Waterloo Classic Pilsner, A Heady Review

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March 11, 2016

Waterloo Classic Pilsner – The Brewery

Waterloo Brewing Company started out in 1870 in Formosa, Ontario. Since then, Waterloo Brewing has changed with the times and, though still brewing craft beer, is now the craft beer division of Brick Brewing Company Limited. Waterloo Brewing and its parent company have both won many awards for their brews at both the provincial and international level. In fact, Waterloo Classic Pilsner won the Gold Medal in the Pilsner category at the 2014 Ontario Brewing Awards. I’ve never been one to scoff at a pilsner crafted in accordance with the German Beer Purity Law. I decided to have a couple.

Waterloo Classic Pilsner – First Sip

As I take a big gulp of this frothy golden pilsner, I immediately taste its undercurrent of bitterness. The bitterness of Waterloo Classic Pilsner gives way quickly, though, to a semi-sweet aftertaste. Its high carbonation level accentuates its taste making it almost as crisp as a cider. The high carbonation level also gives this beer a lingering effect. Its semi-sweet flavour crackles on the inside of my mouth between each sip.

Waterloo Classic Pilsner – Last Sip

This beer’s drinkable but complex flavour make it a tough one to put down. Don’t be surprised if you feel like having a few of them. As the brewery’s website suggests, this is a great beer to have with deep-fried food, especially fish and chips or deep-fried pickle spears. As usual I suggest drinking Waterloo Classic Pilsner from a glass but because of its smooth, crisp taste it’s a beer that won’t suffer too much from being enjoyed directly from the bottle or can.

Waterloo Classic Pilsner – Other Comments

As I stated in a previous review, my regular beer is a pilsner so it’s easy for me to enjoy the finer points of this beer. It’s hard for me to imagine people taking issue with this finely tuned pilsner, though. Its complexity of flavour and well considered aftertaste make it a beer that many will appreciate.

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John Goodman Joins Mark Wahlberg’s Boston Bombing Film ‘Patriot’s Day’

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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March 11, 2016

John Goodman has agreed to star alongside Mark Wahlberg and J.K. Simmons in Patriot’s Day, Wahlberg’s Boston Bombing Marathon films (not to be confused with Jake Gyllenhaal’s). Goodman will be playing Boston police Commissioner Ed Davis.

Director Peter Berg spoke to The Wrap about Goodman’s involvement, saying “Commissioner Davis is an American hero, and John Goodman brings the extraordinary combination of humility, gravitas and empathy to portray him.”

Davis worked with the FBI and the Massachusetts State Police in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing to bring in the two suspects. Maybe now, after 10 Cloverfield Lane, John Goodman will become a fabric of cinema for a few years. Goodman has been a great actor for a very long time, easily the best part of Roseanne not to mention countless other supporting roles. The more Goodman, the better.

Patriot’s Day will beat Gyllenhaal’s Stronger to the punch. Filming will begin next month and it will get a friendly New York and LA release this December in time for awards season.

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BREAKING: Luke Cage Debuting September 30th

By

Nick Enquist

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March 11, 2016

Luke Cage himself, Mike Colter, made a surprise appearance at Marvel’s Daredevil season 2 red carpet premiere in New York City. During an interview with the cast of Daredevil, Colter revealed that Luke Cage would have “action from beginning to end.” He also revealed that his series would come out September 3oth of this year. Check out some of the interviews with the cast, some fun times with Marvel’s Contest of Champions, and Mike Colter’s reveal below.

Details about the show have been kept on the down low (like most Netflix shows), so everything has been pure speculation about the show and the tone. But, it definitely sounds like Colter is excited, and that Luke Cage is going to be one hell of a good show.

2016 is clearly the year of the superhero genre.

Are you guys excited? What do you want to see in the show? Leave your comments below to let us know your thoughts about the two upcoming series.

Daredevil season 2 debuts worldwide on March 18th. Luke Cage debuts September 30th.

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Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dunkirk’ Is Bringing Aboard… Harry Styles?

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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March 11, 2016

Christopher Nolan’s next massive, sweeping epic, the World War II drama Dunkirk, might bring on One Direction pop star Harry Styles in a supporting role, according to a report at Deadline.

One Direction’s Harry Styles. In a Christopher Nolan epic.

Dunkirk revolves around the evacuation of the French harbor during WWII – under the code name Operation Dynamo – which took place in May and June, 1940. Tom Hardy is on board, as is recent Oscar winner Mark Rylance; Kenneth Branagh is the third major star of a large ensemble which will be filled out by relative unknowns.

And Harry Styles, apparently.

Styles is not confirmed, but has been offered a role. There is certainly a reason behind casting the One Direction front man. Dunkirk is going to be an extremely expensive endeavor for Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros., and is set up for a very meaty July 21, 2017 release date. But it will most certainly be an historical epic with (somewhat of) a niche audience of Nolan fans and WWII aficionados. Having Harry Styles in the marketing campaign could stretch the demographic target and bring in an audience – of tween girls? – who would normally never see the film. It’s weird, but in it’s own weird way it makes sense.

Hopefully, Styles can act. There’s no reason to believe he can’t, as plenty of pop stars have transitioned from music to movies. Justin Timberlake is probably the best example. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty strange reach for Nolan and Co.

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Review: The 100 ‘Terms and Conditions’ – Bellamy’s Red Right Hand

By

Curtis Waugh

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March 11, 2016

We’ve now reached the halfway point in season three of The 100 and the fates of many of our beloved characters dangle by a thread. ‘Terms and Conditions’ opens with Bellamy directly rejecting said terms and conditions provided by two grounders who have come bearing the viscera of two patrolling members of Arkadia. The masked Grounders state that the blockade is in effect and that they would only leave once Pike has turned himself over. Well, Bellamy has another idea: just shoot them both.

‘Terms and Conditions’ essentially serves as the tipping point for Mr. Bellamy Blake. Exactly to what ends will he go in order to see Pike’s plans through? Who must he betray? Who must he use to betray their own loved ones?

Camp City of Light also has another idea. They aim to steal back their evil chip-making doohickey so that they can recruit some more lemmings to lead to the field of cyber-slaughter. I realize, by the way, that I’m pointing out the obvious when it comes to the evil-doings of the City of Light. I get why this way is enticing for people like Jaha (who needs validation for his torture) and Raven (who needs actual pain relief) but this group is painted in such broad colors in “Terms and Conditions” that the moment when Raven realizes she’s become a brainwashed zombie comes not a moment too soon.

In a master move, the attempt at using and recruiting a willing Jasper backfires because he’s simply too much of an emotionally ruinous time bomb that no inhuman computer program can counter. In a handful of dick moves after having broken into Pike’s office, Jasper keeps reminding Raven of the pain and anguish she should be feeling by remembering Finn. The necklace he made for her, his death, their first kiss. Jasper just won’t shut up. This triggers Raven into remembering, rather, remembering that she doesn’t remember Finn at all but knows that she should. At the last second, she aborts the mission in front of A.L.I.E. and they flee Pike’s office without the doohickey. Score one for team Human.

Kane, now all-in on a couple of coups, enlists Sinclair to hijack Pike’s plans to send a rolling bomb into Grounder frontlines. The only problem is that Pike has discovered the chip in his office that Kane has been using to listen to their plans. When Sinclair tries to sabotage the jeep, Bellamy sniffs out the plot and has Sinclair arrested for treason. Kane can’t be tried on any charges yet, but Pike is close.

In another move to make Pike more of a fascist, he suggests spying on everyone in Arkadia. This is quite obviously a heavy subject and one that I don’t believe is handled deftly enough in this script as it’s simply used as a lightning rod for the sane crowd to more staunchly defend Kane’s actions. I get that Pike wants to spy on everyone. That’s not surprising. What IS surprising is when he sentences Sinclair, Pike states that he won’t execute him because that’s what would’ve happened on the Ark. He is aware that this is a new world and wants to treat things differently. Except, he backtracks that a bit later…

Becoming another shade more nefarious, Bellamy recruits Miller’s boyfriend in lacing his jacket with a listening device. The scene was crucial for this moment but stuck around a bit too long, leading the audience to question why these two were getting exponentially more screen time than they’d ever gotten before. Weighing upon Bellamy’s conscience now is Monty, who he has strung along in undermining Kane’s efforts (also, Monty’s mom has become a really irredeemable POS, right?).

Kane’s final plan involves Sinclair and Lincoln (making a rare appearance this season, having been imprisoned for seemingly years now) striking up a faux fight in the cell which causes Bellamy to rush in unbeknownst to the fact that the prisoners mean to stage a riot. The riot is also a ruse so that Kane is able to get Pike alone, knock him out and try to take him out of the camp and to the Grounders.

Now, we can shout and cheer for Kane all we want but that is truly an effed up plan! He wants to essentially murder a man for his beliefs. That is interesting material! It isn’t until Bellamy catches wind of the situation and stops Kane in his tracks that he doesn’t succeed with his murder plot. Kane is arrested and when Pike brings him up on charges, he’s totally in the right. Pike deserves punishment for his extreme actions. Kane is sentenced to death and Bellamy almost breaks rank. Pike seemingly settles him but it isn’t until Monty’s mom confronts Bellamy and Monty asking about any others who may be following Kane. Before Monty can shout “Miller!”, Bellamy speaks up and says they’ve found no one.

There it is. We’ve found the stretching point. Bellamy rounds the corner and now must answer and make up for all the blood on his hands and all the blood about to be on his hands. This may feel like a sudden turn back to the light for the character but when we think of everything that Bellamy has done against his friends, this is a good point for the character to realize his wrongs. It is definitely a little too convenient but we’re now guaranteed to see Bellamy not just fight for his friends but his own soul. Again.

‘Terms and Conditions’ concluded this stage of Bellamy the Bloody and had some deliciously well choreographed fighting during the prison riot. To the detriment of the City of Light storyline, it showed Jaha and A.L.I.E. to be a little more sociopathic than I think they’re meant to be but there’s obviously something up with Raven to be keying her return to the real light so soon.

Biggest bummer this week: We have to wait three weeks for episode nine.

“When this ends with Arkadia victorious, you’ll only have yourself to blame for choosing the wrong side.” – Pike

Check out my reviews of previous episodes of ‘The 100’ here:

‘Thirteen‘

‘Bitter Harvest‘

‘Hakeldama‘

‘Watch The Thrones‘

‘Ye Who Enter Here‘

‘Wanheda Part 2‘

‘Wanheda Part 1‘

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’10 Cloverfield Lane’: The Year’s Most Strange & Secretive Movie

By

EJ Moreno

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March 11, 2016

“Crazy Is Building Your Arc After The Flood” – Howard Stambler

This review will contain some minor plot points. I advice you to see this movie before reading ANYTHING about it. It’s worth it but I do want to talk about some interesting facts. This will be lightly spoilerish.

The mystery surrounding ‘10 Cloverfield Lane‘ was unlike anything I’ve seen as of late. In the time where every film is announced years in advance and we get constant updates, the semi-sequel to 2008’s ‘Cloverfield‘ managed to surprise everyone by being announced out of the blue. Since the announcement, the team for ‘10 Cloverfield Lane‘ went into over-drive with their viral marketing schemes; similar to what they did with the original. And that’s where the similarities to ‘Cloverfield‘ end…

There is something so bizarre about ‘10 Cloverfield Lane‘ right from the very start. With striking cinematography & minimal budget, the film felt like an art-house film. The introduction of the film starts off a wonderfully loud orchestra score and barely any dialogue expect for surprise cameo voice pestering our lead female Michelle, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, as she is seemingly storming out of town.

Then suddenly…a car slams into Michelle’s.

Now we enter one of the most suspenseful & tense segments I have seen in a very long time. We know the film is set in a bunker and that bunker is where Michelle awakens after the car accident. John Goodman plays Howard, Michelle’s captor in this bunker. He says it’s for her safety as the world above them is a toxic wasteland. She smartly doubts him. There is also another person in the underground bunker, a farmer boy named Emmett who desperately wanted to be in there.

As an unknown amount of time passes, life in this doomsday shelter gets more & more hostile. Goodman as Howard is one of his most unnerving performances ever. He constantly makes living in that place miserable. As the mystery of Howard, why Michelle is here, and his much-talked about daughter Megan starts to unfold; so does the mystery of how this connects with ‘Cloverfield‘.

Without giving much away, the best way I can describe this movie is like Cloverfield’s very distant cousin. Hardcore fans know ‘10 Cloverfield Lane‘ exist in the same world as the original film. Examples being things like Slusho, a drink in which one of the main characters in the first film was going to work for, displayed at a gas station at the beginning of the movie or a Japanese company’s name appearing in the social media marketing for both films. There is a few more things but you have to dig deep to figure it out.

Those are things only die-hard fans would enjoy but for a casual fan, the movie will stand alone very well.

It’s a strange & suspenseful horror surprise. Some of the moments of the film are so unexpected. One of the most unexpected things are the actual comedic moments between the tension. Just when the drama boils over, there is a light moment to undercut the situation; this is used as a distraction from an even more dramatic moment. For this being the feature film debut of Dan Trachtenberg, the guy shows such great mastery of how to handle all of what makes the movie enjoyable.

Everyone wants to know if there is a monster or will there be any creature connections to the first film. I will not give a definitive answer as what happens truly needs to be seen to be believed.

Nothing is as it seems on ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’!

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Ben Affleck Talks About The Death Of Robin

By

Matthew Sardo

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March 11, 2016

The press tour for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice starts to pick up this week, as we are less than two weeks away from the release of the film. Ben Affleck spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the impact the death of Robin has had on Batman in this new DC Cinematic Universe.

“He’s bitterly disappointed in the past that he’s lost this guy who fought by his side. That character’s death must have been devastating to him, and he’s suffered. We get the sense that he’s suffered a lot of devastating losses before this movie even starts,” said Affleck.

Are you disappointed that the DC Cinematic Universe has jumped so far ahead in the Batman mythos?

About Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice

Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, violent vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting the world in greater danger.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jason Momoa, Ben Affleck, Jesse Eisenberg, Gal Gadot, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Diane Lane, Ezra Miller, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Michael Shannon, and Laurence Fishburne.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice has a worldwide release on March 25.

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Review: ’10 Cloverfield Lane’ Is Dark And Twisted Fun

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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March 10, 2016

10 Cloverfield Lane rolls into theaters this weekend with 90 minutes of anticipation, trap setting, dark moments that will engross audiences, and leave you breathless at times.

J.J. Abrams describes 10 Cloverfield Lane as something very different from Cloverfield. For spoiler sake, let’s just say it’s is a blood relative of Cloverfield. The setup for the film is very straightforward. Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has an argument with her fiancé and decides that it is time to move on. She packs up her things and drives off into the night sky. While driving late at night, something catastrophic occurs.

No worries, this will stay relatively spoiler free. The less you know, the better.

Michelle awakens, injured, and shackled in a windowless concrete room. She is a prisoner of Howard (John Goodman), an unhinged survivalist who would argue he’s just fine. He saves her life by bringing her to a bunker beneath his farmhouse, after some attack (chemical? Alien? Biological?). Howard sounds like a complete lunatic, but we start to wonder if he’s right. 10 Cloverfield Lane is fantastic at taking what information we do have in the film and allowing us to experience it through the characters. Howard has his moments where it seems he’s lucid and truly is doing right by Michelle and Emmit (John Gallagher Jr.), a willing lodger who helped build the bunker. Then in the blink of a nanosecond, Howard will snap into a psychotic rage.

In the current climate that we live where movie studios are constantly rebooting and rehashing old ideas, then inundating us with clips and trailers, seeing a film like 10 Cloverfield Lane is such a breath of fresh air, from its sneaky marketing campaign to the result on screen.

The “freshness” of this movie is a result of the stellar writing from Josh Campbell, Matt Stuecken, and Damien Chazelle. Every line has a purpose, is rich with detail on just about every level, and makes the catastrophic circumstances deeply personal to all involved. Director Dan Trachtenberg shoots the picture (his first feature) with such precision, artistry, and imagination.

Skill and precision were crucial here, as this is a chamber film, taking place primarily in four rooms. Trachtenberg uses wide lenses and, almost unnoticeably, scans this claustrophobic setting, keeping the viewer’s eyes working consistently. It’s an interesting and subtle technique. His use of light and shadow emphasizes moods at all the right moments, enhancing dread, and even playing tricks on the audience.

Winstead’s interpretation of her character is marvelous. She runs a gamut of emotions from happiness to horror. No one ever questions the authenticity of her performance. Here we are, front and center, to see Michelle’s world crumble, and Winstead pushes that pain through the screen.

But the story of this film will be the performance of John Goodman. Goodman is in control of every one of his scenes. One moment he is a towering inferno of terror, the next he’s a teddy bear. Goodman’s ability to turn his emotions on a dime is what makes the film soar. Just as he pulls us in, he terrifies us.

There is nothing more satisfying than walking into a movie theater and having your expectations subverted. Unpredictability has indeed been missing in recent years in film, and seeing it come back in 10 Cloverfield Lane is a pleasant surprise.

10 Cloverfield Lane

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Cast: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr.

Screenplay: Josh Campbell, Matthew Stuecken, Damien Chazelle

Rating: PG-13; brief strong profanity and violence, disturbing images

Running time: 108 min.

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Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD Season 3: “Bouncing Back” Review

By

Michael Bedford

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March 10, 2016

The Recap

After a nearly three-month hiatus, Marvel TV and ABC’s Agents of SHIELD Season 3 returned this week replacing its stand-in sister show, Agent Carter. For those in need of catching up, Daisy and Mac are recruiting Inhumans to join a SHIELD special ops team. Gideon Malick had Ward assassinate Rosalind Price. Dr. Garner, it turns out, is the semi-cannibalistic Inhuman Lash. Daniels, the astronaut who kept Simmons alive on the alien planet–the two quickly became more than friends–, was possessed by an alien entity. Daniels’s alien possession being obvious, Fitz, who was on a mission to rescue Simmons from the alien planet, murdered Daniels to stop the alien from coming back to Earth. Coulson and Ward, also on the alien planet, got into an altercation that ended with Coulson using his robotic hand to crush Ward’s chest in, killing him. The team succeeded in rescuing Simmons, but the alien in searching for a new host possessed the freshly murdered corpse of Grant Ward, and returned to Earth just as the portal closed. Oh, and the team is holding a vegetative Werner von Strucker captive.

What a great place to take a three-month break! Seriously, how are viewers expected to remember and/or care about the miasma of plot-lines emanating from this show? It’s hard enough to stay interested in Agents of SHIELD Season 3 when the episodes air weekly but after a three-month holiday, I could barely engage at all, even after the pre-episode plot review. I get that this is supposed to be an ensemble cast show but this is too much all at once.

“Bouncing Back” didn’t slow down the pace though. Instead, more plot elements and a new character were added to the mix. This episode saw the introduction of Elena “Yo-Yo” Rodriguez, another one of the few characters on the show that originally appeared in Marvel comics. Rodriguez, after her brother is murdered in cold blood by an Inhuman working with the Colombian police, decides to assist SHIELD on an on-call basis. Mac provides Rodriguez with an Apple Watch and says that now they’ll be able to contact each other whenever she or SHIELD needs help.

Coulson in a meeting with the President of the United States, played by William Sadler, demands that Gideon Malick answer for his crimes, especially his assassination of Rosalind Price. President Ellis tells Coulson that he can’t help him, Malick is too powerful. The President also tells Coulson that though a new head of the ATCU must be appointed, this person will be a figurehead that will unofficially defer to SHIELD on matters relating to Inhuman activity. Near the end of the episode, we find out that this will be Brigadier General Glenn Talbot. Ellis also suggests that Coulson and SHIELD follow up on Malick through unofficial channels.

Towards that end, Coulson uses a machine to extract information from their captive Werner von Strucker. Using this machine, previously used on Coulson to extract his own repressed memories about the TAHITI program, the team is able to determine the method Strucker used to check in with Malick. Coulson using this information is able to compromise several Hydra bases around the world, dealing Malick and Hydra a costly blow.

Throughout the episode we also see an alien-possessed Grant Ward eating a lot of raw food and acting creepily. The audience learns that he is getting stronger but we have no indication of how that strength will manifest. However, at the end of the episode Zombie-Ward puts out his hand and appears to disintegrate. But, just after the effect started, the credits rolled so I imagine we’ll find out more about that next week.

My Critique

I think I’ve made it clear how disappointed I am in Agents of SHIELD’s scattershot approach to its premise already. The writers seem to be continually betting on the wrong horses, showing the audience little of what we want and lots of what they think we should want. Although I’ve been whining almost non-stop to anyone who would listen about how there aren’t many characters on Agents of SHIELD that originally appeared in Marvel comics, I don’t think that the way to fix that problem is to introduce another character, as they did with Yo-yo Rodriguez. Instead, it would have been great to see some real development from any of the established characters: Daisy, Mac, Coulson, May, Gutierrez … The audience was treated to a cute scene between Fitz and Simmons in which the two scientists agree to start their relationship over after an array of romantic missteps, but for all its potential tension and character development this scene took up maybe a minute of the episode.

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We Now Know Who Jena Malone Is Playing In ‘Batman V Superman’

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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March 10, 2016

With two weeks until the release of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, one of the biggest mysteries is who Jena Malone is playing in the “ultimate edition” home media release. Well, it seems that it’s no longer a mystery thanks to a very active redditor. Check out this image.

This picture is a copy of a survey that this particular redditor claims he received after seeing the movie. On the survey, it lists Jena Malone as Barbara Gordon. Many fans know Barbara Gordon as her alter-ego Batgirl. To some, this doesn’t make sense because just last week, director Zack Snyder claimed that Jena Malone was neither playing Robin nor Batgirl. However, he certainly didn’t make any claims about her not being Barbara Gordon or, more importantly, The Oracle. What’s confusing is if she’s playing such an important role, then why was she cut from the Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice theatrical release.

My intial thought is perhaps in the rated R version of the film; they just might give us an adaptation of Barbara’s crippling from Batman: The Killing Joke.

What do you guys think?

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