The Gambler: It should be noted that The Gambler is not
the slick, tension-filled crime drama that it's marketed as. This
misleading advertising has pissed a lot of people of and led to a
downright terrible reception of the film. What The Gambler actually
is an atmospheric character study about Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a college professor that has had his life completely destroyed by his degenerate gambling habits. Wahlberg gets a lot of flack for his lack of emotion and range
as an actor, but he kills it here. Wahlberg portrays the miserable
shell of a person with bravado and understated grace. Bennett is a man that has become emotionally numb because of his gambling
problem. He's severed the ties with everyone close to him and everyone that's still in his life is just a pawn that he uses for some kind of personal gain. A lot of the
power of this performance seems to gotten have lost because Bennett is such a soulless prick that's damn near impossible to root for, but for me at least, how overwhelmingly unlikable the character is a testament to the sheer strength of Wahlberg's acting. Supporting players
John Goodman and Michael K. Williams also excel in limited screen time.
Goodman gives the film a sharp comedic edge as a loan shark who could
potentially save Bennett from his massive debts while Williams hams up
the screen as one of the many powerful criminals Bennett owes money to. The Gambler certainly
never reaches its full potential as it reduces great talents like
Jessica Lange and Brie Larson to minimal, pointless roles, has some
serious pacing problems and contains a script from William Monahan that
is more than a little rough around the edges. Even with its treasure
trove of flaws, The Gambler is still a beautifully-shot and exceptionally acted
film that's worth checking if you're a fan of grimy character study's.
3.5/5 Stars
Top Five: After
20+ years of making movies, Chris Rock has finally made a film that
matches the hilarity, energy and overall genius of his stand-up. Rock
was clearly hungry to prove himself as a filmmaker/writer/actor after years of being chastised for his film choices ,and Top Five is
about a strong of a statement as you could possibly make. The film
centers around Andre Allen (Rock), a stand-up comedian turned movie superstar who's fallen on hard times
after he enters rehab for alcoholism, and chooses to follow up a string of stupid comedy
blockbusters with a film about the Haitian slave rebellion. To promote
his new film and desire to taken seriously as a dramatic actor, he
reluctantly agrees to do an interview with a New York Times reporter
(Rosario Dawson). Over the course of spending a day in New York getting interviewed and visiting with a number of family members and childhood friends, Allen gains some clarity on his career and who he really is as a person. The premise may seem simple on the surface, but Rock
is able to explore a lot of serious subject matter gracefully throughout
film. Rock's script has plenty of smart commentary on
dealing with alcoholism, self-doubt, the pressures of remaining relevant
in the ever-changing landscape of Hollywood, American culture's
obsession with reality television and above all, the importance of
meaningful relationships. Being able to richly develop all of these vastly
different themes in one linear story without making then feel forced is a
major accomplishment. Rock is never given enough credit for how
intelligent he is, and hopefully people will start to realize just how
brilliant he is after watching this film. Of course, Top Five isn't
strictly about making strong statements about serious subject matters,
the film is also freaking hysterical. The jokes don't come a
mile-a-minute like your average comedy, but when they do, they land with brute force. There was
numerous times in Top Five where I was keeled over in my seat
with tears in my eyes and left short of breath from laughing so hard.
No one besides Rock or Dawson (who are both excellent) is on screen for more than 10 minutes, so
Rock calls on a lot of his talented friends to make extended cameos to
generate laughs. The likes of Cedric the Entertainer, Kevin Hart, Jerry
Seinfeld, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones, Adam Sandler, and a certain
notorious former hip-hop superstar that shall remain nameless for the
sake of surprise all kill it in just a scene or two on-screen. In all my years of watching films, I've never seen a comedy make better use of a revolving door of minor characters. Top Five is
the rare comedy that not only produces side-splitting laughs , but
also tells a thoughtful story with very well-developed characters. This is easily one of the best and flat-out under-appreciated films of 2014.
4.5/5 Stars
The Interview: The
film that almost got the United States nuked may be entirely unworthy of the
controversy it created, but that doesn't mean it's not still a highly amusing film. Anyone
expecting a lot of hard-hitting political commentary on the state of
North Korea and Kim Jong-Un's mass oppression of his people is going to leave The Interview sorely disappointed. The Interview
is nothing but Seth Rogen and his cronies going outside of the box to
make a dumb comedy with a brilliant albeit absurd premise that's rooted in reality. Just like Pinapple Express, The Interview is driven by the rapport that Rogen and James
Franco have with one another, and their ability to come up with so much great material on the fly. Their ability to play off each other's dialogue so naturally and effortlessly makes them a joy to watch every time they're on screen together. While the style of humor and Rogen and Franco's chemistry is expected, there are still a few surprises along the way. The Interview serves as the perfect coming out party for little-known talents Randall Park and Diana Bang. Park (The Five-Year Engagement, Veep) lights up the screen with his portrayal of Un as a goofy, misunderstood guy who just happens to be a ruthless dictator while Bang shows impeccable comic timing and a knack for deadpan delivery as one of Un's top aides who helps out the bumbling Americans carry out their assassination attempt. While The Interview is certainly not a comedy classic and doesn't come even remotely close to touching Rogen's best work, it's still a frequently hilarious and ridiculously fun film. At the end of the day, I'm just glad Sony reversed course and released this film after all.
4/5 Stars
Foxcatcher: Foxcatcher might as well also be known as "the film that showcases the dramatic acting talents of actors that no one thought had dramatic acting talent." Steve Carrell, Channing Tatum, and to a lesser extent, Mark Ruffalo go well out of their established comfort zones here and deliver. Carrell's turn as John du Pont, the psychopathic loner benefactor who wants to be the face of American wrestling is easily the most well-publicized of the three lead actors. And for good reason- as he makes the biggest transformation of the trio. Carrell's work as du Pont is worthy of all the pre-release critical hype it received. Carrell makes you uneasy every time is he on-screen and fearlessly delves into the complexities that made Du Pont such a sketchy yet intriguing person. Carrel portrays du Pont as a man that was desperate to be seen as an American icon that inspired the wrestlers he coached to be better human beings and successful athletes that made their country proud. It's a startling, transformative performance from Carrell and it's a well-deserving of an Oscar nomination. Tatum and Ruffalo are just as vital to the film's success as the Schultz brothers, who are both former Olympic gold medalists and help make du Pont's disillusions of grandeur a reality. Tatum is appropriately naive and vulnerable as the younger Schultz brother Mark, who is so desperate to escape his brother's shadow that eagerly buys into du Pont's vision without even thinking twice about it. Ruffalo's work as Dave, the wiser older Schultz brother who is initially adamantly opposed to working with du Pont's before he eventually changes his mind once he sees the damage du Pont has done to his brother's psyche. Ruffalo isn't given much to do in the first half of the film, but he steps up to the plate majorly in the second half of the film, and ends up delivering the most powerfully understated performance in the entire film. The acting really is the backbone of the film that distracts the viewer from the film's pretty large narrative issues. Director Bennett Miller's choice to make a heavily atmospheric film out of this true-life story is strikingly powerful at times, but it also holds him back from really cutting deep into the central relationships that drive the story and the character's motives for their actions. If the film had spent more time working on establishing a genuine dynamic between du Pont/Mark and Mark/Dave and in the latter half especially, given the audience a firmer understanding of what drives these character's choices instead of putting in an unnecessary amount of contemplative shots of the character sitting in silence, drawn-out shots of the interior and exterior of du Pont's Foxcatcher estate, etc., it could've easily been the masterful psychological drama it so desperately wanted to be. Foxcatcher is worth checking for the excellent, nuanced performances from its leads, but I fully understand why this film's pre-award season Best Picture buzz has all but completely died down.
3.5/5 Stars
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Saturday, January 10, 2015
NFL Divisional Playoff Round Predictions
Last Week's Record: 4-0
Baltimore Ravens over New England Patriots: For the fourth time in the past seven years, the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots will be squaring off in the playoffs at Gillette Stadium. Much has been made this week that the John Harbaugh-led Ravens are the only team to beat the Patriots multiple times at home in the playoffs in the Bill Belichick era. If the Ravens come out and contain this high-flying Patriots offense, I believe they will pick up their third victory in Foxboro. The Ravens are one of the few teams in the league that matchup well against the Patriots. They have one of the strongest front sevens in the league with a pair of excellent pass rushers in Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil, their defensive coordinator Dean Pees-who worked under Belichick for years in New England before going to Baltimore- knows a lot of their offensive tendencies and they play with a toughness that gives them a chance to beat anyone on any given day. However, the Patriots are not going to be an easy out. Tom Brady is an animal (or as he said himself earlier this week "a fucking machine") in the cold, especially at home, and their defense is going to make sure Joe Flacco and co. don't get comfortable with the running game and their trademark deep passes. The Patriots are without question a better overall team than they were in their previous losses to the Ravens, but as long as the Ravens can consistently apply pressure to Brady so he can't burn their below-average secondary, contain Rob Gronkowski and Flacco continues to deliver in the playoffs, they should be able to take out the Patriots in what is poised to be a tight, hard-fought contest.
Seattle Seahawks over Carolina Panthers: Yes, the Panthers finished the regular season below .500. Yes this game is in Seattle, where the Seahawks have only lost twice since 2012. Yes, the Panthers looked terrible offensively in their victory last week against the Cardinals. Even with all these factors pointing to the Panthers getting blown out by the defending champs, I don't think that will be the case. The Panthers and Seahawks are two teams that just play each other close in every single meeting. Even when the Panthers were in the midst of a massive slump earlier this season, they only lost to the Seahawks by four points. These are two physical, defensive-minded football teams with nearly identical strengths and I expect yet another low-scoring, hard-fought battle to occur when these two square off at CenturyLink Field tonight. Though the Panthers should keep it close, I expect the Seahawks to come out on top. This game is going to come down to the running attack and defense, and the Seahawks have the edge in both of those. The Panthers defense and running back Jonathan Stewart have been excellent over the past month or so, but even with the hot streak they're on at the moment, they can't top this Seahawks defense and the inhuman behemoth that is Marshawn Lynch. The Seahawks are just an incredibly tough out at home and are playing better than any team in the league right now, which gives them a slight advantage in this matchup.
Green Bay Packers over Dallas Cowboys: This game is being hyped to all hell and deservedly so. It's the first ever playoff meeting between teams that finished the regular season 8-0 at home and 8-0 on the road respectively. One of these highly impressive streaks is going to come to an end on Sunday, and I believe that's going to be the Cowboys string of road victories. The Cowboys have played excellent for a vast majority of the season and proved their naysayers repeatedly wrong along the way, I just don't think they have a strong enough secondary to stop the Packers' absurdly stacked receiving corps. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb have decimated just about every secondary they've faced this season and considering Orlando Scandrick is the only cornerback the Cowboys have that has had any success against a top-tier receivers this season, this trend should continue without much difficulty. DeMarco Murray going up against this horrid Packers rush defense and Tony Romo's excellent play on the road should keep the 'Boys very much in the game, I just can't pick against this high-powered Packers offense, even with a not fully healthy Aaron Rodgers, in the extremely cold confines of Lambeau Field at the moment.
Denver Broncos over Indianapolis Colts: To be honest, I don't have a lot of faith in the Broncos or Colts right now. Peyton Manning has looked like absolute trash of late and Andrew Luck has been horrid in his two career road playoff games (50.4 CMP %, 2 TD's, 5 INT's, 56.4 QBR). Of course someone has to win this game and based on the supporting casts around them, I have to go with the Broncos to win this battle of the two sloppiest teams still alive in the playoffs. The Broncos have a strong defense with a great pass rush and loaded secondary that is completely capable of making sure Luck has another terrible road playoff outing and running back C.J. Anderson should continue to save this squad from Manning's recent woes. Unless they buck all their recent trends, the Colts just don't have enough firepower on either side of the ball to take out the Broncos.
Baltimore Ravens over New England Patriots: For the fourth time in the past seven years, the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots will be squaring off in the playoffs at Gillette Stadium. Much has been made this week that the John Harbaugh-led Ravens are the only team to beat the Patriots multiple times at home in the playoffs in the Bill Belichick era. If the Ravens come out and contain this high-flying Patriots offense, I believe they will pick up their third victory in Foxboro. The Ravens are one of the few teams in the league that matchup well against the Patriots. They have one of the strongest front sevens in the league with a pair of excellent pass rushers in Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil, their defensive coordinator Dean Pees-who worked under Belichick for years in New England before going to Baltimore- knows a lot of their offensive tendencies and they play with a toughness that gives them a chance to beat anyone on any given day. However, the Patriots are not going to be an easy out. Tom Brady is an animal (or as he said himself earlier this week "a fucking machine") in the cold, especially at home, and their defense is going to make sure Joe Flacco and co. don't get comfortable with the running game and their trademark deep passes. The Patriots are without question a better overall team than they were in their previous losses to the Ravens, but as long as the Ravens can consistently apply pressure to Brady so he can't burn their below-average secondary, contain Rob Gronkowski and Flacco continues to deliver in the playoffs, they should be able to take out the Patriots in what is poised to be a tight, hard-fought contest.
Seattle Seahawks over Carolina Panthers: Yes, the Panthers finished the regular season below .500. Yes this game is in Seattle, where the Seahawks have only lost twice since 2012. Yes, the Panthers looked terrible offensively in their victory last week against the Cardinals. Even with all these factors pointing to the Panthers getting blown out by the defending champs, I don't think that will be the case. The Panthers and Seahawks are two teams that just play each other close in every single meeting. Even when the Panthers were in the midst of a massive slump earlier this season, they only lost to the Seahawks by four points. These are two physical, defensive-minded football teams with nearly identical strengths and I expect yet another low-scoring, hard-fought battle to occur when these two square off at CenturyLink Field tonight. Though the Panthers should keep it close, I expect the Seahawks to come out on top. This game is going to come down to the running attack and defense, and the Seahawks have the edge in both of those. The Panthers defense and running back Jonathan Stewart have been excellent over the past month or so, but even with the hot streak they're on at the moment, they can't top this Seahawks defense and the inhuman behemoth that is Marshawn Lynch. The Seahawks are just an incredibly tough out at home and are playing better than any team in the league right now, which gives them a slight advantage in this matchup.
Green Bay Packers over Dallas Cowboys: This game is being hyped to all hell and deservedly so. It's the first ever playoff meeting between teams that finished the regular season 8-0 at home and 8-0 on the road respectively. One of these highly impressive streaks is going to come to an end on Sunday, and I believe that's going to be the Cowboys string of road victories. The Cowboys have played excellent for a vast majority of the season and proved their naysayers repeatedly wrong along the way, I just don't think they have a strong enough secondary to stop the Packers' absurdly stacked receiving corps. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb have decimated just about every secondary they've faced this season and considering Orlando Scandrick is the only cornerback the Cowboys have that has had any success against a top-tier receivers this season, this trend should continue without much difficulty. DeMarco Murray going up against this horrid Packers rush defense and Tony Romo's excellent play on the road should keep the 'Boys very much in the game, I just can't pick against this high-powered Packers offense, even with a not fully healthy Aaron Rodgers, in the extremely cold confines of Lambeau Field at the moment.
Denver Broncos over Indianapolis Colts: To be honest, I don't have a lot of faith in the Broncos or Colts right now. Peyton Manning has looked like absolute trash of late and Andrew Luck has been horrid in his two career road playoff games (50.4 CMP %, 2 TD's, 5 INT's, 56.4 QBR). Of course someone has to win this game and based on the supporting casts around them, I have to go with the Broncos to win this battle of the two sloppiest teams still alive in the playoffs. The Broncos have a strong defense with a great pass rush and loaded secondary that is completely capable of making sure Luck has another terrible road playoff outing and running back C.J. Anderson should continue to save this squad from Manning's recent woes. Unless they buck all their recent trends, the Colts just don't have enough firepower on either side of the ball to take out the Broncos.
Friday, January 9, 2015
2014 NFL Recap: AFC East
My Preseason Predictions
1.New England Patriots (12-4)
2.New York Jets (9-7)
3.Buffalo Bills (7-9)
4.Miami Dolphins (6-10)
Actual Standings
1.New England Patriots (12-4)
2.Buffalo Bills (9-7)
3.Miami Dolphins (8-8)
4.New York Jets (4-12)
Buffalo Bills: Of all the teams that missed the playoffs in the AFC this year, no one impressed me more than the Buffalo Bills. Though missing the playoffs is certainly a disappointment, the Bills can at least take solace in the fact that this was their first winning season since 2004. Just like in 2013, the catalyst for this Bills squad is the defense. They once again led the league in sacks, picking up a mind-boggling 54 on the year. Their combination of edge-rushing from Mario Williams and Jerry Hughes and interior pass-rushing from Marcel Dareus and Kyle Williams made them damn near impossible to stop. There is not another front seven in the league that is even close to as lethal as the Bills. In addition to their pass-rushing dominance, the Bills also had one hell of a secondary. Despite lacking any big-name talent in the secondary, the Bills managed to have the third-ranked passing defense in the league. Free agent pickup Corey Graham was quietly one of the most dominant corners in the league this year, safety Da'Norris Searcy beautifully filled the void left by the offseason departure of perennial All-Pro Jarius Byrd and Leodis McKelvin continued to solidify his position as one of the best corners in the league before he went down with a broken ankle in Week 11 against the Dolphins. The scariest part about this Bills defense is that they were this good without 2013 Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up Kiko Alonso in the lineup. With a two-way playmaker in Alonso back in the lineup next year, this defense should be even more dangerous. The Bills even showed some promise on offense this year as wide receiver Sammy Watkins lived up to his massive hype with an impressive rookie campaign that instantly solidified him as a number one wideout. Watkins may have been the star of the offense, but the likes of Robert Woods, Fred Jackson, Scott Chandler and Anthony "Boobie" Dixon all lived up to their billing as solid role players and stepped up to make a number of key plays throughout the year. These guys certainly aren't world beaters, but you can rely on them to perform when called upon. Really the only thing holding the Bills back is quarterback play. They made the baffling decision after a lopsided loss to the Texans in Week 4 to bench their 2013 first-round draft pick E.J. Manuel in favor of journeyman extraordinaire Kyle Orton. Manuel's numbers over the first month of the year (58% complete percentage, 5 TD's, 3 INT's, 80.3 QBR) were not nearly bad enough to get yanked. Orton's numbers in his 12 starts ended up being only slightly better (64% completion percentage, 18 TD's, 10 INT's, 87.8 QBR) than Manuel's. The decision to take away a year of Manuel's development to put in a washed-up veteran of nearly identical caliber doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If Orton was a grizzled veteran with a winning pedigree that could help them win now while Manuel continues to get acclimated to the NFL, the move would make sense. But since Orton is not even close to that type of guy, the move made no sense. The Bills drafted Manuel to be their quarterback of the future, you can't become that guy if you're spending the last three months of the season sitting on the bench. With Orton announcing his retirement last week, the Bills are going to be forced to turn the reigns over back to Manuel. It shall be very interesting to see how Manuel plays next year and if he learned anything from his unexpected removal from the starting lineup. With an elite defense and some nice weapons on offense, the future is certainly bright for the Bills. If they can get the quarterback position under control, they should be in great position to end their 15-year playoff drought in 2015.
Miami Dolphins: Just like 2013, the Dolphins managed to start hot and impress for the first 3/4 of the season, but ultimately fell apart down the stretch and missed the playoffs. Even with the disappointing finish, there was a lot to be excited about in Miami this season. Ryan Tannehill once again was able to improve from the previous season's number and easily had his best year in the pro's in 2014. Tannehill continues to show more poise and confidence under center, and is starting to become a really solid NFL quarterback. Aiding Tannehill in his career year was running back Lamar Miller and the receiver duo of Mike Wallace and Jarvis Landry. Miller had the breakout year everyone expected him to have last year while Wallace was much more comfortable in the system in his second year with the squad, and the rookie Landry gave Tannehill a reliable possession receiver that can be counted on at any point in the game. Like their quarterback, the running backs and wideouts on this squad are (for the most part) still very young. If Tanehill and co. continue to progress in a similar fashion in the coming years, they could easily become one of the most potent offenses in the league within a few years time. The back end of the defense was also a strength for this team as cornerback Brent Grimes had another excellent year and the safety trio of Reshead Jones, Louis Delmas and Jimmy Wilson were able to hold up pretty well despite injuries and early-season inconsistencies. The Dolphins late season collapse can once again be attributed to their offensive line play and inability to stop the run. The offensive line was not quite as bad on the whole as they were last year, but that's not saying much. Tackle Branden Albert proved to be a great addition to this unit and was playing at an All-Pro level until he went down with a torn ACL and MCL in early November. As soon as Albert went down, the o-line had a rapid decline. Dallas Thomas was arguably the worst lineman in football this year, getting slaughtered at both guard and tackle this season, rookie J'uwan James struggled mightily taking over Albert's spot at left tackle after fairing relatively well on the right side for the first half the year, and Mike Pouncey-the longtime glue of this unit- was forced to leave his natural position of center due to injuries and didn't transition particularly well to guard. Their rush defense down the stretch somehow managed to be every bit as their offensive line. The Dolphins rush defense wasn't exactly great in the early goings of the seasons, but once November hit, they became one of the worst units in the league. A combination of injuries and ridiculously poor tackling/missed assignments led to the Dolphins complete inability to stop the run in the last eight games of the year. The Dolphins have plenty of upside going into 2015, but they are going to need become more disciplined and fix their offensive line, and front seven woes before they can take the next step as a team.
New England Patriots: To be honest, I could've probably wrote the Patriots recap in September. As long as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are in Foxboro, they're going to win the AFC East and be in the upper-echelon of the NFL hierarchy. While the end result was exactly the same, the road there was a little bit rockier than usual. Their usual cold start was accelerated this year as the entire team looked to be asleep for three of the first four games. The offense couldn't move the ball, the offensive line couldn't protect Brady and the allegedly improved defense was struggling hardcore. Their sluggish September was book-ended with a embarrassing 41-10 loss to the Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Their unraveling in Kansas City forced the media and many of the Patriots faithful to question whether or not Brady had lost his edge and if Belichick was still the same coach that brought this franchise three Super Bowl rings. Unsurprisingly, the Patriots quickly turned things around after their lackluster 2-2 start. From early October till the last weekend of November, the Patriots were seemingly unstoppable. They won all but one game over this span by at least 15 points, Brady was suddenly playing his best football in years, Rob Gronkowski was finally healthy and putting up huge numbers again, and the defense had finally lived up to its billing as the best the Patriots have had in the last decade. They came back down to earth after a post-Thanksgiving loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field, but they managed to finish strong with a 3-1 record in December and went onto to clinch the top seed in the AFC for the umpteenth time. While Brady's play and this much-improved defense were a big part of the Patriots success in 2014, the most essential component to this team was Gronkowski. Having Gronkowski healthy for an entire season for the first time since 2011 made a MASSIVE difference in the flow of this offense. With his elite receiving skills and utter dominance as a blocker, Gronkowski is the only player the Patriots have on offense (aside from Brady of course) that needs to be accounted for at all times. Not only does Gronkowski make a ton of plays himself, all the attention drawn on him creates opportunities for everyone else around him. This offense is a whole different unit when Gronkowski is on the field and that's never been more clean than it was this season. You certainly can't completely overlook their below-average running game once Stevan Ridley got injured, general lack of a pass rush when Chandler Jones was out with an injury for almost two months and their constant offensive line woes, but with their ability to put up a ton of points on the board, not get trampled on defense like they have for much of the past half-decade and most importantly, win a ton of games, these issues proved to be only minor in nature. As far as I'm concerned, this was easily the most complete Patriots squad since their last Super Bowl run in 2004.
New York Jets: And to think I thought this was a playoff team before the season started... On paper, The Jets were undoubtedly better than the 8-8 team from 2013. The great Rex Ryan was still at the helm, They brought in multiple high-profile free agents including Eric Decker and Chris Johnson to help out the offense and quarterback Geno Smith seemed bound to progress in his second year after his often tumultuous rookie campaign. Let's just say things didn't really work out. The Jets lost eight straight games after beating the Raiders in Week 1 and ended up finishing 4-12 on the year, which promptly led to the dismissal of Ryan and general manager John Idzik at season's end. Once again, it was the quarterback play that managed to derail any hopes of success that Jets had for this season. In his second year, Smith continued to be the same frequently rattled turnover machine who struggled to produce that he was in his rookie year. Smith was briefly benched in favor of Michael Vick, who fared just as poorly as the young gun in three starts. Once Smith returned to the lineup for last five games of the season, he played reasonably well and even managed to register the only perfect passer rating of the 2014 regular season in Week 17 against the Dolphins. Despite his respectable finish to the year, Smith is going to need to demonstrate consistency over an entire season before he can be considered the long-term starter for this team. The back-end of the defense didn't do the Jets any favors at the start of the year either. Injuries decimated the unit early on in the season, and it took many weeks of getting absolutely torched before they got acclimated to the game. While the same recurring problems hampered the Jets, they also possessed the same strengths they've had for years. Their running back rotation of Chris Ivory, Johnson and Bilal Powell was great and led to yet another top five finish for the Jets rushing offense. The Jets may lack a true workhorse back, but when you have a committee that works this well, it doesn't really matter. Their front seven, anchored by defensive ends Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson-once again applied a ton of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and was damn near impossible to run on. Richardson was just as good, if not better than he was a year ago when he picked up Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and Wilkerson was still disruptive as hell in a slightly down year for him. Going into 2015, The Jets need to address the overall lack of talent around Decker in the receiving corps, solidify this young secondary with some veteran talent and of course, pray to the football gods that Smith can improve under center. Even with their few major issues, there are far worse situations for a new head coach and general manager to inherit than the one in the Big Apple.
1.New England Patriots (12-4)
2.New York Jets (9-7)
3.Buffalo Bills (7-9)
4.Miami Dolphins (6-10)
Actual Standings
1.New England Patriots (12-4)
2.Buffalo Bills (9-7)
3.Miami Dolphins (8-8)
4.New York Jets (4-12)
Buffalo Bills: Of all the teams that missed the playoffs in the AFC this year, no one impressed me more than the Buffalo Bills. Though missing the playoffs is certainly a disappointment, the Bills can at least take solace in the fact that this was their first winning season since 2004. Just like in 2013, the catalyst for this Bills squad is the defense. They once again led the league in sacks, picking up a mind-boggling 54 on the year. Their combination of edge-rushing from Mario Williams and Jerry Hughes and interior pass-rushing from Marcel Dareus and Kyle Williams made them damn near impossible to stop. There is not another front seven in the league that is even close to as lethal as the Bills. In addition to their pass-rushing dominance, the Bills also had one hell of a secondary. Despite lacking any big-name talent in the secondary, the Bills managed to have the third-ranked passing defense in the league. Free agent pickup Corey Graham was quietly one of the most dominant corners in the league this year, safety Da'Norris Searcy beautifully filled the void left by the offseason departure of perennial All-Pro Jarius Byrd and Leodis McKelvin continued to solidify his position as one of the best corners in the league before he went down with a broken ankle in Week 11 against the Dolphins. The scariest part about this Bills defense is that they were this good without 2013 Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up Kiko Alonso in the lineup. With a two-way playmaker in Alonso back in the lineup next year, this defense should be even more dangerous. The Bills even showed some promise on offense this year as wide receiver Sammy Watkins lived up to his massive hype with an impressive rookie campaign that instantly solidified him as a number one wideout. Watkins may have been the star of the offense, but the likes of Robert Woods, Fred Jackson, Scott Chandler and Anthony "Boobie" Dixon all lived up to their billing as solid role players and stepped up to make a number of key plays throughout the year. These guys certainly aren't world beaters, but you can rely on them to perform when called upon. Really the only thing holding the Bills back is quarterback play. They made the baffling decision after a lopsided loss to the Texans in Week 4 to bench their 2013 first-round draft pick E.J. Manuel in favor of journeyman extraordinaire Kyle Orton. Manuel's numbers over the first month of the year (58% complete percentage, 5 TD's, 3 INT's, 80.3 QBR) were not nearly bad enough to get yanked. Orton's numbers in his 12 starts ended up being only slightly better (64% completion percentage, 18 TD's, 10 INT's, 87.8 QBR) than Manuel's. The decision to take away a year of Manuel's development to put in a washed-up veteran of nearly identical caliber doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If Orton was a grizzled veteran with a winning pedigree that could help them win now while Manuel continues to get acclimated to the NFL, the move would make sense. But since Orton is not even close to that type of guy, the move made no sense. The Bills drafted Manuel to be their quarterback of the future, you can't become that guy if you're spending the last three months of the season sitting on the bench. With Orton announcing his retirement last week, the Bills are going to be forced to turn the reigns over back to Manuel. It shall be very interesting to see how Manuel plays next year and if he learned anything from his unexpected removal from the starting lineup. With an elite defense and some nice weapons on offense, the future is certainly bright for the Bills. If they can get the quarterback position under control, they should be in great position to end their 15-year playoff drought in 2015.
Miami Dolphins: Just like 2013, the Dolphins managed to start hot and impress for the first 3/4 of the season, but ultimately fell apart down the stretch and missed the playoffs. Even with the disappointing finish, there was a lot to be excited about in Miami this season. Ryan Tannehill once again was able to improve from the previous season's number and easily had his best year in the pro's in 2014. Tannehill continues to show more poise and confidence under center, and is starting to become a really solid NFL quarterback. Aiding Tannehill in his career year was running back Lamar Miller and the receiver duo of Mike Wallace and Jarvis Landry. Miller had the breakout year everyone expected him to have last year while Wallace was much more comfortable in the system in his second year with the squad, and the rookie Landry gave Tannehill a reliable possession receiver that can be counted on at any point in the game. Like their quarterback, the running backs and wideouts on this squad are (for the most part) still very young. If Tanehill and co. continue to progress in a similar fashion in the coming years, they could easily become one of the most potent offenses in the league within a few years time. The back end of the defense was also a strength for this team as cornerback Brent Grimes had another excellent year and the safety trio of Reshead Jones, Louis Delmas and Jimmy Wilson were able to hold up pretty well despite injuries and early-season inconsistencies. The Dolphins late season collapse can once again be attributed to their offensive line play and inability to stop the run. The offensive line was not quite as bad on the whole as they were last year, but that's not saying much. Tackle Branden Albert proved to be a great addition to this unit and was playing at an All-Pro level until he went down with a torn ACL and MCL in early November. As soon as Albert went down, the o-line had a rapid decline. Dallas Thomas was arguably the worst lineman in football this year, getting slaughtered at both guard and tackle this season, rookie J'uwan James struggled mightily taking over Albert's spot at left tackle after fairing relatively well on the right side for the first half the year, and Mike Pouncey-the longtime glue of this unit- was forced to leave his natural position of center due to injuries and didn't transition particularly well to guard. Their rush defense down the stretch somehow managed to be every bit as their offensive line. The Dolphins rush defense wasn't exactly great in the early goings of the seasons, but once November hit, they became one of the worst units in the league. A combination of injuries and ridiculously poor tackling/missed assignments led to the Dolphins complete inability to stop the run in the last eight games of the year. The Dolphins have plenty of upside going into 2015, but they are going to need become more disciplined and fix their offensive line, and front seven woes before they can take the next step as a team.
New England Patriots: To be honest, I could've probably wrote the Patriots recap in September. As long as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are in Foxboro, they're going to win the AFC East and be in the upper-echelon of the NFL hierarchy. While the end result was exactly the same, the road there was a little bit rockier than usual. Their usual cold start was accelerated this year as the entire team looked to be asleep for three of the first four games. The offense couldn't move the ball, the offensive line couldn't protect Brady and the allegedly improved defense was struggling hardcore. Their sluggish September was book-ended with a embarrassing 41-10 loss to the Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Their unraveling in Kansas City forced the media and many of the Patriots faithful to question whether or not Brady had lost his edge and if Belichick was still the same coach that brought this franchise three Super Bowl rings. Unsurprisingly, the Patriots quickly turned things around after their lackluster 2-2 start. From early October till the last weekend of November, the Patriots were seemingly unstoppable. They won all but one game over this span by at least 15 points, Brady was suddenly playing his best football in years, Rob Gronkowski was finally healthy and putting up huge numbers again, and the defense had finally lived up to its billing as the best the Patriots have had in the last decade. They came back down to earth after a post-Thanksgiving loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field, but they managed to finish strong with a 3-1 record in December and went onto to clinch the top seed in the AFC for the umpteenth time. While Brady's play and this much-improved defense were a big part of the Patriots success in 2014, the most essential component to this team was Gronkowski. Having Gronkowski healthy for an entire season for the first time since 2011 made a MASSIVE difference in the flow of this offense. With his elite receiving skills and utter dominance as a blocker, Gronkowski is the only player the Patriots have on offense (aside from Brady of course) that needs to be accounted for at all times. Not only does Gronkowski make a ton of plays himself, all the attention drawn on him creates opportunities for everyone else around him. This offense is a whole different unit when Gronkowski is on the field and that's never been more clean than it was this season. You certainly can't completely overlook their below-average running game once Stevan Ridley got injured, general lack of a pass rush when Chandler Jones was out with an injury for almost two months and their constant offensive line woes, but with their ability to put up a ton of points on the board, not get trampled on defense like they have for much of the past half-decade and most importantly, win a ton of games, these issues proved to be only minor in nature. As far as I'm concerned, this was easily the most complete Patriots squad since their last Super Bowl run in 2004.
New York Jets: And to think I thought this was a playoff team before the season started... On paper, The Jets were undoubtedly better than the 8-8 team from 2013. The great Rex Ryan was still at the helm, They brought in multiple high-profile free agents including Eric Decker and Chris Johnson to help out the offense and quarterback Geno Smith seemed bound to progress in his second year after his often tumultuous rookie campaign. Let's just say things didn't really work out. The Jets lost eight straight games after beating the Raiders in Week 1 and ended up finishing 4-12 on the year, which promptly led to the dismissal of Ryan and general manager John Idzik at season's end. Once again, it was the quarterback play that managed to derail any hopes of success that Jets had for this season. In his second year, Smith continued to be the same frequently rattled turnover machine who struggled to produce that he was in his rookie year. Smith was briefly benched in favor of Michael Vick, who fared just as poorly as the young gun in three starts. Once Smith returned to the lineup for last five games of the season, he played reasonably well and even managed to register the only perfect passer rating of the 2014 regular season in Week 17 against the Dolphins. Despite his respectable finish to the year, Smith is going to need to demonstrate consistency over an entire season before he can be considered the long-term starter for this team. The back-end of the defense didn't do the Jets any favors at the start of the year either. Injuries decimated the unit early on in the season, and it took many weeks of getting absolutely torched before they got acclimated to the game. While the same recurring problems hampered the Jets, they also possessed the same strengths they've had for years. Their running back rotation of Chris Ivory, Johnson and Bilal Powell was great and led to yet another top five finish for the Jets rushing offense. The Jets may lack a true workhorse back, but when you have a committee that works this well, it doesn't really matter. Their front seven, anchored by defensive ends Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson-once again applied a ton of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and was damn near impossible to run on. Richardson was just as good, if not better than he was a year ago when he picked up Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and Wilkerson was still disruptive as hell in a slightly down year for him. Going into 2015, The Jets need to address the overall lack of talent around Decker in the receiving corps, solidify this young secondary with some veteran talent and of course, pray to the football gods that Smith can improve under center. Even with their few major issues, there are far worse situations for a new head coach and general manager to inherit than the one in the Big Apple.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
10 Best Live Performances of 2014
10.The Red Chord (12/21,The Palladium, Worcester, MA)
A Red Chord reunion show was the single most pleasant surprise of 2014. I didn't expect them to break their hiatus anytime soon, so when they announced in October that they were going to be playing with Despised Icon- another recently reunited band- in December, I was legitimately shocked and unfathomably excited. Even with my ridiculously high expectations, The Red Chord managed to deliver. They haven't lost any of their unique brutality or overall cohesiveness as a band in their 3 years of inactivity. It may be a overdone cliche said myself and many other writers countless numbers of times, but you truly wouldn't have known this was only their second show since November 2011 unless you were told. The setlist nicely spanned their whole career with a number of longtime staples ("Black Santa", "Antman", "Dreaming in Dog Years"), prime cuts from their last LP Fed Through the Teeth Machine ("Hour of Rats", "Hymns and Crippled Anthems"), and even a couple of deep cuts thrown in for good measure ("Tread on the Necks of Kings", "Lay the Tarp".) They even played a new song that was just as pummeling as the best of their old material. I'm well aware The Red Chord will never be a full-time, touring band again, but I really hope they continue to exist in a limited capacity. The extreme metal world is a much better place with them in it.
9.Meshuggah (6/18, House of Blues, Boston, MA)
Swedish metal titans Meshuggah celebrated their 25th anniversary tour this past summer by going on a relatively small tour in the United States. Boston was one of the dozen or so cities to get a show and I'm beyond glad that I was lucky enough to see them on this tour. Meshuggah blew the doors off the last time I saw them in February 2013 in every possible way. The setlist was substantially better, Jens Kidman sounded much sharper vocally and they somehow managed to be MUCH heavier this time around. Meshuggah is a unique force to be reckoned with and they need to be seen by anyone who fancies themselves a connoisseur of heavy music.
8.The Faceless (8/9, The Palladium, Worcester, MA)
This performance is that much more valuable now that the entire lineup the played at this show save for lead guitarist/clean vocalist Michael Keene has left the band. This lineup of The Faceless was the single tightest and musically-gifted they've ever had. While the entire lineup was essential to their success as a band, vocalist Geoffrey Ficco was the X-factor that made their recent performances so memorable. Ficco was a phenomenal vocalist who also served as the charismatic, energetic frontman that The Faceless sorely lacked in the past. It was an added bonus that during this particular performance, Keene's clean vocals were audible throughout the set. Being able to actually hear the vocals brought out the full potential of the Autotheism material and proved that when properly executed, it's every bit as good as the tracks from Planetary Duality and Akeldama. It's a damn shame that I'll never see this incarnation of The Faceless again. I hope what ever lineup Keene throws together next can match the chemistry, talent and immense stage presence that the most recent version of the band had.
7.Unearth (5/28, Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA, also saw on 7/19)
I had the pleasure of seeing a few noteworthy albums from my early teenage years played in their entirety this year. The first of which was Unearth's 2004 classic The Oncoming Storm and it was every bit as glorious as I expected. Unearth typically plays just shy of half of The Oncoming Storm in their standard setlists, but it was awesome to finally see them play the other 5-6 songs from that album that aren't in their regular set rotation. Tracks like "Failure", "Bloodlust of the Human Condition" and "Lie to Purify" should join the likes of "This Lying World" and "The Great Dividers" as permanent fixtures of their setlist. Making this performance stand out even more was Unearth's energy level. Their typical absurdly high energy level was only expanded due to the intimate setting of the Brighton Music Hall. Vocalist Trevor Phipps is a master of getting a crowd hyped. His powerful stage presence paired with numerous stage dives throughout the set ensured that the crowd was every bit as relentless as the music. The high levels of energy they exert at each one of their show is a large part of why they've enjoyed the longevity that a lot of their peers in the metalcore genre have not. Unearth is consistently one of the best live bands in all of metal and that was further evidenced by their near-flawless performance here.
6.Converge (7/22, The Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA)
Of all the bands I saw for the first time in 2014, none left a greater impression me on than Converge. Their headlining set at Deathwish Inc's (vocalist Jake Bannon's record label) inaugural festival was one of the most relentlessly intense performances I've ever seen. Every bit of the chaos they create on record is the same, if not greater in a live setting. Their sound is so uniquely wild with rapidly changing compositions and a tornado-like aura of destruction running through just about every song. The band themselves matches the general chaos of the music with their performance as each member doesn't stop moving the entire time they play. I also attribute this set to finally opening my eyes to how great of a drummer Ben Koller is. I have no clue why I was blissfully unaware of his chops for so long, but I'm glad that I finally realized that he's an excellent player that is easily amongst the best drummers in the genre. Converge's reputation as one of the most batshit insane live bands in metal is well-deserved, and I'm glad that I finally got a chance to take in that chaos firsthand in 2014.
5.Every Time I Die (7/11, XFINITY Center,Mansfield, MA, also saw on 12/11)
There was absolutely no way Every Time I Die could top their borderline euphoric performance from March 2013, but they certainly came in the vicinity with their performance at Warped Tour this past July. It's staggering to see how far Every Time I Die come as a live act since I first saw in 2010. They've morphed from a respectable yet not overly impressive live band to one of the most pure fun and flat-out best live acts in the genre in just a few years time. Their setlist was perfect for a 30 minute festival set as they played a few of the best tracks from their newest record From Parts Unknown alongside a majority of the biggest "hits" from their decade-plus career. Every Time I Die once again delivered the goods live and ended up being the clear stand outs on a stacked bill at this year's Warped Tour.
4.Coheed and Cambria (9/28, House of Blues, Boston, MA)
Coheed and Cambria's In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 is one of my all-time favorite albums, so getting the chance to see it played in its entirety live on the IKSSE3 Neverender tour in September was a dream come true. The opportunity to see the deeper cuts from this album live, many of which are amongst my favorites from the entire record, was simply amazing. "Cuts Marked in the March of Men", "The Crowing" and "The Camper Velorium" trilogy were every bit as spellbinding live as they are on record. Singles like the title track and "A Favor House Atlantic" were also more potent than usual in the context of the entire album. Coheed punctuated the set with a strong assortment of tracks from their Afterman series, Second Stage of the Turbine Blade and From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. The fiery "Welcome Home"- complete with vocalist/guitarist Claudio Sanchez playing the solo behind his head on a 12-string guitar- served as a fittingly epic conclusion for this special evening. Coheed and Cambria is always great live, but this performance stands out from the previous three times I've seen them by a pretty wide margin.
3.Run the Jewels (11/28, Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA)
Ladies and gentleman, I now have a new favorite live hip-hop act. Run the Jewels was excellent the first time I saw them in August 2013, but they hit another level with this performance. The fun they were having on stage together was apparent to anyone that was in the room. Both Killer Mike and El-P were smiling, dancing and laughing the entire them they were on stag. That enthusiasm was infectious as the crowd was substantially more rowdy than the first time I saw them. There was not a person in the densely packed, sold out room standing still for more than a minute or two at a time for the entire duration of their set. Aside from how much fun they had on-stage, Run the Jewels is beyond precise on the mic. In a genre where a lot of artists take shortcuts and half-ass their material live, it's refreshing to see a pair of rappers who put 100% into every verse on every track. Thanks to a pitch-perfect setlist, flawless rapping and amazing atmosphere, Run the Jewels put on the best hip-hop performance I've ever witnessed.
2.Between the Buried and Me (2/23, Royale Boston, Boston, MA, also saw on 6/18)
It's well-documented that I'm a Between Buried and Me fanboy. It's not as well-documented that the reason I become so absurdly obsessed with this band is because of their live show. I was only a casual fan of theirs before I saw them for the first time in October 2008 with Children of Bodom and The Black Dahlia Murder. Their performance that night was chill-inducing and that special feeling has been repeated every single time I've seen them since then. This particular show at the Royale in February-which marked the third time I've seen them headline and ninth time I've seen them overall, was quite possibly the best I've ever seen from them. The primary reason this show stood out was the setlist. Seeing so many of the best tracks from their discography ("Selkies: The Endless Obsession", "Bloom", "Foam Born A+B", "Obfuscation", "Swim to the Moon") in the same set was fucking incredible. Not even having to leave before they played the last two songs to catch the subway/bus back to my house couldn't even take away from how great this performance was. Unless I become senile or suddenly start hating metal with a passion, Between the Buried and Me will always be my favorite band to see live.
1.Killswitch Engage (7/19, Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Providence, RI)
Just like Run the Jewels, Killswitch Engage also managed to top their excellent performance in 2013 with an even better one in 2014. Emotions were heavy at this show as guitarist Joel Strotezel was forced to sit out this tour due to a family emergency that had occurred the night before this show. In addition to the distress they were feeling from Strotezel's absence, this was also Jesse Leach's first show in his hometown of Providence since rejoining Killswitch Engage in 2011. The combination of these two events gave this show a overwhelming emotional vibe that brought out the absolute best in Killswitch Engage. The whole band sounded amazing as they flawlessly ripped through a set that was primarily loaded with tracks from their 2002 classic Alive or Just Breathing. I honestly can't put into words the amount of sheer power and emotional weight of every single song they played that night. I can't recall another time in my nearly 10 years of going to shows where I've a seen band put so much heart into a single performance.This performance was a surreal, beautiful and incredibly poignant experience that I will never forget as long as I live.
Honorable Mentions: Amon Amarth (2/1), Skeletonwitch (2/1), Battlecross (4/5), Mastodon (5/16), Gojira (5/16), Fall Out Boy (6/22), Goatwhore (8/9), Fallujah (8/9), Morbid Angel (8/9), The Black Dahlia Murder (10/8), Alterbeast (10/8), Limp Bizkit (10/10), Monuments (12/5), Animals as Leaders (12/5), State Champs (12/27 also saw on 7/11)
A Red Chord reunion show was the single most pleasant surprise of 2014. I didn't expect them to break their hiatus anytime soon, so when they announced in October that they were going to be playing with Despised Icon- another recently reunited band- in December, I was legitimately shocked and unfathomably excited. Even with my ridiculously high expectations, The Red Chord managed to deliver. They haven't lost any of their unique brutality or overall cohesiveness as a band in their 3 years of inactivity. It may be a overdone cliche said myself and many other writers countless numbers of times, but you truly wouldn't have known this was only their second show since November 2011 unless you were told. The setlist nicely spanned their whole career with a number of longtime staples ("Black Santa", "Antman", "Dreaming in Dog Years"), prime cuts from their last LP Fed Through the Teeth Machine ("Hour of Rats", "Hymns and Crippled Anthems"), and even a couple of deep cuts thrown in for good measure ("Tread on the Necks of Kings", "Lay the Tarp".) They even played a new song that was just as pummeling as the best of their old material. I'm well aware The Red Chord will never be a full-time, touring band again, but I really hope they continue to exist in a limited capacity. The extreme metal world is a much better place with them in it.
9.Meshuggah (6/18, House of Blues, Boston, MA)
Swedish metal titans Meshuggah celebrated their 25th anniversary tour this past summer by going on a relatively small tour in the United States. Boston was one of the dozen or so cities to get a show and I'm beyond glad that I was lucky enough to see them on this tour. Meshuggah blew the doors off the last time I saw them in February 2013 in every possible way. The setlist was substantially better, Jens Kidman sounded much sharper vocally and they somehow managed to be MUCH heavier this time around. Meshuggah is a unique force to be reckoned with and they need to be seen by anyone who fancies themselves a connoisseur of heavy music.
8.The Faceless (8/9, The Palladium, Worcester, MA)
This performance is that much more valuable now that the entire lineup the played at this show save for lead guitarist/clean vocalist Michael Keene has left the band. This lineup of The Faceless was the single tightest and musically-gifted they've ever had. While the entire lineup was essential to their success as a band, vocalist Geoffrey Ficco was the X-factor that made their recent performances so memorable. Ficco was a phenomenal vocalist who also served as the charismatic, energetic frontman that The Faceless sorely lacked in the past. It was an added bonus that during this particular performance, Keene's clean vocals were audible throughout the set. Being able to actually hear the vocals brought out the full potential of the Autotheism material and proved that when properly executed, it's every bit as good as the tracks from Planetary Duality and Akeldama. It's a damn shame that I'll never see this incarnation of The Faceless again. I hope what ever lineup Keene throws together next can match the chemistry, talent and immense stage presence that the most recent version of the band had.
7.Unearth (5/28, Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA, also saw on 7/19)
I had the pleasure of seeing a few noteworthy albums from my early teenage years played in their entirety this year. The first of which was Unearth's 2004 classic The Oncoming Storm and it was every bit as glorious as I expected. Unearth typically plays just shy of half of The Oncoming Storm in their standard setlists, but it was awesome to finally see them play the other 5-6 songs from that album that aren't in their regular set rotation. Tracks like "Failure", "Bloodlust of the Human Condition" and "Lie to Purify" should join the likes of "This Lying World" and "The Great Dividers" as permanent fixtures of their setlist. Making this performance stand out even more was Unearth's energy level. Their typical absurdly high energy level was only expanded due to the intimate setting of the Brighton Music Hall. Vocalist Trevor Phipps is a master of getting a crowd hyped. His powerful stage presence paired with numerous stage dives throughout the set ensured that the crowd was every bit as relentless as the music. The high levels of energy they exert at each one of their show is a large part of why they've enjoyed the longevity that a lot of their peers in the metalcore genre have not. Unearth is consistently one of the best live bands in all of metal and that was further evidenced by their near-flawless performance here.
6.Converge (7/22, The Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA)
Of all the bands I saw for the first time in 2014, none left a greater impression me on than Converge. Their headlining set at Deathwish Inc's (vocalist Jake Bannon's record label) inaugural festival was one of the most relentlessly intense performances I've ever seen. Every bit of the chaos they create on record is the same, if not greater in a live setting. Their sound is so uniquely wild with rapidly changing compositions and a tornado-like aura of destruction running through just about every song. The band themselves matches the general chaos of the music with their performance as each member doesn't stop moving the entire time they play. I also attribute this set to finally opening my eyes to how great of a drummer Ben Koller is. I have no clue why I was blissfully unaware of his chops for so long, but I'm glad that I finally realized that he's an excellent player that is easily amongst the best drummers in the genre. Converge's reputation as one of the most batshit insane live bands in metal is well-deserved, and I'm glad that I finally got a chance to take in that chaos firsthand in 2014.
5.Every Time I Die (7/11, XFINITY Center,Mansfield, MA, also saw on 12/11)
There was absolutely no way Every Time I Die could top their borderline euphoric performance from March 2013, but they certainly came in the vicinity with their performance at Warped Tour this past July. It's staggering to see how far Every Time I Die come as a live act since I first saw in 2010. They've morphed from a respectable yet not overly impressive live band to one of the most pure fun and flat-out best live acts in the genre in just a few years time. Their setlist was perfect for a 30 minute festival set as they played a few of the best tracks from their newest record From Parts Unknown alongside a majority of the biggest "hits" from their decade-plus career. Every Time I Die once again delivered the goods live and ended up being the clear stand outs on a stacked bill at this year's Warped Tour.
4.Coheed and Cambria (9/28, House of Blues, Boston, MA)
Coheed and Cambria's In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 is one of my all-time favorite albums, so getting the chance to see it played in its entirety live on the IKSSE3 Neverender tour in September was a dream come true. The opportunity to see the deeper cuts from this album live, many of which are amongst my favorites from the entire record, was simply amazing. "Cuts Marked in the March of Men", "The Crowing" and "The Camper Velorium" trilogy were every bit as spellbinding live as they are on record. Singles like the title track and "A Favor House Atlantic" were also more potent than usual in the context of the entire album. Coheed punctuated the set with a strong assortment of tracks from their Afterman series, Second Stage of the Turbine Blade and From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. The fiery "Welcome Home"- complete with vocalist/guitarist Claudio Sanchez playing the solo behind his head on a 12-string guitar- served as a fittingly epic conclusion for this special evening. Coheed and Cambria is always great live, but this performance stands out from the previous three times I've seen them by a pretty wide margin.
3.Run the Jewels (11/28, Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA)
Ladies and gentleman, I now have a new favorite live hip-hop act. Run the Jewels was excellent the first time I saw them in August 2013, but they hit another level with this performance. The fun they were having on stage together was apparent to anyone that was in the room. Both Killer Mike and El-P were smiling, dancing and laughing the entire them they were on stag. That enthusiasm was infectious as the crowd was substantially more rowdy than the first time I saw them. There was not a person in the densely packed, sold out room standing still for more than a minute or two at a time for the entire duration of their set. Aside from how much fun they had on-stage, Run the Jewels is beyond precise on the mic. In a genre where a lot of artists take shortcuts and half-ass their material live, it's refreshing to see a pair of rappers who put 100% into every verse on every track. Thanks to a pitch-perfect setlist, flawless rapping and amazing atmosphere, Run the Jewels put on the best hip-hop performance I've ever witnessed.
2.Between the Buried and Me (2/23, Royale Boston, Boston, MA, also saw on 6/18)
It's well-documented that I'm a Between Buried and Me fanboy. It's not as well-documented that the reason I become so absurdly obsessed with this band is because of their live show. I was only a casual fan of theirs before I saw them for the first time in October 2008 with Children of Bodom and The Black Dahlia Murder. Their performance that night was chill-inducing and that special feeling has been repeated every single time I've seen them since then. This particular show at the Royale in February-which marked the third time I've seen them headline and ninth time I've seen them overall, was quite possibly the best I've ever seen from them. The primary reason this show stood out was the setlist. Seeing so many of the best tracks from their discography ("Selkies: The Endless Obsession", "Bloom", "Foam Born A+B", "Obfuscation", "Swim to the Moon") in the same set was fucking incredible. Not even having to leave before they played the last two songs to catch the subway/bus back to my house couldn't even take away from how great this performance was. Unless I become senile or suddenly start hating metal with a passion, Between the Buried and Me will always be my favorite band to see live.
1.Killswitch Engage (7/19, Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Providence, RI)
Just like Run the Jewels, Killswitch Engage also managed to top their excellent performance in 2013 with an even better one in 2014. Emotions were heavy at this show as guitarist Joel Strotezel was forced to sit out this tour due to a family emergency that had occurred the night before this show. In addition to the distress they were feeling from Strotezel's absence, this was also Jesse Leach's first show in his hometown of Providence since rejoining Killswitch Engage in 2011. The combination of these two events gave this show a overwhelming emotional vibe that brought out the absolute best in Killswitch Engage. The whole band sounded amazing as they flawlessly ripped through a set that was primarily loaded with tracks from their 2002 classic Alive or Just Breathing. I honestly can't put into words the amount of sheer power and emotional weight of every single song they played that night. I can't recall another time in my nearly 10 years of going to shows where I've a seen band put so much heart into a single performance.This performance was a surreal, beautiful and incredibly poignant experience that I will never forget as long as I live.
Honorable Mentions: Amon Amarth (2/1), Skeletonwitch (2/1), Battlecross (4/5), Mastodon (5/16), Gojira (5/16), Fall Out Boy (6/22), Goatwhore (8/9), Fallujah (8/9), Morbid Angel (8/9), The Black Dahlia Murder (10/8), Alterbeast (10/8), Limp Bizkit (10/10), Monuments (12/5), Animals as Leaders (12/5), State Champs (12/27 also saw on 7/11)
Monday, January 5, 2015
2014 in Film: A Year in Review
2013 was a tough year to follow in the world of cinema. The number of truly great films was far higher than usual, and there was only a handful of films to be released that I would label as complete garbage. While 2014 fell short of the overall quality of 2013, it was more than able to hold its own. The top 10 or so films were every bit as good as last year's and the great films were much more spread out (my top 10 films were released in 7 different months) than usual. Where 2014 fell short of the past couple years is with the relatively large number of disappointments. About 25-30% of the films I saw in 2014 managed to fall at least somewhat short of my expectations, which is notably higher than the usual rate. Below is the complete list of films I saw in 2014, ranked from worst to best; as well as my early personal Oscar picks, selections for the year's best performances, biggest surprises/letdowns, etc. It should be noted that this list is tentative, and could change dramatically once I see all the films I have an interest in (those films are listed directly below this list) seeing from 2014. Hope you enjoy and feel free to leave your picks for the best/worst films of 2014 and/or any feedback on this list in the comment section below!
81.Under the Skin (0/5)
81.Under the Skin (0/5)
80.The Rover (1/5)
79.Tusk (1/5)
78.Godzilla (1.5/5)
77.Transcendence (1.5/5)
76.Transformers: Age of Extinction (1.5/5)
75.This is Where I Leave You (1.5/5)
74.Filth (2/5)
73.Oculus (2/5)
72.Interstellar (2/5)
71.Cuban Fury (2.5/5)
70.Sex Tape (2.5/5)
69.When the Game Stands Tall (2.5/5)
68.They Came Together (2.5/5)
67.Fury (3/5)
66.The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (3/5)
65.Fading Gigolo (3/5)
64.Tammy (3/5)
63.About Last Night (3/5)
62.I, Frankenstein (3/5)
61.The Monuments Men (3/5)
60.Muppets Most Wanted (3/5)
59.Begin Again (3/5)
58.Blended (3/5)
57.Ride Along (3/5)
56.The Giver (3/5)
55.The One I Love (3/5)
54.The Equalizer (3/5)
53.Cold in July (3.5/5)
53.Cold in July (3.5/5)
52.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (3.5/5)
51.Blue Ruin (3.5/5)
50.Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (3.5/5)
49.Deliver Us from Evil (3.5/5)
48.Adult World (3.5/5)
47.That Awkward Moment (3.5/5)
46.The Expendables 3 (3.5/5)
45.The Gambler (3.5/5)
44.Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (3.5/5)
43.Maleficent (3.5/5)
42.The Purge: Anarchy (3.5/5)
41.Snowpiercer (3.5/5)
40.3 Days to Kill (3.5/5)
39.Captain America: The Winter Solider (3.5/5)
38.Robocop (3.5/5)
37.Million Dollar Arm (3.5/5)
36.St. Vincent (3.5/5)
35.Hercules (3.5/5)
34.Chef (3.5/5)
33.Divergent (3.5/5)
32.Obvious Child (3.5/5)
31.The Fault in Our Stars (3.5/5)
30.Let's Be Cops (4/5)
29.Brick Mansions (4/5)
28.A Million Ways to Die in the West (4/5)
27.Need for Speed (4/5)
26.Life Itself (4/5)
25.The Lego Movie (4/5)
24.Birdman (4/5)
23.Edge of Tomorrow (4/5)
22.300: Rise of an Empire (4/5)
21.Bad Words (4/5)
21.Bad Words (4/5)
20.Get on Up (4/5)
19.Sabotage (4/5)
18.Non-Stop (4/5)
17.The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part I (4/5)
16.Dom Hemingway (4/5)
15.Neighbors (4/5)
14.Noah (4/5)
13.John Wick (4/5)
12.The Interview (4/5)
11.The Skeleton Twins (4/5)
10.X-Men: Days of Future Past (4.5/5)
9.Guardians of the Galaxy (4.5/5)
8.The Raid 2 (4.5/5)
7.Draft Day (4.5/5)
7.Draft Day (4.5/5)
6.Top Five (4.5/5)
5.Nightcrawler (4.5/5)
4.Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (4.5/5)
3.22 Jump Street (4.5/5)
2.Whiplash (4.5/5)
1.Gone Girl (4.5/5)
Still Need to See:
Enemy
Joe
Locke
The Protector 2
Boyhood
Lucy
Magic in the Moonlight
A Most Wanted Man
Calvary
The November Man
Life of Crime
Starred Up
The Drop
The Maze Runner
The Guest
A Walk Among the Tombstones
Jimi: All is By My Side
Pride
Annabelle
Men, Women & Children
Kill the Messenger
The Judge
Dear White People
Laggies
Force Majeure
White Bird in a Blizzard
Horns
Big Hero 6
Rosewater
Foxcatcher
Dumb and Dumber To
The Homesman
Horrible Bosses 2
The Imitation Game
The Babadook
Wild
Exodus: Gods and Kings
Unbroken
Big Eyes
Selma
American Sniper
A Most Violent Year
If I were to cast a ballot for the Oscars today, here's what it would look like:
Best Picture: Gone Girl
Best Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Best Actress: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Emma Stone, Birdman
Best Director: Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Best Original Screenplay: Chris Rock, Top Five
Best Adapted Screenplay: Gillan Flynn, Gone Girl
Best Cinematography: Birdman
Best Score: Gone Girl
Best Visual Effects: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Biggest Surprises
1. Top Five
2. The Skeleton Twins
3. Dom Hemingway
4. Let's Be Cops
5. Divergent
Biggest Disappointments
1. Interstellar
2. Godzilla
3. Fury
4. The Expendables 3
5. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Most Underrated
1. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
2. Dom Hemingway
3. Sabotage
4. Get on Up
5. Hercules
Most Overrated
1. Fury
2. Interstellar
3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
4. Captain America: The Winter Solider
5. The Equalizer
Top 10 Performances of the Year
1. Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
2. Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
3. J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
4. Chadwick Boseman, Get on Up
5. Emma Stone, Birdman
6. Michael Keaton, Birdman
7. Eva Green, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
8. Bill Hader, The Skeleton Twins
9. Jude Law, Dom Hemingway
10. Chris Rock, Top Five
Top 10 Breakout Performances of the Year:
1.Bill Hader, The Skeleton Twins
2.Kristen Wiig, The Skeleton Twins
3.Jenny Slate, Obvious Child
4. Nelsan Ellis, Get on Up
5. Tyler Perry, Gone Girl
6. Zac Efron, Neigbors
7. Jeden Lieberher, St. Vincent
8. Ansel Elgort, The Fault in Our Stars
9. Emjay Anthony, Chef
10. Randall Park, The Interview
Top 10 Best Ensemble Casts
1. Gone Girl
2. Top Five
3. Birdman
4. Whiplash
5. The Skeleton Twins
6. 22 Jump Street
7. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
8. Get on Up
9. Nightcrawler
10. Guardians of the Galaxy
Still Need to See:
Enemy
Joe
Locke
The Protector 2
Boyhood
Lucy
Magic in the Moonlight
A Most Wanted Man
Calvary
The November Man
Life of Crime
Starred Up
The Drop
The Maze Runner
The Guest
A Walk Among the Tombstones
Jimi: All is By My Side
Pride
Annabelle
Men, Women & Children
Kill the Messenger
The Judge
Dear White People
Laggies
Force Majeure
White Bird in a Blizzard
Horns
Big Hero 6
Rosewater
Foxcatcher
Dumb and Dumber To
The Homesman
Horrible Bosses 2
The Imitation Game
The Babadook
Wild
Exodus: Gods and Kings
Unbroken
Big Eyes
Selma
American Sniper
A Most Violent Year
If I were to cast a ballot for the Oscars today, here's what it would look like:
Best Picture: Gone Girl
Best Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Best Actress: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Emma Stone, Birdman
Best Director: Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Best Original Screenplay: Chris Rock, Top Five
Best Adapted Screenplay: Gillan Flynn, Gone Girl
Best Cinematography: Birdman
Best Score: Gone Girl
Best Visual Effects: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Biggest Surprises
1. Top Five
2. The Skeleton Twins
3. Dom Hemingway
4. Let's Be Cops
5. Divergent
Biggest Disappointments
1. Interstellar
2. Godzilla
3. Fury
4. The Expendables 3
5. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Most Underrated
1. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
2. Dom Hemingway
3. Sabotage
4. Get on Up
5. Hercules
Most Overrated
1. Fury
2. Interstellar
3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
4. Captain America: The Winter Solider
5. The Equalizer
Top 10 Performances of the Year
1. Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
2. Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
3. J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
4. Chadwick Boseman, Get on Up
5. Emma Stone, Birdman
6. Michael Keaton, Birdman
7. Eva Green, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
8. Bill Hader, The Skeleton Twins
9. Jude Law, Dom Hemingway
10. Chris Rock, Top Five
Top 10 Breakout Performances of the Year:
1.Bill Hader, The Skeleton Twins
2.Kristen Wiig, The Skeleton Twins
3.Jenny Slate, Obvious Child
4. Nelsan Ellis, Get on Up
5. Tyler Perry, Gone Girl
6. Zac Efron, Neigbors
7. Jeden Lieberher, St. Vincent
8. Ansel Elgort, The Fault in Our Stars
9. Emjay Anthony, Chef
10. Randall Park, The Interview
Top 10 Best Ensemble Casts
1. Gone Girl
2. Top Five
3. Birdman
4. Whiplash
5. The Skeleton Twins
6. 22 Jump Street
7. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
8. Get on Up
9. Nightcrawler
10. Guardians of the Galaxy
Saturday, January 3, 2015
NFL Wild Card Predictions
Carolina Panthers over Arizona Cardinals: The Carolina Panthers are riding a giant wave of momentum right now after going 4-0 in December and making a highly improbable run to an NFC South title. I expect their hot streak to continue into the playoffs as they face the injury-riddled Cardinals in the Wild Card round. The Cardinals have just not been the same since Ryan Lindley took over at quarterback for the injured Drew Stanton. Lindley can makes some plays from time to time, but his accuracy woes and inability to protect the ball are a huge hindrance to this team. The Cardinals haven't won either game Lindley has started this year and I don't expect that to change today. The Cardinals talented defense is more than likely going to give Cam Newton some trouble and keep them in the game, I just don't have enough faith in the Lindley-run offense to put up enough points on this suddenly stout Panthers defense to pick up the victory.
Baltimore Ravens over Pittsburgh Steelers: Of all the Wild Card matchups, this is easily the most intriguing. Ravens/Steelers is arguably the most heated rivalry in the NFL and the two squaring off in the playoffs is only going to raise the intensity. These two teams are much more evenly matched than their regular season matchups indicate (in both games, the home team won by a wide margin) and I expect this game to reflect that. Even though the Steelers have been playing better of late and have never lost to the Ravens in the playoffs, I have to go with The Ravens in this one. Joe Flacco is a completely different animal in the playoffs, they have a front seven that can disrupt Ben Roethlisberger and they'll be hungry to avenge their blowout loss at Heinz Field in October, and prove themselves as legitimate contenders after a mediocre December. However, to pick up this win the Ravens are going to need start fast and not let up. The Steelers are going to test the Ravens weak secondary even more than usual without star running back Le'Veon Bell in the lineup, and I don't trust them to hold up for an entire game against the Steelers loaded receiving corps. Even though they have to go on the road and play a squad who can easily exploit their secondary problems, I believe the Ravens are fully capable of deifying the odds and advance to the Divisional round.
Indianapolis Colts over Cincinnati Bengals: In my eyes, there's no two teams in the NFL this season that have been more erratic than the Colts and Bengals. The Colts were mostly dominant throughout the season then all but completely crapped out down the stretch. The Bengals have been far more traditional with their inconsistent play: looking like legitimate title contenders some weeks and looking like a low-level arena football team in others. In their regular season meeting in October, the Colts handed the Bengals one of their embarrassing losses- forcing nine straight three-and-out's and holding them to just 135 yards of total offense as they cruised to a 27-0 victory. Given the high-stakes stage of this second meeting, I fully expect the Colts to win yet again. Though the Bengals picked up a impressive, hard-fought victory over the Broncos in primetime just two weeks ago, this team typically falters in big-game situations. Whether it be because of Andy Dalton's turnovers, the defense getting torched or another unforeseen factor, the team just implodes when they're in the spotlight, and I expect the same thing to happen again this year. The Bengals have sabotaged themselves three straight years by playing their sloppiest football of the season on wild card weekend and were sent packing in the ugliest possible fashion as a result. The Colts haven't been without their share of recent playoff woes, but they're nothing compared to those of the Bengals. Plus Andrew Luck is pretty much unflappable and recovers from turnovers as well as any quarterback in the league; a skill that Dalton does not possess. That quality alone is enough to give the Colts the advantage in this matchup. Unless the Bengals completely stray from their recent tendencies, the Colts should be able to take this one without too much difficulty.
Dallas Cowboys over Detroit Lions: The Dallas Cowboys have proven all their detractors (myself included) wrong all season long and strung together a 12-4 season against all odds. Now that the playoffs are here, the same skeptics are looking for Tony Romo and co. to choke under pressure. At least for this week, I expect the Cowboys to continue to prove people wrong and pick up a playoff win. The Cowboys haven't looked this good since I started paying attention to football in the late '90s, and I truly believe they could beat just about anybody in the league right now if they continue to play at the same level. I expect the Lions outstanding defense to show up and make this a low-scoring affair, but their lackluster offense led by Matthew Stafford- who is playing the worst football of his career right now- to hold them back immensely in what should be a tight contest. The Cowboys are having the ultimate fairy tale season right now and I expect that Cinderella story to continue into next week.
Baltimore Ravens over Pittsburgh Steelers: Of all the Wild Card matchups, this is easily the most intriguing. Ravens/Steelers is arguably the most heated rivalry in the NFL and the two squaring off in the playoffs is only going to raise the intensity. These two teams are much more evenly matched than their regular season matchups indicate (in both games, the home team won by a wide margin) and I expect this game to reflect that. Even though the Steelers have been playing better of late and have never lost to the Ravens in the playoffs, I have to go with The Ravens in this one. Joe Flacco is a completely different animal in the playoffs, they have a front seven that can disrupt Ben Roethlisberger and they'll be hungry to avenge their blowout loss at Heinz Field in October, and prove themselves as legitimate contenders after a mediocre December. However, to pick up this win the Ravens are going to need start fast and not let up. The Steelers are going to test the Ravens weak secondary even more than usual without star running back Le'Veon Bell in the lineup, and I don't trust them to hold up for an entire game against the Steelers loaded receiving corps. Even though they have to go on the road and play a squad who can easily exploit their secondary problems, I believe the Ravens are fully capable of deifying the odds and advance to the Divisional round.
Indianapolis Colts over Cincinnati Bengals: In my eyes, there's no two teams in the NFL this season that have been more erratic than the Colts and Bengals. The Colts were mostly dominant throughout the season then all but completely crapped out down the stretch. The Bengals have been far more traditional with their inconsistent play: looking like legitimate title contenders some weeks and looking like a low-level arena football team in others. In their regular season meeting in October, the Colts handed the Bengals one of their embarrassing losses- forcing nine straight three-and-out's and holding them to just 135 yards of total offense as they cruised to a 27-0 victory. Given the high-stakes stage of this second meeting, I fully expect the Colts to win yet again. Though the Bengals picked up a impressive, hard-fought victory over the Broncos in primetime just two weeks ago, this team typically falters in big-game situations. Whether it be because of Andy Dalton's turnovers, the defense getting torched or another unforeseen factor, the team just implodes when they're in the spotlight, and I expect the same thing to happen again this year. The Bengals have sabotaged themselves three straight years by playing their sloppiest football of the season on wild card weekend and were sent packing in the ugliest possible fashion as a result. The Colts haven't been without their share of recent playoff woes, but they're nothing compared to those of the Bengals. Plus Andrew Luck is pretty much unflappable and recovers from turnovers as well as any quarterback in the league; a skill that Dalton does not possess. That quality alone is enough to give the Colts the advantage in this matchup. Unless the Bengals completely stray from their recent tendencies, the Colts should be able to take this one without too much difficulty.
Dallas Cowboys over Detroit Lions: The Dallas Cowboys have proven all their detractors (myself included) wrong all season long and strung together a 12-4 season against all odds. Now that the playoffs are here, the same skeptics are looking for Tony Romo and co. to choke under pressure. At least for this week, I expect the Cowboys to continue to prove people wrong and pick up a playoff win. The Cowboys haven't looked this good since I started paying attention to football in the late '90s, and I truly believe they could beat just about anybody in the league right now if they continue to play at the same level. I expect the Lions outstanding defense to show up and make this a low-scoring affair, but their lackluster offense led by Matthew Stafford- who is playing the worst football of his career right now- to hold them back immensely in what should be a tight contest. The Cowboys are having the ultimate fairy tale season right now and I expect that Cinderella story to continue into next week.
Friday, January 2, 2015
10 Most Anticipated Films of Winter/Spring 2015
In the past, the first four months of the year in the world of film were pretty much designed to catch up on the awards contenders from the previous year. Recently, that formula has changed as studios have started to release more intriguing, high-profile in the early months of the year. This year's slate isn't quite as strong as the past few, but there are still a number of interesting releases on the schedule for January through April. Here are the 10 films I'm most looking forward to in the winter/spring of 2015.
10.The Divergent Series: Insurgent (3/20): Of all the dystopian YA franchises, this is the best that I've seen behind The Hunger Games. The first Divergent film was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2014 and laid down the groundwork for what could be a very solid franchise. I'm really intrigued to see if Insurgent can build off the strong foundation its predecessor built. I've heard from multiple people that have read the Divergent trilogy that Insurgent is the best of the series. Fingers crossed that can carry over to the film adaption.
9.Get Hard (3/27): The trailer isn't anything overly special, but the pairing of Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell in the same movie still gives me a lot of hope for Get Hard. As far as I'm concerned, Hart and Ferrell are two of the sharpest comic performances in the business and with a script penned by two of the writers from the hilarious Comedy Central series Key & Peele, this could be a comedy standout.
8.Run All Night (4/17): Run All Night currently has no trailer and the plot outlines available online are very vague. Even with this lack of information on the project, I'm still really looking forward to this. Why may you ask? The answer is simple: It's the third collaboration between Liam Nesson and director Jaume Collet-Serra. The previous two collaborations between Nesson and Collet-Sara, 2014's Non-Stop and 2011's Unknown, were amongst the best of Nesson's recent filmography, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Run All Night was of the same caliber.
7.Jupiter Ascending (2/6): The delay from July to February is certainly is a bit disconcerting and the early buzz from test screenings has been generally negative. However, Jupiter Ascending looks way too cool to write off completely. The stunning visuals and unique albeit somewhat incoherent premise paired with a cast including Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean and Eddie Redmayne gives me a lot of hope that this will be a return to form for The Wachowski's.
6.In The Heart of the Sea (3/13): After his excellent last film Rush, Ron Howard has become a substantially more interesting director to me. Howard's follow-up to Rush, In the Heart of the Sea, sounds like another interesting, fact-based drama for him to sink his teeth into. In the Heart of the Sea follows the journey of four sailors (Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Benjamin Walker, Tom Holland) who get stuck in the middle of the ocean after a whale attacks and sinks their boat. Stranded over 1,000 miles from land, the crew is forced to resort to cannibalism to survive. The pedigree of this film is much stronger than most of the material that comes out at this point of the year and if it lives up to it's potential, In the Heart of the Sea could be a very early awards contender for 2015.
5.Focus (2/27): Will Smith returns to the big screen with his interesting first interesting original project since 2008's Hancock! Based on the trailers, Smith seems to back at his suave, sharp best as a con man who gets thrown off his game when he falls for his protegee (Margot Robbie) during the most potentially prosperous con of his life. In addition to Smith's always welcome presence, the film looks fun as hell and it should be interesting to see how Robbie does in her first major role after The Wolf of Wall Street. Even if it doesn't end up being one of Smith's better films, at least it's pretty much a lock to be more enjoyable than After Earth.
4.Chappie (3/6): Neil Bloomkamp has made serious waves his brief career so and his latest Chappie could cement him firmly atop the list of best modern sci-fi directors. Chappie looks a bit tamer than his previous work, but seems to maintain the creativity and social commentary edge that made District 9 and Elysium standout. If Chappie ends up following the path of Bloomkamp's previous work, sci-fi lovers everywhere will be in for a serious treat.
3.Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2/20): Hot Tub Time Machine is one of the most gleefully absurd, consistently funny and criminally under-appreciated comedies in recent memory. While I'm not entirely sure if this sequel was necessary, I'm still glad it was made. With a majority of the original cast and crew returning and an amusing set of trailers, this should be at least close to the quality of the original.
2.Kingsman: The Secret Service (2/13): I'm not going to lie, Kingsman: The Secret Service was a film I wasn't overly excited about until I saw a redband trailer for it before The Gambler. The confirmation of an R-rating alone was enough for this to shoot up most-anticipated films of the winter/spring list. Director Matthew Vaughn was responsible for the phenomenal 2010 B-action film Kick-Ass, and with another over-the-top story that's adapted from a comic book and an R-rating to play with, the potential is off-the-charts for him to duplicate that success here. This film looks to be heavy on the action and features a talented cast headlined by Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Strong who should be more than game to roll with Vaughn's tongue-in-cheek style. Kingsman is one of the very few films I'm overwhelmingly excited for in the early portion of 2015.
1.Furious 7 (4/3): The Fast and Furious franchise has been on fire of late, with the last two entries being the best of the entire series. With everyone (save for director Justin Lin, who's directed the last four entries in the series) who's responible for the series recent triumphs returning for Furious 7, this film appears to be destined to repeat that success again. Throw in the addition of the always great Jason Statham as the villain and the added emotional weight of this being the late Paul Walker's final on-screen appearance, and Furious 7 has the potential to be the best of the entire bunch.
Also interested in:
Blackhat (1/16)
The Wedding Ringer (1/16)
The Boy Next Door (1/23)
Mortdecai (1/23)
Black or White (1/30)
Project Almanac (1/30)
Wild Card (1/30)
SpongeBob : Sponge Out of Water (2/6)
McFarland, USA (2/20)
The Coup (3/6)
Unfinished Business (3/6)
The Gunman (3/20)
Serena (3/27)
True Story (4/10)
Child 44 (4/17)
Rock the Cashbah (4/24)
10.The Divergent Series: Insurgent (3/20): Of all the dystopian YA franchises, this is the best that I've seen behind The Hunger Games. The first Divergent film was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2014 and laid down the groundwork for what could be a very solid franchise. I'm really intrigued to see if Insurgent can build off the strong foundation its predecessor built. I've heard from multiple people that have read the Divergent trilogy that Insurgent is the best of the series. Fingers crossed that can carry over to the film adaption.
9.Get Hard (3/27): The trailer isn't anything overly special, but the pairing of Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell in the same movie still gives me a lot of hope for Get Hard. As far as I'm concerned, Hart and Ferrell are two of the sharpest comic performances in the business and with a script penned by two of the writers from the hilarious Comedy Central series Key & Peele, this could be a comedy standout.
8.Run All Night (4/17): Run All Night currently has no trailer and the plot outlines available online are very vague. Even with this lack of information on the project, I'm still really looking forward to this. Why may you ask? The answer is simple: It's the third collaboration between Liam Nesson and director Jaume Collet-Serra. The previous two collaborations between Nesson and Collet-Sara, 2014's Non-Stop and 2011's Unknown, were amongst the best of Nesson's recent filmography, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Run All Night was of the same caliber.
7.Jupiter Ascending (2/6): The delay from July to February is certainly is a bit disconcerting and the early buzz from test screenings has been generally negative. However, Jupiter Ascending looks way too cool to write off completely. The stunning visuals and unique albeit somewhat incoherent premise paired with a cast including Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean and Eddie Redmayne gives me a lot of hope that this will be a return to form for The Wachowski's.
6.In The Heart of the Sea (3/13): After his excellent last film Rush, Ron Howard has become a substantially more interesting director to me. Howard's follow-up to Rush, In the Heart of the Sea, sounds like another interesting, fact-based drama for him to sink his teeth into. In the Heart of the Sea follows the journey of four sailors (Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Benjamin Walker, Tom Holland) who get stuck in the middle of the ocean after a whale attacks and sinks their boat. Stranded over 1,000 miles from land, the crew is forced to resort to cannibalism to survive. The pedigree of this film is much stronger than most of the material that comes out at this point of the year and if it lives up to it's potential, In the Heart of the Sea could be a very early awards contender for 2015.
5.Focus (2/27): Will Smith returns to the big screen with his interesting first interesting original project since 2008's Hancock! Based on the trailers, Smith seems to back at his suave, sharp best as a con man who gets thrown off his game when he falls for his protegee (Margot Robbie) during the most potentially prosperous con of his life. In addition to Smith's always welcome presence, the film looks fun as hell and it should be interesting to see how Robbie does in her first major role after The Wolf of Wall Street. Even if it doesn't end up being one of Smith's better films, at least it's pretty much a lock to be more enjoyable than After Earth.
4.Chappie (3/6): Neil Bloomkamp has made serious waves his brief career so and his latest Chappie could cement him firmly atop the list of best modern sci-fi directors. Chappie looks a bit tamer than his previous work, but seems to maintain the creativity and social commentary edge that made District 9 and Elysium standout. If Chappie ends up following the path of Bloomkamp's previous work, sci-fi lovers everywhere will be in for a serious treat.
3.Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2/20): Hot Tub Time Machine is one of the most gleefully absurd, consistently funny and criminally under-appreciated comedies in recent memory. While I'm not entirely sure if this sequel was necessary, I'm still glad it was made. With a majority of the original cast and crew returning and an amusing set of trailers, this should be at least close to the quality of the original.
2.Kingsman: The Secret Service (2/13): I'm not going to lie, Kingsman: The Secret Service was a film I wasn't overly excited about until I saw a redband trailer for it before The Gambler. The confirmation of an R-rating alone was enough for this to shoot up most-anticipated films of the winter/spring list. Director Matthew Vaughn was responsible for the phenomenal 2010 B-action film Kick-Ass, and with another over-the-top story that's adapted from a comic book and an R-rating to play with, the potential is off-the-charts for him to duplicate that success here. This film looks to be heavy on the action and features a talented cast headlined by Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Strong who should be more than game to roll with Vaughn's tongue-in-cheek style. Kingsman is one of the very few films I'm overwhelmingly excited for in the early portion of 2015.
1.Furious 7 (4/3): The Fast and Furious franchise has been on fire of late, with the last two entries being the best of the entire series. With everyone (save for director Justin Lin, who's directed the last four entries in the series) who's responible for the series recent triumphs returning for Furious 7, this film appears to be destined to repeat that success again. Throw in the addition of the always great Jason Statham as the villain and the added emotional weight of this being the late Paul Walker's final on-screen appearance, and Furious 7 has the potential to be the best of the entire bunch.
Also interested in:
Blackhat (1/16)
The Wedding Ringer (1/16)
The Boy Next Door (1/23)
Mortdecai (1/23)
Black or White (1/30)
Project Almanac (1/30)
Wild Card (1/30)
SpongeBob : Sponge Out of Water (2/6)
McFarland, USA (2/20)
The Coup (3/6)
Unfinished Business (3/6)
The Gunman (3/20)
Serena (3/27)
True Story (4/10)
Child 44 (4/17)
Rock the Cashbah (4/24)
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