Backlash Is The First Brand Exclusive PPV Since The Draft. Looks Like Smackdown Is Off To A Rocky Start.
Honestly, what did you expect from Backlash?
After the WWE Draft, Smackdown was thrown into an interesting position. With the WWE Title and the Intercontinental Championship being the only titles on the show, they needed to fill out their roster. So weeks before this event, Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Daniel Bryan debuted the Smackdown Tag Team and Women’s Championships.
Those inaugural champions would be crowned at WWE Backlash. Along with Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt and the main event of AJ Styles vs Dean Ambrose, the first post-Draft Smackdown PPV had some chance of being special.
So how did the Backlash turn out?
Check out my recap below!
WWE Backlash 9/11/16:
Shane and Daniel open the show. Amazing how over Daniel Bryan still is with the crowd. The men in charge run down the card and hype their first PPV. They also announce who will kick off the event!
Six Pack Elimination Challenge Match for the Women’s Championship is first. The favorites going in are Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella, and Natalya. Carmella is a dark horse. Loved seeing Alexa Bliss in her Harley Quinn-inspired gear. Alexa Bliss and Naomi are the first two eliminated in this match after the women have lengthy opening sequence. Then suddenly Nikki eliminates Natalya. Carmella quickly rolls up Nikki and pins her; seemingly continuing their brewing feud.
The final two are Becky and Carmella. Amazing to see two former NXT girls about to make history as the first Smackdown Women’s Champion. Becky uses her veteran knowledge to lure Carmella into a submission victory. Becky rightfully wins the match and the title. They all deserved the belt but she is a great face for their women’s division. Backlash was off to a good start.
Then sadly, the second biggest match of the evening was seemingly put on pause when Bray Wyatt attacked Randy Orton. Before the match, the internet was a buzz with rumors that Orton wasn’t cleared to wrestle yet. It seems like those rumors have some truth. Will anyone face Bray Wyatt this evening?
The second match of the evening is one of the final matches in the tournament to crown the Smackdown Tag Team Champions. The Usos face off against Mojo Rowley and Zack Ryder. The winners of this match will face Heath Slater & Rhyno for the belts later in the show. Originally, it was supposed to be American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) vs Slater and Rhyno but The Usos attacked Gable after their match, causing an injury. They took their place in a redemption match against fellow tournament losers The Hype Bros.
The match was a fairly standard tag team affair. Not surprisingly, The Usos win the match. Their heel turn had to be followed up with at least a win to advance to the finals. Can they win another match against Heath Slater & Rhyno?
Next up is the Intercontinental Championship match where The Miz faces off against Dolph Ziggler. After a now infamous promo from Miz and some good crowd work, he had some momentum going into his title defense. Ziggler stands in his way of proving to the world that he isn’t some joke.
After a quick backstage segment with The Miz and Daniel Bryan, Miz finally makes his way down to the ring for his match. Ziggler and Miz put on a good showing; Miz showing a more aggressive side and Ziggler putting on his usual fun performance. The action is back and forth until interference from Miz’s manager Maryse. Capitalizing on her sneak attack, Miz hits his finisher and retains the Intercontinental title. Does he now continue this feud with Daniel Bryan?
Out to speak on his actions earlier this evening, Bray Wyatt is next.
Many doubt that Orton will have a match now so where do we go? Wyatt forces the referee to ring the bell and count to 10 in order to signify Randy Orton forfeiting. Bray Wyatt thinks he has the night off but the ring announcer says Wyatt has a No Holds Barred match against…Kane! Womp womp womp.
These two men have a history with each other so it’s a cool callback. But that’s about all of note in the match. Wyatt and Kane had a time-killing brawl that didn’t add anything to show. Killed the crowd after the first few minutes. The only highlight was Bray Wyatt doing an insane running senton through the announce table! It even woke the crowd up enough to chant “Holy Shit”. Kane wins after an assist from Orton. Not how Bray Wyatt predicted this evening would go.
Next up is the final match to determine who will be the first ever Smackdown Tag Team Champions! The unlikely duo of Heath Slater & Rhyno face off against The Usos. Slater has been fighting for a space on a roster and this seems like his chance. Rhyno is a former ECW wrestler who has been roaming around WWE recently. Their odd mashup has actually been working.
Can they overcome the Usos, who have been teaming since their whole lives?
The answer is yes!
It was great to see the crowd behind Heath Slater. He has been shuffled around the WWE for years and has never been given the proper chance. He kept the crowd interested the entire time and helped The Usos garnish even more heel heat. The match was nothing to write home about but the outcome was good. Instead of going with the obvious choice, WWE went with something outside the box.
And finally, the main event is here. The “Phenomenal” AJ Styles tries to win his first title in WWE as he takes on WWE Champion Dean Ambrose. Styles has been cocky after beating “The Face That Runs Place” John Cena at SummerSlam. Ambrose wants to knock him down a few pegs and prove that he runs Smackdown.
AJ Styles ended up pulling out all the stops for the win! Styles has now held the NWA, TNA, IWGP, and WWE Championship. This match was a great fight between two talented wrestlers but it was odd to see the crowd turn on Dean Ambrose. Styles hits a low-blow and the Styles Clash to become “the face that runs the place”.
Final Thoughts:
We need to see some minor improvements from the Blue Brand. Smackdown has amazing talent but needed to find their place after the Draft. There is excitement to see where WWE will take Smackdown after Backlash.
Did you like the first solo PPV from Smackdown?
Let me know what you thought of Backlash in the comments below!
Well, this is a story I never expected to write. Actor Dax Shepard continues forging his second career behind-the-camera, most notably with Hit and Run, Parenthood and About a Boy episodes and next year’s CHiPs remake under his growing resume. But his next project is … well, it’s an odd choice. He’ll co-direct a new animated Scooby-Doo movie with Tony Cervone, which will hit theaters on September 21, 2018.
Variety (via Slashfilm) covered the unexpected choice. In addition to sharing the director’s chair, Shepard will also co-write alongside Matt Lieberman. He got the position through Jesse Ehrman, whose overseeing this animated production. Ehrman oversaw Shepard’s CHiPs as well and saw the potential in the actor-writer-director and the material. After Shepard expressed interest in the property, Ehrman suggested the actor-director meet with executives regarding the new film. The studio envisioned two directors for the project from the start, according to reports.
Charles Roven and Richard Suckle, who produced the two live-action Scooby-Doo films from the early ’00s, will also collaborate on this new project. Family Guy‘s Dan Povenmire, meanwhile, will executive produce as well. This currently untitled Scooby-Doo film falls under the blossoming Warner Animation Group banner, which excelled with their first film, The Lego Movie, two years back. They have Storks coming at the end of the month, then release The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjango Movie next year. They also have Smallfoot, The Lego Movie Sequel and The Billion Brick Race in various levels of development.
I admire Shepard. Though I’m not super impressed with anything he’s done to date, I like his creative drive and I applaud his pull-through to make what became his next two films. He doesn’t seem like my first choice for the material, but hey, maybe it’ll work out. We’ll have to see in the years to come, I guess. WAG’s track record is pretty strong so far, so I would hate to see them stumble with this new film. Plus, we deserve one good theatrical Scooby-Doo movie. I hope it’s this one.
The first promo featuring Robby Reyes as Ghost Rider has been released online, via Television Promos on Youtube.
“Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna) will roar into the lives of Agent Coulson and the team as a junkyard mechanic who can turn on a dime into the terrifying Ghost Rider. Will Robbie be a friend or foe to S.H.I.E.L.D. – as well as the world, itself? Meanwhile, Fitz discovers that socially awkward genius and friend Dr. Radcliffe (John Hannah) has started putting the finishing touches on a new, secret invention.”
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns to ABC on September 20.
It was barely a contest this weekend. Everyone knew Sully was going to take it clean. It was the first major release of the fall. It was a time of remembrance. Tom Hanks starred. Clint Eastwood directed. It was an IMAX event. It wasn’t even close. The true life story came in number one with a solid $35.5 million debut.
Granted, it’s not American Sniper. That 2014 film opened wide with $107.2 million during 2015’s four-day Martin Luther King weekend. But it’s still commendable. It’s also a recent best for Hanks, opening higher than Bridges of Spies‘ $15.4 million, Captain Phillips‘ $25.7 million and however much A Hologram for the King earned. Eastwood films also tend to have long legs, so this is likely another hit in Warner Bros. corner. Between this and Suicide Squad, it seems like they’ve found a way to turn a pretty penny on movies that aren’t very good.
Since I brought up Suicide Squad, the anti-superhero film came in fourth place with $5.7 million. It already came past the $300 million domestic mark before the weekend began, and now it has $307.4 million in its stateside bank account. It’s a good weekend for WB, and they haven’t had many in a while. Good for them.
Meanwhile, Sully isn’t the only success of the weekend. When the Bough Breaks opened in second place to a $15 million, almost doubling its $10 million budget. That’s not too bad for a movie rocking a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes right now. The Screen Gems release marks another recent win for the studio after Don’t Breathe, which continues to be rewarded handsomely. Though it’s not in the number one spot again, it came in third place with $8.2 million, making its domestic gross an impressive $66.8 million. WB and Screen Gems should hold a party together tonight.
While these two are clinking glasses, Lionsgate are likely unpleased with their latest. The Wild Life, the new animated family film under their banner, earned an unimpressive $3.4 million during its American debut, although the Belgian-French production already made back its $13.5 million overseas. If it made some extra dough in the states, then all the better. But considering it didn’t make much of an impression, they shouldn’t be all too concerned. I missed my screening, and I doubt it mattered much. I doubt I’d be wild about this Robinson Crusoe adaptation.
But they did better than The Disappointments Room at least, a film I didn’t realize came out this weekend. The first Relativity release post-bankruptcy came in a dour 17th place with a mere $1.4 million, which an average $901 earned per theater. Ouch. Good luck making back that $15 million budget guys. It also has a zero percent on RT, it’s worth noting. You could say it’s quite the… underwhelming release.
Let’s wrap up this weekend report. Kubo and the Two Strings is still trying to hold its own, earning $3.2 million during its fourth weekend. It’s having a doozy of a time making back its $60 budget, though. It has earned an unenthused $40 million to date. So I say this once again: please see this movie. It’s well worth your time and money, and it’s lightyears better than anything else at the multiplex right now. That I can guarantee you. You know what did finally make back its budget? Pete’s Dragon. It now has $70 million to its $65 million budget. That’s not quite a hit, but it’s slowly breaking even at least. That’s good to hear.
Speaking of good, Hell or High Waterstuck in ninth place with $2.6 million, and it’s well on its way to double its $12 million budget. I’m glad people are checking it out. It deserves to be seen. One people aren’t seeing?The Light Between Oceans. It plummeted during its second weekend, coming in 13th place with $1.8 million. This light looks rather dim on this one.
Check out the full box office report, courtesy of THR and Box Office Mojo, below.
Sully Weekend: $35.5 million Domestic Gross: $35.5 million
When the Bough Breaks Weekend: $15 million Domestic Gross: $15 million
Don’t Breathe Weekend: $8.2 million Domestic Gross: $66.3 million
Suicide Squad Weekend: $5.7 million Domestic Gross: $307.4 million
The Wild Life Weekend: $3.4 million Domestic Gross: $3.4 million
Kubo and the Two Strings $3.2 million Domestic Gross: $40.8 million
Pete’s Dragon Weekend: $2.9 million Domestic Gross: $70 million
Bad Moms Weekend: $2.8 million Domestic Gross: $107.5 million
Hell or High Water Weekend: $2.6 million Domestic Gross: $19.8 million
Sausage Party Weekend: $2.3 million Domestic Gross: $93.2 million
Vince Gilligan, the creator of the phenomenal Breaking Bad, and Michelle MacLaren, the director behind several episodes of AMC’s most acclaimed original series, haven’t slouched since the drama ended its five season run. Gilligan is one of two showrunners behind the spin-off series Better Call Saul with Peter Gould, while MacLaren flirted with directing DC’s Wonder Woman adaptation before leaving the superhero blockbuster and returning to TV with The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, just to name a few. And while they’ve never completely separated, they’re collaborations have certainly remained limited, with MacLaren directing only one episode of the aforementioned Better Call Saul thus far. But that’ll soon change.
They’ll work together on Raven, an HBO limited series that’ll tell the story of Jim Jones, the cult leader behind Peoples Temple which lead to mass suicide in Guyana in 1978, after killing Congressman Leo Ryan. Color me intrigued.
As reported by Deadline (via The Playlist), Gilligan will write and executive produce the mini-series while MacLaren directs. It’s unclear how many episodes will transpire, or when the show is set to hit the air. Gilligan and MacLaren also plan to executive produce alongside Octavia Spencer, although she has no plans to act at this time. It’s inspired by Tim Reiterman’s nonfiction book Raven: The Untold Story of Jim Jones and His People. It’ll not only focus on Jones but also his followers, who were — for the most part — goodhearted and ordinary people driven into impure temptation. You could say they were provoke to, ahem, break bad — which makes Gilligan and MacLaren a good fit for the material, I’d say.
Gilligan has proven several times that he can do no wrong (except Battle Creek, but he wasn’t really involved with that one anyway), and MacLaren’s episodes of Breaking Bad are among the strongest in an already-exceptional series. I can’t wait to see them in action again. This material is as dark as it is fascinating, which is their bread and butter. Here’s hoping it helps provide the upswing HBO desperately needs right about now.
As it turns out, Raven is one of two Jim Jones series currently in the works, as A&E announced an anthology series in January focused on American cults, with season one focused on Jones and his disciples. That one is produced by Jake Gyllenhaal. It’s unclear how they’ll affect one another, if they will affect each other at all.
Raven serves as Gilligan’s first time working with HBO. MacLaren, however, has directed under the station a few times at this point. In addition to the aforementioned Game of Thrones, she also helmed installments of The Leftovers and their upcoming Westworld, which is set to hit television screens next month.
At San Diego Comic-Con International 2016, Brie Larson was officially announced as Captain Marvel. Since then, she’s been very vocal regarding her thoughts on the role.
In a recent interview with Space Channel, Larson talked about the importance of the role.
“I’m realizing what a deficit we have that we don’t have more of those [female superheroes] ,” she said. “I think it’s really cool to see a girl in a Batman costume or Spiderman costume, but I’m really excited that there’s a symbol of women. I think that’s really important.”
She then talked about the part social media has played in the casting.
“You know, the thing that’s been most exciting is like on social media, I get sent a lot of pictures of young girls in the Captain Marvel costume. I’m excited to see more of that.”
Captain Marvel is set to hit theaters on March 8, 2019.
Some interesting details have emerged about the upcoming season of The Flash, via Entertainment Weekly.
First off, Showrunner Andrew Kreisberg talked about the stakes of the Flashpoint storyline.
“The stakes in the comic book in Flashpoint were global and the stakes in this episode are very much just about Barry, his existence, and the people that he loves.”
Kreisberg also mentioned that Barry is in a happy state of mind, which is rare.
“He’s actually in a happy place, which is somewhere you don’t always see Barry Allen in. He’s now living in a world where his mother is alive and he’s taking it as, ‘I’ve finally got my reward for all of the suffering that I’ve gone through. This is my prize.'”
He then went on to talk about Wally being a speedster.
“We wanted to do something bold and start the season off with a bang,” Kreisberg says. “So we decided to get Wally in the suit. The circumstances of how that happens, well, you’ll have to watch to see.”
Additionally, it should be noted that Reverse-Flash is back, and serves as “Barry’s conscience”.
“Barry has messed with the universe to find his happy ending and he’s put in the awkward and ironic position of having his greatest villain, the man who killed his mother, being the one to tell him, ‘This is wrong, you’re a hero and heroes don’t do this'”. It’s a great way to have him interact with his singular greatest foe by having the villain essentially be on the side of the angels and be right.”
Lastly, Kreisberg talked about Tom Felton’s impact on the show.
“We’ve all seen him grow up from an amazing child actor to an amazing adult actor. Season threes are typically when you add that character that comes in to shake things up, just in the same way we added Brandon Routh to Arrow in season 3. Having Tom join the show and adding his energy, his delivery, and his performance to our very tightly knit cast is definitely meant to help shake things up.”
Season 3 of The Flash returns to The CW on Tuesday, October 4. Are you excited?
Pop culture fans around the world are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek this week. All of the Star Trek shows are pop-culture royalty and the “Trekkers” provided the template for modern comic-cons and fan communities. Star Trek holds a unique place within popular narrative fiction because of its inspirational and forward-looking themes.
Ever since their first appearance on Star Trek – The Original Series, the Klingons have been a popular adversary and occasional friend to our Starfleet heroes. The Klingon characters are so compelling that throughout these past 50 years Star Trek writers developed a detailed cultural narrative to coincide with the various Star Trek stories.
Star Trek fans know that Klingons are a warrior race, with a high value on personal integrity and honor. Executive producer Harve Bennett even likened them to the Japanese samurai.
So in the 50 years of Star Trek, which characters best exemplify the Klingon culture and ideals? Who is the ultimate Klingon?
This is not to say who is the favorite Klingon of Star Trek fans. (We all know who that is.)
The question is who is the best Klingon as according to the ideal of the fictional Klingon culture? Do they fit those Klingon “ideals” so often mentioned in the various Star Trek series?
Our favorite Klingons may not be the best Klingons…
First, let’s address a couple of favorite Klingons.
Worf – you’re the best. Everyone’s favorite and the comic relief of Star Trek: TNG.
By the way, most think you are a merry man.
K’ehleyr – we loved you. Your untimely passing affected us all. Worf took care of bizness for you, though in one of Star Trek: TNG’s best moments.
Alexander – one of our favorite kids ever. You almost got daddy and Riker killed, but made up for it by taking out some Ferengi.
We love you all, but unfortunately neither Worf, K’ehleyr or Alexander make our list of best Klingons. K’ehleyr didn’t love Klingon culture, Alexander wasn’t overly interested in becoming a warrior and Worf was always a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. He wasn’t really the Klingon’s Klingon. Although these three may be some of our favorite Klingons they are not the ideal Klingon.
So who is the best Klingon? These characters fit the bill.
Klingons that are the most Klingon
Honorable Mention – Klaa (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier) – OK, not the greatest Star Trek movie, but Klaa gets high scores for going all-out after Kirk and then ultimately doing the honorable thing. Also, Klaa had the look – that badass Klingon look. Such hair!
The Top 5
General Martok (Star Trek:DS9) – Our one-eyed Klingon General certainly fought well during the Dominion War, including surviving as a captive of the Jem’Hadar. Martok fought his way back, and outside of a minor crisis-of-confidence, he gave the viewer an example of a hardcore Klingon.
Commander Kruge (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock) – Kruge was really the first Klingon we saw post-TOS. Played by Christopher Lloyd, the character of Kruge set the tone for the modern Klingon. Early in the movie, we saw him sacrifice his significant other for his mission, which gave viewers an early glimpse of the way Klingon culture would develop. Kruge pushed Kirk to the edge in glorious battle. As we all know, Captain Kirk had enough of Commander Kruge, but Kruge was a total Klingon through-and-through.
Kor, Koloth and Kang, the Klingon Dahar Masters (Star Trek: TOS) – Although these characters introduced Klingons to the world, the TOS episodes with Klingons were rather few. It was not until Star Trek Deep Space Nine that these characters gained any real depth. In DS9 we saw that these three characters exemplified the range of Klingon values being demonstrated within Star Trek. Koloth was the disciplined martial artist and soldier. Kang was the vengeful Klingon. Kor, the flawed soldier longing for a warrior’s death. Combined, these three characters’ act as one unit to demonstrate the Klingon ideals and culture. As such, this Klingon Trinity is deemed a “best” Klingon.
General Chang (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) – No question that Chang was one of the baddest Klingons ever introduced in the Star Trek Universe. Smart, tactical, and fighting for what he believed was the best interests of the Klingon Empire, General Chang had gravitas. This was most evidenced in his ability to quote Shakespeare while firing torpedoes at the Enterprise and Excelsior. He also had a singular look – a shaved head with a bolted on eye-patch. Sadly, we have to knock down Chang to #2. He was complicit in a scheme to overthrow his government by murdering the Chancellor, along with Romulan help. So while aspects of Chang agree with having the Klingon heart, not winning the day against the Enterprise crew bumps him down.
Our #1 Klingon of Klingons…
Kurn (Star Trek: TNG) – How do you not pick Kurn as the exemplar of Klingon culture? Played by the exceptional Tony Todd, Kurn is the Klingon’s Klingon. He’s Worf’s brother. Honorable, smart, tough and wise in the ways of Klingon tradition, Kurn always acted in the purest of Klingon ways. Tony Todd just kills in his portrayal of Kurn. His deep voice, tone and timing always cut through every scene. In what is one of Kurn’s finest moments he destroys two Klingon Birds-of-Prey, the spittle flicking from his lips. Yeah, Tony Todd as Kurn.
50 Years of Klingons
As the world reflects back on 50 years of Star Trek, we would be remiss in not acknowledging our love and hate for Klingons. They’ve become part of world culture and vernacular. They’ve given us a fictional example of an alien culture and how that culture might be worked with and understood. Some of the same messages that resonated 50 years ago, certainly resonate in society today. Perhaps some of the answers as well.
Title: Sully Director: Clint Eastwood Summary: The story of Chesley Sullenberger, who became a hero after gliding his plane along the water in the Hudson River, saving all of the airplane flights 155 crew and passengers.
There are typically two lulls in the movie season where not much comes out. The first is the very beginning of the year; the idea is that everyone is broke from the holidays and the first thing to go out the window are expensive forms of entertainment like movies. The second is the very end of the summer and into the very early fall; this is because the summer blockbuster season is over now that the kids are back in school but it’s too early for the award season because Oscar voters won’t remember anything that came out more than two months ago. Sully is proving to be a slightly different animal in that it has come out fairly early for the award season, which means the filmmakers are either very confident it will be remembered fondly or they are hoping that it won’t.
Sully is a movie that tries to force the audience to feel emotional about its scenes instead of letting them get there organically.
The miracle on the Hudson that happened back in 2009 was a fascinating incident. A plane loses both engines and has to make an emergency water landing where everyone on the plane survived. It is the sort of thing that is made for movies because these sort of situations rarely happen in the real world which makes it perfect for a movie. The events are fascinating which is probably why I would have preferred a documentary. There is a moment, during the credits, where the real Sully is making a speech to the survivors and it was the moment where the movie really came alive for me. The real Sully has enough charisma to carry a documentary about these events.
However, a documentary would mean that they likely wouldn’t have the budget to reenact the crash with top quality special effects. It would have prevented Sully for falling into the common tropes of the ‘based on a true story’ movie. The real world is rarely as narratively cohesive as the movies are. The various people that are looking into the crash are painted as the ‘bad guys’ which clashes with the message of the movie. Sully repeatedly says that he is not a hero and was just doing his job but the people investigating the crash are also just doing their jobs.
It makes for a movie with two great lead performances, Tom Hanks and Aaron Eckhart, but an odd tone. There were moments where the movie felt like it was trying to tell me how I was supposed to be feeling as an audience member. ‘This moment is sad so you should feel sad’ is what the movie was, at times, yelling at me to feel. This is a good story told by two very good actors; I didn’t need the movie telling me how I should be feeling. I could have gotten there organically and, instead, the movie telling me how I should be feeling made me feel the opposite.
Sully is a movie that most people are going to love but I cannot say that I enjoyed it entirely. The lead performances are very good and the recreations of the crash are tense, despite knowing that everyone survives. However, by the end, I wanted to know more without the fluff that comes from movies seeking awards. Hanks will probably score a nomination for Sully but I fully expect to have entirely forgotten it by the time end of the year voting rolls around.
