Little Simz - GREY Area (4/5)
GREY Area is definitely my favourite Hip-Hop album since DAMN., maybe because Simz is close enough to home to talk about a life that I feel apart of in some capacity. Along with the lyrical content let's just say the whole album is banging, great beats, great sung choruses by the features. Just a great solid album.
Fave Tracks: Offence, Boss, Selfish, Wounds, Pressure.
Movies
Shazam! (3.5/5)
Feels like DC finally got one. Shazam is a breath of fresh air not just from their previous DC movies, but in the MCU dominated Superhero Movie scene. Shazam feels much more willing to try things that aren't very conventional. Yes it's an origin story but one with laughs and wonder, one with directing that feels more refreshing than it should in a Superhero movie, and one that is surprisingly got some scary and freaky looking visuals. I think this is probably gonna be my 'Solo' of this year. A lot of people kipped on it because it was DC, but I think it is a really great romp.
Phantom Thread (4/5)
It's a beautifully shot movie, a wonderfully acted movie and a very interesting movie, I don't have much to add to the conversation of this movie, look it up and have fun thinking about it and delving into it.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (3.5/5)
Obviously a Lonely Island film from the get go, that humour is here and in droves. It's also a short film, even though I think it probably still goes slightly too long. The movie is funny and the songs are funny. Good movie to watch when you're looking for a chill night in with some laughs.
Safety Not Guaranteed (3/5)
Although I thought it was pretty obvious what the ending of the movie would be after the first couple of scenes, it is still enjoyable, it's very twee and sombre overall, and aims for a emotional core with a comedy crust. But really it ends up making the movie just ok. The subplot also seems entirely meaningless within the movie, it adds nothing to the main plot, so seems like an attached story to a plot that could only last an hour episode of TV.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (3.5/5)
This is one of those movies I've been meaning to watch for a long time. All of Tarantino's movies for that matter, apart from Pulp Fiction, one of my favourite movies. So when somebody asked me if I wanted to watch it, I agreed. But I really wasn't prepared for it, plus the experience while watching it led to me not enjoying it as much as I was hoping. I didn't know how long the movie was, and I wasn't aware that the movie was only going to focus on one person from this infamous gang that our main character was going to kill. Meaning I was expecting half of this gang to be killed in this movie but instead only got one long assassination that felt like it was really stretched out for unknown reasons. The Anime section took me off guard, and the dark humour really rubbed me the wrong way in 2019. I wanna see the movie again because I really felt like me being tired and watching it with other people, and not being prepared for what the movie was going to be really hindered my viewing.
John Wick: Chapter 2 (3.5/5)
Just more of the brilliant ridiculous action that you get from the first one. Again, this movie really knows what it is. What's great about this series is that after I finished the movie I wanted to put in the first one and watch that again and then put in the second one and watch it again. And truthfully I probably will watch these two again just before the 3rd movie comes out. So I expect the ratings to go up for them because they are just such a barrel of fun.
Once Upon A Deadpool (3/5)
As an interesting re-edit viewing, this is cool. But coming from someone who's seen the original quite a few times now, this is just an inferior version. Editing seems weirder and joke dubs are obvious. But all the original stuff filmed for the movie is VERY FUNNY.
Avengers: Endgame (5/5)
I don't know how much I want to talk about here. I guess I wanna go FULL SPOILERS. So do not read this SPOILERS AHEAD, if you haven't seen the movie yet. I think this is by far the best MCU movie, the sense of wonder and happiness I got from this movie is immeasurable, it felt so big and unique and truly refreshing. It felt like it crossed boundaries that felt like it shouldn't be possible. This movie is basically 3 great different movies. First you have the beginning which is a 'coming to terms' movie, it has a time skip that really shocks, audible gasps from my audience, and we deal with the aftermath. The Second Movie is the part I thought we would never see, but hoped we might. Time travel, and it is filmed in such a way that makes everything so nostalgic, The Avengers section is by far my favourite bit but I also had such a giant nostalgia burst when it played the beginning of Guardians 1. We get some other cool stuff in this, which I can't label all right now, and then the third movie is the greatest MCU battle I've ever seen, an action sequence that is chocked full with great moments. I honestly haven't been this excited for the MCU since Guardians 1. The most anticipated for me is Guardians 3 with Thor, but also Spider-Man which comes out in like 2 months or something ridiculous. The MCU is always going to be my favourite series of films now, just because of this. I'm also super excited about Black Widow, Doctor Strange 2, and the Captain America Show/Movies? I'm not sure! Loki show too. Queen Valkyrie too. GOD THERES SO MUCH. CAP USED MJOLNIR!
TV
The Good Place Season 1
What a hilarious and fun show this is, the whole arc of Season 1 really is a great watch and it is so enjoyable. I don't have a lot to say it just hits all the right notes for me!
Black Mirror Season 1
Charlie Brooker loves technology and SEX. That's kind of the main vibe I get off this. I really enjoyed the first and third episodes, with the second having one particular stand out moment. The acting really puts this stuff above normal shows I feel. But the vibe I get off the show is just.. weird? Like I get it it's trying to be grim and introspective for the viewer, but the constant use of sex being portrayed in this really strange taboo way gives it an edgy/creepy vibe, almost like it's some 2006 emo fan fiction. I'm gonna continue on watching the show because I think its episodes are interesting enough to keep me going but that's my feelings right now.
Wrestling
Welcome to the Mania weekend wrestling DUMP, I didn't watch everything but I did watch a fair few things, the greatest part about WrestleMania weekend isn't just the show itself, but all the weird niche wrestling shows companies run around it too.
GCW Josh Barnett's Bloodsport
Last year Matt Riddle did Bloodsport, and while the idea seemed really fun, I felt like the show didn't hit the mark on what was really promised. This year however I felt like every match knocked the different types of match this kind of weird MMA/Wrestling hybrid can bring. It brought some attention to some guys that I hadn't heard of before as well as some old faces. I was especially impressed by Simon Grimm, J.R. Kratos and Josh Barnett. Fun time all round, and this cements this for me as a must watch every year.
Fave Matches: J.R. Kratos vs Simon Grimm, Josh Barnett vs Minoru Suzuki
Impact United We Stand
This is the first time in a long long time, I've watched a full Impact show, as someone who was a big fan of the company back in the 05-07 days it's crazy to see how far they have fallen when it comes to production. As a general Wrestling fan I have always kept my eye on TNA/GFW/Impact, but never watched a full show in a while. This was less about great matches and more about great performances by wrestlers. People who caught my attention were: Ace Austin, Taya Valkyrie, LAX, Low Ki and Flamita. There were other god performances too but all from people who I'm aware who can put on good performances. The show overall wasn't going to be anything amazing but as a fun pass the time wrestling show on Mania weekend it did the job, I think every finish of every match fell completely flat though, so that was a shame.
NXT Takeover: New York
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A great night a wrestling overall, but I felt almost every match fell for some pacing issues. I really enjoyed isolated moments of the show, maybe solid few minutes in every match, but no one match had a full package the way Takeover's usually do. War Raiders vs Black & Ricochet was a fun match but it wasn't anything that I hadn't seen before and nothing truly hype or insane. Dream and Riddle were the closest to a match that felt cohesive but unfortunately I wasn't completely won over by it. Walter/Dunne would be my favourite match if we were only counting those last few minutes at the end, but the middle dragged, and going too long meant most of the match I was bored. Women's Fatal Four Way felt like a match that I didn't have to feel so invested into because of the many competitors and the nature that Shayna always seems to win, so in that respect I felt more relaxed to watch it. Cole and Gargano felt like a match that's should've been far better than it turned out to be, the first two falls basically being pointless as they were not as interesting as the last fall and felt like they played no part in the later match. I did enjoy the last moments on the ramp though.
Fave Matches: Velveteen vs Riddle, Walter vs Dunne
ROH & NJPW G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden
Overall a pretty lack luster show in my opinion, as has already been stated by everyone under the sun the ROH part of this show really dragged the whole thing down, couple that with my sleep deprived state and by the main event I was completely checked out, I really shouldn't have been and I wish I gave that IWGP match the chance but I was gone passed caring. Despite all that I did like a couple of matches from the show, Strangely my most enjoyed was the Pre-Show Honor Rumble, apart from the winner and some crappy ROH stars, the rumble is enjoyable because, well, it's a rumble. The ROH Title match sucked so much that I wish I could get the time back.
Fave Matches: Honor Rumble, Cobb vs Ospreay, GoD vs LIJ vs Brisoces vs Villain Enterprises
WWE WrestleMania
Honestly the best Mania since 30 probably, what a great time and what a great set of balls on WWE to go for ALL 3 babyface wins on Mania. Honestly really fucking enjoyed almost everything so I'll just list them here.
Fave Matches: Hawkins & Ryder vs The Revival, Rollins vs Lesnar, Styles vs Orton, Shane McMahon vs The Miz, Kofi Kingston vs Daniel Bryan, Triple H vs Batista
Books & Comics
Batman Vol 7 - Endgame (3/5)
This is one of the most talked about Snyder/Capullo Batman stories, and honestly I don't think it is worth the hype. I love Snyder and Capullo's Batamn run up until this point, they both really get Batman, but I think they crossed some unwritten rules in this story, and not in a fun or good way. I'm specifically talking about The Joker, some big rules get broken, he finds out that Bruce is Batman and he also wants to kill Batman. These two things I think really betray the reson why the character is so interesting. I really think the terror of the character is from the fact he doesn't care about who Batman is and he doesn't want him to die, he wants to continue to 'dance' with Bruce because it gives his life meaning. we also have some plot issues here, that kind of derail the story at the end, Joker's fair on the streets seem super rushed, Batman's villains helping him out seems a bit ludicrous and just general bits and pieces, things happen that don't feel like they are mentioned again. But this still gets a 3 out of 5 because the initial couple of issues are super solid, Justice League fight is rad, Joker's reveal is cool. Overall a great start that fails to stick the landing.
Batman Vol 8 - Superheavy (4/5)
Now to follow up from the Death of Bruce is something super rad, and where I think Snyder/Capullo really nail, which is innovating and just trying something weird with Batman. In this case Commissioner Gordon becomes Batman. My only issues here are his updated look, he becomes more buff for Batman, that is a fine update, makes sense for what happens, I'm not a fan of the stache and the haircut, it means Gordon loses his iconic look, and usually Capullo's art is really stellar all round, but the way he draws Gordon's face here doesn't seem to resemble anything different to me than if he drew Bruce. Maybe that's just me, but sometimes it's hard to connect with Gordon when he doesn't look like Gordon. But the writing for Gordon does feel very much in line with that character coming into the role of Batman. I also really appreciate Snyder/Capullo skipping the step of having a period where a character is dead and then they come back to life, by just having Bruce be a secondary character with his very own subplot from the outset, it actually makes the story a little more interesting, knowing that he survived but Batman died. Also Gordon's design as Batman really rules, a lean slender Batman is a new interesting take, and a Police, sentient, mech suit. Bloom is an interesting character but I feel the focus isn't really on him right now. Which makes the dedicated flashback issue inside this TPB extremely annoying, not only do I think the origin of Bloom is unnecessary at this point, the writing style really does not blend well with the main story, also, I enjoy the illustration style of Jock, but I feel like it is hard to read here. Overall for me it takes a lot of steam out of the main story right here, and the introduction of a new Batman. Overall though the book is enjoyable and seeing an old policeman try and live up to the Batman name is just a great read.
TV
The Good Place Season 1
What a hilarious and fun show this is, the whole arc of Season 1 really is a great watch and it is so enjoyable. I don't have a lot to say it just hits all the right notes for me!
Black Mirror Season 1
Charlie Brooker loves technology and SEX. That's kind of the main vibe I get off this. I really enjoyed the first and third episodes, with the second having one particular stand out moment. The acting really puts this stuff above normal shows I feel. But the vibe I get off the show is just.. weird? Like I get it it's trying to be grim and introspective for the viewer, but the constant use of sex being portrayed in this really strange taboo way gives it an edgy/creepy vibe, almost like it's some 2006 emo fan fiction. I'm gonna continue on watching the show because I think its episodes are interesting enough to keep me going but that's my feelings right now.
Wrestling
Welcome to the Mania weekend wrestling DUMP, I didn't watch everything but I did watch a fair few things, the greatest part about WrestleMania weekend isn't just the show itself, but all the weird niche wrestling shows companies run around it too.
GCW Josh Barnett's Bloodsport
Last year Matt Riddle did Bloodsport, and while the idea seemed really fun, I felt like the show didn't hit the mark on what was really promised. This year however I felt like every match knocked the different types of match this kind of weird MMA/Wrestling hybrid can bring. It brought some attention to some guys that I hadn't heard of before as well as some old faces. I was especially impressed by Simon Grimm, J.R. Kratos and Josh Barnett. Fun time all round, and this cements this for me as a must watch every year.
Fave Matches: J.R. Kratos vs Simon Grimm, Josh Barnett vs Minoru Suzuki
Impact United We Stand
This is the first time in a long long time, I've watched a full Impact show, as someone who was a big fan of the company back in the 05-07 days it's crazy to see how far they have fallen when it comes to production. As a general Wrestling fan I have always kept my eye on TNA/GFW/Impact, but never watched a full show in a while. This was less about great matches and more about great performances by wrestlers. People who caught my attention were: Ace Austin, Taya Valkyrie, LAX, Low Ki and Flamita. There were other god performances too but all from people who I'm aware who can put on good performances. The show overall wasn't going to be anything amazing but as a fun pass the time wrestling show on Mania weekend it did the job, I think every finish of every match fell completely flat though, so that was a shame.
NXT Takeover: New York
A great night a wrestling overall, but I felt almost every match fell for some pacing issues. I really enjoyed isolated moments of the show, maybe solid few minutes in every match, but no one match had a full package the way Takeover's usually do. War Raiders vs Black & Ricochet was a fun match but it wasn't anything that I hadn't seen before and nothing truly hype or insane. Dream and Riddle were the closest to a match that felt cohesive but unfortunately I wasn't completely won over by it. Walter/Dunne would be my favourite match if we were only counting those last few minutes at the end, but the middle dragged, and going too long meant most of the match I was bored. Women's Fatal Four Way felt like a match that I didn't have to feel so invested into because of the many competitors and the nature that Shayna always seems to win, so in that respect I felt more relaxed to watch it. Cole and Gargano felt like a match that's should've been far better than it turned out to be, the first two falls basically being pointless as they were not as interesting as the last fall and felt like they played no part in the later match. I did enjoy the last moments on the ramp though.
Fave Matches: Velveteen vs Riddle, Walter vs Dunne
ROH & NJPW G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden
Overall a pretty lack luster show in my opinion, as has already been stated by everyone under the sun the ROH part of this show really dragged the whole thing down, couple that with my sleep deprived state and by the main event I was completely checked out, I really shouldn't have been and I wish I gave that IWGP match the chance but I was gone passed caring. Despite all that I did like a couple of matches from the show, Strangely my most enjoyed was the Pre-Show Honor Rumble, apart from the winner and some crappy ROH stars, the rumble is enjoyable because, well, it's a rumble. The ROH Title match sucked so much that I wish I could get the time back.
Fave Matches: Honor Rumble, Cobb vs Ospreay, GoD vs LIJ vs Brisoces vs Villain Enterprises
WWE WrestleMania
Honestly the best Mania since 30 probably, what a great time and what a great set of balls on WWE to go for ALL 3 babyface wins on Mania. Honestly really fucking enjoyed almost everything so I'll just list them here.
Fave Matches: Hawkins & Ryder vs The Revival, Rollins vs Lesnar, Styles vs Orton, Shane McMahon vs The Miz, Kofi Kingston vs Daniel Bryan, Triple H vs Batista
Books & Comics
Batman Vol 7 - Endgame (3/5)
This is one of the most talked about Snyder/Capullo Batman stories, and honestly I don't think it is worth the hype. I love Snyder and Capullo's Batamn run up until this point, they both really get Batman, but I think they crossed some unwritten rules in this story, and not in a fun or good way. I'm specifically talking about The Joker, some big rules get broken, he finds out that Bruce is Batman and he also wants to kill Batman. These two things I think really betray the reson why the character is so interesting. I really think the terror of the character is from the fact he doesn't care about who Batman is and he doesn't want him to die, he wants to continue to 'dance' with Bruce because it gives his life meaning. we also have some plot issues here, that kind of derail the story at the end, Joker's fair on the streets seem super rushed, Batman's villains helping him out seems a bit ludicrous and just general bits and pieces, things happen that don't feel like they are mentioned again. But this still gets a 3 out of 5 because the initial couple of issues are super solid, Justice League fight is rad, Joker's reveal is cool. Overall a great start that fails to stick the landing.
Batman Vol 8 - Superheavy (4/5)
Now to follow up from the Death of Bruce is something super rad, and where I think Snyder/Capullo really nail, which is innovating and just trying something weird with Batman. In this case Commissioner Gordon becomes Batman. My only issues here are his updated look, he becomes more buff for Batman, that is a fine update, makes sense for what happens, I'm not a fan of the stache and the haircut, it means Gordon loses his iconic look, and usually Capullo's art is really stellar all round, but the way he draws Gordon's face here doesn't seem to resemble anything different to me than if he drew Bruce. Maybe that's just me, but sometimes it's hard to connect with Gordon when he doesn't look like Gordon. But the writing for Gordon does feel very much in line with that character coming into the role of Batman. I also really appreciate Snyder/Capullo skipping the step of having a period where a character is dead and then they come back to life, by just having Bruce be a secondary character with his very own subplot from the outset, it actually makes the story a little more interesting, knowing that he survived but Batman died. Also Gordon's design as Batman really rules, a lean slender Batman is a new interesting take, and a Police, sentient, mech suit. Bloom is an interesting character but I feel the focus isn't really on him right now. Which makes the dedicated flashback issue inside this TPB extremely annoying, not only do I think the origin of Bloom is unnecessary at this point, the writing style really does not blend well with the main story, also, I enjoy the illustration style of Jock, but I feel like it is hard to read here. Overall for me it takes a lot of steam out of the main story right here, and the introduction of a new Batman. Overall though the book is enjoyable and seeing an old policeman try and live up to the Batman name is just a great read.
