“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career
highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's
new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography
of “Crazy Rich Asians” star Ken Jeong.
Films starring Ken Jeong that I've seen:
Knocked Up
Step Brothers
Pineapple Express
Role Models
The Hangover
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
Despicable Me
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son
The Hangover Part II
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Zookeeper
The Muppets
Pain & Gain
The Hangover Part III
The DUFF
Ride Along 2
Best Performance: The Hangover (2009)
I completely understand and (somewhat) agree with the criticisms that the character became stale in the sequels, but I found Leslie Chow to be one of the best things about the original Hangover. Jeong's willingness to go to any length necessary to sell the absurdity of the material made Chow one of the most memorable oddball characters the Wolfpack (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis) encountered on their turbulent, surprise-filled journey to locate their missing friend Doug (Justin Bartha) the day after his wild Vegas bachelor party.
Worst Performance: Ride Along 2 (2016)
The impressively average buddy cop comedy Ride Along 2 wasn't the finest moment for anyone involved (Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Olivia Munn, Tim Story, etc.) in the production. However, no one was slumming it more here than Jeong. His turn as hacker turned police informant A.J. Jenkins was completely joyless and never even remotely funny.
Best Film: Knocked Up (2007)
Judd Apatow's early work as a director is pretty much untouchable in my eyes. Following up The 40 Year Old Virgin with another smart, warm and hysterical ensemble romcom in Knocked Up was a hell of an achievement that solidified his place as one of the most important figures in the world of comedy.
Worst Film: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011)
While it very well could be due to the fact that they were released when I was a kid, I had nothing against the first two entries in the Big Momma's House franchise. They were silly, inoffensive comedies driven by slapstick humor and Martin Lawrence's likability as a performer. Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Lawrence completely tapped out, nothing outside of a couple lines from Faizon Love as a janitor that's infatuated with Big Momma is even remotely amusing and it somehow manages to plod along for nearly 2 hours. Stone cold lock for bottom 5-10 comedy of this decade so far and a serious contender for one of the worst I've ever seen.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst
of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “The Happytime Murders” star Joel McHale.
Monday, August 13, 2018
Thursday, August 9, 2018
2018 NFL Preview: AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
2018 Record: 9-7 (2nd in AFC North)
Head Coach: John Harbaugh (11th season)
Notable Additions: WR Michael Crabtree, WR Willie Snead, WR John Brown
Notable Departures: C Ryan Jensen, WR Mike Wallace, S Lardarius Webb
-After a couple years of relying on Mike Wallace as their top wideout and crossing their fingers Breshad Perriman would suddenly turn into the premier deep threat they thought they were getting when they drafted him 26th overall back in 2015, the Ravens have finally significantly retooled their receiving corps. Outside of Perriman and Chris Moore, no receivers from their active roster a year ago are still on the team. The men tasked with turning around a flaccid passing attack that finished 29th in the league last year will be led by a platoon of familiar veterans including Michael Crabtree, Willie Snead and John Brown. While all of these guys have (predominantly injury-related) baggage that can't be ignored, they also have legitimate talent that could be brought out by John Harbaugh and his solid coaching staff. Brown is a borderline stellar deep threat when he's healthy, Snead was a nice contributor on the Saints offense before he fell out of favor with Sean Payton last season and despite his shaky hands, Crabtree has been one of the best redzone threats in the league over the past several years (25 TD's since the start of 2015). This overhaul could very well end up yielding poor results, but I salute Ozzie Newsome for at least putting forth a well-conceived, high-risk/high reward attempt to address one of his team's most prominent recurring issues.
-The "Lamar Jackson is going to take Joe Flacco's job" narrative that has been making the rounds since the start of the OTA's strikes me as nothing more than baseless offseason fodder. Don't get it twisted, I completely understand why this narrative has gained traction. Jackson was an electric college quarterback with a Heisman Trophy on his resume and Flacco is coming off arguably his poorest season as a pro (3,141 YDS, 18 TD, 13 INT, 64.1 CMP%). However, Jackson's passing mechanics, timing and pocket presence are going to need some serious work before he's tasked with being a full-time starting quarterback in the NFL. Flacco could very well be on his way out of Baltimore before too long, but I just can't envision a non-dire scenario where Jackson surpasses him on the depth chart this season.
-Continuing with what seems to quickly becoming a recurring theme in this series, the Ravens offensive line could prove to be a serious problem. Considering the fact that this offense is largely devoid of playmakers and appears set to be centered around a running back (Alex Collins) with less than a full season of starting experience under his belt, poor offensive line play could sink this team from wild card contender to the bowels of the league. Outside of promising young left tackle Ronnie Stanley, every position is a question mark. Matt Skura is shifting over to center after starting 12 games at guard season, right guard Alex Lewis has limited starting experience (8 games as a rookie) and missed all of last season with a separated shoulder and after a nightmarish stretch at guard last year, the Ravens are hoping that a return to his natural position of right tackle will help James Hurst improve. Even future Hall-of-Fame guard Marshal Yanda, who is trying to bounce back from a broken ankle that sidelined for just about all of 2017, can't be relied on for his usual brilliance. For a team that has been blessed to have an abundance of top-tier talents including Jonathan Ogden, Kelechi Osemele, Eugene Monroe, Matt Birk and Yanda line up on their o-line over the years, 2018 could offer up the horrors in the trenches that this organization has largely avoided during its 23-year existence.
-Despite not having a feared enforcer like Ray Lewis or Ed Reed stalking the middle of the field, the Ravens defense has remained one of the most reliably strong groups in the NFL for the bulk of this decade. Even with longtime coordinator Dean Pees departing for the Titans this offseason, there doesn't seem to be any reason to believe that's going to change this season. Their key contributors (Eric Weddle, Tony Jefferson, Jimmy Smith, C.J. Mosley, Brandon Williams, Michael Pierce and ageless wonder Terrell Suggs) are all back and new DC Don Martindale, whose been with team since 2012 as a linebackers coach, is familiar enough with the personnel to (conceivably) make the transition as smooth as possible. Considering the slew of question marks surrounding their offense, they're going to need to this defense to play well in order to keep the hopes of ending their 4 year- playoff drought alive.
Bottom Line:
As stagnant as they are offensively, the Ravens have enough defensive talent and intelligent coaches to contend for a playoff spot in the piss-poor AFC.
-After a couple years of relying on Mike Wallace as their top wideout and crossing their fingers Breshad Perriman would suddenly turn into the premier deep threat they thought they were getting when they drafted him 26th overall back in 2015, the Ravens have finally significantly retooled their receiving corps. Outside of Perriman and Chris Moore, no receivers from their active roster a year ago are still on the team. The men tasked with turning around a flaccid passing attack that finished 29th in the league last year will be led by a platoon of familiar veterans including Michael Crabtree, Willie Snead and John Brown. While all of these guys have (predominantly injury-related) baggage that can't be ignored, they also have legitimate talent that could be brought out by John Harbaugh and his solid coaching staff. Brown is a borderline stellar deep threat when he's healthy, Snead was a nice contributor on the Saints offense before he fell out of favor with Sean Payton last season and despite his shaky hands, Crabtree has been one of the best redzone threats in the league over the past several years (25 TD's since the start of 2015). This overhaul could very well end up yielding poor results, but I salute Ozzie Newsome for at least putting forth a well-conceived, high-risk/high reward attempt to address one of his team's most prominent recurring issues.
-The "Lamar Jackson is going to take Joe Flacco's job" narrative that has been making the rounds since the start of the OTA's strikes me as nothing more than baseless offseason fodder. Don't get it twisted, I completely understand why this narrative has gained traction. Jackson was an electric college quarterback with a Heisman Trophy on his resume and Flacco is coming off arguably his poorest season as a pro (3,141 YDS, 18 TD, 13 INT, 64.1 CMP%). However, Jackson's passing mechanics, timing and pocket presence are going to need some serious work before he's tasked with being a full-time starting quarterback in the NFL. Flacco could very well be on his way out of Baltimore before too long, but I just can't envision a non-dire scenario where Jackson surpasses him on the depth chart this season.
-Continuing with what seems to quickly becoming a recurring theme in this series, the Ravens offensive line could prove to be a serious problem. Considering the fact that this offense is largely devoid of playmakers and appears set to be centered around a running back (Alex Collins) with less than a full season of starting experience under his belt, poor offensive line play could sink this team from wild card contender to the bowels of the league. Outside of promising young left tackle Ronnie Stanley, every position is a question mark. Matt Skura is shifting over to center after starting 12 games at guard season, right guard Alex Lewis has limited starting experience (8 games as a rookie) and missed all of last season with a separated shoulder and after a nightmarish stretch at guard last year, the Ravens are hoping that a return to his natural position of right tackle will help James Hurst improve. Even future Hall-of-Fame guard Marshal Yanda, who is trying to bounce back from a broken ankle that sidelined for just about all of 2017, can't be relied on for his usual brilliance. For a team that has been blessed to have an abundance of top-tier talents including Jonathan Ogden, Kelechi Osemele, Eugene Monroe, Matt Birk and Yanda line up on their o-line over the years, 2018 could offer up the horrors in the trenches that this organization has largely avoided during its 23-year existence.
-Despite not having a feared enforcer like Ray Lewis or Ed Reed stalking the middle of the field, the Ravens defense has remained one of the most reliably strong groups in the NFL for the bulk of this decade. Even with longtime coordinator Dean Pees departing for the Titans this offseason, there doesn't seem to be any reason to believe that's going to change this season. Their key contributors (Eric Weddle, Tony Jefferson, Jimmy Smith, C.J. Mosley, Brandon Williams, Michael Pierce and ageless wonder Terrell Suggs) are all back and new DC Don Martindale, whose been with team since 2012 as a linebackers coach, is familiar enough with the personnel to (conceivably) make the transition as smooth as possible. Considering the slew of question marks surrounding their offense, they're going to need to this defense to play well in order to keep the hopes of ending their 4 year- playoff drought alive.
Bottom Line:
As stagnant as they are offensively, the Ravens have enough defensive talent and intelligent coaches to contend for a playoff spot in the piss-poor AFC.
Cincinnati Bengals
2018 Record: 7-9 (3rd in AFC North)
Head Coach: Marvin Lewis (16th season)
Notable Additions: T Cordy Glenn, DT Chris Baker, ILB Preston Brown
Notable Departures: QB AJ McCarron, C Russell Bodine, CB Adam Jones
-The Bengals made one of the funniest and least surprising moves of the offseason by deciding to retain Marvin Lewis as head coach. While you could make a respectable argument that Lewis gets more than shit than he deserves, the fact remains that he's had a plethora of golden opportunities to turn this team into a viable contender and for a myriad of reasons (lack of discipline, poor decisionmaking, costly turnovers by his players, flat-out bad luck), he's squandered every single one of them. If Mike Brown even wants a chance of getting his franchise out of the gutter of perpetual disappointment they've been in since the early 90's, he needs to move past the comfort of mediocrity that Lewis provides and hand the reigns over to someone new.
-After several years of downturns that were set in motion by the departures of All-Pros Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler, the arrow might finally be pointing up on the Bengals o-line. Rookie center Billy Price was one of the most polished lineman in this year's draft class and despite his so-so 2017 season, Cordy Glenn has quietly been one of the most reliable left tackles in the league over the past 4-5 years. The right tackle is admittedly kind of sketchy with Giants castoff Bobby Hart currently projected to start and right guard Trey Hopkins was pretty unimpressive during his 12 starts a year ago, but this group should still mark a notable improvement over the last couple years where there were pretty much no rushing lanes and Andy Dalton was getting acquainted with the turf on at least 60-65% of his dropbacks.
Any hope this offense has of improving in 2018 is going to come down to how much their young players can contribute. We know that Dalton is a functional albeit far from exceptional veteran quarterback and A.J. Green is one of the league's most productive wideouts, but they've proven over the last couple of seasons that they can't carry this team by themselves. Out of Cincy's large contingent of whippersnappers, starting running back Joe Mixon easily has the best shot of making an impact. While his rookie campaign wasn't particularly encouraging from a yardage standpoint (626 yards on 178 carries, which averages out to a pretty dismal 3.5 yards per carry), he showed enough promise down the stretch to indicate that he could turn into a solid 3-down back at some point in the near future. When you move on to their young wideouts, the outlook becomes much cloudier. Tyler Boyd has shown some encouraging flashes during his first 2 years in the league, but he hasn't been consistent enough to prove he's anything more than a #4 option in the passing game and even though there's no reason to have any confidence in his ability to develop after being designated as a healthy scratch for half of his rookie season, John Ross' absurd athleticism should at least give him a chance to make some plays if he can start to wrap his head around the playbook. There's a lot of pressure for these young guys to step up and if they all end up underwhelming, the Bengals extended run of misery has basically zero chance of coming to an end in 2018.
-Like their counterparts in Baltimore, the Bengals defense has been a fixture among the league leaders for quite some time now. If they live up to their potential, they could be even more stout than usual this season. New DC Teryl Austin emerged as one of the more respected defensive minds in the league during his tenure with the Lions, their pass defense seems in line to improve with promising young corner William Jackson III replacing the aging Adams Jones in the starting lineup and most notably, they bolstered their already strong front 7 led by perennial Pro Bowler Geno Atkins with the additions of Chris Baker and Preston Brown. A top 5 finish in scoring defense is well within the realm of possibility.
Bottom Line:
Different season, same average-to-below-average Bengals.
-The Bengals made one of the funniest and least surprising moves of the offseason by deciding to retain Marvin Lewis as head coach. While you could make a respectable argument that Lewis gets more than shit than he deserves, the fact remains that he's had a plethora of golden opportunities to turn this team into a viable contender and for a myriad of reasons (lack of discipline, poor decisionmaking, costly turnovers by his players, flat-out bad luck), he's squandered every single one of them. If Mike Brown even wants a chance of getting his franchise out of the gutter of perpetual disappointment they've been in since the early 90's, he needs to move past the comfort of mediocrity that Lewis provides and hand the reigns over to someone new.
-After several years of downturns that were set in motion by the departures of All-Pros Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler, the arrow might finally be pointing up on the Bengals o-line. Rookie center Billy Price was one of the most polished lineman in this year's draft class and despite his so-so 2017 season, Cordy Glenn has quietly been one of the most reliable left tackles in the league over the past 4-5 years. The right tackle is admittedly kind of sketchy with Giants castoff Bobby Hart currently projected to start and right guard Trey Hopkins was pretty unimpressive during his 12 starts a year ago, but this group should still mark a notable improvement over the last couple years where there were pretty much no rushing lanes and Andy Dalton was getting acquainted with the turf on at least 60-65% of his dropbacks.
Any hope this offense has of improving in 2018 is going to come down to how much their young players can contribute. We know that Dalton is a functional albeit far from exceptional veteran quarterback and A.J. Green is one of the league's most productive wideouts, but they've proven over the last couple of seasons that they can't carry this team by themselves. Out of Cincy's large contingent of whippersnappers, starting running back Joe Mixon easily has the best shot of making an impact. While his rookie campaign wasn't particularly encouraging from a yardage standpoint (626 yards on 178 carries, which averages out to a pretty dismal 3.5 yards per carry), he showed enough promise down the stretch to indicate that he could turn into a solid 3-down back at some point in the near future. When you move on to their young wideouts, the outlook becomes much cloudier. Tyler Boyd has shown some encouraging flashes during his first 2 years in the league, but he hasn't been consistent enough to prove he's anything more than a #4 option in the passing game and even though there's no reason to have any confidence in his ability to develop after being designated as a healthy scratch for half of his rookie season, John Ross' absurd athleticism should at least give him a chance to make some plays if he can start to wrap his head around the playbook. There's a lot of pressure for these young guys to step up and if they all end up underwhelming, the Bengals extended run of misery has basically zero chance of coming to an end in 2018.
-Like their counterparts in Baltimore, the Bengals defense has been a fixture among the league leaders for quite some time now. If they live up to their potential, they could be even more stout than usual this season. New DC Teryl Austin emerged as one of the more respected defensive minds in the league during his tenure with the Lions, their pass defense seems in line to improve with promising young corner William Jackson III replacing the aging Adams Jones in the starting lineup and most notably, they bolstered their already strong front 7 led by perennial Pro Bowler Geno Atkins with the additions of Chris Baker and Preston Brown. A top 5 finish in scoring defense is well within the realm of possibility.
Bottom Line:
Different season, same average-to-below-average Bengals.
Cleveland Browns
2018 Record: 0-16 (4th in AFC North)
Head Coach: Hue Jackson (3rd season)
Notable Additions: WR Jarvis Landry, ILB Mychal Kendricks, QB Tyrod Taylor
Notable Departures: T Joe Thomas (retired), CB Jason McCourty, RB Isaiah Crowell
-Thought it was impossible for a team coming off a historically bad season to have a sizable hype train? Well the 2018 Cleveland Browns are spitting in the face of common logic with pundits and fans alike expecting a significant turning of the tide to occur a mere 9 months after they became the 2nd team in NFL history to have a winless season. Personally, I think this notion is absolutely fucking ludicrous. Sure they overhauled their front office with the hiring of GM John Dorsey, who did a pretty job drafting during his tenure with the Chiefs and brought in some talented players in free agency, but as far as I see it, the majority of these moves have the familiar wretched stench of the Browns written all over them. Make a possession receiver (Jarvis Landry) with a limited route tree and average YAC ability one of the highest paid players at his position? Sounds like the same old Browns to me. Draft a physically-gifted receiver (Antonio Callaway) with questionable character and dedication to football? Sounds like the same old Browns to me. Throw a rookie quarterback whose attitude was considered his biggest flaw coming out of college (Baker Mayfield) into a toxic environment that seems destined to bring out the worst in him? Sounds like the same old Browns to me. Pair an offensive coordinator who has a history of feuding with his peers (Todd Haley) with an arrogant, condescending head coach (Hue Jackson) who seems to revel in throwing his players under the bus? Sound like the same old Browns to me. Decide to retain the aforementioned King Dink Jackson as head coach after winning 1 game in his first 2 years as coach? Sounds like the same old Browns to me. If Dez Bryant decides to put a halt to his "I'M STILL AN ELITE WR" power trip and accept their contract offer, the Browns facility could very well turn into a real-life version of The Running Man by the end of September. To put all of this rambling garbage more concisely, no amount of talent in the world can make up for a group full of combustible individuals that are capable of dragging down the team's effort, morale and cohesiveness at any time.
-The battle between Mayfield and Tyrod Taylor for the starting quarterback job should prove to be one of the more interesting competitions in the league. On one hand, it's pretty clear that Dorsey acquired Taylor from the Bills with the intent of having him be the stopgap starter while they developed whatever young QB they drafted. On the other, Mayfield has been the darling of camp thus far and recent history has shown us that teams almost always bail out on their plans (Jared Goff, Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, several others) to wait to start their young, potential franchise signalcallers. Taylor's sharp decisionmaking along with the cache he earned last year from breaking a long-suffering franchise's lengthy playoff drought makes him a sensible opening day starter, but it wouldn't surprised me at all if he gets the hook around mid-season if when the Browns aren't racking up the W's.
-An ESPN report came out last week that Taylor and Mayfield purchased an RV that they're using as a QB's-only hangout spot during training camp. If that camper wasn't purchased as a safe place for them to lament being brought to Cleveland involuntarily and subsequently drowning their sorrows with various substances in between practices, I'll be severely disappointed and legitimately surprised.
-While they seem to have enough talent upfront (Kevin Zeitler, Joel Bitonio, JC Tretter) to not completely fall apart without him on the field, the retirement of Joe Thomas still seems destined to cast a gloomy shadow over this team. Thomas was just about the only steady presence in that locker room over the past 11 seasons and the absence of his positive influence in a locker room that just brought in a sizable band of hot-headed, egotistical clowns could lead to this dumpster fire burning even brighter than usual this season.
-It took me 4 paragraphs and roughly 700 words to do so, but I'm finally going to say something nice about the Browns: this defense is actually pretty damn good! While their turnover-happy offense helped sink their scoring defense (25.6 points allowed per game, 2nd worst in the league), DC/gridiron masochist Gregg Williams was able to otherwise turn this unit into a pretty formidable group last year (17th against the pass, 7th against the rush) and their array of new additions should only further aid their ascent up the league hierarchy. Former Eagles inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks should mark a massive improvement over Christian Kirksey, whose poor tackling and coverage skills really hurt this group last year and their slew of new additions in the secondary (E.J. Gaines, Damarious Randall, Terrance Mitchell, rookie Denzel Ward) should give them the depth that they lacked on the back end last season. Bolstering most of their problem areas with the addition of established veteran talent while simultaneously trusting their young players to continue on their currently promising trajectory (Myles Garrett, Carl Nassib, Larry Ogunjobi) is pretty much the smartest thing Dorsey has done since he took over as GM last December.
Bottom Line:
Flashy new additions aren't enough to convince me that this Browns team isn't going to be hot garbage again.
-Thought it was impossible for a team coming off a historically bad season to have a sizable hype train? Well the 2018 Cleveland Browns are spitting in the face of common logic with pundits and fans alike expecting a significant turning of the tide to occur a mere 9 months after they became the 2nd team in NFL history to have a winless season. Personally, I think this notion is absolutely fucking ludicrous. Sure they overhauled their front office with the hiring of GM John Dorsey, who did a pretty job drafting during his tenure with the Chiefs and brought in some talented players in free agency, but as far as I see it, the majority of these moves have the familiar wretched stench of the Browns written all over them. Make a possession receiver (Jarvis Landry) with a limited route tree and average YAC ability one of the highest paid players at his position? Sounds like the same old Browns to me. Draft a physically-gifted receiver (Antonio Callaway) with questionable character and dedication to football? Sounds like the same old Browns to me. Throw a rookie quarterback whose attitude was considered his biggest flaw coming out of college (Baker Mayfield) into a toxic environment that seems destined to bring out the worst in him? Sounds like the same old Browns to me. Pair an offensive coordinator who has a history of feuding with his peers (Todd Haley) with an arrogant, condescending head coach (Hue Jackson) who seems to revel in throwing his players under the bus? Sound like the same old Browns to me. Decide to retain the aforementioned King Dink Jackson as head coach after winning 1 game in his first 2 years as coach? Sounds like the same old Browns to me. If Dez Bryant decides to put a halt to his "I'M STILL AN ELITE WR" power trip and accept their contract offer, the Browns facility could very well turn into a real-life version of The Running Man by the end of September. To put all of this rambling garbage more concisely, no amount of talent in the world can make up for a group full of combustible individuals that are capable of dragging down the team's effort, morale and cohesiveness at any time.
-The battle between Mayfield and Tyrod Taylor for the starting quarterback job should prove to be one of the more interesting competitions in the league. On one hand, it's pretty clear that Dorsey acquired Taylor from the Bills with the intent of having him be the stopgap starter while they developed whatever young QB they drafted. On the other, Mayfield has been the darling of camp thus far and recent history has shown us that teams almost always bail out on their plans (Jared Goff, Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, several others) to wait to start their young, potential franchise signalcallers. Taylor's sharp decisionmaking along with the cache he earned last year from breaking a long-suffering franchise's lengthy playoff drought makes him a sensible opening day starter, but it wouldn't surprised me at all if he gets the hook around mid-season
-An ESPN report came out last week that Taylor and Mayfield purchased an RV that they're using as a QB's-only hangout spot during training camp. If that camper wasn't purchased as a safe place for them to lament being brought to Cleveland involuntarily and subsequently drowning their sorrows with various substances in between practices, I'll be severely disappointed and legitimately surprised.
-While they seem to have enough talent upfront (Kevin Zeitler, Joel Bitonio, JC Tretter) to not completely fall apart without him on the field, the retirement of Joe Thomas still seems destined to cast a gloomy shadow over this team. Thomas was just about the only steady presence in that locker room over the past 11 seasons and the absence of his positive influence in a locker room that just brought in a sizable band of hot-headed, egotistical clowns could lead to this dumpster fire burning even brighter than usual this season.
-It took me 4 paragraphs and roughly 700 words to do so, but I'm finally going to say something nice about the Browns: this defense is actually pretty damn good! While their turnover-happy offense helped sink their scoring defense (25.6 points allowed per game, 2nd worst in the league), DC/gridiron masochist Gregg Williams was able to otherwise turn this unit into a pretty formidable group last year (17th against the pass, 7th against the rush) and their array of new additions should only further aid their ascent up the league hierarchy. Former Eagles inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks should mark a massive improvement over Christian Kirksey, whose poor tackling and coverage skills really hurt this group last year and their slew of new additions in the secondary (E.J. Gaines, Damarious Randall, Terrance Mitchell, rookie Denzel Ward) should give them the depth that they lacked on the back end last season. Bolstering most of their problem areas with the addition of established veteran talent while simultaneously trusting their young players to continue on their currently promising trajectory (Myles Garrett, Carl Nassib, Larry Ogunjobi) is pretty much the smartest thing Dorsey has done since he took over as GM last December.
Bottom Line:
Flashy new additions aren't enough to convince me that this Browns team isn't going to be hot garbage again.
Pittsburgh Steelers
2018 Record: 13-3 (1st in AFC North)
Head Coach: Mike Tomlin (12th season)
Notable Additions: S Morgan Burnett, ILB Jon Bostic, S Nat Berhe
Notable Departures: WR Martavis Bryant, S Mike Mitchell, CB William Gay
-Kevin Colbert's decision to select Mason Rudolph appears to have awakened the fierce competitor buried deep within Ben Roethlisberger. It's funny what drafting a potential successor will do to motivate someone like Roethlisberger-who has been out of shape and seemingly indifferent towards playing football for most of this decade. This team has been a force in the AFC with a semi-lethargic Roethlisberger under center, so it's kind of frightening to think what could they accomplish when he's motivated and constantly looking over his shoulder. Don't be stunned if Big Ben enjoys a bump to similar what Tom Brady had following the Patriots drafting of Jimmy Garoppolo back in 2014.
-Le'Veon Bell has played an integral part in the success the Steelers have enjoyed over the past 4 seasons. Even with the plethora of injuries of varying severity he's amassed during that time, Bell has totaled a ridiculous 6,737 yards from scrimmage (4,476 rushing, 2,261 receiving) in 49 games since 2014. However, his days as the most feared dual-threat running back in the league could very well be numbered. The 26-year old has again displayed his shaky commitment to the game by failing to report to training camp for the 2nd straight year after turning down a pretty lucrative long-term extension offer (5 years/$70 million/$30+ mil guaranteed) from the Steelers and after setting a new career high in touches (406) last season, it's only a matter of time before that absurd workload causes his play to deteriorate. While Bell passing on their extension will likely end going down as a dodged bullet for them, the Steelers better hope that Bell doesn't hit that proverbial wall and/or miss a significant amount of time this season. They simply don't have a DeAngelo Williams-type player that will allow them to run their offense without any serious hiccups like they did when Bell tore his MCL in 2015. As much as you want to root for him to succeed, James Conner wasn't overly impressive as a rookie (144 yards on 32 carries) and him being thrust into the starting job would likely take away from the dynamism that makes the Steelers offense so deadly. The options behind Conner are arguably even less trustworthy. Stevan Ridley has been a ghost since his 1,263-yard season with the Patriots back in 2012, rookie Jaylen Samuels, who played tight end at NC State, doesn't seem like he's elusive or powerful enough to make much of an impact in the pros and Fitzgearald Toussiant's only notable NFL contribution to-date was losing the fumble that helped seal a Divisional Round win (and eventually a Lombardi Trophy) for the 2015 Broncos. Top receivers Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster are enough to keep this offense humming along regardless of Bell's contributions or health, but there's no denying that this well-oiled machine would take a pretty substantial hit in production if Bell doesn't put up his typical monster numbers.
-Keith Butler has done a very good job of turning this defense around since he took over as DC in 2015. He's inserted some much needed diversity into the soft zone-driven schemes his predecessor Dick LaBeau ran and the secondary, which was a huge crutch once Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor started to show their age, has significantly improved under his tutelage. However, filling the gap left by Ryan Shazier is going to be the one of the steepest challenges of his tenure thus far. Their defense regressed significantly once the up-and-coming inside linebacker suffered a horrific spine injury against the Bengals last December and that gap in the middle of their defense definitely helped contribute to the relentless beatdown the Jaguars offense put on them in their Divisional Round loss. As evidenced by his play in relief of Shazier, Tyler Matakevich isn't suited to be a starter at this level and journeyman Jon Bostic likely won't be much of an improvement if he ends up taking his spot in the starting lineup. This void at left inside linebacker along with the continued struggles of returning starter Vince Williams at the other spot gives Butler a lot to work at this crucial position in the month before the next season.
Bottom Line:
Barring a sudden break in their Groundhog Day-esque loop, the Steelers should have another dominant regular season followed by a disheartening playoff exit in 2018.
-Le'Veon Bell has played an integral part in the success the Steelers have enjoyed over the past 4 seasons. Even with the plethora of injuries of varying severity he's amassed during that time, Bell has totaled a ridiculous 6,737 yards from scrimmage (4,476 rushing, 2,261 receiving) in 49 games since 2014. However, his days as the most feared dual-threat running back in the league could very well be numbered. The 26-year old has again displayed his shaky commitment to the game by failing to report to training camp for the 2nd straight year after turning down a pretty lucrative long-term extension offer (5 years/$70 million/$30+ mil guaranteed) from the Steelers and after setting a new career high in touches (406) last season, it's only a matter of time before that absurd workload causes his play to deteriorate. While Bell passing on their extension will likely end going down as a dodged bullet for them, the Steelers better hope that Bell doesn't hit that proverbial wall and/or miss a significant amount of time this season. They simply don't have a DeAngelo Williams-type player that will allow them to run their offense without any serious hiccups like they did when Bell tore his MCL in 2015. As much as you want to root for him to succeed, James Conner wasn't overly impressive as a rookie (144 yards on 32 carries) and him being thrust into the starting job would likely take away from the dynamism that makes the Steelers offense so deadly. The options behind Conner are arguably even less trustworthy. Stevan Ridley has been a ghost since his 1,263-yard season with the Patriots back in 2012, rookie Jaylen Samuels, who played tight end at NC State, doesn't seem like he's elusive or powerful enough to make much of an impact in the pros and Fitzgearald Toussiant's only notable NFL contribution to-date was losing the fumble that helped seal a Divisional Round win (and eventually a Lombardi Trophy) for the 2015 Broncos. Top receivers Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster are enough to keep this offense humming along regardless of Bell's contributions or health, but there's no denying that this well-oiled machine would take a pretty substantial hit in production if Bell doesn't put up his typical monster numbers.
-Keith Butler has done a very good job of turning this defense around since he took over as DC in 2015. He's inserted some much needed diversity into the soft zone-driven schemes his predecessor Dick LaBeau ran and the secondary, which was a huge crutch once Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor started to show their age, has significantly improved under his tutelage. However, filling the gap left by Ryan Shazier is going to be the one of the steepest challenges of his tenure thus far. Their defense regressed significantly once the up-and-coming inside linebacker suffered a horrific spine injury against the Bengals last December and that gap in the middle of their defense definitely helped contribute to the relentless beatdown the Jaguars offense put on them in their Divisional Round loss. As evidenced by his play in relief of Shazier, Tyler Matakevich isn't suited to be a starter at this level and journeyman Jon Bostic likely won't be much of an improvement if he ends up taking his spot in the starting lineup. This void at left inside linebacker along with the continued struggles of returning starter Vince Williams at the other spot gives Butler a lot to work at this crucial position in the month before the next season.
Bottom Line:
Barring a sudden break in their Groundhog Day-esque loop, the Steelers should have another dominant regular season followed by a disheartening playoff exit in 2018.
Projected Standings:
1.Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
2.Baltimore Ravens (8-8)
3.Cincinnati Bengals (6-10)
4.Cleveland Browns (4-12)
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
The Best and Worst of Rainn Wilson
“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career
highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's
new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography
of “The Meg” star Rainn Wilson.
Films starring Rainn Wilson that I've seen:
Galaxy Quest
Almost Famous
House of 1000 Corpses
Juno
The Rocker
Monsters vs. Aliens
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Super
Hesher
Best Performance: Super (2011)
Dwight Schrute's film career hasn't been full of gems or hits, but he's quietly turned in some quality performances in several under-the-radar indie flicks. My favorite big screen turn of his to-date came in James Gunn's brutal dark comedy Super. Wilson is bitter, hilarious and surprisingly empathetic as Frank Darbo-a depressed short-order cook who is inspired to become a costumed vigilante known as the Crimson Bolt after conversing with God in a vision.
Worst Performance: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Wilson's extended cameo as a horndog college professor in the most infamous entry of Michael Bay's Transformers franchise is an atrocious attempt at humor that is significantly more creepy than funny.
Best Film: Almost Famous (2000)
In a filmography that I can only describe as erratic in terms of quality, I'd say that this is easily my favorite movie from Cameron Crowe. Almost Famous is a loose, engrossing and incredibly well-acted labor of love from Crowe that beautifully displays why the 70's rock scene holds such a special place in his heart.
Worst Film: Juno (2007)
While her more recent projects (Young Adult, Tully) have been semi-tolerable thanks to excellent lead performances from Charlize Theron, writer Diablo Cody's knack for creating obnoxious characters that seem like they emerged from some kind of quirky douchebag nightmare realm has prevented me from enjoying any project she's penned. Cody achieved her peak level of insufferability early on with Juno. This all-out assault of quips, forced sentimentality and behavior that I would be stunned to see a living, breathing human being engage in broke my mind and ability to feel any emotion besides seething rage for several hours after I had completed watching it.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Crazy Rich Asians” star Ken Jeong.
Films starring Rainn Wilson that I've seen:
Galaxy Quest
Almost Famous
House of 1000 Corpses
Juno
The Rocker
Monsters vs. Aliens
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Super
Hesher
Best Performance: Super (2011)
Dwight Schrute's film career hasn't been full of gems or hits, but he's quietly turned in some quality performances in several under-the-radar indie flicks. My favorite big screen turn of his to-date came in James Gunn's brutal dark comedy Super. Wilson is bitter, hilarious and surprisingly empathetic as Frank Darbo-a depressed short-order cook who is inspired to become a costumed vigilante known as the Crimson Bolt after conversing with God in a vision.
Worst Performance: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Wilson's extended cameo as a horndog college professor in the most infamous entry of Michael Bay's Transformers franchise is an atrocious attempt at humor that is significantly more creepy than funny.
Best Film: Almost Famous (2000)
In a filmography that I can only describe as erratic in terms of quality, I'd say that this is easily my favorite movie from Cameron Crowe. Almost Famous is a loose, engrossing and incredibly well-acted labor of love from Crowe that beautifully displays why the 70's rock scene holds such a special place in his heart.
Worst Film: Juno (2007)
While her more recent projects (Young Adult, Tully) have been semi-tolerable thanks to excellent lead performances from Charlize Theron, writer Diablo Cody's knack for creating obnoxious characters that seem like they emerged from some kind of quirky douchebag nightmare realm has prevented me from enjoying any project she's penned. Cody achieved her peak level of insufferability early on with Juno. This all-out assault of quips, forced sentimentality and behavior that I would be stunned to see a living, breathing human being engage in broke my mind and ability to feel any emotion besides seething rage for several hours after I had completed watching it.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Crazy Rich Asians” star Ken Jeong.
Monday, August 6, 2018
Movie Review: The Spy Who Dumped Me
Lionsgate gave buddy action comedy fans a nice late-summer surprise last August with the Ryan Reynolds/Samuel L.Jackson-led romp The Hitman's Bodyguard. The mid-major studio is keeping this tradition alive with The Spy Who Dumped Me-an imminently likable vehicle that serves as a lively showcase for the talent of its two leads.
I'm sure there are some people out there that expected this to be a sanitized take on the spy genre for reasons that you can probably gather simply from taking a quick glance at the top of the cast list. I can say without any hesitation that The Spy Who Dumped Me isn't even a remotely watered-down product. Co-writer/director Susanna Fogel and her writing partner David Iserson embraced every creative liberty the R-rating has to offer by filling this film with quality action scenes that don't skimp on tension, scope or over-the-top brutal deaths. This is the type of confident, workman-like effort that newcomers to the action world don't often deliver and as far as I'm concerned, should go down as a work that future genre newcomers will take notes or draw inspiration from.
No amount of bloody shootouts, semi-convoluted terrorist plots and traditional spy movie betrayals can overshadow the fact this is the Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon show from start to finish. Kunis is a grounded, charismatic straightwoman while McKinnon once again proves that she's an unstoppable comedic tornado by harvesting laughs out of just about any situation that emerges. This strong yin-and-yang rapport makes their exchanges as this fish-out-of-water story rapidly escalates in stakes feel natural,which in turn helps effortlessly establish the breezy tone every buddy movie needs to thrive. It's definitely a bit too long and the effectiveness of the jokes decrease pretty significantly once the espionage plot gets more involved in the final third of the movie, but there's still enough laugh-out-loud moments, impressive action scenes and goofy energy to make The Spy Who Dumped Me a worthy entry into the buddy actioncom genre.
I'm sure there are some people out there that expected this to be a sanitized take on the spy genre for reasons that you can probably gather simply from taking a quick glance at the top of the cast list. I can say without any hesitation that The Spy Who Dumped Me isn't even a remotely watered-down product. Co-writer/director Susanna Fogel and her writing partner David Iserson embraced every creative liberty the R-rating has to offer by filling this film with quality action scenes that don't skimp on tension, scope or over-the-top brutal deaths. This is the type of confident, workman-like effort that newcomers to the action world don't often deliver and as far as I'm concerned, should go down as a work that future genre newcomers will take notes or draw inspiration from.
No amount of bloody shootouts, semi-convoluted terrorist plots and traditional spy movie betrayals can overshadow the fact this is the Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon show from start to finish. Kunis is a grounded, charismatic straightwoman while McKinnon once again proves that she's an unstoppable comedic tornado by harvesting laughs out of just about any situation that emerges. This strong yin-and-yang rapport makes their exchanges as this fish-out-of-water story rapidly escalates in stakes feel natural,which in turn helps effortlessly establish the breezy tone every buddy movie needs to thrive. It's definitely a bit too long and the effectiveness of the jokes decrease pretty significantly once the espionage plot gets more involved in the final third of the movie, but there's still enough laugh-out-loud moments, impressive action scenes and goofy energy to make The Spy Who Dumped Me a worthy entry into the buddy actioncom genre.
Grade: B
Thursday, August 2, 2018
2018 NFL Preview: NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
2017 Record: 8-8 (2nd in NFC East)
Head Coach: Jason Garrett (8th season)
Notable Additions: WR Allen Hurns, WR Tavon Austin. T Cameron Fleming
Notable Departures: TE Jason Witten (retired), WR Dez Bryant, ILB Anthony Hitchens
-As much as Captain America Jerry Jones will try to deny it, the Cowboys are going to miss Dez Bryant and Jason Witten this season. Even with their diminishing speed and production, their familiarity with Scott Linehan's system made them reliable cogs that could be counted onto to make plays in clutch situations. Making matters worse is the lack of proven commodities they brought into replace these stalwart vets. Rookie Michael Gallup is a raw prospect that didn't have a lot of experience against top-tier competition while he was at Colorado State, Tavon Austin is a specialist that can only be deployed on gadget plays, Deonte Thompson is a journeyman veteran with limited upside as an outside receiver and nagging injuries have hampered Allen Hurns' ability to perform on a consistent basis since his 1,000+ yard campaign in 2015. Unless one of these guys can break out or returning vets Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley can greatly improve upon their traditionally average play, expect the Cowboys already suspect passing game (26th in the league a year ago) to regress even further in 2018.
-Speaking of the passing game, this is going to be a pivotal season for the development of Dak Prescott. There's some legitimate doubt surrounding the 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year's ability to turn into a franchise QB after a 2017 season where his completion percentage (from 67.8% in 2015 to 62.8% in 2017), passing YDS (3,667 to 3,324) and TD's (23 to 22) decreased while his INT's nearly tripled (4 to 13). In addition to his weaker statistics, I felt that he looked far less confident running the offense and often failed to make plays when his team needed him to. Despite his disappointing 2017, it would be naïve to think that Prescott isn't capable of getting back on track. He's proven to be a pretty good decisionmaker, is a generally accurate passer when he's not under pressure and should benefit from having star running back Ezekiel Elliott available for the full 16-game slate this year. However, the aforementioned lack of weapons in the passing game combined with the relatively vanilla playcalling of Linehan could potentially make his road back to being the Cowboys very productive, uncontested long-term starter pretty bumpy.
-Suddenly switching Byron Jones to cornerback is a very curious decision. I understand that they have been trying to sure up their secondary for years now and the powers that be are very high on Jeff Heath and Xavier Woods, but it seems counterintuitive to suddenly make the guy with the most starting safety experience on the roster switch to a position he hasn't played since his days at UConn- particularly when you have a pair of young guys (Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis) that showed big flashes of potential at multiple corner spots during their rookie campaigns last season. Counting on Jones to start at outside corner is a head-scratching move for a team with a below-average defense that shouldn't be in the business of taking unnecessary personnel risks.
-It's really hard to not consider the possibility that Jones' antics could end up having a serious effect on this team moving forward. His explosive comments to the media last week implying that his players will lose their jobs if they don't properly respect the National Anthem are now bringing a considerable level of heat towards the organization that could've been avoided completely had Jones simply answered the question in a more levelheaded (lol), non-hypocritical fashion. The last thing a relatively young team needs after a disappointing season is a massive distraction caused by the idiot owner's desire to sound off on an "issue" that would've been long dead if the NFL was ran by anyone with a shred of common sense. If this scrutiny continues into the regular season, it could very well end up forcing the Cowboys to have a complete meltdown.
Bottom Line:
A hole-filled roster combined with the potential internal problems stemming from Jones' antics makes me think that the Cowboys will be out of the playoff mix for a 2nd straight year.
-As much as Captain America Jerry Jones will try to deny it, the Cowboys are going to miss Dez Bryant and Jason Witten this season. Even with their diminishing speed and production, their familiarity with Scott Linehan's system made them reliable cogs that could be counted onto to make plays in clutch situations. Making matters worse is the lack of proven commodities they brought into replace these stalwart vets. Rookie Michael Gallup is a raw prospect that didn't have a lot of experience against top-tier competition while he was at Colorado State, Tavon Austin is a specialist that can only be deployed on gadget plays, Deonte Thompson is a journeyman veteran with limited upside as an outside receiver and nagging injuries have hampered Allen Hurns' ability to perform on a consistent basis since his 1,000+ yard campaign in 2015. Unless one of these guys can break out or returning vets Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley can greatly improve upon their traditionally average play, expect the Cowboys already suspect passing game (26th in the league a year ago) to regress even further in 2018.
-Speaking of the passing game, this is going to be a pivotal season for the development of Dak Prescott. There's some legitimate doubt surrounding the 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year's ability to turn into a franchise QB after a 2017 season where his completion percentage (from 67.8% in 2015 to 62.8% in 2017), passing YDS (3,667 to 3,324) and TD's (23 to 22) decreased while his INT's nearly tripled (4 to 13). In addition to his weaker statistics, I felt that he looked far less confident running the offense and often failed to make plays when his team needed him to. Despite his disappointing 2017, it would be naïve to think that Prescott isn't capable of getting back on track. He's proven to be a pretty good decisionmaker, is a generally accurate passer when he's not under pressure and should benefit from having star running back Ezekiel Elliott available for the full 16-game slate this year. However, the aforementioned lack of weapons in the passing game combined with the relatively vanilla playcalling of Linehan could potentially make his road back to being the Cowboys very productive, uncontested long-term starter pretty bumpy.
-Suddenly switching Byron Jones to cornerback is a very curious decision. I understand that they have been trying to sure up their secondary for years now and the powers that be are very high on Jeff Heath and Xavier Woods, but it seems counterintuitive to suddenly make the guy with the most starting safety experience on the roster switch to a position he hasn't played since his days at UConn- particularly when you have a pair of young guys (Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis) that showed big flashes of potential at multiple corner spots during their rookie campaigns last season. Counting on Jones to start at outside corner is a head-scratching move for a team with a below-average defense that shouldn't be in the business of taking unnecessary personnel risks.
-It's really hard to not consider the possibility that Jones' antics could end up having a serious effect on this team moving forward. His explosive comments to the media last week implying that his players will lose their jobs if they don't properly respect the National Anthem are now bringing a considerable level of heat towards the organization that could've been avoided completely had Jones simply answered the question in a more levelheaded (lol), non-hypocritical fashion. The last thing a relatively young team needs after a disappointing season is a massive distraction caused by the idiot owner's desire to sound off on an "issue" that would've been long dead if the NFL was ran by anyone with a shred of common sense. If this scrutiny continues into the regular season, it could very well end up forcing the Cowboys to have a complete meltdown.
Bottom Line:
A hole-filled roster combined with the potential internal problems stemming from Jones' antics makes me think that the Cowboys will be out of the playoff mix for a 2nd straight year.
New York Giants
2017 Record: 3-13 (4th in NFC East)
Head Coach: Pat Shurmer (1st season)
Notable Additions: T Nate Solder, ILB Alec Ogletree, OLB Connor Barwin
Notable Departures: DE Jason Pierre-Paul, G Justin Pugh, C Weston Richburg
-No bad team from a year ago has higher rebound potential than the Giants. The bulk of their struggles can be attributed to the rash of major injuries they endured (Odell Beckham Jr., Janoris Jenkins, pretty much their entire offensive line) and the PR nightmares Ben McAdoo caused with his blasé approach to coaching. Plus if you look at the numbers, all of their big name players that appeared in double-digit games were able to put together excellent seasons (Damon Harrison, Olivier Vernon, Landon Collins) while everything burned around them. If their key players can remain healthy and Pat Shurmer doesn't end up being a complete dink, this team should be in the thick of playoff mix.
-Like the Cowboys and Jaguars before them, the Giants are hoping selecting a running back at the top of the 1st round will be enough to kickstart their sleepy offense. Based on what he did at Penn State, Saquon Barkley seems like he can be that guy. His speed, ability to make defenders miss and rare status as a true complete back (running, pass-catching and protection) in college makes him one of the most intriguing running back prospects to enter the league this decade. If he lives up to his hefty projections, Barkley is the kind of player that could relieve Eli Manning of the absurd burden he's bared in recent years and provide this offense with another explosive playmaker that could finally give this offense the much-needed diversity they've lacked since their last Super Bowl win in 2011.
-Left tackle Nate Solder was a great and necessary free agent pickup. The Ereck Flowers experiment had gone on for far too long and I'm sure Manning will appreciate not having to worry about getting decapitated on his blind side every time he drops back to pass. However, I'm not positive Solder will be enough to dramatically improve this line. The two most talented members from last year's group (guard Justin Pugh, center Weston Richburg) both walked in free agency and they're still burdened with having a shaky weakside guard/tackle combo in John Jerry and Flowers. Rookie left guard Will Hernandez, who was an absolutely dominant run-blocker at UTEP, could lead to this group overachieving, but it would be a huge shock if the Giants o-line suddenly became reliable, let alone dominant.
-The loss of DC Steve Spagnuolo was pretty much the only bad thing to come out of the firing of Diner Menu McAdoo. Thanks to his successful revival of the defense after a disastrous 2015 season where they finished near the bottom of the league in just about every major category and key role in the development of young players including Vernon, Collins and Dalvin Tomlinson, Spagnuolo was responsible for most of the silver linings of the McAdoo era. Thankfully, Shurmer brought in a similarly gifted defensive mind in James Bettcher to lead this pretty talented group. While there might be some early growing pains while they switch from a 4-3 to 3-4, Bettcher did an excellent job establishing a fearsome pass-rush and making the most out of a revolving door of personnel at multiple positions (cornerback, safety, inside linebacker, defensive end) during his 3 years as the Cardinals DC. This defense is in really good hands and unless the injury bug runs rampant again, the Giants should be in contention to be a top 10-12 scoring defense in 2018.
-While newly-acquired inside linebacker Alec Ogletree's mission to get his mojo back after an abysmal 2017 campaign will probably be a more important on-field narrative, the trade of Jason Pierre-Paul to the Buccaneers was a headline-generating move that can't be ignored. His well-publicized fireworks accident that cost him multiple fingers might have caused his sack numbers to dip a bit (he hasn't posted a double-digit sack season since 2014), but he's still an excellent run defender that has at least a couple of years left in his prime. Tasked with making up for JPP's production will be Kareem Martin and Tomlinson. Martin's, who was with the Cardinals for the first 4 years of his career, familiarity with Bettcher's defense should earn him a fair amount of reps, but his play has been consistently average while Tomlinson has been an excellent run defender in the early portion of his career, but he's not much of a pass-rusher and his transition to more of an outside end role in the 3-4 isn't a guarantee to be seamless. Vernon, Harrison and pass-rushing specialist Connor Barwin should be enough to keep this front 7 from completely falling apart, but Martin and/or Tomlinson exceeding their modest expectations would definitely help soften the blow of JPP's departure.
Bottom Line:
As long as this coaching staff isn't completely inept, the Giants have more than enough talent on both sides of the ball to compete for a playoff spot this season.
-No bad team from a year ago has higher rebound potential than the Giants. The bulk of their struggles can be attributed to the rash of major injuries they endured (Odell Beckham Jr., Janoris Jenkins, pretty much their entire offensive line) and the PR nightmares Ben McAdoo caused with his blasé approach to coaching. Plus if you look at the numbers, all of their big name players that appeared in double-digit games were able to put together excellent seasons (Damon Harrison, Olivier Vernon, Landon Collins) while everything burned around them. If their key players can remain healthy and Pat Shurmer doesn't end up being a complete dink, this team should be in the thick of playoff mix.
-Like the Cowboys and Jaguars before them, the Giants are hoping selecting a running back at the top of the 1st round will be enough to kickstart their sleepy offense. Based on what he did at Penn State, Saquon Barkley seems like he can be that guy. His speed, ability to make defenders miss and rare status as a true complete back (running, pass-catching and protection) in college makes him one of the most intriguing running back prospects to enter the league this decade. If he lives up to his hefty projections, Barkley is the kind of player that could relieve Eli Manning of the absurd burden he's bared in recent years and provide this offense with another explosive playmaker that could finally give this offense the much-needed diversity they've lacked since their last Super Bowl win in 2011.
-Left tackle Nate Solder was a great and necessary free agent pickup. The Ereck Flowers experiment had gone on for far too long and I'm sure Manning will appreciate not having to worry about getting decapitated on his blind side every time he drops back to pass. However, I'm not positive Solder will be enough to dramatically improve this line. The two most talented members from last year's group (guard Justin Pugh, center Weston Richburg) both walked in free agency and they're still burdened with having a shaky weakside guard/tackle combo in John Jerry and Flowers. Rookie left guard Will Hernandez, who was an absolutely dominant run-blocker at UTEP, could lead to this group overachieving, but it would be a huge shock if the Giants o-line suddenly became reliable, let alone dominant.
-The loss of DC Steve Spagnuolo was pretty much the only bad thing to come out of the firing of Diner Menu McAdoo. Thanks to his successful revival of the defense after a disastrous 2015 season where they finished near the bottom of the league in just about every major category and key role in the development of young players including Vernon, Collins and Dalvin Tomlinson, Spagnuolo was responsible for most of the silver linings of the McAdoo era. Thankfully, Shurmer brought in a similarly gifted defensive mind in James Bettcher to lead this pretty talented group. While there might be some early growing pains while they switch from a 4-3 to 3-4, Bettcher did an excellent job establishing a fearsome pass-rush and making the most out of a revolving door of personnel at multiple positions (cornerback, safety, inside linebacker, defensive end) during his 3 years as the Cardinals DC. This defense is in really good hands and unless the injury bug runs rampant again, the Giants should be in contention to be a top 10-12 scoring defense in 2018.
-While newly-acquired inside linebacker Alec Ogletree's mission to get his mojo back after an abysmal 2017 campaign will probably be a more important on-field narrative, the trade of Jason Pierre-Paul to the Buccaneers was a headline-generating move that can't be ignored. His well-publicized fireworks accident that cost him multiple fingers might have caused his sack numbers to dip a bit (he hasn't posted a double-digit sack season since 2014), but he's still an excellent run defender that has at least a couple of years left in his prime. Tasked with making up for JPP's production will be Kareem Martin and Tomlinson. Martin's, who was with the Cardinals for the first 4 years of his career, familiarity with Bettcher's defense should earn him a fair amount of reps, but his play has been consistently average while Tomlinson has been an excellent run defender in the early portion of his career, but he's not much of a pass-rusher and his transition to more of an outside end role in the 3-4 isn't a guarantee to be seamless. Vernon, Harrison and pass-rushing specialist Connor Barwin should be enough to keep this front 7 from completely falling apart, but Martin and/or Tomlinson exceeding their modest expectations would definitely help soften the blow of JPP's departure.
Bottom Line:
As long as this coaching staff isn't completely inept, the Giants have more than enough talent on both sides of the ball to compete for a playoff spot this season.
Philadelphia Eagles
2017 Record: 13-3 (1st in NFC East)
Head Coach: Doug Pederson (3rd season)
Notable Additions: DE Michael Bennett, DT Haloti Ngata, WR Mike Wallace
Notable Departures: ILB Mychal Kendricks, CB Patrick Robinson, TE Trey Burton
-After winning a Super Bowl with Nick Foles under center, the Eagles have every reason to be incredibly optimistic about what they can do with Carson Wentz at quarterback. While there's no denying Foles' brilliance throughout last year's improbable playoff run, Wentz was the frontrunner to win MVP when he tore his ACL in a shootout victory over the Rams in early December and helped this offense come out of nowhere to be one of the most electric groups in the NFL. Of course you have to keep the possibility that he's a single season wonder in the back of your mind, but I believe that Wentz should have no problem returning to ripping up defenses at will whenever he returns to the field this season.
-Considering how quiet he was last season, it's easy to forget that Jay Ajayi is just 2 years removed from a nearly 1,300-yard rushing campaign. The relatively recent proof that Ajayi can be a highly productive back in the league combined with the benefits of having a full offseason program to further learn Doug Pederson's system and primary carry-stealer LeGarrette Blount leave for the Lions in free agency, make him a very intriguing sleeper back this season. Considering the level of talent the Eagles have on their offensive line, bursts of brilliance he showed down the stretch (particularly in the Super Bowl) and strong possibility of being the uncontested lead back, a return to the dominant form he displayed is completely attainable if he can remain patient as a runner and stave off the effects of his lingering knee issues.
-Since they wisely chose to invest in long-term deals for Alshon Jeffrey and Zach Ertz over the past 2 seasons, they were forced to sever ties with a couple of secondary receiving threats in veteran WR Torrey Smith and tight end/Philly Special QB Trey Burton this offseason. Per usual, GM Howie Roseman devised a pretty good contingency plan for his departed assets. Fellow stone-handed deep threat Mike Wallace probably serves as an upgrade over Smith while rookie Dallas Goedert is a massive, athletic tight end with an absurd catch-radius that is perfectly-suited for Pederson's largely vertical passing attack. Placing these guys alongside Jeffery, Ertz and the suddenly respectable Nelson Agholor should help the Eagles retain the explosiveness and spread-the-wealth mentality that helping their passing game flourish a year ago.
-Is it crazy to say that the Eagles D has gotten better since last season? Outside of the unsettled situation at inside linebacker following the surprising release of Mychal Kendricks, this group that finished 4th in the league in scoring defense in 2017 seems they like they took a universal step forward. Michael Bennett and Haloti Ngata gives them another pair of fierce run-stuffers with championship pedigrees to add to their already loaded defensive line rotation, Sidney Jones, who was only active for last season's regular season finale following an Achilles tear during his Pro Day, is a high-upside young corner that could end up winning the vacant slot corner job and a 100% healthy Ronald Darby at the top corner slot should bolster this secondary that finished 17th in pass defense last season considerably. Anything can happen in this wild league, but a defending Super Bowl Champion with an improved defense would be REALLY hard to unseat come playoff time.
Bottom Line:
With Wentz returning from injury and the bulk of their key players returning, another Super Bowl run seems like its well within the realm of possibility for the Eagles.
-Considering how quiet he was last season, it's easy to forget that Jay Ajayi is just 2 years removed from a nearly 1,300-yard rushing campaign. The relatively recent proof that Ajayi can be a highly productive back in the league combined with the benefits of having a full offseason program to further learn Doug Pederson's system and primary carry-stealer LeGarrette Blount leave for the Lions in free agency, make him a very intriguing sleeper back this season. Considering the level of talent the Eagles have on their offensive line, bursts of brilliance he showed down the stretch (particularly in the Super Bowl) and strong possibility of being the uncontested lead back, a return to the dominant form he displayed is completely attainable if he can remain patient as a runner and stave off the effects of his lingering knee issues.
-Since they wisely chose to invest in long-term deals for Alshon Jeffrey and Zach Ertz over the past 2 seasons, they were forced to sever ties with a couple of secondary receiving threats in veteran WR Torrey Smith and tight end/Philly Special QB Trey Burton this offseason. Per usual, GM Howie Roseman devised a pretty good contingency plan for his departed assets. Fellow stone-handed deep threat Mike Wallace probably serves as an upgrade over Smith while rookie Dallas Goedert is a massive, athletic tight end with an absurd catch-radius that is perfectly-suited for Pederson's largely vertical passing attack. Placing these guys alongside Jeffery, Ertz and the suddenly respectable Nelson Agholor should help the Eagles retain the explosiveness and spread-the-wealth mentality that helping their passing game flourish a year ago.
-Is it crazy to say that the Eagles D has gotten better since last season? Outside of the unsettled situation at inside linebacker following the surprising release of Mychal Kendricks, this group that finished 4th in the league in scoring defense in 2017 seems they like they took a universal step forward. Michael Bennett and Haloti Ngata gives them another pair of fierce run-stuffers with championship pedigrees to add to their already loaded defensive line rotation, Sidney Jones, who was only active for last season's regular season finale following an Achilles tear during his Pro Day, is a high-upside young corner that could end up winning the vacant slot corner job and a 100% healthy Ronald Darby at the top corner slot should bolster this secondary that finished 17th in pass defense last season considerably. Anything can happen in this wild league, but a defending Super Bowl Champion with an improved defense would be REALLY hard to unseat come playoff time.
Bottom Line:
With Wentz returning from injury and the bulk of their key players returning, another Super Bowl run seems like its well within the realm of possibility for the Eagles.
Washington Redskins
2017 Record: 7-9 (3rd in NFC East)
Head Coach: Jay Gruden (5th season)
Notable Additions: QB Alex Smith, WR Paul Richardson, CB Orlando Scandrick
Notable Departures: QB Kirk Cousins, CB Kendall Fuller, S DeAngelo Hall (retired)
-Swamping out Kirk Cousins for Alex Smith is the type of baffling decision that only petty clowns like Bruce Allen and Dan Snyder would make. Why give the solid, 30-year quarterback that's been in your building for 6 years a lucrative extension when you can give that money to a guy who's 4 years older and trade a young, potential stud corner (Kendall Fuller) in the process? Another flawlessly conceived move by the Allen/Snyder braintrust! Can Smith's leadership and playoff experience benefit this locker room? Sure. Is he going to come in and cause this offense to regress horrifically? Probably not. However, giving up legit assets to acquire another veteran starter to succeed Cousins makes the decision to not give him a long-term deal when his rookie contract expired following the 2015 season even more confusing. For now, Cousins-for-Smith is a lateral move at best that could turn into an all-time gaffe if Cousins goes onto have significant success with the Vikings.
-Smith will greeted be in Washington by a group of receivers that's quite a bit weaker than what he had with the Chiefs over the past few years. The closest thing this group has to reliable pass-catching options are Jamison Crowder, who was pretty much god awful until the last 6 or 7 games last season and Chris Thompson, who is coming off of a fractured fibia. Elsewhere you have well below average veteran Brian Quick, semi-competent relic tight end Vernon Davis and a trio of admittedly talent players (Josh Doctson, Jordan Reed and free agent pickup Paul Richardson) that have missed a ton of time over the course of their young careers thus far. There's a decent chance this group will be solid if they can stay healthy, but unless Smith possess some kind of hidden power that will prevent these guys from blowing out their knees, ankles and feet, he could be dealing with quite the revolving door of receiving options during his inaugural season with the 'Skins.
-The Redskins rushing game was largely a dumpster fire last season. Outside of a few good late-season efforts from Samjae Perine, this committee headed by Rob Kelley was comically ineffective, which was evidenced by their paltry average of 90.5 yds per game on the ground (5th worst in the league). Allen drafted the potential solution to these ground game woes in Derrius Guice. Before questions surrounding his character and work ethic caused to him to slide to the end of the 2nd round (59th overall), Guice was pretty much universally touted as a 1st-round talent. He's a powerful, patient runner in the similar vein of his college teammate and current Jaguars running back Leonard Forunette who also flashed some improved pass-catching skills during his combine. If he can stay dialed-in, Guice could prove to be a massive steal and end up becoming one of the better young backs in the league.
-As I mentioned earlier, the Redskins secondary could be in serious trouble. Trading away a super promising piece in Fuller has created another gaping hole on a unit that was fortunate to finish as a top 10 pass defense. In a particularly shocking development, they dedicated pretty much no assets to addressing this issue over the offseason. The best strategy they could come up with was drafting a couple of guys on Day 3 (safety Troy Apike, cornerback Greg Storman) and signing oft-injured, ex-Cowboy Orlando Scandrick as a cheap, possibly competent running mate for top corner Josh Norman. Aside from that, it's all the suspect members of last year's group (DeShazor Everett, Fabian Moreau, Quinton Dunbar, pretty much everybody not named Norman or D.J. Swearinger) being thrust into more prominent roles. It's going to take a superhuman effort from the front 7 or a high volume of surprising play from the bulk of the names above to prevent this unit from finishing outside of the bottom of the league in pass defense.
-The saving grace of Greg Manusky's defense is the front 7. To be honest, the Redskins are in contention for the title of the league's most underrated defensive front. Their vicious pass-rush led by Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith registered 42 sacks a year ago (tied for 7th most in the league), Jonathan Allen appears to be on track to morph into a dominant, well-rounded force upfront within the next couple of years and while he was arguably overdrafted at #14 overall, Da'Ron Payne is the type of space-eating, interior defensive lineman that could help put a stop to their long-running woes against the run. When the curtain closes on this season, don't be surprised if the Redskins finish as one of the most productive defensive fronts in the league.
Bottom Line:
The Redskins are stuck in a realm of mediocrity that will more than likely keep them out of a top 10 draft pick as well as the playoffs for the foreseeable future.
-Smith will greeted be in Washington by a group of receivers that's quite a bit weaker than what he had with the Chiefs over the past few years. The closest thing this group has to reliable pass-catching options are Jamison Crowder, who was pretty much god awful until the last 6 or 7 games last season and Chris Thompson, who is coming off of a fractured fibia. Elsewhere you have well below average veteran Brian Quick, semi-competent relic tight end Vernon Davis and a trio of admittedly talent players (Josh Doctson, Jordan Reed and free agent pickup Paul Richardson) that have missed a ton of time over the course of their young careers thus far. There's a decent chance this group will be solid if they can stay healthy, but unless Smith possess some kind of hidden power that will prevent these guys from blowing out their knees, ankles and feet, he could be dealing with quite the revolving door of receiving options during his inaugural season with the 'Skins.
-The Redskins rushing game was largely a dumpster fire last season. Outside of a few good late-season efforts from Samjae Perine, this committee headed by Rob Kelley was comically ineffective, which was evidenced by their paltry average of 90.5 yds per game on the ground (5th worst in the league). Allen drafted the potential solution to these ground game woes in Derrius Guice. Before questions surrounding his character and work ethic caused to him to slide to the end of the 2nd round (59th overall), Guice was pretty much universally touted as a 1st-round talent. He's a powerful, patient runner in the similar vein of his college teammate and current Jaguars running back Leonard Forunette who also flashed some improved pass-catching skills during his combine. If he can stay dialed-in, Guice could prove to be a massive steal and end up becoming one of the better young backs in the league.
-As I mentioned earlier, the Redskins secondary could be in serious trouble. Trading away a super promising piece in Fuller has created another gaping hole on a unit that was fortunate to finish as a top 10 pass defense. In a particularly shocking development, they dedicated pretty much no assets to addressing this issue over the offseason. The best strategy they could come up with was drafting a couple of guys on Day 3 (safety Troy Apike, cornerback Greg Storman) and signing oft-injured, ex-Cowboy Orlando Scandrick as a cheap, possibly competent running mate for top corner Josh Norman. Aside from that, it's all the suspect members of last year's group (DeShazor Everett, Fabian Moreau, Quinton Dunbar, pretty much everybody not named Norman or D.J. Swearinger) being thrust into more prominent roles. It's going to take a superhuman effort from the front 7 or a high volume of surprising play from the bulk of the names above to prevent this unit from finishing outside of the bottom of the league in pass defense.
-The saving grace of Greg Manusky's defense is the front 7. To be honest, the Redskins are in contention for the title of the league's most underrated defensive front. Their vicious pass-rush led by Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith registered 42 sacks a year ago (tied for 7th most in the league), Jonathan Allen appears to be on track to morph into a dominant, well-rounded force upfront within the next couple of years and while he was arguably overdrafted at #14 overall, Da'Ron Payne is the type of space-eating, interior defensive lineman that could help put a stop to their long-running woes against the run. When the curtain closes on this season, don't be surprised if the Redskins finish as one of the most productive defensive fronts in the league.
Bottom Line:
The Redskins are stuck in a realm of mediocrity that will more than likely keep them out of a top 10 draft pick as well as the playoffs for the foreseeable future.
Projected Standings:
1.Philadelphia Eagles (12-4)
2.New York Giants (9-7)
3.Washington Redskins (7-9)
4.Dallas Cowboys (6-10)
4.Dallas Cowboys (6-10)
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Movie Review: Mission: Impossible-Fallout
If you really think about it, the Mission: Impossible franchise is the most expensive and dangerous vanity project of all-time. Over the course of its 22-year existence, Tom Cruise has used this globetrotting spy franchise based on a popular late 60's/early 70's television series as his own personal stunt playground. From jumping onto the wing of a moving airplane to scaling Dubai's Burj Khalifa Tower with minimal wiring, Xenu's most prominent son has been responsible for performing some of the most absurd stunts ever put on film. Cruise's desire to cheat death has only gotten more intense as he creeps towards 60 and Fallout keeps that trend going while simultaneously delivering one of the most impressive overall entries in the Mission:Impossible franchise thus far.
Thanks to Cruise and his team's dedication to staging diverse setpieces in various exotic locations around the globe, the Mission: Impossible series has unofficially become the sampler platter of action movies. This sense of variety goes a long way in helping keep Fallout fresh over the course of its gaudy 146-minute runtime. You like chase scenes? Well, here's a winding motorcycle chase through the streets of Paris. How about hand-to-hand combat? Boom, here's a few wild fist fights featuring Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson and series newcomer Henry Cavill serving up beatdowns in confined spaces. Do hazardous stunts that any sane individual wouldn't even consider attempting tickle your fancy? If so, there's a high altitude/low parachute-release skydiving scene (otherwise known as a HALO jump) that remarkably doesn't end with multiple casualties. Not everything works (a shootout set in a London safehouse is a great example of why I will rail against shooting action scenes in the dark for the rest of time), but it still easily achieves its goal of delivering a diverse collection of thrilling sequences that should delight just about every action fan on the planet.
Tasked with making sure this high-flying circus of destruction, espionage and potential class-action lawsuits doesn't get out of hand is writer/director Christopher McQuarrie. McQuarrie,who is the first person in the history of the franchise to direct multiple entries, tackle these gonzo setpieces with the same level of giddiness and technical proficiency as his leading actor. Every fight, vehicle chase and aerial jump is staged with a level of clarity that perfectly complements and showcases the bold scope of the stunts and excellence of the fight choreography. While his efforts are easy to overlook underneath all the glossy on-screen spectacle, McQuarrie's practical approach to shooting/editing and complete lack of fearlessness as a filmmaker has allowed Cruise to seamlessly pull off his goal of upping the intensity and difficulty of the stuntwork in the past two installments.
As beautiful as they are to watch unfold, well-staged action scenes and virtuoso stuntwork are what you expect to see when you a buy ticket to a Mission: Impossible movie. Believe it or not, the strength of the script is what helps Fallout become a standout entry in this long-running franchise. While I'm not going to pretend this is some flawlessly-written masterpiece (the occasional attempts at sentimentality and humanizing Ethan Hunt are borderline embarrassing), it makes up for the buzzkill sins of Rogue Nation's convoluted, bizarrely prominent shadow government narrative with a pretty straightforward story that doesn't bog down the pace or shift the focus away from the stunts for unnecessarily long stretches of time. McQuarrie understands what the audience wants out of this franchise and delivers a lean narrative that provides a purpose for these absurd setpieces and nothing more. This type of storytelling efficiency is exactly what I want out of the genre and indicates to me that McQuarrie finally has all the tools to become a great genre filmmaker.
While I'm not willing to dub it one of the action genre's crowning achievements quite yet, Fallout is a terrific film that made me thankful that this franchise was revived at the beginning of this decade. Mission: Impossible is one of only a few massive, non-superhero action franchises still running, so it's great to see that the brand is even more full of kinetic energy and inspired ideas now than when it started back in 1996. As long as Cruise can still walk, I'll have no problem spending my time and money watching him put his well-being in danger for the amusement of an audience he's not in front of.
Thanks to Cruise and his team's dedication to staging diverse setpieces in various exotic locations around the globe, the Mission: Impossible series has unofficially become the sampler platter of action movies. This sense of variety goes a long way in helping keep Fallout fresh over the course of its gaudy 146-minute runtime. You like chase scenes? Well, here's a winding motorcycle chase through the streets of Paris. How about hand-to-hand combat? Boom, here's a few wild fist fights featuring Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson and series newcomer Henry Cavill serving up beatdowns in confined spaces. Do hazardous stunts that any sane individual wouldn't even consider attempting tickle your fancy? If so, there's a high altitude/low parachute-release skydiving scene (otherwise known as a HALO jump) that remarkably doesn't end with multiple casualties. Not everything works (a shootout set in a London safehouse is a great example of why I will rail against shooting action scenes in the dark for the rest of time), but it still easily achieves its goal of delivering a diverse collection of thrilling sequences that should delight just about every action fan on the planet.
Tasked with making sure this high-flying circus of destruction, espionage and potential class-action lawsuits doesn't get out of hand is writer/director Christopher McQuarrie. McQuarrie,who is the first person in the history of the franchise to direct multiple entries, tackle these gonzo setpieces with the same level of giddiness and technical proficiency as his leading actor. Every fight, vehicle chase and aerial jump is staged with a level of clarity that perfectly complements and showcases the bold scope of the stunts and excellence of the fight choreography. While his efforts are easy to overlook underneath all the glossy on-screen spectacle, McQuarrie's practical approach to shooting/editing and complete lack of fearlessness as a filmmaker has allowed Cruise to seamlessly pull off his goal of upping the intensity and difficulty of the stuntwork in the past two installments.
As beautiful as they are to watch unfold, well-staged action scenes and virtuoso stuntwork are what you expect to see when you a buy ticket to a Mission: Impossible movie. Believe it or not, the strength of the script is what helps Fallout become a standout entry in this long-running franchise. While I'm not going to pretend this is some flawlessly-written masterpiece (the occasional attempts at sentimentality and humanizing Ethan Hunt are borderline embarrassing), it makes up for the buzzkill sins of Rogue Nation's convoluted, bizarrely prominent shadow government narrative with a pretty straightforward story that doesn't bog down the pace or shift the focus away from the stunts for unnecessarily long stretches of time. McQuarrie understands what the audience wants out of this franchise and delivers a lean narrative that provides a purpose for these absurd setpieces and nothing more. This type of storytelling efficiency is exactly what I want out of the genre and indicates to me that McQuarrie finally has all the tools to become a great genre filmmaker.
While I'm not willing to dub it one of the action genre's crowning achievements quite yet, Fallout is a terrific film that made me thankful that this franchise was revived at the beginning of this decade. Mission: Impossible is one of only a few massive, non-superhero action franchises still running, so it's great to see that the brand is even more full of kinetic energy and inspired ideas now than when it started back in 1996. As long as Cruise can still walk, I'll have no problem spending my time and money watching him put his well-being in danger for the amusement of an audience he's not in front of.
Grade: B+
Monday, July 30, 2018
The Best and Worst of Mila Kunis
“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career
highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's
new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography
of “The Spy Who Dumped Me” star Mila Kunis.
Films starring Mila Kunis that I've seen:
Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Max Payne
Extract
The Book of Eli
Date Night
Black Swan
Friends with Benefits
Ted
Oz the Great and Powerful
Jupiter Ascending
Bad Moms
A Bad Moms Christmas
Best Performance: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Kunis' immense likability is her strongest suit as an actor and that charm was particularly abundant in her role as hotel receptionist Rachel Jensen in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The warmth Kunis brought to this character made the playful dynamic between Rachel and Peter Bretter (the equally likable Jason Segel) feel natural as well as the eventual progression into a romantic relationship worth rooting for.
Worst Performance: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
The wooden acting plague swept through the Jupiter Ascending set and Kunis was not spared. In fact, she might've come down with the worst case of the entire cast. There's a strong chance that a wax doll who could only speak through poorly-dubbed clips from sci-fi movie soundboards could've put forth a more emotive performance.
Best Film: Black Swan (2010)
Black Swan represents the almost always polarizing filmmaker Darren Aronofsky at his deranged best. His nightmarish direction along with Natalie Portman's astonishing performance in the lead role of obsessive ballet dancer Nina Sayers helped make this one of the most disturbing, mind-bending and unforgettable psychological thrillers I've ever had the pleasure of watching.
Worst Film: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
I strongly believe that it's harder to make a top-to-bottom failure than a perfect movie. Universal failures are almost unattainable when you consider that this an artform driven by creative individuals that are (presumably) better than anyone else in the world at their respective craft and investors that have the financial clout to ensure that every title they produce looks and feels like a professional production. Jupiter Ascending is the most recent project that I've felt failed to meet this basic threshold for competence in the theatrically-released feature film industry and subsequently hit that rarely-achieved rock bottom for the artform. Every frame of this bloated, insufferably corny space opera is a potent case study of how not to act, write dialogue, tell a coherent story, stage an action scene, establish a pace or pretty much any other aspect of the process an instructor would address in a hypothetical "Filmmaking 101" course.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “The Meg” star Rainn Wilson.
Films starring Mila Kunis that I've seen:
Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Max Payne
Extract
The Book of Eli
Date Night
Black Swan
Friends with Benefits
Ted
Oz the Great and Powerful
Jupiter Ascending
Bad Moms
A Bad Moms Christmas
Best Performance: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Kunis' immense likability is her strongest suit as an actor and that charm was particularly abundant in her role as hotel receptionist Rachel Jensen in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The warmth Kunis brought to this character made the playful dynamic between Rachel and Peter Bretter (the equally likable Jason Segel) feel natural as well as the eventual progression into a romantic relationship worth rooting for.
Worst Performance: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
The wooden acting plague swept through the Jupiter Ascending set and Kunis was not spared. In fact, she might've come down with the worst case of the entire cast. There's a strong chance that a wax doll who could only speak through poorly-dubbed clips from sci-fi movie soundboards could've put forth a more emotive performance.
Best Film: Black Swan (2010)
Black Swan represents the almost always polarizing filmmaker Darren Aronofsky at his deranged best. His nightmarish direction along with Natalie Portman's astonishing performance in the lead role of obsessive ballet dancer Nina Sayers helped make this one of the most disturbing, mind-bending and unforgettable psychological thrillers I've ever had the pleasure of watching.
Worst Film: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
I strongly believe that it's harder to make a top-to-bottom failure than a perfect movie. Universal failures are almost unattainable when you consider that this an artform driven by creative individuals that are (presumably) better than anyone else in the world at their respective craft and investors that have the financial clout to ensure that every title they produce looks and feels like a professional production. Jupiter Ascending is the most recent project that I've felt failed to meet this basic threshold for competence in the theatrically-released feature film industry and subsequently hit that rarely-achieved rock bottom for the artform. Every frame of this bloated, insufferably corny space opera is a potent case study of how not to act, write dialogue, tell a coherent story, stage an action scene, establish a pace or pretty much any other aspect of the process an instructor would address in a hypothetical "Filmmaking 101" course.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “The Meg” star Rainn Wilson.
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