What Won TV? – September 3-September 9, 2017

September 10, 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 – What Twin Peaks is this?
Monday – American Dad!
Tuesday – American Horror Story: Cult … of Consequences of Voting for Jill Stein?
Wednesday – You’re the Worst
Thursday – The Gong Show
Friday – BoJack Horseman Season 4 (at least the first third – I’m still watching!)
Saturday – Halt and Catch Fire

This Is a Movie Review: Tulip Fever

September 9, 2017

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At the end of Tulip Fever, I thought, “Oh, that’s what that was all about.” It ultimately becomes clear that there is an incredible amount of kindness inherent to the main characters. They struggle because they find themselves in situations that are far from ideal and beyond their control, but they ultimately find a way out. That is a fine bit of satisfaction. But for the first 95%, the floral mania is totally confounding and there is little in the way of enjoyability beyond the (not-that-out-of-place) comedic relief from Zach Galifianakis and Christoph Waltz’s nicknames for his penis.

I give Tulip Fever 1 Bulb Just Barely in Bloom.

This Is a Movie Review: Winning

September 8, 2017

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

Documentary

Starring: Nadia Comăneci, Jack Nicklaus, Martina Navratilova, Edwin Moses, Esther Vergeer

Director: Jacqueline Joseph

Running Time: 78 Minutes

Rating: Unrated, But It Could Easily Be G

Release Date: September 8, 2017 at Cinepolis Chelsea in New York City

For anyone expecting a chronicle of Charlie Sheen’s post-Two and a Half Men media blitz based on the title, you’re out of luck. Jacqueline Joseph’s documentary takes a much more straightforward approach to the concept of Winning, which is probably best for our insanity, but does it manage to be top-notch entertainment?

Joseph’s purpose is to identify what separates the all-time greatest athletes from the mere occasional champions. Ergo, Winning profiles five such folks who achieved some of the greatest winning streaks of all time: gymnast Nadia Comăneci, winner of nine Olympic medals and the first in her sport to earn a perfect 10.0 score; tennis player Martina Navratilova, owner of the longest winning streak (74 matches) in the open era; golfer Jack Nicklaus, winner of a record 18 major championships; track and field star Edwin Moses, winner of 122 consecutive races and former world record holder in the 400 meter hurdles; and wheelchair tennis player Esther Vergeer, who had a lifetime match record of 700-25.

While Winning does offer a few theses about the identity of a champion, none of them are particularly groundbreaking. All five athletes worked hard in their careers, leaps and bounds harder than not only the average person, but also that much more than even many of their rivals. This is common sense, but it is occasionally amusingly stated, as when Comăneci suggests that if that intensity is not for you, then just go be a spectator.

Winning also runs into the problem of how to devote enough space in less than an hour and a half to multiple figures who are all worthy of their own feature length docs. There is an effort made to demonstrate how each of them transcended their sports, but the meaningfulness therein is not on the same level for each of them. There is also some attempted connective tissue between the struggles that each of them faced when growing up, but again the magnitudes of those struggles do not quite match (Moses being teased for having “Kermit legs” is not exactly Navratilova defecting from communist Czechoslovakia at age 18).

Ultimately, Winning is enjoyable enough thanks to the winning personalities of its subjects. Comăneci is disarmingly blunt, Navratilova is naturally low-key charming, Nicklaus and Moses are genuinely folksy, and Vergeer is unfailingly sunny. If you train your camera on people who know better than anyone else how to perform under pressure, you’re going to get something at least somewhat worthwhile.

Winning is Recommended If You Like: Sports! Sports! All Kinds of Sports!

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Trophies

Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of September 16, 2017

September 6, 2017

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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. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
3. Imagine Dragons – “Thunder”
4. The Revivalists – “Wish I Knew You”
5. 30 Seconds to Mars – “Walk on Water”
6. Judah & the Lion – “Take It All Back”
7. Lord Huron – “The Night We Met”
8. Linkin Park ft. Kiiara – “Heavy”
9. The Killers – “The Man”
10. Zach Williams – “Old Church Choir”
11. Imagine Dragons – “Whatever It Takes”
12. NEEDTOBREATHE – “Hard Love”
13. My Silent Bravery – “Got It Going On”
14. Weezer – “Feels Like Summer”
15. Queens of the Stone Age – “The Way You Used to Do”
16. Theory of a Deadman – “Rx”
17. Foo Fighters – “The Sky is a Neighborhood”
18. The Lumineers – “Angela”
19. Linkin Park – “One More Light”
20. The Youngbloods – “Get Together”
21. Judah & the Lion – “Suit and Jacket”
22. Beck – “Dear Life”
23. Highly Suspect – “Little One”
24. Vance Joy – “Lay It on Me”
25. Fall Out Boy – “Champion”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Get Together
2. The Man
3. The Way You Used to Do
4. Feel It Still
5. The Sky is a Neighborhood
6. Dear Life
7. Little One
8. Hard Love
9. Feels Like Summer
10. Lay It On Me

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of September 16, 2017

September 6, 2017

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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. Taylor Swift – “Look What You Made Me Do”
2. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – “Despacito”
3. Cardi B – “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”
4. DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller – “Wild Thoughts”
5. Charlie Puth – “Attention”
6. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
7. French Montana ft. Swae Lee – “Unforgettable”
8. Shawn Mendes – “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back”
9. Logic ft. Alessia Cara and Khalid – “1-800-273-8255”
10. Liam Payne ft. Quavo – “Strip That Down”
11. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
12. 21 Savage – “Bank Account”
13. Yo Gotti ft. Nicki Minaj – “Rake It Up”
14. Kendrick Lamar – “Humble.”
15. Niall Horan – “Slow Hands”
16. Lil Uzi Vert – “XO Tour Llif3”
17. Bruno Mars – “That’s What I Like”
18. Demi Lovato – “Sorry Not Sorry”
19. Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
20. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Feel It Still
2. Unforgettable
3. Humble.
4. Wild Thoughts
5. Sorry Not Sorry

Close Encounters of the Third Kind 40th Anniversary Thoughts

September 3, 2017

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CREDIT: Columbia

I saw the 40th anniversary remastered edition of Close Encounters of the Third Kind last night. I am not sure if I had ever previously seen it straight through. If I had, it must have been at least 25 years ago. I certainly didn’t remember the parts in the beginning in the desert or with Dreyfuss chasing the lights around.

Anyway, I was struck by how expressionistic it was and how mysterious it remains to the end. It is never exactly clear what the aliens are up to, but everyone appears fairly confident that they will be friendly. Also, Jillian seems oddly certain that Barry will return soon enough. It’s almost like she’s read the script or something. And of course the age-old question: what’s the deal with the tall, skinny alien? Where’d he go?!

This is all to say, the whole thing adds up to a sense of uncanny wonder.

What Won TV? – August 27-September 2, 2017

September 3, 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 – Twin Peaks IS the TV.
Monday – A championship-worthy match in the US Open first round.
Tuesday – Difficult People
Wednesday – Tennis, probably (US Open)
Thursday – The Chris Gethard Show
Friday – Some US Open here and there
Saturday – A smattering of tennis (US Open)

This Is a Movie Review: ‘Unlocked’ is Only for the Least Discerning Action Buffs

August 31, 2017

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

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Toni Collette, John Malkovich, Michael Douglas, Orlando Bloom

Director: Michael Apted

Running Time: 98 Minutes

Rating: R for Bloody Double Crosses

Release Date: September 1, 2017 (Limited and On-Demand)

Unlocked is just like any other global criss-crossing spy intrigue action thrillers that the likes of Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme knocked out in their sleep in their heydays and probably still are cranking out (oh, the mysterious wonders of the home entertainment market). But instead of a hyper-masculine slab of meat singlehandedly saving the world from terrorism, this time it’s a tiny Swedish woman. So… progress?

While it is heartening to see a woman act competently in a traditionally male domain without anyone questioning her credentials, it is not as if Unlocked is otherwise compelling enough for those involved to be especially proud of. As cinema’s original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Noomi Rapace is right in her comfort zone, so she does manage to acquit herself admirably. But this is cookie-cutter spycraft, with every beat of flashbacks to haywire past missions and predictable double crosses crossed off in the most vanilla manner.

Rapace is supported by a cast of co-stars that are incongruously big and classy. Not one, not two, but THREE Oscar-nominated actors pop up in pivotal roles. Toni Collette, John Malkovich, and Michael Douglas manage to maintain their dignity, but the movie gives them few opportunities to be interesting. Even the director is a fairly notable name. Michael Apted (perhaps best known for the Up documentary series) has action experience in his filmography, including 1999’s The World is Not Enough, but none of the style inherent to the Bond series appears to have rubbed off on him.

In Unlocked’s final act, it manages to stick in some thematic muscle that it probably meant to explore all along. It turns out that the terrorist plot at the center of it all may be the doing of government machinations. There is potential fuel here to fan the flames of 9/11 truther-style conspiracy theorists. But Unlocked lacks the conviction to be either legitimately controversial or hysterically entertaining.

Unlocked is Recommended If You Like: Steven Seagal/Jean-Claude Van Damme/Chuck Norris completism, but with a distaff twist

Grade: 1 out of 5 Global Viruses

Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of September 9, 2017

August 29, 2017

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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. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
3. Imagine Dragons – “Thunder”
4. The Revivalists – “Wish I Knew You”
5. Linkin Park – “Numb”
6. Linkin Park – “In the End”
7. 30 Seconds to Mars – “Walk on Water”
8. Judah & the Lion – “Take It All Back”
9. Linkin Park ft. Kiiara – “Heavy”
10. Lord Huron – “The Night We Met”
11. Zach Williams – “Old Church Choir”
12. Weezer – “Feels Like Summer”
13. The Killers – “The Man”
14. The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun”
15. NEEDTOBREATHE – “Hard Love”
16. Linkin Park – “What I’ve Done”
17. Soundgarden – “Black Hole Sun”
18. The Animals – “House of the Rising Sun”
19. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Bad Moon Rising”
20. Linkin Park – “One More Light”
21. The Lumineers – “Angela”
22. Sir Sly – “High”
23. Fall Out Boy – “Champion”
24. Theory of a Deadman – “Rx”
25. Linkin Park – “Crawling”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Here Comes the Sun
2. House of the Rising Sun
3. Bad Moon Rising
4. Black Hole Sun
5. The Man
6. High
7. Feel It Still
8. What I’ve Done
9. Hard Love
10. Numb
11. In the End
12. Crawling
13. Feels Like Summer

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of September 9, 2017

August 29, 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. DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller – “Wild Thoughts”
3. Cardi B – “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”
4. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
5. Charlie Puth – “Attention”
6. French Montana ft. Swae Lee – “Unforgettable”
7. Shawn Mendes – “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back”
8. Bruno Mars – “That’s What I Like”
9. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
10. Yo Gotti ft. Nicki Minaj – “Rake It Up”
11. Liam Payne ft. Quavo – “Strip That Down”
12. 21 Savage – “Bank Account”
13. Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
14. Niall Horan – “Slow Hands”
15. Post Malone ft. Quavo – “Congratulations”
16. DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne – “I’m the One”
17. Childish Gambino – “Redbone”
18. Demi Lovato – “Sorry Not Sorry”
19. Kendrick Lamar – “Humble.”
20. Justin Bieber + BloodPop – “Friends”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Redbone
2. Unforgettable
3. Humble.
4. Wild Thoughts
5. Sorry Not Sorry

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