Top Ten Things: Directorial Film Debuts

Welcome to yet another edition of Top Ten Things, here at Enuffa.com.  Things, ten of them, at the top.

Today I'm talkin' about directorial debuts.  I forget how this popped into my brain, but one day I just started thinkin' about which first-time directors ended up defying the odds and making lasting pieces of cinematic art.  With most talented directors their first films show at least some promise, even if they either haven't found their voice or simply didn't have adequate funding to realize their vision.  Then you get situations with a James Cameron directing tripe like Piranha II: The Spawning, just a gifted aspiring filmmaker looking to get his feet wet.

But sometimes a newbie auteur gets it just right on his or her first try and delivers a great film right out of the gate, taking an established narrative form and giving it a new spin, or inventing a new genre altogether.  Below are ten such examples (but first some honorable mentions).  Note: This list only includes debut feature-length films, not shorts.


Honorable Mentions

American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 1999)

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Judd Apatow, 2005)

Anchorman (Adam McKay, 2004)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (John Cameron Mitchell, 2001)

Blood Simple (The Coen Brothers, 1984)

Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008)

Hereditary (Ari Aster, 2018)

The Witch (Robert Eggers, 2016)

10. Clerks (Kevin Smith, 1994)

The movie that launched Kevin Smith's View Askew-niverse, Clerks is a quintessential indie slacker comedy, about two best friends stuck in a go-nowhere convenience store job trying to figure out what they want to do when they grow up (amid discussions about Star Wars, Gatorade and relationship troubles).  Shot in grainy 16mm black & white, the entire film takes place over the course of one day, chronicling our hero Dante's misadventures, from closing the store to play hockey on the roof, discovering a dead customer in the bathroom, and ruining his relationship with his current girlfriend to rekindle one with his ex.  The film showcases Smith's gift for writing quirky, articulate, often vulgar dialogue and inventing memorable characters, the most lasting of which are View Askew anti-heroes Jay & Silent Bob, two drug dealing miscreants who spend all day loitering in front of the store.  Smith's inexperience as a first-time director shows in Clerks, but the script and atmosphere are so strong they make up for the film's lack of polish.  I still consider Clerks to be his best movie.

9. Monster (Patty Jenkins, 2003)

The future director of the smash-hit Wonder Woman movie began her career behind the camera with this haunting bio of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a Florida prostitute-turned-murderer who was executed by lethal injection in 2002.  Without excusing Wuornos's seven murders, Monster presents her as a severely damaged woman who was dealt a terrible hand from childhood and felt she had no other recourse but to rob and kill.  Boasting a scorchingly exquisite lead performance from Charlize Theron (for which she won a well-deserved Oscar), Monster focuses on the person behind the heinous acts, showing us how and why she arrived at them.  This film is pretty note-perfect and it's quite shocking that Jenkins didn't direct another feature film until Wonder Woman.

8. Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992)

Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut based on his third screenplay (His first two, True Romance and Natural Born Killers, would later be directed by Tony Scott and Oliver Stone, respectively), Reservoir Dogs took the heist film and turned it upside down, presenting the events in question almost as a parlor drama.  Instead of a long buildup to the heist followed by an action centerpiece, Dogs briefly introduces the characters and then spends the majority of the film on the aftermath of a job gone horribly wrong, without ever showing the heist itself.  Structurally I had never seen anything like this before, and it illustrated Tarantino's ability to play with time and sequencing while indirectly revealing information about the characters; we see the heist's aftermath sprinkled with flashbacks focused on key players, so the plot information is doled out sporadically (One of the robbers is suspected of being an undercover cop, and we don't get the reveal until an hour in).  With uniquely musical dialogue, grisly, stylized violence, and strong performances by veteran actors like Harvey Keitel (whose enthusiasm for the project essentially got the film made), Tim Roth and Michael Madsen, Reservoir Dogs announced Quentin Tarantino as a maverick new filmmaker.

NJPW G1 Climax 30 Preview & Predictions

2020 has been an all-out shit show, but at least there's one constant still intact, and that's NJPW's G1 Climax tournament.  Pushed back to September due to the Olympic Games being booked in Japan, this year's G1 probably couldn't have happened properly if slated for its usual July-August timeframe.  So serendipity prevailed in the end.  This lineup is appropriately stacked as all G1 tournaments should be.  Let's take a look at the block lineups, shall we?

I was worried that due to COVID travel restrictions we'd get a watered-down G1, but fortunately we have a full roster again this year (minus Jon Moxley), and thus loads of potential for four weeks of great wrestling.  This year the G1 cards will only consist of the five tournament matches each night, which will make things a little easier to keep up with.  As always this tournament will have Tokyo Dome ramifications; no word on whether WrestleKingdom 15 will be a two-night event like 14 was.  But enough setup, let's dive in....

A Block

Kazuchika Okada

The company Ace has been without the IWGP Championship since January and always has to be a block favorite, especially when he isn't the champ going into the tournament.  Betting on Okada to win the whole thing is never a bad move.


Kota Ibushi

That said, Ibushi has so much to prove this year, having won last year's G1 but come up short both nights of WrestleKingdom 14.  He and Okada had the 2020 Match of the Year (I don't see anyone topping that bout in 2020), but he failed to unseat the champion, and then on Night 2 he took a screwjob loss at the hands of Jay White.  So Ibushi also has to be a favorite to win and redeem himself at the Dome.

Parents' Night In #44: Leon The Professional (1994)

Kelly and Justin are back (in our new house!) for a movie review of another film we bonded over before we were dating, Luc Besson's action-drama masterpiece Leon!  Starring Jean Reno as Leon, a scenery-chewing Gary Oldman as DEA cop Norman Stansfield, and an 11-year-old Natalie Portman as Mathilda; Portman proved even at her young age to be a prodigious onscreen talent.  Leon (or The Professional) as it was called in the US, is the story of a socially stunted Italian hitman who develops a close relationship with an orphaned girl, taking her under his wing as she vows revenge on a crooked DEA officer (Oldman, our favorite of all his performances) who killed her family.  Leon is full of intense, violent set pieces but also contains touching, delicate moments between its two protagonists.  An underrated gem of a film. 

Intro song contains a snippet of Sting's "Shape of My Heart," backing music from Chris Jackson Music - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVdRr...

Parody lyrics:

You know that your hosts are named Justin and Kelly
You know that the jokes are fueled by the booze
You know this podcast belongs in the bin
And that it's called Parents' Night In


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Top Ten Things: Unnecessary Movie Remakes

Welcome to another edition of Top Ten Things!  I am your host, Justin, and I'll be bitching about something most would consider trivial.  But ya know, that's my thing.  So stick it.

Today I'll be talking about an issue that's plagued Hollywood for many years - particularly this century - the unnecessary remake.  Remakes are nothing new; the early decades of cinema saw countless movies done over, to take advantage of ever-improving technology and greater budget availability (just like now).  Plus it was a way for the studios to make easy money with a known title and not have to come up with original ideas (just like now).  Sadly these remakes often failed to live up to the artistry and craftsmanship of the original versions (just like now) and many of them fell by the wayside.  In the last fifteen years or so it seems just about every film churned out is either a remake, a sequel, a reboot, a prequel, a requel, a threequel, a squeakuel (okay that one just applies to the Chipmunks), and any new ideas get squeezed out of the mix except at Oscar season.  Some of the remakes in recent years have been downright baffling, in many cases at the expense of original films that absolutely got it right the first time.  So let's take a look at some of those....

10. The Karate Kid

Directed by John G. Avildsen of Rocky fame, The Karate Kid tells a similar story of an unlikely underdog's one chance at redemption.  Danny Larusso is the new kid in a California suburban school, who immediately runs afoul of some local bullies who also happen to be martial arts students.  After taking a few beatings from these kids, Danny enlists the help of the superintendent of his apartment building, an old Okinawan by the name of Mr. Miyagi.  The film follows Danny's unorthodox training and builds to the karate competition where Danny overcomes the odds and wins the whole thing.  This was a truly inspirational 80s film that has aged fairly well despite some cheesy moments and its similarity to Rocky.  But in 2010 Will Smith co-produced an "update" starring his son Jaden as the titular "Kid" and Jackie Chan as the Miyagi character.  While it got mostly positive reviews, it just struck me as cheap exploitation of a known brand (Lots of that going on in Hollywood), and I can't imagine anyone deeming it the definitive version, nor do I recall anyone clamoring to see it remade.  Makes one wonder when an ill-advised Rocky remake will see the light of day.

9. Psycho

Speaking of remakes no one asked for, in 1998 Gus Van Sant released his homage/shot-for-shot recreation of Alfred Hitchcock's iconic thriller.  This version would be in color, thus robbing the film of the original's distinctive look, and aside from a few shots now made possible by updated technology (the opening crane shot into the hotel room window for example), Van Sant offered literally nothing new.  He used the original shooting script and didn't make any changes to the story, nor did he try to make it his own.  This was nothing more than a vanity project, akin to a contemporary band covering a classic old song note-for-note, resulting in a banal sound-alike.  This doesn't even cover the senselessly inappropriate casting of Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates in a performance that can't hold a candle to Anthony Perkins' original.  If I ever said "Let's watch Psycho" and the person I was hangin' out with popped in the 1998 version I'd punch them square in the face.

Movie Review: Tenet - teneT :weiveR eivoM

Christopher Nolan's latest opus, Tenet, may just be his most confounding film yet.  Part spy thriller, part Nolan sci-fi-infused puzzle, Tenet works best if you go in cold.  To that end, I'll keep this review as spoiler-free as I can.  But be warned....

Tenet stars John David Washington as an unnamed CIA agent who, after proving himself in the field, is let in on a top-secret mission involving a conspiracy to "invert" objects, or send them backwards through time.  You see, somewhere in the future, someone came up with a plan to undo decades of environmental damage, and its unintended side effect was that a weapon of mass destruction has now been inverted in time, threatening to wreak havoc so widespread it would unmake the world.  Washington's character now has to find and destroy this weapon to save all life on Earth.

This is a pretty out-there concept, even for Nolan, but as usual he makes it work for the most part, employing state of the art special effects, taut screenwriting, novel sci-fi gimmickry, and strong performances (Washington makes an excellent, relatable protagonist, his sidekick Robert Pattinson a slyly charismatic partner, Kenneth Branagh a palpably menacing Russian oligarch, and standout Elizabeth Debicki a sympathetic, damaged woman as Branagh's kept wife) to create a smartly-devised summer blockbuster.

Where Tenet falls short for me is largely dialogue-related; even when you can understand what the characters are saying (which is rather inexcusably seldom - who the hell mixed this movie?), the film hurtles along so quickly it's often a strain to keep up with the rules being established and what they mean for the characters.  Nolan has never been one for audience hand-holding, and usually that faith in his viewers' intelligence is welcome, but here I felt like he assumed a little too much.  A key action sequence is outlined by a character at such a frenetic pace I finally had to throw my hands up and just let it unfold, and when it was over I asked myself, "Wait, why did they need to fight this battle in both temporal directions?"  After watching the film I looked up the synopsis on Wikipedia and was stunned to find out how many expository details I'd missed.  Nolan films almost always benefit from repeated viewings, but this was the first one where I was literally unclear on multiple story points after the first watch.

AEW All Out 2020: Their Weakest PPV So Far

AEW All Out 2020 is in the books.  It was a solid show with several good matches but I have to say I thought this was their weakest PPV effort thus far.  Whether it was the unbearable heat (95 degrees and humid - such is Florida in early September), or the fact that the only actual fans in the venue were far from the ring and thus mostly inaudible (I'm not sure why the wrestlers at ringside have toned down their "fan" reactions; they were working so well), overall this show didn't capture the AEW magic like the others have.  It was by no means a bad show but also not the great one it had the potential to be.

Things kicked off in less-than-stellar fashion with the goofy Tooth and Nail match; this was supposed to have been on the pre-show and probably should've stayed there.  Britt Baker and Big Swole brawled mostly throughout a dentist's office that was pretty obviously a set inside Daily's Place.  The action was pretty generic Attitude Era hardcore match-type stuff.  Baker at one point tied Swole in her dentist's chair and tried to use a power screwdriver on her (I'm not sure why they didn't make available an actual dentist's drill), followed by a syringe full of novocaine.  But this backfired and Swole injected the novocaine into Baker's leg, punched Reba through a framed diploma, and put a gas mask on Baker causing her to pass out.  Swole was declared the winner.  This was dumb and not at all a good choice for an opener.  *

The true opening bout was The Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express.  This was wildly energetic, athletic showcase that was tailor-made for an opening slot.  The story here was the Bucks becoming more and more aggressive, playing the heels to Jungle Boy's underdog character.  Luchasaurus hit a couple of big dives, including one over the barricade onto several bystanders.  Unfortunately this kept him indisposed as Matt and Nick hit a pair of superkicks on Jungle Boy (one echoing the famous Shawn Michaels-Shelton Benjamin spot).  But Jungle Boy kicked out of both pin attempts before the Bucks hit the BTE Trigger on him for the win.  This was a fine contest and the best thing on the show for most of the show.  ***3/4

AEW All Out 2020 Preview & Predictions

Alright, back to predicting wrestling shows I actually care about.  Let's talk about AEW All Out!

This Saturday is the second annual All Out event (hard to believe it's been two years since the original All In, which was the first non-WWE event in 20 years to sell over 10,000 tickets and set this whole AEW thing in motion).  Once again AEW has assembled a very promising lineup with a good mix of established former WWE and NJPW stars and homegrown talent.  Correct me if I'm wrong but I think this is the first AEW PPV to feature a homegrown guy in the World Title match, and they picked a great talent with which to start that trend.  Anyway, let's look at the lineup...

Pre-show match: Britt Baker vs. Big Swole

Britt is finally returning to the ring after several months on the sidelines.  But she was hardly idle, beautifully developing her new heel persona along the way.  That's how you handle an injury, folks.  She and Swole have been itching to fight for months and it's actually strange this is on the pre-show for that reason.  The match is called a Tooth and Nail match.  No idea what that means, but I'm assuming some kind of no holds barred situation.  Since Baker is the one they've been building up this whole time she's gotta be the winner.

Pick: Britt

Casino Battle Royale

The winner as usual gets a future World Title match, which of course eliminates over half the participants.  And of course we have four mystery combatants, which means one of those folks is almost certainly winning the whole thing.  But for a moment let's leave the TBDs out and look at who we do know is in it.  Right off the bat we can disregard Ricky Starks, The Butcher, The Blade, Eddie Kingston, Shawn Spears, Billy and Austin Gunn, Santana, Ortiz, Chuck Taylor and Trent.  So that leaves six of the known names.  I'd say Pentagon and Fenix probably won't win either but they could be longshots.  So that leaves Darby Allin, Lance Archer, Jake Hager, and Brian Cage.  Allin and Cage both got title shots recently so they're out I think, which leaves Archer and Hager.  I could see either of them winning and getting a crack at Moxley; I think Archer would give him a better match, like the one they had at WrestleKingdom.  So if it's one of the 17 names we already know, I'll go with Archer.  But ultimately it's always a safe bet to go with a surprise entrant.

Pick: One of the TBDs, or Lance Archer

WWE SummerSlam 2020 Preview & Predictions

Welcome to another round of WWE Predictions, here at Enuffa.com!

This Sunday is SummerSlam, apparently.  The third biggest show of the year.  And this is the lineup?  Okie dokie then.  Once again loads of top-notch stars are absent from the card.  Second SummerSlam in a row with no Daniel Bryan, by the way.  Super.  Also no AJ, no Owens, no Cesaro/Nakamura, no Shayna.  I know I need to quit trying to assign logic to WWE but I can't help it.  Anyway, this will be the first PPV under the ThunderDome format, where fans are virtually in attendance on LCD screens.  Yeah, that'll fix everything.  When is this company going to figure out that gimmicks and cosmetic changes aren't what will make the product good again?  Christ...

Let's pick some winners.

RAW Tag Team Championship: The Street Profits vs. Andrade and Angel Garza

This should be a solid match with a lot of athleticism, thus the opening slot would be a good fit for it.  Not much more to say about it than that really.  In a better company a match like this could steal the show, but it won't get enough time to do that.

Pick: Street Profits retain

US Championship: Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Here's a question, why the FUCK is MVP contending for a championship on a PPV in 2020?  Bruce Pritchard sucks as a lead creative guy in this day and age.  Stop pushing guys from your last stint with the company and create *new* stars.  Hasn't Crews already beaten MVP a bunch of times already? 

Pick: Crews retains.  Unless stupider heads prevail.

NXT TakeOver XXX Preview & Predictions

Welcome to another round of NXT Predictions here at Enuffa.com!

It's the thirtieth NXT TakeOver this weekend, and WWE's one good brand is hoping to once again upstage the train wreck that is the main roster.  Which gets easier by the year.  NXT is currently led by breakout star Keith Lee, who ended Adam Cole's historic 13-month reign to temporarily unify the two men's singles belts (He quickly vacated the North American Title to focus on the big belt).  We'll see a new North American Champion crowned, plus an Io Shirai Women's Title defense.  Should be another strong showing, so let's take a look...

North American Championship Ladder Match: Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream

NXT ladder schmozzes are always entertaining and this should be no different.  Gargano and Dream are former North American champs so I can't see either of them winning it back here.  Now would be a good time to elevate one of the other three.  I guess I'll go with Priest.

Pick: Damian Priest

Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee

The hell is this about?  Adam Cole is feuding with an ex-football player turned wrestling analyst?  Ok then.  I'm sure this will be fine, it's Adam Cole after all.  I fear WWE will once again sacrifice a full-time wrestler to a quasi-celebrity.  If it were a main roster show that would almost certainly be the case.  Hopefully not here.

Pick: Cole

Parents' Night In #43: Dick Tracy (1990), an Underrated Masterpiece

Justin and Kelly are back to talk about an old-school comic book movie that didn't get enough love, Dick Tracy!  Starring and directed by Warren Beatty, with Madonna, Al Pacino, Glenne Headly, Dick Van Dyke, William Forsythe, and a host of other supporting actors, Dick Tracy was a precursor to modern comic book films like Sin City and 300, using exaggerated makeup effects, colors and sets to create an immersive, living comic strip.  Deemed a box office disappointment at the time, Dick Tracy has nonetheless aged better than its contemporaries in our opinion and remains a visual feast to this day.  We'll talk about the film itself, Madonna as a pop icon, Warren Beatty's prodigious love life, Al Pacino's 90s overacting, and we'll take a deep dive into the expression "You don't know your ass from your elbow."  Join in on the fun!

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Excerpt of "Sooner or Later" from Madonna's album I'm Breathless.

Parody lyrics:

We're gonna show you the time of your life
Justin's the husband and Kelly's the wife
We're watchin' movies and makin' some bad jokes, for you folks, win-win
Like and subscribe to our channel called Parents'......Night......In


Disclaimer- Some contents are used for educational purpose under fair use. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.


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Parents' Night In #42: Hamilton, The Movie!

It's time for Parents' Night LIN!  As in Lin-Manuel Miranda!  As in Hamilton, the Broadway milestone that is now available as a film on Disney Plus!  Kelly and Justin will enjoy some bubbly, do some really bad rapping, and talk about the play, the film, the soundtrack, and how they fell in love with all three, plus how incredible the entire cast is, Justin's man-crush on Daveed Diggs, Kelly's woman-crush on Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Justin and Kelly's idol worship of Lin himself.  Get ready to laugh, cry, and cringe as we discuss Hamilton on this special Parents Night In episode!

Snippet of "My Shot," music/original lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Parody Lyrics:

Parents' Night, episode forty-two
Parents' Night, episode forty-two
Hey yo, we drink lots of bubbly
And spit rhymes that are ugly
Welcome to episode forty-two

It is time for you to click sub-scribe
It is time for you to click sub-scribe
If you experience elation
Hit that notification bell
And make sure you like us and sub-scribe

It's time to click subscribe!

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Disclaimer- Some contents are used for educational purpose under fair use. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

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Parents' Night In #41: The Fugitive (1993)

Kelly and Justin love Harrison Ford, and it's summer, so we're watching one of his great summer films, The Fugitive!  Released in 1993 and co-starring Tommy Lee Jones and Julianne Moore, The Fugitive is a taut action thriller about a wrongly convicted doctor on the run from the authorities and trying to clear his name.  We'll talk about the film, Chicago, the Chicago accent (Justin has a lot of fun with this), and our difficulty stringing together coherent sentences at times.  This episode eventually got out of control like the derailed train in The Fugitive!  Check it out...

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WWE Extreme Rules 2020 Preview: It's a Horror Show, Alright

The.....Horror Show.....at Extreme Rules.  Huh?  Did Vince McMahon take up psychedelic drugs?  What kinda happy horseshit is this?

This Sunday is an Extreme Rules PPV that apparently doesn't have any Extreme Rules matches but has a Swamp Fight and an Eye for an Eye match, which can only be won when one guy pulls another guy's eye from its socket.  Somewhere Vince Russo is taking a victory lap.  WWE's solution to putting on wrestling shows without a crowd really is, I guess, to just get rid of the wrestling and make "movies."  Also why is the color scheme for this "horror show" neon green and purple?  Shouldn't it be red and black?  Ya know, HORROR-type colors?  This lineup feels so WCW 2000.

Ugh, let's get this over with.

US Championship: Apollo Crews vs. MVP

One of the worst things about Paul Heyman being replaced by Bruce Prichard as RAW's creative head is Prichard's inexplicable need to push guys who peaked 12-13 years ago, hence the 46-year-old MVP getting a title match, on a PPV, in 2020.  This guy hasn't been relevant since 2008, and he's not the only irrelevant title challenger on this card.  And why the fuck is Randy Orton feuding with Big Show?  In 2020?  Christ, it's not like WWE was lighting up the ratings in 2008.  The way forward is, well, FORWARD.  Anyway, I would hope WWE has the sense to keep the belt on Crews here.

Pick: Apollo retains

Smackdown Women's Championship: Bayley vs. Nikki Cross

Bayley and Sasha are obviously on a collision course (only four years after both were called up), so this is a filler match to keep Bayley busy till SummerSlam.  Nikki is a solid worker and a fun character but she's obviously not winning the belt here. 

Pick: Bayley retains

RAW Women's Championship: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

This is the one match on the show I have any interest in.  Asuka is amazing, Sasha is great (God I hope she jumps to AEW next year), so there's no reason this shouldn't steal the show (especially with this lineup).  It's possible they have Sasha win this title so she and Bayley can be the Two-Woman Power Trip and fight each other for both belts later, but I dunno if they'll do that so soon after Asuka won it.  I'll go with Asuka to retain, possibly due to botched interference from Bayley.

Pick: Asuka retains

AEW Fight for the Fallen 2020 Preview & Predictions

AEW is back with another special Dynamite episode, this time it's Fight for the Fallen!

The two-night Fyter Fest is in the books and both shows were quite enjoyable.  I liked Night 1 better, with its stacked lineup of mostly championship matches (the Omega/Page-Best Friends main event was probably the best match on either show and I also loved the MJF/Wardlow-Jurassic Express opener) but Night 2 had some memorable bouts as well (the spectacular 8-man match and the Jericho-Cassidy main event).  But since Jon Moxley-Brian Cage had to be postponed due to Moxley's wife Renee Young contracting COVID, here we are with another special show.  Five matches have been announced, two of which are title bouts.  So let's get into it.

Nightmare Sisters vs. TBA

Evidently we'll see Brandi Rhodes and Allie in action against an unnamed team.  I assume this will be like Nyla Rose's match last week, where "TBA" just means "jobbers" instead of the usual "mystery team that ends up winning."  I'm guessing this will be a short showcase match.

Pick: Nightmare Sisters

The Elite vs. Jurassic Express

This should be tons of fun, as Kenny and the Bucks face all three Jurassic members.  Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus are coming off a win over MJF and Wardlow, but I imagine Marko Stunt takes the pin here.  This'll be a crazy match.

Pick: Elite

Top Ten Things: Christian Bale Roles

Welcome to another Top Ten Things, here at Enuffa.com, where I rattle off ten things I like (Duh...).

Today I'll be talking about probably my favorite film actor in the world today, the eminently gifted Christian Bale.  I first became aware of Bale in 2000 (I'd seen him in a couple films prior to that but had no idea who he was), and from that point I was fascinated by this charismatic, chameleonic actor.  For a few years it seemed he'd simply be a cult hero, but starting in 2005 he became a household name playing one of the most iconic characters of all time.  Since then his filmography has been a mesmerizing blend of crowd-pleasing blockbusters and smaller, more challenging roles, but the constant throughout has been Bale's complete dedication to the characters he portrays.  Known for wildly changing his appearance and accent for each role, Bale often becomes unrecognizable from film to film, and for me it makes each new performance an event.

Here are my ten favorite Christian Bale performances.....

10. Dan Evans (3:10 to Yuma)

This 2007 remake starred Russell Crowe as adventurous, charming outlaw Ben Wade, and Bale in the somewhat thankless role of rancher Dan Evans, deputized to bring him to justice.  But even as the taciturn protagonist Bale still imbued his character with considerable pathos and we root for him to succeed over the much more outgoing villain.  A lesser actor might've played Evans as a morose bore, but Bale's natural onscreen magnetism makes his character an honorable, reluctant hero and an excellent foil for the bankrobbing assassin.

9. Alfred Borden/Fallon (The Prestige)

Bale's character in Christopher Nolan's period piece makes an unexpected transition from shifty tortured artist to sympathetic protagonist.  The Prestige centers around Alfred Borden's professional-turned-personal rivalry with fellow magician Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), and at the outset Bale's character seems the clear antagonist, seemingly so consumed with his profession that he cannot relate to other people.  But as the film progresses we sympathize more with Borden and his ingenieur Fallon, as Angier's obsession with destroying Borden consumes him.  Bale adeptly handles this character transition (as well as the surprise double role), manipulating our sympathies with prodigious skill.  Incidentally Borden is the only character on this list whom Bale played with anything close to his real Welsh accent.

8. Michael Burry (The Big Short)

Contributing to Bale's reputation as a chameleon was his Oscar-nominated turn as eccentric investor Michael Burry, the antisocial drumming enthusiast with a glass eye from The Big Short.  Much of his screen time in this film was spent behind his desk and on the phone with various colleagues and bankers, but Bale made the character both memorable and amusing, as Burry comes off as the smartest (and weirdest) dude in the room.  As the film wears on, Burry goes from a cocksure know-it-all to quietly increasing desperation; the housing bubble he's predicted will burst shows no signs of doing so until after he's lost himself and his colleagues millions.  As usual Bale conveys this character arc with a proficient dedication to the character.

NJPW Dominion 2020 Preview & Predictions

Well this is gonna be a short one today since NJPW Dominion's full card still hasn't been announced.  Only three matches as of this moment, which is sad considering Dominion is normally the second-biggest show of the year for them. 

Well it's great to finally have NJPW back after a four-month COVID absence.  I've been enjoying the delayed New Japan Cup and it's actually refreshing to only have two-hour shows to keep track of, with two to four tournament matches per show, plus one to three filler tag bouts.  If nothing else it's been pretty easy to keep on top of.  The matches themselves have been mostly very good, with a few great ones.  The tourney stealer for me has been Hiromu Takahashi, who despite being the Jr. champ made it deep into the tournament, defeating Honma, Yano and Ishii (in a fantastic match) before falling to the mighty Okada (in the best match of the tourney so far).  I was actually hoping to see the Timebomb win the whole thing and face Naito on Sunday, thus delivering the planned Anniversary Show match.  But alas.  Anyway let's pick the winners for the four big matches this weekend (I'm including the New Japan Cup final).

New Japan Cup Final: Kazuchika Okada vs. Evil

It's no surprise that Okada made the finals, being the biggest star in the company and the best in the goddamn world.  That said, I think it's too soon for a Naito-Okada rematch, particularly since they can't sell out any buildings right now.  Furthermore we're effectively still in March thanks to all the event cancellations.  Don't forget, the New Japan Cup winner was supposed to face Naito on March 31 at Sakura Genesis.  So clearly Okada wasn't slated to win the tournament then; it would've been a case of them blowing their wad way too early.  Thus, Evil takes the tournament.  Evil's push has been kinda sudden, but he's shown that old killer instinct in this tournament, cheating to beat even his best friend Sanada in the semis (I found it intriguing that LIJ took three of the four slots).  I think we'll see him do more of that against his mentor on Sunday as well, which should make for an interesting dynamic.

Pick: Evil takes the Cup

Parents' Night In #40: The Lost Boys (1987), Kelly's Live Reaction

It's summertime and that means walks on the beach, fun in the sun, amusement park rides, and of course, vampires.  Hang out with us and listen to Justin introduce Kelly to The Lost Boys, that popcorn movie disguised as a vampire film.  Directed by Joel Schumacher (RIP) and starring Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Jami Gertz, Dianne Weist, and of course Kiefer Sutherland, The Lost Boys has been one of Justin's favorite horror-comedy romps since its 1987 release.  This delightfully 80s favorite is full of exhilarating horror set pieces, vampire humor, and big hair.  We'll talk about not only this film but Joel's other works, our favorite vampire films, and lots more. Grab a beer and sink your teeth into this episode!

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Late to the Party: Hamilton

Welcome to a new Enuffa.com feature called Late to the Party, where I discuss a movie, an album, a recording artist, a book, what-have-you, that for me was an acquired taste of the tardiest kind.  Something everyone else seemed to get right away, but for which I was slow on the uptake.  Case in point, Lin-Manuel Miranda's epic Broadway musical Hamilton....

As with so many artistic ventures that seem to come out of nowhere and take the world by storm, I was initially quite resistant to Hamilton when I first became aware of it.  Not really being a musical theater enthusiast (I like some musicals, but it's a pretty select few) and most certainly not being a hip-hop guy (Aside from Outkast there's very little in this genre that interests me), the idea of a rap musical centered around one of the less celebrated founding fathers didn't exactly pique my interest.  Couple that with the almost hysterical devotion this show has generated since its January 2015 debut, not to mention the astronomical prices being charged for tickets, and my first reaction was something along the lines of "Get the fuck outta here with this...."

Fast-forward two years, and my wife finally gave the Cast Recording a listen after much prodding from a close friend who was already obsessed with the show (We'll call her Shamilton).  By the third or fourth go-round my wife was all, "Justin, you HAVE to listen to this."  "Yeah yeah yeah, whatever," I replied.  Then one weekend we had a drive up to the beach, roughly 80 minutes each way, and she chose that as the time to make me a captive audience.  I'd been expecting an hour-long soundtrack album, not realizing Hamilton had no dialogue outside of the songs, and said, "Jeezus, how long is this thing??"  So I listened to it front-to-back and found it mildly interesting.  I'd be lying if I said it blew me away the first time.  The music was so densely composed and covered so much ground, and I wasn't sure who was singing what to whom, that a lot of it was in one ear and out the other.

But like so much of the best art, the Hamilton album isn't about instant gratification.  It slowly burrows its way in, and only after you've become familiar with the story being told and fully absorbed the music does it yield its true rewards.

About a week later, after hearing the album again in the background at a pool party (I will say this stuff doesn't make for the best passive listening experience), I decided to give Hamilton a really honest try on my own iPhone, with no distractions.  And goddammit, everyone else was right.  I was wrong.

As a double album, Hamilton is a grandly concieved, meticulously detailed, obstinately ingenious concept record about the rise and fall of this underappreciated co-architect of the American experiment.  The 47 tracks cover the ambitious Hamilton's journey from orphaned immigrant (born in the West Indies, grew up in the Caribbean) to Revolutionary War officer to the first Secretary of the Treasury, and depict his numerous sweeping contributions to America's inception, as well as his various political and personal battles while helping shape the ungainly, chaotic system of government known as democracy.  Indeed, Hamilton makes no effort to lionize the founding fathers; they, like all human beings, are flawed, ego-driven, and prone to mistakes.

AEW Fyter Fest 2020 Preview & Predictions

AEW Fyter Fest is upon us for the second time, and while still a free show it'll be spread over two AEW Dynamite episodes instead of being presented as a BR Live broadcast.  The eleven matches all have some promise, and the July 1st lineup seems a bit more stacked.  AEW always brings a sense of fun spontaneity to the table, so I'm looking forward to two enjoyable "telecasts" as Tony Schiavone would say.  Sorta feels like the old Clash of the Champions shows, which I always looked forward to as a kid.  Let's dive in.


Night One

Private Party vs. Santana & Ortiz

This would be perfect in the opening slot; a high energy, super-athletic tag team showcase to get everyone revved up.  I expect this to be a dazzling 12 minutes or so, with high spots galore just to piss off everyone who complains about flips.  Santana & Ortiz should win this I think, to reestablish them as an upper tier team.

Pick: Santana & Ortiz

Jurassic Express vs. MJF & Wardlow

I'm really excited for this one.  MJF vs. Jungle Boy was a fantastic Double or Nothing match, while Luchasaurus vs. Wardlow last week was a thrilling athletic big man contest.  Wardlow has IT; push this monster to the moon.  All four guys will get lots of opportunities to shine.  MJF is still undefeated and Wardlow shouldn't lose yet, so I expect them to win.

Pick: MJF & Wardlow

Parents' Night In #39: Scrooged (1988)

It's only six months till Christmas, have you gotten your shopping done?  Welcome to another Parents' Night In boozy movie review, where Justin & Kelly enjoy some beers and watch a movie!  Recorded last November, this episode is about the Bill Murray 80s classic Scrooged!  Based on the immortal Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol, Scrooged brings everyone's favorite holiday tale into the modern age, with Bill Murray's character Frank Cross standing in for mean old Ebenezer.  Also starring Alfre Woodard, John Forsythe, David Johanssen, Carol Kane, and Robert Mitchum, Scrooged has become a cult classic for everyone too cynical to admit they like Christmas movies.  

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Top Ten Things: Haken Songs

Welcome to another edition of Top Ten Things, here at Enuffa.com, where I count down the ten things at the top of the mountain (get it?)....

Today I'll be talking about the ten finest compositions by British prog-metal masters Haken!  I discovered Haken only recently, after seeing in a Newbury Comics newsletter that their newest album Vector was set to be released.  I looked 'em up and read all about their brand of progressive rock, not to mention all the accolades their albums have gotten, and gave them a listen.  I was hooked immediately, and have spent the last few months immersed in their catalog.  Haken's music somehow grabs the listener instantly with stunningly crafted songs, but also rewards multiple spins with loads of ear candy, unusual influences, odd time signatures, and dense vocal harmonies.  This six-piece is unquestionably the real deal, and one of the most exciting bands of any genre that I've encountered in years.  Where I find many prog bands too eager to dazzle at the expense of good old-fashioned songwriting, Haken's songs are rock-solid first and technically marvelous second.  Their music is instantly addictive but simultaneously reveals new layers with each listen.  I can't recommend them enough.  Click HERE for my full review of The Mountain....

Here are my ten Haken favorites....

10. Earthrise

One of Haken's most uplifting songs, "Earthrise" starts out with a sycopated verse and builds to a soaring, harmonized chorus (one of their most instantly hooky), eventually returning to a modulated version of said chorus toward the end of the tune.  Like "Insomnia," my only gripe with this song is that it's too short.  This is a chorus that could be repeated on a loop without getting old.  This is one of the standouts from the Affinity album.

9. Crystallised

The 19-minute epic from Haken's Restoration EP, "Crystallised" kicks off with a bouncy 7/8 jazz fusion verse that opens up into a wondrous rock chorus.  Right away the song sticks with you (as do so many of Haken's tracks), but the bridge takes it to another level with an a capella counterpoint piece that builds into full minstrel-inspired segment.  It's unlike anything else in their catalog and immediately captures your attention.  The song finds its way back to the chorus and then to a climactic, multi-layered outro about accepting change and moving on.  This section reminds me of some of Dream Theater's long-form tunes and is yet another instantly memorable hook in a song full of them.  This is one of Haken's great marathon tracks.

8. The Architect

The extravagant centerpiece of Affinity is this near-sixteen-minute epic, featuring a guest death vocal by Einar Solberg of Leprous.  The greatest strength of "The Architect" is its ever-changing Fear Factory-esque chorus hook over a jackhammering syncopated guitar riff.  At the end of the song this chorus is brought back over a totally different riff and in a different time signature, but the melody is so strong you almost don't notice the change at first.  "The Architect" is one of many Haken epics whose running time flies by.

Parents' Night In #38: Stand By Me (1986)

Kelly & Justin are back for a movie review our favorite coming-of-age movie, Rob Reiner's Stand By Me!  Based on Stephen King's novella The Body, SBM tells the story of four 12-year-old boys who go off on an adventure to find the body of Ray Brower, who went missing a few days earlier.  With excellent performances by Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, and Kiefer Sutherland, SBM is timeless, funny, poignant, and makes us reminisce about our own childhood and loss of innocence.  We'll discuss the various child actors in the film, Kiefer, Stephen King's reputation for writing bad endings, and when we found our respective selves as teenagers.

So grab a cold drink, sit back, and hang out with us as we talk Stand By Me!

Kelly is drinking some Pionetto prosecco while Justin is enjoying craft beer from Vitamin Sea Brewing and Widowmaker Brewing!

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"Stand By Me" snippet from Sing King Karaoke (https://link.singking.com/YouTube)

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WWE Backlash 2020 Preview & Predictions

Welcome to a last-minute round of WWE Predictions, here at Enuffa.com!  It's WWE Backlash, and this year's edition proves to be one of the most forgettable ever.  Jesus, look at this half-assed lineup.  And it's being main evented, almost certainly, by what WWE is choosing to call The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.  Yeah okay guys....

Yeah, WWE actually wants to convince us that Randy Orton vs. Edge is going to be better than Flair-Steamboat, Okada-Omega, Angle-Benoit, Bret-Owen, HBK-Taker, and all the other classic bouts this won't come close to touching.  I can't recall a more desperate marketing gimmick from this promotion.  On top of that, look how poorly received the previous Edge-Orton match was.  I went easy on it, but it was overly long, dull, plodding, and contained one of the WWE's most offensive moments, when they did a weight machine spot that echoed Chris Benoit's suicide.  What's also hilarious is that WWE just had the finals of their Intercontinental Title tournament, a Daniel Bryan-AJ Styles epic that is being called one of the best free TV matches in years.  Why didn't it get saved for the PPV two days later?  Gee, I wonder....  Could it be so that it wouldn't easily overshadow the match they're trying to pass off as an all-time classic?  Eff this company.  Let's pick the winners.

Women's Tag Team Championship: Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics

Jeezus this is weak.  Is this literally all that's left of the Women's Tag division?  Bayley and Sasha, and two other teams?  Might be time to beef up the division guys.  Bayley and Sasha just won these, so they shouldn't lose them yet.  Why are the IIconics still a thing?

Pick: Bayley & Sasha retain

US Championship: Apollo Crews vs. Andrade

These midcard titles have just been jumping around like crazy this year.  It's hard to even keep track of them now.  Crews just won his first WWE piece of gold, so he oughta keep it too.  The match itself should be solid.

Pick: Apollo retains

Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus

Boy do I not care about this.  Yay, let's exploit Jeff's substance abuse issues yet again.  That always works out well, doesn't it?  The match should be alright but I've been pretty over Jeff for years now.

Pick: Sheamus I guess?

Parents' Night In #37: Anchorman (2004) - RIP Fred Willard

Alright, so we tried to record a movie review podcast episode about this monumentally hilarious film once before, and it didn't go well.  Mostly because it was our second recording of the night, we started at 2am, and we were plastered.  But we're back to make it right, discussing Anchorman, Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Christina Applegate, and Fred Willard (RIP).  Also we'll talk about Saturday Night Live, local beers, Manhattans, jazz flute, why we don't like the big rumble scene with Tim Robbins, Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller, and much more!  Join us for some fun as we resist the urge to simply quote one of the most quotable movies of all time, Anchorman!

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NXT TakeOver: In Your House Preview & Predictions

Welcome to another round of NXT Predictions, here at Enuffa.com!  Someone will have to let me know if this weekend's show is good since I don't have the Network anymore.  On paper it looks quite strong, as usual.  It's a pity WWE's main roster pissed me off to the point that I felt like I had to drop them, as I always enjoy NXT's offerings.

Given the COVID situation, for this particular NXT TakeOver they've adopted the old In Your House moniker, a nod of course to the PPV series that ran from 1995-1999 (before many of today's AEW fans were even born).  I always thought IYH was a goofy name for a wrestling event as it seems to imply the acton is actually taking place at my home (The original In Your House included a sweepstakes where they actually gave away a house), but I get why they're using it here.  See cuz we're all stuck In Our Houses.  Get it?

Eh, fuck it, let's predict the matches...

Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart & Tegan Nox vs. Candice LaRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez

This should be a high-energy, nonstop action kinda match.  The good women vs. the bad women.  No idea who wins this but I'll go with the bad women I guess.

Pick: Candice, Dakota & Raquel

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross

Ciampa fell short of winning back the NXT Title in Portland and his best friend-turned worst enemy-turned best friend, turned on him.  This guy needs some good news.  I reckon he beats Kross here to get him back into the NXT Title picture.

Pick: Ciampa

Finn Balor vs. Damien Priest

This looks pretty great on paper.  Could steal the show potentially.  The point of it seems to be to give Priest a big win over an established star, or to hang move for move with Balor and be elevated even in a loss.  Finn wouldn't be hurt by a loss here, but I suppose if you're going to beat him you want to have a huge plan for whoever does it.  I dunno.

Pick: Balor I guess?

Parents' Night In #36: Forrest Gump (1994)

Kelly & Justin are back with your favorite movie podcast/movie review/YouTube sensation to discuss a 90s favorite, Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Sally Field and Gary Sinise, directed by Robert Zemeckis!  Join us as we enjoy some local craft beers and talk about the movie, how we bonded over it very early in our friendship,  why Gary Sinise is a real-life hero, how Justin got sick during a theatrical viewing of the film, why we don't agree with the movie's depiction of 1960s anti-war protesters, why the CGI is pretty bad when Forrest rubs elbows with JFK, LBJ, Richard Nixon and especially John Lennon, what we'd do if we had unlimited funds, and Forrest Gump's status as a popcorn film disguised as Oscar bait.  Also, Justin gets a little tipsy by the end and has a Mexican standoff with our mean old cat.  Sit back, open a beverage and have some fun with Parents' Night In!

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