In case anyone has been living under a rock for the past week, it was announced that David Ortiz, A.K.A. Big Papi, was elected into the first ballot Major League Baseball Hall of Fame while Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens had been rejected yet again. This piece isn’t going to be on whether or not the MLB is wrong for continuing to give the latter two the Pete Rose treatment but more about how this goes a long away to show the dirty, hypocritical side of baseball that has occurred for the last 28 years.
Baseball is certainly a sport that has been known for trying to hide some truly dark secrets. Whether it’s a scandal for cheating, hacking, or abuse, there has been no other sport more famous for rearing it’s ugly head quite like the game of baseball. What makes it even more baffling is the way even when someone gets caught with their pants down with it, the league will still cover it up as if it’s not plain obvious that they have been exposed, practically butt ass naked.
However, there has not been one era of baseball that the sports always seemed to be in denial of not just what good it actually did for the sport but of it’s own mere existence. The era, of course was the steroid era of baseball.
After the player strike in 1994, the state of baseball was in a state arguably worse than the one it is right now. No one seem to give a crap about the sport anymore as there was little reason to get excited or amused by it. That was until two little gentlemen by the name of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire decided to have a nice little friendly competition of who can hit the long ball more than the other. For the longest of time, the single season home run record was held by Roger Maris when he hit a total of 61 home runs in 1961 as a part of the New York Yankees. The two superstars felt that this home run record push would help generate public interest in the sports and why wouldn’t it. Home runs are fun, exciting, and arguably the biggest “goosebumps” moments one can hope to achieve in every ball game that they play. It was throughout the course of the 1998 season that two best buddies made it their quest to top the home record that Maris had held for many years and they did exactly that. McGwire won the race by hitting a total of 70 home runs while Sosa finished a respectful 2nd with 66. It made some of the most fun watching baseball that folks have had for a very long time. Granted, both of their records would eventually later be surpassed by the profoundly polarizing Barry Bonds, when he hit a total of 73 in the 2001 season but this is all honestly besides the point.
Although one could make the argument by specifically thriving on the long ball could risk losing the core appeal of it (a big flaw that has occurred with modern baseball) but it was the right thing to do at the time. The sport was on life support and need some life breathe into it. And how exactly can you bring more life to it than with insane amounts of spectacles, trouts around bases, and breaking high scores . TV ratings went up, tickets sales skyrocketed, it all felt just too good to be true that baseball was alive and well.
And as we sit here during the sport’s first lockout since the infamous mid 1990s era that it indeed was too good to be true. Once the dust settle, it came out that all three of those sluggers along with many others have been juiced and buffed up thanks to the amazing power of steroids. Steroids are the kind of things that athletes can take that can help increase their strength, adrenaline, and be much more “locked in” with what they are doing. Despite steroids being banned from MLB since 1991, there wasn’t any actual leaguewide PED testing until 2003. It’s then that MANY of the so-called superstars in baseball have been exposed of taking steroids allowing them to hit, field, and/or pitch much better than they ever before. Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Rogers Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, Andy Pettitte, Rafael Palmeiro, and the list goes on.
While it’s a massive shame that many ballplayers had to use the amount of performance enhancing drugs to play better to get everybody’s attention, it felt like a necessary evil. The kind of evil that makes it feel more good than bad. After all, it was the amount of long ball and milestone sprints that got baseball back in the media once again. Even if it came at a price, it should be at least worth acknowledging the importance of the steroids era as the kick in the pants that the sport needed to get back in the spotlight.
Unfortunately, just like how in Star Wars where the warriors in Rogue One never was able to receive the credit they truly deserved for the heroic sacrifices they made to gain the Death Star plans, MLB feels it’s best to sweep that time period under the rug and thrown anyone under the bus that was a big part of it as a scapegoat.
Here’s the thing: Major League Baseball could have stopped the steroid era if they wanted to. Even without testing of PEDs, there was still testing with the eyes and scoresheets. It was quite easy to see the significant amount of difference between all the star players and how ridiculously good they were with playing baseball. As much as the league likes to claim they had as little control with that as they do with this current lockout, they could have put a stop into it if they wanted to. So, why didn’t they? Because it was working!
Instead of putting a stop to steroids, Bud Selig and MLB decided to just coast on the cocktails on it instead until they were all gone and everyone was back on the bandwagons. It was only then that they actually turned around and approached this era in a preachy “STEROIDS BAD” way! For a sport that that claims to be so committed to integrity, it’s definition of that specific word always seems to constantly change.
I remember one time that my brother claimed he heard someone say that baseball is better and more interesting when people are cheating. While that claim comes across as extremely arrogant, I think that speaks more volume about the sport rather than the person themselves. Perhaps baseball is just a sport that has been blinded by it’s own stances, beliefs, commitments and “integrity” that it’s holding itself back because of all that. Perhaps it’s lack of progression and evolution over the years has to go back to questioning the rules and traditions that have define the sports for many generations. Perhaps baseball has to be more than just simply baseball to be what is is in the year 2022.
And that all ties back to the steroid era, what once felt like a necessary evil can now been seen as just pure evil. An era which, despite the title of this post, didn’t really “save” baseball but it just delayed its inevitable fate. The fate that we are currently waiting on as we approach of what is suppose to be spring training in the coming weeks.
That it all very reminisce to what sports youtuber, UrinatingTree, claim when talking about the 2017 Houston Astros and their sign stealing (a link to that video will be added at the end of the post). Just like with the Astros when making that title run five years ago, the game of baseball made a deal with the she-devil herself, Succubus. She help conjured steroids as a means to bring relevancy into an old sport and are willing to sacrifice the very well meaning of the sport if it means it can still thrive. But now, the time has come for the league to pay up and who knows how long until that payment is finished or even when it actually starts.
“Oh, how little you truly you knew about the deal you made!“
By rejecting Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, along with many others in the baseball hall of fame, this is the league once again rewriting it’s own history and meaning of integrity by acting as if that steroid era had no significance whatsoever. Trying to write off the importance of the steroid era of baseball is one thing but trying to actively deny that era’s very existence is even worse. And that could be a strong case as to why baseball is the way it is now. By denying the fact that steroids “saved” baseball, it has made the last near three decades of baseball feel like a lie. A great, beautiful little white lie. As long as baseball continues to try to cover up it’s own sins of the past, the more muddled it’s present and future will continue to be.
To paraphrase a quote from Magnolia, “Baseball might be through with the past, but the past ain’t through with baseball.”
Last Sunday’s NFL playoff match-up between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs was one for the ages! It was the equivalent of a really great boxing match up, just two champs going at it and giving out all the blood, sweat, and tears that they have to achieve victory. It was a quarterback duel like we’ve never seen before, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen were absolutely phenomenal in leading their offense lines to touchdown after touchdown to keep the game going in intense and excitement! Two teams giving all they got to get to the NFC Conference championship! It’s games like this that make the game of football as loved and worshipped as it is! Which makes it all the more unfortunate that the fate of the game had to been decided in overtime, or in more simpler terms, a mere coin toss!
It was well into the 4th quarter which just 13 seconds left remaining in the game where Allen threw to his wide receiver, Gabriel Davis for the touchdown to give the Bills a 36-33 lead. It looks as though the game was over but not to Mahomes and the Chiefs. Within just 10 seconds on the game clock that the Chiefs offensive lines where able to gain just enough yards to be within field goal range! It was then that Harrison Butker was tasked to kick one the biggest field goals of his entire life. He was able to get that 49 yard field goal with ease to tie the game for the Chiefs, 36-36, and send this game to overtime!
With the way NFL does overtimes, they do a coin toss before the quarter starts and whoever wins the coin toss gets the ball. When it comes to what score decides the game, the offense kicking a field goal but not a touchdown can allow the other side to either tie the game with a field goal or score a touchdown. However, it’s the team that scores the very first touchdown that decides the outcome of the game. Whoever scores a touchdown first wins the game. The other team doesn’t get another chance to score a touchdown, it’s all over the moment that one side is able to gain those six points with one coverage.
Because of that, the Chiefs were able to win the game in overtime rather easily. As they won the coin toss before overtime started and just needed to score one touchdown to win the game and not have to worry about using their defensive lines one last time to prevent the Bills from scoring. It was 42-36 the final, the Chiefs emerged victorious and the Bills ended up with nothing but heartbreak!
Let me start off by saying that yeah, this is a rule that quite frankly stinks. It doesn’t seem quite fair that the outcome of a game going into overtime can be decided by a coin toss. It be like if in hockey when there’s a shootout and the very first team that scores a goal wins and the other team can’t respond. Or imagine in baseball where the game goes into extra innings and the away team is able to score first and win the game before the home team even has a chance to hit. It just doesn’t seem right. There’s no denying that the rule is BS and should be a rule that the NFL should consider changing in the future.
However, let’s not getting ahead of ourselves, you can’t only point your fingers at the rules for so long and have that be your convenient scapegoat. Even before the overtime, the Bills and Chiefs both had plenty of chances to win the game!
The Chiefs had a good enough lead where all they needed was to run the clock for a few minutes, kick a field goal or two, and have this game secured for themselves! There was also one extra point that they miss that nearly cost them the game. If they didn’t miss that extra point, that would have made things much easier on themselves and the game would at best be tied approaching the end of the 4th quarter without the need for to make one last desperate move to keep the game going. Lucky for them, they were able to bail themselves out to get to OT for a chance to win the game but still, it could have been done without getting themselves and their fandom hearts attacks in the process.
As for the Bills, they literally had the game up for grabs right there. As they fought and clawed their way back into the game and took that 4th quarter lead with that touchdown with just 13 seconds left to go in the game, that was their game for the taking right there. That should have been seen as the final blow. They just needed to stop one more offensive play or two from their opponent and the game is theirs. Instead, they left it slip through their fingers and allowed the Chiefs to kick a field goal to tie the game at the end of regulation. With just 13 seconds left on the clock, the Chiefs were able to get two passes of 45 yards past the Bills so they could get those three points and keep their season alive.
This game was winnable for both sides even before OT started! Regardless of who won because they were able to win a coin toss and get offense, it was both teams that allow their fates to come to this, down to a mere coin toss. If Chiefs didn’t want to be in this position, then they shouldn’t have miss that extra point and allowed Bills to get back in the game. If the Bills didn’t want to be in this position, then they shouldn’t have giving up those two big passes with less than 15 seconds left to go to get the Chiefs within field goal range.
You might think that I’m a Chiefs fan that is telling Bills fans and everyone else to stop whining and accept defeat but quite frankly, I am not, at least to that extend. I actually thought the Bills had been a much better team than many gave them credit for all year and this game only confirms I was right in that case. Regardless of the results of this game, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills do have a very promising future lying ahead with very good things on the rise. Even if the game turned out the other way around, I would still stand by my point with this post.
As much as we emotionally react to way things turn out in sports game due to rules, we shouldn’t force change out of those emotions or they would be more chaos than before. Rules that are established are there for a reason and not out of spite. No matter how dumb a rule might seem, it exists for a reason.
Sports can be unfair at times and give out breaks for opponents but it’s up to those teams to overcome that cheapness and breaks the league may give to their opponents to be able to achieve victory. The best teams find ways to win, not excuses to lose. In this case, the Chiefs found their way to win and the Bills were left with their excuse to lose. It’s now in the hands of the Bills with how they chose to act for next season and beyond. Only they can act wisely to make this devastating lose a haunting memory in the past to pursue for a more uplifting and satisfying future.
Regardless, there’s no crying in football or in any sport and we should all realize that by now.
Major League Baseball is in some DEEP shit right now! Deeper shit it’s been in for quite some time!
MLB is currently in a work stoppage, it’s the first one they’ve been in since 1994 and the 9th time this has happened in the history of the sport! And this is one work stoppage that has potential to do more damage to baseball than ever before.
A lot of the problems has to do with the divisiveness going on between the players unions and baseball ownership. Issues such as compensation with the younger players and limitations on teams tanking/rebuilding to receive big draft picks are ones that have yet to be resolved and agreed upon. There’s also the discussions of expanding the postseason picture (similar to what they did in the shortened season in 2020) and adding new playoff rounds for more teams being able to participate in.
If you’ve been following baseball for awhile now, then you probably know that this is something you’ve saw coming for awhile. Even during 2020 which the season got delayed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we all knew that that was actually going to be the least of this league’s problems in the near future. As the expiration date of the latest CBA was approaching, it was predicted that there would be a lockout along with a potential player strike that would commence following the 2021 season. While the former has already happened, the latter still has yet to occur but it seems more likely every day that it’s a strong possibility.
The divide between the players and owners is at an all time high and a big reason for that has to do with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. While everything may not be 100% his fault as there are things that he can’t control, he really hasn’t done anything to help this situation. Shortly after it was announced that baseball would be headed for a work stoppage, he wrote a letter out to the fans were he basically just pointed his fingers at the players and try to paint himself and the owners as the victims in all of this. That seems really unprofessional to try to paint your own players, the people that makes the sport what it is, as the criminals and yourselves as the innocent bystanders. While there is absolute blame to go around with both sides, you’d think it would be wise for the commissioner and owners to be the more mature ones to own up to their actions and state that you will do everything in your power to make sure this issue is resolved as quickly as possible.
And as if that were enough, about a month after a lockdown has occurred, you would think that the one thing that should be on the commissioner’s mind is to settle the agreement before spring training is schedule to start, right? Wrong! Instead, we have the commissioner having Ken Rosenthal, one of the best baseball writers/reports working today, fired from MLB Network because he dare to question and critique his actions as baseball is settled in it’s first work stoppage in over two and a half decades. If you’ve followed Ken’s work, he is no stranger to criticizing Rob Manfred but he does it from a place of heart. He does it because he wants the absolute best from Major League Baseball. He loves the sport and he’s willing to critique those involved to showcase that. Even then, he hasn’t so much criticize Manfred but more is trying to encourage him and the owners to work to get this matter resolved. It’s called tough love and the commissioner doesn’t seem to be amused by that. Right after a month since baseball has become non-existence, the next thing that came out of it is not that there is a new CPA that has been agreed upon but that one of the best sport writers ever has been relieved of his duty because he was trying to act as a cheerleader. That sure does give me and everyone else hope for the future of the game.
As much as I can go in to which side is right and which side is wrong in this CBA debate, there is one thing that is 100% clear, neither side wants to have the season delayed. Not only because we just recently had baseball delayed and losing money because of Covid, but because there’s a big chance that will lead to baseball being even more irrelevant than ever before.
People have been claiming for at least a couple years now that baseball is on life support. While 2021 shown that claim might be exaggerated in some areas (just see the ratings for MLB.TV, Field of Dreams game and both Wild Card games), there’s plenty of evidence to back those talking points (TV & World Series ratings). Most of this has to do with the fact that MLB and Rob Manfred have really struggled to market this sport properly to this generation of millenniums. For every decent idea they come up with (Field of Dreams game), there comes many more ideas (Starting with a runner on 2nd base in extra innings, seven inning doubleheaders, not marketing superstar players, home run or bust, every pitcher throwing 100 MPHs, over half the teams being allowed in the playoffs, etc..) that brings the whole thing down.
And if baseball is in a bad enough state as it is now, just imagine how worse it will get if the season gets impacted by no agreed upon CBA. That might end up being the final blow to the relevancy of baseball. The one blow that we all thought would send the sport to irrelevancy in the mid 1990s but will surely do now. Unlike with the previous lockout, there’s no way it can be saved by the long ball because they have relied specifically on the long ball since at least 2015. No amount of Fernando Tatis Jr, Aaron Judge, or Mike Trout juicing up and hitting dingers will be able to get people attention this time around because baseball already has enough players doing that!
While baseball is never going to be truly gone for good and will always be around in some form of capacity, there is a strong chance it will lose it’s sense of importance and necessity. The sport may not be as heavily televised as it once was if the season gets postponed or cancelled. Certain sports networks such as ESPN have already given up on making baseball one of its top priorities and it looks as though many more will be to follow. It will take more than just another team breaking an 108-year long World Series drought to get people excited about the sport again.
MLB and the MLBPA is expected to meet again on Monday, January 24th to make an agreement and by that point, they must find something to agree upon and if they don’t, they must find one fast. Delaying this endeavor even further will have MLB not just delaying the season, but delaying it’s own inevitable fate. The fate that the sport of baseball is no longer worth making a big deal off and that the fans of it would be better to move on to greener pastures. There’s already a numerous amount of people that did that following 2020 and who knows how many more will fall in their footsteps if the season gets impacted once again.
The players and owners have had plenty of time to think this thing over and find a resolution. The time to put this issue to rest is NOW! And if you don’t get it done now, then you might as well make the lockdown permanent. By then, most of us will have left and you’ll have to wait for the next generation of millenniums to put Route 66 back on the map!
Microsoft shocked the world earlier this week when it was announced that they would be buying Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion! This gets them exclusive access to game franchises such as Overwatch, World at Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, Candy Crush, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, and a little known series called Call of Duty.
While I can go into the monopoly nature how one company buying so much franchises at once could seen as frightening as say Disney buying Fox or the toxic, misogynist nature of Activision Blizzard (I’ll share a link at the end of the blog) , I want to go into how Microsoft will be able to compete with Sony with this buyout and why this move might make them looking even more worse in hindsight if they don’t take absolute advance with all of it.
It’s not secret that Sony has been ahead of the curve from Microsoft when it comes to gaming for quite some time now. From at the tail end of the seventh generation where the PlayStation 3 outsold the Xbox 360 to the entirety of the eighth generation where Sony practically won by default the moment that Don Mattrick told anybody who didn’t have internet to just get a Xbox 360 (I’ll share a link for that as well), Sony are the ones that have been keeping their opponent in check for at least the past eight years. And if the first few reports of consoles sales are accurate (again link at the end), the ninth generations seems to be in Sony’s hands as the PlayStation 5 seems to be outselling the Xbox Series X by a wide margin.
However, with this purchase of Activision Blizzard, this is Microsoft making a statement that they are putting all of their chips in and going for it. They are looking to provide the amount of exclusive content that will attract more gamers and consumers to their products than ever before.
The main issue with the Xbox One and Xbox Series X was the lacking in exclusive games compare to Sony. With a couple of notable exceptions such as Halo and Minecraft, there wasn’t much from Microsoft’s best-known and well-sold franchises that gained people’s interest compare to Sony’s exclusive franchises such as Uncharted, Last of Us, God of War, Spider-Man, Horizon,Infamous, and Ratchet & Clank. But with the company now owning Blizzard, this would give the indication that they will be able to provide it’s fans and consumers a good amount of games that was once accessible for other consoles but not anymore. Except, there could be a big chance that they won’t do that!
Don’t get wrong, the franchises that are always make big money such as Call of Duty, Diablo, and Overwatch should be just fine despite a potential decrease in sales due to being exclusive to the Xbox One and Xbox Series X. I’m more referring to the smaller franchises such as Crash and Spyro. If Microsoft’s recent history with purchasing other companies like say Rare is anything to go by, franchises like that are about as good as dead.
Remember when Microsoft purchased Rare in the hopes that it would provide exclusive gaming franchises that, despite not really blending with their brand, would at least attract a good portion of casual gamers for series such as Banjo Kazooie, Killer Instinct, and Battletoads that would help make their gaming library look more diverse? Well, as anyone checked up on those franchises as of late?
Since the purchase of Raft, Microsoft has only released one original Banjo Kazooie game, Nuts & Bolts, which to many fans was the oddball of the series and one that they would rather forget. That came out in 2008 by the way and that series has not seen another exclusive game since then. The only other time Microsoft has ever bother to touch Banjo Kazooie again was including them in their retro gaming remasters collection titled Rare Replay in 2015. That is literally all that has been done with that franchise since Microsoft purchased it.
With Killer Instinct and Battletoads, it’s been pretty much the same thing. Those series got thrown in the closet to collect dust, eventually was taken out, was given one game that didn’t set the world on fire, and was then immediately thrown back in the closet to collect more dust. Plus, has anyone heard from Viva Piñata since the show ended aside from coming back along with the others for Rare Replay?
Despite having an advantage over it’s competition with having it’s own gaming franchises that other companies can’t use, Microsoft has done very little with what they’ve purchased with Rare (unless you have really fond memories of Kinect Sports, Sea of Thieves, or think that Everwild is gonna blow everyone away)! Because of that, what makes you think they won’t do the same with the series they now have from Blizzard?
Call of Duty should be safe (especially since reports now claim that it will actually be available on other platforms as well, kind of defeating the whole purpose of having exclusive franchises) but who’s to say that their other series will be as protected, even the ones that have proven to be big successes? If Overwatch 2 doesn’t capture the magic of the original, will that ever be touched again? If Diablo, Starcraft, and World of Warcraft can’t chase it’s own successful tail from it’s past, could those series be put on hold? And is there really any guarantee that Crash and Spyro will ever see the light of day again except for another retro remastered at some point down the road?
If we’re going by the way Microsoft has treated the companies it has purchased, it doesn’t seem like they will bother to do much with the majority of the properties they now own unless they are able to make Halo or Minecraft money! And if that’s not enough to say afloat in the console wars, then this buyout will look even worse in hindsight. Not just because Microsoft didn’t bother to do much with the franchises they now have but it wasn’t even enough to be neck-and-neck with it’s competitors in the gaming market.
Perhaps I could be wrong and I’m just overreacting but with this purchase of Activision Blizzard, this might put Microsoft and the franchises they now own in an even worse position than ever before. And that’s not even bringing up the numerous amount of allegations that Blizzard is receiving on a daily basis.
Sexual Harassment Allegations from Activision Blizzard
*Warning*: This post contains minor spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home! If you haven’t seen the movie yet and don’t want anything spoiled, then I would advise to watch the movie first before reading through what I’m about to say. Nothing major but you have been warned!
It’s been about a month since Spider-Man: No Way Home has been released in theaters and has turned out to be one, giant success! Not just commercially (raking around $1.631 billion at the time of this post) but also critically! It’s a movie that had manages to please both the movie going audience along with the Spider-Man fanbase! There is hope for humanity after all!
It offers Tom Holland as his absolute best as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, giving the character more depth and intrigue than he did in his previous two solo movies, finally utilizing the potential of this version of Spider-Man that had previously shown glimpses of it in his extended cameo in Captain America: Civil War and his side roles in the last two Avengers movies. Unlike Homecoming and Far From Home before it, it finally gave you an indication as to what this Spider-Man actually IS rather than what he is NOT! I have legit interest to see where they go with this version of the character next and am anxious to see what Marvel has cooking up for the web slinger in his near future!
However, the two big highlights of the entire film that everyone has been talking about were the returns of *minor spoiler warning* Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their own respective versions of Spider-Man! (Again, did you HONESTLY think they were bringing back the villains from their own movies but not also bring back themselves here?! Come on!)
No Way Home gave both versions exactly what everybody hope they would get when it was first rumored that they were likely to be reprising their roles! It brought back their own versions of Spider-Man that still stand out as their own, ties nicely into the MCU’s version of Spider-Man respectively and his overall arc in the film, offered plenty of funny banter and dialogue exchanges, exciting action scenes with their all of the villains, and wrapped up their stories arcs in a much more meaningful way than perhaps their own individual franchises did. There was a lot to appreciate with the way both versions were handled in this movie.
So much appreciation as a matter of fact that it has fans demanding for a continuation/conclusion of both of their individual story arcs in the forms of Spider-Man 4 and The Amazing Spider-Man 3. While I do understand wanting to see more of them as Spider-Man and wanting a second chance to end their own franchises on a higher note than their previous finales did, I do believe that it is for the best that none of this happens.
And this isn’t just talking about my overall personal opinions on both version of Spider-Man (I’m a lover of the original Sam Raimi trilogy but could care less for both of Marc Webb’s films!) but more of what is honestly best for Spider-Man and his future!
Firstly, there’s a main reason why Spider-Man 4 and The Amazing Spider-Man 3 did not get made in the first place! It wasn’t because neither film made money (Spider-Man 3 made nearly 895 million globally and Amazing Spider-Man 2 made 709 million) but because what happened on the creative side, the original ideas for these intended sequels were just awful and would have caused even more damage to their own respected franchises!
With Spider-Man 4, the big reason that it was cancelled just right before it was suppose to start production in January 2010 was because Sam Raimi was not satisfy with any script written for it and felt he would not be able to match the deadline of May 2011 that he agreed to with Sony. Raimi has gone on record multiple times that he was not happy with the way Spider-Man 3 turned out and wanted to redeem himself with the 4th installment, making it the best Spider-Man film he’s made yet! But, he could never reach those personal goals in the development process. Raimi has stated that Spider-Man 4 went through at least four different script iterations and despite bringing in different screenwriters who did multiple revisions, he didn’t like a single finished script for it! It was because of that, Sony decided to part ways with Raimi and move on to reboot the brand with The Amazing Spider-Man, something Sony had already planned for even before this project was cancelled.
When looking at some of the original ideas for Spider-Man 4 (I’ll provide some leaks for it at the end of the post along with the ones for Amazing Spider-Man 3), it’s not hard to see why Raimi had such a hard time coming up with a script he was happy with or was at least cohesive. Most of these ideas seem rather bizarre and would have ended the franchise on a rather dour, depressing note, even more so than 3. From the Vulture taking over the Daily Bugle and revealing himself to be MJ’s father (Yes, really!) to Peter cheating on MJ behind her back with Felicia Hardy and destroying their relationship (some superhero), to Peter outright quitting being Spider-Man at the end (making Spider-Man 2 feel worthless), this movie just seemed like it would be a recipe for disaster and would definitely not be the return to form that the franchise needed in order to continue after the polarizing response to Spider-Man 3.
As for Amazing Spider-Man 3, there’s hasn’t been a whole lot released about what the movie would have been like. However, there is one story element revealed that is so awful that it in of itself shows that this movie would have failed big time (and that’s not even bringing up the quality of the previous two Amazing Spider-Man movies). According to a 2015 interview from Denis Leary (the actor of Captain Stacy) along with other sources, ASM3 would have had Peter using his own blood to be able to clone other people in order to bring new life into those that have passed away. Because Peter was still feeling his fair share of grief over the death of his former girlfriend, Gwen, he would have attempt to clone her and her father in the hopes of healing his own personal wounds. That is stupid beyond measures!
That idea in of itself showcases how ill-fated and poorly thought out the whole Amazing Spider-Man franchise was! Along with the numerous sequels and spin-offs that were already announced at the time before a single script from them had been written, Sony had hit an absolute brick wall with this series and didn’t know what to but to go to Marvel for help!
But the reasons both of these intended sequels should never be able to see the light of day is not just because of the original premises and ideas sounding rather poor, it’s because we kind of already got both of those movies in the form of No Way Home.
In No Way Home, it’s able to tie up the loose story threads that fans had been hoping for along with giving both version a fitting end to their own arcs.
By the end, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man had fully formed into his own identity of Spider-Man the way he wants, had worked out his relationship with MJ, and was able to see the humanity in his villains (which was suppose to be a key theme in 3) along with help giving them the redemptions that he had failed to give them in his own universe. That nice, little scene with Doc Ock just showcases how far his version of Spider-Man has come along with the people that grew up with it.
As with Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, he was able to share the pain and grieve he had to go through with not being able to save Gwen with the other respected Spider-Men and showcases how even though being Spider-Man is hard, it’s something that he has to keep doing because it’s his responsibility. It dealt with the fallout of that tragic death in a much, more meaningful way than just having him clone her (seriously what were they thinking?) along with help showing the MCU’s Spider-Man the consequences of being a hero and how being Spider-Man will mean that those you love can pay the price. And also him saving Zendaya’s MJ from certain death was a nice touch as well.
Those were all more than satisfying ways to wrap up their story arcs! Why ruining that?
Aren’t we at the point where we should just settle in and focus on the current MCU Spider-Man we have now as the ending of the film would suggest? Shouldn’t we move on to tell exciting, new stories with the rose gallery of Spider-Man characters and villains we still have yet to see on the big screen? Can’t we allow Tom Holland to truly shine as his own, unique Spider-Man without the baggage from the Avengers or the previous Spider-Man incarnations to bring him down? Isn’t it time to move on from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield?
I don’t want to give the indication that I dislike Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man has always remained a special place in my heart since childhood and while I don’t care for either Amazing Spider-Man movie, I do know that Andrew Garfield is a gifted actor and he has shown when given the right material and that one big moment comes, he can really nail the Spider-Man persona. Both versions has their own pros and cons along with their own respected fanbases but they’ve have their time and it’s time to let let Tom Holland and other future Spider-Man incarnations have theirs!
That’s not to say I’m totally against the idea of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning at all as Spider-Man! If it’s for a voice role for a future Spider-Man game or Spider-Verse movie, then I would be totally down with that! But let’s not make the mistake of trying to breath life into two long, forgotten projects that would most certainly had failed if the original ideas for both of them are anything to go by.
So, what do you all think about the possibility of there being a Spider-Man 4 or Amazing Spider-Man 3? Do you agree with me that they shouldn’t be made or disagree and feel they should happen? Let me know in the comments below!
Also, as I mentioned earlier, here are some of the links to certain articles, fan sites, and leaked scripts/treatments that show what the intended ideas for these two Spider-Man movies were!
It’s quite ironic how just mere hours before my screening of Scream, my Twitter timeline was filled with retweets and users I follow typing up qts from Star Wars nerds complaining about how the new Star Wars show, The Book of Boba Fett, “ruins” the title character because he’s not a blood thirsty killer in it and that the show didn’t “feel” like Star Wars because it’s got characters that have their own motorcycles or something. And just mere minutes before I headed off to see it, I found a tweet of someone claiming that George Lucas never had anything to do with the success of the original Star Wars trilogy and that he just got “lucky” (Yes, believe it or not, there is still George Lucas hate out there in 2022). Perhaps that person didn’t mean to come across as bitter as they did, but with the way the tweet came out, they came across of it in a very “I know Star Wars better than it’s own creator” kind of way. (And this isn’t even bringing up the actually film’s mention of a certain installment from this same franchise and calling out the certain fanbases’ response to it).
The reason I’m pointing this out is because it’s absolutely incredible the way that the Scream franchise has stood the test of time and remained socially relevant to this day. Regardless of the actual quality itself (one instant classic followed by (for the most part) pretty solid sequels), it’s purely fascinating how any one of those movies can come out today and (aside from a few pop culture references) would still remain accurate as to the very “ins and outs” of filmmaking and the general public’s reaction to each franchise’s installment.
Every single installment has had some meaningful commentary on what goes on and off the camera. The first one is about horror classics and the tropes it follows, the second one is about sequels and the expectations of living up to the original, the third one is about trilogy capers and the misogynist nature in Hollywood (which remains awkward considering the man who produced it) , the fourth one is about reboots and remakes (which is odd because it’s technically not a reboot or remake, it’s still a sequel), and this fifth installment is about what else other than legacy-quels (or as the film call its, “requels”), the way fandom interprets it, and what happens when that toxic side of the fandom tries to take things into their own hands.
This has always been the textbook definition of “have you cake and eating it too”! But despite all of that (and if we’re being honest because of it), this franchise still work well as it’s own thing and is able to get away with it’s meta/self-aware commentary in a way that many other franchises fall flat. It’s perhaps (by default) the most consistent horror movie franchise out there!
And the big reason why Scream 5 (or as I like to call it 5cream) works as well as it does is because it follows the meta-narrative to a t and doesn’t try to convince you that it’s trying to do anything else otherwise.
Film Synopsis: Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, Calif., a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.
Similar to the more recent “requels” that have come out, 5scream follows a new set of original characters that carry the film on their shoulders and have the legacy cast become secondary. These new characters finds a whole crew of teenagers, some of which have a connection to past of these legacy characters, and are eventually lead by legend Dewey Riley (who has had a fallout with Gale Weaters) to find evidence of the killers of the past to uncover the mystery of this brand new killer in the present. These connections and events eventually leads to Sidney Prescott to return to the spotlight and leads to more slashing and killing than ever before.
Make no mistake, 5cream contains some of the brutal, gory kills in the entire franchise. It goes all out of it and never holds back. Even during some moments where perhaps fans might feel like it takes a step too far with the killing and who it chooses to kill off, the film instead takes at least three or four steps too far with extremely affective kills and characters’ deaths that turns into an absolute blood bath by the end of it.
There’s also plenty of meta humor throughout but unlike say Scream 3, it never goes too overboard with it and makes it matter to the events that transpire throughout. You’ll be having the time of your life following these group of teenagers and seeing what sort of weird, convenient way that it leads back to the original trio of characters.
And these group of teenagers we are presented with in this installment are quite entertaining and likable in their own rights. Melissa Barrera’s Sam Carpenter and Jenna Ortega’s Tara Carpenter are probably the most engaging ones of them all with their whole sister dynamic and potential connections to the original set of characters. Jack Quaid’s Richie Kirsch fits well as the caring boyfriend even if you can see the direction his character goes by at least the 2nd or 3rd scene with him. And the rest of the new cast with the likes of Mason Gooding’s Chad Meeks-Martin, Mikey Madison’s Amber Freeman, Dylan Minnette’s Wes Hicks, and Jasmin Savoy Brown’s Mindy Meeks-Martin fit comfortably in the world of 5Scream which was is mostly their own versions of the teenagers from the original with a couple bit of new twists thrown in with their charcters.
However, the film’s weakness comes in the form of the original cast. David Arquette’s Dewey Riley is given the most screen time and is the character that gone through the most change since the last movie. He’s basically given a similar role to Han Solo in The Force Awakens of helping guiding this group of new blood through it’s bleak past to make for what is hopefully a brighter future. Courtney Cox’s Gale Weathers doesn’t have as much interaction with Riley and is treated as more of an afterthought than previous movies. Marley Shelton’s Judy Hicks has about the same amount of screen presence as she did in the previous one, which is basically in the sense that she’s “just there”! And then there’s Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott! While it’s always great to see Neve Campbell on the big screen, this does feel like the installment that adds the least amount of depth to Sidney as a character. She has less screen time here than in any of the previous movies and is given the less material to work with because the mystery that unravel here don’t amount to much to the character of Sidney herself but more of her connection to the others. The film hints early on at a connection which could make it the most personal conflict for Sidney in the franchise but then contradicts that into something a lot less interesting. It just feels like another mess that Sidney feels like she needs to clean up. Again, Neve Campbell herself is great in her iconic role as the original Scream queen but lacks a role as interesting as say, Jamie Lee Curtis in the last two Halloween movies.
This is also the very first time in any one of these movies where I could see the identity of the killer coming from the minute that the character shows up. Despite the twists and turns that the movie tries to make you keep guessing and have you think maybe it’s not that person, it always came back to that one person you’ve seen from the moment they show up. At least the Ghostface reveal in Scream 3 was still shocking in it’s own right even if it was in a very “WTF!” way!
And just like with the sequels that have come before it, it’s hard to basically tell what sort of twist, meta, and handling of story elements can be considered as lazy or clunky screen writing and the ones that are actually suppose to be that way because that was the actual point of it all.
But still, it’s hard to complaint too much when the most of the kills and blood effects still land and it’s meta commentary will have you at least thinking on how much it’s gonna piss off the worst kind of people in the very best way possible. 5cream is yet another really solid sequel that can’t quite match the original classic but it’s enjoyable enough in it’s own right that even the fumbling of the returning cast can be overlooked because of how enjoyable the new cast of characters in this entry are.
I’m not entirely sure where you go next with this franchise but perhaps, it’s best to find a stopping point sometime soon before a few years down the line we get a sixth installment that’s all about multiverses and have all of the Ghostfaces from the past come together to get revenge of Sidney or something silly like that.
(That’s actually gonna happen, isn’t it?! What have I done?!)
I was originally planning to write a review for The 355 but quite frankly, I couldn’t think of enough material about it that could make for a full review. So before I go into details about why we shouldn’t look at the underperformance of this movie in the way most people likely will, I will just give you my brief thoughts on this early January flick.
Short version, it’s not very good. Yet another example of a movie relying strictly on star power and charisma hoping it can make up for completely illogical plotting and bland characterization! It tries to do it’s own spin on the Bond and Bourne franchise without even having the slimmest idea as to why either one of those franchises were able to work in their own right! This would certainly be a Netflix rental exclusive at best if it wasn’t for it’s incredibly talented cast attached to it. Simon Kinberg seems like a likable man but should seriously just stick to producing and leave writing/directing out of it. It has some fine performances and serviceable action scenes but this is the exact definition of a “January movie” and one that you can skip. I’d probably give it 1.5 out of 4 stars if I were to give it a star rating.
However, the overall quality of The 355 is not the topic for this piece but on the general consensus that seems to imply that the film’s bad reviews and low box office results is yet another example on how female-lead action movies or just female-lead movies in general don’t sell and Hollywood should just stop making them. I always found this to be a rather preposterous take that makes me groan like a cow every single time this is brought up.
Here’s the thing, folks! If it was truly the case that women can’t carry cinema, then Hollywood would have stopped doing it a long time ago! Regardless of the politics behind the cameras, at some point, there will come a breaking point and they would just stop doing it all together. There’s only so many times where they will try to do something while losing so much money as a result. Although, if we’re going by certain research from a few years ago, movies starring women DOES in fact make more money than movies starring men. Don’t believe me, just check out this article from 2018!
And yet we still have this same tired talking point every single time that these certain type of movies staring a certain type of gender never makes big bank and how it must be because of that certain gender. Even when you do bring up a movie or franchise that has actually been successful with that certain gender, it’s always seen as an exception or comes with a “Yeah, but…” claim.
You bring up the success of Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel and the counterpoint is always, “Yeah, but they’re superhero movies that’s part of a male-dominated sub-genre!” (Which of course didn’t help in the slightest when Elizabeth Banks brought that exact point up). You bring up the success of Twilight and The Hunger Games and the counterpoint is always, “Yeah, but they are based on books!” You bring up the Resident Evil or Tomb Raider movies (at least the Angelina Jolie ones) and the counterpoint is always, “Yeah, but that’s based on a popular video game franchise!” You bring up the rose gallery of movies centered around Disney princesses and heroines that have stood the test of time such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Mulan, Tangled, Frozen, Moana, etc.. and the counterpoint is always, “Yeah, but they’re movies aimed for kids and families!” For whatever reason, there are certain folks out there (and I’m not just talking angry Youtubers who would certainly make constant videos about why Ellen Ripley or Sarah Connor is a Mary Sue if the original Alien and Terminator came out today) that are still in that same, stubborn mindset that a women-led property just can’t succeed on it’s own merits and if it does, then it’s just because it’s attached to a brand that is so dominated by males that it would make it impossible to fail.
What’s even more baffling is how nearly every single counterpoint brought up could easily be backed up with another movie just like those that didn’t do so hot at the box office regardless of gender. There has been just as many female-lead movies that have succeeded as there are many female-lead movies that have failed.
If Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel were successful just because they’re superhero movies, then why didn’t audience go see Dark Phoenix and Birds of Prey (No, Covid is not an excuse for the latter! That movie was underperforming even before the pandemic happened!)? If Twilight and The Hunger Games were successful just because they’re movies based on popular books, then why did audience eventually stop showing up for Divergent and Maze Runner (Y’know, the latter which is a MALE lead series!)? If Resident Evil and Tomb Raider were successful just because it’s based off a well-known video game series, then why didn’t audience support Doom, Max Payne, Street Fighters, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and Assassin’s Creed (Again, all male lead series!) If all those Disney princesses/heroine movies were successful because they’re movies for kids and families, then how do you explain all the other numerous “kid/family” movies out there that parents didn’t take their children to see like say The Black Cauldron or Treasure Planet?
Even when a female-led movie comes along that doesn’t make it’s money back, there’s usually always another one that comes right around the corner after that’s able to be a big hit no problem! It happens so often in fact that I’m stunned people still chose to stick to a certain narrative just because.
When Ghostbusters: Answer the Call couldn’t make enough money, next year came the likes of Wonder Woman and Atomic Blonde that were notable successes to prove those misogynistic claims wrong. When Ocean’s Eight didn’t make nearly as much as the other Oceans movies, there came Incredibles 2 that had Elastic Girl front and center which became a billion-dollar smash hit! When Terminator: Dark Fate and Charlie’s Angels failed to break even, there came Frozen 2 which eventually became the most successful animated film of all time that didn’t involve a soulless remake of a beloved Disney property. When Birds of Prey couldn’t gain an audience pre-Covid, TheInvisible Man was able to become that one last big box office smash hit just before theaters closed! Heck, I guarantee once The 355 fails to break even, we’ll have Scream to come to the rescue this weekend and show how the world is still in love with Neve Campbell despite being released in January!
These examples I bring up are not exceptions! They are the REAL deal! They are undeniable proven facts that people will go see movies with women if the movies look appealing to them.
And that’s not even bringing up the horror genre! Y’know, a genre in which there are multiple film franchises driven swiftly by women! A genre that has seen enormous successes such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream,Carrie, Black Christmas, and Hellraiser along with more recent hits such as You’re Next, The Babadook, It Follows, Split, Happy Death Day, A Quiet Place, Hereditary, Us, Ready or Not, and The Invisible Man! Sure, you can argue that it’s the male villains in those that make those movies/series iconic such as Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger but it’s mostly the female characters that are driven force in them and the films themselves always tells the stories through their perspectives. Audience wouldn’t go see the new Halloween if they didn’t think they could get behind Laurie Strode or was at least worth following to get to Michael Myers!
What’s most ludicrous is how there’s a perfectly valid non-sexist reasoning for just about every single female-led movie that isn’t successful that could simple apply to male-led movies that suffer the same fate? When Dredd, Blade Runner 2049, and Rambo: The Last Blood were the box office bombs that they were, was there ever any article around the time those movies came out about how male-led films don’t sell and Hollywood should stop trying to sell masculinity to the general public? No, because there was always numerous examples that show that is simple not the case. And that also applies with female-driven films as well.
Ghostbusters: Answer the Call didn’t underperformed because of women, it underperformed because people were turned off by the trailers and it didn’t look like the Ghostbusters movie they’ve been waiting for all these years (also it’s 144 million dollar budget didn’t help either). Ocean’s Eight wasn’t the least successful Ocean’s movie because of women, it’s because it was a series that was running of gas and couldn’t live up to the original (each Ocean’s movie made less money than the last, mind you). Terminator: Dark Fate and Charlie’s Angels didn’t tanked because of women, they tanked because they were both part of franchises that had been run into the ground and/or audiences were just no longer invested in. Birds of Prey didn’t find an audience because of women, it didn’t find an audience because of it’s lack of marketing and including a rating that wasn’t suitable for it’s target audience.
All in all, we have got to stop having this same discussion over and over and over again about how women-led flicks are the Achilles heel to cinema and need to be stopped at all costs! It’s all just so very exhausting, tiresome, and contain plenty of evidence that prove otherwise!
The355 is a dud and (most likely) will be a flop at the box office but I promise you it’s not because of the reasons that internet assholes will have you claim. It’s because it’s an early January movie! It’s because people most likely went to see Spider-Man: No Way Home a third or fourth time instead! It’s because of the rise of the Omicron variant that could potentially lead to theaters shutting down again! Or quite frankly, it’s because it’s something that most audience either don’t know about or feel that it’s not worth investing their time in!
And I sure hope we don’t have to have this exact same discussion next week after the box office results come from the new Scream! Help us, Neve Campbell! You’re our only hope!
I’m a bit late on this one but here are the best movies of 2021 (that I actually saw).
Some important disclaimers: when making these lists, I always like to create separate categories for some specific flicks. These categories include “unqualifiable mention” and “special mention”.
The unqualifiable mention refers to a specific film from a franchise that could be destined to be an all-time classic or even a game changer for the genre or medium it’s a part of but it’s quality is strongly dependent on how the next installment favors and will largely determine whether or not that specific film will stand the test of time.
The special mention refers to a specific film that I couldn’t find room to put into my best-of lists, even in the honorable mention category, but I do think it’s at least worth a shoutout. Whether it’s from a personal bias or a film that has been overlooked/undiscovered, this category is reserved specifically for those kind of films.
This year, my unqualifiable mention goes to *brace myself*…..
Dune
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is a remarkable and impressive visual achievement that was hands down one of the biggest “must-see” experiences in IMAX theaters in 2021. With it’s enormous scale, diverse cast, and world building like we haven’t seen before in recent memory, this sci-fi epic is just ready to insert itself into every book of “movies you must watch before you die” imaginable!
That being said, Dune doesn’t so much feel like a whole movie but more like Dune: Part I. While it does end on an intriguing cliffhanger, we won’t know how worthwhile this experience will be until after we have seen the complete picture in a year or two from now.
I have no doubt the next one can deliver and make this movie go down in history as one of the finest accomplishments in it’s genre but for now, we can only wait and see how Part II delivers.
As for my special mention, this goes to a flick that not very many people saw. While it didn’t quite make my best-of list, I feel this one deserves a shoot-out.
Dead Pigs
This might be considering cheating as this movie *technically* came out during film festivals in 2018 but for whatever reason, this only got released until nearly three years later for everybody else through streaming services so why not count it!
Before making her blockbuster debut in 2020 with the absolute blast that was Birds of Prey, Cathy Yan’s first official film debut came with Dead Pigs. This film help showcases Yan’s mastery of making films that’s is undoubtedly absolutely weird and quirky but is just so “out there” that you can’t help but just love it! Featuring engaging characters, fantastic cinematography, and the perfect balance of comedy, drama, and emotion, this is one feature debut that is definitely worth checking out.
Dead Pigs is out now on Mubi, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Google Play anyone that is interested in checking it out.
Now, onto the real list!
Starting off with the honorable mentions (or #21-11)!
21.) The Fear Street Trilogy
Again, technically cheating since this is actually three films, but who cares, I liked them all the same! Paying homages to the various sub genres of the time period that the trilogy takes place in while also spoofing them in a way that feels respectful instead of just poking fun! This Netflix trilogy manages to walk a fine line between cheesy, nostalgic, and gory without going too far in any one of those categories.
I had an absolute blast with this trilogy!
20.) Raya and the Last Dragon
Could this have worked better as a Disney Plus series rather than a movie? Absolutely!
Is this one script rewrite or two from being an all-time classic? Absolutely!
Is this still one fun, engaging, gorgeous animated, action packed flick with arguably the most badass Disney heroine since Mulan? Absolutely!
19.) Candyman
Could have used an extra 15 or 20 minutes to tightening up the pacing and ending but this is still a mostly great follow-up to the original with superb directing from Nia Dacosta. I have no doubt that Captain Marvel 2 is in safe hands!
18.) Nobody
The one surprising action flick in 2021 that showed the world that Bob Odenkirk can still kicks some ass even as he’s approaching his 60’s!
There’s some John Wick influence here throughout but who cares, this still rules!
17.) The Power of the Dog
If there’s anything to go by for this movie, it’s that I would not survive a day working on a cattle ranch.
Another thing to go by is that both Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee are exceptionally underrated talents that deserve much more recognition!
16.) Encanto
I’m not quite in love with the songs as much as the rest of the world is but this is still another winner for Disney Animation Studios!
It’s also really nice to have a movie where people who have magical superpowers don’t use it to fight bad guys but use them to help one another and take care of the ones they love!
15.) Free Guy
The one movie that Film Twitter has a big grudge against for whatever non-Jeremy Jahns related reason.
This is still a very surprising and subversive take on video games that is able to suck you into it’s world and makes it hard to make you want to get out of it.
Sure, there’s a bit of nostalgia here and there but when it’s done as well as it is along with making you care for a literal A.I., then I say it’s earned it.
This is another example of how the best “video game” movies are the ones that are not exclusively BASED on video games but ones that are ABOUT video games!
14.) tick, tick….Boom!
A nice, moving musical about how being creative can suck and having to go through that mentally draining process of it while thinking deep down that there will be light at the end of that tunnel.
This might top The Social Network of being the very best performance ever giving by Andrew Garfield!
Not always the biggest fan of musicals but when they work for me, they REALLY work for me!
Btw, yes I liked this one more than Into the Heights! Don’t @ me!
13.) The Suicide Squad
Second time was definitely the charm here with James Gunn delivering the entertaining, intense, action-packed, edgy, and just plain bonkers Suicide Squad movie that we all wanted the first time around!
Not a single performance falls flat and not a single character (despite their amount of screen time) feels underutilized!
Everything just clicks here this time around!
Bring on, Peacemaker!
12.) Judas and the Black Messiah
Most of you have probably have already since this was one of the first genuinely great films to come out in 2021 along with it’s best picture nomination!
But in case you haven’t, fix that!
An exceptionally well made film about those coming together to fight for a voice in a way that’s serious and incredibly grounded. Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield are especially great here!
11.) Pig
On paper, this shouldn’t work at all as a serious, mend to be taken seriously movie!
A gritty and bleak film about depressed and downbeat Nicolas Cage looking for his poor, kidnapped pig!
That had to be a pitch than even Cage himself must have laughed at in the beginning!
But yet, this is able to work brilliantly! Whether is in spit of itself or because of it, it just works!
It just goes to show you that a bad idea does not always equal bad execution!
Just make sure to grab some tissues before pressing play!
And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for, my top 10 best movies of 2021!
10.) Nightmare Alley
It’s absolutely insane the way that Guillermo del Toro continues to either top or at least matches himself! Easily one of the most creative, inventive, and visually pleasing directors today, Nightmare Alley see del Toro putting his own spin on the 1946 classic of the same name along with the book it’s based on.
Whether it manages to top or match the 1947 version or the book is up for debate but there’s no denying he created a version of Nightmare Alley that stands perfectly well as it’s own unique thing. Using all the trademarks and skillset that del Toro is well known for, this tells a great tale in the neo-noir sub genre about a man facing the consequences of his action that was driving by his own pride.
Bradley Cooper suits the role well as a manipulative and despicable a-hole, Cate Blanchett continues to find ways to out-hot herself as the femme fatale, and when is Willem Dafoe ever not been awesome (Between this and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Christmas 2021 will be remember as the one where he able to show the world once again what a national treasure he is!) !
Don’t know if I would call this del Toro’s best but this is still up there as one of the “not miss” movie experiences of 2021!
9.) A Quiet Place: Part II
I’m quite shocked not more people are talking about this one. Whether it’s because this was one of the very first films to come out once all movie theaters started to re-open or it got lost in the sea of other horror flicks that came out in the same year, A Quiet Place: Part II is still a really superb sequel!
It manages to be just as good as it’s predecessor (if not better in some areas) and is one of the better horror sequels in recent memory. It shows that there is still more to explore within this world with just as much suspense, insanity, and brutal kills as the original!
This one sees the family split up as they get out of their comfort zone to discover who else is left on the other side of the word and whether or not they can bring an end to this universe ruled by blind alien monsters!
It manages to continue the story in a very organic way and sets the tables well for an absolute banger of a third part finale! Even then, it works just when watching it back-to-back with the original making it feel like an absolutely complete experience on it’s own!
With what went on throughout 2021 along with the swarm of other horror flicks to come out last year, this one was easy to forget about but I did not! And if you did, check this out or watch it again! It’s that good!
8.) Spencer
Masterfully directed by Pablo Larrain and superbly acted by Kristen Stewart, this historical piece of fiction and psychological drama is unquestionably the most claustrophobic work of art that was released in cinema in 2021.
This one will get under your skin and make you feel uncomfortable with the horrors that awaits Princess Diana all throughout the film. Here we witness Princess Diana trying to escape the family prison that she’s been held captive for so long with her ex-husband Prince Charles only to find out that she’s actually a part of labyrinth that she may never be able to get out of.
Throughout each and every minute of it’s 117-minute long runtime, Larrain perfectly captures the sense of dread and agony that occurs with Princess Diana. Kirsten Stewart is unrecognizable and absolutely EXTRAORDINARY here! Perfectly displaying herself as one of the finest actresses in Hollywood (Don’t @ me!) and will most certainly be up for an Oscar nomination!
This certainly ain’t the easiest watch but this is one that will absolutely suck you in the moment that it starts!
7.) The Last Duel
And speaking of excellent movies that aren’t an easy watch, Ridley Scott’s first of two 2021 features brings us, The Last Duel, a epic historic tale about rape, vengeance, and what happens when powerful men use their powers for their own, disturbing pleasure. But again, like Spencer, if you are able to handle this material, you are in for quite a ride with The Last Duel.
This manages to tell the story of a woman and her husband fighting their lives to expose the truth of sexual assault even if it might cost them their lives in a way that’s most intriguing. Dividing the picture into three different chapters is a genius movie and helps see a different view point of the events that transpires to this Me Too but in medieval times tale!
All of the men of this movie give fine (if not a bit hammy and over-the-top) performances but the real standout is Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrogues, the victim behind this tragic harassment! Perfectly conveying all the grief, agony, and suffering see goes throughout the course of the film portraying a woman that must expose the ugly truth that rears behind these powerful but disgraceful men!
And the final, last duel itself is an absolute all-timer!
6.) King Richard
When it comes to young children becoming famous and getting exposed to the paparazzi-like media, one side that is not looked much upon by people is the side of the parents. Sure, children comes first and foremost but the parents are as equally responsible for being able to guide and teach their kids on how to get through life with the lights shining directly on them.
In comes King Richard, this biopic sports drama showing the success and growth of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams as young girls through the perspective of their overprotective but still very meaningful father, Richard Williams. This dives deep into the process and difficulty of being a mom or dad having to guide their children through fame and glory. Manage to display all the accomplishments and achievements that the Williams sisters were able to gain as superb tennis players while showing how they got to where they are thanks to their daddy!
Whether or not you’re a fan of tennis, this will engage you thanks to it’s sharp directing and terrific performances. Will Smith hasn’t been this good in a long time and it’s 145-minute long runtime feels genuine in every way.
Even in the same year which saw the release of American Underdog, the story about that football quarterback who would eventually lead my favorite football team to it’s first (and likely only) Super Bowl title ever, this was still my favorite sports related film of the year.
5.) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
There’s not much to say differently than I already said in my 2021 Marvel ranked list but man, was Shang-Chi not a fun and refreshing great time at the theaters! It’s proof that Marvel still knows how to take the familiar origin beats that they’ve become accustom to but still deliver something innovative and new in the process! Taking a stamp from traditional martial art movies, Shang-Chi delivers some of the best and most creative action sequences in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe to date!
Simi Lulu is so damn cool as Shang-Chi, Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Xu Wenwu makes for an engaging baddie, and the women steal nearly every single scene that they are in (especially Meng’er Zhang’s Xialing).
Shang-Chi and the Legend of Two Rings is definitely among the very best features to ever come out of the MCU. If Marvel continues to release projects as good as this, then this franchise is not going to slow down anytime soon!
For more of my in-depth thoughts on this movie, go read my post of All the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies and TV Series Ranked that I already published.
4.) Last Night in Soho
This is arguably Edgar Wright’s most polarizing film to date. Some felt that Wright was too in love with his own style and that let it get in the way of the substance of the story. However, that was definitely not the case for me.
Last Night in Soho made for a rather unique and mesmerizing experience that kept my attention from beginning to end. This psychological thriller sees a young woman out on her own for the first time ever and having to experience the toxic and stressful nature of being out of your own bird’s nest along with the pressure of being a person that you are not.
Edgar Wright always brings his A-game behind the camera but he goes all out here with his beautiful cinematography, stellar costume designs, chilling score, top-notch directing, and haunting imagery and performances that will stick with you even after the credits roll.
Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy are terrific here showing the two sides of the same coin of a woman’s poignant experience of being out on her own in a world full of troubled men and women.
Last Night in Soho is not an experience I guarantee you’ll love but it’s definitely an experience that is worth experiencing and will certainly have you thinking long after it ends.
3.) Spider-Man: No Way Home
If there’s one superhero (or just one character in general) I love in the world, it’s Spidey!
However, for how amusing and enjoyable the previous two MCU Spidey flicks were in their own rights, I felt there was something that was missing from them.
Whatever that something was, it’s certainly not on display in Spider-Man: No Way Home. No Way Home seems to be the MCU Spider-Man made directly for me. Even if it brings backs villains from other Spider-Man movies including the actual Spider-Men themselves, No Way Home is essentially about the MCU’s version of Spider-Man coming into his own version as Spider-Man and dealing with the guilt and consequences of being a person behind the mask. The two specific motivations that has already driven the character of Spider-Man.
Taking a page from Into the Spider–Verse, No Way Home brings different versions of Spider-Man and his villains together while showcasing just why being Spider-Man is so hard yet is someone that Peter Parker still has to be. Just like with Spider-Verse, it never loses focus on the main Spider-Man that the movie is centered upon. And unlike certain other movies that go overboard with it’s fan service and nostalgia (*cough* Ghostbusters: Afterlife *cough*), this does a good job of making it sincere and not too pandering as well as examine some interesting themes of not just about being Spider-Man but also about how being Spider-Man in this universe is quite different from being Spider-Man in another universe.
Again, like Shang-Chi, if you want more in-depth thoughts about No Way Home, go check out my Marvel list I already posted!
2.) The Harder They Fall
Netflix has had one hell of a year with the movies destined to be represented during awards seasons minus Don’t Look Up (*runs and hide*) but I would argue The Harder They Fall is the one that stood out greatly for me.
Sure, it may not be as message heavy or thought provoking as some of the awards contenders out there but it does have some of the best, cool, and just plain badass actors and actresses out there doing some of the most best, cool, and just plain badass stuff out of any movie you’ll see in 2021.
Even in the same year we had flicks such as Nobody and Shang-Chi, The Harder They Fall manages to steal the title of being the most badass movie of the year!
This gritty western/revenge flick is one that will just find some sort of way to engage if not entertain you. It’s contain some of the best camerawork and editing all year, it has one sick and stellar soundtrack, and color palettes are some of the best I have seen in a western in quite some time!
I know westerns have become a “been there/done that” thing now but this is one that is worth checking out!
A.K.A. This is Zazie Beetz’s world and we are all living in it!
1.) The Mitchell and The Machines
And honestly, I’m not sure I can think of any movie that was gonna top this one!
Just like with 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse, it’s able to showcase some of the most creative, wacky and inventive animation ever put to film while telling a completely creative, wacky, and inventive story that is unlike you’ve ever seen before.
Every character is a complete standout and memorable in their own rights, the story has real stakes and complex themes throughout, the animation is imaginative and breathtaking, the jokes all land and never detract from the emotional moments, and it all just make for some of the very best entertainment and filmmaking you will see all year long!
It manages to deliver an experience so fresh, so funny, and so meaningful! It manages to make a film that takes animation in a new direction! It manages to offer a movie for both kids and adults about the importance of staying close to your family, the pros and cons on how we use technology today, the insides of trying to become a filmmaker, and most importantly, to not be afraid to express who you really are to others and that no matter what, someone out there will accept you!
This is the kind of animated film that just helps redefine animation. Not only to help take it in a new direction but one that just feels so out there, so alive, and so personal! Showing that you don’t have to be afraid to do or try to achieve certain things! That it’s okay to make every frame of animation as meaningful as the script! It’s okay to have a film aimed for kids to make them think about their present, past, and future that lies ahead! And most importantly, the kind of animated film that shows that it’s okay to make an animated film for both kids and adults! Just like The Mitchells vs the Machines itself, animation is not just for kids, animation is for everybody!
This is strictly why The Mitchells vs the Machines is my #1 favorite film of the year! This is the one movie that I knew I was watching something special from frame one and something that will undoubtedly be looked at as an impressive and remarkable achievement many years from now. Unlike with Dune, it doesn’t need a sequel to justify itself as a classic, it already is!
Regardless of what you look for in a film nowadays, The Mitchells vs the Machines is one that will entertain you, delight you, and surprise you in ways that you would never even imagine.
And that is why it’s my #1 film of 2021!
So, what is your favorite movies of 2021? Feel free to let me know and share in the comments of the list of some of your favorites! Also, be sure to follow me on social media through Twitter, YouTube, and Letterboxd to be informed of any sort of content I might have coming!
Hope you all had a good 2021 and now bring on 2022!
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