Jason Momoa Ranked

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

Jason Momoa's Filmography Ranked:

15.Braven (C-)

14.Once Upon a Time in Venice (C-) 

13.Johnson Family Vacation (C-)

12.Sweet Girl (C)

11.Justice League (C)

10.Slumberland (C)

9.Conan the Barbarian (B-)

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

7.Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (B-)

6.Bullet to the Head (B-)

5.Zack Snyder's Justice League (B)

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

3.Aquaman (B+)

2.Fast X (B+)

1.Dune (B+)

Top Dog: Dune (2021)

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

Bottom Feeder: Braven (2018)

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

Most Underrated: Fast X (2023)

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

Most Overrated: None 

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

2025 NFL Draft: Top 25 Prospects Available

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

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

1.Abdul Carter, edge rusher (Penn State)

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

3.Mason Graham, defensive tackle (Michigan)

4.Tetairoa McMillan, wide receiver (Arizona)

5.Tyler Warren, tight end (Penn State)

6.Ashton Jeanty, running back (Boise State)

7.Mike Green, edge rusher (Marshall)

8.Armand Membou, tackle (Missouri)

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

10.Luther Burden III, wide receiver (Missouri)

11.Donovan Ezeiruaku, edge rusher (Boston College)

12.Will Johnson, cornerback (Michigan)

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

14.Will Campbell, tackle/guard (LSU)

15.Malaki Starks, safety (Georgia)

16.Omarion Hampton, running back (North Carolina)

17.Kenneth Grant, defensive tackle (Michigan)

18.Emeka Egbuka, wide receiver (Ohio State)

19.Matthew Golden, wide receiver (Texas)

20.Walter Nolen, defensive tackle (Ole Miss)

21.Cam Skattebo, running back (Arizona State)

22.Cam Ward, quarterback (Miami)

23.Jihaad Campbell, inside linebacker (Alabama)

24.Colston Loveland, tight end (Michigan)

25.Jahdae Barron, cornerback (Texas)

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

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

Grade: B

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

Grade: B-

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

Grade: C