Quick Movie Reviews: The Man From U.N.C.L.E, The End of Tour, American Ultra

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: Guy Ritchie really doesn't get enough credit for how good of a director he is. Ritchie is able to take a spy film with a loose premise (a pair of special agents from the USA and Russia team up to stop an upstart criminal organization from launching a nuclear weapon) and no legitimate villain and make it a winner by injecting it with his trademark snappy dialogue, gorgeous cinematography and dashes of well-timed dark humor. Ritchie applying his defining traits as a filmmaker to a traditional spy film makes this feel fresher than a majority of the genre's recent entries (including the vastly overrated Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation that's also currently theaters). While Ritchie's flare for comedy and striking visuals play a large part in the film's success, perhaps his greatest accomplishment here is managing to get respectable performances out of the normally wooden Henry Cavil and Armie Hammer. The duo have a nice rapport with one another and both demonstrate much more screen presence than they did in their previous turns as action leads. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is a mindless, breezy piece of late summer entertainment that is well worth the watch for fans of the espionage genre.
3.5/5 Stars

The End of the Tour: During a time of year where big, loud blockbusters dominate cinemas, it's refreshing to see a smart, minimalist film like The End of the Tour hit the marketplace. The film is completely centered around a five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) and writer David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel) at the end of Wallace's book tour for his widely celebrated 1996 novel Infinite Jest. Segel steals the movie with his incredible performance as Wallace. Segel effortlessly captures the wide range of emotions that haunted Wallace after the breakout popularity of Infinite Jest and proves to skeptical audiences that he can tackle drama with the same level of skill he displays in his comedic work. Eisenberg brings a similar level of magnetism and emotional depth to his portrayal of Lipsky. Lipsky deeply admires Wallace's work, but also resents him for having the successful literary career that alluded him during his time as a novelist. The duo's respective egos and reservations about opening up to one another make their conversations consistently unpredictable and create a drama that is remarkably compelling and deeply human. The conversations between Lipsky occasionally get too bogged down with philosophical rhetoric  and the final scene-which takes place after Wallace's suicide in 2008-is completely forced and tonally inconsistent from the rest of the movie, but for the most part,  The End of the Tour is an intelligent and engrossing film that allows the audience to better understand the psyche and true character of one the most reclusive and brilliant authors of the 20th century.
4/5 Stars  

American Ultra: Aside from Kingsman: The Secretman Service, 2015 has had a serious lack of fun, ultraviolent B-action movies. American Ultra fills that void and then some. The film kind of stumbles out of the gate as it sets up the relationship between mellow stoners Mike (Jeese Eisenberg) and Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), but as soon as Mike discovers he's a CIA-trained sleeper agent, American Ultra becomes an unforgettable and absurdly entertaining ride. Screenwriter Max Landis (Chronicle) does a great job of putting together a narrative that blends indie romance, stoner comedy and balls-out, over-the-top action without ever feeling jarring and the ensemble cast headed by Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Connie Britton, Topher Grace and Walton Goggins are game for every twisted, ludicrous setpiece the script throws at them. American Ultra is one of the most insane mainstream American films I've ever seen and while it'll probably struggle to find an audience during its current theatrical run, it has the potential to become a cult classic a few years down the road.
4/5 Stars

2015 NFL Preview: NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

2014 Record: 12-4

Head Coach: Jason Garrett (5th year)

Notable Additions: DE Greg Hardy, RB Darren McFadden,  ILB Jasper Brinkley

Notable Departures: RB DeMarco Murray, OLB Bruce Carter, DT Henry Melton
Offense:

The Cowboys suffered one of the biggest losses of the offseason when they lost running back DeMarco Murray to the Eagles in free agency. Murray, who led the league in rushing in 2014 with a ridiculous 1,845 yards, was the centerpiece of this offense and the primary reason the Cowboys were able to clinch their first playoff berth since 2009. Many experts have downplayed the loss of Murray due to the Cowboys elite offensive line who can create massive rushing lanes on just about every play. They may still have the best offensive line in football, but that doesn't mean their running attack will be anywhere near as deadly as it was a year ago. Their current running backs have either never started in the NFL (Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar) or are more fragile than a box full of glassware (Darren McFadden). Randle is expected to get the starting job, but based on his poor training camp performance and limited sample size (he hasn't surpassed 55 carries in either of his first 2 NFL seasons), it's far from a guarantee that he'll thrive as the starter. Murray's effectiveness took pressure off quarterback Tony Romo and ate up a ton of clock time, which in turn kept their lackluster defense off the field. I'd be highly surprised if the Cowboys had the same luxury this year.

If the rushing attack doesn't come to fruition, Romo has the ability to carry this offense. With a receiving corps led by superstar Dez Bryant, grizzled veteran Jason Witten and TD magnet Terrence Williams, Romo could very well flirt with a 5,000-yard this season in 2015. The Cowboys have been a pass-first offense for most of the last decade and that should once again be the case in 2015.

Defense:

 Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli deserve all the credit in the world for making this talent-barren defense respectable in 2014 (8th against the run, 26th against the pass,19th overall). The Cowboys rewarded Marinelli's inhuman display of coaching wizardry with a 3-year contract extension and the addition of some intriguing young talent that should make his job a little bit easier this season. 

The clear highlight of the Cowboys offseason haul was defensive end Greg Hardy. The signing of Hardy was extremely controversial in the wake of the domestic abuse charges that forced him to miss all but 1 game in 2015, but there's no denying that he's one hell of a football player. Hardy has picked up 23 sacks in his last 24 games played and barring some bizarre drop in production, should immediately wreak havoc on opposing quarterback once he returns from 4-game suspension against the Patriots in Week 5. The Cowboys also went out and used their 1st-round pick on an athletic freak in cornerback Byron Jones to help patch up their horrid secondary and hopefully take away top corner duties from veteran burnout Brandon Carr and brought in veterans Jasper Brinkley and Andrew Gachkar to sure up their depth at linebacker. The Cowboys didn't much cap space or high-draft picks to work,  but they managed to pull down a pretty impressive group of new players that should help this defense improve in 2015.   

The Cowboys success on defense is largely going to hinge on how well their young pass-rushers DeMarcus Lawernce and Randy Gregory fare. Hardy is the only consistent pass-rusher the Cowboys can out on at the moment and they're going to need a strong pass rush  to take pressure off of their awful secondary. The young duo have a lot to prove as Lawrence as largely ineffective in his rookie year (he didn't get a sack until the Wild Card round of the playoffs) and Gregory's draft stock took a nose dive due to his poor performance in pre-draft interviews and workouts. Both of these guys have sky-high ceilings and could eventually morph into one of the league's top pass-rushing duos, but for now they have to prove they can handle the speed and mental drain of the NFL. The Cowboys defense more than likely won't transform into a top-tier defense, but there's surely a lot more reasons to be excited about this unit than there was this time last year.

Bottom Line: 

Without a proven workhorse back to carry the load, The Cowboys will likely fail to reproduce their success from 2014 and revert back to the above-average team they've been for much of the past half-decade.

New York Giants

2014 Record: 6-10

Head Coach: Tom Coughlin (12th year)

Notable Additions: RB Shane Vereen, WR James Jones, CB Josh Gordy

Notable Departures: S Antrell Rolle, OLB Spencer Paysinger, S Stevie Brown

Offense:

There is arguably not another offense in the NFL with more question marks than the Giants. Can Victor Cruz return to form after tearing his patellae tendon? Can the offensive line hold up without veteran Will Beatty in the lineup for at least the first half of the season? Can rookie Ereck Flowers handle starting at left tackle out of the gate? Can Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams or the newly-acquired Shane Vereen emerge as a legit NFL starting running back? If all or most of these work out, this offense could contend to be the top offense in football-especially if they can lineup a healthy Cruz next to budding superstar Odell Beckham Jr. If not, the Giants will falter mightily and probably employ the "throw the ball to Odell 15-20 times a game" strategy they used once Cruz and Jennings went down last year. Since it's the Giants and you really never what the hell you're going to get from them, both of these options have about equal probability of coming true.

The stabilizing figure in this offense is quarterback Eli Manning. Manning throws a lot of INT's and can be extremely erratic at times, but when he's on, this offense thrives and can outscore just about anyone in the league. Despite a trashy running game and basically no help from his offensive line, Manning's 2014 numbers were his best (4,440 YDS, 30 TD, 14 INT, 92.1 QBR) since their title run in 2011. If he can actually get some protection from his offensive line and Beckham Jr. and Cruz can stay healthy and continue to produce at a high level, those numbers should only improve this year. Even with all the murkiness that surrounds this offense, there's no denying that they're one of the most intriguing groups in the league heading in 2015 season 

Defense:

The offense may have a plethora of question marks surrounding it, but those uncertainties are nothing compared to the nightmares this defense is facing heading into 2015.

Unless you've been in a coma or vacationing on Mars for the past month, you're probably aware of the fact that defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul lost one of his fingers in a fireworks accident over the 4th of July weekend. Pierre-Paul-who was given the franchise tag in March-is the team's top pass-rusher by leaps and bounds and is one of the best run-stopping defensive ends in the NFL. As of today, there's no word if Pierre-Paul will return to the team this year or at all. With Pierre-Paul out of the mix indefinitely, their defensive line is basically screwed this season.

On top of the Pierre-Paul disaster, they didn't bring anyone into help fix their horrible rush defense that ranked 30th in the league a year ago and their safety situation became so grim after Antrell Rolle and Stevie Brown departed in free agency that they just brought in Brandon "The Party Starter" Merriwheather to potentially start alongside rookie Landon Collins. The organization is optimistic that Collins and fellow rookie defensive Owamagbe Odigizuwa will be able to remedy some of their defensive woes, but even if they both work out, they are only 2 guys on a defense that is almost completely full of holes. If they can't fix their inability to stop the run, find a pass-rusher and lock down 2 solid safeties, it could be a very long for the G-Men on defense.

About the only positives the Giants can relish in heading into 2015 is the return of former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and cornerback Prince Amukamara to the starting lineup. Spagnuolo was the architect of the horrifying pass rush that anchored the Giants 2007 Super Bowl run and could potentially unlock the talent in their raw young players like Odigizuwa and third-year defensive end Damontre Moore and further bolster the pass-rushing skills of defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins, who enjoyed a breakout 7-sack last season in 2014.

Amukamara is an even more welcome return. He was playing at an All-Pro-caliber level before going down with in early November with a torn bicep and his services will be needed more than ever with all of the other issues in the Giants secondary. Amukamara and his fellow starter Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie have the potential to be one of the better starting corner duos in the league and could really help this defense remain respectable as they try to figure out a solution to their front seven and safety woes.

Bottom Line:
The Giants are too well coached to be complete failures, but their plethora of question marks on both sides of the ball make them longshots to make the playoffs.

Philadelphia Eagles
2014 Record: 10-6

Head Coach: Chip Kelly (3rd year)

Notable Additions: RB DeMarco Murray, QB Sam Bradford, CB Byron Maxwell

Notable Departures: RB LeSean McCoy, WR Jeremy Maclin, QB Nick Foles
Offense:

Head coach Chip Kelly became the general manager in February and he made a hell of entrance into the world of general managing. Kelly used his newfound player personnel control to dump most of the key components from an offense that ranked in the top 10 every major offensive category a year ago. Kelly traded 2013 rushing champion LeSean McCoy to the Bills and starting quarterback Nick Foles to the Rams, let top wide receiver Jeremy Maclin walk in free agency and released both of their Week 1starting guards (Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans) from a year ago. These moves were drastic to say the least and the jury is still out on whether or not Kelly is a bold, risk-taking visionary or a complete lunatic for making them.

Kelly was equally aggressive in replacing his departed players with equally high-profile talent. Kelly made his intent to keep the Eagles as a run-first offense clear by bringing in 2 of the top free-agent running backs in 2014 rushing champion DeMarco Murray and former Chargers starter Ryan Matthews. Both Murray and Matthews are high-risk players with their lengthy injury histories (and in Murray's case, historic workload a year ago), but both are incredibly hard runners who fit perfectly in Kelly's power-run scheme.

Kelly made an even riskier move at quarterback by acquiring Sam Bradford to take over for Foles. While Bradford is admittedly a perfectly competent starting quarterback, he's coming off 2 straight seasons that have been shortened by torn ACL's, making him a far from safe bet for success in 2015. The good news is that Bradford only has 1 year left on his current contract. The bad news is that if he doesn't end up returning to his pre-injury levels of production and/or gets injured for a 3rd straight year, the Eagles will once again be forced to look for a new starting quarterback in 2016.

However, the losses of Mathis and Herremans could prove to be the loss that hurts the Eagles the most in 2015. Mathis is the best pure run-blocking guard in the league and Herremans is a solid veteran starter who rarely misses blocking assignments. For whatever reason, the Eagles didn't draft any offensive lineman this season and had no contingency plan in place when they cut Mathis in late June after a contract dispute. Their current starting guard competition is between a pair of undrafted rookies (Malcolm Bunche, Brett Boyko) a 2014 practice squad player (Josh Andrews), a below-average veteran who didn't play in 2014 (John Moffit) and a converted tackle who's started a whopping 8 games in his 7-year career (Andrew Gardner). The Eagles having 3 of the best lineman in the league in Jason Peters, Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce in the other spots on the line should help ease the pan of the transition, but the lack of proven guards to help aid the running game could really hurt them in the long run.

Wide receiver is easily the spot that inspires the most confidence on this offense. Rookie Nelson Agoholor was arguably the most pro-ready receiver in this year's draft outside of Amari Cooper and Jordan Matthews should be able to build off his excellent finish last season to nicely fill the top receiver role vacated by Maclin. Throw in the presence of a rock-solid tight end who's about to enter his prime in Zach Ertz, speedster Josh Huff and respectable albeit unremarkable veterans in Miles Austin and Serij Ajirotutu, and you have one of the most quietly loaded receiving corps in the league.

Defense:

Kelly's moves on defense were nowhere near as drastic as the ones he made on offense, as outside linebacker Trent Cole, cornerback Brandon Boykin and safety Nate Allen are the only quality starters from 2014 not returning to the team in 2015. Out of these departures, only Boykin will really sting as he is one of the best slot corners in the league and the Eagles don't have anyone set to take his place.

Kelly's other moves were actually pretty good. He spent a majority of his attention addressing the porous secondary that repeatedly cost them them games in his first 2 years with the team. First off, he dumped the starting corner tandem of Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher. These guys got burnt in almost every game over the past 2 years and it's a blessing for the entire team that Kelly decided not to trot them as his starting outside corners for a 3rd consecutive year.

Of the new additions, cornerback Byron Maxwell was easily the flashiest pickup. The Eagles have been widely criticized for giving Maxwell such a huge deal (6 years/$63 mil/$25 mil guaranteed) after only starting for 1 season, but I don't really see the issue with it. Maxwell got regularly tested last season in Seattle due to  opposing quarterback's fear of throwing to Richard Sherman's side of the field and he did a pretty damn good job facing a heavy workload, grading out as a top-15 corner in 2014 according to Pro Football Focus. While Maxwell isn't a guaranteed slam dunk, he showed enough during his time with the Seahawks to lead me to believe he can be a number 1 corner in this league. The other moves lacked the name recognition of Maxwell, but they should all be able to help in the effort to turn this secondary around. Walter Thrumond is a versatile defensive back that can be lined up at corner and safety while cornerback E.J. Biggers is a respectable veteran who can be a stopgap starter in the slot (rookie JaCorey Shepard was slated to get the gig before he tore his ACL in training camp.) However,  the most intriguing addition aside from Maxwell to this secondary is rookie Eric Rowe. Rowe was one of the most underrated defensive backs in this year's draft and with his versatility to play any position in the secondary and strong ball and tackling skills, he should be able to come in and be a productive starter right away. If this rebuilt secondary can come together as planned, this defense will no longer have to worry about their secondary costing them games.

While the secondary was the primary focus of the Eagles defensive rebuilding effort, Kelly also landed a very talented piece for his front 7 when the Bills sent over inside linebacker Kiko Alonso in the trade for McCoy. Alonso had an excellent rookie year in 2013 (he finished 2nd in voting behind Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson for Defensive Rookie of the Year) before being sidelined for all of 2014 with a torn ACL. Alonso- who played under Kelly at Oregon- is a perfect fit for this fast, instinctive front and should be in line for an excellent year if he's the same player he was prior to the ACL tear. Pairing Alonso with edge-rushing savage Connor Barwin and premier run-stopping defensive end Fletcher Cox makes this front a nightmare in the making for opposing offenses. 

Bottom Line: 

2015 will be the season in which we figure out if Chip Kelly is a mad genius or just a madman. Whatever the results ends up being, the Eagles will be the single most fun team to watch this season.

 

Washington Redskins

2014 Record: 4-12

Head Coach: Jay Gruden (2nd year)
Notable Additions: DT Terrence Knighton, OLB Junior Galette, CB Chris Culliver

Notable Departures: OLB Brian Orakpo, RB Roy Helu Jr., DE Jarvis Jenkins

Offense:

If you take a good look at the Redskins offense, you'll probably be surprised by the amount of talent they have. Alfred Morris is a consistent 1,000+ yard rusher, Trent Williams is an athletic freak who ranks among the best tackles in the league, rookie Jamison Crowder was one of the most impressive slot receiver prospects in this year's draft and wide receiver DeSean Jackson is arguably the best pure deep threat in the league. There's just one major problem: They don't have a quarterback that can be counted on.

Unless a miracle happens, poor quarterback will once again sink the Redskins offense. As of today, 4th-year trainwreck Robert Griffin III is penciled in as the starter. His confidence, throwing mechanics and dynamic running ability all went out the window after he tore his ACL in the Wild Card playoff game against the Seahawks at the end of his rookie year in 2012 and they don't appear to be coming back. The Redskins decision this past April to exercise his 5th-year option for 2016 is a complete head-scratcher. I know that they gave away an insane amount of draft picks to trade up and draft him, but the ship on RG3 being a franchise quarterback has long since sailed (the regression he's displayed since his spectacular rookie season is unprecedented) and it's time for the Redskins to start exploring other options. 

If RG3 goes down with an injury for the 46th time in 4 years, their other options at quarterback aren't much better. Kirk Cousins-who has long been touted as the franschise's savior if RG3 didn't work out- showed flashes of promise in the early part of his tenure as starter last season while RG3 was out with an ankle injury before completely crapping out and throwing 9 INT's in his last 4 starts before going down with an injury himself. Their 3rd stringer is none other than Colt McCoy, a veteran journeyman who is lucky to still be in the league at age 29. When a low-tier backup like McCoy is the best quarterback on your roster, you have some serious problems.

Defense:

 New general manager Scot McCaughlin worked under John Schneider during his first 4 years as the Seahawks general manger (McCaughlin resigned from the job prior to the 2014 season to seek treatment for his alcoholism). McCaughlin spent his first year as the Redskins general manager mimicking Schneider's formula for success by making major changes to a defense that desperately needed them.

McCaughlin took advantage of the team's healthy amount of cap space to bring in talented veterans who can come in and contribute right away. The most drastic changes were done on the defensive line as they dumped aging starters Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen for Terrence Knighton and Stephen Paea. Knighton and Paea give the Redskins young, versatile weapons up front who can stop the run and get to the quarterback with equally proficiency. The Redskins further beefed up the front 7 by selecting promising pass-rusher Preston Smith in the 2nd round of this year's draft and signing troubled yet talented outside linebacker Junior Gallette right around the start of training camp. Pairing the new additions alongside incumbent stars Jason Hatcher and Ryan Kerrigan makes this front 7 a potential powerhouse in 2015.

While McCaughlin made a lot of great pickups on the front seven, his moves (or lack thereof) in the secondary leave a lot to be desired. Aside from cornerback Chris Culliver- who was very impressive last season with the 49eers, none of the new additions seem primed to make much of an impact on this secondary. Safety Dashon Goldson is not even a quarter of the player he was when in his early years with the 49ers and has been one of the worst coverage safeties in the league during his past 2 seasons with the Buccaneers, Jerron Johnson rarely played anything besides special teams during his tenure with the Seahawks and rookies Kyshoen Jarrett and Deshaor Everett will be lucky to make the team. With guys like the ancient and oft-injured cornerback DeAngelo Hall and atrocious safety Duke Ihenacho projected to be in the starting lineup, it's kind of astonishing that McCaughlin didn't use a high-draft pick or sign a big-ticket free agent on a safety or cornerback that could potentially turn this unit around. Culliver and second-year cornerback Bashaud Breeland could be a surprisingly stout corner pairing, but their lack of depth and horrible safeties will more than likely keep this secondary in the bottom half of the league for a 3rd straight year.

Bottom Line: 

The Redskins made some definite improvements in the offseason, but their lack of a quarterback and question marks on the back end of their defense makes them one of the least threatening teams in the NFC.

Projected Standings for the NFC East:
1.Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
2.Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
3.New York Giants (7-9)
4.Washington Redskins (5-11)

The Best and Worst of Jesse Eisenberg

Films starring Jesse Eisenberg that I've seen:
The Village
Adventureland
Zombieland
The Social Network
Rio
30 Minutes or Less
Now You See Me

Best Performance: The Social Network (2010)
The general movegoing community spends so much time ripping Eisenberg for his goofy demeanor and resemblance to Michael Cera that they forget just how great of an actor he can be when given the right role. Eisenberg picked up a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his turn as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher's The Social Network. Eisenberg perfectly nails the snark and arrogance of the social media mogul and makes the thoroughly unlikable Zuckerberg a compelling and even somewhat emphatic character.

Worst Performance: 30 Minutes or Less (2011)
I'm not going to lie saying this is Eisenberg's worst performance is kind of unfair because his acting here is perfectly fine. The problem is that Eisenberg isn't nearly as funny as supporting players Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, Nick Swardson and Michael Pena and largely gets lost in the shuffle despite being the main character in the film.

Best Film: Zombieland (2009)
 Zombieland was not only the movie that exposed Eisenberg to mainstream audiences for the first time, it's the best film he's starred in to-date. The horror comedy brilliantly balances laugh-out-loud comedy with zombie-movie carnage, the cast anchored by a scene-stealing Woody Harrelson and crazy badass Emma Stone is excellent and the cameo from Bill Murray is too perfect for words.

Worst Film: The Village (2004)
This is the second week in a row I've named an M. Night Shyamalan as an actor's career lowlight. I really don't mean to keep rehashing my disdain for his work, it's just that the actors I've chose for these pieces recently have been attached to one of the horrible projects he's released over the past 11 years. The Village was the film that signified the start of Shyamalan's descent from promising young director to the laughing stock of Hollywood. The film starts off decently enough with solid tension and an intriguing mystery at the center of the plot before the second half of the film piles on a series of increasingly ridiculous twists and become a complete and total joke.  Even in a filmography that's as loaded with duds as Shyamalan's, The Village is an embarrassment.

Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "No Escape" star Owen Wilson

2015 Fantasy Football Sleepers

Fantasy "experts" on all of the major fantasy sites spend this time of year throwing out five or 10 point plans on how to dominate your league, win a guaranteed championship, etc. I'm hear to tell you that all of those columns and television segments are bullshit. In my 10 years of playing fantasy football, I've discovered that the only thing that guarantees titles is securing highly productive players (a.k.a sleeper picks) in the second half of the draft. Like everything else in fantasy football, you're going to strike out more often than you strike gold (To use an example from last year for every Emmanuel Sanders there's a Justin Hunter), but when you hit it big on two or three late-round picks, you'll be firmly at the top of your league come the end of December. Here are the guys I believe have the greatest odds of being late-round breakout candidates for the 2015 season.

Quarterback: Teddy Bridgewater (Vikings) (Average Draft Position: Yahoo!: 119.0 NFL.Com: 122.6 ESPN: 120.7 )
Teddy Bridgewater's rookie campaign was marred with inconsistency (he finished the season with 14 TD's and 13 INT's in 13 games), but he showed enough flashes of greatness to lead me believe that 2015 could be the year he breaks out. According to Pro Football Focus, Bridgewater graded out as the best passer on the run in 2014 and his numbers down the stretch (8 TD's, 71.7 CMLP%, 105.5 Passer Rating in his final five games) seems to indicate that he's starting to find his groove in the NFL. Bridgewater also has the added bonus of having running back Adrian Peterson return to the starting lineup in 2015. Peterson's presence in the lineup all but assures that the defense will be stacking the box to stop him, which should allow Bridgewater more opportunities to thrive in the passing game and build on his impressive finish to the 2014 season. As long as he can cut down on his INT total from last season and develop a rapport with his revamped receiving corps led by the flashy albeit wildly inconsistent veteran Mike Wallace and highly-touted third-year player Charles Johnson, Bridgewater has the potential to be a top-10 fantasy QB in 2015.
Other Potential Sleepers: Derek Carr (Raiders), Nick Foles (Rams),  Blake Bortles (Jaguars)

Running Back: Ameer Abdullah (Lions) (Average Draft Position: Yahoo!: 91.3 NFL.Com: 134.8 ESPN: 84.0)
The pick may seem a little confusing since the Lions have veterans Joique Bell and Theo Riddick on their roster, but I believe Abdullah will rise above the pack and get the starting job. Bell is 29 years old and had pair of major surgeries on his Achilles and knee this offseason and Riddick is only effective as a situational pass-catching back. Bell's health problems and Riddick's limited skill set should open the door for the rookie out of Nebraska to get a majority of the workload. Abduallah has the versatility, durability and vision needed to be an everydown back in the NFL and with six games on the schedule against the horrid run defenses of the Vikings, Packers and Bears, he's on the right track for a highly successful 2015 campaign.
Other Potential Sleepers: Ryan Matthews (Eagles), Danny Woodhead (Chargers), David Johnson (Cardinals)

Wide Receiver: Allen Robinson (Jaguars) (Average Draft Position: Yahoo!: 78.0 NFL.Com: 136.7 ESPN: 88.3)
The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't exactly synonymous with excellence in real or fantasy football of late, but second-year wide receiver Allen Robinson offers up a huge glimmer of hope. Robinson was extremely efficient in his rookie campaign a year ago, demonstrating sure hands and an ability to run any route asked of him before getting put on the injured reserve with a foot injury after the Jaguars Week 10 game with the Cowboys. Now 100% healthy with a quarterback in Blake Bortles hungry to prove he was worth a first-round pick, Robinson is in a great place heading into the 2015 season. The Jaguars have a legion of young receivers, but Robinson seems to be firmly in place as the number one and should get peppered with targets all season long. As long as Robinson stays healthy, he should be a consistent high-end WR3/low-end WR 2 with a high-end WR2/low-end WR1 ceiling, especially in PPR leagues. 
Other Potential Sleepers: Marvin Jones (Bengals), Breshad Perriman (Ravens), Stevie Johnson (Chargers)

Tight End: Josh Hill (Saints) (Average Draft Position: Yahoo!: 91.7 NFL.Com: 149.9 ESPN: 129.2)
The loss of Jimmy Graham has been the clear top story coming out of New Orleans this offseason. Graham was arguably the most important part of the offense outside of quarterback Drew Brees and his towering presence in the redzone (37 TD's over the past 3 seasons) will be sorely missed. Thankfully for the Saints, the man replacing Graham, has a similar skill set. Josh Hill had 5 TD's a year ago as Graham's backup and with more extensive work and a lack of other big redzone targets on the Saints roster, those numbers should go way up. Hill may not put Graham-esque numbers, but a 700+yard, 10-TD campaign is well within the realm of possibility.

Other Potential Sleepers: Charles Clay (Bills), Vernon Davis (49ers), Tyler Eifert (Bengals)

Defense: Denver Broncos (Average Draft Position: Yahoo!: 124.4  NFL.Com: 143.5 ESPN: 115.8)
Not a single preseason ranking baffled me more than the Broncos being projected as the 17th best fantasy defense on Yahoo!, behind defenses like the Lions, Browns and Colts who all either suffered major losses in the offseason or just aren't particularly good. This defense was ranked just outside the top 10 scoring fantasy defenses last year (11th to be exact) and only lost two starters (defensive tackle Terrence Knighton and safety Rahim Moore) from 2014. The Broncos defense retained all five of their Pro Bowlers from a year ago (Von Miller, Chris Harris Jr., T.J. Ward, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib) and still have one of the best secondaries and pass rushes in the league. Anything less than a top 10-12 finish for them would be fairly shocking.
Other Potential Sleepers: Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings 

Movie Review: Straight Outta Compton

There are few names in the world of hip-hop that hold as much as weight N.W.A.(short for Niggaz with Attitudes). The formative years of hip-hop in the early-to-mid 80's were dominated by innocent, fun-loving groups like Run D.M.C and the Beastie Boys until N.W.A shook up the rap game with their 1988 album Straight Outta Compton. N.W.A's combination of in-your-face anger and brutally honest lyrics about the problems they faced in their hometown of Compton, California struck a chord with audiences and made them overnight sensations. Despite only being active from 1986-1991, N.W.A left a permanent mark on the genre and has heavily influenced a number of the biggest hip-hop stars of today including Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. The story of the hip-hop legends rise and fall has finally headed to the big screen with Straight Outta Compton, a film that's every bit as brilliant and exhilarating as the album that it takes its name from.  

Straight Outta Compton deserves a lot of credit for how it goes about tackling the story of N.W.A. The rise and fall of N.W.A has enough complexity and drama to fill a Ken Burns-style epic mini-series, but screenwriters Jonathan Herman and Andrea Barloff and director F. Gary Gray are able to create a linear narrative full of drastic time jumps that never feels underdeveloped or choppy in the slightest. The film throws out a ton of dense subplots (the harassment they faced from the police, the bad business deals that led to their breakup, Eazy E's AIDS diagnosis and death) over its nearly 150-minute runtime and fleshes each of them out to the fullest extent  After watching other recent biopics like Get On Up and The Theory of Everything get dragged down by their inability to explore their subject's sprawling careers with any type of real depth or coherence, it's extremely refreshing that the Herman and Barloff were able to turn N.W.A.'s history into a film with a streamlined and insightful narrative.  

Herman and Barloff's script also offers up a candid look into what made group leaders Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E tick. The film spends a lengthy amount of time analyzing the psyche and character of these men as they went from impoverished inner-city kids to the national spotlight seemingly overnight and the profound effect the disbandment of N.W.A had on their respective careers. Every single one of the group leaders gets a near equal amount of screen time and no one is made out to be an overly good or bad guy, which is surprising considering that Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E's widow, Tomica Woods-Wright, executive produced the film. Hardcore fans will likely (and justifiably) nitpick the downplaying of the feud between Dre and Eazy, the lack of screen time for MC Ren and DJ Yella, and the absence of the widely-publicized 1991 Dee Barnes/Dre incident, but you have to commend the filmmakers for constructing a film that develops its characters so strongly without censoring too many of the damning details.  

While the film is remarkably well-made, the heart and soul of Straight Outta Compton lies in the strength of its acting. When the first publicity shots of the actors in character came out last year, it was remarkable how much they resembled the men they were playing. Thankfully these guys don't just look the part; they are also able to bring the members of N.W.A to life with vivid detail and raw emotion. O'Shea Jackson Jr, Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell all give starmaking performances as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E respectively. Jackson Jr. proves the choice to cast him as his father wasn't an empty gimmick as he fills the role with Ice Cube's intensity and live-wire personality, Hawkins nails Dre's reserved persona, and Mitchell's magnetic and surprisingly nuanced performance makes Eazy-E an emphatic character even at his lowest moments. Hollywood politics will prevent them from getting recognized come award season, but all three of these guys deserve Oscar nod's. They're that good. Straight Outta Compton is a master class in biopic filmmaking that will without question go down as one of the most important and flat-out best films of 2015.

4.5/5 Stars

2015 NFL Preview: AFC West

Denver Broncos

2014 Record: 12-4

Head Coach: Gary Kubiak (1st year)

Notable Additions: TE Owen Daniels, DE Antonio Smith, DT Vance Walker

Notable Departures: TE Julius Thomas, DT Terrence Knighton, G/T Orlando Franklin

Offense:

 After putting up numbers that were in-line with their record-breaking 2013 campaign for the first 11 games of the year, the Broncos offense hit a wall in the last 5 weeks of the 2014 season after Peyton Manning sustained a quad injury. Manning's injury caused his accuracy to take a nosedive and forced the Broncos to become one-dimensional offense with running back C.J. Anderson to carry the load for their offense. Manning's ineffectiveness didn't really cost them (they went 4-1 in the regular season after he suffered his injury) until the team's ugly playoff loss at the Colts when Manning seemingly couldn't complete a pass after throwing a quick touchdown on the opening drive.

The 2015 season will likely be even more of a struggle for the future Hall-of-Famer. Manning is now 39 years old and with his play deteriorating the way it did at the end of the year, it's unlikely he'll return to the dominant form he showed throughout 2013 and the first half of last season. Even if Manning returns in peak physical form this season, their entirely rebuilt offensive line is a major reason for concern. Aside from guard Louis Vazquez, there's not a single starter returning from the end of last season. As of today, the new starters will be Ryan Harris (left tackle), Chris Clark (right tackle), Shelley Smith (left guard) and Gino Gradkowski (center), who all come with serious red flags. Harris is a once-dominant tackle who just got cut by the offensive line-deficient Chiefs, Clark was the starting right tackle for all of 2013 and part of 2014, but his poor play got him benched around the halfway mark last year and both Smith and Gradkowski were nothing short of abysmal in their previous starting jobs with the Dolphins and Ravens respectively. A great offensive line allowed Manning to put up the numbers he did during his 3 years with the Broncos and with that no longer in the equation, his descent from greatness could happen faster than expected.

The offensive line woes are also likely to hinder the running game. Departed center/guard Manny Ramirez and guard/tackle Orlando Franklin were excellent run blockers who played pivotal roles in helping Anderson and Ronnie Hillman enjoy breakout seasons last year. With them gone, it's going to be incredibly difficult for any back in this offense to match their production from a year ago. Anderson is also completely unproven as a starting running back. While his play in the second half of last season was impressive, he did most of his damage against run defenses that ranked near the bottom of the league and he ended the year on a cold note by failing to rush for 100 yards in the last 5 games of the year. There's a lot of hype surrounding Anderson going into this season, I just haven't enough from him yet to buy into it.

What will prevent the Broncos offense from completely imploding is their receiving corps. Even with the loss of tight end Julius Thomas in free agency, the Broncos still have one of the most gifted groups of pass-catchers in the league. Demaryius Thomas is one of the most lethal, well-rounded number 1 wideouts in the league, Emmanuel Sanders keeps getting better by the season, and new starting tight end Owen Daniels is a reliably productive player who should nicely take over Thomas's role. The Broncos offensive production will likely take a significant step back from the past couple of years, but they should still be able to put up a solid amount of points per game.   

Defense:

What gets buried under all the accolades and praise the Broncos offense over the past few years is just how good this defense is They finished 3rd in total defense (2nd against the run, 9th against the pass) and sent 5 guys to the Pro Bowl (Von Miller, Chris Harris Jr., Aqib Talib, T.J Ward and DeMarcus Ware) in 2014 and yet still no one gives them the respect they deserve. With all of the uncertainty looming within their offense, this could very well be the year when people begin to recognize how the good this unit is.

Even with the losses of key contributors in defensive tackle Terrence Knighton and safety Rahim Moore and a switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, the Broncos defense should still have one of the best defenses in the league. Harris Jr. and Talib are arguably the top corner tandem in the league, Miller is the most well-rounded and consistently dominant outside linebacker in football,  their pass-rush is very solid and should only better with 2015 1st-round pick Shane Ray in the mix, and the return of inside linebacker Danny Trevathan-a top contributor in 2013 who missed 13 games last year with a knee injury- to the starting lineup should make the linebacking corps that anchors their stout run defense even stronger this year.

The only real flaw this defense has is their lack of quality replacements for Knighton and Moore. Their projected replacements in the starting lineup- nose tackle Sylvester Williams and free safety Darian Stewart- have underwhelmed in their careers so far. Williams has never morphed into the line-disrupting defensive tackle the Broncos thought he would be when they drafted him in the first round in 2013 and Stewart was one of the weakest members of a Ravens secondary that ranked 23rd in the league against the pass last season. If Williams and to a greater extent, Stewart fail to improve, the Broncos defense could be in line for a steep regression in 2015.

Bottom Line:

Although they are not quite as strong as they've been the past couple of years, the Broncos have enough talent to be a more than respectable team and win the AFC West.

Kansas City Chiefs

2014 Record: 9-7

Head Coach: Andy Reid (3rd year)

Notable Additions: WR Jeremy Maclin, G Ben Grubbs, S Tyvon Branch

Notable Departures: C Rodney Hudson, WR Dwayne Bowe, DT Vance Walker

Offense:

 The Chiefs smartly went out and used what little cap space they had this offseason to pick up free-agent wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. Maclin's familiarity with Andy Reid's system (Maclin played under Reid for 4 years with the Eagles) and proficiency in the short-passing game makes him the perfect fit for the Chiefs conservative passing attack. Maclin may not be able to put up the eye-popping numbers he did with the Eagles last year, but he'll almost certainly be a major improvement over last year's number 1 wideout Dwayne Bowe and should become the first Chiefs wide receiver to find the endzone since December 8, 2013, in which Bowe caught an early touchdown in a 45-10 blowout win over the Browns.

Aside from the addition of Maclin, this is the basically the exact same same vanilla offense the Chiefs have had since Reid arrived in Kansas City in 2013. The offense will mostly go through workhorse running back Jammal Charles and quarterback Alex Smith will throw the ball over 15 yards no more than 3 times per game. While Charles has successfully carried this offense in the past, I have a feeling this is going to be the year where he finally starts to shows signs of wear. The workload he's taken over the past 3 seasons has been brutal,especially for a running back that's approaching 30 and the Chiefs piss-poor offensive line managed to get even worse this offseason when they lost their only reliable starter-center Rodney Hudson- to free agency. If Charles breaks 1,200 yards at age 28 going on 29 with a line anchored by an over-the-hill Ben Grubbs and all-but confirmed draft bust Eric Fisher, it'll be a miracle of Biblical proportions.

With Charles's downfall merely being speculation at this point, the biggest issue this offense needs to address is finding someone to lineup alongside Maclin at wide receiver. Someone other than Maclin and tight end Travis Kelce is going to have to emerge as a reliable receiving option if they want to avoid a repeat of last year's wildly inept passing game and as of right now, they don't appear to have anyone that can do that. Their current projected starter De'Anthony Thomas is good for a splash play here and there, but is too small (5"10, 174 lbs) to be a starter in the NFL. The other options they currently have on the roster aren't much  better. Jason Avant is a below-average veteran who brings nothing noteworthy to the table and rookie Chris Conley, while extreme athletic, is about as unpolished as a receiver selected in the 3rd round can possibly be. If none of these guys can grab a solid hold on the starting job during the preseason, the Chiefs will end up regretting passing on the likes of Nelson Agholor, Breshad Perriman and Dorial Green-Beckham in the draft once the season starts. 

Defense:

Before I break down the defense as a whole, I have to give a major shoutout to safety Eric Berry. The 3-time Pro Bowler will be returning to football less than a year after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Berry is the epitome of a warrior and I hope he kicks a whole lot of ass this season.

As for the rest of the Chiefs defense, they appear to be line for another solid season. Their excellent secondary was further bolstered by the selection of cornerback Marcus Peters-who was arguably the most pro-ready corner in the 2015 class-in the first round of the draft and the re-signing of 2014 NFL sack leader Justin Houston assures that the Chiefs will have a devastating pass rush once again in 2015.

In addition to Berry's remarkable return, the Chiefs will also be getting inside linebacker Derrick Johnson back on the field in 2015 after he missed almost the entire 2014 season with a torn Achilles. Their defense did fine without him in 2014, but Johnson's leadership and ability to make plays over the field was sorely missed last season. If the 32 year old gracefully recovers and returns to the perennial All-Pro form he displayed before suffering this severe injury, he could be the X-factor that leads the Chiefs defense to a top 5-10 overall defensive ranking in 2015.  

Bottom Line:

The Chiefs aren't without their fair share of really gifted players, but the cloudy state of their offense should force them to miss the playoffs for a 2nd straight year.

Oakland Raiders

2014 Record: 3-13

Head Coach: Jack Del Rio (1st year)

Notable Additions: C Rodney Hudson, WR Michael Crabtree, DT Dan Williams

Notable Departures: WR James Jones, S Tyvon Branch, RB Darren McFadden

Offense:

Don't look now but the Oakland Raiders might have their first legitimate offense since their Super Bowl run in 2002. Derek Carr showed some real potential in his rookie season, even with a lackluster receiving corps around him. To rectify the lack of weapons around their young QB, the Raiders went out and revamped the receiving corps this offseason by drafting Amari Cooper in the 1st round of the draft and signing Michael Crabtree in free agency. Cooper has the size, speed and route-running ability needed to be a number 1 wideout in this league and he'll get ample opportunity to prove his worth right out of the gate while Crabtree gives this young group a solid veteran presence who can be really effective when he's on his game.

The Raiders also finally dumped oft-injured starter Darren McFadden in favor of third-year back Latavius Murray. Murray has never had a heavy volume of carries in his career and his injury history is a bit disconcerting (he missed his entire rookie year with a foot injury), but he showed excellent elusiveness and speed when he was on the field last year and could end up being something special if he proves to be durable enough to take on the brunt of the carries in this offense.

The Raiders further took advantage of their massive amount of cap space to fortify their offensive line with the addition of former Chiefs center Rodney Hudson. Hudson was one of the best centers in the league a year ago and should be able to take this already respectable offensive line to the next level. If the Carr/Cooper/Murray trio ends up delivering and this offensive line holds up, the Raiders offense could end up turning a lot of heads in 2015.

Defense:

The Raiders weren't able to use their substantial amount of cap space to bring in any elite level defensive talent on the open market, but general manager Reggie McKenzie did bring in some solid veterans to add their promising young front led by outside linebacker Sio Moore and defensive end Khalil Mack. Dan Williams is a highly underrated defensive tackle who became one of the top run-stuffers in the league during his 5-year tenure with the Cardinals, Inside linebacker Curtis Lofton is a tackling machine and Super Bowl XLVII MVP Malcolm Smith is a solid outside linebacker with a winning pedigree (he spent his first 4 seasons with the Seahawks) who adds depth to this talented linebacking corps.

A majority of the Raiders problems lie in their secondary. Even with the continuously strong play from the  seemingly ageless Charles Woodson and the addition of competent cover safety (and one of the lone standouts from the terrible 2014 Eagles secondary) Nate Allen in free agency, this secondary doesn't appear to be set to turn things around due to their awful cornerback group. Their top corner right now is former 1st round pick D.J. Hayden, who has been nothing but terrible since he entered the league in 2013 and the guys battling for the other starting spot are either extremely inexperienced (T.J. Carrie, Keith McGill) or journeyman who have failed to make any impact along the way (Ras-l Dowling, Chimdi Chewka). While the Raiders defense is far from terrifying, their free agent pickups and addition of a defensive-savvy head coach in Del Rio should help this unit noticeably improve from last season.

Bottom Line:

While there's optimism in Oakland for the first time in what seems like forever, it's going to be a few years before this team can be viewed as a legitimate threat.

San Diego Chargers

2014 Record: 9-7

Head Coach: Mike McCoy (3rd year)

Notable Additions: WR Stevie Johnson, G/T Orlando Franklin, S Jimmy Wilson 

Notable Departures: RB Ryan Matthews, WR Eddie Royal, C Nick Hardwick (retired)

Offense:

The Chargers found themselves in the middle of the pack in terms of offense last season (18th to be exact) despite injuries that kept running backs Ryan Matthews and Danny Woodhead out for a majority of the year and an underwhelming sophomore season from top wideout Keenan Allen. Their success last season (especially in the passing game, where they ranked 10th in the league) is a testament to how good quarterback Phillip Rivers is at dealing with adversity and the fact that their 34-year old tight end Antonio Gates refuses to age.

With very little changeover and an improved offensive line, the Chargers should be able to easily top their 2014 output. Rivers is still in the middle of his prime and the addition of Stevie Johnson-who was highly efficient in his limited playing time with the 49ers last season- gives him another solid veteran wideout that can be counted to make plays when called upon. If Allen can bounce back and Ladarius Green can finally live up to his potential while Gates is suspended for the first 4 games of the year, Rivers should be in line for a season that rivals his career-best 2013 campaign.

The Chargers ability to achieve greatness this season is going to hinge on whether or not rookie running back Melvin Gordon lives up to to the hype. The Chargers have enjoyed their best seasons in the Rivers-era when they've had a dominant running back to lean on (see: Ladainian Tomlinson or 2013 Matthews). Just look at last season, the team's rushing attack ranked 30th in the league due to absence of Matthews and Woodhead and they ultimately finished just shy of making the playoffs. They clearly believe Gordon can be their next go-to guy in the backfield, but he is going to have become a more consistent receiver out of the backfield, improve in pass protection and fix the major fumbling problem that haunted throughout his college career at Wisconsin if he wants to be the next workhorse Chargers running back. If Gordon's potential is fully realized, this offense is going to be something special.

Defense:

The Chargers defense is arguably the most bizarre one to gauge in the entire NFL. On the one hand, their front seven is awful and ranked near the bottom of the league in run defense (26th) and sacks (29th). On the other hand, their secondary was remarkable last season ranking 4th in the league behind yet another All-Pro year for star safety Eric Weddle and a gigantic bounceback for cornerback Brandon Flowers. Look for this once again to be the case in 2015.

Due to their decision to give Flowers a long-term deal and bring in free agent offensive lineman Orlando Franklin from the Broncos (which were both good moves), they couldn't afford to bring in a game-changing piece to sure up their front 7. Their 2nd round draft pick Denzel Perryman is a hard-hitting enforcer who could help turn the run defense around, but didn't bring in anyone to help out their anemic pass-rush. The only way their pass rush can become respectable in 2015 is if Melvin Ingram and Jeremiah Attaochu step their game up big time. While both have their struggled, they've shown flashes of production. Attaochu picked up 2 sacks in his injury-riddle rookie year in 2014 and Ingram was a pass-rushing demon in college who's been hampered by injuries in the first 4 years of his NFL career, but picked up 4 sacks in 9 games played in 2014. If these two can live to their potential and stay healthy, their whole front 7 will improve dramatically. 

Meanwhile, the secondary appears to be great shape this season. Free-agent pickup Jimmy Wilson is a definite improvement over Marcus Gilchrist, who was the only weak link in the secondary last season, and 2nd year corner Jason Verrett appears set to flourish after his promising rookie season was cut short due to a shoulder injury. As long as Flowers revitalization wasn't a 1-year fluke, this secondary will be among the league's best once again. If the Chargers can solve their problems in their front 7 and keep playing well on the back end, this defense could very well surprise in 2015.

Bottom Line: 

While the Chargers have a reliable veteran quarterback and great coaching staff, their rough schedule, weak defensive front and lack of a proven starting running back should keep them on the wrong side of the playoff bubble in the AFC.

Projected AFC West Standings:

1.Denver Broncos (10-6)

2.San Diego Chargers (8-8)

3.Kansas City Chiefs (7-9)

4.Oakland Raiders (6-10)

The Best and Worst of Paul Giamatti

Film Starring Paul Giamatti That I've Seen:
The Truman Show
Dr. Doolittle
Saving Private Ryan
Big Momma's House
Planet of the Apes 
Big Fat Liar
Robots
Lady in the Water 
Shoot 'Em Up
Win Win
The Hangover Part II
The Ides of March 
John Dies at the End
12 Years a Slave
The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Best Performance: Shoot 'Em Up (2007)
Giamatti's most underrated quality an actor is how game he is for ridiculous roles. He slayed as a journalist who doesn't know he's dead in the batshit crazyy horror comedy John Dies at the End and delivered some of the biggest laughs in The Hangover Part II as a pissed-off undercover Interpol agent forced to deal with the Wolfack's shenanigans in Bangok. However, Giamatti's finest piece of over-the-top acting came in the bloody, ridiculous cult classic Shoot 'Em Up. Giamatti lights up the screen as Karl Hertz, a deranged hitman hired by a presidential candidate (Stephen McHattie) to kill a baby that's set to donate bone marrow to his cancer-stricken opponent (Daniel Pilon). Giammati approaches the role with the perfect balance of humor and insanity and makes Hertz a top-notch B-movie villain.

Worst Performance: Lady in the Water (2006)
Director M. Night Shyamalan tends to bring out the worst in every actor he works with and Giamatti's work as the lead in Lady in the Water is no exception. From the time the film opens, Giamatti looks ashamed to be associated with such a ridiculous film and it shows with his indifferent, stone-face performance.

Best Film: Saving Private Ryan (1998)
War films are a slippery slope as they often tow the line between telling a compelling, complex story about American heroes and serving as brainless propaganda that only exists to reaffirm American's love of their country. Steven Speilberg's Saving Private Ryan is the best example of the former I've ever seen. The battle sequences are the most realistic and brutal ever put on film (the storming of Normandy scene that opens the film is especially well-constructed and devastating) and the narrative has substantial dramatic and emotional weight. Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket may do a better job at addressing the psychological effects of warfare, but no film has captured the desolation of combat and pain of loss on the frontlines better than Saving Private Ryan.

Worst Film: Lady in the Water (2006) 
Giamatti has proven time and time again that he will tackle any project you throw at him. In his nearly 20 year career, he's starred in a number of really bad films including Big Momma's House, Big Fat Liar and Planet of the Apes that were almost universally hated by both critics and the general moviegoing public. Despite all of those missteps with lowbrow comedies and moronic family fare, none of those films come anywhere close to matching the levels of filmmaking incompetence achieved on Lady in the Water. Shyamalan had already started his descent from greatness with 2004's The Village, but Lady in the Water brought him to the point of no return. Saying that Shymalan's attempt at making a whimsical fairy tale failed miserably would be underselling how much of a cinematic atrocity it is. The story is convoluted, the pacing is extremely slow and the final 45 minutes is so stupid that it's hard to believe it was written by a human being. Aside from a parade of unintentional laughs in the final act, Lady in the Water is a completely worthless movie that fails so hard that it's almost impressive.

  
Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "American Ultra" star Jesse Eisenberg