Its time to do some decompressing again on Gundam IBO. A lot of things are changing and our characters need time to talk and sort out how they all feel about those things. While there is nothing wrong with this format I still have problems with how they execute it.
Gundam IBO episode 8 summary
So we get to see what Orga’s squad did during the mech battles outside. They hack their way in mostly non violent and confront Naze Turbine. They agree to negotiate and absorb Tekkaden to help them escort Kudelia to Earth. Meanwhile Mikazuki and Akihito are training with the female pilots of Turbine. Kudelia and Atra hang around some babies, while the crews are on their way to meet with the head of Teiwaz.
Episode thoughts
Now when I look at this episode of Gundam IBO I find nothing “technically” wrong with it but there are enough things that bother me from a story construction standpoint that get under my skin. For one I’m getting sick of the way they will shift into and out of gear with out really having any in-between mode. It feels like either things are tense or either super lax. I don’t like to just see events happen and then hear later how characters feel about the events that just happened. I need something more during the action scenes to reflect that, so were not wasting time and can use the down time to progress the story.
This episode of Gundam IBO was littered with these kind of conversations. Which for me the only one we needed was Mikazuki’s revelation that he needs to get stronger. But everyone else speculating on what happened and whats going to happen gets boring. Sure it was okay in the past when there wasn’t much going on, but I feel we don’t need to see those conversations anymore. They can still be going on in the background, but don’t have them be the majority of the episode.
As for Kudelia, I appreciate that the narrative is sincerely trying to give her some purpose, but every time she does something so insignificant I roll my eyes. I don’t think just being on a bridge for support, or playing with babies equates to being useful. She knows her role and its a noble one. Someone needs to tell her that her job is to speak on behalf of Mars, not to help out on the day-to-day. I really hope she just figures that out. Sometimes we are useless in certain situations, but that doesn’t mean were useless as a whole. But the show insists on having her try to find things to give her worth, as if her being a spokesperson for a planet isn’t enough.
Also on the subject of women’s roles on Gundam IBO I must address Naze’s harem. I’m kind of torn on this because it seems like it serves no purpose other than a gag, which isn’t funny. Is this really the only way the writers figured they could write in female pilots? Gundam IBO is all about brotherhood and stuff so I won’t let it get to me too much. But it bothers me when you have a cast of mostly realistically grounded people and then you have a harem of girls that somehow all get along together and accept their circumstances. Call me a prude all you want but I find it gross. Honestly I could write an entire article about this subject in itself, so I’ll try to make one more quick point and leave it at that. If none of these girl pilots die, I will be severely disappointed.
Sure this episode of Gundam IBO didn’t play out the way I would have liked, but it got its point across all the same. I’m sure these emotional beats are hitting for someone, just not me at the moment. I can only see Orga reiterate how childish he is so many times before I need to see some consequences. Same with Mikazuki. It would have been nice for him to have had a consequence for being too arrogant. But instead he slips by and comes to the realization to change. I need some stakes to keep me interested and so far it seems that Gundam IBO is moving away from the stakes that felt so high in its early episodes. I hope that it can retrieve that tension before the show concludes.
Survivor Series kicks off Sunday at 8 pm and the WWE Universe will be celebrating 25 years of the Undertaker and hopefully a new WWE Champion. Let’s be clear WWE is absolutely capable of pulling a swerve where none of the Superstars involved in the tournament win the belt and an outsider scoots in (Hey Brock Lesnar! Sheamus go away!!) or no one can win somehow.
The latter would be a mistake and former would be telling viewers that they essentially don’t need to watch the week to week product.
Here’s a look at the entire lineup for Survivor Series and predictions for each outcome.
Paige vs. Charlotte (WWE Divas Championship)
Let’s start with where Raw ended. First off, the belt shouldn’t be a butterfly if the whole premise is to legitimize the division but that’s besides the point. The storyline was good before they brought Charlotte’s brother into it. For those who don’t know or didn’t know, it’s probably a bit shocking that WWE brought up a family member passing away from a drug over dose but they insist that Charlotte encouraged it and that isn’t a surprising given her deep roots in the business. Should be an incredible match with Charlotte getting a win over Paige.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze
This match should be decent but not too much intrigue here as Breeze will probably go over after Summer Rae interferes. Tyler Breeze will win and hopefully the two go their separate ways.
Undertaker & Kane vs. The Wyatt Family
In my opinion this should have been the Survivor Series elimination tag match with the Brothers of Destruction recruiting Finn Balor and literally anyone else instead of only facing two members of the Wyatt family but this is the direction they went. You know Braun Strowman will be in the match and hopefully Bray but who knows at this point. 25 years of Undertaker should be capped off with the first pin of Braun Strowman. Undertaker and Kane win.
Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio (Winner is in WWE Championship match)
Del Rio’s return will see its first speed bump when he takes an L to Roman Reigns. At least he will still have the US title or the Mex American Title or whatever they call it now. Roman goes to the finals.
Random Obligatory Survivor Series Match
By not having this match even announced they made it feel awfully boring. New Day Rocks!
Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens (Winner is in WWE Championship match)
Kevin Owens has been nothing but a party crasher in his career and he is Intercontinental Champion but Dean Ambrose has something about him right now that makes him an interesting guy to win it all. Expect this match to be the best of the evening with Dean Ambrose winning it.
Dean Ambrose vs Roman Reigns (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
It would be strange for WWE to set up for two friends to face one another, but with Seth Rollins going down the WWE needs a new bad guy and what better way to get a ton of heat than crossing your friend? This match should be full of surprises with Triple H certainly getting involved and may even see a cash in from Sheamus. A match like this is begging for someone to make a deal with the devil. I don’t expect WWE to give up on Reigns being their top babyface so logic would point to Dean Ambrose winning the WWE title and having his arm raised by The Game.
Season 41 of Saturday Night Live marched on last night with host Matthew McConaughey and musical guest Adele. One of the topics that they hit on was Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Last night they brought back a sketch that they had been done in previous seasons entitled Star Wars Screen Tests.
Here’s an example of the Sketch back when Kevin Spacey hosted.
Here’s another example from the same sketch
Last night’s sketch featured – J.J. Abrams, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley ,John Hamm, Emma Stone, Jay Pharoah, Aidy Bryant, Kate Mckinnon, Leslie Jones, Taran Killam, Micheal Buble, Cecily Strong, and Bobby Moynihan playing both Danny Devito and George Lucas. Here’s the sketch from last night.
I happen to think that John Hamm as “Hamm Solo” may have been the funniest part of the sketch. What do you guys think?
Lucasfilm and visionary director J.J. Abrams join forces to take you back again to a galaxy far, far away as “Star Wars” returns to the big screen with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.Episode VII in the Star Wars Saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, opens in theaters December 18, 2015.
This Sunday marks the 25th anniversary of WWE Survivor Series, along with the anniversary of the debut of The Undertaker, one of professional wrestling’s most revered performers. Survivor Series has served as one of WWEs premiere events, and while in recent years it has not been seen in the same light as SummerSlam or the Royal Rumble, this years’ event has the potential to be a stand out.
Undertaker (Mark Calaway) Photo: World Wrestling Entertainment
The main attraction of the evening are the finals of a tournament to determine the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The reason for the tournament is because Seth Rollins, the former WWE Champion, suffered a serious knee injury November 4 during a match in Dublin, Ireland, leaving him unable to compete.
Through the years Survivor Series has also debuted some of the WWEs biggest stars. The Rock, Kurt Angle, and the group formerly known as The Shield, which the former champion Seth Rollins, and two of the finalists in the ongoing tournament for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, worked together as a team. Four finalists are left and will be competing to claim the title on Sunday night. Alberto Del Rio will face Roman Reigns, while Dean Ambrose squares off against Kevin Owens.
Alberto Del Rio
Alberto Del Rio – Current US Champion Photo: World Wrestling Entertainment
Son of Dos Caras and nephew of the legendary Mexican wrestler Mil Mascaras, Del Rio is the dark horse in this tournament. Recently returned to the WWE, having left in 2014 due to an altercation with a WWE employee over alleged racial remarks, Del Rio is probably the most technically sound performer in the field. His adaptability and a cross ambreaker submission make him a solid bet, but as he is already the United States Champion, he may go home with only one title come Sunday.
Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose Photo: World Wrestling Entertainment
Having worked his way through various independent promotions like CZW and Dragon Gate USA, Ambrose is the loose change in this tournament. Dubbed ‘The Lunatic Fringe’, Ambrose brings a manic energy, an unusual moveset, and a fervent desire to hurl himself into a match to get the job done. He is the WWE version of Daryl Dixon, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns Photo: World Wrestling Entertainment
Positioned to be “the man” in the WWE some time in the near future, Reigns is part of the Anoa’i family. A family that includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Yokozuna, Rikishi, and The Usos. Reigns has been proving himself to the WWE fans and slowly winning them over with solid performances in big events this past year. Quite possibly has the wettest hair in the field tonight.
Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens vs Finn Balor – NXT Photo: World Wrestling Entertainment
Kevin Owens, also known as Kevin Steen, is the current Intercontinental Champion. Much like Del Rio, he is a fundamentally sound wrestler who is already a champion and is looking to add another. Owens is a better performer than his physique would suggest, and also has the personality of that guy on your softball team who takes things a bit too seriously. Possibly the biggest crowd favorite behind Dean Ambrose, you’ll hear chants of ‘FIGHT OWENS FIGHT’ and he’ll be looking to plant his opponent with a Pop Up Powerbomb to walk away victorious.
Who goes home with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tonight? Tell us your pick in the comments.
WWE Survivor Series will be on PPV (check your cable provider) this Sunday night at 7pm Eastern and also on the WWE Network, available on most streaming platforms.
Hi there, welcome to the pro wrestling column on Monkeys Fighting Robots. Please, pull up a chair and join me. Wine? Yes, I guess it’s a little early, but that’s cool.
My name is Marcus Wood and I’ll be posting some regular pieces on the subject of pro wrestling, taking in news, reviews, interviews, opinions and other interesting stuff. There will be a lot of WWE but there will also be some New Japan, some ROH, some TNA, some Lucha Underground, some AAA, some EVOLVE, some…. Well you get the idea. I feel pretty lucky to be able to be writing about pro wrestling as there’s an awful lot of great stuff either going on right now or just beginning in the grapple game.
There’s also some negative stuff which brings us onto…
Yes, WWE Survivor Series 2015. It’s not to say there isn’t anything good about this show going in, far from it, but the build has been less than stellar and on paper most of the matches seem painfully predictable; I’ll get into all that in the breakdown.
First, the news going in for those not totally caught up is that Seth Rollins is out for 6-9 months recovering from a torn ACL/MCL/medial meniscus. So effectively it’s really bad and he won’t be around for quite a while, which is how we got the WWE Title tournament. Likewise, rumor has it Vince McMahon is undecided about if and when to bring Daniel Bryan back and everything from internal politics to his health is being quoted as the reason. Tough to know what to make of it all but I wouldn’t expect to see him back this year.
Starting in 1987, Survivor Series has always been one of WWE’s big four events with the traditional five vs. five elimination match being it’s cornerstone. In recent years though, both of those factors have become marginalized, the importance of the event fading somewhat and the traditional match not always a yearly appearance. And crucially it hasn’t been what the show is built around. Compare it to earlier shows where every match was a Survivor Series match and you’ll notice the difference.
Onto this year’s card with matches that are locked in but with several matches that we don’t know who the competitors will be yet. With my predictions I try and think what will happen, but sometimes what I want to see happen creeps in.
Dolph Ziggler Vs Tyler Breeze w/ Summer Rae
So for match quality this should be pretty decent, but you have to feel Summer Rae gets involved to get the win for Tyler Breeze. This is based on the presence of Summer Rae but, also, to have Breeze debut then lose would just be disastrous for him. Plus it is WWE booking after all so expect to see Ziggler get his win back next month.
Prediction: Dolph Ziggler
WWE Divas Title Match: Charlotte Vs Paige
On paper it is a good match up and as long as the ladies get the time this should be a plus for the “Divas Revolution”. The downside for me personally was the build of using the death of Reid Flair as a device. I know a lot of people thought it was well done and if Ric and Charlotte were cool with it it’s all ok but it didn’t work for me. More because it just seemed misplaced in the whole thing and took it to a very personal level that the feud hadn’t been about prior to that. But regardless it’s a fresh matchup for the main roster, which is always welcomed in the divas division. One of the tougher matches to call on this show but I’m going Charlotte as I think/am hoping it’s Sasha Banks chasing the title after this and I don’t see them doing Banks-Paige for a while.
Prediction: Charlotte
Traditional Survivor Series Match: ???, ???, ???, ???, ??? Vs ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
This is the biggest issue I have with this show and I don’t think it’s tough to see why. Traditionally Survivor Series selling point as an event was the Survivor Series match and the combination of people on each team. This year we’re getting a match but it’s an absolute afterthought and even with more hours of programming than WWE know what to do with they couldn’t find the time/be bothered to give any kind of build/hype to who the teams will be. I’m all for surprises but without either team known beforehand, what’s the reason for the match and caring what happens? Aside from shoehorning a Survivor Series match in.
To try and predict this thing I think we’ll see New Day on one side and the Dudley Boyz and Cesaro on the other side as all those guys should be on the card and have a reason to be. After that it just gets a bit random so on the heel team maybe Sheamus and King Barrett and on the face side the Usos.
Prediction: Team Dudley Boyz, Usos, Cesaro with Cesaro last man standing.
WWE World Heavyweight Title Semi: Del Rio Vs Reigns
I’m actually kind of surprised Alberto Del Rio made it this far but I think WWE were thinking the return factor might carry a bit further than it actually has done. It should be an okay match but probably won’t get too long if someone is pulling double duty. Oh and by someone I mean Roman Reigns as there is no way the new face of WWE is going down to the man with fading momentum in the semi-final.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
WWE World Heavyweight Title Semi-Final: Kevin Owens Vs Dean Ambrose
Well first off this is my prediction for match of the night and the one I’m legitimately looking forward to. Saying that I’m always psyched to see Kevin Owens in the ring on PPV and against Dean Ambrose is definitely no exception. As long as they get a decent amount of time and I think they will, it should be a good one. I’m basing that on Ambrose winning and being the underdog who has the tough match going onto the final. Because while Owens is good, Ambrose has all the reasons to be in the final versus Reigns.
Prediction: Dean Ambrose
Undertaker & Kane Vs Two TBC members of the Wyatt Family
Disclaimer: It’s not that I don’t want to see Undertaker, I do. It’s not that I don’t want to see Undertaker and Kane back together, I do. But I would have preferred to see it as the Survivor Series match we all thought we were going to get. It’s also where I think the build’s been at it’s worst as Undertaker and Kane have already run over the entire Wyatt Family on Raw with no swing the other way so why are only two members going to fare any better? While we’re on the subject how did the Brothers Of Destruction come back from having their souls or whatever taken? And why does Bray Wyatt have to keep losing? All questions I feel we’re not going to get an answer to.
As far as who the representatives for the Wyatt Family are I’m going to guess Harper and Strowman. Bray putting himself out there makes no sense which makes Harper the workhorse and Strowman has to be there to make it a bit competitive. But there is no way Undertaker is losing anything on his big 25th Anniversary party. It’s just a shame it has to come at the expense of some of the talent who should be on top right now.
Prediction: Undertaker and Kane
WWE World Heavyweight Title Final: ??? Vs ???
Well my previous predictions have led to Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns squaring off and all storyline signs point to that being the match. It’s the battle between friends and how that’s dealt with. I think there’s an outside chance of a heel turn by one of them and I’m hoping it’s Roman giving in to the dark side and he goes with the Authority, to guarantee his first WWE World Title. Regardless of what I want however and being realistic, if it’s going to happen it’ll be Ambrose taking that turn because of Reigns positioning as THE face. But with WWE quite often the simplest answer is the right one so we’ll get a battle between friends with tons of mutual respect, Reigns winning and a handshake at the end. Thus the coronation of Roman Reigns and we’ll get to find out whether the Roman hate still exists when the celebration starts. But I’m hoping for something a bit spicier than that.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
So there it is Survivor Series 2015. It’s not that it’s a bad show, there’s going to be some good matches for sure but the main reasons to care are to see a first time WWE World Champion crowned and that seems painfully predictable, unless WWE totally pull the rug from all of us. Undertaker is going to be in the ring though once again in a painfully predictable match, where the result is virtually a sure thing with the build the past few weeks making the Wyatt’s look like less of a threat as the event has gotten closer.
Right now the main reason to tune in is to see if it does end up being Ambrose in the final or WWE play it simple with a heel against Reigns in Kevin Owens. However if something unexpected happens once again as with Wrestlemania that disrupts Roman Reigns ascent then the event and the main event scene afterwards suddenly gets way more interesting so I will still be watching with interest.
With that I’m signing out so we can all go watch Booker T position his energy drink for the camera. I’ll be back with a review of the show but sound off in the comments section about what you think is going to happen and what you want to see from the show.
Hazuma researches Johnny’s condition to the point of exhaustion, only to be told by Tommy, a soldier suffering from PTSD that Johnny never went to Vietnam. As the truth because known, it’s revealed that Johnny was involved with military experiments conducted by the CIA, and the Doctor Risenburg might be connected to it all. Will Johnny ever be able to feel pain again?
This episode showcases the weaknesses that come from any Black Jack story. Black Jack was originally written as a short story series by Tezuka and a lot of storytellers who deal with the character seem to take a similar approach. This means despite the fact there is a much larger story that could be told here, with the CIA, Professor Risenburg’s past, and a military conspiracy, a quick fix ending is used instead. Any of those topics could easily be the plot of the an entire anime series but rather than expand this storyline, it is wrapped up by the end of the episode with little to no chance it will be addressed in the rest of the series. Such wasted potential for compelling storytelling.
There is a reference to another Osamu Tezuka series here which will easily go over the heads of almost every American anime fan. The character of Tommy is shown wearing clown makeup and then shows a character who has thick glasses and what looks like a thief’s calling card. This is Rainbow Parakeet, a manga series created by Tezuka back in 1981. This is a bit of a stretch even for hardcore Tezuka fans. Sure, the reference a few episodes ago where Hazuma met with his rival Kiriko before he became an unlicensed doctor was one thing, but this is a reference to a series which has no exposure in American and never even had an anime adaptation. Kind of makes the whole attempt at a connection seem unnecessary.
A good episode none the less but could have been incredible if it had just taken the time to expand what it was telling a little more. This may very well be the weakness of the entire series. Fantastic stories but they just don’t dig into them deep enough for lasting effect.
Young Black Jack is simulcast streaming from Crunchyroll.
Aika basks in her newfound popularity of knowing a lot about commoner culture. She also tries to connect with Reiko by asking for her help composing a text. Just as it seems that the commoner club will be disbanding because of Aika`s new status, Kimito gets trapped in the hot spring just as girls come in and he has to hold his breath until he passes out or risk being discovered. This results in Aika having to give him CPR and her classmate mistaking it for kissing. All her classmate now think she is more experienced than they are and back away from her.
The show continues to showcase outdated harem tropes. The main character gets stuck in the hot springs joke? Seen it. Characters mistaking CPR for kissing? Ancient. Any character development being reset, so they are essential the same character after a story arc? Oldest trick in the book. At this point, the series is only marginally retaining an entertainment factor.
Of course for someone who has never seen these jokes they are probably laughing at all these shenanigans. Perhaps this is why the series just is not that enjoyable. It’s more intended for the beginner Harem fan. Something to cut their teeth on as they learn to appreciate series where a guy has many women fawning over him. But for someone who has seen harem classics like Tenchi Muyo, Ai Yori Aoshi, and Love Hina there isn’t much here for you. This series is more intended for those who don’t know the harem playbook and know exactly what is going to happen next.
Doctor Who has now entered into the realm of found-footage horror, jumping on a bandwagon that IT left years ago and having one of the dumbest ideas for a monster possible – making it one of the worst episodes in the rebooted run of the show.
In the 38th century a small team of soldiers are sent on a rescue mission to a space station orbiting Neptune where they find The Doctor showing Clara. But trouble is never far behind where The Doctor is found with the station being dominated by dust monsters, all linked to a device known as the Morpheus Pod, a pod that makes sure that humans do not need to sleep anymore.
“Sleep No More” starts off by tempting fate by having one of its characters, Professor Rassmussen (Reece Shearsmith) saying to the audience “You must not watch this. I’m warning you, you can never un-see it.” This was obviously said in the context of the episode but it ended up feeling he is describing the quality of the episode – because it is certainly far from being a classic.
The issue of using a found footage was a concern for many audience members, being seen as no more then a gimmick. Fortunately the writer, Mark Gatiss, and director Justin Molotnikov have the good sense to go down a similar route to the movie Chronicle, using all the cameras in the space station and not restricting itself to one cameraman/woman. The use of soldiers with helmet mounted cameras also avoids the questions of why do people not just drop the cameras.
Gatiss does try and give an examination on why “Sleep No More” is in the found footage style, as silly as it is. The episode’s big failing comes with the Sandmen monsters. The design of the Sandmen is quite effective, being like the monstrous forms the comic book character The Sandman took in Spider-man 3, particularly when they break apart. But it is when the Doctor explains what they are and what they are made of – it will lead to the reaction of ‘my God, that was stupid!’ It is on the same level as the Moon being an egg. The basic concept of the episode is fine, that humanity have found a way to no longer need sleep and writers and directors could easily play around with the possible adverse effects. Ideas could have been that the lack of natural sleep leads to people losing their sanity and sense of reality or that their subconscious or dreams/nightmares could end up being physically manifested in some form. This is Doctor Who, the possibilities are endless. Instead everyone involved thought lets go down the most silly route possible.
The dialogue in the episode is some of the worst in the season, from when The Doctor explains what the Sandmen are: Clara and The Doctor’s moral upstanding against the 38th Century values and when the villain is finally revealed and tells their plan to our hero. It’s B-Movie level bad. “Sleep No More” even rips off an idea from “Before the Flood” – an episode earlier in the season. Both episodes feature a character that is not affected by what was blighting their crew because they were not exposed to a certain thing. At least when “The Zygon Inversion” used previous story ideas they were ideas from previous seasons.
I personally came into this episode thinking it was going to be a cross between Paranormal Activity and Alien but it was more like the Danny Boyle movie Sunshine and the aforementioned Chronicle. The rescue team enter an empty space station that has dust in the air and in Sunshine the crew of the Icarus II find an empty spaceship that is covered in dust with both crews trying to figure out what happened to the previous occupants and find some sort of supernatural threat. The recommendation here is check out Sunshine instead.
The saving grace of the episode is the ending, and not just because it ended. “Sleep No More” does have a very effective cliffhanger and this was when it was at its most creepy as a character talks to the camera and sets up a sequel that has already been commissioned. It is just a shame that the rest of the episode could not match that standard.
With the upcoming release of Creed on November 25, the Rocky films have given fans an earnest and heartfelt look into the life of a professional boxer, The Great White Hype is not a film that does any of that
Released in 1996, The Great White Hype is not inspirational or uplifting. It is as far from Rocky as one can get. Meant to be a satire about boxing, spin, fight promotion, and racial tension, Hype comes off as a semi-realistic look at the world of professional boxing.
Damon Wayans plays James “The Grim Reaper” Roper, the current heavyweight champion of the world and as complacent as it gets. He even goes so far as to gently complain about his victory over an opponent during a post fight interview. His manager/promoter/sort of father figure Reverend Fred Sultan (Samuel L. Jackson) talks his way out of paying Roper his bounty from his most recent fight because the event was a financial failure.
THE GREAT WHITE HYPE, Damon Wayans, Jon Lovitz, 1996, TM and Copyright (c)20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved.
Sultans’ grand plan is to create a white heavyweight for Roper to fight, playing on the racial divide and the assumed desire for the audience to see such an event. He and his coterie of associates locate Terry Conklin (Peter Berg, director of The Kingdom, Hancock) front man for a rock band in Cleveland and the last person to defeat Roper when they were both teenagers in a Golden Gloves tournament. Terry has little interest at first, proclaiming he does not need to fight, happy with his band, and wanting to help the homeless. Reverend Sultan sweetens the deal with the offer of a big payday for Terry to help the homeless as much as he sees fit.
Re-branding him as “Irish” Terry Conklin, complete with an English trainer and a kilt, Sultan sets his plan into motion. Going so far as to recruit journalist Mitchell Kane (played by Jeff Goldblum), who at first attempts to expose Sultan for the charlatan he is, the spin machine begins to work its magic on the general public.
The Reverend Fred Sultan (Samuel L. Jackson) Photo: 20th Century Fox
The best parts here showcase the hype and spin machine. From the weigh in, where Wayans shows up looking severely out of shape, to a white-haired grandmother at a betting window putting “$2 on the clean-cut white boy”, this has the feel of what boxing really is, as opposed the noble endeavor showcased in the Rocky films.
After all the hype, spin, and backdoor dealing to make Conklin the #8 contender for the title, you could almost believe that Conklin can win this. He’s in much better shape, the media loves him, he even does a photo shoot for Playboy Magazine, which he then says he despised doing and again champions his desire the help the homeless. It also appears that Mitchell Kane believes, seeking to backdoor Sultan by becoming Conklins’ promoter and hopefully the promoter of the next heavyweight champion.
After a stirring rendition of “Danny Boy”, performed by Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats, Conklin is led to the ring by leprechauns (not real ones, but little people in costume) and the crowd at a fever pitch. Roper takes his sweet time heading to the ring, delaying so he can watch his favorite scene from ‘Dolemite‘.
The bell rings and the fight is over before it has even begun. Conklin goes for an overhand right (the punch he knocked a young James Roper out with at 15), which enrages the champ and Conklin is flat on his back barely two minutes in. No comeback, no stirring music, no motivational speech from his corner.
Anchored by solid supporting performances from Corbin Bernsen, Rocky Carroll (NCIS), Jon Lovitz, and Jamie Foxx, this movie will not tug at your heartstrings, but it will give you sharp wit, tons of humor, and a great skewed view of the machine of professional boxing.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is less than a month away and it seems that every other day we come across brand new TV spots promoting the highly anticipated picture. The most amazing part of all of this buildup is that the audience is mostly unaware of what exactly is going to transpire when the film hits theaters on December 18th. It seems that each The Force Awakens TV Spot centers around a particular main character and the latest are no exception. In the first spot it’s easy to see that it centers around Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac)
The second T.V. spot centers around Finn (John Boyega)
Lucasfilm and visionary director J.J. Abrams join forces to take you back again to a galaxy far, far away as “Star Wars” returns to the big screen with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.Episode VII in the Star Wars Saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, opens in theaters December 18, 2015.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan & Abrams, features a cast including actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. They will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker.
The film is being produced by Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk, and John Williams returns as the composer.
