Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of June 10, 2017

May 31, 2017

jmunney Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Music , , , Leave a comment

Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, and then I rearrange the top 25 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 25, now I just rank the cream of the crop.

Original Version
1. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
2. Linkin Park ft. Kiiara – “Heavy”
3. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
4. Imagine Dragons – “Thunder”
5. Soundgarden – “Black Hole Sun”
6. Rag’n’Bone Man – “Human”
7. Audioslave – “Like a Stone”
8. Lord Huron – “The Night We Met”
9. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
10. Jesse Larson – “Woman”
11. Lana Del Rey ft. The Weeknd – “Lust for Life”
12. The Revivalists – “Wish I Knew You”
13. Imagine Dragons – “Whatever It Takes”
14. Soundgarden – “Fell on Black Days”
15. Paramore – “Hard Times”
16. Temple of the Dog – “Hunger Strike”
17. Fleetwood Mac – “The Chain”
18. Soundgarden – “Spoonman”
19. Audioslave – “I Am the Highway”
20. Audioslave – “Show Me How to Live”
21. Ocean Park Standoff – “Good News”
22. Electric Light Orchestra – “Mr. Blue Sky”
23. Muse – “Dig Down”
24. Soundgarden – “Outshined”
25. Temple of the Dog – “Say Hello 2 Heaven”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. The Chain
2. Like a Stone
3. Human
4. Mr. Blue Sky
5. Fell on Black Days
6. Show Me How to Live
7. Black Hole Sun
8. Feel It Still
9. Hunger Strike
10. Hard Times
11. Dig Down
12. Lust for Life
13. Spoonman

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of June 10, 2017

May 31, 2017

jmunney Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music , , , , Leave a comment

Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 20, now I just rank the cream of the crop.

Original Version
1. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – “Despacito”
2. Bruno Mars – “24K Magic”
3. DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne – “I’m the One”
4. Kendrick Lamar – “Humble.”
5. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
6. Future – “Mask Off”
7. Zedd and Alessia Cara – “Stay”
8. The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – “Something Just Like This”
9. Lil Uzi Vert – “XO Tour Llif3”
10. Kygo x Selena Gomez – “It Ain’t Me”
11. Julia Michaels – “Issues”
12. James Arthur – “Say You Won’t Let Go”
13. Post Malone ft. Quavo – “Congratulations”
14. Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
15. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
16. KYLE ft. Lil Yachty – “iSpy”
17. Harry Styles – “Sign of the Times”
18. Miley Cyrus – “Malibu”
19. Brett Young – “In Case You Didn’t Know”
20. Kendrick Lamar – “DNA.”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Stay
2. Sign of the Times
3. Humble.
4. DNA.

This Is a Movie Review: Indie Rom-Coms Continue Chugging Along with Demetri Martin’s ‘Dean’

May 31, 2017

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , Leave a comment

This review was originally posted on News Cult in May 2017.

Starring: Demetri Martin, Kevin Kline, Gillian Jacobs, Rory Scovel, Mary Steenburgen

Director: Demetri Martin

Running Time: 87 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for A Little Bit of Language, A Little Bit of Relations

Release Date: June 2, 2017 (Limited)

If you look at Demetri Martin – the moptopped, artistically inclined comedian whose Wikipedia page once listed Socrates as an influence – and think “romantic comedy lead,” then chances are that you and I would get along famously. And wouldn’t you know it, we now have the perfect topic to discuss: Dean, a minor-key charmer serving as Martin’s directorial debut.

Martin plays the title character, a Brooklyn illustrator living through with the fallout of his mother’s death and a breakup with his ex-fiancée (Christine Woods). Instead of dealing with all that, he flies out to Los Angeles to meet with an ad agency interested in using his drawings. Alas, the pitch and the hipster-bro vibe put him off. (SNL’s Beck Bennett is perfect as the exec who remains on his office treadmill the entire scene.) At this point, Dean really should head back home and sort out matters with his father (Kevin Kline), who is eager to sell their house. But he finds himself too entranced by La La Land to head home, because he meets this girl named Nicky, and she is played by Gillian Jacobs, a Pittsburgh native who often inhabits West Coast gals who inadvertently knock the lead characters out of their stupors and makes it look effortless (it’s not a Manic Pixie Dream Girl thing, it’s a chill vibe thing).

Spoiler alert: this budding romance does not exactly end happily. But that does not mean there is no satisfying resolution to be had. The reason the title is Dean as opposed to “Dean & Nicky” or “Millennial Love Story” is because it is about the individual. (Dad, also gets his own storyline, a suitably engaging romance with his realtor, played by Mary Steenburgen.) There are plenty of stories about looking for love and growing up, and this one is hardly groundbreaking. But they keep being told because new storytellers keep creeping towards their thirties and forties. What we as viewers humbly request of them along the way is that they find honesty and individuality in their voice. And in the guise of Dean, I am happy to hear from Demetri Martin has to say.

Dean is Recommended If You Like: Demetri Martin’s illustrations, (500) Days of Summer, Celeste and Jesse Forever

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Pubic Clown Wigs

The Simpsons Season 28 Review

May 28, 2017

jmunney Television, The Simpsons, The Simpsons Episode Reviews , Leave a comment

Not a bad season. Not a bad season at all: http://www.bubbleblabber.com/season-review-the-simpsons-season-28/

What Won TV? – May 21-May 27, 2017

May 28, 2017

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In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.

Sunday – I’m not quite sure what’s happening on Twin Peaks, but I do know it’s stuck with me.
Monday – Jane the Virgin
Tuesday – Great News
Wednesday – Fargo? Far-WHOA.
Thursday – The AV Club
Friday – RuPaul’s Drag Race
Saturday – Doctor Who

The Best of SNL Season 42

May 27, 2017

jmunney Saturday Night Live, SNL Season Recaps, Television , , , 2 Comments

So I’ve got the essential categories covered here. You can also head on over to NewsCult for my in-depth analysis of the best sketches. Enjoy!

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This Is a Movie Review: ‘Baywatch’ is Gratuitous, Shameless, and in Search of a Purpose

May 25, 2017

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CREDIT: Frank Masi/Paramount Pictures

This review was originally posted on News Cult in May 2017.

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario, Priyanka Chopra, Kelly Rohrbach, Jon Bass, Ilfenesh Hadera, Rob Huebel, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Director: Seth Gordon

Running Time: 119 Minutes

Rating: R for An Obsession with All Body Parts

Release Date: May 25, 2017

Baywatch follows the 21 Jump Street template: take a TV show from a couple decades ago that people remember but nobody is especially attached to, then blow it out to something bigger, brasher, and maybe a little meta. It may not be the most ambitious formula, but Jump Street proved that it could result in a clever commentary on the nature of reboots. Baywatch is less interested in that, or any pretensions. Instead, it mostly wants to just hang out and do its own thing. Which is fine! The film makes a go at capturing the cheeky spirit of the original on a larger, less discreet scale – it might leave you feeling a little naughty, but everyone is indulging. Alas, it ultimately descends into just the latest gross-out comedy crossed with a derivative action spectacular.

The most representative shot of Baywatch of Kelly Rohrbach’s jiggling butt while she administers the Heimlich maneuver. Rohrbach is C.J., the bubbly blond bombshell filling in for Pamela Anderson, and the choking victim is Ronnie (Jon Bass), the chubby trainee who is inexplicably recruited to the lifeguard crew. This odd couple obviously ends up together, even though Ronnie is sure C.J. is out of his league, but she knows what she wants and she does not even need to the dance moves that Ronnie learned at Hebrew school to be won over. The schlubby guy/hot girl pairing might be cliché, but the specific details in this case are actually kind of encouraging. There is something inspiring about how the guy who gets his privates stuck between the slats of a beach chair is more Casanova than laughingstock. Everyone loves Ronnie!

In fact, the great charm about Baywatch is how well everyone on the team gets along. The other major romance, between trainees Brody (Zac Efron) and Summer (Alexandra Daddario), at first appears like it will be distressingly conflict-driven but instead evolves into a much more palatable game of playful one-upmanship. Really the only conflict of any significance is the one between head honcho Mitch (Dwayne Johnson, taking over for the Hoff) and Brody. The latter is a gold-medal winning Olympic swimmer looking to repair his image after a Ryan Lochte-esque scandal, and he is only on the team because Baywatch administration wants to boost its p.r. Naturally, Mitch must teach this lone wolf the importance of teamwork. But even here, the dynamic is sympathetic and silly, with Mitch letting the homeless Brody crash at his place and pranking him with a corpse’s genitals.

The majority of this review sounds rather complimentary, even though only about 25% of the film is worth recommending. But it is that 25% about which I have the most to say. Theoretically, Baywatch could be perfectly enjoyable if it were just a plotless hangout movie, with the lifeguards saving civilians by day and porking each other by night. Instead, there must be a standard-issue action plot about a Bond-type villainess (Priyanka Chopra) with the entire town in her pocket pulling off a drug-smuggling ring. The Baywatch crew takes it upon themselves to investigate the mysterious substances and dead bodies washing up on their shores, but since they are not law enforcement, they have no authority to do so, which the actual police keeps reminding them about

Indeed, they are not law enforcement. Nor are they superheroes, which this film so desperately wants them to be. They are mortal human beings who may be highly skilled at what they do, but there is no compelling reason to believe that they can be ominously superhuman saviors. It takes the absurd stake-raising of multiple sequels to get to that point. Viewers for this style of popcorn fare are like that metaphorical frog sitting in gradually boiling water. If the stakes go up bit by bit, we do not realize until after the fact that we have forever departed any semblance of reality. But if they are jacked up to 11 right from the start, we rightfully scoff.

Baywatch is Recommended If You Like: Tight Bodies and Explosions

Grade: 2 out of 5 Slo-Mo Bouncing Breasts

Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of June 3, 2017

May 23, 2017

jmunney Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Music , , , Leave a comment

Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, and then I rearrange the top 25 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 25, now I just rank the cream of the crop.

Original Version
1. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
2. Linkin Park ft. Kiiara – “Heavy”
3. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
4. Rag’n’Bone Man – “Human”
5. Imagine Dragons – “Whatever It Takes”
6. Imagine Dragons – “Thunder”
7. Soundgarden – “Black Hole Sun”
8. Lord Huron – “The Night We Met”
9. Paramore – “Hard Times”
10. Audioslave – “Like a Stone”
11. The Revivalists – “Wish I Knew You”
12. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
13. Fleetwood Mac – “The Chain”
14. Electric Light Orchestra – “Mr. Blue Sky”
15. HAIM – “Want You Back”
16. Soundgarden – “Fell on Black Days”
17. Ocean Park Standoff – “Good News”
18. Temple of the Dog – “Hunger Strike”
19. Soundgarden – “Spoonman”
20. Paramore – “Told You So”
21. Audioslave – “Show Me How to Live”
22. Hunter Plake – “With or Without You”
23. Jesse Larson – “I Was Wrong”
24. Lana del Rey ft. The Weeknd – “Lust for Life”
25. Audioslave – “I Am the Highway”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. The Chain
2. Like a Stone
3. Human
4. Mr. Blue Sky
5. Fell on Black Days
6. Show Me How to Live
7. Black Hole Sun
8. Feel It Still
9. Come a Little Bit Closer
10. Hunger Strike
11. Want You Back
12. Hard Times
13. Lust for Life
14. Spoonman
15. Told You So

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of June 3, 2017

May 23, 2017

jmunney Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music , , , , Leave a comment

Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 20, now I just rank the cream of the crop.

Original Version
1. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – “Despacito”
2. Bruno Mars – “That’s What I Like”
3. DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne – “I’m the One”
4. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
5. Kendrick Lamar – “Humble.”
6. The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – “Something Just Like This”
7. Future – “Mask Off”
8. Lil Uzi Vert – “XO TOUR Llif3”
9. Zedd and Alessia Cara – “Stay”
10. Miley Cyrus – “Malibu”
11. James Arthur – “Say You Won’t Let Go”
12. Kygo x Selena Gomez – “It Ain’t Me”
13. Post Malone ft. Quavo – “Congratulations”
14. Julia Michaels – “Issues”
15. KYLE ft. Lil Yachty – “iSpy”
16. Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
17. Harry Styles – “Sign of the Times”
18. Kendrick Lamar – “DNA.”
19. Khalid – “Location”
20. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Stay
2. Sign of the Times
3. Location
4. Humble.
5. DNA.

The Simpsons 28.22 Review: “Dogtown”

May 23, 2017

jmunney Television, The Simpsons, The Simpsons Episode Reviews , , , , , Leave a comment

“Repeal the dog – (whispered) and child labor – laws.” https://www.bubbleblabber.com/review-the-simpsons-dogtown/

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