Adam's Blog

Boy, this is a tough one to review. Not necessarily because I can’t decide how exactly I feel about it as I most certainly do but be able to review it in a way that is able to get you the conscious on what to expect going into the picture that doesn’t reveal any kind of plot details that the trailers and marketing haven’t shown. In the case of Halloween Ends, the overall premise that Universal has been pushing from the beginning with this being Laurie Strode and Michael Myers’s final confrontation. While that is technically true, it’s not really the main focus of this movie, or at least not as much as you would expect for the final film.

I imagine that is going to play a MASSIVE role as to how fans and audiences will response to this latest installment of the Halloween franchise, which even then is a series that’s no stranger to divisive or not well-liked features, save for the original and 2018. There is plenty of the plot synopsis, narrative turns, and surprises that the marketing has completely glossed over that does in fact make Ends more than just the 14th episode of the Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Myers show. As a matter of act, it makes it a complete different show entirely.

If that sounds off putting to you, then I’m pretty sure you are going to leave the movie with a sour taste in your mouth and probably hate it. If not, then you might find yourself fascinated and intrigued as to what is easily the strangest and most subversive of the Halloween movies since the Rob Zombie ones and H20.

Regardless, I will discuss briefly the actual plot synopsis of the movie that won’t reveal too much past the first act, including what the actual central main story is along with the actual central main character. If you want to go into the movie completely blind, then I would advise you click off of this review now and go watch the movie before reading the rest. Again, these won’t be any major spoilers but I can’t promise you won’t read in between the lines with what I describe.

Final warning for potential spoilers! Now, onto the actual review.

Halloween Ends is a movie with quite a bizarre goal that it’s trying to accomplish. It’s ambition is to try to wrap up a series of films that have consisted of multiple different entries, multiple different continuities, and multiple different endings. This is a franchise that has been constantly rewritten it’s own rules, logic, and continuity for what seems like an eternity now that ending it seems like a taunting task. Even so, having Halloween end doesn’t make much sense for the franchise since that practically goes against the moral of the original.

With the way John Carpenter wrapped up the original 1978 masterpiece, it did it in a way that felt abrupted but also open-ended in a very intentional way. It makes it statement about how in the end, Michael Myers will also be how there, literally or figuratively. Evil will always find it’s way and there wouldn’t be much good without it. That is something that the majority of the sequels, both good or bad, has missed the point of and making the franchise keep fighting a never ending battle that they can never win.

In the case of the new Halloween trilogy with David Gordon Green behind the camera, it started off in 2018 as a love-letter to the fans to get Jamie Lee Curtis back in shape transforming the character of Laurie into her Sarah Connor form and have her take on Michael Myers head on. With the sequels on the other hand, it seems to have handcuffed itself after delivering all the goodies they had left and now leaves themselves going, “Okay, now what?” What else can we do with the series that we haven’t done already other than countless gory bloodbaths and Michael Myers reeking havoc on a haunted town over and over again?

As much kills and thrills Kills did provide, it didn’t seem to add much in terms of narrative or any sort of character progression aside from seeing past characters older either being killed off or in their PTSD form. With Ends, it basically has the exact opposite problem. There’s plenty of bold swings and new ideas it wants to tackle upon but it seems like the wrong movie to do it with. I certainly admire it for that and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t engaged the whole way but I can’t say for certain if it actually worked in the end.

Premise: We start off with a shocking opening sequence in 2019 where a young man named Corey Cunnigham (Rohan Campbell) is babysitting a boy on Halloween night. That night takes a sudden turn when a tragedy happens that Corey is accused of being responsible for which ends up turning his world upside down. Fast forward to another three years, four after the events of 2018 and Kills, we see Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) who now lives with her granddaughter, Allyson (Andi Matichak) and has moved on from her obsession of Michael Myers. She has gotten over the death of her loved ones, most notably her daughter Karen (Judy Greer), and has made peace with her life by trying to make her remaining years on Earth a happy one. However, people still remember Laurie and blame her for the terrorism of Michael Myers. This eventually leads to Corey connecting with Allyson, who is now a nurse, after an accident, which Laurie sees a bit of Michael inside him. It’s then that the characters must discover who they really are deep inside and whether or not the impact that Michael Myers has had in Haddenfield has affected their clouded mindset.

That might see like an awful lot of plot for the premise to describe but trust me, I barely scratch the surface on it. The filmmakers behind Ends knew damn well that strictly having a entry with just Laurie and Michael Myers duking it out one last time is as thin of a premise as you can get with an hour and 45 minute long feature film and needed to find something that can fill up the runtime and connect to the franchises overall themes. I can’t say for certain how much of this was planned for the beginning or made up on the fly but it is quite distinct for not just the entire franchise but especially this trilogy of films.

Thankfully, Jamie Lee Curtis gets much more to do here as Laurie than in Kills and seems to be having more fun here than ever before. While the previous two movies felt too wrapped up in the depressed mental state that Laurie was in along with some ham-fisted, preachy dialogue in the form of Shakespeare, she is allowed to be more expressive and joyful here. She seems like the fun-loving, care-taking mother (or in the movie’s case grandmother) that she has always wanted to be but never allowed herself to be until now. You can clearly see this is a version of Laurie that is clearly able to move on from her depression and trauma and only got back into that mental state if she had too, which she unfortunately has to later on. When it comes to her granddaughter, Corey, and Michael Myers, oh boy!

I won’t go too deep into Corey’s role in the story as I plan to have a spoiler piece for that sometime next week but I found myself intrigued but also baffled by the way his character is presented here. It seems to be flirting with the ideas of a poor young boy being misunderstood, no one believing you, and have the whole turn against you because of it. It even seems to hint of the idea of how the effect of Michael Myers can turn good folks into psychopaths and turn them into their own version of the Boogeyman. Those are very intriguing ideas and concepts that hasn’t been brought up much in the Halloween franchise. Unfortunately, none of them worked as well as they can because I don’t think it’s ever clear what we are suppose to feel about Corey as a whole. The film never gives us a good indication as to whether or not Corey was an actual good person before performing these dreadful actions and if he is a character worthy of sympathy.

This all makes matters more complicated when he is in a relationship with Allyson. Again, the movie hints at the idea of a potential member of the Strode family turning into her own version of Michael Myers but it doesn’t amount of much of anything aside from creating some drama between Laurie and Allyson. It makes Allyson come across a kind of a creepy weirdo by hanging around with a guy who may or may not have killed a child. Are we suppose to be on her side or against her? I’m not quire sure and I don’t think the movie does either.

And if you are wondering why I’m hardly talking about Michael Myers himself in the movie, that’s because there’s not a whole lot with him in the movie. His role matters more in a thematic and literary sense than it does with the amount of screen time he has. His purpose amounts to how the folks of Haddonfield have had to deal with him over the years and how his presence has brought the worst out of anyone, including Corey himself. He’s still fine and scary here but you would think he would have more of a role in what is suppose to be the last official movie with that character.

For those that come to a Halloween movie for the genuine scare and the sloppily, brutal kills, you get enough of those here but I don’t think they stand out as some of the particular best in the franchise or even of this new trilogy. Mostly consists of the kind of bloody kills that you’ve seen in nearly every single Halloween movie or even just slasher movies in general. The final fight between Laurie and Michael Myers is brutal and intense in the moment but it’s goes by faster than you can say, “Happy Halloween!” It doesn’t quite compare to the showdown between the two in 2018 or even is as impactful (albeit abrupt) as the one from Kills as well. It’s all serviceable here and gets the job done but they often feel like an afterthought here as Green and his crew are clearly more interested in thrown whatever batshit crazy idea they can think off.

In the end, Halloween Ends, much like a good chunk of the sequels, is a movie that seems destined for intense discourse and mixed responses. It takes the kind of chances that you normally wouldn’t expect for a movie that was intended to be a crowd pleasing finale. For that, I respected it and was mostly intrigued by it. However, I can’t say it all worked because of how muddled it is in it’s execution, how there isn’t much resolution to those ideas, and how it’s quite strange to have this being done in the literal last movie where the main storylines from the previous two movies has to be wrapped up. Much like the kills in this franchise, it’s sloppy, brutal, and all over the place but still can be seen as effective.

Overall, I probably give this a 2.5 stars. That might be a bit generous just for the risks it takes but yeah. Now, enter the discourse!

Other comments:

• Film buffs are no doubt gonna find strong Christine vibes with this one!

• The remix of the Michael Myers theme here is kinda off, especially compared to how bleak and angry the 2018 remix sounded.

• I would NOT want to be on social media for the next couple of months if I’m Rohan Campbell.

• I can’t be the only one that had Anakin Skywalker’s vibes with Corey’s arc in the movie.

• You should check out Christine btw.

• Also, this movie is on Peacock now for those that don’t want to go to the theaters.

Last week, Illumination Animation released the first official trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the brand new movie adaption of the extremely popular video game series from Nintendo. It’s expected to contain a voice cast of incredibly well-known actors such as Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Charlie Day, and Seth Rogen and even have a role of some sort for the long known Mario voice in Charlie Martinet. Despite the controversy surrounding Chris Pratt as Mario, the overall reception to the initial trailer seems to be fairly positive, with most praising the stellar animation and Jack Black as Bowser. While the debate whether Starlord can work well as his own version of Mario is one worth discussing, I think another debate that is worth bringing up is whether or not a Mario movie can actually work.

And I’m not just speaking of the sense that this is from Illumination, an animation studio that despite it’s financial success, aren’t really know for crafting genuine kids movie that rivals the best of Pixar or even Dreamworks outside of (maybe) the original Despicable Me. I’m also not speaking of the sense that this is yet another video game movie adaption, even if they have gotten a bit better as of late with the likes of Tomb Raider, Rampage, Detective Pikachu and the two Sonic the Hedgehog movies. Even taking all of those things into account, it’s going to be interesting to see how exactly a Mario movie can work as it’s own thing since it’s a franchise that isn’t really well known for it’s complex plots, superb character development, or stellar voice work.

Mario has been a franchise that been known for being very simplistic and straight forward with it’s storytelling but also incredibly imaginative and creative when it comes to the actual gameplay, level design, lore, world building, and music. While there definitely has been a handful of media with Mario that tried to go deeper with it’s story, characters, and script such as the hilariously awful 90s live-action movie and that 90s cartoon that no one remembers, none of them has really stood out as anything that proves that Mario can work on any one of those mediums. Even with the games tried to go deeper outside of the gameplay, it resulted in quite mixed results with the black hole of the franchise that is known as Super Mario Sunshine.

Say what you while about Sonic the Hedgehog but at least that is a franchise that is constantly driven by more than just it’s gameplay. There have been multiple stories involving cartoons, comics, and the actual games themselves that is given a huge amount of focus on along with the voice work, dialogue, and character work. It’s understandable to see how Sonic is able to carry his own movie since he’s already proven to be able to carry other forms of media with his own lore, characters, and world building with his tv shows, comic books, and now his movies. That something that Mario hasn’t really been known for.

Whenever someone talks about the plot of a Mario game, it’s usually follow the exact same beats in every single game. Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach and Mario has to save her from him! Throw in a handful of side characters such as Luigi, Toad, Yoshi, Daisy, Rosalina, Wario, Waluigi, Bowser Jr.etc.., and at least seven different world for Mario to go through and you basically got the traditional formula to an absolute T. Things are added every now and thing but they really don’t go much further than that.

Mario never really undergoes an arc or and kind of character development, there’s never really any moments of emotion or hard hit drama, there’s no shocking twist or story turns, and it tends to be very minimum in terms of dialogue exchanges and voice work. Sure, every once in a while there’s a genuine surprise, like say Peach’s independent turn at the end of Super Mario Odyssey, but it’s usually just the animation and visuals that do all the talking with not much else walking. However, that is something that will have to change with this upcoming Mario movie.

While no doubt Illumination is going to take the safe route with the Mario movie making it the most straight forward kid friendly/family movie possible, they will have to add elements that the Mario series isn’t really accustom too. They will have to put more focus on the story/plot then before, more on the character arcs/development then before, more on the dialogue and voice work than before, and more on the drama/emotional beats then before. While there will still be plenty of room for visual storytelling/gags that the games are known for, those elements are a requirement if Mario is going to function in any way, shape, or form as a motion picture.

In the end, I guess all we can do is wait and see. The movie no doubt will be a big hit at the box office strictly based off the Mario and Illumination Animation name alone. In terms of overall quality, that certainly remains to be seen whether it can hold up with the more recent video game movies.

Regardless, it will definitely be interesting to see how exactly Mario can hold his own movie since it’s the kind of medium that the character isn’t really familiar with. Whether the movie is good or bad, it’s an experiment that is certainly worth testing out as it could determine how the Super Mario brand can progress and evolve for the near future.

Mushroom Kingdom, here we come!

The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be released in theaters on April 7th, 2023.

Other comments:

• For anyone wondering, this is NOT a response to that one Polygon article of how a celebrity voicing Mario is impossible to make work and that Mario has never been an actual character. I haven’t read it and already had this piece in mind even before the trailer came out.

• This better have plenty of Yoshi in it.

• I’m quite curious to see how Seth Rogen will sound as Donkey Kong.

• Isn’t it weird how Super Mario Odyssey will be turning five years old this month?! Why must time always move so fast?!

• Speaking of which, when are we gonna get info on the next main Mario game? We still haven’t got one since Odyssey. An Odyssey 2 perhaps?!

• That’s all I got!

• Also, don’t forget that Chris Pratt is also voicing Garfield the Cat as well? I can honestly seem him fitting that role more than Mario tbh.

• Okay, that’s really it! Have a good day everybody!

There has been a couple of major announcements about the upcoming and anticipated Marvel sequel that is Deadpool 3. Not only did we get a confirmed release date of September 26th, 2024 but it’s also been confirmed that the mighty Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as Wolverine, just five years after retiring from the role in 2017 with Logan. While there are still major plot details that have yet to be revealed, at least it’s confirmed that the movie is in active development and is expected to come out less than two years from now. There are plenty of fans out there that are excited about this news, other folks…..not so much.

Ever since this announcement was made a week ago, there have been plenty of folks on social media platforms that have had no problem in voicing their displeasure of this news. Many of have complained that this cheapness the ending of Logan, the last movie with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine where *SPOILER ALERT* he dies. Jackman had stated repeatedly he wanted to end the story of his iconic character on a high note which is why he initially wanted to retire from the role with Logan. Now, that he’s back, it makes the whole movie feel like it was for nothing and is yet another example of Hollywood refusing to leave a property well enough alone after it has been giving finality.

Folks such as Bailey here:

no ending is sacred when there's money to be made. pic.twitter.com/zVA6hUmrHG

— BAILEY (@loverboymedia) September 28, 2022

disney nostalgia trapping audiences with old actor's iterations of chracaters across different franchises in movies like no way home, multiverse of madness and now this is truly the bleakest indictment of where corporate filmmaking is at right now.

— BAILEY (@loverboymedia) September 28, 2022

they are training you to not want new things.

— BAILEY (@loverboymedia) September 28, 2022

While I can understand a reason or two for those claims, I think people are REALLY overexaggerating over this news.

First off, I’m fairly certain that the Wolverine we will see in Deadpool 3 will not be the same character as we saw in Logan or maybe not even the prior X-Men movies. To be honest, it’s hard to really tell whether or not if Wolverine is supposed to be the exact same character in each of those movies because of how messed up the continuity is in the Fox universe. Even if it is suppose to be one of the version from the movies, I’m fairly certain it will take place in a time period far removed from Logan, long before the events of that film even happened. Especially if the newest update from Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman themselves is any indication.

That in of itself should have been obvious to anyone with half a brain. Ryan Reynolds has voiced his praise for Logan multiple times and I highly doubt he wants to mess with that movie. I also don’t believe Hugh Jackman would have returned if it meant it would screw with the perfect epilogue he was given in that movie. Even taken away that sense of pride and accomplishment from Logan directly, I still don’t think Hugh coming back one more time as Wolverine does any sort of harm.

One thing you have to keep in mind is that Logan and Deadpool are two completely different kinds of movies. While both are R-rated with plenty of blood and gore, they both have very two distinct tones and tackles different subgenres of it’s own. Logan is a dark, bleak western that also happens to have comic book elements to it that can be enjoyed by those who aren’t even a fan of superhero movies. Deadpool is a goofy, lighthearted, over-the-top action flick with comic book elements and very episodic-like storytelling that can be perfectly enjoyed by fans of superhero movies or even good comedies. They both have two completely different goals for their respective movies and able to succeed at them in completely different ways. While Logan would have still been perfect as Hugh Jackman’s last go-around as the character, Deadpool 3 allows him to take part of what I would imagine being a perfectly enjoyable buddy cop-kind of flick with two of the most beloved actors in Marvel canon bantering and quipping off each other for two hours, just like they have always wanted.

This also helps deliver something that fans have wanted to see for years, especially with a Deadpool movie. That being Ryan’s Deadpool and Hugh’s Wolverine coming together in an R-rated action flick where they claw, slice, and dice bad guys in the most bloody and brutal way possible. We got glimpse of that in Origins: Wolverine but that will be on full display in Deadpool 3. Not to mention, we might at long last get to see Hugh Jackman in that iconic Wolverine costume, something we never got to see once in the Fox X-Men movies aside from a brief deleted scene in The Wolverine. As long as Hugh was perfectly finding coming back for one more round, I don’t see how his return ruins anything in Logan or prior X-Men movies.

All of this basically means is that you can get two different endings of the Wolverine character. You got the sad but bittersweet ending of Logan while you will likely get a more fun, uplifting ending in the form of Deadpool 3. If the movie is able to deliver on the goods that fans have wanted to see with Ryan and Hugh together along with doing more comic-accurate things like the Wolverine suit, then it’s basically a win-win situation for everybody.

While I can understand concerns about Hugh Jackman returning once again after initially stepping down from the role as Wolverine, I do think this is a very different case than with most franchises out there who tend to bring back older actors who had previously moved on from their most famous roles. The Fox X-Men movies and Deadpool movies have such distinct tones and feels that it’s hard for me to imagine getting upset over it since it most likely won’t even feel like the same version of the character. It’d be like getting mad over the Toy Story shorts that came along after Toy Story 3 and claiming that ruined the perfect ending of that one (Yes, I know Toy Story 4 is a thing but I’m mostly talking about between 3 and 4 and how there were folks complaining about the shorts because it ruins the ending of 3.). The Deadpool movies feel so different, more episodic, and more inconsequential to the other X-Men movies that I’m puzzled why folks have tended to have such a vital reaction to this news.

Heck, no matter what, this whole thing can be seen as a win-win for both those who are excited for Deadpool 3 and those who are not. If the movie is good, then you get another good movie and ending for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. If the movie is bad, then you can just pretend Logan was the true last movie with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.

Life is that simple. Enjoy what you like, ignore what you don’t like. If this announcement has really annoyed you so much that you believe it ruins Logan for you, then there’s a good chance you probably didn’t think that movie was really that good at all, now realizing that, and are just lashing out at the movie because of it. Might want to think on that before rendering something as meaningless.

Regardless, Deadpool 3 is set for a September 6, 2024 release date with Ryan Reynolds reprising his role as Wade Wilson/Deadpool and Hugh Jackman returning as Logan/Wolverine.

Today, I discovered some very tragic news for myself. The main movie theaters that I’ve gone to the most for at least the last decade has now been closed. That theater I’m talkin about is Regal Gravois Bluffs Stadium 12.

It was a theater that opened in December of 2008 in the Gravois Bluffs area, which is surrounded by multiple shopping markets. It was the second time that Great Escape added a theater in the St. Louis area and was eventually taken over by Regal in 2012. It contained upwards of 12 screens and 2,150 seats, all in crisp black leather, with digital sound and production both in 2D and 3D. It was a theater that mostly consists of the very big blockbuster pictures that were set to come out during those exact initial weekends with an occasional smaller film release a week or two after being out in other, bigger theaters. By no means was it the biggest or greatest theater ever but it was one I could rely on to see the newest big movie with the cheapest price, and that’s not even including Regal Unlimited subscription.

However, that seemed to have come to an end. It’s been reported that the theater itself closed to the public on September 25, 2022. If the information I read is accurate, it’s because Gravois was one of the 20 Regal theaters that was approved from the higher ups for lease relief in a bankruptcy maneuver by the Regal company. Most of those theaters were closed a week or two prior but some remained open in the hopes of a miraculous turnaround. That never came to pass and there was virtually no chance of theater operations heading into October.

What is oddly strange about this though is that there was an early screening of The Greatest Beer Run Ever played at Gravois Bluffs on September 26th, the day after it closed to the public, which I attended. My best guess is that was most likely approved by Regal since that was a mostly booked screening where all the seats were filled a few weeks prior. Because of that, Regal decided to allow one more screening and avoid giving out refunds. After that, I don’t think there has been any more theater showings since then.

I don’t know if all of this information is accurate but I do know the fact that the theater is closed. They stop showing screenings for that theaters on the Regal App and a drive up there today showed a place that looks deserted and everything was taken down. I can’t say for certain that this will remain permeant but I’m willing to be it is and aren’t likely to see that theater re-open anytime soon. It was a miracle to see it opening again after Covid but now, it’s likely gone forever.

I still do have at least two other theaters in my area close to me that I can go to for future movies. However, it will be a longer drive to get there, usually taking another extra five to ten minutes for me after passing Gravois Bluffs. Also, since they are both Weinberg theaters and not Regal, that would make it more expensive for me since I won’t be able to use Regal Unlimited and Weinberg doesn’t have a subscription system like that I’m aware of. They still have great deals with morning screenings and half-price Tuesdays along with a handful of early advance screenings but going to theaters will be more expensive for me than the past two to three years. Because of that, I will most likely have to limited my budget for seeing movies in cinema and reserve them for ones that I really want or have to see in theaters.

Granted, these are two movies that I still go to on occasion. They are mostly ones I reserved for smaller films that aren’t being showing at Gravois or ones that look like could use some extra money for me. And I’m even willing to admit I enjoy the seats, concession, and experience more than I did of the previous theater. But, I always found the Regal theater to be more cheaper, advanced, and more reliable than the other two theaters I go too. However, that is all about to change.

I still plan to see movies in theaters and even do reviews/articles on ones that I see. But, I don’t think movie theater going can be as much of a hobby for me as it is was before or something I can have the same nostalgic feeling of now that the theater I’ve gone to the most times is now closed.

Guess all good things have to come to an end.

So long partner!

RIP Regal Gravois Bluffs

December 17, 2008-September 26, 2022

And here’s some brief into I read about the theater and why it closed.

• http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/27266/photos/161376

Other comments:

• I wanted to take a picture of the closed theater for this article but I was honestly too sad too and just decide to take one last drive past there and try to soak in all the memories I had at that local theater.

• I remember writing a post about Regal Cinema closing on here for my writing course back in 2020. I went into detail about how the theater closings due to Covid could eventually lead to certain movie theaters closing for good. Why did the cinema gods let me be right for once?

• Here’s link to that btw: https://adamr.website/2020/10/08/all-regal-cinemas-across-the-united-states-closed-on-october-8th-until-further-notice/

• I still think my overall favorite movie going experiences there had to be Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. They might be all Marvel features and not necessarily my all-time favorite movies but I’ll never forget the experience I had watching those on opening nights with a packed crowd and witnessing all of the reactions from those all around me. That is what going to the theaters is all about! I’ll certainly miss that there!

During yesterday’s Thursday Night showdown between the Miami Dolphins and the Cinncinati Bengals that was shown live on Amazon Prime, a very scary scene happened. The young and talented quarterback for the Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoas, had to be removed from the game after being slammed hard into the ground, suffering from a possible concussion. This was only shortly after last Sunday’s game where after getting knocked down, he lost his balance and fell down, also giving potential signs of a concussion. Despite that, he still continued to play in last Sunday’s game and was clear from concussion protocols for last night’s game. But was he really ready to go back out there after getting hit and knocked down hard? Well, why don’t you just watch him trying to get back up last Sunday and see for yourself.

*Fair warning to readers! I will show the incidents from last Sunday and yesterday of with Tagovailoas. If you find that disturbing, then you might want to click off the rest of this article. I apologize in advance but my point has to get across about how much of a serious matter a player’s health and safety is and that NFL needs to place more accountability on that front for the sake of the sport. Again, you have been warned!*

#Tua will be ruled out for @MiamiDolphins vs @BuffaloBills.
Outward signs of head injury means ruled out even if clears the concussion protocol. pic.twitter.com/Lj2AKO5D1A

— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) September 25, 2022

Once again, that was last Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, less than four days away from the next game against the Bengals. Despite him stumbling to the ground and having a hard time getting backed up, he was allowed to play the next game. Despite having potential signs of a severe concussion, he was allowed to play the next game. Despite the fact that Tua is a young kid with superstar potential and a more severe injury like that could permanently damaged his career, he was allowed to play the next game.

So, what exactly happened to him in the very next game, you may ask? Well, again, see for yourself!

*Again, fair warning of potential graphic content!*

⚠️CONTENT WARNING | GRAPHIC VIDEO⚠️

Just days after sustaining a serious neck/head injury, Tua Tagovailoa has suffered additional head trauma and displayed the fencing response.

Tagovailoa was stabilized and stretchered off the field. Very scary sight. pic.twitter.com/ks52j4Cs2P

— Prime Time Sports Talk (@TalkPrimeTime) September 30, 2022

That’s right! The worst possible thing that could have happen to poor Tua the very next game did in fact happen! It’s been reported that he suffered from severe head and neck injuries, even demonstrating a fencing response (go look that up if you don’t know what that means), and have to be taking off the field on a stretcher. With those reports, you would think that he would have to miss some time on the field and spend some time on a hospital bed undergoing treatment, right? Well, you would be wrong!

Just mere hours after being checked in at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Tagovailoa was discharged and was given the complete clearance to fly home to Miami and starting preparing for the team’s next game against the New York Jets.

Tua Tagovailoa is expected to be to discharged from the hospital soon and travel back with the team pic.twitter.com/2byddtdnKj

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 30, 2022

Despite suffering from a possible concussion not once but TWICE in the same week, he is still considered good enough to keep playing. Something about that just seems so off and I imagine a lot of people agree with me.

How in the world can he be given the clearance to keep going after going through those injuries? How could they think he would be okay to go the next game right after having to be taking off the field on a STRETCHER that he is good to go? I may not be a doctor but I’m pretty sure a simple eye test from the last two games shows that he is clearly not ready to go.

Of course, this is clearly not the first time something like this happened in football where big players are forced to play through injuries in the hopes that they don’t get so bad and can just wait until the offseason to deal with it. However, the matters are made worse when it involves young players like Tua Tagovailoa. A 24-year old with a good heart and sportsmanship with the potential of a superstar level career.

Imagine if this could continue to get worse. Imagine if next week that something even worse happens to him that it not only hurts the rest of the season for him but the rest of his career. All of it tarnished because the medical staff didn’t bother to be more careful and give him the rest and treatment he needs that will benefit him in the long run.

Football is already a hard enough sport to stay healthy in with how tough and aggressive the whole thing is. Every single game involves players getting shoved, tackled, and sacked with tons of bodies flying to the ground in the hopes that they don’t hit it hard with their head, neck, or back. Those that are able to push through those games are brave and noble athletes. However, it is not worth jeopardizing the life of a single player by allowing them to play games they shouldn’t be. I get teams don’t want to lose their star players but if they are not on top form, then that won’t help them much either. That and everything involved with Tua Tagovailoa this week is why NFL needs to look deeper into the player and safety protocols and start holding those who aren’t doing a good enough job accountable. Thankfully, they might just be doing that according to latest reports!

Dr. Allen Sills says on @NFLNetwork that as soon as the investigation on Tua Tagovailoa is finished, it'll be released to the public. "We want to be as transparent as possible."

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 30, 2022

NFL is in complete hot water right now! And that will continue until this investigation is complete and consequences start coming to those involved who gave the okay for the young quarterback to keep playing through his injuries. I predict to see people fired, lawsuits filed, and the league being sued for this disgusting matter! It’s only when accountability comes for endangering the players where the NFL will win back their respect to the fans and public.

This is going to be quite a different review than usual. Since this movie still has yet to come out until this weekend in theaters and Apple+, this is going to be a more brief review and not necessarily one that goes too deep into the actual film itself.

For those who may not know, Regal Cinemas hosted a Mystery Monday movie night this week where there was an early screening for an upcoming movie that had yet to be released everywhere but would not reveal what movie you were actually watching until the actual movie itself started playing. The movie that I got to watch Monday was no other than The Greatest Beer Run Ever, the upcoming feature staring Zac Efron, Russell Crowe, and Bill Murray with Peter Farrelly returning to the director’s chair after his infamous best picture winner in Green Book.

Just know in the future if I’m able to see movies early, I will probably make reviews similar in this format so I don’t give too much away but give enough to express my opinion as to whether or not I believe the movie itself is worth seeing. Now, let’s actually jump into the actual movie.

The Greatest Beer Run Ever is based off the book of the same name by Joanna Molloy and tells the true life tale of John “Chickie” Donohue (Zac Efron), a young veteran who sneaked into the Vietnam War to deliver the soldiers beers as a means of showing his appreciation and gratitude to those fighting in the army for America’s freedom. Along the way, he runs into civilians such as Arthur Coates (Russell Crowe) along with getting into the action a bit with his fellow comrade soldiers as he discovers the consequences of war and how everyone in and outside the media responds to it.

I’m going to be straight and upfront here, this story feels so bizarre and baffling to be considered true. It’s so odd how we are suppose to see and view Donohue as some kind of hero despite putting himself and many others lives in peril along with committing illegal acts (including personating a CIA agent) just to deliver beer to his buddies. I understand he wanted to show his respect to those who fought on the battlefield but I’m pretty sure, even in 1967 (which is the year this movie is set in btw), there were other, much safer methods to get that message across. Couldn’t you just sent a postcard or a package that included beer to the army? This feels like the mindset of a child, one that thinks they can just go and do whatever they want without realizing you could get yourself and others killed. I can’t say for certain this is how everything played out in real life but if this movie made me want to think of Chickie as some saint, then it failed spectacularly.

Speaking of the actual movie itself, it more or less, comes across with the same level of quality as Green Book, widely considered to be one of the worst movies to every win best picture. By this I mean, that it’s a safe, surface level picture which has a warm enough tone and great performances that it might be enough for the movie going audience to have a good time with but handles it’s bluntly obvious themes in a very straight forward and problematic way that it will likely make film bluffs roll their eyes. Just like how Green Book didn’t have much to offer other than stating “racism and homophobia are bad”, the central message of The Greatest Beer Run Ever doesn’t amount to more than simply “war is bad” from the point of view from both sides.

If there is one saving grace that ultimately saves the picture from being completely insufferable, it’s Zac Efron’s clearly passionate performance as Chickie himself. Efron has shown to be a proven charming talent with enough comedic and dramatic chops to carry anything and it’s definitely on full display here. He is able to add more likability and presence to his character than the script gives him any right to have and provides most of the best laughs in the movie. Russell Crowe is also a solid presence here as a civilian photographer who becomes more important in the second half in the film while barley having any presence in the first half. The other cast members are fine here as well but none of them really stands out in any meaningful way since there are only really a handful of scenes dedicated to them, mostly speaking to Chickie himself about what he should if and when he goes to Vietnam.

The direction and feel of the picture also feels all over the pace from Peter Farrelly. While it has a tone that is lighthearted and warm enough that it fits well for a crowd pleasing entertainment, many of the dramatic and intense bits fall flat as there are times where it’s unclear how the audiences are suppose to be feeling during certain giving moments. An example of this is when Chickie is out on the battlefield with his buddy from home, what should consist of an intense and emotional moment is undermined by inappropriately placed music and camera movement that doesn’t so much seem as if they are running through No Man’s Land itself but on a theater stage. Farrelly is clearing aiming for a comedy-drama vibe here, while he may have excels at the former half of that, he fails spectacularly at the latter half of it.

In the end, while I can’t say I hated myself watching this or that I didn’t get some amusement and chuckles out of it, The Greatest Beer Run Ever makes for a rather uneven experience. It’s lighthearted nature and a good lead performance by Zac Efron helps carry the picture to the finish line that I would expect audiences might have a good time when they are watching it. However, the further they get away from the movie, the more they’ll see the overall faults with the movie with it’s inconsistent direction, flat dramatic and emotional beats, simplistic messages executed in the most simplistic way possible, and it’s real-life protagonist that really shouldn’t be seen as a hero or a saint in any way.

Unlike Green Book, I can’t imagine this gaining much controversy come Oscar time as I highly doubt that Farrelly will be able to make lighting strike a second time with the Academy. However, if you are looking for a night out with your buddies, it can actually make for a good time…..if you’re drunk.

Other comments:

• And yes, I did just blantaly steal that last line from Jeremy Jahns! Come at me!

• That’s all I got!

The Woman King is one of those movie that is able to walk the perfect line between a roaring crowd pleaser and a faithful historic action epic. While there will certainly be talks about the film’s overall achievements in diversity and representation, it works wonders enough on it’s own as a well-made spectacle that everyone involved brought the A-game with. It’s able to portray the brutal realities of being involved with a war without losing the entertainment value. It’s able to showcase the gray line between a bleak conflict of good vs evil without being completely one-sided and shown in a very black and white light. It’s able to display it’s immensely talented cast of women as flawed, multiple layered people who have to make drastically difficult choices during a time of crisis and fear. Lastly, it’s able to put Gina Prince-Bythewood on the map as being the next big indie director to watch out for. Between this and The Irishman, it’s refreshing to see studios have confidence in giving bigger budgets to smaller directors to make the action-packed thriller they desire.

Taking place in the West African kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century, an elite group of female warriors known as the Agojie are assembled to protect the kingdom. We see a young king known as Ghezo (John Boyega) who is attempting to make peace with his nation in a not-so peaceful time in Dahomey. The role that the kingdom plays in this story involves them operating slave trades with the Oyo Empire where African prisoners are slaves to Europeans in exchange for weapons. After a successful ambush by the Agojie to free their people who have been captured by a certain tribe, we eventually run into a young teenage girl (Thuso Mbedu) who is eventually accompanied by Izogie (Lashana Lynch) to train among the other strong women in Dahomey. When tension runs high when a mysterious new threat emerges, General Nanisca (Viola Davis) must put together a new generations of warriors to fight their opponents head on who want to destroy their very way of life.

The thing that makes The Woman King work as well as it does is how complete up and front it is on it’s title and it’s overall story it’s trying to tell. While there are definitely hints at trying to subvert tropes that is common with historic pieces, it never forgets it’s true central meaning on who the woman king is and what she is suppose to stand for with her tribe. There are plenty of subtext and commentary on war, slavery, and mortality but none of it is presented in a simplistic preachy “heros good, enemies bad” kind of way. It takes as much time as it needs to present it’s conflicts and have it be more than a mere good vs evil tale. Yes, the main characters we follow are undoubtedly the protagonists but can they really be the heroes to do what they can to survive and evolve with their own kind. The film never present an easy solution or way out for any of the main characters and each and every one of them are forced to discover within themselves what they are willing to do to destroy their enemies to live on.

The performances from the cast is nothing sort of extraordinary. Viola Davis as General Nanisca delivers a powerhouse performance as the commanding titan who is more than convincing of being able to display her true power and strength that she possesses. Lashana Lynch shines as the fierce (and even sometimes funny) warrior of Izogie who’s main task is to train and protect Nawi at all costs. Sheila Atim jells perfectly with everyone else as the right-hand woman to Nanisca who must counsel her superior through the tough decisions they are force to make. Hero Fiennes Tiffin’s Santo and Jimmy Odukoya’s Oba Ade make for intimating antagonists and legit threats to our protagonists even if they don’t get as much spotlight as our leading ladies. John Boyega’s Ghezo, while also not in the movie quite as much as he should, is always a great presence whenever he shows up as the young conflicted king who takes the carefully next steps needed to make his path towards mortality. However, it’s Thuso Mbedu as Nawi that really steals the show here. She’s the character we follow the most aside from Nanisca herself and Mbedu sells every scene she is in making her easily the most compelling and emotionally connected character in the entire movie. Nawi is the overall beating heart of the central story and the one that goes through the most intriguing arc in the film.

The production of the movie is off-the-charts terrific. There’s plenty of great location shooting, costume, make-up, and set designs presented throughout the whole movie making the time period it’s set in to be very believable. While not quite as well done as making the film’s setting it’s own distinct character in the same way that Black Panther did with Wakanda, it’s still a place that is interesting to explore in the amount of time we spent there. Polly Morgan’s cinematography is flawless with a huge emphasis on geographic authenticity and widescreen shooting that makes the movie more than worthy to see on the big screen and the extra bucks for IMAX. The score by Terence Blanchard is inspiring and perfectly matches the tone and mood that the film is going for. The make-up and editing, while at times can make it’s PG-13 rating noticeable, is good enough to make you overlook some iffy blood stains and lack of realistic gory moments. This was clearly a passionate project from everyone involved and there is not a single shot or scene of this movie that feels phoned-in.

The real stand-out thing on the movie are the action sequences and overall fight chorography. Gina Prince-Bythewood already proved herself of being capable to direct action a few years ago with The Old Guard and she shines even better with them here. The big highlights beating the fight by the Agojie in the opening prologue and the jaw dropping and emotionally intense battle displayed at the film’s official climax. It’s perfectly able to display the raw fierceness of our strong women leads while providing enough tension and brutality between each individual conflict that makes it believable and on the edge of your seat. It may be PG-13 but no doubt that Prince-Bythewood is able to make it as raw, brutal, and intense as humanly possible without needing to create a complete blood bath out of it to make it feel real. Also, who doesn’t wanna see Viola Davis swinging around a sword and killing people with it?

If there is a specific downside here, it’s that there definitely may be some folks that interpret things in a way that may or may not be intentional on part of the filmmakers. The main one being that the film itself glorifies a slave trading kingdom. While I don’t think the films quite delves into that as much as some are claiming, it is something that I believe would have been 100% better if it was glossed over completely without leaving things go noticed. Like with a certain minor subplot in Elvis, some things are better left unexplored. There’s also some pacing and structure issues in the middle and tail end of the film where it’s hard to tell at first viewing which sequence of events was supposed to act as the end of the second act or the beginning of the third one. I also think there might a been a scene or two missing with the antagonists as they do tend to disappear during a certain stretch of time and even takes a while before they are fully introduced.

Nevertheless, The Woman King is a strong work of art and entertainment from one of the more underrated action directors today. It’s work as it’s own compelling action-packed historic drama as well as an inspiring feminist empowerment piece. The cast is stellar, it looks amazing, the action is terrific, the characters are layered and very compelling, and the representation that is on display is fully earned and masterfully done. While it won’t shut up the alt-right trolls who have already review bombed the movie and even may raise an eyebrow or two from historic purists (I won’t pretend to be an expert on the events of this movie in real life), The Woman King excels at being a piece of entertainment for casual moviegoers along with a genuine work of art for casual movie experts. This time around, the women come together and they are indeed strong!

Other thoughts:

• Thuso Mbedu should be in more things!

• While it sucks that Gina Prince-Bythewood isn’t returning for The Old Guard sequel, the fact we were able to get this from her is more than fine by me.

• If you’re becoming a fan of John Boyega, I strongly recommend watching the first film he was in, Attack of the Block, which is basically the movie that helped land him the role for Star Wars.

• As for my thoughts on the review bombing, I honestly have stop trusting audience ratings all together from any review site because it’s nearly impossible to tell which ratings are genuine and which ones are coming from trolls. I’ll just stick with Letterboxd and call it a day.

• Seriously, for those that waste time review bombing s*it, grow the f*ck up already! Go waste your time doing something else!

There has been a lot that has happened in this final month of regular season baseball. Playoff chases are on and more interesting than ever before, star are being born right before our eyes, and players are more eager than ever to get to October with a chance to win it all. In the mix of all of that, there are also history chases that have been going on as well. Aaron Judge is aiming to pass Roger Maris for the all-time single season home run record in Yankees and America League history by hitting 62 dingers. Albert Pujols is aiming to be just the fourth player in baseball history to hit 700 home runs, right after making his place passed Alex Rodriguez for the fourth most career home runs by a single player in baseball history. While those milestones still have yet to be achieved, there is one historic milestone that is just about to be achieved and not many people are talking about. That being the milestone of the most battery starts by a single pitcher and catcher. That milestone has been acclaimed by no other than longtime St. Louis Cardinals legend, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright.

Today on September 14, 2022, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright are set to surpass the all-time record set by pitcher Mickey Lolich and catcher Bill Freehan with their 325th start together as the starting pitcher and catcher with their start against their division rivals, Milwaukee Brewers. And that is just after nearly four months ago on May 15th, 2022 in a blowout victory against the San Francisco Giants where they set the all-time record with the most teams wins with the same starting battery when the Cardinals won their 203th game together, passing the previous record of 202, which was set by catcher Warren Spahn and pitcher Del Crandall, and now land on 213 victories. Those two have been an absolute dynamite pairing on the mound for many years for St. Louis. From recording the final out in the 2006 NLCS and World Series to being the notable faces of their respective franchise for over the past decade, it’s quite possible we won’t see a pairing like this in the MLB for a very, very long time! Why is that you may ask? Well, we just have to go all the way back to the very beginning.

Yadier Molina came to the Cardinals after he was selected by them in the fourth round of the 2000 MLB Draft. After spending previous years with the Cincinnati Reds organization and grabbing the attention of baseball legends Johnny Bench and Bret Boone during his time there, Molina was in the mindset that he would be drafted by that specific team. That turned out to not be the case as St. Louis snatched him as there were concerns with Cincinnati about his overall offensive production. He was then invited to Major League spring training camp following his draft and immediately made an impression. With most being impressed with his abilities in catching and framing along with having an absolute rocket of an arm that is able to get a huge chunk of base stealers out without much effort. Yadi started his playing career in 2001 with the Johnson City Cardinals of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, advancing one level in each of his four seasons in the minor leagues. It was then on June 3rd 2004, after Cardinals catcher (and later on manager) Mike Matheny went on the DL with a strained rib, that Molina was called up for his first every Major League start as catcher and has mostly kept the title for the good majority of Cardinals games for the past 18 years. He has been the Opening Day starting catcher for the Cardinals every year since 2005 and has been the prime reason for the amount of success that St. Louis has achieved since then. 10x All-Star appearances, 9x Gold Gloves, 4x Platinum Gloves, 2x World Series Rings, and even a Silver Slugger and Roberto Clemente Award to go with it.

Adam Wainwright, on the other hand, was not actually drafted as a Cardinal. Back in 2000, Adam was picked by the Atlanta Braves and 29th overall in the first round of the MLB Draft. It was in December 2003 where Wainwright got traded to the Cardinals along with pitchers Jason Marquis and Ray King in exchange for veteran outfielder J.D. Drew and utility player Eli Marrero. It was then that Wainwright spent two years in the minor league with the Memphis Redbirds that he met Yadier Molina and attempted to build himself up as being a top starting pitcher in the Major Leagues for years to come. However, despite being called up in 2006, Wainwright role’s wasn’t necessarily as a starter but as a reliever. Things got even more complicated and interesting when Wainwright found himself at the tail end of 2006 as a last minute closer, with long-time Cardinal closer Jason Isringhausen undergoing season-ending hip surgery. With the Cardinals playoff hopes crumbling in the final week of September, on the verge of blowing an eight plus game lead in their division, Wainwright was able to save two crucial games on September 27th and 30th which was able to hold off the second place Houston Astros and help the Cardinals secure the NL Central title. It was then that Adam Wainwright would go on to get the final out in the NLDS against the Padres, the NLCS against the Mets, and even the World Series against the Tigers to help the Cardinals land their 10th World Series championship with Yadier Molina right by his side.

After 2006, it was then that Adam Wainwright moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation. His first ever career Major League start occurred on April 6th, 2007 against the Astros with Yadier Molina being the starting catcher. Wainwright would go seven innings and allow only run which was enough to hand the Cardinals their first win of that season and the first win in Waino’s career as a starter. While 2007 would ultimately be a very down year for the Cardinals, with a poor 78-84 record (which btw is the last time the Cardinals had a losing season), it help showcased that Adam Wainwright was an ace in the making for St. Louis. Aside from 2011 where he would miss the whole season due to Tommy John Surgery along with missing a good portion of 2015 and 2018 due to injuries, you’d be hard pressed to find a pitcher in St. Louis not named Chris Carpenter that has left such a great lasting impression with the fans and players. 3x All-Star appearances, 2x Gold Gloves, 2x World Series Rings, along with a Roberto Clemente and even a Silver Slugger award would also help wonders as well! With the exception of Lou Brock and possibly even Nolan Arenado, you would also be hard pressed to name a trade that has impacted the St. Louis Cardinals throughout their history this greatly.

So, yeah. Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright have been around the Cardinals for a long time and have made plenty of history through their amazing run in St. Louis, including this year with passing the most teams wins and the most starts totals in battery mate history. However, why is it that there should be more focus on this? Why should there be as much to celebrate as Judge when he gets to 62 or Pujols getting to 700? Because after this season, this tag team will break up.

Before the 2022 season, Yadier Molina confirmed that this season with the Cardinals would be his last. Along with Albert Pujols planning to retire as well, this certainly has helped make for a rather emotional rollercoaster of the year for the Cardinals and their fans. While Adam Wainwright hasn’t 100% confirmed that he would also retire at the end of the year, hinting at possible coming back in 2023, everyone knows that it won’t be the same. With Yadi being Waino’s personal catcher for so long, it would be difficult to imagine him wanting to pitch next year without his best friend and catcher for life right on the field with him. No matter what choice Adam makes, Yadi and Albert choices are set to leave the game in the coming months following the season. With Yadi already having plans to manager for a team in his home country and Albert most likely having to start his 10-year plus service time with the Angels, this will definitely be as big of a swan song we have had since Big Papi and Derek Jeter retired.

There’s an old saying in baseball about how pitching and defense is what wins games and hitting is what sells tickets. That is perhaps why I would imagine there hasn’t been as much focus on this incredible milestone as with Judge and Pujols chasing for theirs. People love action in sports. As much as it is fun to watch your team’s defense make an amazing play or two, it’s the offense and scoring that is the kind of spectacle that fans come to the game to see. Cardinals fans always love to see Nolan Arenado make an incredible diving stop play as much as they do with seeing him hit a game-winning home run. It’s the glove that helps win games but also the bat that helps provide entertainment. Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright however, aren’t necessarily known for their bats. While both have received Silver Sluggers awards and have had their share of clutch moments with the bat, it’s mostly Wainwright’s elite pitching and Molina’s elite catching/throwing that is their most common trait. The old Uncle Charlie curveball and the same old Yadi with his fire arm and stealing strike calls from the hitters. In that case, it’s understandable that their accomplishments hasn’t got as much recognition as they deserve but it’s still a major shame regardless.

Overall, the main point I’m trying to make with this piece is to savior the amount of history with Yadi and Waino. They are a pairing that will come to an end in the coming months. They are a pairing that we likely won’t see in baseball for many years to come. They are a pairing that showcases the attitude and leadership that a baseball team should possesses to be able to become constant winners and eventually World Series champions! Like I said earlier this month with Albert Pujols, enjoy it all while you can because you won’t be able to for much longer!

Nevertheless, as a dedicated fan of the St. Louis Cardinals since the mid 2000s, I want to take my time to say thank you so much to Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright for everything you both have done for my favorite sports team! You have helped given me so many memories with such an historic franchise that I can simply never forget. I don’t know if any one of you will ever see this piece but if you do, thank you so much for being a Cardinals for life and by heart! You’ve allowed me to watch my favorite team be a consistent winner year-in and year-out and allowed me to be witness to a couple of world championships throughout my lifetime! Thanks again and I wish you both well for whatever the future awaits!

A few days ago, Major League Baseball Association announced upcoming rule changes for the 2023 season and beyond. It mostly involve three specific aspects of the game. Those include pitch clocks, bigger bases, and eliminating defensive shifts. These are rules that are being added in as a means of trying to add more action in the game along with improving the pace to play. With these rules changes, MLB is hoping to address the two criticisms of the modern age of baseball involving the length and lack of activity of each game in order to make baseball more enjoyable and fun to watch. There are definitely many ways that these rule changes can help the game deeply while also backward spectacularly. Regardless, changes are coming and it’s best to look at each of these three new rules along with seeing how it can benefit and even bite the league in the long run. Let’s take look at each one step-by-step.

1.) Pitch Timer

This one was quite a no-brainer. There have been numerous complaints by fans and players about how the game is always slow because of pitchers who always take their sweet ass time between each pitch they throw. Whether it’s constantly trying to pick-off a runner at first base or second they have no chance of actually picking off, step up the mound right before a wind-up, or having to call time out to make sure they agree on a certain pitch, pitchers tend to always disrupt the pace and flow of the game. With this new rule change, things are definitely going to be speeding up.

Similar to NFL’s play clock, there will now be a pitch clock added in for each pitcher. Pitchers will now be giving a total of 15 seconds to deliver a pitch when bases are empty and 20 seconds whenever there is a runner (or runners) on base. They must motion before time expires and are able to disengage the rubber twice without penalty (the clock will then reset after the latter action is made). Failure to make a pitch in time will result in an automatic ball for the opposing batter.

This rule also will impact hitters as well. To address another common complaint about batters constantly stepping out of the box between each pitch and calling as many timeouts as they want, hitters will now receive only one timeout per plate appearance. They must be in the batter’s box and alert to the pitcher with at least eight seconds remaining before the clock runs out.

This rule has actually already been tested last year with the pitch clock being added down in the Minor Leagues. It’s been reported that it has helped shaved off at least 26 minutes in the average length of a ball game. And many folks who tend to watch numerous amounts of MilB games have responded to it very well, stating that it’s barely noticeable once everyone is used to it.

Between the three rules, this is the one that I believe will have the most positive impact on the game. It might take a while for certain pitchers that have the tendency to slow down and take their time with each and every pitch (*cough* Giovanny Gallegos *cough*) but once the rule starts to make an impact, I think there will be a benefit for everyone involved with an added pitch clock.

2.) Bigger Bases

This one has been a headscratcher for many. This next rule includes making the bases just a tad bigger, increasing the size of first base, second base, and third base from 15″ square to 18″ square. To answer the question has to why this rule change is necessary, it mostly comes down to two reasons.

First, it’s a way of trying to get more action between and during plays. It’s a way to open up old school strategies such as stealing bags, hit-and-run, and perhaps bunting that aren’t used as much anymore because of the consequences of always getting caught stealing or walking right into an easy out. Bigger bases might just allow for things like that to become more frequent with runners being able to get better jumps on the bases.

Second, it’s to help reduce injuries involving baserunning that are far too frequent. Accidents such as stepping on a player’s foot or stepping on the right end of the bag have been caused due to runners not getting as much room to put their foot on the bag. With bigger bases, it gives enough room for the defender and runner to put their feet on the bag to make a play without any potential harm coming to both sides.

I feel like they should have also added in the kind of bases they have in Little League where there’s an additional bag for the runner that’s right next to the first base bag to create a perfect running lane for the runner when going to first. It would have at least cut down on any potential interference calls on the runner for being out of the baseline by giving them their own lane (*cough* Trea Turner *cough*). Otherwise, this rule is mostly implemented for the safety of the players and the possible chance that there may be more open stolen base attempts/hits-and-runs.

3.) Shift Restriction

Here’s the big one! The one that seems to be the most controversial, debated, and polarizing of all of the three major rule changes! The extreme defensive shifts are no more!

There can now only be two infielders on either side of second base when a pitch is made. All four infielders must have both feet strictly on the infield and out of the grass when the pitcher is on the rubber. Infielders can NOT switch side unless there is a defense of substitution.

No more four outfielders. No more having the third baseman at second base. There are now exact restrictions and limitations with how a team can play defense.

The idea of this rule change is as clear as day: to allow more offense. There has been plenty of studies and evidence that has shown how the constant focus on defensive shifts nowadays is taking away a good portion of hitting every season. If a hitter is not striking out for trying to swing for the fences, then they are most likely hitting a grounder or soft flyball that is right into a shift where a player is positioned at a different spot then they are assigned in the lineup card.

Just how many times have we all seen in recent memory a hitter hitting a chopper right up the middle which you think is a base hit but it’s actually an out because it lands right into the glove of a fielder that is positioned perfectly there for some reason? And how many times have we all groaned that something that would have been a hit ten years ago is a sure out now? That’s not even getting into the hitters whose careers took a big hit by being shifted on a extreme basis (Ryan Howard, Matt Carpenter, Joey Gallo, etc.).

There are certainly purists out there that are strongly against this rule, claiming that hitters should learn how to beat the shift instead of being rewarded for their own incompetence. To those people, I’ll say this. If beating the shift was that easy, more hitters would be able to do it.

How easy can it be to try to hit the ball the other way when the pitcher you’re facing is throwing somewhere between 95 to 100 MPH? Sure, you can try to bunt every now and then but that was just get tiresome to a fan real quick. How many times a game would you really want to see a hitter bunt so they are guarantee to get a base hit of some sorts. Defense might win ball games but offense is what gets people to watch them.

No doubt this is the rule change that can change the game for better and for worse. Not just to help get more points on the scoreboard but also as a means of rewarding hitters for being able to put the ball in play. If this works out, perhaps that will open multiple different hitting approaches instead of the usual three true outcomes of home runs, walks, and strikeouts. By being able to have more freedom to hit the ball in big parts of the field without having to worry about a position player being in a completely different spot than they usually are, maybe that will lead to more contact hitters and old-school hitting strategies to make a big comeback on the game. If it does that, then this might just change the game for the better. If not, then this rule won’t mean much in the long run.

It’s too early to tell how exactly this will affect the game of baseball. Hopefully, this find the right mix between action, tension, and pace to play to make most ball games feel like a complete package and not a completely dull slog to sit through. This could also lead to other impactful rule changes such as moving the pitching mound back and switching to electronic strike zones.

We have to wait until next year to find out ourselves but at least there’s an effort from MLB to improve the sport and making it more entertaining.

For more information on the rule changes, here’s a link from an article from MLB.com:

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-rule-changes-aim-to-improve-game-in-2023

This isn’t going to be much of a review of the actual movie but more on what is actually added to the extended cut of this gloriously successful Spidey flick! I still love the movie even if my nostalgia for the previous Spider-Man incarnations and my initial opening night theater experience did elevated a bit more at the time it came out than it does now on repeat viewings. The things I still like before I still like now even if the things I didn’t care for do stick out a bit more. Still a 3.5 out of 4 star movie for me however! But what about the content that was added in this so-called More Fun Stuff version that is coming out this weekend in some theaters. Does it really enhanced the No Way Home experience or is it just a cheap cash grab?

First off, let’s go over the scenes that were added in to this cut of the movie that is releasing the theaters this Labor Day weekend (which btw can be watched for just three bucks on September 3rd). There was a total of at least ten minutes added to this longer version of No Way Home. This makes the overall movie hover right over the two and a half hour long minute mark. These scenes that were added in include the following that I’m about to describe:

(Also, if you consider me describing each individual scene as a spoiler, then you might wanna click away right now. You have been warned!)

• Just before the movie starts, it opens with Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire through a Zoom meeting (which looks like it was shot on the same day they did an interview through Zoom about a month after the movie came out). The three of them greet the fans and thank them for their overwhelming support on their Spider-Man picture.

• There’s a cameo with Tom Holland’s brother, Harry Holland, where he plays a thief that stole a bicycle. This leads to Spider-Man interacting with citizens until a Mysterio supporter douses him with green paint, which gets basically all over his Spider suit that Peter has a hard time brushing off later on in the movie.

• There are more high school scenes added with most of the side characters from Homecoming and Far From Home such as the teachers, Flash Thompson, and Betty Bryant that didn’t really get to do anything in No Way Home. This include extra/extended scenes such as a longer conversation between Peter and his teachers, Peter being pressured into climbing the wall using his Spider powers by students during gym class, and a segment of Betty Bryant interviewing various teachers and students on how they view Peter Parker now that they know he is Spider-Man, including Peter himself. These interview segments are probably the most added content in this version, excluding the new end credit scene.

• There is an extra scene with Matt Murdock where he’s trying to help plead Happy’s case against the Department of Damage Control. It’s during that part where Happy sees Peter and Aunt May leading the villains into the apartment through his security camera. It also includes a semi-funny moment where Matt tells Happy to stop sweating in which Happy asks how he never sweats.

• There are lengthier scenes of the three Peter Parkers talking with one another during the big moments such as the loved ones that they lost and the banter they exchange before the big fight on the Statue of Liberty. No major things happened but just a couple more moments of the three Peters talking and quipping with one another.

• Lastly, there is a big post credit scene (right at the same spot which the Multiverse of Madness trailer played) with Betty Bryant hosting a school news segment on the last day before graduation. It’s basically here just taking a trip down memory lane with all of the teenagers from all three MCU Spider-Man movies. It basically showcases the crazy adventures and field trips that the students went on in the previous movies with Peter no where to bee seen in any footage. It basically confirms that everyone’s memory of Peter Parker had been 100% erased!

And that is basically it as far the More Fun Stuff version goes when it comes to the bonus content. No extended fight scenes, no major plot and character details revealed, no moment of Maguire’s Peter and Dafoe’s Norman interacting, no cameo of Kirsten Dunst’s MJ or Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy, etc. This isn’t like a full-on director’s cut on the range of say Zack Snyder’s Justice League with a good portion of the theatrical footage mixed with plenty of the director’s original footage or even like Spider-Man 2 which included extended action sequences and bonus/longer scenes that help a detail or two towards the characters. It’s basically nothing more than a couple of deleted scenes added back in with Sony hoping that’s good enough to justify bringing it back in theaters to get a few extra dollars.

Granted, I used Regal Unlimited which only cost me two quarters and four pennies worth to watch. Because of that, I can’t really claim it was that much of wasted money on my part. However, to anyone else, I can’t say it’s worth the full theater ticket price. Unless you haven’t seen the full movie yet or are just extremely curious to see the extended footage in person, it’s not something you have to pay in theaters to see. You will most likely be better off just watching the version that already came out on Blu-Ray again and just wait for the added scenes to show up on YouTube, assuming it’s not on there already. It’s definitely not like the extended cut of Avengers: Endgame that included literal unfinished scenes of CGI with the Hulk or the PG-13 cut of Deadpool 2, A.K.A. Once Upon A Deadpool which featured more censored content and added footage of Deadpool parodying The Princess Bride by telling the story of the film to Fred Savage (which at least led to money being donated to charity). That being said, I highly doubt the More Fun Stuff version it’s gonna affect anyone’s overall opinions on No Way Home as a whole.

If you want to see it, go ahead but at least see it at a discount or for the $3 deal that will be going on all day Saturday in celebration of Cinema Day. Anything more than that is quite outrageous!

(Also, on a brief side note! I have read from leaks that this version also includes a brief moment where MJ pleads Peter to get Doctor Strange to make the world forget her too but I can’t recall ever seeing that. Unless I dozed off during that part and didn’t pay attention for a split second, I don’t think that part is there. Just try looking it up on YouTube to see if it’s real or not!)