Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of August 18, 2018

August 18, 2018

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 of the top 25, now I just rank the cream of the crop.

*This will be my last Billboard Hot Rock Songs re-ranking post, at least for the foreseeable future, as these posts have become a bit too same-old, same-old for my tastes. But I will continue to scan the charts each week, and I might occasionally write down some reactions should the spirit move me.

Original Version
1. Imagine Dragons – “Thunder”
2. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
3. Imagine Dragons – “Whatever It Takes”
4. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
5. Imagine the Dragons – “Natural”
6. Foster the People – “Sit Next to Me”
7. Weezer – “Africa”
8. lovelytheband – “Broken”
9. Bad Wolves – “Zombie”
10. Panic! at the Disco – “High Hopes”
11. twenty one pilots – “Jumpsuit”
12. Panic! at the Disco – “Say Amen (Saturday Night)”
13. John Mayer – “New Light”
14. twenty one pilots – “Nico and the Niners”
15. Godsmack – “Bulletproof”
16. Bastille – “Quarter Past Midnight”
17. Death Cab for Cutie – “Gold Rush”
18. Five Finger Death Punch – “Sham Pain”
19. twenty one pilots – “Levitate”
20. Greta van Fleet – “When the Curtain Falls”
21. Five Finger Death Punch – “Blue on Black”
22. Walk the Moon – “Kamikaze”
23. grandson – “Blood // Water”
24. Panic! at the Disco – “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”
25. Shinedown – “Devil”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Feel It Still
2. Jumpsuit
3. When the Curtain Falls
4. New Light

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of August 18, 2018

August 18, 2018

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.

*-This will be my last Billboard Hot 100 re-ranking post, at least for the foreseeable future, as these posts have become a bit too rote for my tastes. But I will still scan the charts each week, and I might occasionally write down some reactions should anything catch my fancy.

Original Version
1. Drake – “In My Feelings”
2. Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B – “Girls Like You”
3. Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin – “I Like It”
4. Travis Scott – “Sicko Mode”
5. 6ix9ine ft. Nicki Minaj and Murda Beatz – “FEFE”
6. Post Malone – “Better Now”
7. Juice WRLD – “Lucid Dreams”
8. Travis Scott – “Stargazing”
9. Tyga ft. Offset – “Taste”
10. Ella Mai – “Boo’d Up”
11. DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, and Quavo – “No Brainer”
12. Drake – “Nice for What”
13. Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Psycho”
14. Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry”
15. Khalid and Normani – “Love Lies”
16. YG ft. 2 Chainz, Big Sean, and Nicki Minaj – “Big Bank”
17. Taylor Swift – “Delicate”
18. Lil Baby and Drake – “Yes Indeed”
19. Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey – “The Middle”
20. Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line – “Meant to Be”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. No Tears Left to Cry
2. Boo’d Up

This Is a Movie Review: With ‘Mile 22,’ Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg Have Teamed Up for Their Most

August 16, 2018

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

CREDIT: STXfilms

This review was originally posted on News Cult in August 2018.

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Iko Uwais, Lauren Cohan, Ronda Rousey, John Malkovich

Director: Peter Berg

Running Time: 94 Minutes

Rating: R for A Litany of F-Bombs and Actual Bombs

Release Date: August 17, 2018

Mile 22 is the fourth collaboration between Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg, and by far their worst. Their previous team-ups (Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, and Patriots Day) covered real-life tragedies and disasters with unflinching intensity. They were at times be difficult to watch, but Berg managed to remain respectful by keeping his focus fixed. Mile 22 has a similar shaky-cam, right-next-to-the-action approach. It isn’t based on a true story, but the verite style seems to suggest that it could be true. That forces Berg to construct a fictional portrait of chaos, which, devoid of any necessary real-life moments to honor, ends up just a mess.

Wahlberg is the ostensible protagonist as James Silva, the ground leader of an elite and secretive paramilitary unit within the CIA. His team is the sort that the government turns to when they have exhausted all other options and do not want the public to know what they are up to. They are tasked with transporting intelligence asset Li Noor (Iko Uwais) 22 miles to an extraction point, where he has promised he will reveal information that will prevent a bomb detonation. Uwais is best known as the star of The Raid and its sequel, and Mile 22 ends up as an excuse for him to show off his action skills in the midst of a convoluted narrative. Berg proves adept at capturing Iwais’ brand of fight choreography, but everything else is exhausting, which is shocking considering that Berg’s action filmmaking is usually reliable. But here he is so undisciplined, with numbing footage of endless gunfire and an editing style that presents way too much information for a human brain to possibly process.

The whole thing is barely an hour and a half, but it feels like forever, but then it leads to a climax that makes it feel 20 minutes too short. There is a major reveal that is far from adequately resolved, which is to say, it is not resolved at all. It is the sort of twist that makes you want to say to the screenwriter, “Don’t the characters want to take care of that?” And the apparent response is, “Oh well, they ran out of time.” Just about the entire film is that careless, but I will grant that it at least features Iwais saying to Wahlberg, “Say hello to your mother for me.”

Mile 22 is Recommended If You Like: Iko Uwais Combat, Incessant Gunfire, Hyperactive Editing, Frequent Explosions

Grade: 2 out of 5 Wristbands

This Is a Movie Review: Be Wary of the Spectacle of ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ Stay for the Characters

August 14, 2018

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CREDIT: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and RatPac-Dune Entertainment LLC

This review was originally posted on News Cult in August 2018.

Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Tan Kheng Hua, Chris Pang, Sonoya Mizuno, Pierre Png, Nico Santos, Jimmy O. Yang, Ken Jeong

Director: Jon M. Chu

Running Time: 121 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Some Excessive Partying and a Nasty Message Written in Blood

Release Date: August 15, 2018

Ever since I have noticed the buzz building for Crazy Rich Asians, the title has had me worried that I wouldn’t able to relate. I’m not talking about the “Asian” part (and I’m certainly not talking about the “crazy” part). No, what I’m talking about is that four-letter word right in the middle. Sure, it would be nice to have enough money to pay off all my debts, but amassing a fortune into the billions feels plainly excessive. And Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s novel does nothing to dissuade me from that notion. When we enter the film’s first Singaporean mansion, I am immediately overwhelmed by the real estate per person. And then we learn that this dwelling is actually modest by this country’s standards, and I guess I’ll have to say the Serenity Prayer a few more times. But the good news is that Crazy Rich Asians wants us to be skeptical of insane wealth to an extent.

The biggest takeaway to be had from this big-hearted rom-com is the danger of making assumptions, a problem that can befall anyone, no matter their net worth. Chinese-American economics professor Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) assumes that her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) is a man of modest means. That is hardly the most damaging assumption, but it does mean that she is in for plenty of surprises when he flies her into Singapore for his best friend’s wedding and she learns that he is in fact a member of one of the country’s wealthiest families. Far more consequential are the assumptions made about Rachel, especially from Nick’s domineering but also impressive (and frankly, occasionally likeable) mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh). She objects to Rachel as a potential daughter-in-law, not because she is an outsider, but because of what type of outsider she is, assuming that as an American, personal fulfillment is more important to her than building a family. Accordingly, the requisite final act misunderstanding is not some phony moment between Rachel and Nick, who are far too honest with each other to not be able to work things out. Instead, it is a background check that drives a wedge of emotional manipulation that can only be cured by selflessness on all sides.

Ultimately, Crazy Rich Asians does not win me over to the lavish lifestyle, but it does successfully convey the traditions that lead to creating a familial empire. Judging by the reactions of the largely Asian crowd at the screening I attended, this is an accurate and resonant portrayal. There was plenty of whooping and laughing that indicated intimate recognition of a pan-Asian exchange of culture, the immigrant experience, and (presumably) key moments from the book. We may not need a billion dollars to be happy, but I now see the potential value in learning how to play mahjong or attending a wedding in which the aisle is flooded with water.

Crazy Rich Asians is Recommended If You Like: Rom-Coms with an unapologetic cultural flavor

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Jade Rings

This Is a Movie Review: Mission: Impossible – Fallout

August 12, 2018

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CREDIT: Paramount Pictures

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is to Ethan Hunt what Spectre is to James Bond, but not that (transparently) insane and mostly successful. But what I really want to talk about is this idea that Hunt is irreplaceable. The conjecture that there is only person for the most dangerous jobs in the world is certainly compelling, but is it healthy? If we’re talking about how it applies to reality, certainly not. For the sake of the world and for the sake of their personal lives, experts and superheroes should have backups and successors in place. But when we’re talking about the cinematic medium, the calculus is a little different … or is it?

M:I isn’t the only spy and/or insane stunt franchise that has been killing it in the past 20 years, which means we’ve got our backups. And when Tom Cruise finally calls it quits (in a billion years or so), maybe a worthy Ethan Hunt successor will somehow run into our hearts. In the universe where the IMF exists, Hunt really shouldn’t place the entire weight of the world on his shoulders. But since this world is a fictional place, it’s working as it’s supposed to.

I give Mission: Impossible – Fallout 4 Cliffhangs out of 5 Shifting Allegiances.

Watch And/Or Listen to This: Wired – Jeff Goldblum Answers the Web’s Most Searched Questions

August 11, 2018

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CREDIT: WIRED/YouTube

Watch And/Or Listen to This is a semi-occasional column in which I recommend content that I believe is worth watching and/or listening to.

Very “Jeff Goldblum” Jeff Goldblum content.

Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of August 11, 2018

August 11, 2018

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 of the top 25, now I just rank the cream of the crop.

Original Version
1. Imagine Dragons – “Thunder”
2. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
3. Imagine Dragons – “Whatever It Takes”
4. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
5. Imagine Dragons – “Natural”
6. Foster the People – “Sit Next to Me”
7. Weezer – “Africa”
8. lovelytheband – “Broken”
9. Bad Wolves – “Zombie”
10. twenty one pilots – “Jumpsuit”
11. Panic! at the Disco – “High Hopes”
12. Panic! at the Disco – “Say Amen (Saturday Night)”
13. twenty one pilots – “Nico and the Niners”
14. John Mayer – “New Light”
15. Godsmack – “Bulletproof”
16. Bastille – “Quarter Past Midnight”
17. Greta van Fleet – “When the Curtain Falls”
18. Five Finger Death Punch – “Sham Pain”
19. Florence + the Machine – “Hunger”
20. Death Cab for Cutie – “Gold Rush”
21. Panic! at the Disco – “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”
22. Shinedown – “Devil”
23. grandson – “Blood // Water”
24. The 1975 – “Love It If We Made It”
25. Walk the Moon – “Kamikaze”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Feel It Still
2. Jumpsuit
3. When the Curtain Falls
4. New Light
5. Hunger

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of August 11, 2018

August 11, 2018

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. Drake – “In My Feelings”
2. Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin – “I Like It”
3. 6ix9ine ft. Nicki Minaj and Murda Beatz – “FEFE”
4. Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B – “Girls Like You”
5. DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, and Quavo – “No Brainer”
6. Post Malone – “Better Now”
7. Juice WRLD – “Lucid Dreams”
8. Ella Mai – “Boo’d Up”
9. Tyga ft. Offset – “Taste”
10. Drake – “Nice for What”
11. Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Psycho”
12. Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry”
13. Taylor Swift – “Delicate”
14. Lil Baby and Drake – “Yes Indeed”
15. Khalid and Normani – “Love Lies”
16. Drake – “God’s Plan”
17. Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey – “The Middle”
18. Ed Sheeran – “Perfect”
19. Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line – “Meant to Be”
20. Marshmello and Anne-Marie – “Friends”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. No Tears Left to Cry
2. Boo’d Up

This Is a Movie Review: A Wild Real-Life KKK Infiltration Makes ‘BlacKkKlansman’ an Essential Spike Lee Joint

August 9, 2018

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

CREDIT: Focus Features

This review was originally published on News Cult in August 2018.

Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace, Jasper Pääkönen, Ryan Eggold, Paul Walter Hauser, Ashlie Atkinson, Robert John Burke, Corey Hawkins

Director: Spike Lee

Running Time: 135 Minutes

Rating: R for Incendiary Language and Images, Plus a Few Outbursts of Violence

Release Date: August 10, 2018

Going undercover is the most nerve-wracking work I can possibly imagine. Living in a constant state of dishonesty causes so many problems. Maybe this is one type of lying that can be justified morally, but that does not mean it is without consequences. It warps your sense of self and tears at the seams of all your close relationships. I have never had to go undercover myself, and thank God, because watching it in movies is stressful enough. The undercover experiences of Jewish Colorado Springs detective Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) only serve to confirm this perception. But the approach of his black partner, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), reveals that at least one person is built to handle the cognitive dissonance of going undercover.

Stallworth and Zimmerman’s infiltration into the Ku Klux Klan is the electrifying and infuriatingly relevant story of BlacKkKlansman, one of the most crowd-pleasing and just plain best joints in Spike Lee’s career. My main reaction to this flick is that if the real Stallworth is anything like the way Washington plays him, then he is one of the most righteously insane people who has ever lived. This is the first black officer in the history of the Colorado Springs police department, and his instinct when he sees a classified ad in the newspaper for the KKK is to contact them for more information. Furthermore, he treats his phone conversations with David Duke (Topher Grace) as an opportunity to pull off a long con to prove to the notorious grand wizard that he is not so adept at telling apart the races as he thinks he is. Stallworth’s actions may put himself and his fellow officers in the line of cross-burning fire, and Zimmerman calls him out for treating what should be a job as a crusade. But when unabashed racism is still delivering deadly violence to its targets, bold action is required to keep people safe.

Lee, of course, does not shy away from the rotting, anti-humanist message at the core of the KKK, but directly calling it out for what it is can still be a lot of fun. The entirety of Stallworth’s dialogue seems designed to inspire the dual reactions of “Can you believe what he’s saying?” and “That’s probably exactly what we need to hear, though.” “With the right white man, we can do anything” might very well be the slogan of American as filtered through the lens of Spike Lee. The KKK members are also a hoot without hiding their despicableness, with Grace seamlessly capturing the banality of evil and Alec Baldwin cameoing as a bumbling propagandist. Laura Harrier is just as essential as a Black Student Union leader who Ron becomes romantically involved with. Their discussions about blaxploitation and where the soul of fighting for justice should lie are the stuff of geeky film buffs’ delight. If you’re looking to have a fun time, seeing BlacKkKlansman is a great option, but Lee makes sure to unequivocally remind us of what we’re fighting for by including a coda of real-life footage from the 2017 Charlottesville riots. The historical passage of time in America is in many ways not so linear, and Lee is doing his best to capture it like lightning.

BlacKkKlansman is Recommended If You Like: Malcolm X, Chi-Raq, American Hustle

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 Crank Calls

Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of August 4, 2018

August 5, 2018

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 of the top 25, now I just rank the cream of the crop.

Original Version
1. Imagine Dragons – “Thunder”
2. Imagine Dragons – “Whatever It Takes”
3. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
4. Imagine Dragons – “Natural”
5. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
6. Foster the People – “Sit Next to Me”
7. lonelytheband – “Broken”
8. Weezer – “Africa”
9. twenty one pilots – “Jumpsuit”
10. Bad Wolves – “Zombie”
11. Panic! at the Disco – “High Hopes”
12. Panic! at the Disco – “Say Amen (Saturday Night)”
13. twenty one pilots – “Nico and the Niners”
14. The 1975 – “Love It If We Made It”
15. John Mayer – “New Light”
16. Godsmack – “Bulletproof”
17. Greta van Fleet – “When the Curtain Falls”
18. Bastille – “Quarter Past Midnight”
19. Muse – “Something Human”
20. Florence + the Machine – “Hunger”
21. Panic! at the Disco – “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”
22. Shinedown – “Devil”
23. Five Finger Death Punch – “Sham Pain”
24. Death Cab for Cutie – “Gold Rush”
25. U2 – “Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Feel It Still
2. Jumpsuit
3. When the Curtain Falls
4. New Light
5. Hunger

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