NFL Conference Championship Predictions

Divisional Round Record: 1-3 (Correct: Chiefs Incorrect: Titans, Packers, Buccaneers)

Overall Record: 7-3

Kansas City Chiefs over Cincinnati Bengals: People (myself included) really need to stop underestimating the Bengals. Not only have they already beaten this Chiefs team this year (in ridiculous comeback fashion no less), but they've also proven their mental toughness and calmness under pressure with their knockdown, drag out victories over the past 2 games. Plus, the Chiefs defense is significantly weaker than the other two groups they failed to score a ton of points against, putting Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Joe Mixon, Tee Higgins and the rest of their counterparts in an ideal spot to pop off after a couple of respectable, but not overly productive outings. This is a really drawn-out way of saying the Bengals have a legit shot in this game.

As tough as the Bengals are, going into Arrowhead to play the Chiefs right now is not a task that any team wants to have to take on. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill were dialed-in, fearless and completely in sync with each other during the crunchtime moments of last week's win over the Bills and as long as those connections are going strong, the Chiefs are going to be extremely difficult to take out. The hot and cold Bengals defense-who is famously not ranked #1 in points and passing yards allowed like the Bills were during the regular season-are going to have to get very creative with coverages and just cross their fingers that this powerhouse group slows down a bit after about 7 straight quarters of nearly seamless play if they want to keep them even somewhat under control. 

Ultimately, the Chiefs extensive big game experience paired with the high they're riding after pulling out the victory in last week's clash of the titans and the Bengals redzone scoring and offensive line woes over the past 2 weeks should be enough for them to clinch their 3rd straight trip to the Super Bowl.

Los Angeles Rams over San Francisco 49ers: This is a huge spot for Sean McVay. The king of all young football whizzbangs came dangerously close to blowing a huge lead in the Divisional Round on account of some questionable playcalling that kept the ball out of Matthew Stafford's hand in the 2nd half and young players (Cam Akers, Brian Allen) making critical mistakes that led to fumbles that powered the Bucs improbable 4th quarter comeback that was quickly overshadowed by an electrical final drive from Stafford and Cooper Kupp and is starting to face questions about his ability to beat Kyle Shanahan after dropping 6 straight games to him. If this game goes sideways for pretty much any reason other than the 49ers killing their defense, his reputation is going to take a huge hit.

As long as Stafford can maintain the high level of play he's displayed in the playoffs thus far against a tough 49er defense that has completely neutralized Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott over the past 2 games, McVay seems to be in a good spot to put an end to his lengthy cold streak against Shanahan. The Rams defense powered by Aaron Donald and a suddenly resurgent Von Miller has played great in the playoffs so far, Jimmy Garoppolo has been in a funk since the 4th quarter of the Cowboys game and it doesn't seem like he's going to snap out of it as long as his thumb is bothering him and most importantly, both Deebo Samuel and George Kittle were hobbling by the end of last week's game in Green Bay and if those guys are less than 100%, the 49ers could lose enough of the dynamism that makes their offense so scary to land them on the wrong side of the scoreboard.   

Johnny Knoxville Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives and accolades. This week, I'm profiling the work of Johnny Knoxville, whose latest project "Jackass Forever" releases in theaters on February 4th.

Johnny Knoxville's Filmography Ranked:

16.The Dukes of Hazzard (D-)

15.Movie 43 (D)

14.Big Trouble (C-)

13.Lords of Dogtown (C)

12.Men in Black II (C+)

11.Action Point (C+)

10.We Summon the Darkness (B-)

9.Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles (B)

8.The Ringer (B)

7.Walking Tall (B)

6.Polar (B)

5.Bad Grandpa (A-)

4.The Last Stand (A-)

3.Jackass: The Movie (A)

2.Jackass 3D (A)

1.Jackass Number Two (A)  

Top Dog: Jackass: Number Two (2006)

Every single Jackass movie has provided me with some of the biggest laughs I've ever had while watching a movie, Number Two just happens to contain the highest amount of those uproarious moments. Seeing bits like Puppet Show, Firehose Rodeo, The Strongman, The Brand, Medicine Ball Dodgeball, The Electric Stool, Mushroom Launch, Miniature Bathroom, Anaconda Ball Pit and The Toro Totter for the first time with an energized opening weekend crowd remains one of the more memorable experiences I've ever had at a theater.    

Lowlight: The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)

Nearly every old TV show that's been adapted into a comedy movie outside of the Jump Street franchise has been dumped on relentlessly. For the most part, I think that criticism is overly harsh and have found projects like Baywatch, Starsky and Hutch and CHips to be reasonably funny pieces of self-aware silliness. One of the only (and probably the biggest) exceptions to this belief is The Dukes of Hazzard. What Jay Chandrasekhar and this largely mismatched, poorly cast ensemble (Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jessica Simpson, Willie Nelson-the latter two providing two of the worst performances from musicians turned actors ever) cooked up is among the laziest and stunningly poor attempts at making a comedy that I've ever seen. There's no more than 2-3 slight chuckles present in the entire film and Burt Reynolds'-who is the only person here that performs even somewhat admirably-Boss Hogg is solely responsible for them. On top of that, the car chases/stunts that the TV series was largely known for are staged in such a clunky, stagnant fashion that they're robbed of any potential excitement. Now that these types of adaptations appear to be pretty much DOA, may The Dukes of Hazzard continue to fade deeper and deeper into cinematic obscurity.      

Most Underrated: The Last Stand (2013)

I keep waiting for the moment that The Last Stand finally finds its audience like some other commercially unsuccessful B-action gems like Dredd, Upgrade and Hardcore Henry have in recent years, but it just hasn't happened yet. Even if it never does, the delightfully over-the-top thrills of Arnold Schwarzenegger's initial major acting comeback vehicle after his stint as the Governor of California will maintain a special place in my heart forever.    

Most Overrated: Lords of Dogtown (2005)

This is a bit of a stretch since Lords of Dogtown is hardly a widely beloved film, but Knoxville's non-Jackass catalog isn't exactly overflowing with titles that meet the criteria here, so a mini-cult classic will have to do. The issue with Lords of Dogtown is that it has so many opportunities to venture off into interesting directions and yet it almost always settles for the safest possible narrative choice, which turns what should be a fascinating, vibrant film about the fascinating origins of professional skateboarding into a depressingly standard biopic. 

Top 20 Hip Hop Beats of 2021

2021 was as poor of a year for hip hop as I can recall in recent memory. Even with the quality of the overall output well below normal, there were still plenty of production feats worth celebrating. Here are the 20 beats that stood out to me the most.

20.Little Simz-Point and Kill (Producer: Inflo)

19.Tyler, the Creator-Lumberjack (Producer: Tyler, the Creator)

18.Doja Cat-Get Into (Yuh) (Producers: Y2K and Sully)

17.Megan Thee Stallion-Thot Shit (Producers: LilJuMadeDaBeat and OG Parker)

 

16.slowthai-Vex (Producers: Kwes Darko, Kelvin Krash and Samo)

15.21 Savage-Spiral (Producer: Kid Hazel)

14.Juice WRLD-Bad Boy (feat. Young Thug) (Producer: Pi'erre Bourne)

13.BROCKHAMPTON-Chain On (feat. JPEGMAFIA) (Producer: Video Store)

12.Lil Nas X-Dolla Sign Slime (feat. Megan Thee Stallion) (Producer: Take a Daytrip and Nick Lee)

11.Tyler, the Creator-MASSA (Producer: Tyler, the Creator)

10.BROCKHAMPTON-Bankroll (feat. A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg) (Producers: Video Store, Jabari Manwa and Baird) 

9.Lil Nas X-Industry Baby (feat. Jack Harlow) (Producers: Take a Daytrip and Kanye West)

8.Tyler, the Creator-Corso (Producer: Tyler, the Creator)

 

 7.slowthai-Mazza (feat. A$AP Rocky) (Producer: slowthai, Kwes Darko and Samo)

6.Doja Cat-Payday (feat. Young Thug) (Producer: Y2K)

 

5.Tyler, the Creator-Hot Wind Blows (feat. Lil Wayne) (Producer: Tyler, the Creator)

 

4.BROCKHAMPTON-Buzzcut (Producers: Video Store, Jabari Manwa, Queen Sixties, Johan Lenox and Russell "Joba" Boring")

 

3.JPEGMAFIA-End Credits (Producers: JPEGMAFIA and Buzzy Lee)

 

2.Trippie Redd-Miss the Rage (feat. Playboi Carti) (Producer: Loesoe) 

 

 1. Tyler, the Creator-Lemonhead (feat. 42 Dugg) (Producer: Tyler, the Creator)

Top 10 Movie Action Sequences of 2021

The 3rd annual celebration of the best action sequences the film industry has to offer is finally upon us. Here are the 10 scenes (along with 5 honorable mentions) that impressed me the most during 2021.

Honorable Mentions:

"Shang-Chi's parents fall in love via a wuxia-inspired fight"-Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 

(The fight itself lasts until roughly the 3-minute mark)

"Molotov Girl and Guy Team Up for the 1st time"-Free Guy

 

"Final Fight"-Boss Level

 

"Han's Apartment Fight"-F9

 

"Paralyzed Arms Fight"-Gunpowder Milkshake

 

 10."Bowling Alley Fight"-Gunpowder Milkshake

 

There's a constant humor and liveliness present in the action sequences of Gunpowder Milkshake that makes them feel really unique. This early fight scene involving the protagonist Sam (Karen Gillan) squaring off against some henchman in a bowling alley is a perfect example of that as it involves the characters engaging in a goofy, neon-tinged battle that forces them to use their unusual environment to try and gain an advantage. 

9."Kitchen Fight"-Kate

 

This is the exact type of scene that stunt/fight coordinator extraordinaire Jonathan Eusebio has become known for: Brutal, visceral showdowns between equally matched opponents where stamina and a little bit of luck ultimately determine the winner. 

8."Chambers vs. Zombie Hive"-Army of the Dead

 

Ill-fated heist crew member Chambers (professional stunt performer/part time actor Samantha Win) kicks a whole lot of zombie ass before being overwhelmed to the point of no escape and while this clip doesn't show much of it, Zack Snyder did a really great job of building towards this moment where she is forced to fight for her survival in a confined space with some terrific suspense.

 '7."Havoc in Havana"-No Time to Die

No Time to Die boasted some of the most intense and impressive action of the entire James Bond franchise, but this magnificent sequence that sees Bond (Daniel Craig), the new 007 (Lashana Lynch) and their CIA contact Paloma (Ana de Armas in a flat-out incredible extended cameo) having their attempted extraction mission in Havana go promptly sideways is the top highlight by a considerable margin.

6."Harley Quinn's Prison Escape"-The Suicide Squad

 

James Gunn and Margot Robbie had a visible blast putting together this pivotal scene that has Harley Quinn's signature chaotic, colorful and unpredictable personality all over it.   

5. "Bus Fight"-Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 

Both sides of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Hong Kong martial arts film, MCU origin story) come together in this lengthy scene that mixes dazzling practical fight choreography/stuntwork, humor, some obligatory CGI and a very cool homage to the most famous scene in Jackie Chan's breakout movie Police Story together to make one hell of a defining moment for the best film Marvel has put out since Avengers: Infinity War.  

 4."Bus Fight"-Nobody

 

Bob Odenkirk's impressive dedication to becoming a proper action star is on full display during this incredibly complex fight sequence where his character Hutch is forced to dust off the assassin skills he'd put away for over a decade after retiring from the killing business during an altercation with some drunk, aggressive assholes on a bus. 

3."Godzilla vs. Kong Destroy Hong Kong"-Godzilla vs. Kong

 

The vibrant neon lights of Hong Kong make for a stunning backdrop for Godzilla and Kong to engage in the first portion of the epic, climatic destructive clash that fans of these titans have been waiting far too long to see.  

2. "Kate vs. the Kajima Clan"-Kate

 

The craft behind the action sequences in Kate has been disturbingly underappreciated. From the methodical intensity Mary Elizabeth Winstead brings to the title role to the impeccable fight choreography to the fluidity of the cinematography and editing, this incredible scene is another tremendous example of the greatness that occurs when action is handled with the level of care, dedication and creativity it deserves.       

1. "Warehouse Fight" -Nobody

Filled with "holy shit"-inducing kills, live wire energy and inventive surprises galore, the big, bloody finale of Nobody is one of the rare action sequences that left me with a big grin on my face throughout.   

NFL Divisional Round Predictions

Wild Card Record: 6-0

Tennessee Titans over Cincinnati Bengals: The resilience the Titans displayed to secure the #1 seed in the AFC with a literally historic amount of in-season roster turnover is one of the more quietly impressive accomplishments in NFL history. Now that they're fortunate enough to have all their best players (A.J. Brown, Derrick Henry, Julio Jones) back on the field, there's just no reason to believe that they're not going to be extra motivated to win against a Bengals team that is flashier and potentially ultraconfident now that they're finally free from the burden of their 31-year playoff win drought. Nobody seems to be taking the Titans seriously as a contender and Mike Vrabel is a smart enough coach to reinforce that message to his players for the entire week leading up to the game. Even if Henry-who is returning to action for the 1st time since sustaining a broken foot in their Week 8 contest with the Colts-isn't his usual self out there, look for the Titans to impose their will and just physically wear down this talented but highly flawed Bengals team that gave the Raiders plenty of opportunities to come back and steal the game from them last week.  

Green Bay Packers over San Francisco 49ers: There wasn't a shittier possible draw for the Packers this weekend than the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan has a history of absolutely brutalizing his former co-worker Matt LaFluer in head-to-head matchups, their varied, physical rushing attack is a plus matchup against the Packers so-so defense and most importantly, they're the only West Coast team that has a roster and mindset that's perfectly equipped for the arctic conditions of Lambeau Field. As viable as their path to victory is, the 49ers have the misfortune of having a visibly banged-up Jimmy Garoppolo as their quarterback-who is coming off a game against the Cowboys that was smooth sailing until a disastrous 4th quarter (0 points scored, an ugly pick 6, 1 trip onto the Cowboys side of the field) that allowed the 'Boys to come dangerously close to mounting an outrageous last-minute comeback and going against a vindictive star quarterback in Aaron Rodgers whose arguably more motivated to win than ever so he can keep perpetuating the "EVERYONE IS AGAINST ME BECAUSE I'M A MAVERICK FREE THINKER IN A WORLD FULL OF SHEEP" narrative he's been pushing relentlessly since it was revealed he lied about being vaccinated back in October just might be too much for them to overcome. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Los Angeles Rams: Are the Rams back to their top early season form after obliterating the Cardinals last week? Given how gutless, confused and visibly overwhelmed the Cardinals were from the top down during that game, it's honestly kind of hard to tell. Even if they are, traveling cross country to try and take out the defending the Super Bowl Champions on their home turf is going to be a really tough task. Tom Brady seems poised to be out for blood after the Rams embarrassed the Bucs at SoFi back in Week 2 and if he goes into full blown kill mode, all of the  question marks surrounding the Bucs right now (banged up offensive line, receiver depth following the departure of Antonio Brown, lack of a reliable rushing attack) aren't going to matter-meaning that Matthew Stafford and this up-and-down defense are going to have to play a perfect game to counteract that and I'm just not very confident in their ability to make that happen.  

Kansas City Chiefs over Buffalo Bills: Ever since they came roaring back in the 2nd half of their narrow 33-27 loss to the Buccaneers back in Week 15, the Bills have looked like a different team. Josh Allen has arguably put together his most impressive string of games to date-dazzling with both his arms and his legs, the rushing attack has finally gotten on track with Devin Singletary finally showing some signs of life after an extremely underwhelming inaugural 3/4 of the season and the defense has been borderline impenetrable. That dominance was on full display last week as the Bills vanquished their longtime foe/torturer the Patriots by the score of 47-17 behind 374 total YDS and 5 passing TD's from Allen. 

Considering how well the Bills have been playing and offensively underwhelming by their own standards the Chiefs have been this season, picking against them here doesn't exactly seem wise. The only reason that I am is because I'm hedging my bets on what happened with the Chiefs last weekend. Coming out flat against the helpless Steelers for the first 1.5 quarters was the best possible thing that could've happened them to. That staggeringly slow start seems to have woken up a sleeping giant in their offense that's been at rest for most of the 2021 season. They were running all sorts of crazy plays downfield, Mahomes displayed the vintage swagger that's alluded him for most of the season and the rushing attack came alive for the first time this season in a game that wasn't against the leaky run D's of their AFC West peers in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. If they can keep that fire alive and their defense can maintain the well-rounded, disciplined form they displayed last week and for most of the back half of the season, they should be able to withstand the punches the Bills are going to throw at them.     

Spider-Man Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked"-where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives and accolades. This week, I'm profiling the Spider-Man franchise. 

Spider-Man Movies Ranked:

9.The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (C-)

8.The Amazing Spider-Man (C)

7.Spider-Man 3 (C+)

6.Spider-Man: Far from Home (B)

5.Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (B)

4.Spider-Man: No Way Home (B)

3.Spider-Man (B+)

2.Spider-Man: Homecoming (B+)

1.Spider-Man 2 (A-)

Top Dog: Spider-Man 2 (2004)

As the response to No Way Home has proven, nostalgia is a powerful tool and that's precisely why Spider-Man 2 sits at the top of this list. It's still the first movie I think of when someone mentions Spider-Man and along with X2: X-Men United, was the earliest superhero movie that really blew me away as a kid. Would the effects, action sequences, entertainment value and really anything outside of the performances hold up nearly 17 years later? Perhaps not, but the fond memories I have for a film that I long considered to be the crowning achievement of superhero cinema will last forever.   

Lowlight: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Depending on your perspective, the strength of the performances from Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone were either really done a huge disservice by the sloppy-ass Spider-Man movies they appeared in or the only things that keep them from completely falling apart. One thing that most people can agree on regardless of where they stand on this issue is that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the weaker of the 2 films they appeared in. Remarkably, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 manages to overshadow the middling redundancy of its origin story predecessor by jamming enough corny moments, poorly handled backstories and awful villains (Jamie Foxx's Electro, Dane DeHann's Green Goblin, Paul Giamatti's Rhino) to fill at least 5 additional movies.    

Most Overrated: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

No Way Home was a fun ride that was made better by audiences losing their minds over every live action Spider-Man appearing together for the 1st time ever. The reason why I don't view No Way Home as something more impactful is the entire movie is basically just an endless parade of fan service, and there's a limit on how much I can enjoy something that doesn't really do much outside of bask in the glory of its own brand and pander to the people who love it so much. 

Most Underrated: Spider-Man (2002)

The history of why superhero movies are the full-blown global phenomenon they are today at least somewhat traces back to Spider-Man. While the genre had found some success with Batman, Superman and X-Men- which was released only 22 months before this in the past, Sam Raimi shook things up by showcasing how groundbreaking special effects could bring these vivid worlds to life, adding real emotional stakes to the story and treating the material with the same level of seriousness that could be found in a typical blockbuster of the era. It also gave us a brilliantly unassuming performance from Tobey Maguire as a nerdy high school kid who suddenly becomes a superhero and a genuinely evil, imposing villain in Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin that remains a high watermark for the genre 2 decades later.   

The One That I Really Need to Re-Watch the Most: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

With its unique animation style that blended 2D drawings and 3D computer renderings, emotional story and the representation barriers it broke, Into the Spider-Verse quickly became viewed as a special film that made a profound impression on a lot of people. Since I have a reputation as the animated movie Grinch to uphold, I didn't happen to be one of them. Despite this unfortunate role I have to play, I really want to go back and watch it again to figure out if I missed something the first time or I'm just one of the only pricks on the planet that found this movie to be fine, but nothing overly noteworthy.      

Best Spider-Man: Tom Holland

Maguire, Garfield and Holland have all brought a distinct flavor to the character and gone down as the strongest parts of their respective films because of it. What makes Holland's performance slightly stand above the rest of the pack is that his version of Spider-Man syncs up the most with how the character was depicted prior to being put on the big screen. Peter Parker's primary portrayal in the comic was that of a naive, bumbling and kind person who's figuring what it means to be a hero on the fly and Holland has done an unbelievable job of bringing that characterization to life while also delivering a certain emotional nuance and charm that couldn't exist in the walls of comic panel.

Movie Review: Scream (2022)

 

Horror films are the most prone to reboots, remakes, etc. for a few reasons: 1. Fans of the genre are among the most passionate in the entire world of entertainment. 2. It doesn't require the absurd financial backing of a traditional IP revival, making the opportunity for profit much greater. 3. Reviving a property can be an effective way to introduce something to a new generation of audiences and reignite and/or expand its popularity in the process. 

Unlike some other slasher franchises like Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Friday the 13th that have gone through several iterations over multiple decades with no real constant elements outside of a famous masked killer and some gruesome deaths, Scream was a much trickier series to plot a comeback for. Not only is the brand defined by a trio of protagonists (Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott, Courtney Cox's Gale Weathers, David Arquette's Dewey Riley) and the use of a now signature meta tone, but the lead architect of the series Wes Craven passed away in 2015 and trying to fill his shoes is a very intimidating task for any student of horror young or old to take on. 

A new Scream film finally started to come to fruition in 2019 when Paramount acquired the rights once the not technically dead Weinstein Company let them lapse. Shortly afterwards, Tyler Gillet and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin-who were hot off the success of their new cult favorite horror comedy Ready or Not- were hired to direct it. Despite their relative youth and small resume of features (Scream marks just their 3rd directing gig on a full-length movie), the duo also known as Radio Silence seemed like a great choice for the gig and the public signs of confidence that the three recurring cast members and original franchise writer/executive producer Kevin Williamson showed in their ability to revive and honor the legacy of Scream was incredibly encouraging. That universal good faith proved to be justified as Scream hits all the right homage notes while still doing enough to distinguish itself from the original run of films to successfully bring the series into the present day.     

If Craven had been tasked with making a Scream about the current horror landscape, it would probably look like a lot like this. Gillet and Bettinelli-Olpin along with their writing partners James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick have a thorough understanding of what the modern horror climate that's largely shaped by the continuing emergence of internet-driven fandom looks like and how it operates. Using this prominent subculture as the backdrop for a Scream film leads to an immensely clever product that splits its time between leaning into, laughing at and brutally taking down the practice of rebooting franchises and how fandom is weaponized to go after anyone that is believed to have not honored the sacred originals with their versions. Exploring toxic fandom from an even-keeled point of view that points out the bullying under the guise of love that sits at the heart of the practice while also understanding the place of territorialism that's its coming from and acknowledging that certain reboots do spectacularly fail in their missions to revamp the originals is some exceptional meta filmmaking from people that seem to have the insider knowledge that comes from being on both sides of this ugly duel between creators and fans.    

Adding to the wit and weight of the new Scream is the way the "legacy" characters are used. Sidney, Dewey and Gale are all at different places in their lives and have different relationships with the events of the previous films (Sidney has finally found peace by getting married, starting a family and leaving Woodsboro behind for good, Dewey's extensive physical ailments sustained by several Ghostface attacks over the course of 15 years have forced him to live with permanent reminders of the past, Gale doesn't really seem to give a shit either way now that she's found success as a national morning show host). The lone constant between the three is their initial reluctance and eventual acceptance of having to confront Ghostface once again. This approach also makes for a clever, surprisingly heartfelt metaphor for these actors deciding to come back to play these roles for the 5th time. It had over a decade since they last portrayed these characters and the prospect of returning to the Scream franchise without Craven or Williamson being involved with the on-screen product had to be bittersweet since those two guys are just as synonymous with the brand as they are.  Through their own sense of duty to honor what they've created and entrusting the new creative team to do right by them, they were able to come in uphold and add to the legacy of their characters and the franchise in meaningful ways.    

As effectively as Laurie Strode has been used in the new Halloween films, it was refreshing to see a "Requel" that uses its original characters as a key complement to the plot and not the driving force behind it. Seeing this iconic trio impart the wisdom they've gained from all of their previous battles with Ghostface to help a new generation of Woodsboro residents (Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid, Jenna Ortega, Jasmine Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minette, Sonia Ammar-all terrific, magnetic performers who are fully onboard with the old meets new spirit of the film) figure out why they're being targeted and who's behind the killings instead of simply being prey again is really the ultimate sign of respect for the roles they've played in turning this series into something special as well as an organic way to pass the torch to the next generation.

Everyone involved with this project should be incredibly proud of what they accomplished with Scream '22. It's hard to imagine that Craven would be anything less than thrilled with how they were able to make something that plays by Scream's satirical, trope-crushing/embracing balancing act while also adding new wrinkles that reflected where horror is today and the long journey the iconic characters have taken over the past 25 years. As somebody who was too young to experience the impact that the original Scream made in real time, seeing something that has the ability to mock, lament and celebrate the state of modern horror with such clear-eyed precision and deft skill feels like it could be the birth of another watershed moment for the genre. Even if it doesn't ultimately usher in a revolution where creative reinvention mixed with admiration for the past becomes the new industry standard for sequels, "Requels" or any other revival or continuation of an established franchise, this Scream should go down in history for how it honors the spirit of the original film and the people that made it special in the sincerest fashion possible without ever reducing itself to an endless parade of shameless fan service.                

Grade: A-

2021 NFL All-Pro Team

Quarterback

1st team: Aaron Rodgers (Packers)

2nd team: Tom Brady (Buccaneers)

Running Back

1st team: Jonathan Taylor (Colts), Joe Mixon (Bengals)

2nd team: Austin Ekeler (Chargers), Nick Chubb (Browns)

Wide Receiver 

1st team: Cooper Kupp (Rams), Davante Adams (Packers)

2nd team: Deebo Samuel (49ers), Justin Jefferson (Vikings)

Tight End:

1st team: Mark Andrews (Ravens)

2nd team: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

Tackle:

1st team: Trent Williams (49ers), Tristian Wirfs (Buccaneers)

2nd team: Rashawn Slater (Chargers), Lane Johnson (Eagles)

Guard

1st team: Joel Bitonio (Browns), Zach Martin (Cowboys)

2nd team: Joe Thuney (Chiefs), Shaq Mason (Patriots)

Center

1st team: Creed Humphrey (Chiefs)

2nd team: Corey Linsley (Chargers)

Defensive End

1st team: Myles Garrett (Browns), Maxx Crosby (Raiders)

2nd team: Nick Bosa (49ers), Cameron Heyward (Steelers)

Defensive Tackle

1st team: Aaron Donald (Rams), Christian Wilkins (Dolphins)

2nd team: Chris Jones (Chiefs), Vita Vea (Buccaneers)  

Outside Linebacker

1st team: T.J. Watt (Steelers), Darious Leonard (Colts)

2nd team: Micah Parsons (Cowboys), Robert Quinn (Bears)

Inside Linebacker

1st team: De'Vondre Campbell (Packers), Lavonte David (Buccaneers)

2nd team: Demario Davis (Saints), Fred Warner (49ers)

Cornerback

1st team: Jalen Ramsey (Rams), A.J. Terrell (Falcons)

2nd team: Darius Slay (Eagles), J.C. Jackson (Patriots)

Safety

1st team: Kevin Byard (Titans), Micah Hyde (Bills)

2nd team: Marcus Williams (Saints), Antoine Winfield Jr. (Buccaneer)

Kicker

1st team: Justin Tucker (Ravens)

2nd team: Daniel Carlson (Raiders)

Punter

1st team: A.J. Cole (Raiders)

2nd team: Bryan Anger (Cowboys)

Return Specialist

1st team: Braxton Berrios (Jets)

2nd team: Kene Nwangwu (Vikings)

Special Teamer:

1st team: Ashton Dulin (Colts)

2nd team: J.T. Gray (Saints)

NFL Wild Card Predictions

Cincinnati Bengals over Las Vegas Raiders: My confidence level in picking this game is completely nonexistent. The Raiders aren't remotely imposing, yet they've been hanging around and winning games in crunch time-which seemingly makes them well-suited for the tense playoff environment. On the other hand, there's the Bengals who have a flashy offense led by budding star QB Joe Burrow and a defense that has been pretty decent for the bulk of the year, but they haven't won a playoff game in 31 years and have been as erratic as any team that made playoffs this year save for the Steelers and maybe the Eagles. Ultimately, Burrow's track record of being a fearless player who steps up at the biggest moments, the Raiders lack of consistent pass rushers outside of Maxx Crosby and having the homefield are enough for me to lean towards the Bengals. 

Buffalo Bills over New England Patriots: A Bills-Patriots showdown in Orchard Park will be played in brutal weather for the 2nd time season, with the current game time temperatures projected to be below zero. Given the way Patriots stuck it to the Bills in their snowy, comically windy early December meeting, it would be reasonable to assume that the Patriots will win because of their advantage in the running game. While there would be many more shocking possible outcomes this weekend than a Bill Belichick-coached team topping the Bills on a night where passing the ball will be much harder than usual, having any high degree of faith in the Patriots' ability to win a game against a real opponent right now would be flat-out irresponsible. Not only are the Patriots 1-3 since picking up the win in that now infamous weather game-including a pretty lopsided loss to the Bills at Gillette Stadium 3 weeks ago, Mac Jones hasn't been very sharp for much of the past month (his torching of the Jaguars 2 weeks ago shouldn't be taken seriously) and the Bills rushing attack led by Devin Singletary has gotten much better over the past month-putting a Pats defense that just got shredded by Duke Johnson last week in Miami at a serious disadvantage.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles are the only playoff team that failed to win a game against another playoff team this year, going a whopping 0-6 in their games against the other teams that are in competition for the 2021 Lombardi (they were 9-2 against non-playoff teams). Expecting them to finally end that drought during a road playoff date with the Tom Brady-led Buccaneers would be the dictionary definition of insanity. Jalen Hurts lives and dies by the RPO-which isn't likely to be very successful against the stout Bucs front and as good as the Eagles secondary has been this season, Brady shouldn't have too many issues moving the ball against them. 

San Francisco 49ers over Dallas Cowboys: Unless having their available starters beat up on the Eagles backups in last Saturday night's meaningless regular season finale proves to be some kind of magic cure all for their significant offensive problems they've displayed in most of their games since early November, the Cowboys are almost certainly doomed to fail on Sunday. A physical, hard-nosed team on both sides of the ball that's been playing their best football of late like the 49ers is a nightmare matchup for a soft Cowboys team-who in addition to their aforementioned offensive woes have repeatedly proved they're not built for these big moments ever since the end of their 90's dynasty.   

Kansas City Chiefs over Pittsburgh Steelers: The holy trinity of things (The Colts choking in Jacksonville, Brandon Staley's timeout, Daniel Carlson's reliable kicking) that lead to the Steelers making the playoffs will be running through my head while I'm watching this farce of a team get blown by the Chiefs. Is it too late to just remove the Steelers from the field and replace them with the Chargers? Now, THAT would be a contest worthy of the prestigious Sunday Night timeslot opposed to this sad matinee bullshit that will stinking up a great primetime slot.

Los Angeles Rams over Arizona Cardinals: Wrapping up the week in the 1st ever Monday night Wild Card showdown is a choose your choking fighter situation as both of these NFC West foes are limping into the playoffs. Currently, the Cardinals can't score in the redzone or stop shooting themselves in the foot with procedural penalties while Matthew Stafford is doing everything he can to cost the Rams games-throwing a staggering 8 INT's in their past 4 games including 3 straight multi-INT outings. Considering the poor discipline and execution they've both been displaying in recent weeks; coaching is likely going to be the deciding factor her-which means I have to pick to the Rams since Sean McVay has been to the playoffs multiple times before and is a significantly better game manager/play caller than Kliff Kingsbury is.  

2021 in Movies: A Year in Review

Was 2021 the full-blown return to "normalcy" we were all hoping for? No. Did the mooviess come back just like the great Vin Diesel promised they would? THEY SURE AS HELL DID (thanks Vin!) 

After 2020's cinematic offerings got largely upended on account of the pandemic, 2021 made up for that relative lack of action with a robust offering of films on both the streaming services (namely Netflix-who released a whopping 257 titles) and in theaters-many of which were titles that had been delayed by 6-18 months because of COVID. And the slate wasn't just large, it was filled with consistent quality. 

Nearly every genre imaginable had at least a couple of notable triumphs, some of the biggest directors (Ridley Scott, Lana Wachowski, James Wan) in the industry delivered their finest films in years, if not ever, new voices (Emma Seligman, Jeymes Samuel, Rachel Sennott) on both sides of the camera made their presences known with some incredible efforts and perhaps best of all, the number of real stinkers were very minimal. If a 2022 slate that currently has films from the likes of Jordan Peele, Robert Eggers and Rian Johnson on it (and might also feature the latest from Martin Scorsese, David Fincher and Darren Aronofsky) can follow a similar pattern, another great year of cinema in all forms will be imminent.

Below, you'll find a complete ranking of every film I saw from worst to best, a boatload of awards and superlatives and an early look at the films that are currently slated for release in 2022 that I'm most looking forward to seeing. Hope you enjoy.    

Didn't Get a Chance to Watch, but Plan on Seeing in the Future: 

7 Prisoners

A Journal for Jordan

A Mouthful of Air

American Underdog

Antlers

Best Sellers

Blast Beat

Blue Bayou

Censor

CODA

Encanto

Encounter

Fear Street Part One: 1994

Fear Street Part Two: 1978 

Fear Street Part Three: 1666

First Date

Flee

Hard Luck Love Song

How It Ends

In the Earth

Jockey

Joe Bell

John and the Hole

Lamb

Mass

Mother/Android

National Champions

No Man of God

Old Henry

One Shot

Palmer

Parallel Mothers

Profile

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

Respect

Silent Night

Small Engine Repair

South of Heaven

Stowaway

The Courier

The Dry

The Hand of God

The Novice

The Sparks Brothers

The Tender Bar

The Tragedy of Macbeth

The Trip

The Voyeurs

There's Someone Inside Your House

Werewolves Within

Wild Indian

137.Chaos Walking (D)

136.The Lost Daughter (D)

135.The Marksman (D+)

134.Jolt (D+)

133.Don't Tell a Soul (D+)

132.Awake (D+)

131.Raya and the Last Dragon (C-)

130.Nightmare Alley (C-)

129.The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (C-)

128.Good on Paper (C-)

127.False Positive (C-)

126.Tom & Jerry (C)

125.Sweet Girl (C)

124.Moxie (C)

123.Prisoners of the Ghostland (C)

122.The Green Knight (C)

121.Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (C)

120.Belfast (C)

119.Bruised (C)

118.Happily (C)

117.The United States vs. Billie Holiday (C+)

116.Coming 2 America (C+)

115.Red Notice (C+)

114.The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run (C+)

113.The Paper Tigers (C+)

112.PG: Psycho Goreman (C+)

111.The Card Counter (C+)

110.The Tomorrow War (C+)

109.Locked Down (C+)

108.Love Hard (C+)

107.Thunder Force (C+)

106.The Protege (B-)

105.We Broke Up (B-)

104.Breaking News in Yuba County (B-)

103.Our Friend (B-)

102.Fatherhood (B-)

101.The Ice Road (B-)

100.No Sudden Move (B-)

99.Passing (B-)

98.Shadow in the Cloud (B-)

97.The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (B-)

96.Ghostbusters: Afterlife (B-)

95.8-Bit Christmas (B-)

94.In the Heights (B-)

93.The Nowhere Inn (B-)

92.Cry Macho (B-)

91.Ride the Eagle (B-)

90.Vacation Friends (B-)

89.The French Dispatch (B-)

88.Jungle Cruise (B-)

87.The Unforgiveable (B-)

86.West Side Story (B-)

85.Night Teeth (B-)

84.Till Death (B-)

83.Spiral: From the Book of Saw (B-)

82.Pig (B-)

81.Candyman (B-)

80.Outside the Wire (B-)

79.The Mauritanian (B-)

78.Stillwater (B-)

77.House of Gucci (B-)

76.The Eyes of Tammy Faye (B-)

75.Old (B-)

74.Without Remorse (B)

73.The Little Things (B)

72.Boss Level (B)

71.Boogie (B)

70.The White Tiger (B)

69.Black Widow (B)

68.Army of Thieves (B)

67.Snake Eyes (B)

66.Copshop (B)

65.Reminiscence (B)

64.The King's Man (B)

63.Mandibles (B)

62.Ron's Gone Wrong (B)

61.Nine Days (B)

60.Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (B)

59.Don't Breathe 2 (B)

58.Saint Maud (B)

57.The Woman in the Window (B)

56.Oxygen (B)

55.Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (B)

54.Free Guy (B)

53.Halloween Kills (B)

52.Venom: Let There Be Carnage (B)

51.Titane (B)

50.Cruella (B)

49.Mortal Kombat (B)

48.Space Jam: A New Legacy (B)

47.Zack Snyder's Justice League (B)

46.Some Kind of Heaven (B)

45.Those Who Wish Me Dead (B)

44.Spider-Man: No Way Home (B)

43.Together Together (B)

42.Luca (B)

41.The Mitchells vs. the Machines (B+)

40.Gunpowder Milkshake (B+)

39.Spencer (B+)

38.The Forever Purge (B+)

37.Kate (B+)

36.C'mon C'mon (B+)

35.Concrete Cowboy (B+)

34.Plan B (B+)

33.F9 (B+)

32.I Care a Lot (B+)

31.Army of the Dead (B+)

30.Dune (B+)

29.Last Night in Soho (B+)

28.The Guilty (B+)

27.Zola (B+)

26.Summer of Soul (B+)

25.Being the Ricardos (B+)

24.Don't Look Up (B+)

23.Eternals (B+)

22.Licorice Pizza (B+)

21.The Power of the Dog (B+)

20.Riders of Justice (B+)

19.Malignant (B+)

18.Wrath of Man (B+)

17.The Matrix Resurrections (B+)

16.The Night House (B+)

15.No Time to Die (B+)

14.Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (B+)

13.The Last Duel (B+)

12.A Quiet Place Part II (B+)

11.Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (A-)

10.Malcolm & Marie (A-)

9.Red Rocket (A-)

8.King Richard (A-)

7.Shiva Baby (A-)

6.Godzilla vs. Kong (A-)

5.The Harder They Fall (A-)

4.Nobody (A-)

3.Bad Trip (A)

2.The Suicide Squad (A)

1.Judas and the Black Messiah (A)

Awards:

Best Picture: Judas and the Black Messiah

Best Director: Shaka King, Judas and the Black Messiah

Best Actor: Simon Rex, Red Rocket

Best Actress: Jodie Comer, The Last Duel

Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah

Best Supporting Actress: Anjanue Ellis, King Richard

Best Original Screenplay: Emma Seligman, Shiva Baby

Best Adapted Screenplay: Nicole Holfcener, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, The Last Duel

Best Cinematography: Greig Fraser, Dune

Best Score: Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog

Best Original Song: "No Time to Die" by Billie Eilish (No Time to Die)

Best Visual Effects: Godzilla vs. Kong

Best Animated Movie: The Mitchells vs. the Machines 

Best Documentary: Summer of Soul

Best Non-English Language Movie: Riders of Justice

Best Directorial Debut: Jeymes Samuel, The Harder They Fall

Best Villain: Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), The Harder They Fall

Worst Villain: Dreykov (Ray Winstone), Black Widow

Best Performance in a Bad Movie: Bradley Cooper, Nightmare Alley

Worst Performance in a Good Movie: Lewis Tan, Mortal Kombat

Best Performance by a Suspect Actor: Megan Fox, Till Death

Worst Performance by a Good Actor: Tom Holland, Chaos Walking

Best Overacting: Bradley Cooper, Licorice Pizza

Worst Overacting: Ray Winstone, Black Widow

The 4th Annual "Carry a Movie on Their Back" Award Presented by Greg Jennings: Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holliday

Best Action Sequence: "Warehouse Fight", Nobody

Worst Action Sequence: Everything in Red Notice

Best Blockbuster: The Suicide Squad

Worst Blockbuster: Chaos Walking

Best Theater Experience: Dune

Worst Theater Experience: Nightmare Alley

Finest Hidden Indie Gem: Shiva Baby

Most Insufferable Indie Trash: The Lost Daughter 

Most Inspired B-Horror Insanity: Malignant 

Biggest Waste of a Beautifully Insane B-Movie Premise: Prisoners of the Ghostland

Hardest Movie to Describe to Another Person: Titane

Best Plot Twist: Malignant 

Best M. Night Shyamalan Film with A Twist That Literally Couldn't Have Possibly Been Guessed by Any Person Alive That Isn't M. Night Shyamalan: Old

Biggest Surprises:

1.The Last Duel

2.Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

3.The Matrix Resurrections

4.Licorice Pizza

5.Plan B

Biggest Letdowns:

1.Nightmare Alley

2.Prisoners of the Ghostland

3.No Sudden Move

4.Coming 2 America

5.Candyman

Most Underrated Movies:

1.Shiva Baby

2.Red Rocket

3.Malcolm & Marie 

4.The Last Duel

5.The Night House

Most Overrated Movies:

1.The Lost Daughter

2.Belfast

3.The Green Knight

4.Raya and the Last Dragon

5.Nightmare Alley

Top Performances:

1.Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah

2.Simon Rex, Red Rocket

3.Jodie Comer, The Last Duel

4.Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

5.Will Smith, King Richard

6.Bendict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog

7.Kristen Stewart, Spencer 

8.Rebecca Hall, The Night House

9.Jake Gyllenhaal, The Guilty 

10.Anjanue Ellis, King Richard 

Breakthrough Performances:

1.Rachel Sennott, Shiva Baby

2.Taylour Paige, Zola

3.Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza

4.Sanyiaa Sidney, King Richard

5.Suzanna Son, Red Rocket

6.Daniela Melchoir, The Suicide Squad

7.Woody Norman, C'mon C'mon

8.Simu Liu, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

9.Cooper Hoffmann, Licorice Pizza 

10.Brittney Rodriguez, Red Rocket

Top Acting Ensembles:

1.Judas and the Black Messiah

2.King Richard

3.The Harder They Fall

4.Red Rocket

5.The Power of the Dog

6.The Suicide Squad

7.Zola

8.Don't Look Up

9.Being the Ricardos

10.I Care a Lot

2021 Bonus: Top Achievements in Cinematography (There could seriously be at least 25 honorees here. This is the best individual year in this category that I can recall.):

1.Dune (Greig Fraser)

2.The Power of the Dog (Ari Wegner)

3.West Side Story (Janusz Kaminski)

4.Malcolm & Marie (Marcel Rev)

5.The Harder They Fall (Mihai Malaimare Jr.)

6.Old (Mike Gioulakis)

7.No Time to Die (Linus Sandgren)

8.Candyman (John Guleserian)

9.Last Night in Soho (Chung-hoon Chung)

10.Spencer (Claire Mathon)

Top 10 Movies I Hope to See in 2022:

1.The Batman 

2.Bullet Train

3.The Northman

4.Thor: Love and Thunder

5.Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre 

6.Prey

7.The Bubble

8.Nope

9.The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

10.On the Count of Three

Top 10 Movies of 2021

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):

A Quiet Place Part II

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

The Last Duel

No Time to Die

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

10.Malcolm & Marie:

As reenforced by this past weekend's explosive season premiere of his HBO series Euphoria, Sam Levinson is a master of generating tension and unease out of real-life situations that aren't usually depicted in a horrific way on screen. Levinson brings that same viscerally nerve-wracking energy to his latest feature project Malcolm & Marie. Aided by some claustrophobic cinematography from longtime collaborator Marcel Rev and powerhouse performances from Zendaya and John David Washington as the titular characters, Levinson turns a real time argument between a young couple into a riveting high wire act where a single word or action can shift the entire mood for an extended period of time, ego-driven insecurities are weaponized with the intention of crushing the other person's spirit and everything about their relationship past and present is called into question until they reach the point at night's end where they have to reevaluate whether or not they're even going to be able to stay together. It's a fascinating take on the relationship movie and it's great that Levinson, Zendaya and several other members of the Euphoria team were able to channel their creative energy into something else really worthwhile during the series' extended COVID shutdown.     

9.Red Rocket:

This extremely scuzzy yet often darkly funny character study about washed-up porn star Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) reluctantly returning to his Texas hometown after burning through all of the money and good will he earned in Los Angeles brings Sean Baker's naturalistic filmmaking style to new heights.  Baker does an incredible job of establishing Saber as a desperate, narcissistic man who has a gift for manipulating people into doing what he wants them to do for him as well as the fascination the people of the sleepy Texas community have with him since he "made it" in a big city and Rex proves that Hollywood was wrong to give up on him with a revelatory performance that's among the most impressive acting feats of the year.    

8.King Richard:

Will Smith's likely Oscar-winning performance as Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena Williams, has kind of unfairly overshadowed the other excellent elements of King Richard. It has a nuanced script that paints a balanced picture of Richard's triumphs and failures as both a man and parent/coach/media promoter, terrific supporting performances from Anjaue Ellis as Richard's equally influential wife Brandy Price, Sanyiaa Sidney as Venus and Jon Bernthal as renowned tennis coach Rick Macci and an ultimately inspirational ending that works extremely well because of how much it details the hard work, resilience and struggle it took to achieve that moment of triumph. 

7.Shiva Baby:

The most tragically underseen film of 2021 is a short and remarkably stressful dramedy that turns an elderly family friend's shiva into a living nightmare for an impending Jewish college graduate (Rachel Sennott) as she is overwhelmed by questions about her future from people she doesn't really know well and unexpected appearances from both her sugar daddy (Danny Deferrari)-who is secretly married with a newborn baby and her ex-girlfriend (Molly Gordon)-who is set to go to law school immediately after finishing undergrad. Emma Seligman comes out guns blazing in her feature debut with a tight script and anxiety-riddled direction that vividly portrays a state of steadily increasing unease and Sennott is pitch perfect as someone's whose whole world gets blown up at an occasion that was just supposed to be a mundane family obligation. 

6.Godzilla vs. Kong:

Warner Brothers finally delivered the epic monster fighting spectacle they've been teasing since reviving Godzilla in 2014!!! Godzilla vs. Kong atones for all of the sins of both franchise's recent films by leaving the human characters (who are also admittedly far better than in past installments-largely in part due to some well-executed overacting from Brian Tyree Henry, Eiza Gonzalez and Demian Bichir) on the backburner whenever possible and actually showing the extensive badass titan vs. titan carnage in settings that aren't pitch fucking black. Huge shoutout to Adam Wingard, Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein for realizing the adjustments that needed to be made and delivering the wall-to-wall entertainment that monster movies always should be.  

5.The Harder They Fall:

In what ended up being the most impressive directorial debut of the year, musician by trade Jeymes Samuel parlays his lifelong passion for westerns into the genre's best modern entry since the Coen Brothers 2010 remake of True Grit. The Harder They Fall is a rollicking revenge tale packed with colorful characters played perfectly by an endlessly charismatic ensemble (Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King, Zazie Beetz, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole, Damon Wayans Jr.), crackling dialogue and dazzling shootouts that combines the lawless atmosphere of a classic western with a modern stylized visual flare and long overdue acknowledgement of the presence of Black outlaws in the old West (while the narrative is completely fictional, every major character in the film was a real person).  

4.Nobody:

Bob Odenkirk fully commits to the role of a covert government assassin turned helpless family man that's forced to dust off his old skills after a break-in at this home forces him back into the criminal underworld he thought he abandoned for good in this terrific adrenaline-fueled action thriller from Hardcore Henry director Ilya Naishuller and John Wick writer Derek Kolstad. At just 92 minutes long, the whole affair has a brisk sense of pacing that is strangely becoming more and more rare in the current film climate and the hard-hitting, immaculately crafted action sequences pretty much blow the doors clean off everything else that was released over the past 12 months.  

3.Bad Trip:

Leave it to mad genius Eric Andre to not only make an absurd, vulgar hidden camera prank movie that is easily the funniest comedy of the past few years but give it an unexpected amount of heart by showing some people's willingness to help strangers out in a time of apparent crisis-regardless of how unsettling or bizarre it may be.   

2.The Suicide Squad:

Superhero movies packed theaters and streaming services over the past 6 months after nearly a year and a half of radio silence following the release of Birds of Prey in February 2020. On the whole, the crop was very good with Marvel releasing a couple of their more interesting projects (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals) in years, Sony amplifying the singular craziness of the Venom brand with the sequel Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home giving people all of the fan service they could possibly handle. In what I know is a radically divergent opinion, the superhero film that I believe towered over all the rest this year by a significant margin is The Suicide Squad. Free from the creative constraints of working in the meticulously calculated MCU, James Gunn made an R-rated standalone film that allows to him finally unleash his full creative arsenal in a superhero film and subsequently hits a new peak as a filmmaker. Courtesy of some exceptional writing that expertly weaves together an intelligent story packed with dark social commentary that would be off limits in any Disney-backed production and subtly strong character development that takes multiple viewings to fully unlock, a masterful tonal balance that see rapid shifts from funny to tragic to sweet to sadistic while always remaining cohesive and an exceptional group of actors (Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Daniela Melchoir, David Dastmalchian, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, Peter Capaldi, Joaquin Cosio, Juan Diego Botto, Alice Braga, Jai Courtney, Pete Davidson, Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, Flula Borg, Sean Gunn, Mayling Ng, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Storm Reid) that understands how to bring every facet of his vision to life, Gunn is able to strike the perfect balance between his polished blockbuster present and gory, dark grindhouse past, and it's a complete fucking joy to behold.    

1.Judas and the Black Messiah:

An entire wave of Oscar contenders has hit since Judas and the Black Messiah was released during the final few weeks of eligibility for last year's expanded awards cycle last February and not a single one of them was able to outshine Shaka King's masterful Fred Hampton biopic. King has made a film that enlightens viewers with a rich, nuanced portrayal of Hampton just as much as it entertains and enrages with the details of the FBI operation that led to his assassination. Making something that hits all the right notes as a celebration of Hampton, an engrossing dramatization of real life events and potent reminder of the United States' government checkered history of systemic racism while also getting unbelievable performances from every major player of the cast (Daniel Kaluuya as Hampton, Lakeith Stanfield as William O'Neal-the petty car thief who was blackmailed by the FBI into infiltrating the Black Panthers and eventually provided them with the address to the house where he was killed, Dominique Fishback as Hampton's wife/mother of his child Deborah Johnson, Jesse Plemons as O' Neal's FBI handler Roy Mitchell, Martin Sheen as FBI head J. Edgar Hoover) is an unbelievable accomplishment for any director- let alone one who had only made 1 film prior to this-that will hopefully open many more doors for King in the industry.         

2021 in Music: A Year in Review

Even with a flurry of excellent releases in the final months that improved the forecast pretty considerably, 2021's musical offerings had a shadow of disappointment cast over them that it ultimately just couldn't escape. To its credit, these deflating letdowns manifested in many different forms including artists taking ambitious swings that didn't pay off (Young Thug, Injury Reserve, A Day to Remember), artists who saw their signature formula post diminishing returns (Drake, City Morgue, Dropkick Murphys) and artists that released competent efforts that just had the misfortunate of being significantly weaker than the release that immediately preceded it (Whitechapel, Lorde, Don Toliver). While a year being full of unremarkable and/or underwhelming records isn't exactly an unprecedented phenomenon, it's been a hot minute since a year featured such a high clip of records that failed to live up to the output quality that the artists that released them have displayed in the past. 

Below, you'll find a list of every EP and LP I heard in 2021 ranked from worst to best (w/grades) and a variety of awards and superlatives that celebrate the most memorable records and songs 2021 had to offer and look ahead to what 2022 might hold. Hope you enjoy.   

EP's:

9.If I Die First-They Drew Blood (C+)

8.Yves Tumor-The Asymmetrical World EP (C+)

7.Benny the Butcher-Pyrex Picasso (B-)

6.SeeYouSpaceCowboy.../If I Die First-A Sure Disaster (B-)

5.Drake-Scary Hours 2 (B)

4.Slaughter Gang & 21 Savage-Spiral: From the Book of Saw Soundtrack (B)

3.Sunami/Gulch-Sunami/Gulch (split) (B)

2.Thank You Scientist-Plague Accommodations (B)   

1.Knocked Loose-A Tear in the Fabric of Life (B+)

LP's:

107.Trippie Redd and Travis Barker-Neon Shark vs. Pegasus (D+)

106.black midi-Cavalcade (D+)

105.Wolf Alice-Blue Weekend (D+)

104.Drake-Certified Lover Boy (D+)

103.A Day to Remember-You're Welcome (C-)

102.Pink Sifu-Gumbo'! (C-)

101.SG Lewis-Times (C)

100.BabyTron-Bin Reaper 2 (C)

99.Dropkick Murphys-Turn Up That Dial (C)

98.Architects-For Those That Wish to Exist (C)

97.Foo Fighters-Medicine at Midnight (C)

96.The Armed-Ultrapop (C)

95.Young Thug-Punk (C)

94.Nas-King's Disease II (C)

93.Injury Reserve-By the Time I Get to Phoenix (C)

92.Times of Grace-Songs of Loss and Separation (C)

91.Olivia Rodrigo-Sour (C)

90.God's Hate-God's Hate (C+)

89.24kGoldn-El Dorado (C+)

88.Yaujta-The Lurch (C+)

87.Gojira-Fortitude (C+)

86.Migos-Culture III (C+)

85.Don Broco-Amazing Things (C+)

84.Andrew W.K.-God is Partying (C+)

83.City Morgue-Vol 3: Bottom of the Barrel (C+)

82.Pi'erre Bourne-The Life of Pi'erre 5 (C+)

81.Gustaf-Audio Drag for Ego Slobs (B-)

80.Weezer-OK Human (B-)

79.Hayley Williams-Flowers for Vases/Descanos (B-)

78.John Mayer-Sob Rock (B-)

77.Baby Keem-The Melodic Blue (B-)

76.Origami Angel-Gami Gang (B-)

75.Demi Lovato-Dance with the Devil... The Art of Starting Over (B-)

74.Trivium-In the Court of the Dragon (B-)

73.Japanese Breakfast-Jubilee (B-)

72.Magdalena Bay-Mercurial World (B-)

71.Obsolete-Animate//Isolate (B-)

70.Depths of Hatred-Inheritance (B-)

69.Abiotic-Ikigai (B-)

68.Signs of the Swarm-Absolvere (B-)

67.Vola-Witness (B-)

66.Trippie Redd-Trip at Knight (B-)

65.Slaughter to Prevail-Kostolom (B-)

64.Don Toliver-Life of a Don (B-)

63.$uicideboy$-Long Term Effects of Suffering (B-)

62.Chevelle-Niratias (B-)

61.Carnifex-Graveside Confessions (B-)

60.Isaiah Rashad-The House is Burning (B-)

59.Kacey Musgraves-Star-Crossed (B-)

58.ERRA-ERRA (B-)

57.Lorde-Solar Power (B-)

56.Hail the Sun-New Age Filth (B-)

55.Rob Zombie-The Lunar Injection Kool-Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (B-)

54.Enforced-Kill Grid (B-)

53.Cryptosis-Bionic Swarm (B)

52.Diskord-Degenerations (B)

51.Born of Osiris-Angel or Alien (B)

50.Sturgill Simpson-The Ballad of Dood and Juanita (B)

49.King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard-Butterfly 3000 (B)

48.Royal Blood-Typhoons (B)

47.Megan Thee Stallion-Something for Thee Hotties (B)

46.Anna Pest-Dark Arms Reach Skyward with Bone White Fingers (B)

45.Remi Wolf-Juno (B)

44.Whitechapel-Kin (B)

43.Little Simz-Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (B)

42.At the Gates-The Nightmare of Being (B)

41.Dying Wish-Fragments of a Bitter Memory (B)

40.Waking the Cadaver-Authority Through Intimidation (B)

39.JPEGMAFIA-LP! (B)

38.Cannibal Corpse-Violence Unimagined (B)

37.Idles-Crawler (B)

36.slowthai-tyron (B)

35.Vince Staples-Vince Staples (B)

34.Genesis Owusu-Smiling with No Teeth (B)

33.RXK Nephew-Slitherman Activated (B)

32.Limp Bizkit-Still Sucks (B)

31.Atvm-Famine, Putrid and Fucking Endless (B)

30.Silk Sonic-An Evening with Silk Sonic (B)

29.Lana Del Rey-Blue Bannisters (B)

28.Wage War-Manic (B)

27.SeeYouSpaceCowboy...-The Romance of Affliction (B)

26.St.Vincent-Daddy's Home (B)

25.Mastodon-Hushed and Grim (B)

24.First Fragment-Gloire eternelle (B)

23.BROCKHAMPTON-ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE (B)

22.While She Sleeps-SLEEPS SOCIETY (B)

21.Inferi-Vile Genesis (B)

20.Lil Nas X-Montero (B)

19.Doja Cat-Planet Her (B)

18.Frontierer-Oxidized (B+)

17.Steel Bearing Hand-Slay in Hell (B+)

16.Spiritbox-Eternal Blue (B+)

15.Pupil Slicer-Mirrors (B+)

14.Archspire-Bleed the Future (B+)

13.Silent Planet-Iridescent (B+)

12.Converge and Chelsea Wolfe-Bloodmoon: I (B+)

11.Obscura-A Valediction (B+)

10.Billie Eilish-Happier Than Ever (B+)

9.King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard-L.W. (B+)

8.Lana Del Rey-Chemtrails Over the Country Club (A-)

7.Rivers of Nihil-The Work (A-)

6.Tyler, the Creator-CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST (A-)

5.Halsey-If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power (A-)

4.Brand of Sacrifice-Lifeblood (A)

3.Between the Buried and Me-Colors II (A)

2.Every Time I Die-Radical (A)

1.Turnstile-Glow On (A)

Biggest Surprises:

1.King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard-L.W.

2.Silent Planet-Iridescent 

3.Mastodon-Hushed and Grim 

4.Wage War-Manic

5.Waking the Cadaver-Authority Through Intimidation 

Biggest Letdowns: 

1.Young Thug-Punk

2.Drake-Certfied Lover Boy

3.A Day to Remember-You're Welcome

4.Times of Grace-Songs of Loss and Separation 

5.Migos-Culture III

Most Underrated:

1.Halsey-If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power

2.Rivers of Nihil-The Work

3.Doja Cat-Planet Her

4.Wage War-Manic

5.Limp Bizkit-Still Sucks

Most Overrated:

1.Olivia Rodrigo-Sour

2.Nas-King's Disease II 

3.Injury Reserve-By the Time I Get to Phoenix

4.Baby Keem-The Melodic Blue

5.Magadelena Bay-Mercurial World

Top Discoveries:

1.Brand of Sacrifice 

2.Pupil Slicer

3.Steel Bearing Hand

4.Frontierer 

5.Genesis Owusu 

Top Artists That I Hope Drop an Album in 2022 (That Aren't Already Confirmed To):

1.SZA

2.Kendrick Lamar

3.Rina Sawayama 

4.Revocation

5.Moon Tooth

Most Anticipated Albums That Are Confirmed to Be Released in 2022:

1.Allegaeon-Damnum 

2.Vein.fm-The World is Going to Ruin You

3.Animals as Leaders-Parrhesia 

4.Coheed and Cambria-TBD

5.Entheos-TBD

Top 50 Songs (in alphabetical order):

21 Savage-Spiral

Animals as Leaders-Monomyth

Archspire-Drain of Incarnation

Between the Buried and Me-Human is Hell (Another One with Love)

Between the Buried and Me-Never Seen/Future Shock

Between the Buried and Me-The Double Helix of Extinction

Billie Eilish-Billie Bossa Nova

Billie Eilish-Oxytocin

Brand of Sacrifice-Animal

Brand of Sacrifice-Lifeblood

BROCKHAMPTON-Buzzcut (feat. Danny Brown)

Coheed and Cambria-Shoulders

Converge and Chelsea Wolfe-Lord of Liars

Doja Cat-Kiss Me More (feat. SZA)

Every Time I Die-All This and War (feat. '68)

Every Time I Die-Thing with Feathers (feat. Andy Hull)

Frontierer-Heirloom

Halsey-Bells in Santa Fe

Halsey-Easier than Lying

Halsey-The Lighthouse

Idles-The Wheel

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard-Ataraxia

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-Pleura

Knocked Loose-God Knows

Lana Del Rey-Chemtrails Over the Country Club

Lana Del Rey-Wild at Heart

Lil Nas X-Industry Baby (feat. Jack Harlow)

Limp Bizkit-Out of Style

Lorde-Fallen Fruit

Mastodon-Pushing the Tides

Pupil Slicer-Martyrs

Rina Sawayama-Enter Sandman (Metallica cover)

Rivers of Nihil-Dreaming Black Clockwork

Rivers of Nihil-Wait

Silent Planet-Translate the Night

Silk Sonic-Fly as Me

Spiritbox-Sun Killer

Spiritbox-Silk in the Strings

St.Vincent-Down

Sturgil Simpson-Ol' Dood (Part I)

The Weeknd-Take My Breath

Trippie Redd-Miss the Rage (feat. Playboi Carti)

Turnstile-Blackout

Turnstile-Don't Play

Turnstile-Mystery

Turnstile-Wild WRLD

Tyler, the Creator-Hot Wind Blows (feat. Lil Wayne)

Tyler, the Creator-Lemonhead (feat. 42 Dugg)

Tyler, the Creator-Massa

While She Sleeps-Enlightenment (?)