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles
26.(26) Buffalo Bills (5-10) Week 17 opponent: Miami Dolphins
27.(32) Jacksonville Jaguars (5-10) Week 17 opponent: Houston Texans
28.(28) San Francisco 49ers (4-11) Week 17 opponent: Los Angeles Rams
29.(30) Oakland Raiders (4-11) Week 17 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
30.(29) New York Jets (4-11) Week 17 opponent: New England Patriots
31.(27) Detroit Lions (5-10) Week 17 opponent: Green Bay Packers
32.(31) Arizona Cardinals (3-12) Week 17 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

The Best and Worst of Meryl Streep

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Mary Poppins Returns” star Meryl Streep.

Films starring Meryl Streep that I've seen:
Manhattan
Kramer vs. Kramer
Adaptation. 
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Devil Wears Prada
Doubt
The Giver
Florence Foster Jenkins

Best Performance: Doubt (2008)
While I admittedly haven't seen a ton of her work, Streep's acting has yet to really impress me to any noteworthy degree. Doubt is the notable exception. Her turn as a Catholic school principal in 1960's New York City whose faith, loyalties and professional relationships are tested after the school's minister (Phillip Seymour Hofmann) is accused of molesting a student is a quietly devastating powerhouse that helps emphatically drive home the film's primary theme of traumatic events testing an individual's belief in a higher power.

Worst Performance: Adaptation. (2002)
Chris Cooper and Streep, who share a ton of scenes, spent the duration of this wretched arthouse circle jerk masquerading as a dark comedy duking it out for the honor of being the most obnoxious character. Thanks to the final 30 minutes where she fails miserably to portray a sudden, drug-induced descent into madness, Streep ended up walking away with the title.

Best Film: Doubt (2008)
For my money, this is very high on the list of most underrated awards contenders of the 2000's so far. With its brilliant script and tremendous performances from Streep, Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis, Doubt is a gut-wrenching psychological drama that poignantly explores the disturbing ills of man and how unspeakable acts of evil can cloud your belief in an infallible higher being.    

Worst Film: Adaptation. (2002)
Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze's Adaptation. is my personal cinematic hell come to life. This absolutely insufferable satire is like listening to some pompous elitist jackass ramble on about why average people don't have the intellectual capacity to appreciate the many delicate nuances of high art for 2 hours. I can't think of another time in recent memory where I was so relieved for a movie to come to an end.


Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Holmes & Watson” star Ralph Fiennes. 

As We Proceed Episode #30

On this episode of "As We Proceed", Feliciano and I revisit our favorite segments and moments of 2018. This wildly indulgent hour of so-called entertainment can be heard below.

Soundcloud: 

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-we-proceed/id1122163104?mt=2

Week 15 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers (2018 Edition)

Quarterback
MVP: Matt Ryan (Falcons)
Ryan snapped out of a lengthy skid in empathic fashion by hanging 249 scrimmage YDS (231 passing, 18 rushing) and 3 TD's (2 passing, 1 rushing) on the Cardinals. Matty Ice finishes up the fantasy season with a pretty favorable matchup against the Panthers at home.
Honorable Mentions: Deshaun Watson (Texans), Phillip Rivers (Chargers), Mitch Trubisky (Bears)

LVP: Drew Brees (Saints)
The Saints signalcaller's December to Forget continued in Week 15. Despite an extremely favorable matchup against a poor Panthers defense that has particularly struggled to contain the pass this season, Brees was frustratingly average at best, finishing the night with just 203 YDS, 0 TD and an INT. Even with these recent struggles, it will be hard to bench him for this week's tantalizing home  matchup versus a wretched Steelers secondary.  
Dishonorable Mentions: Cam Newton (Panthers), Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Andrew Luck (Colts)

Running Back
MVP: Derrick Henry (Titans)
Unicorns apparently do exist. Henry stunned the fantasy world by putting together his 2nd consecutive monster performance, torching the Giants for 177 YDS and 2 TD's on 33 carries.. He'll look to make it 3 straight dominant games against a respectable, but definitely beatable Redskins front this Saturday.
Honorable Mentions: Dalvin Cook (Vikings), Joe Mixon (Bengals), Marlon Mack (Colts)

LVP: Phillip Lindsay (Broncos)
Lindsay couldn't muster much of anything on 18 touches (44 scrimmage YDS) against the Browns last Saturday, which is a large reason why the Broncos came out on the wrong end of a 17-16 rock fight. These back-to-back poor performances have been an unfortunate late misstep in an otherwise exceptional rookie season where the undrafted rookie has been one of the most explosive backs in the league and arguably this year's most valuable waiver wire pickup in all of fantasy football. Expect him to be an early-to-mid 2nd round pick in next year's drafts.
Dishonorable Mentions: Saquon Barkley (Giants), Sony Michel (Patriots), James White (Patriots)

Wide Receiver 
MVP: Mike Williams (Chargers) 
Keenan Allen exited the game with a hip pointer at the start of the 2nd quarter, which opened up a lot more opportunities for Williams and boy oh boy did he make the most of them. The Chargers sophomore wideout was the hero in last Thursday's magical comeback win over the Chiefs, managing 95 scrimmage YDS, 3 TD's and the game-clinching 2-PT conversion. He's been up-and-down all year long, but his status as a frequent redzone target on a good offense should put him firmly on the WR3 radar for 2019.
Honorable Mentions: DeAndre Hopkins (Texans), Doug Baldwin (Seahawks), Alshon Jeffrey (Eagles)

LVP: Adam Thielen (Vikings)
A rare dud from Thielen came at a really puzzling time. The Vikings offense was humming along for most of the day in a blowout win over the Dolphins, but Thielen somehow managed to only secure 2 catches for 19 YDS. Kirk Cousins' favorite target will look to rebound against a mediocre Lions secondary in Week 16.
Dishonorable Mentions: Tyreek Hill (Chiefs), Josh Gordon (Patriots), D.J. Moore (Panthers)

Tight End
MVP: Trey Burton (Bears) 
In a week that was largely devoid of huge fantasy performances across the board, the futile tight end position ended up being especially underwhelming. As a result, Burton's pretty pedestrian 4 REC/36/1 TD day ended up being the best line of any TE that was started in a sizable number of leagues. Burton has a date with the banged-up 49ers secondary for fantasy championship week.
Honorable Mentions: Evan Engram (Giants), Vance McDonald (Steelers), Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

LVP: Eric Ebron (Colts)
TD-scoring machine Ebron was real quiet against the Cowboys, reeling in just 1 catch for 8 YDS, on a day where Marlon Mack was the focal point of the Colts offense as well as the only guy on the roster to hit paydirt. He has a decent chance of returning to the endzone against the Giants this Sunday.
Dishonorable Mentions: Cameron Brate (Buccaneers), Rob Gronkowski (Patriots), Jared Cook (Raiders)

Defense/Special Teams
MVP: Falcons
A bad defense with a good matchup streaming success story? It's a holiday miracle! The Falcons feasted on the horrible, Josh Rosen-led Cardinals offense, getting 7 sacks, 2 INT's, a FUM REC and a TD in an easy 40-14 victory. They'll likely be on the streaming radar again in Week 16 when they go up against a Taylor Henicike-led Panthers squad.
Honorable Mentions: Colts, Titans, Vikings

LVP: Rams
Remember when the return of Aqib Talib was going to solidify the Rams defense? Welp, that miracle fix for this perpetually underachieving defense hasn't happened yet. Wade Phillips' group got torched by the Nick Foles-led Eagles for 30 points in a 2nd consecutive disheartening primetime loss last Sunday night. That long-awaited bounceback might finally occur this week against the aforementioned abysmal, turnover-happy Cardinals offense.
Dishonorable Mentions: Bills, Texans, Seahawks

2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 16

()=previous ranking

1.(2) New Orleans Saints (12-2) Week 16 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
2.(1) Kansas City Chiefs (11-3) Week 16 opponent: Seattle Seahawks
3.(4) Los Angeles Chargers (11-3) Week 16 opponent: Baltimore Ravens
4.(3) Los Angeles Rams (11-3) Week 16 opponent: Arizona Cardinals
5.(7) Chicago Bears (10-4) Week 16 opponent: San Francisco 49ers
6.(8) Houston Texans (10-4) Week 16 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles
7.(5) New England Patriots (9-5) Week 16 opponent: Buffalo Bills
8.(6) Dallas Cowboys (8-6) Week 16 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9.(10) Indianapolis Colts (8-6) Week 16 opponent: New York Giants
10.(11) Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5-1) Week 16 opponent: New Orleans Saints
11.(9) Seattle Seahawks (8-6) Week 16 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
12.(12) Baltimore Ravens (8-6) Week 16 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers
13.(13) Minnesota Vikings (7-6-1) Week 16 opponent: Detroit Lions
14.(15) Tennessee Titans (8-6) Week 16 opponent: Washington Redskins
15.(18) Philadelphia Eagles (7-7) Week 16 opponent: Houston Texans
16.(17) Cleveland Browns (6-7-1) Week 16 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals
17.(14) Miami Dolphins (7-7) Week 16 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars
18.(16) Denver Broncos (6-8) Week 16 opponent: Oakland Raiders
19.(19) Green Bay Packers (5-8-1) Week 16 opponent: New York Jets
20.(24) Atlanta Falcons (5-9) Week 16 opponent: Carolina Panthers
21.(20) New York Giants (5-9) Week 16 opponent: Indianapolis Colts
22.(21) Carolina Panthers (6-8) Week 16 opponent: Atlanta Falcons
23.(22) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-9) Week 16 opponent: Dallas Cowboys
24.(25) Cincinnati Bengals (6-8) Week 16 opponent: Cleveland Browns
25.(27) Washington Redskins (7-7) Week 16 opponent: Tennessee Titans
26.(28) Buffalo Bills (5-9) Week 16 opponent: New England Patriots
27.(23) Detroit Lions (5-9) Week 16 opponent: Minnesota Vikings
28.(29) San Francisco 49ers (4-10) Week 16 opponent: Chicago Bears
29.(26) New York Jets (4-10) Week 16 opponent: Green Bay Packers
30.(30) Oakland Raiders (3-11) Week 16 opponent: Denver Broncos
31.(31) Arizona Cardinals (3-11) Week 16 opponent: Los Angeles Rams
32.(32) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10) Week 16 opponent: Miami Dolphins

Top 10 Live Performances of 2018

2018 hasn't been an overly great year for music. There's only been about 12-15 records that have really wowed me thus far and I'd be stunned if that suddenly changed over the next couple weeks. Live shows, on the other hand, couldn't have possibly been much better. Nearly every concert I went to this year featured at least one outstanding performance and the amount of true disappointments were very minimal. Having to whittle all of that excellence down to the 10 best is a beautiful problem to have, especially in a year where great albums weren't overly abundant. After some painful internal debate over the past week, I finally have a list I'm comfortable with. Hope you enjoy.    


Concerts I attended in 2018:
2/5: BROCKHAMPTON, House of Blues, Boston, MA
2/10: Machine Head, Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
4/3: Lorde/Run the Jewels/Mitski, TD Garden, Boston, MA
5/7: Turnstile/Touche Amore/Culture Abuse/Razorbumps, Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
5/19: Flatbush Zombies/Kirk Knight, House of Blues, Boston, MA
5/26: Boston Calling (Jack White/Queens of the Stone Age/St.Vincent/Royal Blood/Daniel Caesar/The Menzingers/Lillie Mae), Harvard Athletic Complex, Allston, MA
6/14: The Black Dahlia Murder/Whitechapel/Fleshgod Apocalypse/Aversions Crown/Shadow of Intent, Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
7/21: The Summer Slaughter Tour (Between the Buried and Me/Born of Osiris/Veil of Maya/ERRA/The Agony Scene/Allegaeon/Entheos), The Palladium, Worcester, MA
9/7: Drake/Migos/Roy Woods, TD Garden, Boston, MA
10/10: Denzel Curry/City Morgue, Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
10/16: Kali Uchis/Gabriel Garzon-Montano, House of Blues, Boston, MA
10/20: Revocation/Exhumed/Rivers of Nihil, Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA
11/1: Behemoth/At the Gates/Wolves in the Throne Room, House of Blues, Boston, MA
12/2: Travis Scott/Gunna/Trippie Redd/Sheck Wes, TD Garden, Boston, MA

Honorable Mentions: Denzel Curry, Jack White, Behemoth, Migos, Exhumed

10.Entheos: Playing in the undesirable mid-afternoon opening slot on a 10-band tour package didn't throw this vastly underrated progressive/technical death metal act off their game in the slightest. Their explosive 20-minute set packed a wallop that almost no one else on this impressive lineup full of veteran bands even came close to matching.  

9.Queens of the Stone Age: I passed on multiple opportunities to see QOSTA over the past 5-6 years because I wasn't big on any of the records they've released since Lullabies to Paralyze and found the YouTube videos of their recent live shows that I'd seen to be very underwhelming. Now that I've finally set this ridiculous vendetta aside, I feel like a fucking dunce for not going to see them sooner. Between the parade of massive riffs that drive the bulk of their songs and their larger-than-life stage presence, these guys are a reminder of how much fun pure rock-and-roll shows are when they're executed properly.  

8.Flatbush Zombies: While they were exceptional at Boston Calling in 2017, seeing Flatbush Zombies in a club setting with an audience that's solely comprised of their fans was like giving performance-enchaining drugs to an athlete that was already naturally elite. Having a group of people actually feed off the insane energy they bring to the stage made this feel like a rowdy metal/punk show, and that beautifully ferocious atmosphere combined with their always superb technical skills reaffirmed why they're in the running for the title of best live hip-hop act on the planet right now.  

7.Kali Uchis: Over-the-top live spectacles delight me to no end, but a subdued, minimalist display of pure artistry can be just as effective when the individual is talented enough. Armed with nothing but a backing band and some killer dance moves, this relatively brief headlining set was a stunning showcase of her hauntingly beautiful vocals, musical versatility and limitless star potential.    

6.Lorde: Huge pop stars routinely get crucified for their reliance on backing tracks and/or lip syncing to cover up their deficiencies as a singer in a live environment. None of those dreaded critiques can be applied to Lorde. Her singing is even more impressive live than it is on record and this incredible, emotionally-charged vocal performance helped anchor this powerful set in support of her terrific 2017 record Melodrama.

5.St.Vincent: Thanks to an impressive run of knockout performances to close out the show, Boston Calling ended up being the best show I attended in 2018 by a comfortable margin. I say this with no disrespect to the other excellent performers that graced the stages in Allston that Saturday in late May, but Annie Clark was the clear MVP of the day. Her 60-minute set was a wild ride that featured bizarre psychedelic visuals, a tremendous range of vocals and bold, wildly successful instrumental rearrangements of her songs that left my jaw on the floor while also making me appreciate her 1,000x more as a musician than I did in coming into the show.

4.Revocation: Watching David Davidson and co. put on an awe-inspiring technical clinic was a joy as always, but this spectacular setlist that included a bunch of material I hadn't heard before ("Chaos of Forms", "Existence is Futile", "The Blackest Reaches", "Only the Spineless Survive") was the catalyst behind this special set. A relative lack of setlist diversity was the only issue I ever had with Revocation's shows and simply fixing that problem went a long way in making this the most enjoyable Revocation show I've seen to-date.

3.Machine Head: With longtime guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Dave McClain set to exit the band at the end of this current touring cycle, their future is murky at best, so I'm glad that I got to see them one final time while they were still at their powerhouse best. Managing to put together a 2+ hour set that is consistently compelling and perfectly-performed from a musical standpoint is a truly incredible feat, especially when every member of the band is either pushing or over 50. Bonus points for somehow getting the material from their messy, WTF-inducing new LP Catharsis to (mostly) work live.

2.The Black Dahlia Murder: 2018 was light on full album sets for me, but thankfully Black Dahlia was able to fill that void with a crushing front-to-back performance of their most recent record Nightbringers. Their 2017 masterpiece is a non-stop ripper that was designed to mosh, headbang and just generally have a good time while listening to, which in turn brought out the best that these always jovial dealers of extreme metal destruction have to offer as a live act.  

1.Between the Buried and Me: SHYMALAN TWIST INCOMING: A band that I've spent countless hours fawning over, especially live, takes home Performance of the Year yet again. A dynamic setlist that blended A+ material that they hardly play live anymore ("Extremophile Elite", "Informal Gluttony") with several of the finest cuts from both halves of this year's Automata saga ("Blot", "Condemned to the Gallows", "Voice" of Trespass") and old staples ("Selkies: The Endless Obsession", "Disease, Injury, Madness") made this one of the clear standouts in the sea of tremendous performances that I've been fortunate enough to see from them over the past decade.

Miscellaneous Awards:
Top Shows:
5.Summer Slaughter
4.Lorde/Run the Jewels/Mitski
3.Revocation/Exhumed/Rivers of Nihil
2.Machine Head
1.Boston Calling

Biggest Surprises:
5.Gunna
4.Aversions Crown
3.Gabriel Garzon-Montano
2.Exhumed
1.Queens of the Stone Age

Biggest Letdowns:
3.Whitechapel
2.Fleshgod Apocalypse
1.BROCKHAMPTON 

Artists I hope to see in 2019:
5.2 Chainz
4.Greyhaven
3.Ariana Grande
2.Dance Gavin Dance
1.Lana Del Rey

Programming Notice

Dear readers,
It's that wonderful time of year where I dedicate the bulk of my time to preparing for my 2018 music and movie recaps. As a result, I'm going to be scaling back on my writing for the next month. All of my regular weekly pieces won't be effected, but the volume of additional content will be minimal until all of the year-end lists have been completed. Thank you for supporting this janky all year long and I hope you enjoy all of the 2018 retrospective content that will be slowly trickling out over the next several weeks.

Chris Maitland  

2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 15

()=previous ranking

1.(2) Kansas City Chiefs (11-2) Week 15 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers
2.(3) New Orleans Saints (11-2) Week 15 opponent: Carolina Panthers
3.(1) Los Angeles Rams (11-2) Week 15 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles
4.(5) Los Angeles Chargers (10-3) Week 15 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
5.(4) New England Patriots (9-4) Week 15 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
6.(7) Dallas Cowboys (8-5) Week 15 opponent: Indianapolis Colts
7.(9) Chicago Bears (9-4) Week 15 opponent: Green Bay Packers
8.(6) Houston Texans (9-4) Week 15 opponent: New York Jets
9.(10) Seattle Seahawks (8-5) Week 15 opponent: San Francisco 49ers
10.(13) Indianapolis Colts (7-6) Week 15 opponent: Dallas Cowboys
11.(8) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5-1) Week 15 opponent: New England Patriots
12.(12) Baltimore Ravens (7-6) Week 15 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
13.(11) Minnesota Vikings (6-6-1) Week 15 opponent: Miami Dolphins
14.(16) Miami Dolphins (7-6) Week 15 opponent: Minnesota Vikings
15.(18) Tennessee Titans (7-6) Week 15 opponent: New York Giants
16.(14) Denver Broncos (6-7) Week 15 opponent: Cleveland Browns
17.(19) Cleveland Browns (5-7-1) Week 15 opponent: Denver Broncos
18.(17) Philadelphia Eagles (6-7) Week 15 opponent: Los Angeles Rams
19.(22) Green Bay Packers (5-7-1) Week 15 opponent: Chicago Bears
20.(23) New York Giants (5-8) Week 15 opponent: Tennessee Titans
21.(15) Carolina Panthers (6-7) Week 15 opponent: New Orleans Saints
22.(20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-8) Week 15 opponent: Baltimore Ravens
23.(26) Detroit Lions (5-8) Week 15 opponent: Buffalo Bills
24.(24) Atlanta Falcons (4-9) Week 15 opponent: Arizona Cardinals
25.(25) Cincinnati Bengals (5-8) Week 15 opponent: Oakland Raiders
26.(30) New York Jets (4-9) Week 15 opponent: Houston Texans
27.(21) Washington Redskins (6-7) Week 15 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars
28.(28) Buffalo Bills (4-9) Week 15 opponent: Detroit Lions
29.(32) San Francisco 49ers (3-10) Week 15 opponent: Seattle Seahawks
30.(31) Oakland Raiders (3-10) Week 15 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals
31.(29) Arizona Cardinals (3-10) Week 15 opponent: Atlanta Falcons
32.(27) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9) Week 15 opponent: Washington Redskins  

Week 14 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers (2018 Edition)

Quarterback
MVP: Tom Brady (Patriots)
If you set aside the hilarious miracle lateral play that only further confirmed that Hard Rock Stadium is a loopy, inexplicable house of horrors for the Patriots, Brady had himself a nice afternoon in Miami. He made several highlight-worthy throws and was able to get both his long-time safety nets (Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski) to snap out of lengthy cold streaks during a season-best performance (358 YDS/3 TD) that still wasn't enough to sink those pesky Dolphins. While he hasn't been as sharp as usual this season, especially on the road, Brady is still an uncontested QB1 and I expect him to be out for blood this Sunday when the Pats travel to Pittsburgh to take on a reeling Steelers squad.
Honorable Mentions: Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Andrew Luck (Colts), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

LVP: Jared Goff (Rams)
Goff followed up a shaky performance in Detroit with his worst game since Jeff Fisher left town. The 3rd-year rising star got punched in the face by the Chicago cold and a ferocious Bears defense, throwing for 180 YDS, 0 TD and 4 INT's in a stunning primetime loss. A return to the LA sunshine for a showdown with the Eagles makeshift secondary should be just what the doctor ordered to cure whatever has ailed him over the past couple weeks.
Dishonorable Mentions: Russell Wilson (Seahawks), Kirk Cousins (Vikings), Cam Newton (Panthers)

Running Back
MVP: Derrick Henry (Titans)
We should've known that Week 14 was going to be a wild one after Derrick Effin' Henry put forth one of the most dominant rushing performances in recent memory. The 3rd-year back didn't look like a guy who had failed to clear 500 YDS on the ground in the first 12 games of the year as he barreled through an increasingly lackadaisical Jaguars D for 238 YDS and 4 TD's last Thursday night. Henry will look to recreate this piece of pure rushing magic this week against a Giants defense that has surrendered the 7th most fantasy points to running backs this season, but has looked a lot better in recent weeks.
Honorable Mentions: Saquon Barkley (Giants), Joe Mixon (Bengals), Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys)

LVP: James White (Patriots)
With the aforementioned heavy involvement of Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, someone was bound to get their workload reduced and White ended up being that poor soul. The Patriots swiss-army knife out of the backfield only logged 6 touches (4 carries, 2 receptions) for 28 YDS in their befuddling 34-33 last-second loss to the Dolphins. Regardless of how he performs over the next couple of weeks, White was arguably the biggest steal at the RB position this season, managing double-digit TD's and over 1,000 scrimmage YDS with an ADP that was in the 80-100 range on every major site. His continued heavy involvement on this reliably strong albeit aging offense should make him an intriguing mid-round pick next year.
Dishonorable Mentions: Todd Gurley (Rams), Leonard Fournette (Jaguars), Adrian Peterson (Redskins)

Wide Receiver 
MVP: Amari Cooper (Cowboys)
Cooper's domination in Dallas continued on Sunday against the porous Eagles, hauling in 10 receptions for 217 YDS and 3 TD to help America's Team earn a huge OT victory that all but officially clinched them their 3rd NFC East crown in the last 5 years. The notoriously erratic 4th-year wideout has made the naysayers like myself look like complete jackasses since he joined the Cowboys in mid-October and given his heavy target share in this otherwise underwhelming passing attack, he should be a borderline WR1 for the rest of the fantasy playoffs.
Honorable Mentions: JuJu Smith-Schuster (Steelers), Julio Jones (Falcons), Jarvis Landry (Browns)

LVP: Kenny Golladay (Lions)
Sure Golladay drew a tough assignment from Cardinals lockdown corner Patrick Peterson on Sunday afternoon that was likely to going to limit his production, but his putrid performance (2 REC for 5 YDS) was downright unacceptable for an uncontested top receiver on a team that currently has no other viable offensive options at their disposal. The sophomore breakout isn't a safe bet to get back on track against a tough Bills secondary that has held the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, T.Y. Hilton and Josh Gordon to under 65 YDS this season.  
Dishonorable Mentions: Cortland Sutton (Broncos), Chris Godwin (Buccaneers), Brandin Cooks (Rams)

Tight End
MVP: George Kittle (49ers)
While Kittle squandered a chance to make it into the history books by failing to secure a reception after halftime, his monster 1st half against an unsuspecting Broncos team was enough to turn a lot of heads (7 REC, 210 YDS, 1 TD) and clinch a lot of W's for his owners. Kittle has been the only real breakout star to emerge out of this dreadful position group this year and with Jimmy Garoppolo back in the fold next year, he appears to be on track to join Zach Ertz and Travis Kelce as the only TE's to be top 40 overall fantasy picks in 2019.
Honorable Mentions: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots), Travis Kelce (Chiefs), Cameron Brate (Buccaneers)

LVP: Jimmy Graham (Packers)
Mike McCarthy's long overdue dismissal led to an offensive explosion for the Packers in a 34-20 victory over the Falcons. Unfortunately, Graham was left out of the fun, finishing the day with just 2 catches for 13 YDS. With only 549 YDS and 2 TD's on the year so far, Graham hasn't even come close to delivering on his top 60 ADP.
Dishonorable Mentions: Kyle Rudolph (Vikings), Chris Herndon (Jets), Trey Burton (Bears)

Defense/Special Teams
MVP: Bears 
Anyone that had the stones to start the Bears D against the Rams this week was handsomely rewarded for their bravery. Vic Fangio's group absolutely stifled one of the league's most lethal offenses,  securing 4 INT's, 3 sacks, a safety and only allowing 6 points in a huge win for the NFC North leaders. The Bears welcome a Packers team that walked all over them back in Week 1 to Solider Field this Sunday.
Honorable Mentions: Giants, Seahawks, Packers

LVP: Chargers
While they were far from disastrous, Chargers D owners definitely expected better than 3 sacks, 0 takeaways and 21 points allowed to the Jeff Driskel-led Bengals. The Chargers have been up-and-down from a fantasy perspective all year long and I highly doubt they'll be able to shed that frustrating label over the final 2 weeks of the season.
Dishonorable Mentions: Bills, Texans, Broncos 

The Best and Worst of Clint Eastwood

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “The Mule” star Clint Eastwood.

Films starring Clint Eastwood that I've seen:
A Fistful of Dollars
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Dirty Harry
Unforgiven
Million Dollar Baby
Gran Torino
Trouble with the Curve

Best Performance: Gran Torino (2008)
The first stop on Eastwood's Cher-like prolonged farewell tour was a seriously brilliant one. As a bigoted Korean War vet who develops an unlikely relationship with a Hmong teenager (Bee Vang) in his Detroit neighborhood following the death of his wife, his signature gruffness, subtle vulnerability and underrated gift for delivering snarky one-liners are on display to the fullest extent, and that well-rounded performance helps make Gran Torino a compelling, stunningly heartwarming drama that I'll never forget.

Worst Performance: Dirty Harry (1971)
This is a blueprint on how to not play an action movie lead. Dirty Harry is a stiff, overly gritty tough guy character that desperately needed some charisma or over-the-top diabolical menace to become interesting.

Best Film: Unforgiven (1992)
Outside of John Wayne, there's probably no one more synonymous with westerns than Eastwood. While he's appeared in no shortage of great ones over the course of his career, I believe he saved his best for last with Unforgiven.  Not only does this film deliver the gloomy atmosphere and tense bursts of action you've come to expect with Eastwood's contributions to the genre, it also serves as a poignant reflection on the long-term effects violence has on the human psyche and mankind's crippling inability to change their ways.

Worst Film: Dirty Harry (1971)
Anytime the topic of overrated movies comes up, Dirty Harry is always one of the first titles that enters my mind. If you catch me on the right day, it might even be the first one I think of. To put it simply, I hate the shit out of this movie. This isn't a case of something aging terribly either, Dirty Harry is just a straight-up staggering failure as an action thriller. The pacing is sluggish, the tone is laughably stoic, the narrative is jumbled to the point where it barely makes sense and the limited action that occurs looks like it was shot on one of those grainy cameras that ruled the porn shoots of this era. Truly wretched stuff.  

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Mary Poppins Returns” star Meryl Streep.

As We Proceed Episode #29

On this episode of "As We Proceed",  Feliciano and I discuss Travis Scott earning his first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, 6ix9ine potentially facing life in prison and the impact of Drake's Take Care 7 years after its release. Peep it at either of the links below:  

Soundcloud:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-we-proceed/id1122163104?mt=2

The Best and Worst of Julia Roberts

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Ben is Back” star Julia Roberts.

Films starring Julia Roberts that I've seen:
Runaway Bride
Erin Brockovich
Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Twelve
Charlie Wilson's War
Larry Crowne
Secret in Their Eyes
Money Monster
Wonder

Best Performance: Erin Brockovich (2000)
Roberts picked up an Oscar for this role and despite edging out a performance that reasoned deeper with me (Ellen Burstyn's heartbreaking turn in Requiem for a Dream) for Best Actress that year, I completely understand why she won. She delicately balances the vibrancy, crassness and unwavering resilience in the face of adversity that makes Brockovich such a compelling, inspirational individual.

Worst Performance: Runaway Bride (1999)
You'd have to try really hard to be more charmless in a romantic comedy than Roberts was in Runaway Bride. She maintains a mannequin-like presence throughout this torturous "will they or won't they?" story and while I can't comment on Pretty Woman, her chemistry with Richard Gere here is completely nonexistent.

Best Film: Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Serious projects that have emotional weight or insightful social/political commentary are great and all, but a lot of the most memorable movies I've ever seen are the ones that are just pure, glorious entertainment. This ensemble heist flick does the latter better than just about any other movie I've ever seen and I'm delighted that the immense fun it offers up hasn't lessened with age.

Worst Film: Runaway Bride (1999)
As you can deduce from the list above, I've failed to see any of the beloved romantic comedies (Mystic Pizza, Notting Hill, My Best Friend's Wedding, the aforementioned Pretty Woman) Roberts has appeared in over the past 30 years. My extreme hatred of Runaway Bride has at least something to do with my failure to seek any of these films out. This is about as schmaltzy, stiff, unfunny and flat-out insufferable as the genre can possibly be, and I feel completely comfortable declaring it one of the worst movies I've ever sat through.

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “The Mule” star Clint Eastwood. 

Week 13 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers (2018 Edition)

Quarterback
MVP: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) 
Big shocker: An MVP candidate had a big game against the Raiders. Mahomes carved up Oakland's porous secondary for 296 YDS and 4 TD while also adding a season-high 52 YDS on the ground. He'll have a much tougher go of it this week against a Ravens secondary that just held Matt Ryan to 131 YDS.
Honorable Mentions: Russell Wilson (Seahawks), Phillip Rivers (Chargers), Jameis Winston (Buccaneers)

LVP: Drew Brees (Saints)
Brees got suffocated by a Cowboys defense that was dialed-in for 60 minutes and it led to an ugly statline (127 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT) that sunk a lot of fantasy players. He will more than likely redeem himself in Week 14 when the Saints travel to Tampa to take on an unholy awful Bucs defense that he shredded for 439 YDS and 3 TD's earlier this season.
Dishonorable Mentions: Jared Goff (Rams), Kirk Cousins (Vikings), Andrew Luck (Colts)

Running Back
MVP: Todd Gurley (Rams)
On a day where Jared Goff wasn't particularly sharp, it was up to Gurley to lead the charge on the Rams offense and he unsurprisingly was up to the task, picking up 155 scrimmage YDS and 2 rushing TD's on 26 touches in a sloppy yet still pretty dominant road win over the Lions. He should fare well on Sunday night against a Bears run D that had its share of problems containing fellow lethal dual-threat back Saquon Barkley last week.
Honorable Mentions: Phillip Lindsay (Broncos), Tarik Cohen (Bears), Christian McCaffery (Panthers)

LVP: Dion Lewis (Titans)
Week 13's slew of bombshell developments continued as Lewis once again didn't do a whole hell of a lot with his minimal touches (34 YDS on 8 totes) versus a Jets defense that has gotten eviscerated by running backs all season long. Outside of a couple of multi-TD explosions, Lewis has been incredibly ineffective in his inaugural campaign with the Titans. He shouldn't be started in non-Hail Mary scenarios this week against the Jaguars.
Dishonorable Mentions: Mark Ingram (Saints), Marlon Mack (Colts), Austin Ekeler (Chargers)

Wide Receiver 
MVP: Keenan Allen (Chargers)
Allen's fantasy owners finally got the breakout game they had been waiting for all season. With Melvin Gordon out, Allen became the focal point of the offense, registering an absurd 14 catches for 148 YDS, 1 TD and a 2-PT conversion in the Chargers wild comeback victory over the Steelers on Sunday night. Look for Allen to be heavily involved once again, regardless of Gordon's availability, when the lowly Bengals roll into the StubHub Center in Week 14.
Honorable Mentions: Antonio Brown (Steelers), Golden Tate (Eagles), Chris Godwin (Buccaneers)

LVP: Julio Jones (Falcons)
It's been quite some time since Jones put up a dud like this. The seemingly perennial league leader in receiving yards mustered only 2 catches for 18 YDS in an ugly loss to the Ravens that essentially killed whatever minute chance the Falcons still had of making the playoffs this year. I'd be stunned if Jones didn't perform better against a below average Packers secondary in Week 14.
Dishonorable Mentions: Emmanuel Sanders (Broncos), Alshon Jeffrey (Eagles), Josh Reynolds (Rams)

Tight End
MVP: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
A lost fumble was the only blemish for Kelce on a monstrous afternoon (12 REC/168 YDS/2 TD) where the offense pretty much exclusively ran through him. 2018's top fantasy tight end by a mile will look to stuff the stat sheet yet again against a stout Ravens secondary this Sunday.
Honorable Mentions: Jared Cook (Raiders), Austin Hooper (Falcons), Zach Ertz (Eagles)

LVP: Trey Burton (Bears)
Burton was an afterthought for Chase Daniel on Sunday against the Giants, failing to catch his lone target on a day where Tarik Cohen and Allen Robinson did almost all of the damage in the passing game. Despite back-to-back duds, he's still a low-end TE1.
Dishonorable Mentions: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots), David Njoku (Browns), Gerald Everett (Rams) 

Defense/Special Teams
MVP: Texans
Baker Mayfield's hot streak came to an ugly end courtesy of the Texans D on Sunday. This resurgent group put forth an incredible effort against the Browns rookie QB, picking up 3 INT's, a fumble recovery and a TD in a 29-13 victory. They'll be a relatively shaky start in Week 14 when they square off against a Colts offense that has done a pretty good job of protecting the football and their QB of late.
Honorable Mentions: Jaguars, Seahawks, Saints

LVP: Packers
The Packers are the star of this week's episode of "When Streaming Shaky Defenses Who Have Great Matchups Goes Wrong". They only registered 2 sacks and 0 takeaways in a 20-17 loss against a young, turnover-prone Cardinals team. Feel free to drop them.
Dishonorable Mentions: Steelers, Bears, Titans

2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 14

()=previous ranking

1.(2) Los Angeles Rams (11-1) Week 14 opponent: Chicago Bears
2.(3) Kansas City Chiefs (10-2) Week 14 opponent: Baltimore Ravens
3.(1) New Orleans Saints (10-2) Week 14 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4.(4) New England Patriots (9-3) Week 14 opponent: Miami Dolphins
5.(5) Los Angeles Chargers (9-3) Week 14 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals
6.(7) Houston Texans (9-3) Week 14 opponent: Indianapolis Colts
7.(11) Dallas Cowboys (7-5) Week 14 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles
8.(6) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4-1) Week 14 opponent: Oakland Raiders
9.(8) Chicago Bears (8-4) Week 14 opponent: Los Angeles Rams
10.(12) Seattle Seahawks (7-5) Week 14 opponent: Minnesota Vikings
11.(9) Minnesota Vikings (6-5-1) Week 14 opponent: Seattle Seahawks
12.(13) Baltimore Ravens  (7-5) Week 14 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
13.(10) Indianapolis Colts (6-6) Week 14 opponent: Houston Texans
14.(15) Denver Broncos (6-6) Week 14 opponent: San Francisco 49ers
15.(14) Carolina Panthers (6-6) Week 14 opponent: Cleveland Browns
16.(18) Miami Dolphins (6-6) Week 14 opponent: New England Patriots
17.(21) Philadelphia Eagles (6-6) Week 14 opponent: Dallas Cowboys
18.(19) Tennessee Titans (6-6) Week 14 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars
19.(17) Cleveland Browns (4-7-1) Week 14 opponent: Carolina Panthers
20.(24) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7) Week 14 opponent: New Orleans Saints
21.(16) Washington Redskins (6-6) Week 14 opponent: New York Giants
22.(20) Green Bay Packers (4-7-1) Week 14 opponent: Atlanta Falcons
23.(27) New York Giants (4-8) Week 14 opponent: Washington Redskins
24.(22) Atlanta Falcons (4-8) Week 14 opponent: Green Bay Packers
25.(23) Cincinnati Bengals (5-7) Week 14 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers
26.(25) Detroit Lions (4-8) Week 14 opponent: Arizona Cardinals
27.(28) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) Week 14 opponent: Tennessee Titans
28.(26) Buffalo Bills (4-8) Week 14 opponent: New York Jets
29.(32) Arizona Cardinals (3-9) Week 14 opponent: Detroit Lions
30.(29) New York Jets (3-9) Week 14 opponent: Buffalo Bills
31.(31) Oakland Raiders (2-10) Week 14 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
32.(30) San Francisco 49ers (2-10) Week 14 opponent: Denver Broncos

Concert Review: Travis Scott--Boston, MA--December 2nd, 2018

Lineup: Travis Scott/Gunna/Trippie Redd/Sheck Wes
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Sheck Wes: Shockingly long lines to get into the Garden almost deprived me of the opportunity to see the thousands of small children in attendance go completely apeshit for Mo Bamba. Fortunately, I got to my seats in time to witness this extraordinary event. Seeing an Instagram/Twitter meme come to life in front of your eyes is the type of warm, fuzzy moment that makes you glad to be alive. The rest of the set was essentially a heartfelt tribute to Bamba's NBA career thus far: A relatively uneventful 15-20 minutes of action that wasn't notably good or bad. At least we'll have always FUCK, SHIT, BITCH Sheck.

Trippie Redd: It's difficult to describe how split I am about Trippie Redd's performance. He barely rapped or sung when the music was playing, but then proceeded to successfully perform a capella for about 1-2 minutes during every song he played with the exception of "Dark Knight Dummo". If you have the confidence and ability to sing and rap without a backing track, why not do it while you're accompanied by music? Trippie is a talented kid with a ton of potential, but his live shows are going to continue to be frustrating as hell if he continues this super bizarre (and in my experience, unprecedented) practice.  

Gunna: To be honest, Gunna had the cleanest performance of the night from a technical standpoint. The sound mix was great, he rolled through every song without any serious hiccups and the laid-back charisma that has helped him become one of the genre's fastest rising stars over the past six months or so was on full display. Only real disappointment was that his set only lasted about 25 minutes. Another 10-15 minutes of melodic trap goodness and he could've ended up stealing the spotlight from Travis on his own damn tour.

Travis Scott: I'll get the petty complaining garbage I just alluded to out of the way immediately: The sound was total shit for the majority of the set. The bass was so loud and muddy that it regularly drowned out Travis' vocals. Hell, the stuff from his pre-Rodeo days (particularly "Quintana", "Skyfall", and "Don't Play") was borderline painful to sit through because of this messy, overwhelming rattling. I have no idea if this was a result of technical difficulties or an intentional creative decision by Travis, but it definitely impeded on the quality of the show.

That being said, an extended run of garbage sound isn't enough to keep La Flame down. Even in the less-than-intimate setting of an arena, he's as energetic and engaging of a performer as you'll find in hip-hop. His goal is for everyone in the room to have a great time and through his passionate, frantic stage presence that turns every track into a rousing affair, he accomplished that goal with ease.   

With this being the Astroworld tour, there was also the added fun of having a killer amusement park backdrop for the festivities. The multi-stage setup featuring a Ferris Wheel, roller coaster and funhouse-esque projections was essentially the physical manifestation of what Astroworld is as an album: Sprawling, playful and incredibly compelling. It was the type of sweeping, shameless spectacle that would make his protégé Kanye West proud and ultimately played a crucial role in helping this set overcome its technical adversity to become a winner.        

Grades:

Sheck Wes: C

Trippie Redd: B-

Gunna: B

Travis Scott: B+

Setlists:

Sheck Wes included:

Kyrie

Mo Bamba

Live Sheck Wes Die Sheck Wes

Trippie Redd included:
Dark Knight Dummo (opener)

Taking a Walk

Wish (Diplo cover)

Fuck Love (XXXTENTACION cover)

Gunna included:

Shopping Addiction

Chanel (Young Thug cover)

Space Cadet (Metro Boomin cover)
Sold Out Dates

Drip Too Hard

Drip or Drown

Travis Scott:

Stargazing

Carousel 

Quintana

Uptown

way back

Mamacita

Butterfly Effect

No Bystanders

Don't Play 

3500

Skyfall

through the late night

Drugs You Should Try It

90210

Love Galore (SZA cover)

Skeletons

Astrothunder

R.I.P Screw

Houstonfornication

Stop Trying to Be God

NC-17

ZEZE (Kodak Black cover)

I'm Shipping Up to Boston (Dropkick Murphys cover)

beibs in the trap

Yosemite (w/Gunna)

Can't Say (w/Don Toliver)

Antidote

goosebumps

Sicko Mode

Early 2018-19 NBA Rookie of the Year Candidates

The first quarter of the 2018-19 NBA season has been very bizarre. Presumed title contenders have gotten off to rocky starts (Warriors, Celtics, Rockets), perennial doormats have made unexpected improvements (Magic, Kings, Hornets) and a Clippers squad that was supposedly in rebuilding mode is sitting at the top of the Western Conference. While this unexpected inaugural chapter of the season has been dominating the headlines and narratives across the league, some members of this year's draft class have quietly started to solidify themselves as the next crop of potential future stars. Here are the five guys I've pegged as early Rookie of the Year candidates.

Note: All stats are through November 29th

Just missed the cut: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, point guard (Clippers), Collin Sexton, point guard (Cavaliers), Marvin Bagley III, power forward (Kings)

Deandre Ayton, center (Suns) (21 games, 16.4 PTS, 61.5 FG%, 78.6 FT%, 10.4 REB, 2.5 AST, 0.9 BLK)
Seemingly every player the Suns have drafted in the lottery (Dragan Bender, Marquise Chriss, Josh Jackson) since they took offensive centerpiece Devin Booker back in 2015 has been a bust. This year's top overall pick appears on track to buck that trend for this long-suffering franchise. Ayton's strong post presence and soft shooting touch from 15 feet and in has opened up more outside looks for his teammates. He's also brought back the concepts of rebounding and exhibiting effort on defense to Phoenix, which is a huge plus for a team that previously crashed the glass or contested a shot roughly once a month.

Wendell Carter Jr., power forward/center (Bulls) (22 games, 10.8 PTS, 45.7 FG%, 82.3 FT%, 7.1 REB, 1.6 BLK, 0.6 STL)
Carter's stats aren't going to drop a lot of jaws. However, he's given this defensively-challenged Bulls team a legit rim-protector who can also put up some points and make free throws when called upon. If sophomore Lauri Markkanen can maintain his explosive scoring ways when he returns to the floor in the next week or so, the Bulls might have themselves a really nice young frontcourt to help jumpstart their rebuild.

Luka Doncic, point guard/shooting guard (Mavericks) (19 games, 19.1 PTS, 45.7 FG%, 39.8 3P%, 79.5 FT%, 6.5 REB, 4.2 AST, 1.0 STL)
Every once in a while a rookie bursts onto the scene and just blows you away with their talent right away. Doncic is one of those guys. His playmaking ability/killer instinct is special and that combo of unreal polish and poise for a 19-year old has allowed him to serve as a much-needed lightning rod for a Mavericks squad that has been light on excitement since the great Dirk Nowitzki fell out of his prime a few years back.

Jaren Jackson Jr., power forward (Grizzlies) (20 games, 12.7 PTS, 51.3 FG%, 73.3 FT%, 34.9 3P%, 4.5 REB, 2.1 BLK, 1.0 STL)
While the return of Mike Conley after missing nearly all of last season with a foot injury has been huge, Jackson Jr. has also played a crucial role in the Grizzlies surprising 12-8 start. He's brought a level of defensive prowess and reliable secondary scoring to the starting lineup that simply wasn't there during their nightmare 2017-18 campaign.

Trae Young, point guard (Hawks) (22 games, 15.9 PTS, 38.3 FG%, 25.4 3P%, 83.3 FT% 7.6 AST, 0.7 STL) 
If Collin Sexton didn't have such a poor October, he probably would've bumped Young off this list. That being said, the Oklahoma product has flashed enough as a facilitator (his 7.6 assists per game average is tied with De'Aron Fox and Jeff Teague for 7th most in the league) for this youth-driven Hawks squad to make up for his inefficiency and sometimes comical recklessness as a shooter.  

Current Leader: Luka Doncic
Runner-up: Deandre Ayton
Dark Horse to Watch: Jaren Jackson Jr.

2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 13

()=previous ranking

1.(1) New Orleans Saints (10-1) Week 13 opponent: Dallas Cowboys
2.(2) Los Angeles Rams (10-1) Week 13 opponent: Detroit Lions
3.(3) Kansas City Chiefs (9-2) Week 13 opponent: Oakland Raiders
4.(6) New England Patriots (8-3) Week 13 opponent: Minnesota Vikings
5.(5) Los Angeles Chargers (8-3) Week 13 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
6.(4) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3-1) Week 13 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers
7.(7) Houston Texans (8-3) Week 13 opponent: Cleveland Browns
8.(8) Chicago Bears (8-3) Week 13 opponent: New York Giants
9.(9) Minnesota Vikings (6-4-1) Week 13 opponent: New England Patriots
10.(11) Indianapolis Colts (6-5) Week 13 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars
11.(12) Dallas Cowboys (6-5) Week 13 opponent: New Orleans Saints
12.(14) Seattle Seahawks (6-5) Week 13 opponent: San Francisco 49ers
13.(13) Baltimore Ravens (6-5) Week 13 opponent: Atlanta Falcons
14.(10) Carolina Panthers (6-5) Week 13 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
15.(24) Denver Broncos (5-6) Week 13 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals
16.(15) Washington Redskins (6-5) Week 13 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles
17.(21) Cleveland Browns (4-6-1) Week 13 opponent: Houston Texans
18.(19) Miami Dolphins (5-6) Week 13 opponent: Buffalo Bills
19.(17) Tennessee Titans (5-6) Week 13 opponent: New York Jets
20.(18) Green Bay Packers (4-6-1) Week 13 opponent: Arizona Cardinals
21.(22) Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) Week 13 opponent: Washington Redskins
22.(20) Atlanta Falcons (4-7) Week 13 opponent: Baltimore Ravens
23.(16) Cincinnati Bengals (5-6) Week 13 opponent: Denver Broncos
24.(26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) Week 13 opponent: Carolina Panthers
25.(23) Detroit Lions (4-7) Week 13 opponent: Los Angeles Rams
26.(27) Buffalo Bills (4-7) Week 13 opponent: Miami Dolphins
27.(25) New York Giants (3-8) Week 13 opponent: Chicago Bears
28.(28) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8) Week 13 opponent: Indianapolis Colts
29.(29) New York Jets (3-8) Week 13 opponent: Tennessee Titans
30.(30) San Francisco 49ers (2-9) Week 13 opponent: Seattle Seahawks
31.(31) Oakland Raiders (2-9) Week 13 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
32.(32) Arizona Cardinals (2-9) Week 13 opponent: Green Bay Packers

Week 12 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers (2018 Edition)

Quarterback 
MVP: Deshaun Watson (Texans) 
The dual threat capabilities of the Texans signalcaller were on full display last night as he gashed the Titans overrated defense for 210 YDS and a TD through the air and 70 YDS and a TD on the ground. Watson will look to keep rolling in a favorable matchup against the Browns this Sunday.
Honorable Mentions: Kirk Cousins (Vikings), Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Baker Mayfield (Browns)

LVP: Aaron Rodgers (Packers)
Rodgers hasn't looked like himself recently and that troubling trend continued with a very poor performance in a must-win game against the Vikings on Sunday night. The star QB threw for just 198 YDS and 1 TD in a crushing 24-17 loss that dropped the Packers to 4-6-1 on the year. As disheartening as the last few weeks have been, a return to Lambeau Field to square off against a sad Cardinals defense could very well prove to be the cure for what ails #12.
Dishonorable Mentions: Carson Wentz (Eagles), Matthew Stafford (Lions), Eli Manning (Giants)

Running Back
MVP: Christian McCaffery (Panthers)
It's kind of insane that the Panthers managed to lose a game where McCaffery was borderline unstoppable. The sophomore running back picked up a ridiculous 237 scrimmage YDS (125 rushing, 112 receiving) and 2 scores on 28 touches against the Seahawks feisty albeit not overly talented defense. McCaffery has been a beacon of light during the Panthers current 3-game losing streak and it would be a huge shock if the current warpath he's on came to a halt against the Bucs league-worst D in Week 13.
Honorable Mentions: Saquon Barkley (Giants), Nick Chubb (Browns), Leonard Fournette (Jaguars)

LVP: Jordan Howard (Bears)
With starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky out with a shoulder injury and a prime matchup against a Lions defense that has consistently struggled to stop the run, this seemed like the perfect game for Howard to break out of his nearly season-long funk. In a not-so-surprising twist, he squandered the opportunity by only gaining 15 YDS on 8 touches. Howard has been a massive letdown after rushing for over 1,000 YDS in each of the past 2 seasons and if it wasn't for the trash depth at the position, he wouldn't even be a rosterable player in 10 team leagues.
Dishonorable Mentions: Dion Lewis (Titans), Duke Johnson Jr. (Browns), LeSean McCoy (Bills)

Wide Receiver 
MVP: Amari Cooper (Cowboys)
Cooper had one of his semi-annual explosions against the Redskins reeling secondary on Thanksgiving, registering 180 YDS and 2 TD's on 8 receptions. His owners can probably expect a nice 2 catch/30 YD line on Thursday night when the Cowboys take on the Saints.
Honorable Mentions: JuJu Smith-Schuster (Steelers), Corey Davis (Titans), Adam Thielen (Vikings)

LVP: Michael Thomas (Saints)
A combination of multiple Falcons turnovers, stronger-than-usual dedication to running the ball and rando receivers getting into the endzone on 4 separate occasions resulted in Thomas getting just 4 catches for 38 YDS on Thanksgiving. While the Cowboys have a sneaky good secondary, I believe Thomas has solid odds of putting up better numbers this week.
Dishonorable Mentions: Allen Robinson (Bears), Jarvis Landry (Browns), Alshon Jeffrey (Eagles)

Tight End
MVP: Eric Ebron (Colts)
Divine redzone entity Ebron returned to his home in Week 12 after a mysterious disappearing act last week against the Titans, hauling in a pair of scores that propped up his otherwise unexceptional statline (5 REC for 45 YDS) versus the Dolphins. The co-league leader in receiving TD's will look to find paydirt once again when the scorching hot Colts square off against a Jags D that seems to be getting more and more deflated by the week.
Honorable Mentions: Zach Ertz (Eagles), David Njoku (Browns), Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)

LVP: Trey Burton (Bears)
Going into last Thursday's game with the Lions, Burton looked like he was going to be the focal point of the passing attack due to his familiarity with Chase Daniel from their time together with the Eagles. Instead, Taylor Gabriel led the team in receiving and Burton had himself an ugly afternoon that included a couple of inexcusable drops and a brutal fumble that derailed a potential scoring drive in the 2nd quarter helped turn an underwhelming fantasy day (4 REC/28 YDS) into a truly disastrous one. He'll remain a boom-or-bust TE1 when the Bears travel to MetLife Stadium to take on the Giants in Week 13.
Dishonorable Mentions: Greg Olsen (Panthers), Vance McDonald (Steelers), Austin Hooper (Falcons)

Defense/Special Teams
MVP: Ravens
Scores on a punt return and their lone takeaway against (a fumble recovery by Terrell Suggs) catapulted the Ravens, who also got 3 sacks and allowed 17 points in a victory over the Raiders, to the top of the D/ST leaderboard. They'll be a low-upside start for this Sunday's road tilt versus the Falcons.
Honorable Mentions: Saints, Bears, Broncos

LVP: Jaguars
Reason #12,014,953 why the Jags D have lost their mojo: They failed to show up against the F'n Bills. That's right, the unit formerly known as Sacksonville got 0 sacks or takeaways and surrendered 24 points to the most generous offense in all of fantasy football. If you've been blindly holding onto this band of stiffs with the hope that they were going to get their swag from a year ago back at some point this season, it's time to sever the god damn ties.
Dishonorable Mentions: Colts, Steelers, Packers

The Best and Worst of Matt Dillon

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Head Full of Honey” star Matt Dillon.

Films starring Matt Dillon that I've seen:
Drugstore Cowboy
There's Something About Mary
One Night at McCool's

Crash
You, Me and Dupree
Armored
Takers
Going in Style

Best Performance:  Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Seeing Drugstore Cowboy nearly 30 years after its release has made me wonder why this didn't propel Dillon to superstardom. His raw, charismatic performance as the leader of a crew of young adults roaming around the Pacific Northwest robbing pharmacies to support their drug habits is the singular reason this character study ended up being such a haunting and enthralling watch.  

Worst Performance: You, Me and Dupree (2006)
Owen Wilson's overwhelmingly grating turn as the freeloading title character may overshadow him, but Dillion wasn't exactly great here either. As a stand-in for constant Wilson collaborator Ben Stiller in the straight man role, he seems to have absolutely no clue what he signed up for. Instead of serving as the voice of reason/reliable person to bounce jokes off of, he just looks super uncomfortable with  all of the zany antics that are going on around him.  

Best Film: There's Something About Mary (1998)
While The Farrelly Brothers early resume is loaded with gems (Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, Me, Myself and Irene), There's Something About Mary is easily my favorite thing they've ever done. Outside of The 40-Year Old Virgin, no other movie I've seen has concocted a more stunningly effective cocktail out of gross-out sex/bodily fluid jokes, morbid situational comedy and legitimately heartfelt romantic sentiments.  

Worst Film: You, Me and Dupree (2006)
About eight years before The Russo Brothers became central figures in a little canon of films known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they burst onto the scene with an equally well-liked cultural touchstone in You, Me and Dupree. Of course since I'm a contrarian prick, I wasn't a fan of this revered classic. The hallmarks of a good buddy movie (chemistry between the leads, amusing banter, good-natured atmosphere) are completely MIA and as a result, all that's left are the ingredients for a well below average comedy driven by characters that are either dull or obnoxious.

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Ben is Back” star Julia Roberts. 

2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 12

()=previous ranking

1.(1) New Orleans Saints (9-1) Week 12 opponent: Atlanta Falcons
2.(3) Los Angeles Rams (10-1) Week 12 opponent: Bye Week
3.(2) Kansas City Chiefs (9-2) Week 12 opponent: Bye Week
4.(5) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2-1) Week 12 opponent: Denver Broncos
5.(4) Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) Week 12 opponent: Arizona Cardinals
6.(6) New England Patriots (7-3) Week 12 opponent: New York Jets
7.(9) Houston Texans (7-3) Week 12 opponent: Tennessee Titans
8.(10) Chicago Bears (7-3) Week 12 opponent: Detroit Lions
9.(7) Minnesota Vikings (5-4-1) Week 12 opponent: Green Bay Packers
10.(8) Carolina Panthers (6-4) Week 12 opponent: Seattle Seahawks
11.(21) Indianapolis Colts (5-5) Week 12 opponent: Miami Dolphins
12.(16) Dallas Cowboys (5-5) Week 12 opponent: Washington Redskins
13.(17) Baltimore Ravens (5-5) Week 12 opponent: Oakland Raiders
14.(18) Seattle Seahawks (5-5) Week 12 opponent: Carolina Panthers
15.(11) Washington Redskins (6-4) Week 12 opponent: Dallas Cowboys
16.(12) Cincinnati Bengals (5-5) Week 12 opponent: Cleveland Browns
17.(13) Tennessee Titans (5-5) Week 12 opponent: Houston Texans
18.(14) Green Bay Packers (4-5-1) Week 12 opponent: Minnesota Vikings
19.(20) Miami Dolphins (5-5) Week 12 opponent: Indianapolis Colts
20.(15) Atlanta Falcons (4-6) Week 12 opponent: New Orleans Saints
21.(22) Cleveland Browns (3-6-1) Week 12 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals
22.(19) Philadelphia Eagles (4-6) Week 12 opponent: New York Giants
23.(24) Detroit Lions (4-6) Week 12 opponent: Chicago Bears
24.(25) Denver Broncos (4-6) Week 12 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
25.(28) New York Giants (3-7) Week 12 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles
26.(23) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-7) Week 12 opponent: San Francisco 49ers
27.(27) Buffalo Bills (3-7) Week 12 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars
28.(26) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7) Week 12 opponent: Buffalo Bills
29.(29) New York Jets (3-7) Week 12 opponent: New England Patriots
30.(31) San Francisco 49ers (2-8) Week 12 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
31.(32) Oakland Raiders (2-8) Week 12 opponent: Baltimore Ravens
32.(30) Arizona Cardinals (2-8) Week 12 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

Week 11 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers (2018 Edition)

Quarterback
MVP: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
You know you've had yourself a night in fantasy when you turn the ball over 5 times and still end up as the top scoring QB of the week. While his team came up short in an insane, exhilarating shootout with the Rams, Mahomes won the stat battle versus Jared Goff, finishing the night with 506 total YDS (478 passing, 28 rushing) and 6 TD's through the air. The Chiefs budding star QB has a date with the Raiders horrendous defense following a Week 12 bye.
Honorable Mentions: Jared Goff (Rams), Drew Brees (Saints), Cam Newton (Panthers)

LVP: Carson Wentz (Eagles) 
Wentz probably doesn't want to go back to the Superdome anytime soon after what transpired there on Sunday afternoon. The 3rd-year pro's nightmare outing was the catalyst for a truly pitiful  performance for the defending Super Bowl Champs in a 45-7 loss to the 9-1 Saints. He'll look to bounce back against a Giants defense he shredded for 278 YDS and 3 TD's back in Week 6.
Dishonorable Mentions: Deshaun Watson (Texans), Matt Ryan (Falcons) Matthew Stafford (Lions)

Running Back
MVP: Saquon Barkley (Giants) 
Tampa's hapless defense predictably got dominated by another talented back. The electric rookie was the top offensive option for the G-Men, turning his 29 touches into 152 scrimmage YDS (142 rushing, 10 receiving) and 3 TD's, in a 38-35 victory that brought them to 3-7 on the year. Barkley has been a hope-instilling bright spot for a Giants team that's headed towards a major rebuild and unless he completely flames out down the stretch, should finish the year as at least a top 10 fantasy RB.
Honorable Mentions: Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys), Phillip Lindsay (Broncos), Mark Ingram (Saints) 

LVP: Dalvin Cook (Vikings)
Cook had an undeniably brutal matchup against a Bears defense that has surrendered the least amount of fantasy points to running backs this season, but that can't be used an excuse for his epically putrid performance. He posted managed just 11 scrimmage YDS (12 rushing, -2 receiving) on 12 touches and lost a fumble in the redzone that pretty much derailed the Vikings offense until the last 12 minutes of the game. Outside of the occasional splash play, Cook has been abysmal when he's been healthy enough to play this season, and should be left out of starting lineups until he shows some semblance of consistency.
Dishonorable Mentions: Dion Lewis (Titans), James Conner (Steelers), Tarik Cohen (Bears) 

Wide Receiver 
MVP: Tyreek Hill (Chiefs)
The league's most lethal speedster at the receiver position proved why his game is built for modern NFL shootouts by torching the Rams D for 215 YDS and 2 TD's on 10 receptions. Cheetah is enjoying his best year as a pro with Mahomes at the helm and will remain on the WR1 radar with the fantasy playoffs right around the corner.
Honorable Mentions: T.Y. Hilton (Colts), Mike Evans (Buccaneers), D.J. Moore (Panthers)

LVP: Corey Davis (Titans)
A week after dismantling the Patriots, Davis reverted back to his usual unspectacular self. The Titans #1 wideout reeled in just 2 catches for 30 YDS and lost a yard on 1 carry during a seemingly inevitable blowout road loss to the Colts. If you exclude his pair of 100+ YD/1 TD explosions, he only has 29 receptions for 320 YDS and 0 TD's on the year. He's nothing but a shaky WR3 play at this point.
Dishonorable Mentions: Alshon Jeffrey (Eagles), Sterling Shepard (Giants), Amari Cooper (Cowboys)

Tight End
MVP: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
Look who topped the TE rankings again..... Kelce had himself a night against the Rams, securing 10 catches for 127 YDS and a TD. With the Raiders next up on the schedule, yet another MVP performance is well within the realm of possibility.
Honorable Mentions: Jordan Reed (Redskins), Jared Cook (Raiders), Vance McDonald (Steelers)

LVP: Eric Ebron (Colts)
Andrew Luck was rolling in Week 12 (297 YDS, 3 TD's), but Ebron got left out of the fun entirely. In fact, he wasn't even targeted in this 38-10 win over the comically erratic Titans. While his value is pretty much entirely dependent on TD's, Ebron should continue to be rolled out as a starter in deep leagues.
Dishonorable Mentions: Zach Ertz (Eagles), Trey Burton (Bears), Ricky Seals-Jones (Cardinals)


Defense/Special Teams
MVP: Rams
Yet another sign of the sheer absurdity that took place in Los Angeles last night is the fact that the Rams D was a fantasy monster while surrendering 45 points (the Chiefs defensive score doesn't count against their points allowed total). Hell, the 3 sacks, 3 INT's, 2 FUM REC's and 2 TD's they managed against the Chiefs lethal offense pretty much secured them the win. Despite this bizzaro explosion, they've been pretty terrible for the bulk of the season and aren't likely to be a consistent quality fantasy option the rest of the way.
Honorable Mentions: Bears, Texans, Colts

LVP: Chargers 
It makes zero sense that a defense that had been rolling for the past month suddenly cools off during the week where edge-rushing phenom Joey Bosa made his season debut. The Bolts mustered 0 sacks or takeaways in a surprising 23-22 home loss to the Broncos. A Week 12 tilt against a Cardinals offense that liberally turns the ball over (11 over the last 4 weeks) and struggles to keep their quarterback upright (15 sacks allowed in their last 4 games) should be enough to get them back on the right track.
Dishonorable Mentions: Ravens, Panthers Cardinals

The Best and Worst of Sarah Silverman

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Ralph Breaks the Internet” star Sarah Silverman.

Films starring Sarah Silverman that I've seen:
There's Something About Mary
Say It Isn't So
Evolution
School of Rock
Bad Santa
School for Scoundrels
Take This Waltz
Wreck-It Ralph
A Million Days to Die in the West
I Smile Back
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
The Book of Henry
Battle of the Sexes

Best Performance: I Smile Back (2015)
Comedians ability to successfully transition to more dramatic fare is always slept-on and Silverman's turn in I Smile Back is one of the stronger recent examples of why people need to stop underestimating the acting chops of people who rose to prominence telling jokes. As an affluent, seemingly happily married woman who secretly lives a double life defined by substance abuse, infidelity and other self-destructive behavior, Silverman carries this flawed indie drama on her back with a transformative performance that is equal parts riveting, horrifying and heartbreaking.  

Worst Performance: Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
I love Silverman, but Vannellope von Schweetz is a flat-out insufferable character. von Schweetz is such an overwhelmingly grating presence here that she made this otherwise completely fine film a relatively unpleasant watch.

Best Film: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
After waiting nearly a decade for another shot, The Lonely Island triumphantly returned to the big screen with Popstar. This wide-spanning satire of music documentaries and the music industry in general is a beautiful showcase for their unique brand of insane, sneaky smart absurdist humor. I'm elated that Popstar has gained a cult following after flopping at the box office and I hope somebody (Netflix perhaps?) will grant them the opportunity to make another movie in the near future.

Worst Film: School for Scoundrels (2006)
How Todd Phillips, Billy Bob Thornton, Silverman and at least a half-dozen more talented people teamed up to create a comedy this forgettable is kind of astonishing. If you're going to put forth less than 100% effort on a project, at least have the decency to create something that's epically awful instead of something that's neither funny enough to be enjoyable nor unfunny enough to make you cringe. Fuck up harder next time guys!  

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Head Full of Honey” star Matt Dillon. 

As We Proceed Episode #28

On this episode of "As We Proceed", Feliciano and I discuss the wild events of Tyler, the Creator's Camp Flognaw Festival, Earl Sweatshirt's comeback single "Nowhere2Go" and Metro Boomin's debut LP Not All Heroes Wear Capes. All of this funky hip-hop talk can be heard at any of the links below:

Soundcloud: 

YouTube: 

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/as-we-proceed/id1122163104?mt=2

Album Review: Metro Boomin-Not All Heroes Wear Capes

An unexpected tragedy rocked the hip-hop community in late May when Metro Boomin took to Instagram to announce his retirement from music. A wave of confusion and mindless speculation ensued. Why would the super producer, who played a pivotal role in the ascent of numerous trap stars including Future, Migos and 21 Savage, suddenly step away from a wildly successful career at only 25 years old? It just didn't make any damn sense. Our national My personal nightmare ended when Young Metro posted a string of cryptic tweets teasing a return to music. That comeback turned out to be a solo LP and if all of his mini-hiatuses end with projects that are as show-stopping as Not All Heroes Wear Capes, I hope he takes them as often as possible. 

No matter how gifted they are, hip-hop producers have a bad tendency of releasing underwhelming solo records. Industry titans such as Mike WiLL Made It, Southside and Zaytoven have all commissioned records that solely consist of subpar outtakes that seem like they were mercifully cut from their collaborator's albums. Not All Heroes Wear Capes bucks this unfortunate trend in triumphant fashion. Through his bold production that mixes nocturnal synths with flourishes of unconventional instrumentation/samples from all over the musical spectrum (blues, classical, soul, jazz, rock, EDM) and collaborations with a deep platoon of charismatic artists (Travis Scott, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, over a half-dozen others) that are perfectly-suited to perform over these darkly melodic beats that are almost always subtly changing, Metro is able to establish a sprawling, futuristic sound that is vividly fleshed out over the course of these 13 songs. As frequently as his work has impressed me in the past, the discipline and artistic vision that's required to create a record that flows this coherently with so many different people in front of the microphone could very well be the finest demonstration of his talent to-date. 

While its ability to establish a consistent tone while using so many artists and arsenal of electrifying nuances present in the beats provided me with enough fodder to fuel numerous musicnerdgasms, the immense catchiness of these tracks ultimately serve as the driving force behind Not All Heroes Wear Capes' runaway success. There's a reason why Metro likes working with these artists: they simply float over sparse, atmospheric beats and specialize in delivering hooks that forcefully remain in the human brain for weeks, if not months at a time. Almost every track features a standout chorus or verse, but Swae Lee's mellow vocal melodies ("Dreamcatcher", "Borrowed Love") Gunna's hypnotic flow ("Space Cadet", "Lesbian") and 21 Savage's intense, frequently hilarious verses ("Don't Come Out the House", "10 Freaky Girls") have emerged as the marquee moments on subsequent listens. The replay value of Not All Heroes Wear Capes is shaping up to be tremendous and the top-notch contributions from this group of performers is a major reason why this record is so addictive.

To put it concisely, Not All Heroes Wear Capes is a towering achievement. Making a record that's this fun, exciting and consistent as a behind-the-scenes figure is the type of thing that helps turn artists into legends. Thanks for coming back to put the rest of the producers in the genre to shame Metro. Hopefully we hear from you again soon.  

           

Grade: A-

Standout Tracks

1.Don't Come Out the House (feat. 21 Savage)

2.10 Freaky Girls (feat. 21 Savage)

3.Space Cadet (feat. Gunna)