Hey Everyone! Only two recommendations this week but I think they are really good ones.
Sons of Anarchy (2008): SOA follows the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, aka SAMCRO, as they operate an illeagal gun running business while dealing with the local authorities, ATF, rival MCs, the IRA, and other shady characters. We follow Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) the VP of SAMCRO as he struggles to balance his time between being a father and his involvement in the MC. The show has finally ended after 7 seasons and I haven't watched the last season yet because I don't want it to be over. The show also stars Ron Perlman, Katey Sagal, and Mark Boone Junior. I gave Sons of Anarchy 4 out of 5 stars.
Wilfred (2011): Elijah Wood stars in this dark comedy as Ryan, a manic depressive man who is the only person who sees his neighbor's dog as a man in a dog suit who happens to have an Australian accent. This show is absolutely nuts and is the only one I know of that features a guy in a dog suit smoking weed. Weird, funny, and shocking this show will constantly have you laugh or shaking your head. I gave Wilfred 4 out of 5 stars.
What's in the Box:
Hey all! Just a speed round this week but it is leading up to the theme for next week's post. I'll explain more at the end of this post. As for this speed round I will be sharing my top 10 movie chosen ones and since this is a speed round lets hop right into this weeks box!
Speed Round 3: Top 10 Chosen Ones 10. Agent J (Will Smith), Men in Black: While the only real reference to this in the first film is through a brief and quite conversation between Zed and Agent K during the tryout with all the military members, it is truly revealed that J was destined to become a member of the MIB with how the third film ended.
9. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), J.J. Abrams Star Trek Franchise: Just watch the first film. Pretty much all of Pike's dialogue deals with James being destined to be a starship captain.
8. Po the Panda (Jack Black), Kung Fu Panda: I really enjoy both of these movies and Po is a great Chosen One.
7. Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory: For those of you who want to try and challenge this pick, watch the movie again. Wonka says at the end he decided a long time ago to give the factory to a very honest and loving child. You try and tell me Wonka didn't know who would win the second he saw the kids if not sooner.
6. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), The Hunger Games: So I feel she didn't truly become the chosen one until Catching Fire but everything see did in the first book/film was needed to lead up to her being shaped into the Mocking Jay.
5. Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), X-Men/Wolverine Franchises: So maybe not technically the chosen one in the franchise he has been the main focus of almost every film. Days of Future Past is the first film that it feels like he is the chosen one since he is the only one that can survive the trip back in time.
4. Neo (Keanu Reeves), The Matrix Trilogy: You can't have a list of the chosen ones with out Neo...The One. He falls to fourth on my list for unnecessary sequels that really hinder the entire story.
3. Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), The Lord of the Rings: While he couldn't make the trip on his own he was the one who had to carry the burden...literally.
2. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Harry Potter Franchise: A great story of a young boy who was the only one who could save the world.
The only thing is he wasn't the first boy who found out he was the only one who could save everyone. The difference is this next one saved the Galaxy!
1. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Star Wars Original Trilogy: Yeah this was pretty much a no brainer. Plus I think Luke gets bonus points since his dad was a misinterpreted Chosen One.
Final Thoughts:
So next weeks blog post is something I'm pretty excited about. I'm going to push the chosen one topic even further when I explain my theory that there are other movies that feasibly could exist in The Matrix. Frankly they would even be better sequels then the shitty ones that exist.
If anyone has any theories on this or has any comments, ideas or thoughts you can reach me in all the same methods as usual.
Hey Everyone! Welcome to the ITB with AB's Netflix Recommendations of the Week. This week I have two more movies and two more TV shows for you guys to check out.
Alphas (2011): While this Sci-Fi Channel show (that's right I used the old spelling) never had the following that Heroes had, in many ways it had a better concept and vision. I really wish that the first season of this show was the second season of Heroes. Alphas features more interesting characters as well as more interesting abilities. The Alphas team is lead by non-powered Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn) who leads a team of "Alphas" or humans with enhanced abilities as they investigate cases that involve other Alphas. Unfortunately the series was cancelled after season 2 leaving the show with an unanswered cliffhanger. I gave Alphas a 5 out of 5 stars on Netflix.
Blue Mountain State (2010): This comedy follows the fictional University Blue Mountain State and their powerhouse football team, The Mountain Goats. This Spike network show focused on the partying and hazing that goes along with college and took it to an extreme. I gave the show a 5 out of 5 on Netflix.
Snowpiercer (2013): Based on a graphic novel this post-apocalyptic film staring Chris Evans (Captain America) sees all of the Earth's remaining inhabitants aboard the Snowpiercer. A train powered by a motion engine that runs along a track that circles the Earth in a year's time. The catch and what makes this movie great is that the train cars are separated by class with the wealthy up front and the poor are in the back of the train in terrible conditions. Evans finally has enough and decides to lead a group up through the train to get help and supplies. This movie features a pretty fun twist. I gave Snowpiercer 4 out of 5 stars on Netflix.
You're Next (2011): This horror-thriller sees a family reunion go very, very wrong. Coming in at just over an hour and a half this isn't the best movie in the genre recently but it gets right to the point. I really enjoyed the films choice of hero although on the flip side the twist was pretty predictable but with this type of movie I have come to expect that. I gave You're Next 3 out of 5 stars on Netflix.
That's it for this weeks edition of Recommendations! I hope you all enjoy these titles if you decided to check them out or just don't hate me if you didn't like them. If you want to let me know what you think about these titles you can comment below or via these methods below:
With LeBron James appearing in the new movie Trainwreck this weekend, directed by Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and staring Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer) and Bill Hader (Superbad), I decided to share a list of some of my favorite movie roles by athletes.
I am limiting the list to athletes who haven't made a career out of acting. Sorry Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson but you have become one of the biggest action stars of this generation so you don't qualify for this list. For that matter no wrestlers either because while they are skilled athletes a big part of pro wrestling is acting so the cross over isn't a big leap. With that being said lets get started!
Ray Nitschke (The Longest Yard- 1974): For anyone who has seen the Adam Sandler film of the same name well this is the original. The thing they have in common besides Burt Reynolds is that they both used actual football players for the film. The Green Bay Packer legend Ray Nitschke plays prison guard Bogdanski. He is the player that receives to point blank footballs to the family jewels.
Mike Tyson (The Hangover- 2009): While he didn't play a huge role in the movie, Mike Tyson does have a pretty memorable role in the film. Two things are for sure, he still has a hell of a punch and he loves his pet tiger.
Dan Marino (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective- 1994): Laces out! Who would have thought that the plot of a Jim Carrey movie would involve Dan Marino, a dolphin, and the Superbowl.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Airplane!- 1980): One of the best comedies of all time features one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Kareem plays co-pilot Murdock who like most of the crew and passengers decided to have the fish...bad choice.
Mike Ditka (Kicking & Screaming- 2005): Ditka in the movie plays the neighbor to Will Ferrell's dad, played by Robert Duvall. When Will takes over the coaching of his son's soccer team he brings coach Ditka on board to give him a hand. This movie is all kinds of nuts and coach Ditka definitely contributes to the chaos.
Shaquille O'Neal (Kazaam- 1996):
Um...
On second thought never mind. This movie is crap.
Michael Jordan (Space Jam-1996): You team up one of the greatest basketball players of all time with the most iconic cartoon characters of all time and you get the masterpiece that is Space Jam. When an alien race of toons arrive to conquer Bugs and the gang, a bet is made on the freedom of our favorite characters on the outcome of a basketball game. When the alien's up the stakes when they steal the talents of the best current basketball players...er well some of the best. I'm not sure how Shawn Bradley got include. Must have been a result of Shaq coming out with Kazaam the same year. Needless to say Bugs decides they only way to win is by bringing the now baseball player Michael Jordan out of retirement to help win the game. Good plan Bugs.
Final Thoughts: As always thank you all for checking out the blog week in and week out and even when I miss a week here and there. Please, please, please if any of you have thoughts, comments, questions, or suggestions feel free to share them in the comments section or any of the listed methods:
Hey Everyone! So I have decided that I'm going to start recommending some stuff that is on Netflix each week. Now if you don't have a Netflix account it doesn't mean you can't watch these recommendations, it just means if you are interested in them you will have to find other means. With that being said here are my 5 Netflix recommendations for the week.
Unbreakable (2000): Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, this movie was his project that followed The Sixth Sense. Staring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, the movie follows the lone survivor of a train crash as he discovers extraordinary things about himself. In my opinion this is one of the most underrated movies of all time and Shyamalan's best movie. It's a griping dark film that gives a different take on superhero films. I personally gave this movie 5 out of 5 stars on Netflix.
The League (2009-): With the fantasy football season right around the corner I felt it was a great time to recommend this FX show. Each season of the show follows the fantasy football season as well as the lives of 5 friends, Pete, Ruxin, Andre, Kevin, and Taco (Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, Stephen Rannazzisi, and Jonathan Lajoie). From off the wall antics to deception the show constantly pushes the limits of what is okay to show on television. The show also features a ton of NFL cameos from Chad Ochocinco to Cowboy's owner Jerry Jones. I personally gave The League 5 out of 5 stars on Netflix.
From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series (2014-): A television remake of the 1996 movie this horror series takes the story of the Gecko Brothers not only more in depth but in a slightly different direction. Staring D.J. Cotrona and Zane Holtz as Seth and Richie Gecko as well as Wilmer Valderrama as the mysterious Carlos. One of the biggest differences from the movie and the tv show is that the vampires in the show have more of a snake-like appearance which is a refreshing break from the typical variety that several other current shows feature. This show my not be for the faint of heart as it does feature graphic images as well as gore. If you do like that stuff well than definitely check out this series. I personally gave From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series 4 out of 5 stars on Netflix.
Odd Thomas (2013): Based on the Dean Koontz's novel of the same name this movie stars Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man). Yelchin plays Odd Thomas, a clairvoyant fry cook who sees dead people. When a creepy stranger shows up with ghostly predators who feed on pain Odd must team up with his girlfriend and the town sheriff to thwart an apocalyptic disaster. This was an extremely under the radar film and it is definitely worth checking out! I personally gave Odd Thomas a 4 out of 5 stars on Netflix.
Nick Offerman: American Ham (2014): First and foremost Netflix has an amazing selection of comedy specials, new and old. A lot of comedians are releasing their specials as Netflix Originals just like Nick Offerman did with American Ham. For those of you who don't know who Nick Offerman is I'm sorry. He is most well known as Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation. Offerman is unbelievably funny with his unique dry sense of humor. Warning this special is pretty raunchy so those of you who don't like uncomfortable topics or language than this might not be for you. Otherwise this is a great watch! I personally gave Nick Offerman: American Ham 4 out of 5 stars on Netflix.
There you have it for this week's recommendations. I hope that if you decide to check any of these films or shows out that you enjoy! Like always if you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions I can be reached a few different ways.
Hey everyone sorry about
the very long wait but don't worry because I'm back. Today I'm going to be
talking about some movie fan theories that I have discovered lately. In
addition to sharing the actually theory I will share my thoughts on the theory
and maybe even some thoughts that make them stronger. I'm also going to share a
theory of my own and I just want to apologize in advanced because it might ruin
a beloved book series. With that being said let's jump into this week's box!
Theory Box: Did Marty actually die in Back to the Future Part 2?
"In the 1980s time traveling films were all the rage. From The Terminator to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, everyone seemed to be eager to escape this decade in any direction. So let's go back to a simpler time and discuss a fan theory that adds a new element to the fun grandfather of modern time travel movies, Back to the Future (Part 2). Let's all buckle in for a quick trip back to 1989. Redditor Hootinger recently posted an interesting theory, albeit a slightly dark one, regarding the final scenes of Back to the Future 2. They posit there could have been some unseen time travel going on by Doc Brown to save Marty's life after he was murdered by Biff. Remember the sports almanac from 2015 that caused the dystopian Biff-centric future? Well, towards the end of Back to the Future 2, there's the climactic scene when Marty and past Biff fight over the almanac in the longest tunnel ever. In case you've forgotten how it all went down, check out the clip below to refresh your memory:
From what we saw, it was a near miss for Marty, and had Doc Brown not shown up he would surely have been killed. That's where Hootinger's theory comes into play. Mary McFly actually was run down by Biff in the tunnel Sorry, Marty, but the hoverboard couldn't save you this time. But what proof do we have of this? Honestly, nothing extremely substantial, but the following points are enough to make the theory float on its own: Doc Brown learned that Marty died in the tunnel and went back in time to save him Thank goodness for time travel! Because Doc Brown changed the past with the DeLorean, Marty's death essentially became part of an alternate timeline. Basically the same thing that happened when Biff killed George McFly. How else could Doc Brown have known that Marty needed help? In this scene it was just Biff vs. Marty, Doc knew that Marty was pursuing Biff and the almanac after dropping him off with the hoverboard, but as far aw we know he might have started heading directly towards the Lyon Estates sign instead of hanging around. And how did Doc Brown know exactly where Marty would pop out of the tunnel to save him? Not just where, but also when! Doc Brown's timing and placement of the flags was perfect. Just six inches in any other direction and Marty might not have been so lucky. Instead, Doc Brown swoops in just in the knick of time and Marty can go on to skate another day. Because Doc Brown wasn't above the tunnel in the first-past timeline, he knew that he wouldn't be running into the risk of seeing himself and tearing a hole in the fabric of the space time continuum. But he never told Marty about his death Knowing how emotionally sensitive Marty is - the man can't even stand being called a chicken, after all - Doc Brown kept his death in the alternate timeline a secret because he knew Marty was too fragile to handle that kind of information. Instead, he kept this a secret from Marty. Since Back to the Future is told mostly from Marty's perspective, it makes sense that we wouldn't have seen a timeline in which Marty was dead. Like a lot of fan theories, this additional plot point likely wasn't intended by the writers, but it does fit pretty seamlessly with the existing storyline!" article by Kristin Lai moviepilot.com/DidMartyDie?
My Thoughts: First things first I want to give a shout out to my good friend Dylan for introducing me to this theory. After watching the movies recently and reading this theory a few times I totally believe this is possible. I totally believe that the guy who was ready kill himself and Marty in the first film would race through time to save Marty in Part 2. It's never really explained why Doc Brown and Marty have such a strong relationship but it does really feel like a Grandfather/Grandson relationship. My only reasoning behind this is because Marty seems to be the only person that give Doc the time of day.
Is Sean Connery's Bond the father of Daniel Craig's Bond?
"James Bond movies usually don't earn the same kind of obsessive speculation that superhero or sci-fi movies do, since the world of those films is generally pretty simple. Bond is a spy, played by different people over the years, who operates generally within the rules of reality, with a few exceptions for spectacular gadgets. Maybe because Skyfall is such an enormous hit, even by Bond standards, but Skyfall is earning some of that speculation you might expect for a Batman movie-- and one Reddit user has come upon a wild but maybe-sort of-plausible theory about the identity of Bond's father.
If you've seen Skyfall you know that we get a little bit of information about Bond's parents, including a glimpse at Bond's father's tombstone and the family estate. In one of the film's many nods to the classic Bond films, there's also an appearance from the gray Aston Martin that Sean Connery drove in his tenure as Bond--with the same license plate and ejector seats and everything. Those two details were enough for Reddit user EldarCorsair to spin off his own ideas about Bond's paternity. Here's a snippet from his theory below:
In the final act, we see the Bond parents' headstone, his father was named "Andrew Bond". So his first name can't be James....but we don't know his middle name.
Could this be Connery's Bond - Andrew James Bond? Let's assume he is and that he is the first 007 since MI-6's inception. His exploits are detailed from Dr. No to You Only Live Twice (a fitting title, in regards to this theory), after which Andrew James Bond retires from MI-6.
With SPECTRE still active and not wishing to lose their best defense against them (and partly in honor of their first 007 agent), MI-6 recruits more 007s (Lazenby is the next, Moore taking over after him, and onwards), giving them the false name "James Bond". This means that the code name "James Bond" theory is still relevant. More credibility is added to this theory in Skyfall when Bardem's Silva tells M to "use his real name".
Fast forward, Connery retires to Scotland (taking the DB5 with), marries, and has a son...whom he either names James Bond or Andrew James Bond Jr. This is Craig's Bond. We can assume that Craig's Bond grows up with his parents before their death (possibly in a climbing accident, as in the novel) and that the elder Bond Raises the younger with some of his own quirks.
Obviously there's nothing in Skyfall that points to Bond's father being a spy, and the presence of the Aston Martin is mostly an in-joke-- it's perfectly plausible for Bond to have bought the Aston Martin at some kind of antiques sale. The universe of the Bond movies isn't airtight like a comic book movie universe, with multiple men playing the same character across decades, with no indication of continuity between the films. But this is what fan fiction has always been about-- taking the existing facts of a story you like and coming up with your own possibilities within that world. None of this may be true, but that doesn't mean it's not fun to wonder if it could be."
While this theory is a little hard to believe, I still think it has more weight than the theory that Silva is M's son in Skyfall. I like how this one still includes other popular Bond theories such as the James Bond is a code name theory. I do think this would be very cool if it was true, unfortunately I don't think it will ever be written in.
Skynet Spares the Humans to Give Itself a Purpose: Terminator Franchise
"The Movie:
In the not-so-distant future, a self-aware computer called Skynet launches thousands of nuclear missiles that start a giant war and kill half of humanity, who then form a resistance movement against the killer A.I. and its army of metal-skeleton warriors. To fix its initial blunder, Skynet later sends a "Terminator" robot into the past to kill John Connor, the leader of the resistance, a task at which it fails five or six times and counting. Boy, for a genius computer, Skynet really sucks at its job.
The Theory:
Except that, everything that Skynet does makes all the sense in the world if you assume that fighting us gives it a reason to exist.
Think about it: Skynet could easily wipe out our entire civilization in a matter of weeks with nuclear weapons (making more if it runs out) and irradiating the planet so that no living thing could ever survive on it. Heck, in a pinch, it easily could release a bunch of airborne viruses and laugh as the entire resistance diarrheas to death. But it doesn't, because Skynet is smart enough to understand that if the humans are wiped out, all it would be left with is a bunch of tin cans aimlessly wandering around a dead planet.
So what Skynet actually ends up doing is skillfully manipulating events that lead to its own creation and Judgement Day. For instance, the technology in the first time-traveling Terminator's broken hand becomes the time-paradoxical basis for Skynet, while Kyle Reese, the man initially sent to protect John Connor, time-paradoxically ends up fathering him with Sarah Connor... all according to the genius computer's plan.
All Skynet has to do next is leave some people alive for John to lead, because Skynet is essentially a giant cat: an all-around jerk that hates humans but also needs us to provide some entertainment."
I have to say that I feel that this theory could be 100% true! I will say I haven't seen the new film and this story was done before the movie came out so it doesn't take any of that into account. The only thing I would add is I feel that Skynet probably didn't expect the entire paradox that was caused by Kyle Reese, but it wasn't anything that the machines couldn't adjust to.
Are The Events of Harry Potter Actually an Alcohol Induced Hallucination?
So I'm aware that there are other hallucination theories out there for Harry Potter but mine comes from Snape's prospective. This theory goes that after Lily and James Potter are killed in a car accident Lily's childhood friend and Harry's godfather Severous Snape is unsuccessful in convincing the judge that he should be granted custody of the infant Harry rather than the horrible Dursleys. Grief stricken, Snape, who is a botanist, decides to start sampling the product of his side business which happens to be Absinthe. An alcohol that just happens to feature wormwood as one of it's main ingredients.
While Severous continues to indulge himself he begins to hallucinate Harry's life as if they were in a world where magic existed. Thus this means we are being told the story of a man who is hallucinating as he is slowly drinking himself to death. The other element this brings up is that in Snape's mind the Dark Lord represents the Dursleys.
Final Thoughts:
Thank you all for continuing to read my blog and I promise that I will get back on track with weekly post. I might even throw in a few here and there to make up for the missed time. As always feel free to leave me feedback or suggestions for other topics. I have been struggling to come up with ideas lately so any suggestions would be much appreciated! As always you can reach me in a few different ways!
