Friday, November 1, 2024

Abigail

Vampires are nothing new in film, but it's not everyday that we get a little girl vampire who's also a ballerina in Abigail. The titular character, initially acting like an innocent child, gets kidnapped by a group of criminals who are unaware of what she is and only know that Abigail is the daughter of a powerful figure. Things start to go wrong when the house they're in locks them in, Abigail reveals herself as a vampire, and the bodies start dropping. This film is a complete riot thanks to the combination of strong writing, directing, acting, effects, production values, and cinematography. Stephen Shields and Guy Busick craft a fun and terrifying script that manages to take an overused premise and give it great spins, while also having very three dimensional characters with very witty and informative dialogue. Coming off of the last two Scream movies, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett continue to prove why their unique touch and style are perfect for the horror genre. As Abigail, Alisha Weir is fantastic and terrifying, proving to be such a formidable and fun actress despite being in her early teens. Alongside her you also get strong and believable performances from Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, and Kevin Durand. All of them manage to take the already great writing of their characters and install charm and likability to them. The minimal and small locations helps to give the effects, production values, and cinematography a sense of great detail despite its limited setting. A movie as fun, good, and absolutely bonkers and terrifying is not always easy to make, but Abigail manages to do that in spades. Over all: 100%
2024 top list so far:
1. Dune: Part 2
2. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
3. Abigail
4. Monkey Man
5. Late Night with the Devil
6. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
7. The Book of Clarence
8. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
9. Drive-Away Dolls
10. Kung Fu Panda 4
11. Lisa Frankenstein
12. Argylle
13. Mean Girls 2024

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Top 10 TV Movies and Specials of 2023

TV Movies:
1. David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived
2. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
3. Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed
4. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
5. Being Mary Tyler Moore
6. Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford
7. Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie
8. Prom Pact
9. Stan Lee
10. Zoey 102
Honorable Mentions:
Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain
The Heist Before Christmas
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
The Slumber Party

Specials:
1. 46th Annual Kennedy Center Honors
2. Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic
3. Disney 100: Remember That
4. Manifest finale
5. Doctor Who: The Giggle
6. Black Broadway: A Proud History, A Limited Future
7. 20/20 Disney 100: A Century of Dreams
8. Great Performances: Celebrating 50 Years of Broadway's Best
9. Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
10. Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian-The Making of Season 3
Honorable Mentions:
Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas
Invincible: Atom Eve
Jimmy Kimmel Live! 20th Anniversary Special
A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always
My Dad the Bounty Hunter finale
A Grammy Salute to The Beach Boys
My Adventures with Superman premiere
Entertainment Tonight-A Salute to NCIS: Los Angeles
80th Golden Globe Awards
The Last Last Late Show Carpool Karaoke Special
Good Chemistry: The Story of Elemental
The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday
Breaking Ooze - An Inside Look at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXIV
22nd AARP Movies for Grownups Awards
The Year: 2023
65th Annual Grammy Awards
Willie Nelson's 90th Birthday Celebration
Making The Witcher: Season 3
29th Screen Actors Guild Awards
76th BAFTAs
28th Critics' Choice Awards
2023 MTV Video Music Awards

Friday, October 11, 2024

Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #48

Comics in the 1960s during the Silver Age of the medium didn't come much bigger than with Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #48. The comic sees the first family of Marvel dealing with the aftermath from a confrontation with the Inhumans only to be greeted and warned by the Watcher who warns them about the Silver Surfer and the coming of Galactus. Being the first part of the Galactus Trilogy, this issue does an absolutely fantastic job at setting up the stakes and the grave threat that the cosmic giant serves in the Marvel universe. Thanks to the combination of Stan Lee's writing with the art and coloring from Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott, you get a highly memorable comic with good pacing and detailed, brisk art. It does, as typical for its time, tend to over-rely on large expository dialogue and characters often posing in very dramatic ways. But, that's part of the charm of 60s Silver Age comics, and the silly things like Galactus appearing green and red or the Watcher with a square head don't keep this classic issue from being so influential. Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #48 is a fun issue not just because it introduces iconic aspects to the Marvel mythos, but because of the people who worked on it giving it their best. Over all: 100%
Top list so far for 3rd set of comics:
1. The Complete Peanuts Vol. 15: 1979-1980
2. Daredevil Vol. 1 #170
3. The New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #1
4. Green Arrow Vol. 1 #1
5. Star Wars: Dark Empire #1
6. Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #48
7. Deadman: Love After Death #1
8. Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Don Rosa Library Vol. 1
9. Blue Beetle Vol. 5 #1
10. Showcase Vol. 1 #75
11. Detective Comics Vol. 1 #441
12. Marvel Super-Heroes Vol. 1 #18
13. Eternals by Jack Kirby: The Complete Collection (Eternals (1976-1978))
14. Hulk Vol. 5 #1
15. Avnegers: War Across Time #1
16. The Yellow Kid
17. Sabrina the Teenage Witch Vol. 1 #8
18. Archie and Me #132
19. Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1
20. Action Comics Vol. 1 #674

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Top 2023 Series and Season Finales

Series Finales:
1. Hunters
2. Your Honor
3. The Fall of the House of Usher
4. Manifest
5. Daisy Jones & the Six
6. Reservation Dogs
7. Beef
8. Totally Completely Fine
9. Power Rangers
10. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Honorable Mentions:
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
The Flash 2014
Archie
The Crown
Barry
Lessons in Chemistry
Ted Lasso
Swarm
Schmigadoon!
Wilderness
Fear the Walking Dead
Mrs. Davis
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
The Continental
White House Plumbers
Welcome to Chippendales
The Consultant
Miracle Workers
Dead Ringers
Our Flag Means Death
Disenchantment
Nolly
American Born Chinese
The Great
Jury Duty
History of the World, Part II
Young Rock
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty
Star Wars: Visions
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Waco: The Aftermath
My Dad the Bounty Hunter
Shining Vale
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies
Secrets of Sulphur Springs
Animaniacs 2020
Riverdale
I Am Groot
NCIS: Los Angeles
Hello Tomorrow!
Lawmen: Bass Reeves
Greatest Geek Year Ever: 1982
Obliterated
Jack Ryan
Perry Mason 2020
Agent Elvis
The Muppets Mayhem
The Crowded Room
Class of '07
The Winchesters
Alaska Daily
iCarly 2021
Bupkis
Killing It
Human Resources
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
A Murder at the End of the World
Love & Death
Welcome to Flatch
The Power
Lockwood & Co.
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre
100 Years of Warner Bros.
Culprits
Secret Invasion
Fired on Mars
Florida Man
The Problem with Jon Stewart
The Wonder Years 2021
Cruel Summer
Nancy Drew
Lucky Hank
Physical
Gotham Knights
The Afterparty

Season Finales:
1. Loki second season finale-Glorious Purpose
2. The Last of Us first season finale-Look for the Light
3. One Piece 2023 first season finale-Worst in the East
4. Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake first season finale-Cheers
5. Superman & Lois third season finale-What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger
6. Only Murders in the Building third season finale-Opening Night
7. The Righteous Gemstones third season finale-Wonders That Cannot Be Fathomed, Miracles That Cannot Be Counted
8. Blue-Eye Samurai first season finale-The Great Fire of 1657
9. The Mandalorian third season finale-Chapter 24: The Return
10. What If…? second season finale-What If… Strange Supreme Intervened?
Honorable Mentions:
Gen V first season finale-Guardians of Godolkin
The Legend of Vox Machina second season finale-The Hope Devourer
Creepshow fourth season finale-George Romero in 3-D!/Baby Teeth
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur first season finale-OMG Issue #2
The Walking Dead: Dead City first season finale-Doma Smo
Rick and Morty seventh season finale-Fear No Mort
Upload third season finale-Flesh and Blood
The Rookie fifth season finale-Under Siege
Foundation second season finale-Creation Myths
Twisted Metal first season finale-SHNGRLA
Based on a True Story first season finale-The Universe
Unstable first season finale-A Dragon's Fire
Good Omens second season finale-Every Day
My Dad the Bounty Hunter first season finale-The Bounty Hunters
Ahsoka first season finale-Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord
The Diplomat first season finale-The James Bond Clause
Poker Face first season finale-The Hook
Shrinking first season finale-Closure
Goosebumps 2023 first season finale-Welcome to Horrorland
The Simpsons 34th season finale-Homer's Adventure Through the Windshield Glass
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder second season finale-Juneteenth
Quantum Leap 2022 first season finale-Judgment Day
What We Do in the Shadows fifth season finale-Exit Interview
My Adventures with Superman first season finale-Hearts of the Fathers
School Spirits first season finale-Madison's Body
Silo first season finale-Outside
Sweet Tooth second season finale-The Ballad of the Last Men
The Artful Dodger first season finale-Untapped Potential
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai first season finale-Never Ever Expose Them to Bright Light
Slow Horses:Real Tigers finale-Footprints
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon first season finale-Coming Home
Tulsa King first season finale-Happy Trails
American Horror Stories third season finale-Organ
Young Sheldon sixth season finale-A Tornado, a 10-Hour Flight and a Darn Fine Ring
CSI: Vegas second season finale-Dying Words
9-1-1 sixth season finale-Pay It Forward
Dark Winds second season finale-Hózhó náhásdlįį
Fright Krewe first season finale-The War
Star Wars: The Bad Batch second season finale-Plan 99
NCIS twentieth season finale-Black Sky
Funny Woman first series finale-Episode 6
NCIS: Hawaii second season finale-Dies Irae
Blue Bloods thirteenth season finale-Forgive Us Our Trespasses
Gamera Rebirth first season finale-Childhood's end
Digman! first season finale-The Grail
Yellowjackets second season finale-Storytelling
Big Mouth seventh season finale-A Finger in Time
Tiny Toons Looniversity first season finale-The Show Must Hop On
Skull Island first season finale-You'll Never Catch a Monkey That Way
9-1-1: Lone Star fourth season finale-In Sickness and In Health
NCIS: Sidney first season finale-Blonde Ambition
Hamster & Gretel first season finale-Exclamation Strikes Back
Solar Opposites fourth season finale-The Unwanted Personification of Terry
Awkwafina is Nora from Queens third season finale-Nora is Awkwafina from Queens
We Baby Bears first season finale-Little Fallen Star
Dr. Death second season finale-Surgeons, Bachelors, and Butchers
Ghosts 2021 third season finale-The Heir
Frasier 2023 first season finale-Reindeer Games
Castlevania: Nocturne first season finale-Devourer of Light
FUBAR first season finale-That's It and That's All
That '90s Show first season finale-Kids in America
The Gilded Age second season finale-In Terms of Winning and Losing
Family Guy 21st season finale-Adult Education
The Rig first season finale-Episode 6
The Big Door Prize first season finale-Deerfest: Part Two
Beacon 23 first season finale-Adamantine
The Witcher third season finale-The Cost of Chaos
Bookie first season finale-A Square Job in a Round Hole
The Good Doctor sixth season finale-Love's Labor
The Neighborhood fifth season finale-Welcome to the Opening Night

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a Guy Ritchie film starring Henry Cavill in which the latter portrays a real life British soldier in this slightly fictionalized account of him and his team performing covert operations against the Nazis. Essentially it's in the same vain as Inglourious Basterds of an absolute ride in seeing Nazis getting killed, but this time this actually happened, somewhat. That alone makes The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare an instant classic and here's hoping Ritchie and Cavill collaborate again. Over all: 100%
2024 top list so far:
1. Dune: Part 2
2. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
3. Monkey Man
4. Late Night with the Devil
5. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
6. The Book of Clarence
7. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
8. Drive-Away Dolls
9. Kung Fu Panda 4
10. Lisa Frankenstein
11. Argylle
12. Mean Girls 2024

Monday, September 9, 2024

Monkey Man

Dev Patel marks his directorial debut with Monkey Man, which he also stars in and cowrites with Paul Angunawela and John Collee. In it, Patel portrays Kid, who wages a one man war against corrupt Indian government officials responsible for his mother's death. Kid's actions in turn inspire a community of transgender people, themselves targeted by the same officials, to aid him in his quest. The writing from the three is absolutely phenomenal, but it's Patel's work behind the camera that truly stands out. His style, especially this being his first, is incredible with how brutal and well choreographed the action scenes are. It helps that the camera remains steady while moving smoothly through the martial arts sequences, Sharone Meir's cinematography is equal parts grungy and vibrant, and the editing from Dávid Jancsó, Tim Murrell, and Joe Galdo keep the action and pace perfectly balanced. With just a budget of ten million dollars, Monkey Man makes so many hundred million dollar budgets seem pale in comparison. Over all: 100%
2024 top list so far:
1. Dune: Part 2
2. Monkey Man
3. Late Night with the Devil
4. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
5. The Book of Clarence
6. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
7. Drive-Away Dolls
8. Kung Fu Panda 4
9. Lisa Frankenstein
10. Argylle
11. Mean Girls 2024

Saturday, September 7, 2024

Top 10 New Shows and Season Premieres of 2023

New Shows:
1. Lessons in Chemistry
2. The Last of Us
3. Totally Completely Fine
4. Blue-Eye Samurai
5. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
6. The Fall of the House of Usher
7. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
8. Wilderness
9. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
10. Ahsoka
Honorable Mentions:
Shrinking
Beef
Daisy Jones & the Six
Archie
One Piece 2023
The Continental
The Muppets Mayhem
Nolly
American Born Chinese
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
Mrs. Davis
The Diplomat
Gen V
Lucky Hank
History of the World, Part II
Swarm
Tales of the TARDIS
Jury Duty
White House Plumbers
Based on a True Story
My Adventures with Superman
The Walking Dead: Dead City
Unstable
Lawmen: Bass Reeves
Silo
My Dad the Bounty Hunter
Greatest Geek Year Ever: 1982
Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake
Twisted Metal
The Power
A Murder at the End of the World
Funny Woman
Agent Elvis
Poker Face
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Bupkis
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies
Class of '07
Hailey's On It!
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre
The Crowded Room
School Spirits
Goosebumps 2023
Skull Island
The Big Door Prize
Mulligan
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
The Consultant
The Artful Dodger
Dead Ringers
Culprits
Animal Control
100 Years of Warner Bros.
The Rig
Fired on Mars
Obliterated
Love & Death
Digman!
Hello Tomorrow!
Lockwood & Co.
Full Circle
That '90s Show
Fright Krewe
Frasier 2023
Secret Invasion
Night Court 2023
Bookie
The Curse
Waco: The Aftermath
NCIS: Sidney
Tiny Toons Looniversity
FUBAR
Gamera Rebirth
Castlevania: Nocturne
Krapopolis

Season Premieres:
1. Your Honor second season premiere-Part Eleven
2. Loki second season premiere-Ouroboros
3. Reservation Dogs third season premiere-BUSSIN'
4. The Crown sixth season premiere-Persona Non Grata
5. Only Murders in the Building third season premiere-The Show Must...
6. Schmigadoon! second season premiere-Welcome to Schmicago
7. Rick and Morty seventh season premiere-How Poopy Got His Poop Back
8. Creepshow fourth season premiere-Twenty Minutes with Cassandra/Smile
9. American Experience 35th season premiere-The Lie Detector
10. 9-1-1: Lone Star fourth season premiere-The New Hotness
Honorable Mentions:
Invincible second season premiere-A Lesson for Your Next Life
Fargo fifth season premiere-The Tragedy of the Commons
The Mandalorian third season premiere-Chapter 17: The Apostate
The Legend of Vox Machina second season premiere-Rise of the Chroma Conclave
Good Omens second season premiere-The Arrival
Superman & Lois third season premiere-Closer
Ted Lasso third season premiere-Smells Like Mean Spirit
Yellowjackets second season premiere-Friends, Romans, Countrymen
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder second season premiere-Old Towne Road (Part 2)
Foundation second season premiere-In Seldon's Shadow
Hunters second season premiere-Van Glooten's Day 1972 Butter Sculptor of the Year
Star Wars: Visions Volume Two premiere-Sith
Chucky third season premiere-Murder at 1600
What We Do in the Shadows fifth season premiere-The Mall
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fifth season premiere-Go Forward
The Ghost and Molly McGee second season premiere-The New (Para)Normal
Power Rangers Cosmic Fury premiere-Lightning Strikes
Miracle Workers: End Times premiere-Welcome to Boomtown
Dr. Death second season premiere-Like Magic
Fear the Walking Dead eighth season premiere-Remember What They Took from You
Barry fourth season premiere-yikes
The Righteous Gemstones third season premiere-For I Know the Plans I Have for You
Quantum Leap 2022 second season premiere-This Took Too Long!
Big Mouth seventh season premiere-Big Mouth's Going to High School (But Not for Nine More Episodes)
Perry Mason 2020 second season premiere-Chapter Nine
Animaniacs 2020 third season premiere-27
The Great third season premiere-The Bullet or the Bear
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty second season premiere-One Ring Don't Make a Dynasty
American Horror Story: Delicate premiere-Multiply Thy Pain
Futurama eighth season premiere-The Impossible Stream
Riverdale seventh season premiere-Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen: Don't Worry, Darling
Saturday Night Live 49th season premiere-Pete Davidson/Ice Spice
Killing It second season premiere-What You Saw
Our Flag Means Death second season premiere-Impossible Birds
Secrets of Sulphur Springs third season premiere-Time Won't Let Me
The Flash 2014 ninth season premiere-Wednesday Ever After
Upload third season premiere-Ticking Clock
The Simpsons 35th season premiere-Homer's Crossing
Dark Winds second season premiere-Na'niłkaadii
Human Resources second season premiere-The Jizz Mitzvah
Bel-Air second season premiere-A Fresh Start
Sweet Tooth second season premiere-In Captivity
Cruel Summer second season premiere-Welcome to Chatham
What If…? second season premiere-What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?
Shining Vale second season premiere-Chapter 9 - Homecoming
My Dad the Bounty Hunter second season premiere-Abduction
Solar Opposites fourth season premiere-The Ping Pong Table
Disenchantment third season premiere-Heads or Tails
iCarly 2021 third season premiere-iBuckled
Family Guy 22nd season premiere-Fertilized Megg
Nancy Drew fourth season premiere-The Dilemma of the Lover's Curse
The Witcher third season premiere-Shaerrawedd