The Best TV Shows Of Fall 2016

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November 2, 2016

I have to admit that the TV shows having premiered in the second half of 2016, have been amazing thus far. If it’s on Netflix, I am sure to rush through them all in record time, and those shows airing on actual TV channels are welcomes each week a new episode airs. My only gripe with these such shows are the long commercials I have to endure. But at least I have found a solution for that; Euro Palace casino games are an absolute saviour and boredom buster for those long commercial breaks. With a variety of different fun casino games, I am never at a loss for fun and entertainment. Here are the best TV shows of Fall 2016, thus far.

Westworld

Airing on HBO on Sunday evenings, this Sci-Fi remake of the 70s film by the same name is a must see! The show revolves around an unconventional theme park with a Western theme that allows guests to interact with incredibly lifelike robots, called ‘hosts’. I do not want to give away too many details, but do yourself a favour and go catch up on the first 4 episodes that have aired before this Sunday. With a cast featured Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood as well as Thandie Newton –you know that the acting is going to be phenomenal!

Stranger Things

This Netflix original show is also in the Sci-Fi genre, that seems to be excelling so much these days. With a cast of mostly children, the acting is really great. Winona Ryder has a supporting role and proves that like a good wine, she just gets better with age! Ryder’s character’s son mysteriously goes missing and his friends try to do everything they can to find him. It’s a clever show, with a good plot and is guaranteed to have you binge watching the entire first season in one weekend!

Better Things

Better things is incidentally not as good as Stranger things, but it’s still pretty good –especially in its thirty-minute time slot, showing on FX. This show stars Pamela Adlon and is witty, with a great script written by both Adlon and comedian Loius CK. The story focuses on Sam, played by Adlon, who is an actress and single mother of three daughters. It will make you chuckle, that is for sure!

Luke Cage

Another Netflix winner here! If you have seen Jessica Jones, this is a must for you to watch as it acts as a spin-off, focusing on the life of Luke Cage. The story is captivating and every episode is full of action and drama. It is produced just as well as, if not better than, Jessica Jones is. Rosario Dawson has a role in this series, just as she did in Jessica Jones –with her character, Claire Temple, existing in all Marvel universe stories. You are bound to rush through its first season in no time –it’s really compelling television and you will love every second of it!

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Devon’s Top Five Breweries Across Country…so far!

By

Devon Kenney

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November 2, 2016

I have been lucky enough to visit my fair share of breweries, living in Washington State, and now Indiana. Over last summer, my fiancé and I took a cross-country road trip to move me home (Indiana) and I made it an unofficial beer tour. We were able to visit at least one brewery in each place we stayed. I feel like, after this experience, I can give you my top five favorites across the country!

5. Selkirk Abbey– Post Falls, Idaho

Sometimes you want to sit and have a magnificent beer, in a cool, small comfortable atmosphere. This place is rad because they know who they are. They slow batch brew, and while they can’t mass produce as fast as others, we as beer drinkers get solid beers, and it is for sure worth the wait. Drop in during the spring and summer months, and get the Huckleberry Chapel.

4. Fiction Beer Company-Denver, CO

If you love books, you will love this place. It is geared towards book worms who love beer. It has an awesome feel on the inside like you are at an amazing bookstore you don’t want to leave. The beers are inspired by books. Title, taste, and description. I chose “Do Not Touch the Flamingos” because it was inspired by Welcome to Night Vale. I highly recommend stopping in. The patio is an amazing place. Corn hole, huge Jenga, and random other games to occupy your mind while drinking your beer. Go in the summer, stay late on the patio and just be.

3. Perry Street Brewery-Spokane, WA

I just had to rep a few in my hometown! Perry Street is one of those places where you can sit for hours, drink beer and have a good conversation. They have games available for you to play while you do so, a pet-friendly patio, and awesome rotating choices. My favorite is the Saison, which isn’t always on tap. I also recommend the Kolsch.

2. Tin Man Brewing– Evansville, IN

Tin Man is my choice of hangout here in Evansville. It’s robot themed. Do I need to say more? OK, well it has stainless steel tables and wooden chairs. Kids welcome, they will love the food. You can get a BYOB- Build your own burger, which you can put basically anything on (tater tots included) The beer ranges from light, with the Circuit Bohemian Pilsner, to the dark end Café Leche Milk and Coffee Porter. Patio is great in the spring/summer months, and bring your pups! They allow dogs on the patio.

1.River City Brewing– Spokane, WA

It’s a small, private, tucked away little gem in Downtown Spokane. The tables are made out of bicycle wheel trims, and all over the walls are quotes about everything you can imagine. I fell in love with this Brewery a few years ago. I have been drunk there a time or two. I’ve somehow been lucky enough to get this as the location for my wedding next October. My favorite beer of all time comes from here, Girlfriend Golden Ale. They also have a mean Huckleberry Ale. Stop by any time of the year. The staff is super nice, and they make you feel like family. The good kind of family.

There you have it! My list of Top Five breweries that I have visited.. so far. I plan on making many more stops on this journey. Please share some of your favorites!

Until next time beer snobs!

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Matt Dillon Will Be a Serial Killer for Lars Von Trier’s ‘The House That Jack Built’

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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November 2, 2016

If you had Matt Dillon teaming up with Lars Von Trier in your Mad Libs pool, congratulations! The actor will play a serial killer in Von Trier’s next film, The House That Jack Built.

According to the Deadline report, no matter how much this sounds like it’s a straight up Jack the Ripper movie, it isn’t. Not totally.

“The House That Jack Built follows the highly intelligent Jack over a span of 12 years and introduces the murders that define Jack’s development as a serial killer. We experience the story from Jack’s point of view, while he postulates each murder is an artwork in itself. As the inevitable police intervention is drawing nearer, he is taking greater and greater risks in his attempt to create the ultimate artwork.”

This sounds a lot like Jack the Ripper, but then there’s the addition of a mysterious character named Verge, which will be played by Bruno Ganz. Verge “engages Jack in a recurring conversation about his actions and thoughts.” So, kinda like William Hurt’s imaginary friend character to Kevin Costner’s Mr. Brooks? Maybe. He could be a real person but it sure doesn’t sound that way.

The main thing here is that Matt Dillon is back from wherever he’s been. The guy is so underused and has had an interesting career playing seedy characters and scumbags. This looks like the next level of seedy scumminess, and he and Von Trier make an interesting duo.

There’s no release date for The House That Jack Built yet, so stay tuned for updates.

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REVIEW: ‘Doctor Strange’ conjures up a Marvel-ously wondrous ride

By

Felix Albuerne

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November 2, 2016

Doctor Strange, the 14th film in Marvel Cinematic Universe series, is all that audiences should expect it to be, and more.

Yes, it delivers Marvel requisite brand of innovative action, memorable characters and humor to give the film a lighter touch. And yes, it’s an origin, which bears some similarity in the broad strokes to Marvel character origins audiences have seen before.

If you love that formula, then you’ll find lots to love spending some time with the good Doctor. But that’s just the beginning.

The “more” comes from the dazzling visualization of a corner of the Marvel Universe not yet seen on film. The wonders, temptations, and horrors of Marvel’s mystic side, as envisioned by director Scott Derrickson, are what set this film apart.

Those elements, and how they drive the film’s characters, bring a fascinating freshness into the proceedings. It’s literally a universe unfolding before our eyes, and its fun to watch.

What’s it about?

Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is in his own way a master of his universe. Blessed with an eidetic memory and talented hands, he’s one the world’s most renowned neurosurgeons, and he’s parlayed that renown into wealth, comfort, and entitlement.

An accident, however, snatches away the keys to his talent, his success, and his very identity: the stability of his hands. Modern science and medicine simply are not enough to fix the nerve damage, or so it seems.

The end of roads familiar to Strange lead him, in turn, down an entirely unfamiliar path. Thus begins his journey into understanding the Mystic Arts, and through them beginning to grasp the “true” nature of the universe.

Strange finds himself a student again, with a whole new set of disciplines to master. He throws himself into study, and soon, his prowess as a sorcerer grows.

But his new powers, of course, come with responsibilities. When an ancient evil arrives to threaten Earth’s mystic defenders, they expect Strange to join the battle.

Can the “good” doctor be more than he has been thus far in his life? Can he look past his ego and just one way to save lives, and embrace a new destiny?

Another origin done right

Watching Doctor Strange, it’s not hard to see the film following the formula earlier Marvel films perfected. The readiest comparison is to 2014’s Ant-Man, but there are echoes of 2008’s original Iron Man here, too, particularly in the parallels between Tony Stark and Stephen Strange. Both geniuses, both wealthy, both arrogant and blissfully ignorant of harsh realities outside their fantasy lives.

What injects life and freshness into Doctor Strange despite those similarities is, in part, how different the path of discovery is this time. Veteran horror film director Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister) delivers a harrowing crash course in the multiverse for Strange. Derrickson’s conception of otherworldly travel’s sights and sounds are both breathtaking and terrifying.

But as dark as the places he takes Strange to are, Derrickson strives for balance in the film through humor. In fact, it’s debatable that the film skirts the boundaries of outright goofiness while trying to keep things balanced.

Example? One of Strange’s most recognizable artifacts may just remind you of the magic carpet in Disney’s Aladdin. Yes, you read that correctly.

Cumberbatch, Swinton lead a superb cast

But whatever reservations you might have about Doctor Strange‘s attempts at levity, its casting is pitch perfect. Cumberbatch is spot-on as Strange, whom he keeps likable despite the arrogance and know-it-all ego. He makes it fun to see Strange broken down and be built back up, to ride along with him as he discovers just how much he doesn’t know.

Tilda Swinton’s casting as The Ancient One raised hackles and inspired charges of Hollywood “whitewashing” when it was announced. Both the film’s script and Swinton’s efforts fully validate the choice, however, as she brings grace, power, and surprising humor to the role.

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Wong are the other real standouts in the film’s supporting cast. Ejiofor, in particular, can always be counted on to bring gravity and believability to what otherwise might be a stock role. Just look at his other genre work in Serenity, 2012, and The Martian and its clear what he brings to these proceedings — he’s that good here, too.

Worth seeing?

Let’s face it. If you’re reading this review on this web site, chances are you made plans months ago to see Doctor Strange. So the question of whether its worth seeing is as moot as moot gets.

But in case you worry you might be disappointed the 14th time around with Marvel, don’t. It’s a wondrous ride for both newbies and self-styled students of the Vishanti and acolytes of Agamotto.

If at all possible, see it in IMAX or 3D, and though it should go without saying, stick around for the mid and post-credits scenes. They’re worth your while, True Believers.

Doctor Strange

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt and Scott Adkins, with Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton. Directed by Scott Derrickson.
Running Time: 115 minutes
Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action throughout, and an intense crash sequence.

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Review: ‘Dr. Strange’ Marvel Studios First Big Miss

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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November 2, 2016

Doctor Strange is the first big miss for the highly successful Marvel Studios. Where Captain America: Civil War was engaging and action packed, Doctor Strange is painfully conventional narrative with minor moments of action. Where Antman was a fun origin story, this one seems drawn out at times. Watching this movie reminded me of how I felt watching Green Lantern for the first time. Both films are decent enough origin stories, but these days in the Marvel World decent just doesn’t cut it. If anything, this proves that not every damn comic book has a narrative that translates well on-screen.

The film offers an opening action sequence that introduces us to Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) which sets the tone for the film. It’s at this point we get our first glimpse of the very arrogant Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). Strange is world renowned for his work in the field of neurological surgery, and he isn’t above making sure everyone knows this. Tragedy strikes when he gets into a car accident, thus injuring Strange’s hands in such a way that he’ll never be able to perform an operation again.

Strange begins to lose himself as he frantically attempts to find a way to repair the damage done to his hands. After countless dead ends, he tries one last ditch effort to find a way to heal his hands and heads off to Nepal to find a spiritual healing center. What Strange doesn’t realize is that this healing center in Katmandu is a teaching center for those who wish to learn the Mystic Arts. This is where the audience is introduced to The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and Wong (Benedict Wong).

What has made most Marvel films so successful is that the characters are richly developed films, the narrative is written well, and the fantasy/action elements of the movie are at least realistic. In Dr. Strange, it would appear everything is in reverse. The visuals are bright/bold, and the fantasy/action elements are indeed jaw-dropping (If you plan to see this film pay to see it in IMAX). The characters are very generic and the narrative trudges along instead of the normal flow we are accustom to in previous Marvel films.

While I understand the need to set up an origin story for Doctor Strange, there has to be a balance between the origin story, character development, and the action that we are accustom to during a Marvel film. Director Scott Derrickson allows the film to spend way to much time in Nepal and not enough time seeing Strange grow into his role as Sorcerer Supreme. If the audience is to believe this timeline, he goes from complete sorcerer trainee to master of the mystic arts in record time.

Why didn’t Derrickson learn from previous Marvel films? Take for example Iron Man. In the original movie, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) didn’t just immediately go from being a weapons dealer to protector of all people in record time. He had to endure kidnapping and torture and the hands of terrorists. Now one would think that would have been plenty to change his outlook on things, but it took the loss of a fellow prisoner during an escape attempt to open his eyes to what he needed to do. Where’s Strange’s moment? In this film, he goes from being a doctor to being injured to being one the more powerful sorcerers in the Universe. Nothing in his narrative made me pull for him. When Strange does start to get a handle on his powers, my reaction was “Great … I guess.”

Mads Mikkelsen and Chiwetel Ejiofor both give incredibly bland performances. Mikkelsen is one of the worst villains that has been in a Marvel Film (and I’ve seen them all). Mikkelsen character is supposed to strike fear in the audience, and the response was something closer apathy. Benedict Cumberbatch doesn’t lose himself in the role of Dr. Stephen Strange. He looks the part (and he does look cool), but his performance is more run of the mill than they dynamic performance that I was expecting.

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Director Peyton Reed Talks ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp’

By

Aric Sweeny

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November 2, 2016

Marvel’s Ant Man was a surprise hit of 2015. After the film’s release, a sequel was announced and then titled Ant Man and The Wasp. We had not gotten much news on the project, but today we have an interview by Moviefone with the director, Peyton Reed, where he discusses several aspects of the movie.

Reed discussed Giant Man and the Wasp’s debut:

“When I first found out — gosh, I don’t know, two years ago, a year-and-a-half ago — that “Civil War” was going to get the Giant-Man premiere, I was like “No!” But, now, I’ve since recovered, and we have a lot more in store for Scott Lang in this movie.

We get to see the Wasp debut — we’re all about the Wasp and Ant-Man. So I like it, because we spend a lot of time with our different writers and directors, and there’s a lot of crosstalk, and I love that.”

He then elaborated on his vision for the Wasp character:

“I’m just personally excited to get to introduce yet another character into the Marvel Universe. After Ant-Man, now we get to see Wasp, so really designing her look, the way she moves, the power set, and figuring out, sort of, who Hope van Dyne is as a hero — because we know her in a certain context in the first movie, but now she’s going to have her coming out party — that’s exciting!”

Lastly, the director talked about Scott Lang’s motivation, as well as the film’s tone:

“I think we like our little Ant-Man corner of the universe. Because it’s a whole different vibe tonally, but also just in terms of who Scott Lang, who Ant-Man is: he is a guy who is maybe not so sure he wants to be like this Avenger-style, full-on superhero.

He’s got a kid, and this is the inner conflict with him, and he’s very much just like a normal guy who has come into contact with some incredible power. So, we like that aspect of kind of like it being its own little corner of the universe.”

What are your thoughts from the director? Are you excited to see this sequel?

Ant-Man And The Wasp hits theatres on July 6, 2018.

Source: Heroic Hollywood.

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Marvelry’s Curiosity Shop: A Book Review

By

David Joseph

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November 2, 2016

Marvelry’s Curiosity Shop provides horror readers with many…curiosities under the hood. It is a fair statement to say that horror stories are a dime-a-dozen, and so many are a copy of a copy of a remake, not unlike horror films these days. John Brhel and Joe Sullivan bring horror fans 12 horrific tales of suspense, twists, obsession, and social climbing. They range from the unique to the classic horror tropes of anthologies of yesteryear.

Marvelry’s Curiosity Shop doesn’t really have a single terrible story, but there are certainly some that are better than others. The items of note in Marvelry’s Curiosity Shop are both notable, original, and very seldomly are lacking.

A Gift Ungiven and Seams of Consequence are examples of the most complete stories in the shop, as they exude originality, suspense, and well fashioned twist. Then there is The Victor Talking Machine and Martinus’ Mannequin that take us to slightly differently areas, with one having a happy ending and the other being magic related. Echo’s Reflection, The Letterbox, and The Painter’s Premonition are all dark, intriguing tales, but the endings are either a little less or more than this writer wanted. Do not let that dissuade you, as the twists, however, are just as twisty.

The most predictable of these tales in Marvelry’s Curiosity Shop that is A Made Match, as this story lags, and doesn’t provide as much of a twist.

Marvelry’s curiosity shop feels inspired by the Night Gallery , Are You Afraid of The Dark?, George A. Romero and Stephen King’s Creepshow, classic ’60s horror anthologies like Torture Garden. The book wades through some familiar tropes, but at no point does any ending feel unsurprising. The real life locations will certainly creep out and amuse those in the upstate New York and Pennsylvania area, and cause those readers to want to revisit or visit those locations.

In an over crowded horror field, as a trip to any big box or independent book store will attest to, Marvelry’s Curiosity Shop will attract the readers who are also awe-inspired by Rod Serling, Edgar Alan Poe, and similar writers, but still manages to stand on it’s own merits.
Dr. Marvelry, marble-rye, Marvel-ree, whomever he is, seems intended to be inspired by Vincent Price, but coupled with his picture on the front cover, feels like a Vincent Price character played by Sir Ben Kingsley. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Terror-iffic titles that cause curiosity a intrigue before you even open the first page, or read the first paragraph. The style is more matter of fact, and doesn’t have the philosophical bend of Serling, the flowery and poetical Poe, or the dark humor of King, but it stands on it’s own merits, and still keeps on the edge of your seat. As writer John Brhel has stated “It’s all about the twists,” and that may be his and co-writer Joe Sullivan’s motto, but it’s also a very self assessment of their work.

Check out John Brhel and Joe Sullivan’s other books such as Tales from Valley View Cemetery, and their newest release, At the Cemetery Gates: Year One.

[Images Courtesy Of John Brhel]

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Review: ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ A Scintillating Look At The Morality Of War

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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November 1, 2016

Hacksaw Ridge is a powerhouse film tackling the morality of war head on. Can you justify forgoing your own beliefs in order to take another life? In Saving Private Ryan, Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) has a discussion with Private Reiben (Edward Burns) about their job to complete the “mission” no matter what (even forgoing their own beliefs) because that could be their ticket home. In contrast, Hacksaw Ridge takes us through the blood-soaked ditches in Okinawa and asks, is the mission worth compromising who you are?

This film is the first Mel Gibson has directed in over a decade. Gibson has been on the outs with Hollywood after being caught on tape spouting off color remarks towards his wife. That mixed with an early 2006 DUI arrest, the anti-semitism issues, and it led him to to rehab. Gibson is now sober and back in the director’s chair. Hollywood loves a redemption story and one can’t help but wonder if Hacksaw Ridge will be his.

The film centers around the life of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield). Doss was the son of a Seventh-day Adventist and led a very religious life. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, Doss was saddened by the tragedy but never wavered in his beliefs, and his status as a conscientious objector was understandable as he had seen first hand what war does to a person. His father Tom (Hugo Weaving) wavered from his belief system and came back from World War I a broken human being who drowned his grief in whiskey.

As Doss wrestles with how he could serve his country he falls in love with a local nurse, Dorthy Schutte (Teresa Palmer) and is convinced that she will be his wife. In the midst of their courtship, he is compelled to enlist as the Army ensures him that he could be a medic who wouldn’t carry a gun.

Doss is constantly belittled and pressured into abandoning his values by his sergeant (Vince Vaughn) and captain (Sam Worthington). He’s eventually court-martialed and his belief system is put on trial. Through the course of the trial, it’s determined that Doss has, in fact, not committed a crime and he’s set free. The scene quickly shifts to Doss’s arrival at Hacksaw Ridge and a look of astonishment as countless numbers of dead bodies are piled into flatbed trucks and driven away from the battlefield.

Gibson doesn’t shy away from depicting the brutality of war. The battle scenes are portrayed in the most graphic of ways. Limbs are blown off, blood is flying everywhere, and fear is evident in the eyes of both the Americans and the Japanese.There’s nothing glamorous about these sequences because there’s nothing glamorous about death. The production design in Hacksaw Ridge is stellar. Cinematographer Simon Duggan takes slight risk in using handheld camera shots when an American soldier is engaged in close combat with a Japanese soldier, but it’s the right call.

Andrew Garfield and Hugo Weaving are both impressive. Weaving is fascinating as Private Doss’s father who is clearly facing new demons following the demon slaying on the battlefield. Garfield attacks the role with a level of veracity that will move the toughest of men to tears. Doss realizes that his beliefs could easily get him killed in battle, yet he stands resolute even when the odds seem daunting. It’s the best performance of Garfield’s career and will certainly attract the attention of Oscar voters down the road.

Hacksaw Ridge will end up as one of the best films of 2016, and rightfully so. With a mixture of great direction, fantastic production design, eye-popping cinematography, and award-worthy performances, films like this one are refreshing to watch and write about. Let’s hope we can continue this trend as we march further into awards season.

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Box Office Analysis: Is the Industry Suffering From Sequelitis?

By

Kris Solberg

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November 1, 2016

Over the weekend, Inferno, the third installment of the Robert Langdon series hit screens across America. With celebrated collaborators Ron Howard and Tom Hanks reunited once more, expectations were high for the sequel to 2009’s Angels & Demons and 2007’s The Da Vinci Code. The film had a hard domestic landing with a 14.8 million opening weekend. Inferno is the latest big budget flick that’s struggled to find an audience in the U.S. Along with other tentpole stumbles like Alice Through the Looking Glass, Independence Day: Resurgence and Star Trek Beyond, it’s caused calls for sequelitis as a way to explain their poor performances.

If we look closer at the year as a whole, this assumption is overly simplified. In fact, 7 out of the 10 top grossing films at the domestic box office are sequels, reboots, or remakes. This number holds steady at the worldwide box office. Faced with this tidbit, some may rephrase the argument as a rejection of sequels no one asked for. Cases where too much time had passed, or no one were really clamoring for a sequel. While this might explain the failure of a film like Alice Through the Looking Glass (299 million worldwide on a 170m budget), which was released six years after its predecessor. Once you dig deeper, you come across several titles that disprove that theory. Most notably My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which came 14 years after the original. With a 18 million dollar budget, the film grossed 88.9 million worldwide. However, despite the film’s success, it pales in comparison to the original’s haul of 368 million on a 5 million dollar budget.

This brings us to the core of the issue. A lot of these films are profitable, but not as successful as their respective studios would’ve liked. Box office success now becomes a debate about how profitable a film needs to be before it’s considered a hit. Consider films like X-Men: Apocalypse (543 million worldwide on a 178m budget), Ice Age: Collision Course (406 million haul on a 105m budget), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (873 million haul on a 250m budget), and Independence Day: Resurgence (389 million worldwide on a 189m budget). These are all profitable films, which at the end of the day will give their studios a payday of varying size (some thanks to ancillary markets like DVD sales, and TV licensing) . However, they all represent cases of films not earning as much as a studio would’ve preferred. As such, they get tossed in with the box office bombs, explained away as sequelitis.

In reality, audiences went to see these films in sufficient numbers to at the very least break even. While they’re not smash hits, it’s misleading to claim they were a victim of sequelitis. At least in terms of overall box office results. The decline in total gross from film to film may be caused by a degree of franchise fatigue with a specific title, or a general disinterest in a project. However, their numbers aren’t that of a film that audiences rejected outright (i.e. the remake of Ben-Hur, which only grossed 94 million worldwide on a 100m budget).

In the grand scheme of things, sequelitis has not set in, neither at the domestic or worldwide market. There are films that struggle to find an audience, but they are more exceptions than the consistent pattern. Sequels are still the biggest business in Hollywood. Rather, the issue is a an industry that expects sky high numbers from every title they put out, and as a way to explain away a film’s failure to meet these expectations, they blame sequelitis, franchise fatigue, or any number of things when the film’s actual failings likely was caused by any number of other factors.

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NBA Legend Ray Allen Retires And ‘He Got Game’

By

Ruben Diaz

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November 1, 2016

Movies and sports crossover from time to time. Hoosiers and Rudy are longtime classics. Space Jam is a late 90s gem (soon to get a sequel or reboot starring LeBron James). Today, 10-time NBA all-star Ray Allen, one of the greatest three-point shooters of all time, announced his retirement. Allen was famously in the 1998 Spike Lee film He Got Game starring opposite Denzel Washington.

In He Got Game, Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen) is a burgeoning basketball superstar dealing with decisions about his future. It’s an all-too-familiar story of an impoverished youth with an incredible level of talent that can take him and his family out of poverty. Jesus must decide between going to college (the slow and steady path) or choosing to go for the fast money by heading straight to the pros.

Jesus is tempted with money and women by different people who want his talents. To make it all the more difficult, Jesus’ estranged father, Jake (Denzel Washington) wants Jesus to go to “Big State.” Jake, in prison for the accidental murder of Jesus’ mother, is being offered a chance at freedom by the governor. The deal is pending on if Jake can convince Jesus to go to Big State, the governor’s alma mater.

He Got Game isn’t Spike Lee’s best film and it’s certainly not his worst. I’m looking at you She Hate Me and Miracle at St. Anna. He Got Game has the usual touches of Lee’s visual skill while being a little too long and overindulgent at times. But what Spike Lee does so well, so often, is use multi-dimensional characters to make commentary on society and humanity. He Got Game succeeds on those levels. Considering Ray Allen is a basketball player, his performance in He Got Game is strong and convincing. Allen was a relatively new player at the time which helped illuminate Jesus’ inexperience. Denzel is Denzel who is always great and sports an awesome afro.

Thanks for every minute on the court Ray Allen.

If you’ve never watched Ray Allen play click here for 10 great highlights from a record-breaking NBA career.

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