tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40581623412677763692024-03-27T16:54:23.979-07:00Maitland's Madness: Movies, Music, Sports and More!Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.comBlogger3009125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-91508291213215763042024-03-27T14:10:00.000-07:002024-03-27T14:10:08.542-07:00Movie Review: Road House (2024)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/37/Road_House_2024_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="384" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/37/Road_House_2024_poster.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><p></p><p>Remaking <i>Road House </i>is a uniquely difficult undertaking. The 1989 meathead action cult classic has such a specific flavor of period-era camp coursing through its veins that the vast majority of the attempts to recapture it would come off as either insincere or obnoxiously ironic. It's the kind of fine-tuned, turn-your-brain off movie that can only be made by people who have a deep understanding of the fine art of unapologetic idiocy. After many false starts over many years, a <i>Road House </i>remake finally materialized with Doug Liman behind the camera and Jake Gyllenhaal playing the role of famed drifter/bouncer/lethal ass-kicker Dalton that was made famous by the late Patrick Swayze. So, did they crack the code of <i>Road House</i> or fail spectacularly trying? Quite frankly, neither.</p><p><i>Road House' </i>24 is often fun on its own terms. Gyllenhaal is a hoot as a soft-spoken, affable guy who is capable of laying down ruthless beatdowns when called upon, Liman's direction is sufficiently energetic, and the plethora of fight scenes have visceral choreography and pretty solid editing. But as a reimaging of <i>Road House, </i>it's only somewhat successful because it doesn't commit hard enough to modernizing the original film's signature aesthetic. The pendulum between perfect homages (the villainous turns by Billy Magnussen as the slimeball crime boss looking to intimidate the owner of the titular bar-played by Jessica Williams-into selling him the property and Conor McGregor as the cocky, swaggering psycho that is hired to kill Dalton once several local goons fail to, its usage of hilarious corny one-liners, the first fight scene with McGregor's character where the band keeps playing while a full-blown brawl breaks out at the bar) and baffling betrayals (the use of CGI to speed up nearly every fight scene, extended periods where the material is either too serious or intentionally comedic, an appalling lack of t***** r***) swings back and forth so frequently it just about swings off its pivot. </p><p>What makes this whole constantly shifting up-and-down quality of the reboot particularly frustrating is that it regularly displays a firm understanding of what made the original so special while simultaneously establishing its own goofy voice. That's the exact kind of energy that this entire movie needed to truly thrive, but for whatever reason, Liman was eager to keep trying other things out. Save that for a more ambitious affair Mr. Liman, this is a fucking <i>Road House </i>remake! You were somehow able to find the right tone for one of the most singular pieces of cinema ever willed into existence then decided to regularly stray away from it just for shits? That's a pretty brutal fumble out of the back of the endzone and while his team was still able to squeak out a win, I won't forget just how damn close they were to turning <i>Road House</i> into a statement victory. <i> </i> </p><p>Grade: B</p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-25501273397669060692024-03-26T12:24:00.000-07:002024-03-26T12:24:04.762-07:00Movie Review: Immaculate <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/Immaculate_Poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="260" height="384" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/Immaculate_Poster.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br />During an early scene of <i>Immaculate</i>, American nun Sister Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney)-who has recently transferred to a convent in the Italian countryside after her church in Michigan shut down-confides in a priest (Alvaro Morte) that she's still searching for the reason why God chose to save her after she nearly drowned after falling into a frozen lake as a child. Like its protagonist, <i>Immaculate </i>is unsure of its identity and purpose in the world of cinema. From the jump, director Michael Mohan attempts to make <i>Immaculate </i>something that dips its toes in the waters of mainstream supernatural, arthouse and gonzo camp horror at the same time. Not only does this vast genre stew led to some really bizarre, sudden tonal shifts, Mohan's direction is neither atmospheric nor forceful enough for the jump scares to provide impactful jolts and the script from Andrew Lobel doesn't have nearly enough weight behind it to offer up anything more than a surface-level exploration of its primary themes about the patriarchal structure of the Catholic Church and a woman's bodily autonomy.<div><br /></div><div>What makes <i>Immaculate's</i> scattershot execution of an ambitious genre blueprint somewhat palatable is Sweeney's ferocious lead performance and a final act that goes exceptionally hard. Once the truth about how Cecilia ended up at this specific convent is revealed, Sweeney gets the chance to just go completely feral as the films turns into a full throttle exercise in exploitation. In a really fucked up way, Cecilia ends up finding herself as uniquely dangerous circumstances force her to urgently reckon with all of the fear, doubt and uncertainty she's been wrestling with since nearly died that day on the lake. It's a treat to watch Sweeney tackle the disturbing parade of macabre funhouse shit that happens to her character as the film reaches its biblically horrific conclusion with an incredible blend of intensity and eagerness to play in a wild B-horror sandbox. Her continued dedication to expanding her range as a performer is as strong as any young star working today and now that Season 3 of <i>Euphoria </i>is getting further delayed, <i>Immaculate </i>just might be all the convincing some other producer needs to cast her in another horror role ASAP. <p></p><p>Grade: B-</p></div>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-17960589120240219762024-03-25T06:55:00.000-07:002024-03-25T06:55:05.423-07:002024 NFL Mock Draft (3/25)<p><b>1.Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, quarterback (USC)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>2.Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, quarterback (LSU)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>3.New England Patriots: Drake Maye, quarterback (North Carolina)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>4.Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., wide receiver (Ohio State)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>5.Los Angeles Chargers: Malik Nabers, wide receiver (LSU)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>6.New York Giants: Rome Odunze, wide receiver (Washington)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>7.Tennessee Titans: Joe Alt, tackle (Notre Dame)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>8.Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, edge rusher (Alabama) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>9.Chicago Bears: Jared Verse, edge rusher (Florida State)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>10.New York Jets: Tailese Fuaga, tackle/guard (Oregon State)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>11.Minnesota Vikings: J.J. McCarthy, quarterback (Michigan) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>12.Denver Broncos: Brock Bowers, tight end (Georgia) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>13.Las Vegas Raiders: JC Latham, tackle (Alabama) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>14.New Orleans Saints: Troy Fautanu, tackle/guard (Washington) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>15.Indianapolis Colts: Cooper DeJean, cornerback (Iowa) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>16.Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy II, defensive tackle (Texas) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>17.Jacksonville Jaguars: Olu Fashanu, tackle (Penn State) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>18.Cincinnati Bengals: Johnny Newton, defensive tackle (Illinois)</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>19.Los Angeles Rams: Laitu Latu, edge rusher (UCLA) </b><b> </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>20.Pittsburgh Steelers: Terrion Arnold, cornerback (Alabama) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>21.Miami Dolphins: Jackson Powers-Johnson, center (Oregon)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>22.Philadelphia Eagles: Nate Wiggins, cornerback (Clemson) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>23.Minnesota Vikings: Quinyon Mitchell, cornerback (Toledo) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>24.Dallas Cowboys: Amarius Mims, tackle (Georgia)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>25.Green Bay Packers: Tyler Nubin, safety (Minnesota) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>26.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton, tackle/guard (Duke) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>27.Arizona Cardinals: Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback (Alabama) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>28.Buffalo Bills: Brian Thomas Jr., wide receiver (LSU) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>29.Detroit Lions: T.J. Tampa, cornerback (Iowa State) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>30.Baltimore Ravens: Troy Franklin, wide receiver (Oregon) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>31.San Francisco 49ers: Adonai Mitchell, wide receiver (Texas) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>32.Kansas City Chiefs: Kamari Lassiter, cornerback (Georgia) </b></p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-8203274941502094432024-03-21T13:40:00.000-07:002024-03-21T13:40:12.174-07:00Karen Gillan Ranked<p><i>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 Karen Gillan-whose latest project "Sleeping Dogs" releases in theaters tonight.</i></p><p><b>Karen Gillan's Filmography Ranked:</b></p><p>17.<i>Oculus </i>(D+)</p><p>16.<i>The Bubble </i>(C)</p><p>15.<i>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 </i>(C+)</p><p>14.<i>The Party's Just Beginning </i>(B-)</p><p>13.<i>In a Valley of Violence </i>(B)</p><p>12.<i>Stuber </i>(B)</p><p>11.<i>Spies in Disguise </i>(B)</p><p>10.<i>Thor: Love and Thunder </i>(B)</p><p>9.<i>Dual </i>(B)</p><p>8.<i>Gunpowder Milkshake </i>(B)</p><p>7.<i>The Big Short </i>(B+)</p><p>6.<i>Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle </i>(B+)</p><p>5.<i>Avengers: Endgame </i>(A-)</p><p>4.<i>Jumanji: The Next Level </i>(A-)</p><p>3.<i>Guardians of the Galaxy </i>(A)</p><p>2.<i>Avengers: Infinity War </i>(A)</p><p>1.<i>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 </i>(A)</p><p><b>Top Dog: <i>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 </i>(2023)</b></p><p>After all of the bullshit James Gunn had to deal with on the road to getting <i>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 </i>made, he responded to that unique string of adversity by making the perfect finale to the <i>GOTG </i>trilogy. <i>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 </i>is an emotional, heartfelt ride that uses Rocket's previous untold past as the escaped creation of a maniacal scientist whose hellbent on building a perfect society (Chukwudi Iwuji) to explore how this misfit superhero team brought together by fate were able to overcome the trauma they each endured through the strength of the familial bond they formed. There's a lot of wildly entertaining, funny superhero stuff in here too, but the beauty and grace in which Gunn wrapped up the shared and individual narratives for the Guardians is what I'll always cherish most about this wonderful movie. </p><p><b>Bottom Feeder: <i>Oculus </i>(2014)</b></p><p>The breakout film from indie horror darling-turned-streaming service horror limited series showrunner juggernaut Mike Flanagan is one that never clicked with me. Despite being kind of ahead of its time with its themes of familial grief and mental illness that have been at the center of so many films in the genre released over the past decade, <i>Oculus' </i>wonky pacing and silly supernatural elements prevent its messages from landing with any sort of real potency. </p><p><b>Most Underrated: <i>Jumanji: The Next Level </i>(2019)</b></p><p><i>The Next Level</i> is easily one of my favorite blockbusters of the past five years. They did an excellent job of keeping what worked about the original (heart, mining situational humor out of its body-swap gimmick that makes its primary cast playing against type, turning <i>Jumanji </i>into unpredictable open world adventure video game environment) while changing enough about the plot/character dynamics to keep things fresh, the new cast members (Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Awkwafina) all excel in this wild world and Kevin Hart's Danny Glover impression had me laughing to the point of tears nearly every time he opened his mouth. </p><p><b>Most Overrated: <i>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 </i>(2017)</b></p><p>This remains kind of unfair as I've yet to get around to the rewatch I've been promising to make since <i>Vol.3 </i>came out last May. With all that being said, my current take of <i>Vol.2 </i>being overrated remains intact for now. As of right now, it remains the only time I've seen Gunn struggle to find a balance with the tone of a movie and deliver dramatic elements that feel more corny than sincere-which makes the film frustratingly uneven despite all its strong elements (humor, action, Kurt Russell's performance as Star-Lord's father Ego). </p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-34817311816091680672024-03-20T12:46:00.000-07:002024-03-20T12:46:06.373-07:00Movie Review: Love Lies Bleeding<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dc/Love_lies_bleeding_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="378" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dc/Love_lies_bleeding_poster.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>With her debut <i>Saint Maud</i>-which got handed a muted domestic release from A24 on account of COVID-Rose Glass announced herself as a daring new voice in cinema. Her follow-up <i>Loves Lies Bleeding </i>proves that <i>Saint Maud </i>wasn't a fluke in that department. This 1989-set romantic thriller about a lesbian gym owner (Kristen Stewart-who brilliantly adds an uncomfortable mean streak to her signature jittery, charming disposition) in New Mexico whose romantic relationship with an aspiring professional bodybuilder (Katy O'Brian-in a fiery star-making turn) hits an unexpected speed bump when her new beau gets tangled up with her powerful gun-running crime family (Ed Harris, Dave Franco). Glass pulls zero punches as she explores just how far these characters will go for love, revenge and to assure to their own survival. While the hit rate of the plethora of wild creative swings and amount of time spent operating at the intense peak of its sleazy crime thriller aesthetic could be higher, the fearlessness of Glass' approach and the cast's commitment to delivering upon her twisted vision deserves to be applauded. Glass is a distinctly bold cinematic voice who appears to be destined for greatness and hopefully her backers in both the US and her native UK will grant her the opportunity to deliver upon her heaps of promise behind the camera for years to come. <p></p><p>Grade: B</p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-44584952321514897122024-03-18T12:20:00.000-07:002024-03-18T12:20:20.495-07:002024 NFL Mock Draft (3/18)<p><b>1.Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, quarterback (USC)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>2.Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, quarterback (LSU)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>3.New England Patriots: Drake Maye, quarterback (North Carolina)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>4.Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., wide receiver (Ohio State)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>5.Los Angeles Chargers: Malik Nabers, wide receiver (LSU) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>6.New York Giants: Rome Odunze, wide receiver (Washington)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>7.Tennessee Titans: Joe Alt, tackle (Notre Dame)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>8.Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, edge rusher (Alabama) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>9.Chicago Bears: Jared Verse, edge rusher (Florida State)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>10.New York Jets: Tailese Fuaga, tackle/guard (Oregon State) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>11.Minnesota Vikings: J.J. McCarthy, quarterback (Michigan) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>12.Denver Broncos: Brock Bowers, tight end (Georgia) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>13.Las Vegas Raiders: JC Latham, tackle (Alabama) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>14.New Orleans Saints: Troy Fautanu, tackle/guard (Washington) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>15.Indianapolis Colts: Cooper DeJean, cornerback (Iowa)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>16.Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy II, defensive tackle (Texas) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>17.Jacksonville Jaguars: Olu Fashanu, tackle (Penn State)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>18.Cincinnati Bengals: Jer'Zhan Newton, defensive tackle (Illinois) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>19.Los Angeles Rams: Laiatu Latu, edge rusher (UCLA) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>20.Pittsburgh Steelers: Nate Wiggins, cornerback (Clemson)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>21.Miami Dolphins: Jackson Powers-Johnson, center (Oregon) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>22.Philadelphia Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell, cornerback (Toledo) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>23.Minnesota Vikings: Terrion Arnold, cornerback (Alabama)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>24.Dallas Cowboys: Amarius Mims, tackle (Georgia)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>25.Green Bay Packers: Tyler Nubin, safety (Minnesota)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>26.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton, tackle/guard (Duke)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>27.Arizona Cardinals: Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback (Alabama)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>28.Buffalo Bills: Brian Thomas Jr., wide receiver (LSU) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>29.Detroit Lions: Chris Braswell, edge rusher (Alabama) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>30.Baltimore Ravens: Troy Franklin, wide receiver (Oregon) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>31.San Francisco 49ers: Zach Frasier, center (West Virginia) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>32.Kansas City Chiefs: T.J. Tampa, cornerback (Iowa State) </b></p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-38013185336940121002024-03-14T13:55:00.000-07:002024-03-14T13:55:52.915-07:00Album Review: Job for a Cowboy-Moon Healer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/JFAC_Moon_Healer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="316" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/JFAC_Moon_Healer.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><p>Stepping away from music for a decade was kind of a shocking move for Job for a Cowboy to make. The influential yet polarizing Arizona-bred outfit made a transition to a progressive tech death metal sound with their 2014 record <i>Sun Eater</i> that caught both fans and non-fans alike off-guard and it resulted in the most acclaimed release of their career. While electing to not immediately build off <i>Sun Eater</i>'s momentum may've hurt their wallets, it didn't damage their art at all. Their long-awaited comeback release <i>Moon Healer </i>is another triumph that solidifies their standing as a really gifted "serious" extreme metal act that has officially closed the book on their deathcore past.</p><p><i>Moon Healer</i> doesn't follow <i>Sun Eater </i>down the path of inspired musical reinvention, which inherently makes it slightly less exciting to listen to since it's unable to conjure up the euphoric feeling of pleasant surprise. Instead, it's more of a refinement of and expansion on <i>Sun Eater's </i>core sound that marries the ethereal and atmospheric with the visceral and brutal. Given its more methodical pacing and longer forays into audible bass driven spiraling voids of gloom, it effectively serves as the sadder, more misanthropic cousin to its predecessor. </p><p>While fans of JFAC's more straightforward heavy stuff will likely be let down by its diminished presence here, the slower pacing allows the compositions more time to breathe and that really allows the brilliance of the songwriting to be on full display. The vivid textures they're able to create through their dynamic riffage and inventive rhythm section creates this gripping atmosphere that completely transports the listener into its complex world of diminishing sanity, psychedelic drug abuse and moral decay. Whether its creeping dread, explosive rage or a brief moment of solace, the feelings they're trying to express are carefully considered and delivered with urgency and impact throughout. This kind of dedication to creating richly detailed worlds in music that convey a range of emotions isn't all that common in the world of metal and it's even rarer that it's pulled off as beautifully as it is on <i>Moon Healer.</i></p><p>Being able to knock the rust off after roughly 10 straight years of inactivity with such a strong, confident piece of work is pretty remarkable and speaks to the strength of the strong ensemble of like-minded talent vocalist/sole founding member Jonny Davy has assembled (guitarists Tony Sannicandro and Al Glassman, bassist Nick Schendzielos) after being plagued by constant member changes in the years immediately following <i>Doom </i>(they still haven't hired a drummer to replace Jon Rice-who exited in 2013, so Davy tapped his old friend/previous side project collaborator Navene Koperweis to sit behind the kit for the <i>Moon Healer </i>sessions)<i>. </i>Whatever Job for a Cowboy does next or however long it takes for it to materialize will continue to be irrelevant as long as they continue to execute everything they do with the level of precision and passion that's found on both of their most recent releases. <i> </i> </p>Grade: B+<p></p><p>Favorite Tracks:</p><p>1.The Sun Gave Me Ashes So I Sought Out the Moon</p><p>2.The Agony Seeping Storm</p><p>3.Grinding Wheels of Ophanim </p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-30750627051799446232024-03-12T14:10:00.000-07:002024-03-12T14:10:18.816-07:00Dave Franco Ranked<p><i>Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best </i>and <i>hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Dave Franco-whose latest project "Love Lies Bleeding" is in select theaters now and opens nationwide on Thursday night. </i> </p><p><b>Dave Franco's Filmography Ranked:</b></p><p>(Note: Both of his directorial efforts that he does not act in have been included)</p><p>20.<i>The Little Hours </i>(D)</p><p>19.<i>Warm Bodies </i>(D)</p><p>18.<i>Unfinished Business </i>(C+)</p><p>17.<i>The Lego Ninjago Movie</i> (B-)<i> </i></p><p>16.<i>Fright Night </i>(B-)</p><p>15.<i>Somebody That I Used to Know </i>(B)</p><p>14.<i>Day Shift </i>(B) </p><p>13.<i>6 Balloons </i>(B)</p><p>12.<i>Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising </i>(B)</p><p>11.<i>6 Underground </i>(B)</p><p>10.<i>Nerve </i>(B)</p><p>9.<i>The Rental </i>(B+)</p><p>8.<i>Neighbors </i>(B+)</p><p>7.<i>If Beale Street Could Talk </i>(B+)</p><p>6.<i>Now You See Me </i>(B+)</p><p>5.<i>Now You See Me 2 </i>(B+)</p><p>4.<i>The Lego Movie </i>(B+)</p><p>3.<i>The Disaster Artist </i>(A)</p><p>2.<i>21 Jump Street </i>(A)</p><p>1.<i>22 Jump Street </i>(A)</p><p><b>Top Dog: <i>22 Jump Street </i>(2014)</b></p><p>It remains wild that Christopher Lord and Phill Miller made one of the funniest movies of the 2010's in <i>21 Jump Street</i> then came back and topped it with <i>22 Jump Street </i>just two years later. Applying the same meta-satirical formula they used to poke fun at reboots to the concept of sequels, <i>22 Jump Street </i>is able to achieve similarly uproarious results by ensuring the writing remains clever and the cast has ample space to creative playful comedic magic. </p><p><b>Bottom Feeder: <i>The Little Hours </i>(2016)</b></p><p>A comedy about nuns leaving their convent and behaving badly that's populated by tremendous talents including Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, Kate Micucci, Franco, John C. Reilly Fred Armisen, Molly Shannon and Nick Offerman should be a home run. In practice, it's very much not. Writer/director Jeff Baena has created something that somehow keeps finding ways to make this fun premise brutally unfunny and boring at every turn despite all of the batshit stuff that happens on screen throughout. It's sincerely one of the more stunning failures that I've ever seen and for that reason alone, I'll never forget it. </p><p><b>Most Underrated: <i>The Rental </i>(2020)</b></p><p>Franco's directorial debut is an impressively assured piece of horror filmmaking that uses a pair of fractured romantic relationships and inevitable privacy concerns that come with staying at a rental home to create a paranoia-driven atmosphere that gradually ratchets up until it boils over into a deeply uncomfortable, gruesome finale. </p><p><b>Most Overrated: <i>Warm Bodies </i>(2013)</b></p><p><i>Warm Bodies </i>has a tremendous premise: a zombie (Nicholas Hoult) falls in love with a human woman (Tersea Palmer) and slowly comes back to life amidst a massive apocalypse where the two species are fighting each other that just happens to be delivered in the most insufferable way possible. The romance is cheesy as hell, the human characters are all pretty obnoxious and the mixing of comedy with the more serious elements is stunningly clunky. </p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-12052901848190413852024-03-11T13:23:00.000-07:002024-03-11T13:23:19.661-07:00Movie Review: Ricky Stanicky <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Ricky_Stanicky_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="255" height="378" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Ricky_Stanicky_poster.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><br /><i>Ricky Stanicky</i>-a Prime Video vehicle that for better or worse feels like a modernized riff on the kind of R-rated comedy that would've made $40 million in theaters in 2006 before becoming a cult hit once the unrated DVD came out-is the funniest movie a Farrelly Brother has helmed in about 25 years and it's all thanks to John Cena. Peter Farrelly must've saw how bright Cena shined in his bit parts in <i>Trianwreck and Sisters </i>and handed a home a role that was perfect for his particular set of comedic skills in the form of "Rock-Hard" Rod-an alcoholic actor headlining a sleazy revue show in Atlantic City where he sings sex-themed parodies of popular 80's rock songs who gets hired to play the titular character by three lifelong friends (Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, Jermaine Fowler) who invented Stanicky as a way to get out of trouble when they were teenagers and have used him as a get out of jail free card ever since. Cena approaches the part with the perfect mix of unflinching seriousness and go-for-broke silliness as the character is both fiercely committed to nailing the role of Stanicky while also being a true loose cannon with zero social awareness whose crass antics threaten to blow the facade at any moment. It's a finely tuned comedic performance that knows when it to play it straight and when to really lean into the stupidity of a bit, which is probably why the usual string of lowbrow Farrelly gross-out gags that occupy this film has a considerably higher hit rate than any other film they've made post-<i>Me, Myself and Irene</i>. <p></p><p>Once you move past Cena's performance, <i>Ricky Stanicky </i>doesn't have a ton to offer. The attempt at delivering a heartwarming ending after delivering 90 or so straight minutes of dumb comedy doesn't really land while the other leads outside of Fowler struggle to generate much in the way of meaningful laughs despite having a fairy solid rapport. Normally, these types of deficiencies would make me think less of a movie, but Cena is so good that I had no problem sweeping them under the rug. It's exceptionally rare that a non-dramatic film ends up working due to a single performance and as a long-time believer in Cena's acting ability, it was awesome to see take his biggest comedic role to date and absolutely knock it out of the park. </p><p>Grade: B </p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-56733532015856051562024-03-08T13:46:00.000-08:002024-03-08T13:46:51.902-08:002024 Oscars Predictions<p><b>Best Picture:</b></p><p><b>Nominees:</b></p><p><i>American Fiction</i></p><p><i>Anatomy of a Fall</i></p><p><i>Barbie</i></p><p><i>The Holdovers</i></p><p><i>Killers of the Flower Moon</i></p><p><i>Maestro </i></p><p><i>Oppenheimer </i></p><p><i>Past Lives</i></p><p><i>Poor Things</i></p><p><i>The Zone of Interest</i></p><p><b>Predicted Winner: <i>Oppenheimer</i></b></p><p>For the first time* since <i>Spotlight</i> in 2015, the initial Best Picture favorite is going to take home the gold. Christopher Nolan's biopic has been the talk of Hollywood since it was released in late July and there's not a single prayer that any movie will be able to get in its way at this point. </p><p>*Excluding 2020/21 where <i>Nomadland </i>was the clear favorite among the thin field of films that were released during the height of COVID. <i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><i> </i></p><p><b>Best Director:</b></p><p><b>Nominees:</b></p><p>Jonathan Glazer, <i>The Zone of Interest </i></p><p>Yorgos Lanthimos, <i>Poor Things</i></p><p>Christopher Nolan, <i>Oppenheimer </i></p><p>Martin Scorsese, <i>Killers of the Flower Moon</i></p><p>Justine Triet, <i>Anatomy of a Fall</i></p><p><b>Predicted Winner: Christopher Nolan</b></p><p>He's made the most celebrated superhero trilogy of all time, pioneered new blockbuster filmmaking techniques with his extensive use of IMAX cameras and become a director whose name alone inspires people to head out to movie theaters at a time where the general public doesn't tend to give a shit about who's behind the camera. About the only thing missing from Christopher Nolan's incredible resume is an Academy Award and that will change come Sunday night. The British auteur has never made a film quite like <i>Oppenheimer</i>, so there's no better time to cement his legacy by bestowing the highest honor in the film industry upon him. </p><p><b>Best Actor:</b></p><p><b>Nominees:</b></p><p>Bradley Cooper, <i>Maestro</i></p><p>Colman Domingo, <i>Rustin</i></p><p>Paul Giamatti, <i>The Holdovers</i></p><p>Cillian Murphy, <i>Oppenheimer</i></p><p>Jeffrey Wright, <i>American Fiction</i></p><p><b>Predicted Winner: Cillian Murphy</b></p><p>For a moment, it looked like Paul Giamatti had a shot at pulling off the tide. That dream died a swift death once Murphy earned the Best Actor prizes at the BAFTA's and SAG Awards. The Irish character actor has been one of the most unsung talents in the business for the past 25 years and his terrific work in a rare leading role in an American film is just the ticket he needed to secure his 1st Oscar win. </p><p><b>Best Actress:</b></p><p><b>Nominees:</b></p><p>Annette Bening, <i>Nyad</i></p><p>Lily Gladstone, <i>Killers of the Flower Moon</i></p><p>Sandra Hueller, <i>Anatomy of a Fall,</i></p><p>Carey Mulligan, <i>Maestro</i></p><p>Emma Stone, <i>Poor Things</i></p><p><b>Predicted Winner: Lily Gladstone</b></p><p>And here it is, the only truly contested major award of the evening. Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone are neck-and-neck heading into Oscar night as they've effectively split all of the major precursor awards and it's truly a coin flip as to who will walk away with the gold statue. Since Stone already has an Oscar to her name and lost the SAG Award (over the previous 5 years, Chadwick Boseman for <i>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom</i>, Viola Davis<i> </i>for <i>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom</i>, Glenn Close<i> </i>for <i>The Wife</i> and Emily Blunt for <i>A Quiet Place</i> are the only non-ensemble SAG winners that didn't go on to take home the Oscar), I'm going to go with Gladstone here. Her performance is the beating heart of <i>Killer of the Flower Moon</i> and in terms of narratives, there isn't a more inspiring one in this award cycle than a Native American woman who nearly quit the industry on account of how little work she was getting going onto shine brightly in a Martin Scorsese movie where the other top-billed actors are Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. </p><p><b>Best Supporting Actor:</b></p><p><b>Nominees:</b></p><p>Sterling K. Brown, <i>American Fiction</i></p><p>Robert De Niro, <i>Killers of the Flower Moon</i></p><p>Robert Downey Jr., <i>Oppenheimer</i></p><p>Ryan Gosling, <i>Barbie</i></p><p>Mark Ruffalo, <i>Poor Things</i></p><p><b>Predicted Winner: Robert Downey Jr.</b></p><p>Marvel got Downey Jr. out of actor's jail after his very public struggle with addiction got him effectively blacklisted from Hollywood in the early 2000's and now, his return to "serious cinema" is going to get him the Oscar that narrowly alluded him for <i>Chaplin</i> 32 years ago.<i> </i>Personally, I believe RDJ is this year's answer to Jamie Lee Curtis where the voters are rewarding the person over the performance, but alas, he's a lock to win. </p><p><b>Best Supporting Actress:</b></p><p><b>Nominees:</b></p><p>Emily Blunt, <i>Oppenheimer</i></p><p>Danielle Brooks, <i>The Color Purple</i></p><p>America Ferrera, <i>Barbie</i></p><p>Jodie Foster, <i>Nyad</i></p><p>Da'Vine Joy Randolph, <i>The Holdovers</i></p><p><b>Predicted Winner: Da'Vine Joy Randolph</b></p><p>Yet another stone-cold lock. Randolph easily gave the most acclaimed performance of this group and she's one of the most charismatic, engaging speakers to step onto an awards show stage in recent years. You just can't say no to the rare great performance/great acceptance speech combo! </p><p><b>Other Awards:</b></p><p><b>Best Original Screenplay: </b><i>Anatomy of a Fall</i></p><p><b>Best Adapted Screenplay: </b><i>American Fiction </i></p><p><b>Best Animated Feature: </b><i>Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse</i><b> </b></p><p><b>Best Documentary Feature: </b><i>20 Days in Mariupol </i></p><p><b>Best International Feature: </b><i>The Zone of Interest </i></p><p><b>Best Cinematography: </b><i>Oppenheimer</i></p><p><b>Best Film Editing: </b><i>Oppenheimer </i></p><p><b>Best Original Score: </b><i>Oppenheimer</i></p><p><b>Best Original Song: </b>"What Was I Made For?", <i>Barbie</i></p><p><b>Best Costume Design: </b><i>Poor Things</i></p><p><b>Best Makeup and Hairstyling: </b><i>Maestro</i></p><p><b>Best Production Design: </b><i>Poor Things</i></p><p><b>Best Sound: </b><i>Oppenheimer</i></p><p><b>Best Visual Effects: </b><i>The Creator </i></p><p><b>Best Animated Short Film: </b><i>War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko</i></p><p><b>Best Documentary Short Film: </b><i>The ABCs of Book Burning </i></p><p><b>Best Live Action Short Film: </b><i>The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar </i></p><p><b>What My Ballot Would Look Like If I Were an Academy Voter:</b></p><p><b>Best Picture: </b><i>Poor Things</i></p><p><b>Best Director: </b>Yorgos Lanthimos</p><p><b>Best Actor: </b>Paul Giamatti </p><p><b>Best Actress: </b>Emma Stone</p><p><b>Best Supporting Actor: </b>Robert De Niro</p><p><b>Best Supporting Actress: </b>Da'Vine Joy Randolph</p><p><b>Best Original Screenplay: </b><i>Past Lives</i></p><p><b>Best Adapted Screenplay: </b><i>Poor Things</i></p><p><b>Best Animated Feature: </b><i>Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse </i></p><p><b>Best Documentary Feature: </b>Abstain</p><p><b>Best International Feature: </b><i>Society of the Snow </i></p><p><b>Best Cinematography: </b><i>Poor Things</i></p><p><b>Best Film Editing: </b><i>The Holdovers</i></p><p><b>Best Original Score: </b><i>Poor Things</i></p><p><b>Best Original Song: </b>"I'm Just Ken", <i>Barbie</i></p><p><b>Best Costume Design: </b><i>Poor Things</i></p><p><b>Best Makeup and Hairstyling: </b><i>Maestro </i></p><p><b>Best Production Design: </b><i>Barbie</i></p><p><b>Best Sound: </b><i>Mission-Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One</i></p><p><b>Best Visual Effects: </b><i>The Creator</i></p><p><b>Best Animated Short Film: </b>Abstain</p><p><b>Best Documentary Short Film: </b>Abstain</p><p><b>Best Live Action Short Film: </b>Abstain</p><p><b>My Picks for the Biggest Snub in Each Category:</b></p><p><b>Best Picture: </b><i>All of Us Strangers</i></p><p><b>Best Director: </b>Andrew Haigh, <i>All of Us Strangers </i></p><p><b>Best Actor: </b>Zac Efron, <i>The Iron Claw</i></p><p><b>Best Actress: </b>Teyana Taylor, <i>A Thousand and One</i></p><p><b>Best Supporting Actor: </b>Charles Melton, <i>May December </i></p><p><b>Best Supporting Actress: </b>Julianne Moore, <i>May December </i></p><p><b>Best Original Screenplay: </b><i>A Thousand and One</i></p><p><b>Best Adapted Screenplay: </b><i>All of Us Strangers</i></p><p><b>Best Animated Feature: </b><i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem</i></p><p><b>Best Documentary Feature: </b>Abstain</p><p><b>Best International Feature: </b>Abstain</p><p><b>Best Cinematography: </b><i>Saltburn</i></p><p><b>Best Film Editing: </b><i>The Killer</i></p><p><b>Best Original Score: </b><i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem </i></p><p><b>Best Original Song: </b>"Dance the Night", <i>Barbie</i></p><p><b>Best Costume Design: </b><i>Wonka</i></p><p><b>Best Makeup and Hairstyling: </b><i>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3</i></p><p><b>Best Production Design: </b><i>Saltburn</i><b> </b></p><p><b>Best Sound: </b><i>John Wick: Chapter 4 </i></p><p><b>Best Visual Effects: </b><i>Rebel Moon-Part One: A Child of Fire</i></p><p><b>Best Animated Short Film: </b>Abstain</p><p><b>Best Documentary Short Film: </b>Abstain</p><p><b>Best Live Action Short Film: </b>Abstain <i> </i> </p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-45946237701706632512024-03-07T12:40:00.000-08:002024-03-07T15:58:31.581-08:002024 NFL Free Agency: Top 10 Players Available <p>The NFL franchise tag period ended on 4 PM EST on Tuesday afternoon and per usual, many of the biggest impending free agents either got tagged (Tee Higgins, Jaylon Johnson, Michael Pittman Jr., Brian Burns, L'Jarius Sneed, edge rusher Josh Allen) or reached a long-term deal (Mike Evans, Dalton Schultz) with the teams they played for in 2023. Now, we get to move onto the really fun part of the new league year when true free agency begins, and players of note start to move to new destinations or secure long-term deals with their current teams. Here are my picks for the top 10 players hitting the open market this year. </p><p><b>10.Calvin Ridley, wide receiver (2023 team: Jacksonville Jaguars)</b></p><p>As expected, Ridley is the top receiver set to hit the open market and as a result of the thinness of the free agent receiver class, should have a robust market for his services. While his 2023 comeback campaign with the Jaguars featured some prolonged stretches of inconsistent play, Ridley was still able to clear 1,000 YDS on the season and showed plenty of flashes of the high-end vertical playmaking ability that made him a top 10-14 receiver in the league during his time with the Falcons. Getting a full offseason to focus on something other than shaking the rust off and returning to playing shape could do wonders for his quest to return to the top of the league WR hierarchy, which should only further heighten his appeal to any interested team. </p><p><b>Possible Destinations: Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens </b></p><p><b>9.Jonathan Greenard, edge rusher (2023 team: Houston Texans)</b></p><p>DeMeco Ryans' arrival in Houston couldn't have been timed better for Greenard, who gets to test free agency after putting up a career-high 12.5 sacks during the final year of his rookie deal. A somewhat concerning injury history and awful production in 2022 (1.5 sacks, 4 QB hits, 16 tackles in 8 games) following a strong 2021 attaches a notable risk factor to Greenard's name that doesn't exist with many of the other top available edge rushers, but his age (he turns 27 in May) and strong play in 2 of the past 3 seasons should be enough to quell those concerns and earn him a hefty payday at this premium position. </p><p><b>Possible Destinations: Houston Texans, Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars </b></p><p><b>8.Kendall Fuller, cornerback (2023 team: Washington Commanders)</b></p><p>Fuller's status as the only proven outside corner that's under the age of 33 in this slot-heavy free agent class is the type of blessing that pro athletes seeking new contracts dream about. He was the lone bright spot on the league's worst pass defense in Washington last season and has been a disciplined, productive ballhawk who rarely gets burned for big plays in nearly all of his first 8 NFL seasons. </p><p><b>Possible Destinations: Washington Commanders, Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams </b></p><p><b>7.Tyron Smith, tackle (2023 team: Dallas Cowboys)</b></p><p>While his time as being one of the elite players at his position is almost certainly over on account of his age (he just turned 33) and shaky durability (3+ missed games in every season since 2016 and only 4 and 2 games played in 2020 and 2022 respectively), Smith's play when healthy remains strong enough for him to be a prime target for any team looking for a cost-effective, short term option at left tackle. </p><p><b>Possible Destinations: Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams </b></p><p><b>6.Kirk Cousins, quarterback (2023 team: Minnesota Vikings) </b></p><p>Cousins' ability to bounce back from the Achilles tear that ended his 2023 campaign as a nearly 36-year old pure pocket passer is cause for serious concern and should further weaken his already thin market. That being said, he's also the only available veteran quarterback with an extensive track record of high-level play in the NFL and that's reason enough for any team that feels there's a QB away from contending to consider rolling the dice on him. </p><p><b>Possible Destinations: Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers </b></p><p><b>5.Xavier McKinney, safety (2023 team: New York Giants)</b></p><p>Even with a pair of top talents in Antoine Winfield Jr. and Kyle Dugger getting tagged, there's a comical amount of quality safeties in this free agent class. With his ability to drop back in coverage or hang around in the tackle box and the strong possibility that his best football is still ahead of him as he's set to enter his age-25 season, McKinney is the most appealing option in this deep bunch. </p><p><b>Possible Destinations: New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks </b></p><p><b>4.Mike Onwenu, guard/tackle (2023 team: New England Patriots)</b></p><p>Onwenu has been a godsend for the Patriots over the past 4 seasons as he's logged numerous starts at both guard spots and right tackle as the team has battled a near-constant stream of injuries and personnel changes across their offensive line. His versatility and consistency as an all-around offensive lineman are rare and if the Patriots don't use a portion of their abundance of cap space to reward him for his contributions to their team, he should have no problem landing a big payday from one of the many teams that's looking to sure up their offensive line. </p><p><b>Possible Destinations: New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks </b></p><p><b>3.Danielle Hunter, edge rusher (2023 team: Minnesota Vikings)</b></p><p>Was playing in Brian Flores' comically blitz-happy system in 2023 the reason behind Hunter's career-best 16.5 sacks in 2023? No question. However, Hunter has been a mighty productive pass-rusher for most of his career-logging 87.5 sacks in 119 career games. Despite his well-documented limitations as a run-defender, the 29-year old is plenty good enough at his specialty to warrant some team handing him the final big payday of his career. </p><p><b>Possible Destinations: Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, New York Giants, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams </b></p><p><b>2.Christian Wilkins, defensive tackle (2023 team: Miami Dolphins)</b></p><p>Wilkins avoiding the franchise tag is a shocker since he's not only one of the best young players at a premier position, but the Dolphins had precisely zero other viable candidates to receive it (and in fact, no one ultimately did!). If he does indeed end up leaving Miami, the already defensively challenged 'Phins might ultimately regret letting somebody who is capable of being so reliably disruptive on the interior of the d-line walk for free. </p><p><b>Possible Destinations: Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders </b></p><p><b>1.Chris Jones, defensive tackle (2023 team: Kansas City Chiefs)</b></p><p>The single most productive, feared interior defensive lineman not named Aaron Donald to play in the NFL over the past decade being allowed to hit the open market feels like a seismic event. While it feels very unlikely that Jones ends up leaving Kansas City, every team that can afford the 30-year old and has a need at DT would be out of their damn minds to not make a notable effort to add this elite wrecking ball to their roster. </p><p><b>Possible Destinations: Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts </b></p><p>Other Notable Players Available:</p><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A.J. Dillon, running back (2023 team:
Green Bay Packers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A.J. Epenesa, edge rusher (2023 team:
Buffalo Bills)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A'Shawn Robinson, defensive tackle
(2023 team: New York Giants)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Aaron Brewer, center (2023 team:
Tennessee Titans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Adoree' Jackson, cornerback (2023 team:
New York Giants)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Ahkello Witherspoon, cornerback (2023
team: Los Angeles Rams)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Alexander Mattison, running back (2023
team: Minnesota Vikings)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Alohi Gilman, safety (2023 team: Los
Angeles Chargers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Amik Robertson, cornerback (2023 team:
Las Vegas Raiders)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Andre James, center (2023 team: Las
Vegas Raiders)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Andrew Van Ginkel, edge rusher (2023
team: Miami Dolphins)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Andrus Peat, tackle (2023 team: New
Orleans Saints)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Anfernee Jennings, edge rusher (2023
team: New England Patriots)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Anthony Walker Jr., inside linebacker
(2023 team: Cleveland Browns)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Austin Ekeler, running back (2023 team:
Los Angeles Chargers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Austin Hooper, tight end (2023 team:
Las Vegas Raiders)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Avonte Maddox, cornerback (2023 team:
Philadelphia Eagles)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Azeez Al-Shaair, inside linebacker
(2023 team: Tennessee Titans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Baker Mayfield, quarterback (2023 team:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Blake Cashman, inside linebacker (2023
team: Houston Texans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Bobby Wagner, inside linebacker (2023
team: Seattle Seahawks)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Brandon Graham, edge rusher (2023 team:
Philadelphia Eagles)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Brandon Jones, safety (2023 team: Miami
Dolphins)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Bryce Huff, edge rusher (2023 team: New
York Jets)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Bud Dupree, edge rusher (2023 team:
Atlanta Falcons)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">C.J. Gardner-Johnson, safety/cornerback
(2023 team: Detroit Lions)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">C.J. Uzomah, tight end (2023 team: New
York Jets)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Calias Campbell, defensive tackle/end
(2023 team: Atlanta Falcons)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Carl Lawson, edge rusher (2023 team:
New York Jets)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Charles Leno Jr., tackle (2023 team: Washington Commanders) </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Chase Young, edge rusher (2023 teams:
Washington Commanders/San Francisco 49ers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Chidobe Awuzie, cornerback (2023 team:
Cincinnati Bengals)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Cody Barton, inside linebacker (2023
team: Washington Commanders)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Cody Whitehair, guard/center (2023
team: Chicago Bears)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Coleman Shelton, center (2023 team: Los
Angeles Rams)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Connor Williams, center/guard (2023
team: Miami Dolphins)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Curtis Samuel, wide receiver (2023
team: Washington Commanders)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">D.J. Chark, wide receiver (2023 team:
Carolina Panthers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">D.J. Reader, defensive tackle (2023
team: Cincinnati Bengals)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">D.J. Wonnum, edge rusher (2023 team:
Minnesota Vikings)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">D'Andre Swift, running back (2023 team:
Philadelphia Eagles)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">D'Onta Foreman, running back (2023
team: Chicago Bears)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Dalton Risner, guard (2023 team:
Minnesota Vikings)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Dalvin Cook, running back (2023 teams:
New York Jets/Baltimore Ravens)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Damien Lewis, guard (2023 team: Seattle
Seahawks)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Dane Jackson, cornerback (2023 team:
Buffalo Bills)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">DaQuan Jones, defensive tackle (2023
team: Buffalo Bills)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Darnell Mooney, wide receiver (2023
team: Chicago Bears)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Darnell Savage, safety (2023 team:
Green Bay Packers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Darrell Taylor, edge rusher (2023 team:
Seattle Seahawks)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Denico Autry, defensive tackle/end
(2023 team: Tennessee Titans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Derek Barnett, edge rusher (2023 teams:
Philadelphia Eagles/Houston Texans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Derrick Henry, running back (2023 team:
Tennessee Titans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">DeShon Elliott, safety (2023 team:
Miami Dolphins)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Devin Singletary, running back (2023
team: Houston Texans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Devin White, inside linebacker (2023
team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Donovan Smith, tackle (2023 team:
Kansas City Chiefs)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Dorance Armstrong, edge rusher (2023
team: Dallas Cowboys)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Drew Lock, quarterback (2023 team:
Seattle Seahawks)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Drue Tranquill, inside linebacker (2023
team: Kansas City Chiefs)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Eddie Jackson, safety (2023 team:
Chicago Bears)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Emmanuel Ogbah, edge rusher (2023 team:
Miami Dolphins)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Eric Kendricks, inside linebacker (2023
team: Los Angeles Chargers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Evan Brown, center (2023 team: Seattle
Seahawks)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Ezekiel Elliott, running back (2023
team: New England Patriots)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Fletcher Cox, defensive tackle (2023
team: Philadelphia Eagles)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Frankie Luvu, inside linebacker (2023
team: Carolina Panthers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Gabe Davis, wide receiver (2023 team:
Buffalo Bills)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Gardner Minshew, quarterback (2023
team: Indianapolis Colts)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Geno Stone, safety (2023 team:
Baltimore Ravens)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">George Fant, tackle (2023 team: Houston
Texans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Gerald Everett, tight end (2023 team:
Los Angeles Chargers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Graham Glasgow, guard (2023 team:
Detroit Lions)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Greg Van Roten, guard (2023 team: Las
Vegas Raiders)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Grover Stewart, defensive tackle (2023
team: Indianapolis Colts)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Gus Edwards, running back (2023 team:
Baltimore Ravens)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Hunter Henry, tight end (2023 team: New
England Patriots)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">J.K. Dobbins, running back (2023 team:
Baltimore Ravens)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jacoby Brissett, quarterback (2023
team: Washington Commanders)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jadeveon Clowney, edge rusher (2023
team: Baltimore Ravens)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jamal Adams, safety (2023 team: Seattle Seahawks)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jameis Winston, quarterback (2023 team:
New Orleans Saints)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Javon Kinlaw, defensive tackle (2023
team: San Francisco 49ers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jeremy Chinn, safety (2023 team:
Carolina Panthers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jermaine Eluemunor, tackle (2023 team:
Las Vegas Raiders)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jerome Baker, inside linebacker (2023
team: Miami Dolphins)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jerry Hughes, edge rusher (2023 team:
Houston Texans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">John Simpson, guard (2023 team:
Baltimore Ravens)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jon Feliciano, guard (2023 team: San
Francisco 49ers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jon Runyan, guard (2023 team: Green Bay
Packers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jonah Jackson, guard (2023 team:
Detroit Lions)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jonah Williams, tackle (2023 team:
Cincinnati Bengals)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jordan Fuller, safety (2023 team: Los
Angeles Rams)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jordan Hicks, inside linebacker (2023
team: Minnesota Vikings)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jordan Poyer, safety (2023 team:
Buffalo Bills)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jordan Whitehead, safety (2023 team:
New York Jets)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jordyn Brooks, inside linebacker (2023
team: Seattle Seahawks)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Josey Jewell, inside linebacker (2023
team: Denver Broncos)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Josh Jacobs, running back (2023 team:
Las Vegas Raiders)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Josh Jones, tackle (2023 teams: Arizona
Cardinals/Houston Texans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Josh Reynolds, wide receiver (2023
team: Detroit Lions)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Josh Uche, edge rusher (2023 team: New
England Patriots)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jourdan Lewis, cornerback (2023 team:
Dallas Cowboys)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Julian Blackmon, safety (2023 team:
Indianapolis Colts)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Justin Simmons, safety (2023 team: Denver Broncos)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">K.J. Osborn, wide receiver (2023 team:
Minnesota Vikings)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Kamren Curl, safety (2023 team:
Washington Commanders)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Keisean Nixon, cornerback (2023 team:
Green Bay Packers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Kendrick Bourne, wide receiver (2023
team: New England Patriots)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Kenny Moore, cornerback (2023 team:
Indianapolis Colts)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Kevin Byard, safety (2023 teams:
Tennessee Titans/Philadelphia Eagles)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Kevin Zeitler, guard (2023 team:
Baltimore Ravens)
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Kristian Fulton, cornerback (2023 team:
Tennessee Titans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Kyle Van Noy, edge rusher (2023 team:
Baltimore Ravens)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lavonte David, inside linebacker (2023
team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Leonard Floyd, edge rusher (2023 team:
Buffalo Bills)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Leonard Williams, defensive end (2023
teams: New York Giants/Seattle Seahawks)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lloyd Cushenberry III, center (2023
team: Denver Broncos)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Marcus Davenport, edge rusher (2023
team: Minnesota Vikings)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Marquise Brown, wide receiver (2023
team: Arizona Cardinals)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Maurice Hurst, defensive tackle (2023
team: Cleveland Browns)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Mekhi Becton, tackle (2023 team: New
York Jets)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Micah Hyde, safety (2023 team: Buffalo
Bills)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Michael Davis, cornerback (2023 team:
Los Angeles Chargers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Michael Thomas, wide receiver (2023
team: New Orleans Saints)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Mike Danna, edge rusher (2023 team:
Kansas City Chiefs)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Mike Edwards, safety (2023 team: Kansas
City Chiefs)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Mike Gesicki, tight end (2023 team: New
England Patriots)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Mitch Morse, center (2023 team: Buffalo
Bills)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Myles Bryant, cornerback (2023 team:
New England Patriots)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Nicholas Morrow, inside linebacker
(2023 team: Philadelphia Eagles)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Noah Brown, wide receiver (2023 team:
Houston Texans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Noah Fant, tight end (2023 team:
Seattle Seahawks)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Odell Beckham Jr., wide reciever (2023
team: Baltimore Ravens)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Oren Burks, inside linebacker (2023
team: San Francisco 49ers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Patrick Queen, inside linebacker (2023
team: Baltimore Ravens)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Quandre Diggs, safety (2023 team: Seattle Seahawks) </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Quinton Jefferson, defensive tackle
(2023 team: New York Jets)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Rakewon Davis, defensive tackle (2023
team: Miami Dolphins)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Robert Hunt, guard (2023 team: Miami
Dolphins)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Ronald Darby, cornerback (2023 team:
Baltimore Ravens)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Russell Wilson, quarterback (2023 team:
Denver Broncos)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Ryan Tannehill, quarterback (2023 team:
Tennessee Titans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Saquon Barkley, running back (2023
team: New York Giants)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Sean Murphy-Bunting, cornerback (2023
team: Tennessee Titans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Shaq Barrett, edge rusher (2023 team:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Shaquille Leonard, inside/outside
linebacker (2023 teams: Indianapolis Colts/Philadelphia Eagles)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Shelby Harris, defensive tackle (2023
team: Cleveland Browns)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Sheldon Rankins, defensive tackle (2023
teams: Houston Texans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Sione Takitaki, inside linebacker (2023
team: Cleveland Browns)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Siran Neal, cornerback (2023 team:
Buffalo Bills)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Stephon Gillmore, cornerback (2023
team: Dallas Cowboys)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Steven Nelson, cornerback (2023 team:
Houston Texans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Tashaun Gibson, safety (2023 team: San
Francisco 49ers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Taylor Rapp, safety (2023 team: Buffalo
Bills)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Teair Tart, defensive tackle (2023
teams: Tennessee Titans/Houston Texans)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Tony Pollard, running back (2023 team:
Dallas Cowboys)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Tre'Davious White, cornerback (2023
team: Buffalo Bills)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Trent Brown, tackle (2023 team: New
England Patriots)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Tyler Biadasz, center (2023 team:
Dallas Cowboys)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Tyler Boyd, wide receiver (2023 team:
Cincinnati Bengals)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Tyquan Lewis, edge rusher (2023 team:
Indianapolis Colts)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Tyrel Dodson, inside linebacker (2023
team: Buffalo Bills)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Tyrod Taylor, quarterback (2023 team:
New York Giants)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Willie Gay Jr., inside linebacker (2023
team: Kansas City Chiefs)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Yosh Niiman, tackle (2023 team: Green
Bay Packers)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Za'Darius Smith, edge rusher (2023
team: Cleveland Browns)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Zach Cunningham, inside linebacker
(2023 team: Philadelphia Eagles)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Zack Moss, running back (2023 team:
Indianapolis Colts)</p><b></b><p></p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-27255988277363574972024-03-06T13:14:00.000-08:002024-03-06T13:14:46.614-08:002024 Best Picture Nominees Ranked <p><i>Welcome to this special edition of "Ranked", where I'm ranking this year's Best Picture nominees from worst to best.</i></p><p><b>10.<i>Maestro</i>:</b></p><p>An immediate entry into the try-hard Oscar Bait Hall of Fame that would be completely worthless if it weren't shot so beautifully by Matthew Libatique and edited so crisply by Michelle Tesoro. Both Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan have never been more painful to watch on screen as they try to artificially manufacture awards show clips for 2 hours in this brutal slog of a biopic that is allegedly designed to be an ode to the love composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia shared for each other. It's a fucking travesty that this laughable stinker was able to land 7 Oscar nominations while stuff like <i>All of Us Strangers</i>, <i>The Iron Claw </i>and <i>Priscilla</i> got shut out entirely. </p><p><b>Grade: D+</b></p><p><b>9.<i>The Zone of Interest:</i></b></p><p>Jonathan Glazer deserves credit for making an abstract film that portrays the evil of fascism in the most banal way possible. However, <i>The Zone of Interest</i> would've been significantly more effective as a short since it makes its point in the first 30 minutes and then repeats itself over the next hour or so as it continues to show its Nazi protagonists going about their normal domestic life right on the figurative doorstep of Auschwitz without even a passing acknowledgment of the atrocities they're committing. </p><p><b>Grade: C</b></p><p><b>8.<i>Oppenheimer</i>:</b></p><p>It's going to become a lot more fashionable to call <i>Oppenheimer </i>overrated once it wins Best Picture on Sunday, but for now, I'm on an island. Don't get me wrong, it's a good movie that features some stunning moments (the gym scene, the Trinity Test, the oval office meeting between Harry Truman and Oppenheimer) a great lead performance from Cillian Murphy and the reliably stunning technical elements that you've come to expect from a Christopher Nolan movie. I was just never totally gripped by it as the film contains several narrative rough patches (primarily when it focuses on Robert Downey Jr.'s Lewis Strauss) that are further exacerbated by the freneticism that is baked into its non-linear narrative structure and bizarre scenes (depressed alcoholic Kitty Oppenheimer showing perfect recall of events when she snaps at the attorney running her husband's security clearance renewal hearing that showed me that Nolan is lucky enough to have never had anyone close to him battle the disease, the "I Am Become Death, Destroyer of Worlds" tease during the sex scene between Oppenheimer and Jean Tatlock, the Marvel-esque namedrop of JFK near the end of the film) that took me completely out of the movie. </p><p><b>Grade: B</b></p><p><b>7.<i>American Fiction</i>:</b></p><p>As a satire of people's expectations for black art and what "black art" means to the people that are creating it, <i>American Fiction</i> is terrific. As a family drama about a middle-aged author (Jeffrey Wright) who reluctantly returns home to Massachusetts after being fired from his teaching job at a Los Angeles college and is subsequently forced to examine the shaky relationships he has with his mother (Leslie Uggams) and siblings (Sterling K. Brown, Tracee Ellis Ross) that inspired his move to the West Coast, it's far less successful as it emotional beats are far too heavily rooted in unconvincing melodrama. Flaws with the dramatic side of the film aside, writer/director Cord Jefferson-who makes his feature debut here-show off enough potential as a filmmaker to get excited about his future in the industry and the performances from Wright and Brown are stellar pieces of work that are fully deserving of the recognition they received from the Academy. </p><p><b>Grade: B</b></p><p><b>6.<i>Anatomy of a Fall</i>:</b></p><p><i>Anatomy of a Fall </i>is a borderline great legal drama that I feel is both made and held back by its decision to use the ambiguity-filled dissection of a marriage to let the viewer decide whether a man (Samuel Theis) jumped off the balcony of his home or was pushed from it by his wife (Sandra Hueller). But my favorite thing about <i>Anatomy of a Fall</i> is that it's at the center of the funniest narrative of Oscar season that more people should be aware of. To briefly sum up the situation, the French Best International Feature committee shocked a lot of people around the world by selecting the Juliette Binoche-led romantic drama <i>The Taste of Things</i> over <i>Anatomy of a Fall</i> as the country's official submission for the Oscars. <i>The Taste of Things </i>ultimately failed to secure a nomination and as its inclusion in the Best Picture field proves, <i>Anatomy of a Fall</i> would've almost certainly earned France their first Best International Feature win since 1993-which is a continued source of tremendous shame in the cinema capital of the world. If this hilarious debacle isn't enough to inspire some form of dramatic reshuffling of the French Best International Feature committee, I don't know if there's anything in the world that possibly could. </p><p><b>Grade: B</b></p><p><b>5.<i>Killers of the Flower Moon</i>:</b></p><p>While not every creative choice here worked for me, I still believe that <i>Killers of the Flower Moon </i>is the best movie Scorsese has made since <i>Shutter Island</i>, if not <i>The Departed</i>. The handling of the Osage murders is not only gripping and enraging in its portrayal of William Hale's (Robert De Niro in one of the finest turns of his storied career) insidious long con plan to seize control of the tribe's immense oil wealth, but extremely respectful of their way of life and the permanent damage this string of calculated killings did to their community. On top of that, the film features a triumphant final score from the late Robbie Robertson, a devastating lead performance from Lily Gladstone that will hopefully cement her as a Hollywood mainstay for the rest of her career and some of the most assured, confident direction of Scorsese's career. </p><p><b>Grade: B+</b></p><p><b>4.<i>Past Lives</i>:</b></p><p>Something about <i>Past Lives </i>being Celine Song's first film just doesn't quite compute. Like how do you make something so smart, achingly romantic and quietly devastating on your first crack at doing something that's as difficult as making a movie?!? Cute observations aside, this movie is seriously fantastic, and I hope more people will elect to seek it out now that it's streaming on Showtime/Paramount+.<i> </i> </p><p><b>Grade: B+</b></p><p><b>3.<i>The Holdovers</i>:</b></p><p>Alexander Payne washed the stink of <i>Downsizing </i>off him in the most defiant way possible by not only returning to form, but making what just might be the best movie he's ever made. Through its sharp scripting, efficient pacing and an incredible trio of lead performances from Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and newcomer Dominic Sessa, <i>The Holdovers </i>is able to tell a beautiful, emotionally varied story about three broken people brought together by having nowhere to go for the holidays and the unlikely bond they build through their shared grief. </p><p><b>Grade: A </b></p><p><b>2.<i>Barbie</i>:</b></p><p>Removing <i>Barbie </i>from the gloriously vibrant atmosphere of an opening weekend screening does a little bit of damage to its quality. That being said, it's still an extremely funny, bold movie with a ton of great performances from its massive ensemble cast (Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, Rhea Perlman, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Alexandra Shipp) quotable dialogue and well fleshed-out ideas about things like gender roles, sexism and CEO's of major corporations being complete buffoons. </p><p><b>Grade: A</b></p><p><b>1.<i>Poor Things</i>:</b></p><p>A second viewing last weekend only further unlocked my love for this weird little gem of a movie. Yorgos Lanthimos' singularity as a filmmaker is on total display here as he crafts an enthralling fantastical tale of one woman's rocky road to discovering her purpose and self-worth in the face of all of the men that wish to control her destiny. Emma Stone shows off her rare versatility as a performer with her stunning lead performance as the rapidly evolving heroine Bella Baxter, the supporting cast (Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Kathryn Hunter, Jerod Carmichael, Suzy Bemba, Hannah Schygulla, Christopher Abbott) does an outstanding job of helping shape the many turns Bella makes on her journey to liberation and Tony McNamara's razor-sharp script is the perfect mix of comedy, eccentricity and tragedy. </p><p><b>Grade: A </b></p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-78495557968666198572024-03-05T11:09:00.000-08:002024-03-05T11:09:15.029-08:00Movie Review: Dune: Part Two<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/Dune_Part_Two_poster.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="384" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/Dune_Part_Two_poster.jpeg" width="259" /></a></div><br />At a time where people often debate the viability and quality of the movie theater experience, something like <i>Dune: Part Two </i>comes along to remind everybody of just how impressive it can be. In fact, the bigger, more action-heavy second chapter of Denis Villeneuve's epic space opera serves as one of the best advertising campaigns for the theatrical experience-especially premium formats such as IMAX and Dolby-in recent history. Seeing something like Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) learning how to ride a sandworm, Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen attacking a Harkonnen spice production plant with rockets or the stunning black-and-white photography of the Feyd-Raha Harkonnen (Austin Butler) gladiator sequence on a massive screen where the colors pop, the intricate sound design explodes from the speakers and the massive scope of the film can be completely felt is just pure magic. These are the kind of awe-inspiring moments of immersion that make people fall in love with a franchise and the medium itself and given the current state of blockbusters where huge films are regularly slapped together by a committee of suits who don't give two shits about the actual quality of the product their company is putting out into the world, seeing something with such excellent setpieces and meticulous attention to detail from a filmmaker that is firmly in control of their own project feels particularly special. <p></p><p>If <i>Dune: Part Two</i> was something like <i>Raiders of the Lost Ark </i>or <i>Jurassic Park</i> where spectacle and the sense of wonder it creates were the engine of the film, it would be a towering triumph. But alas, that's not the case. <i>Dune: Part Two </i>is a film about the next step Paul Atredies takes in his reluctant but unavoidable ascension to the throne that touches on a whole lot of things including colonialism, religious fanaticism and power's unmatched ability to corrupt the soul. Not unlike the journey of his film's protagonist, Villeneuve's desire to deliver sweeping sci-fi spectacle gets in the way of his good intentions to tell a character-driven story that pops off the screen with the same impact as its blockbuster action moments. </p><p>The sheer size of <i>Dune'</i>s universe and the violent power struggle that sits at the center of it creates this barrier between the drama and the characters that are driving it. In turn, this barrier creates a distance that is significant enough between them and the audience that every event of the film, its meaning and the emotions they intend to conjure up lack weight. It feels extremely odd for something that has such high storytelling and emotional stakes to fell so hollow on that front, but I guess the vastness of Arrakis is just too much to support both the epic science fiction action and human drama that all of these battles are in service of.</p><p>To be fair to this film, <i>Dune </i>is widely considered to be one of the densest novels ever written and Villeneuve's filmography outside of <i>Arrival</i> is full of cold, harsh affairs that don't deal with the brand of emotional devastation that's on display here<i>. </i>Still, <i>Dune: Part Two </i>collapses upon itself whenever it shifts from its big action/worldbuilding moments to the character-driven ones that are supposed to be the heart of the film and for that reason alone, I believe it<i> </i>marks a pretty considerable regression from its predecessor. <i> </i> <i> </i> <i> </i></p><p>Grade: B</p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-40889434849554029582024-03-04T08:55:00.000-08:002024-03-04T08:55:54.687-08:002024 NFL Mock Draft (Post-Combine)<p><b>1.Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, quarterback (USC)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>2.Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, quarterback (LSU)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>3.New England Patriots: Drake Maye, quarterback (North Carolina) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>4.Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., wide receiver (Ohio State) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>5.Los Angeles Chargers: Malik Nabers, wide receiver (LSU) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>6.New York Giants: Joe Alt, tackle (Notre Dame) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>7.Tennessee Titans: Rome Odunze, wide receiver (Washington)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>8.Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, edge rusher (Alabama) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>9.Chicago Bears: Tailese Fuaga, tackle (Oregon State) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>10.New York Jets: JC Latham, tackle (Alabama) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>11.Minnesota Vikings: Jared Verse, edge rusher (Florida State) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>12.Denver Broncos: Brock Bowers, tight end (Georgia) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>13.Las Vegas Raiders: J.J. McCarthy, quarterback (Michigan) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>14.New Orleans Saints: Olu Fashanu, tackle (Penn State) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>15.Indianapolis Colts: Cooper DeJean, cornerback (Iowa) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>16.Seattle Seahawks: Jer'Zhan Newton, defensive tackle (Illinois) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>17.Jacksonville Jaguars: Troy Fautanu, tackle/guard (Washington) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>18.Cincinnati Bengals: Amarius Mimis, tackle (Georgia) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>19.Los Angeles Rams: Laiatu Latu, edge rusher (UCLA) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>20.Pittsburgh Steelers: Nate Wiggins, cornerback (Clemson)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>21.Miami Dolphins: Terrion Arnold, cornerback (Alabama)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>22.Philadelphia Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell, cornerback (Toledo)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>23.Houston Texans: Chop Robinson, edge rusher (Penn State) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>24.Dallas Cowboys: Tyler Guyton, tackle (Oklahoma)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>25.Green Bay Packers: Tyler Nubin, safety (Minnesota) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>26.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton, tackle/guard (Duke) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>27.Arizona Cardinals: Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback (Alabama)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>28.Buffalo Bills: Brian Thomas Jr., wide receiver (LSU) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>29.Detroit Lions: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., cornerback (Missouri)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>30.Baltimore Ravens: Troy Franklin, wide receiver (Oregon)</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>31.San Francisco 49ers: T.J. Tampa, cornerback (Iowa State) </b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>32.Kansas City Chiefs: Keon Coleman, wide receiver (Florida State) </b></p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-19528599713572373622024-02-29T14:55:00.000-08:002024-02-29T15:50:55.874-08:00Denis Villeneuve Ranked<p><i>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 Denis Villeneuve-whose latest project "Dune: Part Two" releases in theaters today. </i></p><p><b>Denis Villeneuve's Filmography Ranked:</b></p><p>7.<i>Enemy </i>(C-)</p><p>6.<i>Incendies </i>(C)</p><p>5.<i>Blade Runner 2049 </i>(B-)</p><p>4.<i>Dune </i>(B+)</p><p>3.<i>Arrival </i>(A-)</p><p>2.<i>Sicario </i>(A-)</p><p>1.<i>Prisoners </i>(A-)</p><p><b>Top Dog</b>: <i><b>Prisoners </b></i><b>(2013)</b></p><p><i>Prisoners </i>was the introduction for most American audiences to the cinematic stylings of Villeneuve and hot damn, did the French-Canadian manage to leave quite the first impression. This mystery thriller about a cop (Jake Gyllenhaal) and the traumatized father (Hugh Jackman) of two missing girls who operate on different sides of the law in their pursuit of the serial child kidnapper that has reigned terror on their desolate Pennsylvania town for decades is a slow-burning affair that packs a serious wallop. Jackman and Gyllenhaal turn in some of the finest performances of their careers as the tormented men trying to get to the bottom of this horrific case, Villeneuve does a masterful job of creating a dread-soaked atmosphere that gradually escalates in intensity throughout and the reveal of the disturbing truth behind the kidnappings fuels an explosive finale that is pretty much impossible to forget. <i> </i></p><p><b>Bottom Feeder: <i>Enemy </i>(2014)</b></p><p>Ironically, Villeneuve followed up <i>Prisoners </i>with the only real dud he's made since he broke out in Hollywood. As fiercely committed as Jake Gyllenhaal is in his dual lead roles,<i> Enemy </i>doesn't have enough eerie atmospherics, visual pop and compelling mindfuckery to deliver upon its surrealist psychological thriller ambitions. <i> </i></p><p><b>Most Underrated: <i>Sicario </i>(2015)</b></p><p><i>Sicario </i>isn't underrated in the traditional sense as it made enough money to get a sequel greenlit and helped pave the way for Taylor Sheridan to become one of the biggest television kingpins of the last 20 years. It is however underrated in the pantheon of Villeneuve's acclaimed filmography as it's widely pegged to be a couple of steps below the rest of his American films, which is a sentiment that I strongly disagree with. Villeneuve is in peak form as he creates a procedural thriller about the drug trade at the United States/Mexican border that runs laps around the titles its often compared to (<i>Traffic</i>, <i>Blow</i>) in terms of entertainment value/suspense level, moral complexity and technical craftsmanship/acting. </p><p><b>Most Overrated: <i>Blade Runner 2049 </i>(2017)</b></p><p>I'm just going to be completely honest, nothing about <i>Blade Runner 2049 </i>impressed me much outside of its VFX and cinematography. The primary philosophical subtext surrounding robots desire to find their own humanity in a manufactured existence isn't particularly thought-provoking, compelling or unique (the polarizing live action remake of <i>Ghost in the Shell</i> that was released the same year<i> </i>operates in the same thematic waters with a similar, if not greater degree of effectiveness), the acting outside of Ryan Gosling's reliably strong work in the lead role is unremarkable and it ultimately fails to bring enough new ideas to the table to justify its existence in a world where the original is already worshipped by fans, critics and film historians alike. </p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-43443858681757247452024-02-28T13:09:00.000-08:002024-02-28T13:09:45.821-08:00Programming Update<p>Hello all,</p><p>I've been quiet on here this week on account of a self-imposed mandate to start doing research on the players available in the 2024 NFL Draft and a lack of new movies to write about outside of <i>Drive-Away Dolls</i>. This week's edition of "Ranked" featuring the films of <i>Dune: Part Two </i>director Denis Villeneuve will be up tomorrow, and I'll return to a normal posting schedule next week.</p><p>Chris Maitland </p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-74055038542839910022024-02-27T13:54:00.000-08:002024-02-27T13:54:53.018-08:00Movie Review: Drive-Away Dolls<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cf/Driveaway_dolls_poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="255" height="380" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cf/Driveaway_dolls_poster.png" width="255" /></a></div>The creative separation of the Coen Brothers over the past few years has revealed a lot about what they each brought to their films. Joel's inaugural solo venture was a gothic reimagining of Shakespeare's <i>Macbeth </i>entitled <i>The Tragedy of Macbeth </i>starring Denzel Washington and his wife Frances McDormand. Ethan's is an original screwball crime comedy about two lesbian friends (Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan) that have their leisurely road trip from Philadelphia to Tallahassee derailed when they discover they've been unwillingly transporting contraband belonging to some very powerful people in the trunk of their rental car called <i>Drive-Away Dolls</i>. This serious artist/court jester dynamic is what makes the Coen Brothers such a dynamic force to be reckoned with and while their forthcoming reunion on an untitled horror film that's set to shoot at the end of this year or the beginning will certainly be a welcome one, it's been fun to see what they bring to the table as individual filmmaking entities over the past few years.<p></p><p>For some people, <i>Drive-Away Dolls </i>will serve as proof that Ethan needs Joel to reign in his goofier impulses. For others, it will be a refreshingly silly twist on the classic Coen crime farce formula. I'm firmly in the latter camp.</p><p>It took all of about 90 seconds for <i>Drive-Away Dolls</i> to hook me as it transitions from a quick but memorable cameo from Pedro Pascal to a pair of scenes introducing the protagonists: Jamie (Qualley) and Marian (Viswanathan). Jamie's relationship with a short-tempered, foul-mouthed cop (Beanie Feldstein-in her funniest performance since <i>Booksmart</i>) abruptly ends when she's caught cheating with another woman in a uh, interesting manner while Marian rebuffs a male co-worker who is trying to ask her on a date in a conversation dominated by semantics and awkwardness. These early scenes lay down the foundation for a house built on zany situational comedy and when Jamie and Marian hit the road about 10 minutes later, it's officially all systems go for a wild fucking ride. Unsavory surprises reveal themselves; new friends and foes are made and a whole lot of swearing, screwing and killing takes place. In lesser hands, this game of adrenaline-fueled weirdo pinball would run the risk of turning into a catastrophe at any moment. But with a seasoned comic director in Coen at the helm and Qualley and Viswanathan excelling as an extrovert/introvert pairing who are ultimately drawn closer by all of the weird shit that happens to them on their trip, it hits all the right manic and vulgar notes before it cruises off into the sunset in well under 90 minutes (it only runs 84 minutes with credits!). Given the pretty rocky start the 2024 cinematic year has gotten off to, having something so breezy, funny and silly arrive on the scene is the perfect palate cleanser that will hopefully pave the way for a much more fulfilling spring at the old cinema. <i> </i> </p><p>Grade: B</p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-51656098633228143392024-02-22T14:05:00.000-08:002024-02-22T14:05:23.807-08:00Colman Domingo Ranked<p><i>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 Colman Domingo-whose latest project "Drive-Away Dolls" is in theaters tonight. </i></p><p><b>Colman Domingo's Filmography Ranked:</b></p><p>14.<i>Freedomland </i>(D+)</p><p>13.<i>The Color Purple </i>(C)</p><p>12.<i>Transformers: Rise of the Beasts </i>(B-)</p><p>11.<i>Rustin </i>(B-)</p><p>10.<i>Assassination Nation </i>(B-)</p><p>9.<i>The Butler </i>(B-)</p><p>8.<i>Candyman </i>(B-)</p><p>7.<i>First Match </i>(B-)</p><p>6.<i>Without Remorse </i>(B)</p><p>5.<i>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom </i>(B)</p><p>4.<i>42 </i>(B+)</p><p>3.<i>I</i><i>f Beale Street Could Talk </i>(B+)</p><p>2.<i>Zola </i>(B+)</p><p>1.<i>Selma </i>(A-)</p><p><b>Top Dog: <i>Selma </i>(2014)</b></p><p>Raw, emotional and led by David Oyelowo's powerhouse turn as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., <i>Selma </i>is one of the finest biopics released over the past 10-15 years. <b> </b></p><p><b>Bottom Feeder: <i>Freedomland </i>(2006)</b></p><p>Longtime producer and former studio executive Joe Roth said goodbye to directing forever after <i>Freedomland</i> and man, did the guy behind <i>Christmas with the Kranks </i>and <i>Revenge of the Nerds II </i>go out with a bang. This mystery thriller completely bungles the fundamentals of the genre by having a dull, often nonsensical whodunit case at its center, a noncommittal tone that weirdly fluctuates between deadly serious and deliberately trashy and an unbelievably awful ending that cements its status as a major dud. If it weren't for Julianne Moore being in delightfully unhinged character actor mode as the co-protagonist alongside a mostly comatose Samuel L. Jackson as the lead detective on the film's murder case, this would likely be one of the worst mainstream movies released from 2000-09. </p><p><b>Most Underrated: <i>Zola </i>(2021)</b></p><p>Save for a semi-viral meme built around a scene where Nicolas Braun's character threatens suicide, <i>Zola </i>has managed to fly almost completely under-the-radar since it released in June 2021 when Hollywood was just starting to release movies widely in theaters again after the end of the COVID lockdowns in the United States. Taylour Paige gives a star-making turn as the titular stripper who gets far more than she bargained for when she travels from Detroit to Tampa with a woman she just met (Riley Keough), the woman's boyfriend (Braun) and a charismatic yet intimidating man with an unclear agenda (Domingo) to dance for a week and co-writer/director Janicza Bravo does a great job of mixing the madness of this inherently wild (mostly) true story with the quiet tragedy that's frequently bubbling just underneath the chaotic surface. </p><p><b>Most Overrated: <i>The Color Purple </i>(2023)</b></p><p>While it's gorgeously shot and full of strong performances, a story that's emotional core is far too reliant on over-the-top melodrama paired with a collection of boring songs prevent the musical reimaging of <i>The Color Purple</i> from finding its footing. <i> </i> </p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-27904363001614293792024-02-21T13:44:00.000-08:002024-02-21T13:44:46.095-08:00Movie Review: Players<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Players_2024_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="384" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Players_2024_poster.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br />It wouldn't be February without Netflix releasing a romantic comedy to cash-in on Valentine's Day. Unlike last year's starry <i>Your Place or Mine</i>, the streaming giant decided to dig around their vast archives of long-completed projects to find this year's title and they emerged with <i>Players</i>-a very soft R-rated affair in which Gina Rodriguez plays a New York sportswriter who decides to stop running hook-up schemes with her trio of male friends (Damon Wayans Jr., Augustus Prew, Joel Courtney) when she meets a charming war reporter (Tom Ellis) and enlists the help of her friends to convince him that she's serious relationship material. Further complicating this mission is that Wayans Jr.'s character just might be harboring some romantic feelings for his longtime friend. Typical romcom hijinks ensue and the conclusion that the audience is expecting materializes with relative ease.<p></p><p>Like far too many of Netflix's recent romcoms, <i>Players</i> is a movie that does little else besides be agreeable enough to carve out a spot on the Netflix home screen for a couple weeks<i>. </i>It's not particularly funny or charming, the chemistry between every prospective couple here is merely passable and there's not a single standout performance among the entire ensemble. Really the best thing I can say about <i>Players</i> is that it's a downright spirited effort when compared to the aforementioned <i>Your Place or Mine</i>.</p><p>Algorithm fodder is a key part of the depressing new reality of Hollywood's streaming-obsessed landscape, but would it really kill these executives to greenlit scripts that check the required boxes with more proficiency than this? I'm not going to remember <i>Players </i>by St. Patrick's Day and I have a sneaking suspicion that the vast majority of the other people that have watched since it came out a week ago are in the same boat. The romcom genre is one that inspires many repeat viewings when it strikes a chord with the viewer and save for <i>Set It Up</i> and the <i>To All the Boys I've Loved Before </i>trilogy, has Netflix ever managed to produce something that's been able to do that? Not really. </p><p>Sometime in April or May, they're going to a recent romcom winner called <i>Anyone But You </i>release on their platform. This sleeper theatrical hit from Sony is the exact type of breezy, charming movie they're desperate to make and it'll likely maintain a slot on their Top 10 Movie Charts for weeks, if not months. Maybe if they learn the right lessons from recent history, they'll be able to make a romcom that matches or exceeds the quality of this Sydney Sweeney/Glen Powell vehicle from genre veteran Will Gluck. But knowing how the big brains at Netflix operate, I think people can expect a whole lot more harmless vanilla whiffs like <i>Players </i>in the future. </p><p> Grade: C- </p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-76097883147211487372024-02-20T11:27:00.000-08:002024-02-20T11:27:16.078-08:00Movie Review: Bob Marley: One Love<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Bob_Marley_One_Love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="384" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Bob_Marley_One_Love.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><i>Bob Marley: One Love </i>opens with a title card detailing where Marley and his home nation of Jamaica are at in December 1976 as Marley is set to perform at a peace concert called <i>Smile Jamaica </i>that was aimed to broker peace between the nation's two political parties before their next presidential election. Two days before the concert, a group of armed men attempted to assassinate Marley, his wife Rita and members of his backing band/team at his Kingston residence. While Bob, Rita and Bob's manager Don Taylor were left wounded, they all made full recoveries, and the <i>Smile Jamaica </i>performance went on as scheduled<i>. </i>After the show, Marley is left reeling and is forced to leave Jamaica for London for the safety of himself and his family. The film goes onto depict Marley's time in London, the recording of his classic 1977 album <i>Exodus </i>and eventual return to Jamaica to perform at the <i>One Love </i>peace concert in April 1978. <p></p><p>Despite its narrow focus on a crucial period of Marley's life, <i>One Love </i>manages to be just as hollow, if not more so than the typical music biopic. Not only do director/co-writer Reinaldo Marcus Green and the small army of writers (Terrence Winter, Frank E. Flowers, Zach Baylin) that are credited alongside him for the screenplay tell viewers absolutely nothing of consequence about Marley the person or the artist, they seem to have zero reverence for him whatsoever. The entire film is basically just a string of sloppily assembled events in Marley's life told with no energy, perspective or weight. Quite frankly, there's so little care put into the portrayal of Marley here that I could be convinced that it was secretly funded by people who hated his music, message of peace and Rastafarian/Pan-Africanist beliefs. As generic as films like <i>Bohemian Rhapsody, I Wanna Dance with Somebody</i> and <i>All Eyez on Me </i>are, they at least showed some sincere admiration for the artistry of its subjects. <i>One Love </i>can't even grant Marley that base level of respect, so it's no surprise that the product on screen is so exceptionally boring and incoherent.</p><p>It does need to be noted that the failures of <i>One Love</i> can't be put on the cast. Kingsley Ben-Adir does a perfectly fine job stepping into Marley's shoes during this legacy-defining period of his life and Lashana Lynch is probably even better as the supportive but understandably exasperated Rita. Whatever occasional spark of life that threatens to enter this sleepy picture comes in the few scenes where it's just the two of them talking. They're able to convincingly convey the conflicting emotions of a couple whose relationship is frequently challenged by Bob's refusal to acknowledge the sacrifice's Rita make as a mother and partner to support his globe-trotting career and his hobby of sleeping with other women and having more children on the side. Given how far removed <i>One Love </i>is from the heart and soul of Marley, it's almost shocking that Green allowed a few intimate human moments to make their way to the screen.</p><p>Not to sound hyperbolic, but I can without any hesitation that <i>One Love </i>is the worst music biopic I've ever seen. How someone whose career was largely driven by his passion and fearlessness got saddled with such a lethargic dramatization of their life is a baffling occurrence that defies comprehension. The good news for any future biopics is that <i>One Love </i>has brought the bar for the genre down to such a low point that it'll be really difficult for anybody to fall below it, although there are some upcoming titles in this space that could prove to be up for the challenge. <i> </i> </p><p>Grade: D</p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-75695701323726629392024-02-19T12:31:00.000-08:002024-02-19T12:47:13.196-08:00Movie Review: Madame Web<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f0/Madame_Web_(film)_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="384" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f0/Madame_Web_(film)_poster.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br />There's a really beautiful irony to <i>Madame Web </i>releasing on the same day that a vocal minority of comic book fans took to social media to extol the virtues of Tim Story's <i>Fantastic Four </i>films as a way to express their disgust with the casting announcement for the upcoming <i>FF</i> MCU reboot. <i>Madame Web </i>is positively overflowing with the type of janky filmmaking, pervasive silliness and horrendously conceived villains that were at the center of Story's films. It even manages to further its commitment to a 00's inept cheeseball aesthetic by taking place in 2003. Maybe time will allow <i>Madame Web </i>to become embraced seemingly out of the blue by the same people that are currently going to bat for <i>Fantastic Four' </i>05 and <i>Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer</i>, but that may prove to be a bridge too far as S.J. Clarkson's movie is being released at a time where people are getting less and less romantic about the superhero genre.<p></p><p>In fairness to these people that I didn't know existed until last week, <i>Madame Web </i>doesn't provide much fodder for future revisionist history love. The way that the plot surrounding clairvoyant paramedic Casandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) becoming the reluctant protector of three young girls (Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O'Connor) who are being pursued by a superpowered psycho named Ezkiel Simms (Tahar Rahim) who has connections to Webb's deceased mother is constructed doesn't allow for much superhero stuff or meaningful character development to actually occur. Some of the technical aspects (namely the frantic, choppy editing and bizarre, old kung fu movie-esque ADR that's used for about 95% of Rahim's dialogue) are staggeringly bad for a movie of its size. And perhaps most shockingly, there's a conscious effort to dance around the connections it has to <i>Spider-Man-</i>which is really quite the choice considering that it features two supporting characters that anybody who's seen a <i>Spider-Man </i>movie before should have no trouble recognizing. There are some moments where the family brought together by fate dynamic and hunter vs. the hunted story work well enough to demonstrate the potential it had to work as a pretty unique, genre-inspired superhero origin story, but they're ultimately too fleeting to overcome the lack of care or cohesion that is given to the film overall. <i> </i><i> </i> </p><p>For all of its missteps, I don't believe <i>Madame Web</i> is among the worst superhero movies to come out in recent years, let alone ever. Hell, the previous Sony <i>Spider-Man</i>-adjacent meme machine <i>Morbius </i>has a messier narrative, considerably stiffer acting and less entertainment value than<i> </i>this. Still, <i>Madame Web</i> is the kind of clunky, uninspired effort that Sony can't afford to churn out if they wish to keep making money off the deepest reaches of the <i>Spider-Man </i>character catalog. <i> </i> <i> </i> </p><p>Grade: C-</p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-75605653236676354172024-02-16T13:55:00.000-08:002024-02-16T13:55:15.282-08:002023-24 NBA Midseason Awards<p><b>Top Player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)</b></p><p>Going against Jokic isn't an easy choice as the Serbian big man continues to stuff the stat sheet with monster numbers and has maintained his incredible shooting efficiency despite shouldering a larger-than-usual chunk of the Nuggets scoring load this season. What puts Gilgeous-Alexander ahead of Jokic for me is the role he's played in helping the Thunder make the sudden surge from frisky upstarts to one of the best teams in the NBA this season. Gilgeous-Alexander has taken yet another step forward on the offensive end after his remarkable improvement a year ago (31.1 PPG, 54.6 FG%, 37.1 3P%, 57.6 EFG%, 6.5 AST-all of which save for PPG and 3P% are new career highs) while also serving as a key part of the Thunder's defensive identity-averaging 0.9 blocks and a career-best 2.2 steals per game and the even-keeled leader this young group looks to whenever they need to make a play in crunchtime. </p><p><b>Honorable Mentions: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), Luka Doncic (Mavericks), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) </b></p><p><b>Top Defensive Player: Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves)</b></p><p>When Minnesota shipped out all of that draft capital to Utah for Gobert in the summer of 2022, the 2023-24 version of Gobert was the player they hoped to be getting. The Stifle Tower has been a wildly effective interior anchor of the Wolves suffocating defense (currently ranked #1 in the league) and returned to form as a premiere shot blocker/post defender/defensive rebounder after an underwhelming inaugural campaign in the Twin Cities. </p><p><b>Honorable Mentions: Bam Adebayo (Heat), Chet Holmgren (Thunder), Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)</b></p><p><b>Top Rookie: Chet Holmgren (Thunder)</b></p><p>The additional unforeseen hurdle of having to recover from a severe foot injury proved to not be a hurdle at all for the #2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The Gonzaga product has defied any reasonable expectations placed upon him heading into his delayed NBA debut season and made an immediate impact on both ends of the floor (16.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 53.5 FG%, 39.3 3P%, 2.6 BPG, 0.7 SPG) for a Thunder squad that previously lacked dynamism in their frontcourt. </p><p><b>Honorable Mentions: Victor Wembanyama (Spurs), Brandon Miller (Hornets), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Heat)</b></p><p><b>Top Most Improved: Tyrese Maxey (76ers) </b></p><p>Somebody on the 76ers was going to need step up to fill the major offensive void left by the departure of James Harden and Maxey emerged as that guy right away. Maxey has proven to be a reliable facilitator and elite 2nd scoring option behind Joel Embiid while maintaining the aggressive mentality and smooth touch around the rim he had when he was the lightning-rod #3 in the 76ers offense a year ago. How he fares as the top dog with Embiid remains out indefinitely with a torn meniscus remains to be seen, but he's the runaway winner for this honor at this point of the season. </p><p><b>Honorable Mentions: Coby White (Bulls), Alperen Sengun (Rockets), Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors)</b></p><p><b>Top 6th Man: Tim Hardaway Jr. (Mavericks)</b></p><p>One of the bigger surprises in the NBA this season has been just how good Hardaway Jr. has been as the Mavs 6th man. Why the 31-year old is suddenly exceling in a role as a top bench option/spot starter that he's served in for the majority of the past 5 seasons remains a mystery, but his contributions as a spark scorer off the bench (17.3 PPG, 41.4 FG%, 36.5 3P%) have helped the Mavericks win some games that they failed to last year when they didn't have a player they could turn to make buckets whenever Luka or Kyrie weren't on the floor, so the why doesn't really matter. </p><p><b>Honorable Mentions: Malik Monk (Kings), Norman Powell (Clippers), Caris LeVert (Cavaliers) </b></p><p><b>Top Coach: Mark Daigneault (Thunder)</b></p><p>When Mark Daigneault replaced Billy Donovan as head coach of the Thunder ahead of the 2020-21 season, Sam Presti cited that the then 35-year old was the right man for the job despite his relative lack of experience at the NBA level (at the time, he had been an NBA assistant head coach for 2 years and a G-League head coach for 5). This season, Presti finally gets to do his victory lap for trusting Daigneault to succeed in this tough gig. Daigneault's efforts in developing this young roster and building an identity over the past 3 seasons has finally led to really impressive results as the team has suddenly transformed into one of the best teams in the NBA as they hold a 37-17 record (2nd best record in the Western Conference, 3rd best in the league) at the All-Star break. Their youth might catch up with them come playoff time, but right now it's hard not to be extremely impressed with the job Daigneault has done with a team that was not supposed to be this sharp, tough and well-balanced at this stage of their rebuilding efforts. </p><p><b>Honorable Mentions: Chris Finch (Timberwolves), Tyrone Lue (Clippers), J.B. Bickerstaff (Cavaliers) </b></p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-35676309730133189142024-02-14T14:13:00.000-08:002024-02-14T14:13:45.128-08:00Music Biopics Released from 2000-Present Ranked<p><i>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 Music Biopics released from 2000-present in honor of the release of Bob Marley: One Love. </i></p><p><b>Music Biopics from 2000-Present Ranked:</b></p><p>18.<i>Maestro </i>(D+)</p><p>17.<i>Elvis </i>(D+)</p><p>16.<i>Miles Ahead </i>(C)</p><p>15.<i>Chevalier </i>(C)</p><p>14.<i>Love & Mercy </i>(C)</p><p>13.<i>Florence Foster Jenkins </i>(C)</p><p>12.<i>All Eyez on Me </i>(C+)</p><p>11.<i>The United States vs. Billie Holiday </i>(C+)</p><p>10.<i>I Wanna Dance with Somebody </i>(C+)</p><p>9.<i>Bohemian Rhapsody </i>(B-)</p><p>8.<i>Cadillac Records </i>(B)</p><p>7.<i>The Dirt </i>(B)</p><p>6.<i>Notorious </i>(B)</p><p>5.<i>Walk the Line </i>(B+)</p><p>4.<i>Ray </i>(B+)</p><p>3.<i>Get on Up </i>(B+)</p><p>2.<i>Rocketman </i>(B+)</p><p>1.<i>Straight Outta Compton </i>(A)</p><p><b>Top Dog: <i>Straight Outta Compton </i>(2015)</b></p><p>Despite its convenient glossing over of Dr. Dre's 1991 assault of Dee Barnes and decision to dump the majority of the blame for the group's breakup on Jerry Heller and the late Eazy-E, N.W.A. biopic <i>Straight Outta Compton </i>remains an excellent film that runs circles around nearly all of its peers in the music biopic subgenre. F.Gary Gray's energetic direction establishes a sense of narrative propulsion that never quits, its ability to form a coherent narrative despite covering so much time is extremely impressive and the quartet of lead performances (O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Paul Giamatti) are all exceptional pieces of acting that succeed in making all of these larger-than-life cultural icons feel like real, layered human beings. </p><p><b>Bottom Feeder: <i>Maestro </i>(2023)</b></p><p>Awards bait doesn't get much more shameless or obnoxious than Bradley Cooper's wretched Leonard Bernstein biopic <i>Maestro</i>. Cooper and Carey Mulligan reduce the iconic composer/conductor and his wife Felicia's life together to a 2-hour mine for awards clip material with their distractingly cartoonish, tryhard performances that completely overshadow anything the film is trying to say about their relationship and how it was affected by Bernstein's towering career in music. </p><p><b>Most Underrated: <i>Get on Up </i>(2014)</b></p><p>The late Chadwick Boseman gave what just might've been the finest performance of his career as James Brown alongside the similarly terrific Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Nelsan Ellis-who sadly predeceased Boseman-in this criminally under-the-radar flick from Tate Taylor (<i>The Help, The Girl on the Train</i>). Boseman is charismatic enough to embody Brown's big, brash personality and fearless enough to explore his extensive history of domestic, verbal and substance abuse while its non-linear narrative style does a great job of examining how Brown became the entertainer and human being he was without ever feeling rote. </p><p><b>Most Overrated: <i>Elvis </i>(2022)</b></p><p>I was tempted to put <i>Maestro </i>here on account of all of the Oscar nominations it just received, but the reception outside of critical circles and awards voters has been pretty muted for the most part. <i>Elvis, </i>on the other hand, was one of the most successful movies of 2022, earned a bunch of Oscar noms and was also a movie that drove me insane, making it much a more fitting selection. As stylish, distinct and well-shot/edited as <i>Elvis </i>is, Baz Luhrmann's relentless love affair with his own filmmaking style, Austin Butler's hilariously committed yet ultimately cheap impersonation of Elvis and its steadfast refusal to engage with the more unsavory elements of Elvis' life made it every bit as hollow as the more conventional music biopics Hollywood tends to put out. <i> </i></p><p><b>Another Underrated Movie Just Because I Want to Highlight It: <i>Rocketman </i>(2019)</b></p><p>Electing to turn Elton John's life story into a jukebox musical that blends the fantastical with the real is the type of inspired creative swing that we need to see more of in this genre. Not only does it do wonders for spicing up the traditional rise-fall-rise structure of these movies, but it's also an incredible representation of who John is as an artist. On top of that, John himself being humble enough to allow the filmmakers to showcase his personal demons on screen allows the film to feel refreshingly authentic and Taron Edgerton's vulnerable, spirited performance as John is some true powerhouse shit that should've earned him an Oscar nomination. </p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-46027905862526149282024-02-12T13:28:00.000-08:002024-02-12T13:28:37.356-08:002024 NFL Mock Draft (Pre-Combine)<p><b>1.Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, quarterback (USC)</b></p><p><b>2.Washington Commanders: Drake Maye, quarterback (North Carolina)</b></p><p><b>3.New England Patriots: Jayden Daniels, quarterback (LSU)</b></p><p><b>4.Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., wide receiver (Ohio State)</b></p><p><b>5.Los Angeles Chargers: Malik Nabers, wide receiver (LSU) </b></p><p><b>6.New York Giants: Joe Alt, tackle (Notre Dame) </b></p><p><b>7.Tennessee Titans: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, tackle (Penn State)</b></p><p><b>8.Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, edge rusher (Alabama)</b></p><p><b>9.Chicago Bears: Romeo Odunze, wide receiver (Washington)</b></p><p><b>10.New York Jets: JC Latham, tackle (Alabama) </b></p><p><b>11.Minnesota Vikings: Jared Verse, edge rusher (Florida State)</b></p><p><b>12.Denver Broncos: Brock Bowers, tight end (Georgia) </b></p><p><b>13.Las Vegas Raiders: J.J. McCarthy, quarterback (Michigan)</b></p><p><b>14.New Orleans Saints: Taliese Fuaga, tackle (Oregon State) </b></p><p><b>15.Indianapolis Colts: Cooper DeJean, cornerback (Iowa) </b></p><p><b>16.Seattle Seahawks: Jer'Zhan Newton, defensive tackle (Illinois)</b><b> </b></p><p><b>17.Jacksonville Jaguars: Jackson Powers-Johnson, center (Oregon) </b></p><p><b>18.Cincinnati Bengals: Quinyon Mitchell, cornerback (Toledo) </b></p><p><b>19.Los Angeles Rams: Laitatu Latu, edge rusher (UCLA) </b></p><p><b>20.Pittsburgh Steelers: Payton Wilson, inside linebacker (NC State) </b></p><p><b>21.Miami Dolphins: Amarius Mims, tackle (Georgia) </b></p><p><b>22.Philadelphia Eagles: Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback (Alabama) </b></p><p><b>23.Houston Texans: Chop Robinson, edge rusher (Penn State) </b></p><p><b>24.Dallas Cowboys: Troy Fautanu, tackle (Washington) </b></p><p><b>25.Green Bay Packers: Terrion Arnold, cornerback (Alabama) </b></p><p><b>26.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton, tackle/guard (Duke) </b></p><p><b>27.Arizona Cardinals: Nate Wiggins, cornerback (Clemson) </b></p><p><b>28.Buffalo Bills: T.J. Tampa, cornerback (Iowa State) </b></p><p><b>29.Detroit Lions: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., cornerback (Missouri) </b></p><p><b>30.Baltimore Ravens: Brian Thomas Jr., wide receiver (LSU) </b></p><p><b>31.San Francisco 49ers: Tyler Guyton, tackle (Oklahoma) </b></p><p><b>32.Kansas City Chiefs: Keon Coleman, wide receiver (Florida State) </b></p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058162341267776369.post-67887721807728340422024-02-10T14:08:00.000-08:002024-02-10T14:08:13.872-08:00Super Bowl 58 Prediction<p>Conference Championship Record: 1-1 (Correct: 49ers Incorrect: Ravens)</p><p>Overall Playoff Record: 7-5</p><p><b>Kansas City Chiefs over San Francisco 49ers:</b></p><p>In all my years of putting NFL predictions in writing, I've never correctly predicted a Super Bowl Champion prior to the start of the season. I picked the Chiefs to win this year, which means I should probably be backing the 49ers without hesitation. But what is the point of flip-flopping at this stage of the game? If the Chiefs are going to lose, I'm going down with the ship damn it! </p><p>Even if I didn't feel obligated to stick with the Chiefs, I feel that all the luck the 49ers have enjoyed this postseason is due to run out. All of the shenanigans that transpired (the Packers rookie kicker shanking a kick in the 4th quarter, Dan Campbell's overagression opening the door for a 2nd half comeback, Brandon Aiyuk's fucking hilarious miracle catch that Kindle Vildor's football follie opened the door for) that helped pave the way for them to get here tends to ultimately come with a steep price, which just might be the chance to earn their 1st Super Bowl victory since 1994. Of course, anything is possible-especially in a season as deeply wacky as this one. But quite frankly, the 49ers haven't played well enough over the majority of their two playoff games for me to have faith in their ability to pull this game out.</p><p>Now, my confidence in the Chiefs isn't to say that the 49ers don't have their fair share of potential matchup advantages that could allow them to win. Christian McCaffery has the potential to create some serious problems for a Chiefs run D that has some trouble defending the run this year (a deficiency that the Ravens bizarrely elected to not try and exploit in the AFC Championship Game), the Joe Thuney-less Chiefs offensive line that held up pretty well against the Ravens has another really tough assignment in trying to slow down the 49ers aggressive, deeply talented front 7 and it kind goes without saying that the 49ers complement of pass-catching weapons greatly exceeds that of the Chiefs-which could make their passing attack more effective despite the Chiefs pretty considerable edge in pass defense. </p><p>As scary as those elements of the 49ers are, the Chiefs list of potential game-breakers is even longer, The Chiefs are the more physical team on both sides of the ball by a pretty wide margin, the 49ers have their own set of offensive line problems (outside of Trent Williams) and run defense woes that vets like Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo could easily exploit and Patrick Mahomes has proven time and time again that he's built for stages of this magnitude while Brock Purdy simply has not. </p><p>Ultimately, I think it's this simple: If Mahomes has time to throw the ball, his receivers are able to catch the majority of the passes that come their way and CMC doesn't go completely apeshit on the ground (like Terrell Davis in Super Bowl 37-type apeshit), the Chiefs should be able to win the game. </p>Chris Maitlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156329317929652897noreply@blogger.com0