It’s Valentine’s Day Weekend! What better time to watch a game or two while drinking a beer or three? And, if you’re going to drink beer when watching hockey, why not drink the official beer of the NHL Alumni Association? Brought to you by Lake of Bays Brewing Company in Baysville, Ontario, this Classic Lager has just enough of an edge to keep you wanting more. Lake of Bays Brewing was established in 2010 and has collected several accolades since, including Top Shelf Classic Lager’s winning Silver in the North American Lager category at the 2014 Ontario Craft Brewing Awards.
Top Shelf Classic Lager is best enjoyed with a few friends and a good starting lineup
First Sip
As soon as I take my first sip, I can tell that this would be a great all-purpose beer. Great for parties because of its smooth quality, its malty flavour is kept in check by its high carbonation level. Its carbonation gives Top Shelf Classic Lager a crisp taste that, when enjoyed ice cold, is a great beer for a game day or a gaming day.
Last Sip
I know I say this about a lot of beers I review, but Top Shelf Classic Lager must be served ice cold and not left to go flat. If it does go warm, its malty flavour becomes overpowering. If it goes flat, it loses its crispness and you may as well be sharing a forty with your college roommate. As I always say, though, it’s a good sign if a beer’s main problem is that it doesn’t taste good when it’s warm.
Other Comments
I’m more of a pale ale or pilsner type, myself but I appreciate a good lager. This is one. I can see why the NHLAA made it their official beer. This is a beer one doesn’t need to sip at. It’s a beer to take big gulps of, so have one and finish another between periods.
In recent years David O Russell has become one of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors, having The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle to his name. But there was one movie that was his embarrassing secret that he hoped would never see the light of day – his political satire Nailed that was abandoned because of a lack of funds. But a producer has assembled a cut without Russell’s involvement and it is every bit as bad as you may have heard.
Alice Eckle (Jessica Biel) is a roller-skater witness who is engaged to Scott (James Marsden), a cop and colossal douchebag. But during the proposal Alice ends up getting a nail shot into her brain and because she does not have any insurance cannot have it removed – leaving her suffering bloats of anger, an uncontrollable libido and the ability to speak Portuguese at random intervals. After Scott breaks the engagement Alice, with a couple other medical misfits, goes to Washington to lobby for healthcare reform, but ends up getting sucked into the world of political double-dealing and backstabbing. Accidental Love really is a marvel of a movie, it was cobbled together from what footage was already filmed against the wishes of Russell and by forcing some reshoots getting some of the actors to return because of contractual obligation. It is also a marvel because for a movie with so many talented people involved it turned out to be so awful. Even if we discount post-production elements like editing and the musical score, Accidental Love is still a terrible farce, masking itself as a political satire. The message is clear, the US government is more interested in spending money on pointless military projects then on social and domestic issues – the Moon Base was a commentary on George W. Bush’s Son of Star Wars mission program and how the Republicans used the politics of security and fear to force through their policies while labelling anyone interested in social issues as a socialist.
Accidental Love was not just a filmmaking farce, it was a comedic farce. Russell and his writers aimed low and broad with its humor. Jokes include Alice constantly getting hit in the head, having militant group of girl scouts, and one character having an embarrassing death. It was painfully staged and the actors looked embarrassed by some of the actions they had to do and it is amazing how terrible some of the actor’s performances were. Jake Gyllenhaal, Catherine Keener and James Brolin are all talented yet in this case they acted like they are in a bad improv group. It is cringe worthy seeing these actors having to embarrass themselves in such a way. The film comes across being an R-rated movie edited down to a PG-13. One of the big gags was a priest having a permanent erection and it was clear we were meant to see it, but the image was either cut out or never filmed. It is a joke even more unconformable when he is campaigning with a group of pre-pubescent girls. As both a political satire and general comedy Accidental Love is a failure. The only joke I found slightly funny is a political attack ad against group of girl scouts which is very close to how real American political ads look.
If you are interested in politics you can get something from the political commentary about healthcare and the military-industrial complex: even if the passing of The Affordable Healthcare Act made the satire outdated. The rest of the humor was a cartoony affair, having a drunk vet trying to remove the nail herself, the doctors and nurses at the ER being relieved that they did not have to perform surgery and celebrated by eating burgers and getting to see weird ritual involving fire and naked men. The editing is trying to make the comedy as mainstream as possible but all it is painfully unfunny.
Accidental Love should have reminded on the shelf, a movie that its stars will want us to ignore it exists and Russell will want it to remain his secret shame.
Episode Two of American Crime Story centers on a manhunt for O.J. Simpson. The man disappeared in a similar white Bronco the police impounded. The white Bronco is one of the pieces of evidence that secured the DA’s arrest warrant. This Bronco appears periodically in the episode, including Nicole’s grave, and feels like an admission of O.J.’s guilt.
American Crime Story still continues to address the complex issues of race and O.J.’s celebrity status, but the real focal point is the media coverage. The information for everyone connected to this case is filtered through his or her TV screen. High profile cases like this resonate on the same level as Bill Cosby. The important details get lost and muddled, as everyone watching gets caught up in the name. One great example of this fact confusion is when Robert Kardashian’s kids see their father on TV. Kardashian is at a press conference, he’s reading out one of O.J.’s suicide notes, and cries as he deals with the onslaught of journalists. His children, completely oblivious, watch from home chanting the family name. Kardashian, despite knowing on some level of that his friend might be guilty, is the only one not consumed by toxic masculinity.
Watching the reaction and responses to the media coverage between the DA, Shapiro and even O.J. builds serious momentum. The events play out like a chain reaction, because each man fears for his reputation. First there’s Robert Shapiro who holds his press conference to remind the world of his past accomplishments. Shapiro insists he’s still the best lawyer money can buy. Second is District Attorney Gil Garcetti, Marcia Clark’s boss, and he gives a press conference to explain how O.J. escaped custody. His first reaction to the crisis of a celebrity fugitive is, “I wanted to run for governor.” Again another man desperately tries to salvage his reputation. O.J. even gets caught up in it, as he insists right up until the end to get arrested away from the cameras. The media coverage glosses over the murder of two innocent people. Instead it’s about O.J. and how he’s the fallen celebrity that everyone loves.
Police in Alberta, Canada, have arrested Michael Thomas Coates, a man charged with stealing a collection of Magic: The Gathering cards with an estimated value of $10,000. The theft occurred on January 22, at a gaming event hosted by Kapow Ltd. Comics, a comic book shop in Lethbridge, Alberta. According to GlobalNews.ca, Coates tried to sell the collection the following day at Showcase Comics, Lethbridge’s other comic book store.
Speaking with GlobalNews.ca, Bobby Hoff, the owner of Showcase Comics, said, “I didn’t know him very well and he a had a big collection. In the Magic world you know who has the big collections and that was one of the things that set me off.” Hoff contacted the local police immediately. Coates fled Showcase Comics before the arrival of the police, but has since been apprehended. CTV states that Coates is facing charges of ‘theft over $5,000’ and ‘possession of stolen property for the purpose of trafficking’. Though police have recovered 35 of the stolen cards, around 400 remain unaccounted for. Police are asking anyone who has traded or purchased cards from Coates to contact them at 403-328-4444.
In related news, last month two men broke into Pat’s Games, a gaming store located in Austin, Texas, and stole an estimated $75,000 worth of Magic: The Gathering cards. The Statesman reports that Austin’s police department has assigned a detective who plays Magic to the case. “He understands the value, and he understands what the cards look like,” storeowner Pat Johnson told the Austin news site. “I can’t tell you how helpful that is.”
A week ago, Arrow’s co-showrunner Marc Guggenheim made a startling revelation when answering a question on his Tumblr about the future of Slade Wilson (Deathstroke) in the DC Television Universe.
“The character of Slade Wilson is currently tied up in another DC project,” said Guggenheim.
This response had the whole internet buzzing with questions. What is this project that he spoke of? It’s easy to assume that Slade Wilson (Deathstroke) might show up in Suicide Squad. Could Deathstroke appear in Justice League: Part One? Either way, this revelation jump started speculation about who would play Slade Wilson (Deathstroke). So after much research, here are five actors who could play the infamous DC mercenary.
5. Stephen Lang
Well known for his tremendous performance in James Cameron’s Avatar, he got his start acting on the stage. He received a Tony nomination for his performance as Lou in “The Speed of Darkness.” Whether it’s been on stage or screen, Mr. Lang always thrives in the darkest of roles. It’s important to remember that Slade Wilson started off as a soldier. When he becomes Deathstroke, he feels that his actions no matter how heinous are justified.
4. Ron Pearlman
Best known for Hellboy and Sons of Anarchy, he also got his start on the stage as a trained classical actor. Mr. Pearlman has thrived in critical roles where the line between right and wrong is vague. Remember that whoever is cast as Deathstroke needs to walk that fine line at first before turning into the infamous DC villain.
3. Joe Manganiello
It’s hard to ignore just how much Mr. Manganiello has the build and the look to play the DC mercenary. This could be his golden opportunity to show the world his acting prowess. Whether he has the acting chops to pull off this role remains to be seen.
2. Jim Parrack
It’s hard not to do a double-take when one hears the name, Jim Parrack. True Blood fans will remember him as the wimpy small town guy so casting him as Deathstroke might seem a bit of a stretch. Here’s why Mr. Parrack might be the Slade Wilson we are looking for.
a) Jim Parrack is a younger actor and in the New 52 rebooted, Deathstroke is a younger guy.
b) He’s already been cast in Suicide Squad in a role that’s TBD, and as we said, It’s easy to envision Deathstroke in Suicide Squad.
c) In Fury (directed by David Ayer, who’s also directing Suicide Squad), Parrack showed that he had quite a range which again is necessary to pull off this role.
1. Scott Eastwood
If anyone were to ask which one of these five is the most likely, Scott Eastwood would be my choice and here’s why.
a) He is a younger actor and as stated before, in the New 52 Deathstroke is a younger guy.
b) He is already cast in Suicide Squad in a role that’s TBD, and as we stated, It’s easy to envision Deathstroke in Suicide Squad.
c) Mr. Eastwood has the build for Deathstroke, which is something I couldn’t say for certain about Jim Parrack.
d) DC is playing the “long” game and doesn’t want to rush these characters onto the screen, so it’s easy to see Eastwood portraying Slade Wilson in Suicide Squad then due to events in the film becoming Deathstroke. That transformation could allow him to play a part in any number of the upcoming films on the DC Slate.
So there they are my top 5 choices to play Deathstroke in the DC Cinematic Universe. What do you guys think? If this list seems incomplete, please comment and let me know who you think should be on it.
Back in October, it was announced that Marvel Studios brought Taika Waititi into direct Thor: Ragnarok because the script was so dark and they needed Waititi to lighten it up. Also, Cate Blanchett is heavily rumored to play Hela ‘Queen of the Dead.’
If Thor has a dark script, Ragnarok, and the ‘Queen of the Dead,’ someone is going to die! But who?
Latino-Review is reporting that plot for Thor: Ragnarok will go as followed.
Hela will take Asgard and, Thor attempts to stop her. Hela lays the smackdown on the God of Thunder, destroying his hammer and straight up murdering Thor’s friend Heimdall.
*** Insert road trip through Planet Hulk ***
Then the final showdown with Hela will feature an army of the dead commanded by the villainess doing battle with good Valkyries from Valhalla and the souls of the righteous fallen, including Heimdall.
With the death of a major character, the possibility of Planet Hulk, and Ragnarok; it looks like Kevin Feige is putting all his chips on the table for the third Thor film as there is a chance Chris Hemsworth doesn’t return to the franchise after Avengers: Infinity War.
Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi, Christopher Yost, and Craig Kyle are working on the script, and the film stars Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Jaimie Alexander, Ray Stevenson, and Anthony Hopkins.
Thor: Ragnarok will destroy the universe on November 3, 2017.
Sylvester Stallone is nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Rocky Balboa in Ryan Coogler’s CREED and it appears Stallone might want to retire the character with Rocky on top.
Stallone spoke to Variety at the Santa Barbara Film Festival this week, and the actor feels like Creed was Rocky Balboa’s last ride.
“I really have mixed feelings about this, seriously. I feel like Rocky, at the end of this movie on the steps, with the help of a young man, and he looks out and says, ‘From here, you can see your whole life’ – it sort of summarizes the whole thing. I don’t know how much further you can push Rocky,” said Stallone.
CREED was made on $35 million budget and has made $167,174,851 worldwide.
Who you go see CREED II if Stallone was not in the film?
Would you go see 'CREED II' in the theater if Rocky Balboa (@TheSlyStallone) was not part of the film?
Netflix released a teaser for the fourth season of House of Cards Friday morning. Frank Underwood is busy working on the election campaign to stay in power. Underwood’s new campaign websiteTrump has a great creep factor, roll your cursor over Frank.
On his website you can create your own Frank Underwood campaign poster.
Underwood Campaign Ready For A Stop In South Carolina
House of Cards, the critically acclaimed Emmy®-nominated drama has its Golden Globe® winning stars Kevin Spacey (as Francis Underwood) and Robin Wright (as Claire Underwood), whose characters have always been each other’s’ strongest allies, showing cracks in their relationship. In an election year, the stakes are now higher than ever, and the biggest threat they face is contending with each other.
House of Cards also stars Michael Kelly, Mahershala Ali, Wayne Atkinson, Neve Campbell, Derek Cecil, Nathan Darrow, Kim Dickens, Elizabeth Marvel, Dominique McElligott, Molly Parker, Paul Sparks, with Ellen Burstyn, Cicely Tyson and Joel Kinnaman.
All 13-episodes of the one-hour drama produced by Donen/Fincher/Roth and Trigger Street Productions, Inc. in association with Media Rights Capital will premiere on Friday, March 4, 2016 at 12:01am only on Netflix.
According to Variety, this afternoon Fox has given a pilot order to Lethal Weapon based on the film franchise with Damon Wayans set to play Roger Murtaugh (the role originally played by Danny Glover).
Fox’s Lethal Weapon will follow a Texas Cop and a former Navy Seal Martin Riggs (role has yet to be cast). Riggs moves to Los Angeles following the death of his wife and baby looking for a fresh start. There he gets paired up with Detective Murtaugh, who is need of a low-key partner following a recent heart attack. “Forever” creator Matt Miller will pen the television adaptation and executive produce. McG has signed on to direct the hour-long pilot.
2016 seems to be the year of films being adapted into television shows. So far networks (NBC, CBS, and Fox) have also green-lit adaptations of Taken, Cruel Intentions, The Exorcist, Nancy Drew, and Training Day.
The CW released a new teaser for The Flash Friday afternoon. The teaser previews the next two episode with appearances by King Shark, Diggle, Speedy, of course, Zoom.
It looks like the battle with Zoom escalates as well. From the looks of the teaser, fans will find out shortly the identity of Zoom and something awful happens to Barry on Earth-2.
Escape from Earth-2
On Earth-2, the team asks for help from an unexpected source to find Zoom’s lair, while on Earth-1, Caitlin tries to perfect Velocity-9 so Jay can stop the Geomancer
King Shark
When King Shark escapes from an A.R.G.U.S. holding tank, Lyla and Diggle travel to Central City to warn The Flash. King Shark shows up at the West house and attacks Joe, Iris, Wally and Barry.
